Les Lumieres

Any guesses?

I was shooting directly up

into a lit chandelier

in a mirrored

passageway

in a hotel in DC.

Light,

mirrors,

topsy-turvy,

carpet patterns,

columns, bannisters,

geometry, lines, bevels.

I did not use the flash

because of the mirrors.

Below is my unretouched photo.

I don't usually "adjust" the pics I post

except for a bit of occasional

creative zooming and cropping.

On this one I adjusted the brightness

to see if the mirrors on the ceiling and walls would appear.

They did, and

SURPRISE!

so did the carpet and columns and bannisters.

Fun.

And a little disorienting.

Taken on 15 November 2010.

Twin Fawns

Who could resist?

I'm so grateful for the sunshine

and that I actually had my camera

in my pocket.

'Twas a blessed, wondrous moment.

Taken 22 April 2011.

Fabric Pattern #6

Y'all can draw your own conclusions.

I like the colors,

and the way the pattern of the colors

in the weave

creates subtle illusions

of depth

and motion.

Hotel room carpet.

11 October 2010.

Teatro, Ybor City

Scenic, delightful

Ybor City,

Tampa, Florida.

Note the "Arturo Fuente" Cigar Factory Sign in the background.

Gotta love the "gaslight" retro globe lampposts.

Palm tree, blue sky,

brickwork,

terra cotta roof,

neon signage...

What's not to love?

Taken 2 August 2010.

Take a Dive

Eye-catching and beautiful already.

Now,

take a step back:

Focus on the dolphins:

Better angle:

Handmade wood mosaic inlay sculpture,

"Two Dolphins"

by Emile Norman

Awesome.

In the side lobby of the Monterey Conference Center

at Portola Plaza.

Taken 31 December 2010.

Local Landmark: Golden State Theatre

I have always loved this ornate facade.

Amazing that it has withstood the ravages of time and weather.

The Golden State Theatre

is eighty-five (85) years old this year.

Read more about this great building and some of its history HERE.

Taken on 31 December 2010.

Don't forget to zoom in - twice!

Street Art #13: Washington, DC

Spotted these wood carvings

out front of one of DC's

classic old brownstones.

There is a whole world

of conversation

inspiration

declaration

celebration

determination

motivation

toleration...

Taken on 18 November 2010

Not a Full Deck

OK.

Brace yourself.

This could just be as silly as it gets.

A microcanyon

in the handrail

of the deck.

If you look closely

you can see

packed burros

tiptoeing

down to the river.

"What river?", you say.

Why, the

Kool-aid Addled River, of course!!

See...

Grand Canyon = Colorado River

Imagined Microcanyon = Kool-aid Addled River...

....hmmm.

I guess ya had to be there.

By the way,

don't forget to zoom in on this one!

There is a cross-hatch of spiderwebs

that is not visible until you

do the double-zoom.

Taken on 29 September 2010.

A Road Less Traveled... Lately

I'm taking a bit of a risk here

because I do not know the story behind the place

in the following photographs.

But I found the visual parable

SO compelling...

Below this broken sign

is a gate

closed,

chained,

locked.

And the view past the locked gate:

...a languishing path...

...to a house of faith:

A closer look reveals

broken windows,

failing shingles,

grafitti...

Is our world becoming

a wilderness of abandoned faith?

Taken 7 February 2011.

Up Against the Wall

X marks the spot

where this artwork

is being joined to the wall.

Moving out a bit....

Angular shot to capture shapes

and shadows.

OK.

Now, stand back:

Taken 7 February 2011.

Cherry's # 12

Taken 12 September 2010.

More Coffee?

AND NOW

FOR SOMETHING

COMPLETELY

DIFFERENT!

It's ground coffee

in the can

before being used.

Surprising the number of shades of brown,

the many sizes and shapes of the tiny chunks,

the interesting textures,

the mystery of focal distance,

and how easily you could

convince yourself

this is something

other than coffee.

ZOOM IN!!!

New Day: Wharf and Marina

Had trouble deciding between these two photos,

so y'all just get both of 'em!

So many elements of these photographs

are appealing to me:

water, sky, clouds,

reflections,

boats and their masts,

rocks, plants,

lines, shadows, styles, details of the buildings...

And it all conveys a delicious, quiet sense of peace and joy.

>>>sigh<<<

Nice.

Taken 31 December 2010.

Splen-deer in the Grass

There are at least two deer

in this picture.

Can you see them?

Taken 11 January 2011.

Chair #2: Colorado Springs

A solitary, empty chair

out of context

is just SO intriguing

to me.

Who put it there?

For what purpose?

How many different people have sat there?

Why?

Why this particular chair?

Where did it come from?

Did it have a mate and a little coffee table that went with it?

Taken in Colorado Springs, Colorado;

19 July 2010.

Garden Grove Architecture

I decided

to make the Southern California architecture

posts

a threesome:

Within a stone's throw of Disneyland

is this eye-popping Glass House,

actually called "The Crystal Cathedral."

Note the "breezeway" in the pic above.

Sun setting behind the tower

surrounded by acolyte palms.

Tip of the tower -

very OZ-inspiring!

Sadly

The Crystal Cathedral

filed for bankruptcy

a week after I took these pictures.

Taken on 12 October 2010.

Cabazon Architecture

While I am on a Southern California architecture bent,

here is a snap of (part of)

the Morongo Casino

in Cabazon, California.

My wife actually snapped this

as we were zipping past it

on I-10.

I don't think

this cast iron, cast net canopy

is anything truly functional.

I think it is just art.

28 March 2011.

Anaheim Architecture

Maybe this one will help

Clint get his equilibrium back!

This is the Anaheim Arena.

Looks a bit like a Conquistador's helmet to me.

How does something shaped like this

sustain structural integrity and strength?

An architectural engineer's genius.

I was amazed at the clear blue sky!

Just a hint of the LA haze

at the tree line.

Taken 13 October 2010.

Fabric Pattern #5

A teeny bit out of focus

because of the low light...

this is a carpet

in a side lobby

at a DC hotel.

My imagination

really goes places

with this pattern.

Highways, macrame,

masks (big eyes!),

labyrinth, Escher,

noodles...

Taken 15 November 2010.