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.

Eucalyptus 2

Colors, textures, patterns, lines, shadows...

nature presents enticing artwork.

Taken 11 July 2010.

Autumn Reflection

Towpath along canal

in Georgetown

(Washington, DC).

Taken 19 November 2010.

Fabric Pattern #9

Almost like a symmetrical doodle

with colors added

to give it depth

and interest.

Double-Pane Reflection

I was surprised by how much

the colors remained true

in this echoing

reflection.

Taken 19 March 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.

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.

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...

Pine Cone Close-up

A pair

of docile pine cones

lend their lines, shapes, shadows, colors and textures.

Taken 1 October 2010.

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.

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.

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.

Chair #5

Weathered,

forlorn,

guano-stained...

Not terribly inviting.

But probably have some stories to tell.

Taken 11 July 2010.

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.

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.

Hungry, Anyone?

Striking front doors

to one of our

favorite

restaurants.

Taken in Garden Grove, CA, 11 October 2010.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Fabric Pattern #8

Pattern in a carpet,

Washington, DC, hotel.

Taken 15 November 2010.

Fab Facade

Building in downtown Monterey.

It is called simply

Monterey Professional Building.

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.

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.

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?

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.

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.

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.

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.

Cherry's # 14

Taken 12 September 2010 at Laguna Seca, CA.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Point Pinos Lighthouse

California's oldest continuously operating lighthouse.

Find out more about it HERE.

Taken 13 May 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.

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.