Header Attribution

The header photo is a wall in the Depot Art District in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

Thursday, December 29, 2011

Licata Building, Ybor City


Spotted this lovely old edifice
on the main drag in Ybor City,
Tampa, Florida.
I like the blond brick,
and the simple but elegant
architectural lines.

Can't decide whether
to be encouraged
or bummed out
about the place
housing a
"Rock n Roll Bar"...
Certainly better than holding
nothing but emptiness and desolation.

Taken 2 August 2010.

Friday, December 23, 2011

Eucalyptus 2


Colors, textures, patterns, lines, shadows...
nature presents enticing artwork.

Taken 11 July 2010.

Friday, December 16, 2011

Thursday, December 8, 2011

Fabric Pattern #9


Almost like a symmetrical doodle
with colors added
to give it depth
and interest.

Tuesday, December 6, 2011

Double-Pane Reflection


I was surprised by how much
the colors remained true
in this echoing
reflection.

Taken 19 March 2011.

Thursday, November 24, 2011

Toy Airplane


This toy airplane
escaped to what appears
to be a pretty safe place.

Taken at the Anaheim Convention Center,
14 October 2010.

Monday, November 21, 2011

Cherry's #15


Honestly
I'm not even sure
what this is.


It is
cool
and
unusual,



...but
definitely not
punishment.



Taken 12 September 2010.

Monday, November 14, 2011

Free Range Paintball


Abandoned buildings
quickly become a haven
and a target
for many kinds of activities.

In this case,
untold rounds
of unsupervised paintball
have added
a new brand of distinction
to these once proud edifices.


Through these broken windows
a glimpse of a mural
that someone
or several someones
lovingly created
once upon at time.

Now...

Wednesday, November 9, 2011

Pine Cone Close-up

A pair
of docile pine cones
lend their lines, shapes, shadows, colors and textures.

Taken 1 October 2010.

Monday, November 7, 2011

Faux Ancient


On the wall
of a local edition
of a national chain restaurant;
some decorator/artist
has this technique
perfected!
Looks like an ancient mural,
but it is freshly painted
(or it WAS freshly painted
when the restaurant opened
about four years ago).

Taken 1 October 2010.

Tuesday, October 25, 2011

Blue Wall #1


Well.
I was briefly addicted
to this amazing blue building.
I took WAY too many pictures of it.
So,
my dear "readers" -
welcome to the "Blue Wall" series!

Taken 7 October 2011.

Sunday, October 23, 2011

Rain, Rails, and Stairs


This shot
is not likely
to win any
contests or awards,
but
I find a lot
to ponder and examine
and appreciate
in this frame.
For one thing,
I remember
I was standing under an overpass
during a tremendous
rainstorm,
complete with
raucous thunder
and near-hit lightning.
I can still hear it when I look at this photo.

Taken 18 July 2010, in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

Saturday, October 22, 2011

Chair #5


Weathered,
forlorn,
guano-stained...

Not terribly inviting.

But probably have some stories to tell.

Taken 11 July 2010.

Thursday, October 20, 2011

Unusual Bird!


I was SO excited
when I spotted
this little bird on my fence
last spring;
even more delighted
when it seemed
to stay and pose
for me as I crept closer
to try to get a better shot.

Imagine my chagrin
when...


...I finally realized
it was a fake bird
my neighbor had attached to the fence.

I got a great laugh out of it,
but I still don't know why
it was placed there.

Taken 28 May 2011.

Tuesday, October 18, 2011

12-Step A-Frame


Light, shadow, lines, geometry...
I like that this
is a color photograph
that would probably look
almost the same
in black and white
(except maybe for the concrete floor).

Taken in Anaheim, CA, 13 October 2010.

Wednesday, October 12, 2011

Hungry, Anyone?


Striking front doors
to one of our
favorite
restaurants.

Taken in Garden Grove, CA, 11 October 2010.

Thursday, October 6, 2011

Street Art #16: Washington, DC

Sculpture
somewhere in Washington, DC.
I made several attempts
trying to get a sharp image,
but my rudimentary
instrument
hampers me somewhat.
Flash completely ruined it
because of the light stone building
and the wet sidewalk in the foreground;
plus the effects of the uplighting on the sculpture
were utterly destroyed.
So I did the best I could to hold still
without a tripod
and use available light
to capture the image.
All things considered,
this one is OK, eh?

Taken 16 November 2010.

Wednesday, September 21, 2011

Giddyup, Go, Horsie!


Our fair city's iconic seahorse.
This fellow stands (?) sentinel
at the invisible boundary between
Monterey and Seaside.

Not a particularly fabulous photo,
but when risking
equipment loss
and
traffic citation
by holding your
camera out the window
with your left hand
while driving...

...oh, wait.
Should I have just confessed that
in a persistent record
on a globally accessible
website?

Ahem.
Photo of unknown origin.

Tuesday, September 20, 2011

Wood Eyes


OK.

Technically
the eyes are
nails
driven INTO
wood.

Nevertheless,
there is a face here.
Do you see it?

Taken 29 September 2010.

Thursday, September 15, 2011

Springs Edifice


Clear summer day
in Colorado Springs.
The architectural detail,
the colors,
the contrast with newer buildings,
the flag on the roof,
the stunning blue sky,
and the size comparison
between the "Hibbard & Co." building
and the two smaller
two-story buildings next door.

Taken on 18 July 2010.

Friday, September 9, 2011

Fabric Pattern #8


Pattern in a carpet,
Washington, DC, hotel.

Taken 15 November 2010.

Thursday, September 8, 2011

Fab Facade


Building in downtown Monterey.
It is called simply

Here's another view
of more of the building
set against a clear blue sky
with Old Glory
waving in the ocean-scented breeze.



