High Value


I took my camera into work on Tuesday, hoping to catch a nice shot of the sunrise. No such luck (I accidentally worked right through it-missing the whole thing). Sadly, this picture of a freshly opened box of labels was the most visually interesting thing I managed to capture that day.

Nature in Monochrome

Same color (or lack thereof), but completely different textures.

Hi, Drangea!

This hydrangea caught my eye the other day, its purpley blue color really stood out against all the oranges, reds and golds that are "all the rage" this time of year...

Binge

I've really been on a popcorn kick lately. The real stuff-not made in a microwave. The bad stuff-not popped in an air popper. Mine is cooked in the old school 70's style plastic dome popcorn maker--you remember the kind--it had the butter well on the top that you were supposed to put the butter in and as it melted it would gradually "rain" down on the popcorn. After the popping was over, you were supposed to flip the popcorn maker over so that the domed lid became your bowl. Very efficient, but I've never used either feature. I prefer to dump the freshly popped corn into a big bowl, where I then fold in the butter (that I have melted in the microwave) and give a few hearty shakes of kosher salt over the top. Heaven.

Better Late Than Never

I took these the morning of November 6th at around 6 a.m., on my way to the office from the bus stop with the leaves illuminated by street light. They are a little blurry (no tripod - and I was looking over my shoulder a lot, trying to stay out of other people's way) but I like the mood and the colors.

Odd Pod

As usual, I have no idea what type of plant this is, but I liked the color and texture of the pods.

Granny

So, Granny passed away early on Friday morning. I miss the hell out of her already. And I have spent the last few days laughing and crying: Feeling sorry for myself one minute for having lost one of my biggest "fans" and then feeling like the luckiest person alive for ever having her in my life in the first place.

We were tight from the get-go. One of my favorite stories (as told by her) is how she and my barely twenty-year-old, anxious father were in the hospital waiting room when the nurse brought the freshly-born me out to meet him. Granny said, "Oh Steve, she's beautiful..." And my dad--not nearly as convinced--asked her increduously: "She is?"

Ha!

Still Fall

It hasn't really rained for awhile, so we're getting lovely "arrangements" of fallen leaves around the neighborhood.

Flower Power

I actually took this picture about two weeks ago. I'm always happy to find a painted retaining wall with flowers in front of it. This color combo is especially nice.

Wild Thing

Very Little Shop of Horrors-esque, don't you think? This was one of hundreds lying on the the paved walkway along the beach.

Beach Light

I was really trying to get the detail of the grass in this picture, but what I think is more interesting is the undoubtedly "beachy" quality of the light in the background. Even though I took this shot a block away from the beach at Whale Tail Park, the light makes it look like I could have been right on the shore.

One Leaf (Parts Three and Four)

Here are the last two shots:

One Leaf (Parts One and Two)

For whatever reason, Blogger isn't letting me put all four of my shots in one post, so I have to split them up. Here are the first two. I really love the colors and textures.

Not In My Backyard

These leaves are not in our yard. Which is too bad really, because I've always thought I would enjoy raking leaves more if I had prettier leaves to rake. (I've always been stuck with just the dead, brown boring variety.)

Leaves

These guys were floating around the house today--literally. It was really fairly windy most of the day and I got to see a bunch of leaves helicopter their way down. Tomorrow I will attempt to corral most of them into the yard waste container--but today, it was time for their closeup.

Happy Halloween

Halloween makes me so nostalgic. What a great holiday for a kid! The one day a year you get to totally ditch all of the rules: Be respectful. Don't be greedy. Don't ask for things. Don't eat too much candy. Don't go out after dark. Don't talk to strangers. All gone for one day. On Halloween, you get to disguise yourself, threaten people "Trick or treat," and demand that strangers give you candy--in the dark! Honestly, one of the greatest days of the year as a kid. (Also in the running: Christmas and the last day of school.)

More of the Unknown

I still don't know what plant this is, but it's still tempting me...

Empty Nest

The other day when I was walking home, I saw this birds' nest lying on the ground. I brought it home so I could look at it up close and maybe take a picture of it. (Done!) It really looks like it takes a lot of work to make one of these. The raw materials, design and craftsmanship are all very impressive. Well done birds, well done!

As Usual

I'm a complete ignoramus when it comes to knowing what kind of plant I'm taking pictures of. This one is no exception. There are several of these plants in the neighborhood, ranging in size from about a foot off the ground to one that's well over twelve feet tall. I am completely mesmerized by these berries. The colors range from green to red and they just have the coolest texture. If they're in range of my camera, they'd better get ready for their close-up, because I will be taking their picture.

More Monochrome

Here is another non-Fall color picture from Saturday. (I tried to have all three of these photos in the same post, but Blogger denied me!)

Detail of grass along SW Lander: