Where the Grizzlies Play

Illustrious, much-maligned Fresno.

California's Cleveland.

But Fresno has a minor league baseball team!

The Fresno Grizzlies!

These photos were taken at Chukchansi Park,

the Grizzlies' home stadium.

Took me a minute to trace back to the source of the windmill shadow.

This is about as majestic as the Fresno skyline gets.

Nevertheless, we know and love our recognizable local skyscrapers!

"Chukchansi" is essentially one of the sixty (60) Yokuts tribes of First Nations peoples.

Could not resist trying to get a decent shot of this old-style fire escape.

The shadows were particularly striking.

Not sure I captured it as well as I wanted.

These photos were taken in August 2016.

Unexpected Face #7

I had not originally envisioned "Unexpected Faces"

as a series for this blog,

but it turns out that I have already posted at least six

Unexpected Faces,

including my very first post on July 13, 2010.

The second one was on November 6, 2010.

Number three was on September 20, 2011.

Fourth was on March 4, 2013.

Face #5 was on August 12, 2016.

And the most recent previous Face was on January 26, 2017.

Unexpected Face #7 was actually photographed on August 26, 2016,

and just now finding its way to international perusal.

Chair #11

This is a dandy garden chair awaiting posterior occupation...

Latest addition to my "chair" series.

The last entry was "Chair #10" on 27 July 2014.

That break after the fire was egregiously long.

Basking Harbor Seals

Monterey, CA, July 2016

I admit this is not the most eye-popping photo of basking harbor seals ever.

I casually snapped this photo through a restaurant window with my phone.

One of favorite places to go out for a meal when we lived in Monterey was El Torito.

It offered good food, an amazing view of the Bay, and (wonder of wonders)

free parking.

The huge windows of El Torito always provided views of seals and sea gulls;

usually sea lions, cormorants, egrets, and sea otters;

occasionally dolphins and whales.

Lathy Days

Here is something utterly mundane.

In one of our previous residences, there was this fashionable divider

between the dining room and the den.

"Back in the day"

- say, fifty to seventy years ago -

this type of lathed balustrade was indeed fashionable.

On all of today's home improvement / designer shows,

this detail would be lamented as "dated."

I like it.

But then I guess I am a bit "dated" myself.

Lizard for Lunch

Here is a series of photos of a bird
- some type of heron, I think -
whom I caught having a lizard for lunch. 
This was during a trip to Florida, March 2016. 
We visited a reserve on Sanibel Island.  

I like the last photo best.

You can see the little lizard's face in this photo, and its tail arched over its head.

Most of the lizard is now in the bird's gullet, but his tail is still dangling.

Gulp! Done.

Smooth feathers...

Ruffled feathers!

Rest and Reflection

Bossley the pug,

reflected in the sunlit glass

of our TV stand.

He loves the sunshine.

He loves to be close to us.

He loves snuggly warmth.

He rests well.

A dog's life.