Blooming Ice Plant

Magenta spokes

radiate from a yellow hub;

sparkling strokes of life

to brighten and cheer

the ponderously passing pedestrian.

Perhaps

they will pause

and look more closely;

invest a moment or two

in the brilliant natural splendor

of the ebb and flow of beautiful life.

The beauty of life is all around us.

Daily we can wonder

and smile and

feel it.

Life that rises

from deep within

to remind us,

we are flowers, too;

that bloom with a glorious splash

to brighten and cheer

the passers-by.

Taken 6 December 2011.

Fabric Pattern #14

This seems like a rather royal pattern to me.

Scarlet diamonds

set in silver brackets

over what appears to be

pink seersucker.

Lovely.

I realized it had been over a year

since my last Fabric Pattern post.

It's not that I am any kind of

expert on fabrics or their patterns.

This is just one of the many things

I notice as I wander thru life.

Sometimes fabric patterns

are quite striking;

especially when they are

shot close up

with nothing else around

to alter their context.

Taken 29 February 2012.

Calle Principal

This is a quick shot

I grabbed while stopped at a red light one day.

It is the corner of Franklin and Calle Principal

in downtown Monterey, CA.

The building on the left,

facing Franklin Street,

is an older building,

probably close to one hundred years old,

even though it now 'boasts'

a Subway shop on the corner.

The building on the right is new construction.

I'm sure city codes

are the main thing that drove

decisions about the

appearance of the edifice;

but I am appreciative

of the fine aesthetic

that was maintained

by designing and building

the new facade

to stand comfortably

next to the old one.

Taken 20 December 2011.

Piedras Blancas: Young Bulls

Piedras Blancas, California

Pups are basking

while a couple of young bulls elephant seals

(Mirounga angustirostris)

spar playfully.

When these bulls get older,

they will be much,

MUCH

larger.

And they will engage in fierce-sounding combat

for the right to impregnate

their chosen cows.

Read more about Elephant Seals HERE.

Cherry's #20

1950 Oldsmobile 88

Taken at Laguna Seca, 27 September 2009.

Ragged Point

The Pacific Coast Highway (Hwy 1)

of course has MANY

amazing scenic vistas.

These shots

were taken at Ragged Point.

Ragged Point is one of my favorite spots.

You have to be a bit determined

to get there.

It is between Big Sur and San Simeon,

so it is pretty isolated.

But the views are unmatched,

and these few snaps

are only the merest taste.

Also,

there are burgers

and public restrooms.

Taken 16 October 2011.

At the Pool

At an abandoned indoor swimming pool: