Lost in Thought

All alone,

seemingly abandoned in the sandlot;

drops of rain dappling its well-used leather;

it takes a moment

for the brain to register fully

what your eye is seeing,

and then

> >  b - o - o - m  < <

echoes of the slap

of ball in glove;

the crack of the bat;

the taunting, teasing calls to the batter,

whistling and hooting;

all the sounds of the boys of summer.

And a smile slowly emerges

from your heart to your lips;

and maybe your eyes get a little misty

with the sweet memories

of

playing ball.

Taken 19 March 2011.

Church in Sierra Vista

This church in Sierra Vista, Arizona,

caught my eye.

Beautiful colors and architectural details.

Unfortunately,

I did not take a picture of the sign,

and I have forgotten the name of the church.

The stark blue sky that day was gorgeous and amazing.

Taken 9 February 2011.

Pelargonium

These beautiful salmon-colored pelargonium

were just outside our front door

at a former residence.

A friend gave us a cutting many years ago,

and we have taken a cutting with us

every time we've moved.

There's a legacy of salmon-colored pelargonium

all over Monterey County

thanks to us!

These pictures were taken 22 April 2011.

Street Art #19: Golden State Theatre

Old school street art.

This the "back side" of the Golden State Theatre

in Monterey, California.

The theatre fell out of use for several years,

but about ten years ago or so,

its new owners renovated the inside

and the theatre now hosts several

excellent concerts every year

and is a central feature of the downtown

New Year's party called 

"First Night."

This mural actually appears to show

at least two generations of art.

The black outlined rectangle

"behind the tree"

declared the place to be 

"Golden State Theatre"

while the large white lettering

"on top of" the rectangle

proclaims

"State Theatre"

(dropping the word 'Golden').

Taken 10 January 2011.

Wet Rose

I debated long and hard

about whether to post this photo.

I was concerned that 

since the primary subject -

the beautiful pink rose -

is slightly out of focus

it would be considered by most observers

to be less than acceptable.

* * *

Then I thought,

"Hey."

This is an amateur photographer's personal blog.

I am not trying to win any contests.

I do not do this to make a living.

No one is inspecting my work.

AND

I can post any photo I darn well please.

So.

The Wet Rose

is here.

I think the flower itself is beautiful,

especially the color;

and the additional interest

of the many raindrops

on its petals

made it an irresistible subject for me.

(I just mishandled the focal setting

on my venerable point-and-shoot Canon.

Oh, well.)

Taken 26 August 2011.

Ready for Spring

The official calendar start of spring

is still a couple of weeks away,

but I am sooooo ready

for it to be here 

right now.

!!!

!

Seriously.

This pic was taken along the recreational path

in Pacific Grove, California,

between Lover's Point

and Point Pinos

where Monterey Bay

meets the Pacific Ocean.

The botanicals

are iceplant in bloom.

Always stunning.

Taken 13 May 2011.

Frog with Underbite

I was never quite able to figure out what was causing

these funny eye-shaped reflections,

but I noticed that in conjunction with 

the odd projection at the base of the wall

this gives the appearance of a

sleepy frog with an underbite.

Taken 13 May 2011.