Taken 29 April 2011.

Wednesday, September 7, 2011

Stylish Blogger Redux



Karen Kyle Ericson at Hope Faith Life has graciously bestowed on me the Stylish Blogger Award!

Thank you, Karen!!  What a great honor. I am humbled by this recognition, and I encourage all of you to got to Karen's blog(s) and check her out if you have not already.

-------------------------------------------------------------

With all due humility and respect I disclose that I have received this award previously and my responses then remain valid:  go HERE for those.

Tuesday, September 6, 2011

Random Tardis


I'm sure to the owners
this is not a Random Tardis at all,
but I did not have the gumption
to go knock on their door and ask
for the story.

But I can imagine
all kinds of
exciting tales,
can't you?

Sunday, September 4, 2011

Seaside Sunset


Deceptive title.
"Seaside" - the town of that name,
not "seaside" as in "at the beach."

This may not be
the most amazing sunset
photo ever taken,
but the colors, patterns,
and silhouettes
are intriguing.

Taken 1 October 2010.

Wednesday, August 24, 2011

Find the Pelican


Not exactly sure
what is the true purpose
of this random platform;
but it is rather attractive.

This is El Estero Lake
in Monterey, CA.

There are no geese
in this picture
but the evidence
of their passing
(pun intended)
is visible.

One lone pelican
in the sky
above the big tree.

Taken 12 January 2011.

Wednesday, August 17, 2011

Drive-by Birdhouse Shooting


Shot this birdhouse
on the fly
so the quality of the snap
is not quite what I'd prefer.
Still,
it is an eye-catching edifice.
I really like the long shadows
below the
triple awnings
above those three entrances.
The tiny picket fence
and the flag
are nice touches.


Taken 13 May 2011.

Tuesday, August 16, 2011

I Miss the Brain (and Pinky, too!)


This little plastic figure,
who stands about 2" tall,
occupies a place of honor
on my desk at work.

If I recall correctly,
I picked this guy up
at the Warner Bros. store
at Bayside Marketplace
in Miami, FL,
in 1997.

"Pinky and The Brain"
enjoyed four seasons
on the WB -
1995 - 1998.

I miss 'em!

HERE is their theme song.


Tuesday, August 9, 2011

Roof Art


Man.
Real life has been
kinda
kickin' my bootay
the past few weeks.

What up wit dat?

Nevertheless,
here is the latest entry
-
someone
decided that
since this rooftop was going to be visible
from the Anaheim Convention Center
it needed to display
something
less mundane
than tar and grey gravel.

Good decision.

Taken 13 October 2010.

Friday, July 29, 2011

Blue


Blue.
Too many cliches
about blue.
Here is a study
in blue.
Lines,
patterns,
textures,
countours,
light,
shadow,
hues and tones.
Dive into blue.

Taken 8 October 2010.

Sunday, July 24, 2011

Semaphore Palms


Like giant feathers
dusting the sky...
these palm fronds
are sending messages
to an unknown recipient
using an secret language
of botanical semaphore;
or maybe
they are doing
a tango.
Dip,
turn,
frond-to-frond,
-6-7-8...

Taken in Tampa, Florida, 2 August 2010.

Friday, July 22, 2011

Chair #4


OK.
So it is not
literally
a chair.
On my blog
benches count
as chairs.
There is something
...ah...
emblematic
about an empty
park bench.
Inviting,
but ominous.
Crier
for the benefits of relaxation,
yet Critic
of the idle moment.

Taken 11 July 2010.

Thursday, July 14, 2011

Did I say, "Oddball"?


Oddball is as oddball does?
I find the hues and contours
strangely soothing
yet mysterious;
like grey dunes
with worn ruts
marking the passage
of some roving buggy...

This is an accidental snap
taken when I lay my camera
in the passenger seat
of my car.

Tuesday, July 12, 2011

Back to the Bark


Today marks the close of the first year
since I posted my first entry
on this blog!
A lot can happen in a year, eh?

This picture of a eucalyptus tree
was taken just two days before I created this blog.
I really thought I was going to upload
a long series of "bark" pictures,
but once I got started
the bark-pics
seemed a little,
well,
boring.

However,
this estimable eucalyptus
has its charms;
not the least of which
is that I find it
a fitting enough
bookend to mark
my one year anniversary.

Also,
I did not manage
to create a montage,
and I couldn't pick
a "top ten" group.

Anyway,
thanks to all who
pass this way
for taking a moment
to stop
and smell
the eucalyptus.

Tuesday, June 28, 2011

Amphitheatre


Vigilant benches
await the thrill
of an attentive
audience,
all eyes forward,
hearts and minds
willingly engaged
in happy abandonment
to vicarious wit
and momentary enchantments.

Taken 19 March 2011.

Thursday, June 23, 2011

Street Art # 15: CSUMB


A building at California State University at Monterey Bay.

I have no idea what is housed in this building,
but clearly someone
or multiple someones
has exhibited some serious talent
depicting various local types of wildlife
...but...
I don't see any frat brats depicted...

(and in case
the pc police
come after me
I can claim
guilt by association
cuz I were one)

Taken 8 October 2010.

Tuesday, June 21, 2011

Point Pinos Lighthouse


California's oldest continuously operating lighthouse.

Find out more about it HERE.

Taken 13 May 2011.

Tuesday, June 14, 2011

Shield of David


This is
the National Synagogue
in Washington, DC.

I won't
spoil the effect
with inadequate words.

Taken 17 November 2010.

Thursday, June 9, 2011

Shard


I wish I had placed a dime
next to this piece of broken mirror
to show scale.

When I took the picture
I didn't even think about
the idea that I was
capturing my own reflection.

Here's the full
original snapshot:

Taken on 8 October 2010.