Chair #1: Tampa

For some reason,

I seem to find lonely, empty chairs

in various and sundry places

most everywhere I go.

This one is on the patio of "my" hotel in Tampa, Florida.

It is just outside the bar,

and as you can see, steps from the "beach."

These solitary chairs

always put me in mind of "time out."

I figure someone must've been involuntarily separated

from the crowd to give them some alone time.

This new series will feature many different types of

chairs in many different locations.

Possibly this is only interesting to me,

but hey it's my blog.

I hope you enjoy it, too, though!

This photo was taken on 2 August 2010.

Mission Inspiration

Unassuming, but bold.

Humble, yet majestic.

Small, and powerful.

Looking like it belongs on the El Camino Real with the California missions,

this iglesia pequeno in a small Arizona community

speaks volumes just by its presence in the neighborhood.

Fading whitewash against the bold blue sky,

the concrete entry walk an island in the inescapable desert sand,

a persistent beacon of hope and life

for which a young saguaro and palm mutely stand sentry.

Curb My Enthusiasm

A very simple image.

Concrete.

Man-made.

Colorless.

Lines, geometry, texture, shadow,

and a persistent impression

that there is a subliminal message

playing hard-to-get.

Pink Stucco

Partial shot of the Harbor House Gift Shop

at the entrance to "Fisherman's Wharf"

in Monterey, California.

My primary focus on this shot

was the french doors

and the white wrought iron balcony,

but the shadows are dramatic,

the blue sky,

the green plants....

this picture makes me happy.

Taken 31 December 2010.

Fabric Pattern #4

Here is a detail

from an afghan my sister made for us.

She used a technique called Swedish Weaving

to create these patterns.

Amazing.

Beautiful.

Don't know what else to say!

Taken on 1 October 2010.

Bike Share DC

I couldn't decide

which of these photos

is more interesting.

I like the top one

because of the more striking

"domino stack" effect;

but I really like the bottom one

because of the shadows of the rear tires.

Also the bottom one shows

the varying heights of the seats

more clearly.

But the top one

exposes a bit more of the brick

sidewalk

and includes

an old-fashioned lamppost

(but not all of it).

I dunno.

What do y'all think?

Taken on 19 November 2010.

In Georgetown, DC.

Humdinger!!!

I have always loved this word!

HUMDINGER!

And this sign in Garden Grove, California, suits the word so well.

Something happening here almost every day of the week!

How can one resist?

Taken 12 October 2010.

Etched Fish

Booth divider in a local taqueria.

They do have amazing fish tacos!

Functional art always captivates me.

Even though this may have been done

with computers and lasers and whatnot

and recreated by machine

dozens or hundreds of times,

someone with substantial artistic talent

had to create the original concept

that became this oft-overlooked

thing of beauty.

And I'm glad the shopowner

found it in his heart

to create an atmosphere

that is both fun and refined

so customers can

appreciate life and beauty

while gobbling delicious food.

Taken 12 January 2011.

Street Art #11: Monterey

No idea who "dweeb" is (or was)

but whoever it was

at one time found it important

(or otherwise appealing or compelling)

to advertise themselves

on the side of this abandoned building.

This looks like relatively old work

because it is faded

and because it appears to have been

applied before the growth of the

scraggly weeds almost

obscuring the tag.

I know many would agrue

that this should in no way

be glorified as "art."

It is straight up vandalism

and not particularly aesthetically attractive.

My interest is not so much in the artistic value of this obscure "piece."

(and we can have the conversation about what constitutes "art" some other time and place)

I am interested in the social statement(s),

about which we admittedly can only speculate.

What is the story behind "dweeb"?

What does this form of expression

say about our society in general?

Here are a few more pics of the abandoned area

around this grafitti to provide context.

These broken windows are directly above "dweeb."

Standing in the same place, but turning to the right.

These pics (above and below)

are from a similar building across the courtyard.

These pictures were taken early on the morning of 8 October 2010.

The Horse's Mouth

This isn't a "gift horse"

and when I looked into its mouth

I couldn't see any teeth.

(when you buy a horse you look at its teeth to make sure you are getting a healthy animal,

but when someone GIVES you a horse, it is rude to "look it in the mouth"

hence - "don't look a gift horse in the mouth")

From this angle and proximity

this horse looks cartoonish and goofy!

Here're a couple of more stately shots

to redeem the poor guy's reputation.

Taken 1 October 2010

outside a national franchise Chinese-American restaurant

in Monterey, California.

Cherry's #10

This one leaves me

utterly

beyond words.

Can you make out the "hood" ornament?

Color Bubbles

A collection of glass bubble thermometers

on display in a gift shop.

A riot of color!

Liquid distortions!

Straight lines competing with curved lines!

Refraction!

Reflection!

Repitition!

Resplendence!

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

...there was a sale on exclamation points...

And no thermometers were harmed during the taking of this photograph.

Fabric Pattern #3

Detail from the carpet inside one of the elevators

at a hotel in Garden Grove, California.

Nice color combinations,

and it manages to achieve a bit of a 3D effect,

or an optical illusion.

I almost tripped on it

cuz I thought it was sticking up

out of the floor...  :8-D

although if you look at it another way

it looks like you could fall down into it

like it is a tube that is receding into the distance below.

Taken 12 October 2010.