Mosquito Eyebrows on Toast

BLOG MOVE to http://www.meot.shutterchance.com/

2006-10-18T21:13:00.000-07:00

I'm packin' my trash and blowin' this popstand!
I'm off to Shutterchance. It's a better neighborhood with nicer, more attractive neighbors (kidding). Send all best wishes and housewarming gifts to: http://www.meot.shutterchance.com/

=:-)

Golden Gate Park & BIG NEWS!

2006-10-18T15:54:00.000-07:00

I took this picture while attending Hardly Strictly Bluegrass in San Francisco's Golden Gate park last week.
By the way, I got a new job! A job where I will actually have work to do!
So next Friday I will happily wave goodbye to Hitachi and move on to Palm and I couldn't be happier. I will be back with some of my favorite people from my last job and I will be working for someone who has shown great kindness to me in the past. He also has a killer sense of humor and a great attitude.
Yip, yip, YIPPEE!!! I'm doing my happy dance right now. Be happy that you can't see it. :-0

Blogger SUCKS!

2006-10-18T08:45:00.000-07:00

Blogger sucks and will not allow me to upload any pictures. I'll keep trying!

Chain of Craters Road

2006-10-12T09:16:00.000-07:00

This is another look at the landscape that is found on Chain of Craters Road.
It is so ghostly and weird and cool; unlike anything else I've ever seen.
If you ever get the chance to visit Volcanoes National Park on Hawaii, do it. And take a couple of days. It's absolutely fascinating.
You could just come with Micki and I when we go, right Micki? :-)

A terrible picture of some very awesome LAVA!

2006-10-10T10:27:00.000-07:00

Here's the lava!
I would love suggestions on how I could have pulled this off. I set a tiny aperature and it didn't seem to make much difference whether I did a long or short exposure. They all looked pretty much the same. There was tons of steam which made it look really cool as it reflected the actual lava as it flowed into the ocean but it was really hard to photograph. I usually do pretty good with night shots but this was very difficult. I took about 20 pictures in between being totally awed and yelling out things like, "WOOOOAH!" and "SO COOL!" and "LAVA! REAL LAVA!".
Let me know what you would have done differently please. You never know when you may get a chance to photograph a volcano so we can all hopefully learn something.

Ghost Grass

2006-10-09T09:33:00.000-07:00

Another photo from the Iki trail. The ghostly fog and weird lighting were so cool.
Do you want to see a night lava shot even though it isn't technically very good or artistic? And how about the picture of our windshield that was shattered by a big rock 15 minutes after our arrival? That was fun. Thank goodness for safety glass; in which we were covered. I really want to have the time to write more about my trip but I have been buried since my return. The weekend was spent at a way cool free concert put on every year in San Francisco's Golden Gate park. It's called Hardly Strictly Bluegrass http://www.strictlybluegrass.com/ and it's GREAT! Micki, next year you should come out for this one. You'd LOVE it! This rich guy has all of the legends of bluegrass (and assorted others) show up for 3 days of music. The weather was perfect! Especially for SF. It was about 80 degrees. I doubt most bluegrass shows feature organic pot, raw vegan food and 100% recycling but ya gotta love SF! I didn't take my camera this year but last year I took lots of photos. If you're interested, they can be viewed here: http://new.photos.yahoo/puppatina/albums I used it as an opportunity to practice shooting people but I also took lots of pictures of dogs. You have no idea how much I love taking pictures of dogs. I have spared you all that obsession. ;-) Gotta go!

More Kilauea Iki

2006-10-06T08:43:00.000-07:00

In 1959, the year before I was born, this was a bubbling cauldron of LAVA.
Isn't that the coolest thing ever????

More Along the Kilauea Iki Trail

2006-10-05T09:59:00.000-07:00

This is another macro I took on the Kilauea Iki trail. http://www.nps.gov/archive/havo/visitor/journal_kilaueaiki.htm
Kilauea is one of the most active volcanoes on earth. It was amazing to see it erupting and to hike the surrounding forests. It is truly an amazing place. I was fascinated by the plants as well as the unique landscape and of course the volcano itself.

Kilauea!

2006-10-01T13:52:00.000-07:00

We Interrupt this Vacation...to Wish Christian Bon Voyage!

2006-09-29T19:49:00.000-07:00

I am sorry that I was unable to write before today but I am now on Maui with free wireless and thrilled to dedicate today's picture to our interpid Christian.
Much luck and love follow you on your trip my friend!

The new beginning of this fern reminded me of his trip's beginning. I took this macro shot in an amazing rain forest at the top of Kilauea Iki.
Our trip has so far surpassed my wildest expectations. We saw LAVA from Kilauea making it's way into the sea (pictures to follow). I've been waiting since the 4th grade for that! The snorkeling has been awesome as well. We spent some time with an octopus (I love them!) and I had my first close encounter with a white tipped reef shark. When I first saw it, my heart dropped and I got really scared but then I calmed down and realized that at about 3.5-4 feet, I was bigger than he was and I would fight if I had to. Once I realized that I wasn't in danger, it was way cool. I have done my best free diving on this trip. I have gone down to about 20 feet and stayed for a while so I'm very proud.

I will try and post again tomorrow.
Aloha-
Robin

Aloha!

2006-09-20T13:20:00.000-07:00

I took this photograph the last time I went to Maui so I though it would be a good shot to put up today. I have 3 more days until I leave. I'm going to be pretty busy until I leave and I don't know if I'll have much ready access while I'm away, so this may be Aloha for a while. I'll be gone until October 4th. I get back very late so doubt I'll have any new shots up until at least the next evening.
I got my Holga and my b & w film and I'm excited to try something new in the islands. I think it will be fun to try and shoot something different from my typical tropical holiday shots. I guess we'll have to see.
When I return, or if I'm able to post while I'm away, I'll make sure to visit my daily blog stops so at least my blogger gang friends will know I have something new.

I'll keep you all in my thoughts while I'm away. Take good care!

Mondo HUGE Hugs
from Robin
aka Puppatina

=:-)

Muir Woods Creek

2006-09-17T21:36:00.000-07:00

I don't have any pictures that I'm happy with right now. I'm glad I'm going on vacation this weekend. I need to recharge. I'm feeling a bit depleted. Nothing appeals to me right now. I posted this picture because although it's just a run of the mill scene, the day was great. It was a day spent with one of my best friends Neener. It wasn't very long ago, maybe 2 years, but her life has totally changed.
She is married now and has a gorgeous little baby girl. I adore her family but I cherish the memory of days just the 2 of us spent camping or going places like Muir Woods. Neener is ultra-organized and actually keeps a book rating her camping trips. She rates things like location, activities, cleanliness, etc. Instead of rating with stars, Neener rates with ants. So cute! One time when we were camping, we decided to write a poem about our trip. We laughed so hard my face hurt. I wish I had it here to post but Neener is in Hawaii (warming it up for me!) so I can't get it. We had so much fun! I'm so lucky to have her for my friend.

So this picture is for Neener. Thanks Neener, for being my friend. I love you!

Reflections

2006-09-14T13:30:00.000-07:00

I took this photo last December one night during San Jose's annual Christmas in the Park extravaganza. They bring in rides and such and I saw this ferris wheel reflection in an office building window. I can't remember the exposure length but it was long enough to catch the train go by as well. I like reflections.

This shot seemed fitting today as I reflect on the 7.5 weeks I have been on this job. I know I have complained about the boredom but I seem to have turned a corner. I kinda like it now. I have my own daily schedule. After checking my email which is mostly forwards from home, I visit my daily blogs (Phil, Sam, CB, Blaine, SARISARI Sid (not right now as I am scared to see fighting cock pix), Chantal, Faustina, Micki, Suby, Diya...) and a couple more. Then I read Salon. After I get caught up on my reading I listen to This American Life (thisamericanlife.org) which is so great and so fun and really demands your total attention. I listen to the archived programs and peruse the web. At lunchtime I put it in a DVD and watch that for a while. After lunch if I have my laptop I work on my PS lessons.
Then I generally work on my creative writing. I get a little antsy in the afternoon so I go for a little walk. I read for a while and then I go home.

And I get paid for it.

Here's my fear- Finally someone will have work for me and come into my office and ask for help and I'll be like, "Uhh. Excuse me. Can't you see I'm busy already???" as I work on my latest Photoshop creation.

We'll see.

Bye!
=:-]

Later that same day....I am so BORED!!!!!

Point Lobos

2006-09-13T08:50:00.000-07:00

I took this at, you guessed it, Point Lobos. It's so beautiful there. It's located on the Monterey coast.
Deriving its name from the offshore rocks at Punta de los Lobos Marinos, Point of the Sea Wolves, where the sound of the sea lions carries inland, the reserve has often been called "the crown jewel of the State Park System." With good reason. The light there is so lovely and the trees and ocean together make for spectacular scenery. Go there if you ever get the opportunity. Most visitors just go to Carmel and Monterey and while I agree that you should visit both towns, Point Lobos is not to be missed.

I will post more of my self portrait series as I create them. I'm trying to really let them happen. I'm thinking of the different facets of my personality as I work on this series and also write a piece on my 'writing voice' for my creative writing class. Both projects call for self discovery in that I am determining how I want to be seen (literally) and heard (read). Usually I work from the inside out but now I'm flipping it. Fun stuff!

Thanks so much for visiting my blog. It means so much to me!
Hugs from Puppatina!

Self Portrait

2006-09-11T14:24:00.000-07:00

When you're 46, it's hard not to avail yourself of a filter! ;-)

If you saw me in real life you'd realize how good this portrait is.
I look 25 in my dreams only but I love Samrath and Suby for their lies.
I took this in my room and the light is coming from the window. I decided to embark on a series of self portraits because I hate having my picture taken and because I am getting older. For me I hope this will help me to see that there is beauty in aging. If, like Chantal says, you can see my personality here, then I am succeeding!

The Good, the Bad and the Monday

2006-09-11T08:59:00.000-07:00

I really like this picture because of the subjects. It’s my son and granddaughter sharing her 1st birthday cupcake. I miss them and I felt the need to show them off today. I wish I was with them right now.

When I woke up this morning I thought of a gazillion reasons to take the day off and only two reasons to come to work. So my work ethic and want of a paycheck won out and here I sit once again with nothing to do.

If I had my photos and PS here, well that would be a different story.

Hey, how about if I create templates so the part numbers are easier to pull.

I dunno. Why would ya wanna do that?

Well, I don’t have anything to do anyway and it would give you real search capability.

I dunno. Why would ya wanna do that?

Well, I am an analyst and I don’t have anything to do anyway and it would make everything consistent and searchable.

I dunno. Why would ya wanna do that?

Well, I am an analyst and I don’t have anything to do anyway and it would make everything consistent and searchable and the CMs would immediately know what value the parts are.

I dunno. Why would ya wanna do that?

Well, I am an analyst and I don’t have anything to do anyway and it would make everything consistent and searchable and the CMs would immediately know what value the parts are and you are paying me a nice chunk of money to be here, I MAY AS WELL TRY AND IMPROVE THINGS! SHEESH!

Holy Moley. It’s like being in the Marine Corps again but with a bigger paycheck. I’m used to working for teeny companies where “Efficiency” and “Speed” are the constant war cry. Here the watch words are “Waste” and “Nap”.
What’s a girl with a work ethic to do?

I am going to Hawaii on the 23rd returning on October 4th. If things haven’t changed but the time I come back, I need to start looking for another job.

And something else to complain about.

=:-}

A Yosemite Denizen

2006-09-08T13:32:00.000-07:00

This coyote is so beautiful but the fact that I could even get close enough to take this picture makes me really angry. On this same Yosemite trip I went after someone who was feeding a coyote from his truck. I just hate that people sometimes don't *THINK* about the consequences of their actions. This is exactly why these lovely wild animals get hit by cars! Argh!!!! There are a few things that make me truly lose my mind and verbally attack people without any thought to my own safety and this is one of them. I really appreciate that my SO just lets me go. He doesn’t try and stop me, not that he could. If I see someone mistreating a child, a woman or an animal, my normally easygoing attitude melts away faster than the polar ice caps and I see Red and attack!

In the Yosemite of the 1960’s, you could drive your car to a parking lot and watch as the rangers fed the bears garbage. !!!!!!!! Can you believe how ignorant and self important we humans can be? I’m so happy we seem to be coming to our senses. Although I still worry that someday in the not too distant future, the whole planet will be a big giant clone of the United States.

Breathe Puppy breathe! Sorry. I got a bit carried away.

Okay. Taking a deep breath. R-e-l-a-x-i-n-g now.

There are so many people now doing amazing work to save our animals, our people and our planet. Be one of these people every chance you get and support them in every way you can.

Bye now!
=:-}

Yes. More Gerbera Daisies.

2006-09-07T08:26:00.000-07:00

I did a vignette blur on this macro shot. Exposure:1/2 sec Aperture:f 3.2 ISO:100

I used to be really artistic. I used to draw and I did calligraphy all the time. Then I became a drafter for a living. I’m talking a looong time ago when drafters used to spread lead the old fashioned way: with a pencil. This was before computers could fit in the average home let alone in an office. You know, the dark ages. Anyway, once I started drawing for work, the last thing I wanted to do when I got home, was draw. As for the calligraphy, well that one’s pretty obvious. Most people have boatloads of fonts on their computers so really, what’s the point.
So years go by and I decide I want to try and reclaim my creativity. I open up our trusty adult education catalog and peruse the myriad possibilities. Hmmmm….plastic wreath making. Uh, no. Light catching crystal bead bangle bracelet making. Uh, no. Beginning drawing with charcoal. Okay. Now we’re getting somewhere. However, as I can not make it through the day without getting something on my clothes, this sounds dangerous so l look further. And then I see it. Photography. Beginning Photography. Hmmmm…...I never considered that before but heck! I like taking pictures. The rest as they say, is history.
I was hooked from the first day. I loved it! I didn’t understand it, but I loved it nonetheless. I accidentally took pictures I liked and that was good enough for me. The people in the class were, for the most part, kind of like a blog gang without the blog. They had been taking the class over and over and over for many semesters. They were basically a club. It was cool. They made me feel at home and this is important to me, as we all know by now. I actually met one of my best friends in the class. The lovely and waaaay talented Justyna: http://creativeartworks.cc/d_160_14.html . (And to those of you paying attention, yes she did steal my angel and yes, her composition is better). The teacher was one of those overgrown boy-men. A man with braces, hair hanging in his eyes and tons and tons of energy. I really liked him and his vibe. It seemed a safe place to learn. That is was. A little too safe actually. The teacher wanted his acolytes to love photography (and him) and as such, he couldn’t get a constructive sentence out of his mouth. Sometimes I could see him try. I would see his mouth form the word “Mediocre” but he just couldn’t spit it out. He would say, “This photograph…” and you’d see the battle begin in his face. Should he tell the truth? Tell someone that their photo was no better than the average snapshot and that “perhaps they might want to pay some modicum of attention in class”? He just didn’t have it in him. He said everything was great. There is something to be said for that. It certainly made me feel like a genius. At least while I was in his class.
I’m on my own now. And that’s where you all come in. That’s why I need your input and judgment and comments both good and bad. Tell me where you think my strengths are and my weaknesses as well. Tell me when I’ve gone too far. Or not far enough. That’s the only way we get better. Do keep in mind that I am taking a Photoshop class! Please don’t be like my sweet teacher. Spit it out!

In Honor of Samarth's Wacky Wednesday!

2006-09-06T09:36:00.000-07:00

I took this with my macro. I liked it as is but when I was correcting it in curves, I went a bit nutso. I figured since it is Wacky Wednesday, it's o-kay!

Trumpet Vine

2006-09-05T20:40:00.000-07:00

Yesterday at breakfast I walked under this beautiful trumpet vine. Luckily I had my camera in the car (SHOCK!). I didn't do anything to it. I liked it right out of the camera. I hope you like it as well.

The Last Barn in Downtown San Jose

2006-09-01T10:18:00.000-07:00

I had to stand on park bench to look over the fence into someone's yard to take this.
Obviously I threw on a sepia filter.

A Thorny Issue

2006-08-30T21:08:00.000-07:00

I love this one. I threw a duplex monochrome filter on all but the leaves.
I took it at lunch today. I'll tell you more about that later.

Thanks to all of my blogger friends for coming back day after day to comment on my pictures.
I appreciate you all so much! Everyone who looks at this picture, consider yourself hugged!

Yosemite Bridge

2006-08-29T21:24:00.000-07:00

The Littlest Fan

2006-08-28T20:53:00.000-07:00

This is not my usual type of photo. Heck! I haven't even put up a picture of my granddaughter! But this gorgeous little girl was thrilled to dance to the sounds of my sweetie's bluegrass band on Sunday and I was thrilled to shoot this picture.

It's in the Bag

2006-08-24T13:10:00.000-07:00

Okay, so it’s Monday and I knew I’d be spending another day here at work with ab-so-freakin-lutely nothing to do. I found out on Friday that the project I was hired for is not due to start until OCTOBER 15th!!!! Why am I here???? I am being paid a more than decent amount of money to do nothing, but as you know, it doesn’t feel right to me and I hate being bored! I don’t like to be blatantly sitting here working away on art projects on my personal laptop. The only way I can sit in my office has my back and my laptop’s front facing the door, advertising to those who do have work, that I am screwing around and getting paid for it. I did it Friday because I was trying to get my sweetie’s band webpage up and running (And no you can’t see it because it’s STILL NOT UP! Argh!).

So let’s look at the contents of my bag to see what low tech, on the down-low projects I brought to work on today. Here is the list:

Thank You cards – 2 boxes – because I still haven’t sent out cards from my granddaughter’s 1st birthday party 3 weeks ago.

Address Book – To address above listed cards

2 novels – The Art of Mending by Elizabeth Berg & Living on Air by Anna Shapiro (I am a very fast reader)

A book on hand coloring photos – I have the coolest picture of my Nana on her Harley circa 1915 that I would LOVE to hand color.

A book on making some cool jewelry out of bottle caps – I love making jewelry!

Granola and almonds – I could easily fall into the bored eating habit

It’s 9:26 and I’m already getting sleepy………….

Oh, the picture. I took this on a lovely spring day in one of the last remaining orchards where I live. In Photoshop I put a gaussian blur on it and corrected the levels.

Night Beach

2006-08-24T08:47:00.000-07:00

I took this while staying at Esalen on the Big Sur coast. I woke up at about 2am and couldn't go back to sleep so I took out my trusty camera and shot some pictures. It was very dark. No street lights there. The moon was about 1/2 full and that and the stars are the only light.
I really love this picture. What do you think?

Where did I take this picture???

2006-08-22T18:47:00.000-07:00

When I worked at the cemetery, I saw so many beautiful, beautiful flowers come through. These were my favorites so I photoshoped out the stand. So believeable this way right?

I was walking through a 'park' minding my own business when I saw this beautiful heart wreath growing up outta the ground. Ya, that's the ticket.....

Blowin' in the Wind

2006-08-20T21:51:00.000-07:00

My sweetie pie plays guitar obsessively. Seriously. He gets up at 6:30, plays until 7:30 when he has to get ready for his pesky job. He goes to work then comes home to eat dinner and then he plays his guitar until about 10:30. At 10:30 he generally ambles out to the living room to catch the news. And by the news I mean The Daily Show because these days the only trusted news source is, of course, Comedy Central.
At around 11 he goes to sleep where he no doubt dreams of, and I’m guessing here, playing his guitar. His schedule does vary. It’s not like he’s a machine.
On Tuesday and Thursday evenings he instead goes to rehearsal with his band.

It’s a bluegrass band.

Do you know anything about bluegrass?
They say that if the girl isn’t poisoned or drowned or somehow violently dead by song’s end, well then it just isn’t bluegrass.

Ain’t that bitchin.

All of this wouldn’t really be an issue except for the fact that humans tend to get songs stuck in their head. You know what I mean; the lyrics play over and over and over until you almost lose your mind. Usually it’s something like, “Blinded by the light. Wrapped up like a douche you know the roener in the night…” or whatever those lyrics really are.
And I believe that you are what you think for the most part and so you really don’t want most bluegrass lyrics going through your head all day. Especially at this love fest of a company. I’m cruising to the printer room, feeling pretty good, when I see my nemesis Agatha (or any number of my cheery, effervescent, fanciful, frolicsome (love my thesaurus!) co-workers coming down the hall) and I realize I’m singing a little ditty with lyrics like maybe… “pimps and the gamblers were hanging around to carry Little Sadie to the buryin' ground” or “Little Janie, Little Janie- Your arms are wrapped so tight and Satan leads my fingers as I pull away the knife…”

It’s time like this that I wish my guitar lovin’ sweetie were into maybe… folk music.
Music about peace and love and women who are ALIVE!

This picture is a macro of a dandelion taken just before it blew apart to propagate baby weeds all over my front yard.

Hiking 7 Sacred Pools on Maui

2006-08-20T16:39:00.000-07:00

We generally travel to Hawaii every year for our vacation although this year we're thinking Belize. We have had some amazing adventures free diving on (off) Maui. We were so lucky to have had the opportunity to swim with a pod of wild dolphins on our last trip. We had to swim out about 50 yards to join them and spent 90 minutes with them.

I can still close my eyes and see them.
Silent. Blue. Calm.

Another favorite place on Maui is Hana. Most people drive there and back to the west side in one day but we spend a few days there. It is more Hawaiian there. Most tourists are gone by 3:00. Seven Sacred Pools is a beautiful place where you can hike to a waterfall. Typically, most visitors don't get further than 100 yards from their car so the hike is another opportunity to experience Hawaii virtually alone. You have to hike through a bamboo forest to get to the waterfall and it is enchanting! This picture was taken half in and half out of that forest.

Me! Me! Me! Me!

2006-08-18T17:45:00.000-07:00

After letting you see this self portrait, that I really, really like even though I don't even look like a girl, I thought I'd give an update on my new job….

I have had work for the last week and a half after 2 weeks of being paid to put together my blog and become part of a little blogger gang. I must say that I enjoy the blogging more than the job, but that’s to be expected.

I don’t understand why people are so cold and unfriendly here. They must know something I don’t and that’s a bit scary. When I smile at people, it’s like my smile is traveling toward them in s-l-o-w m-o-t-i-o-n and they actually veer out of the way so it doesn’t ‘get’ them. If said smile actually made contact, they might have to smile back or, horror of horrors, say “Good Morning”. We all know how much that can hurt! Sheesh!

The admin still doesn’t speak to me. I hadn’t seen her enough to know how she treated other people. I told myself that she must be going through something really horrible in her life that makes her so sour. I had the story all worked out in my head…”Poor Agatha” (Names changed to protect the bitchy) “It must be so hard to have cancer of the….uh… buttcheek. She’s probably so sad and scared. I really should go out of my way to be nice to her. That’s it! I’m going to hunt her down and find something to compliment her on! Yeah!” So I headed down the hall, on a MISSION damnit! As I approached the open area where she sits with the rest of her cadre, I saw her from the back, wearing a rather lovely muumuu.
Then, as I got closer, I saw her laughing with someone. Laughing! Uproariously!
As though she didn’t have a care in the world. As though she didn’t even have cancer of the bicuspid. And then it hit me. She doesn’t have cancer of anything!

She shuns me purposely.

A bigger person would have called out “That shade of puce really does a lot for your complexion Agatha”. But not me. I am small, small Puppatina. She’ll get no compliments from this tiny person.

I don’t care how pretty her muumuu is.

Miss Aggie and the Hawthorn Tree

2006-08-17T20:48:00.000-07:00

I took the 2 pictures that make up this collage when I worked at a cemetery.
I loved that job because of the history but it was a really small place so it was pretty slow and we know how much I love being bored at work….
They had some great old death certificates and I loved reading through them.
My favorite was a young woman called Aggie McClay. She died in the early 1900s at the age of 28. The death certificate is amazing; gorgeous calligraphy that makes Dysentery look like something you’d want to have. She was an inmate of the California State Insane Asylum. I have often wondered what that said about Aggie. In those days a young woman could end up in an asylum for not wanting to get married! Imagine!

I spent a lot of time just roaming the grounds shooting pictures.
These 2 are of the same Hawthorn tree on a rainy day. This is a pretty old picture and I can’t remember what processes I used on it. I really like it though.

I still think of Miss Aggie.

Doorway to the San Francisco Bay

2006-08-15T20:46:00.000-07:00

I took this picture in Alviso. Alviso is a small waterfront community as far south on the San Francisco bay as you can get; very close to San Jose. It’s a little piece of history tucked away out of sight of most Silicon Valley denizens. I love it there because there are miles of trails and (Yah!) derelict buildings.

Observe this!

2006-08-11T08:50:00.000-07:00

This is one of the abandoned houses atop Mount Hamilton where the Lick Observatory resides. The land is owned by (I believe) the University of California.
The observatory is in a beautiful location above San Jose but it's a real bear to get to. A long ultra curly road. Not one of the curly roads my race car driving SO likes but a real, can't-drive-over-15-miles-an-hour curly road. It's still worth visiting if you ever get the chance. It's one of the few places to find derelict buildings and lots of historic pictures of the observatory which was founded in 1888! It's hard to drive up there now. They had to drag everything up there by the original horsepower! Very cool story. If you're interested, here's a good link:
http://mthamilton.ucolick.org/public/history/

I can't load any pictures :-(

2006-08-10T20:26:00.000-07:00

Blogger kinda sucks. Are they all this bad?
Should I change my blog before it get's too big?
Who would you, my dear blogging friends recommend?

This one is for Christian.....

2006-08-09T22:17:00.000-07:00

Do you like it better in black and white?

In my photography class, we have a tradition that the last homework turned in at the end of the semester must contain Elvis in all of his glory, somewhere in the photo. I put his face in the window of this house. I'll have to look for that one cause it's pretty funny. People have put his face in the clouds or in sunglasses reflection (right up your alley Sam!). Maybe we should do that too....An Elvis contest!

Take a Load off....

2006-08-09T22:02:00.000-07:00

I Can See for Miles and Miles and Miles and Miles

2006-08-09T21:55:00.000-07:00

I took this from Lick Observatory on Mount Hamilton above San Jose.
I think my monitor may be darker than some so I hope you can see it.
I love taking photos at night.

Only 300K

2006-08-09T14:01:00.000-07:00

The price of real estate here is just crazy. For about $400K you can get a 200 square foot walk-in closet. Not a house with the closet. Just the closet.
I live in a house without a closet.
You just can’t have it all.

On my way to Yosemite, I passed the abandoned house in this picture. The only way a house can afford to be abandoned around here is to be further than the accepted 6 hour a day round trip commute.
It’s hard to see in the small version of this picture but someone spray painted “Only 300K” on it.

Maybe because everything is so over crowded where I live, I am drawn to this type of scene.

My Little Lovey Girls

2006-08-08T18:37:00.000-07:00

This is one of my little pups. Her name is Luna. She's a 5 year old Sheltie. She's a tiny 17 pound little girl. We just found out that she needs liver surgery. Poor baby just had her knee rebuilt in November and now this. It seems she has a duct that bypasses her liver so the blood can't pass through and have the toxins removed. The sucess rate for the surgery is 85%. I'm still scared.

I love my dogs so much. I don't dress them up but I do let them share my pillows at night. :-)
These pups give me unconditional love every day. I don't know what I would do if anything happened to either of them.

This is my other pup, Abby Gayle. She is 4 years old. She is a funny girl who loves, loves, loves to play. We call her our super model cause she's so pretty.

Posin' Posey

2006-08-07T22:36:00.000-07:00

Mother May I?

2006-08-07T22:26:00.000-07:00

My good friend Simona asked me to take photos of her while she was pregnant.
I don't normally like to shoot people, but when she asked, I immediately saw in my mind what I wanted to do. Unfortunately, I get bored easily so I never fixed the background on the top one. Some day I'll do it because it's such a gorgeous picture.
The most important thing I learned about taking pictures of people is to make sure the subject is beautuful! :-)

Ha Ha Tonka - Missouri

2006-08-07T22:18:00.000-07:00

The story I heard was that a rich man had this castle built at the turn of the century and before it was completed, he was killed in the first auto accident in the state of Missouri. Years later his family decided to finish it but it burned down before it could be done. Not sure if it's true but I like the sound of it so I don't really care.

Gothic Tower

2006-08-07T22:14:00.000-07:00

As a rule I'm not overly fond of out of focus pictures, unless they're mine. Just kidding! This one just seemed to work for me. It was taken at Mission Santa Clara.

I took these in and around Playa Del Carmen, Mexico

2006-08-07T22:06:00.000-07:00

Some people like having their picture taken....

And some people make you pay...

I had to buy a belt to take their picture. I think it was worth it.

Another Strange (to us) & Cute Animal

2006-08-07T22:03:00.000-07:00

This little poser is a Coatimundi. It only looks like he's part pork given his hammy nature! ;-)

Springtime in the Central Valley

2006-08-07T21:56:00.000-07:00

Fruit Bats - They're Gorgeously Weird!

2006-08-06T22:51:00.000-07:00

This was taken at the Oakland zoo. I have a penchant for bats.
I think they are so interesting and cute. I have helped out a bit with bat rehab.
A wonderfully dedicated woman, Lisa Windflower, helps bats in my home, the SF bay area. Visit her at: http://www.batcrew.com/

These Flying Fox shots are amazing though: http://www.bellingen.com/flyingfoxes/
And the photographer, Vivien, is warm and open and lovely to communicate with.

They eat mosquitos and pollinate the agave plant. What's not to love???

A Miracle?

2006-08-04T23:05:00.000-07:00

I have no idea what happened with this picture. It came out of my Canon EOS Elan SLR film camera....just like this!

2006-08-04T22:42:00.000-07:00

This photo was taken at a tourist town close to Kansas City airport called Weston. I'm a sucker for historic buildings.

It's a little known fact that there are only 2 cemeteries within the San Francisco city limits; Mission Dolores and The Presidio. This was not always true but when the land became too valuable, they actually exhumed and moved bodies for re-burial to the nearby town of Colma. Colma has the distinction of having a larger population of dead than undead. ;-) This was taken at Mission Dolores. It was my first try at desaturating and then selectively re-coloring. Fun stuff.

A cool trick is to take photos from your airplane window and then fix the levels in Photoshop. It works beautifully. These were taken above Utah.

A Wrinkle in Time

2006-08-04T10:30:00.000-07:00

I really thought getting older would be easy for me. Though somewhat cute when I was younger, I wouldn’t have been categorized as gorgeous by anyone who wasn't sleeping with me. Because I was used to residing in the world of mediocre, I thought the transition would be fairly easy. Uh, I was so wrong!

Some mornings I have to wait til I get to work to put on my makeup because it can take hours for my pillow wrinkled face to snap back into position. I guess ‘snap’ is the wrong word. It used to ‘snap’. Now it slowly ambles, whistling show tunes and taking in the view along the way.
When I can finally start troweling on the makeup, which is painful enough because I actually have to look in the mirror to do it, I also have to face the brand spanking new “Wrinkle-of-the-Day”.
I swear.
Every day.
A new wrinkle.

And this is only the beginning! I’m 46. I have a good 30 more years of deterioration and decay to look forward to.

I can’t wait.

Beautiful Beggar

2006-08-03T21:16:00.000-07:00

Lower Yosemite Falls

2006-08-03T21:09:00.000-07:00

It's a challenge, although a lovely one, to take photographs in Yosemite that haven't been done before. This one has been done many, many times before but I still like it. The one of the bench in the snow (next one down) may be a bit less photographed.

Ice, Ice Lady

2006-08-03T20:02:00.000-07:00

Those of you who work in offices will probably agree with me when I say that the admins are usually really, really nice. They go out of their way to make the newcomers at home by loading them up with office supplies and telling them who to watch out for. They throw flower petals and spread happiness wherever they may roam.

Usually.

Not at my new job. At least not with me.

There is an admin syndicate in our building. There are 2 young sweet admins and 1 evil old shrew of an admin. I can call her old cause she may actually be my age but with way more bitch spots and whine lines. It may be that very fact that makes her detest me so.
Oh, plus I have all my hair.....

Most people like me. I'm not beautiful so women don't hate me and I like sports and I bake so guys usually like me. But not Serf-zilla.

Tomorrow I plan on baiting her by being disgustingly nice to her. When she complains to her minions about me, I want them to think, "She seems nice to me". They don't even answer my cheery good morning without checking with her first so I know they will only *think* it!

I'll let you know how it goes.

In a lonely family cemetery in the wilds of Missouri

2006-08-03T10:46:00.000-07:00

My brother Fred lives smack in the middle of Missouri half way between Kansas City and St. Louis. I like Missouri because the land is cheap so there are still old decrepit abandoned buildings and cemeteries that no one visits anymore. Here in California that doesn't often happen. We also don't have as much physical history. If something isn't being used, it quickly gets paved over. There aren't even many middle aged or older people here! I'm 46 and I'm scared! Maybe when you hit a certain age you're forced to either get plastic surgery or move to Arizona.

Anyway, knowing of my penchant for cemeteries, Fred takes me to Cemetery Road.
He doesn't know where the cemetery is exactly but we figure with a name like Cemetery Road, there's gotta be one somewhere. After an off road adventure, we finally found it. It was worth the search. This is my favorite picture from that excursion.

And now for something entirely different...

2006-08-03T10:20:00.000-07:00

I love this photo. It may be my favorite. I took it in Locke, an old Chinese railroad town on the Sacramento river delta. This guy was passed out drunk and bleeding from the head.
There wasn't enough blood to keep it in color however. ;-)
I love the bikes in the frame.

Missouri Lone Tree

2006-08-03T09:33:00.000-07:00

While on a drive with my brother Fred, I snapped this photo. I love trees and this one was so beautiful standing there all alone.

A Hydrangea blossom

2006-08-03T09:03:00.000-07:00

Love that macro lens!

Watercolor Love-in-a-Mist

2006-08-03T09:01:00.000-07:00

I'm not much of a gardener. I love gardens madly but our backyard is shady and I'm lazy so we have a big lawn. A few years ago my lazy ass threw some wildflower seed in the area where flowers would be if we had them. I didn't cover them up with dirt or anything. I merely tossed the bird seed, er, flower seed out there and hoped for the best. As you may have guessed, the birds ate most of them. A couple of months later, imagine my surprise when a poopload of beautiful blue and white flowers started blooming. They are called Love-in-a-Mist and they are not only gorgeous, they reseed! So every year I get pooploads more! They are the ultimate lazy gardener's friend.

They are also wonderful posers. I really liked the watercolor affect on this one. Let me know what you think.

Monday Morning Angel

2006-08-03T08:46:00.000-07:00

This angel is rather famous in angel circles. She hangs her hat in the Mountain View cemetery in Oakland. She presides over the remains of the Crocker family.
Mountain View cemetery is amazing! It's gigantic and has a 'Millionaire Row' with huge pretentious mausoleums as big as my house but it also has some really old crappy areas where people like me end up. The graves are falling down the hillside and the names can barely be read anymore. It's so cool.

Angel Sky

2006-08-03T08:44:00.000-07:00

Good Morning...I brought donuts!

A new blogging friend (look at his beautiful travel photos by following the link to the right) told me I should get more pictures up because if people just saw one, they may not visit again. So, I am going to put up some of my favorite pictures and then I'll write a bit about each of them later. I will tell you about this one now. This picture, Angel Sky, is the first digital art I did which really made me happy. It also showed me early on how important those stock photos are. I shoot a sky whenever it moves me and I LOVE angels.
I have had people say, "You go to cemeteries to take pictures of angels? Ick! Why would you do that?" My question back is where else would I find angels?

Today's Intention....

2006-08-02T10:52:00.000-07:00

My intention today is to be....um, content.

As a somewhat hyper person, I am having a bit of difficulty with my current employment.
I started last Monday at a large company and have so far done nothing at all to earn my keep.
This is a new breed of strange for me as I am accustomed to small companies where the employees are running so fast they have bugs on their teeth. Here they even smile in slow motion. If they even deign to smile. This is not a good place for a recovering Catholic. The whole day is an opportunity for guilt.

But at least I have the time and opportunity to do some of the things I've been meaning to do, such as google all of my friend's names to see what comes up and do research on Classmates.com to try and find out if my high school best friend really did marry my high school boyfriend (yes).

Until tomorrow I shall remain

Content

About the photo...I love small things and dead things (within reason) so a small dead flower was right up my alley. I kept this grapefruit blossom safe for 2 months until I bought my macro lens and it was the first shot after purchase.
I have a Canon Digital Rebel EOS and I used my lovely new Canon 100mm f/2.8 Macro Lens.