2006

I decided that if I were going to choose a favorite picture for the year, it should represent the best time I had, which has to have been hanging out in London. I believe that this was from the day spent in Cambridge, getting back in time to loiter in Kensington Gardens for a while, which is where this picture was taken.

Oh, I guess I also had fun hanging out with the evildoers:

statue on foggy day

This picture was taken on the same foggy day as the picture under "weather." I think it also happened to be the second shortest day of the year, or at least tied. I've taken pictures of this statue before, but the weather this time seemed to help.

I'm pretty sure I know that girl from somewhere.

weather

Normally weather in these parts ranges from balmy to oppressive. Earlier this week, though, we had thick fog move in and stay a couple of days. I discovered that it's hard to get close-ups of fog. It keeps moving back.

ambushed

My alternate picture for the Photo Friday theme of "ambushed" was of a mall Santa Claus swarmed by children. The ambush of Santa was to represent my own sense of being ambushed upon shopping this time of year, as well as nearly being ambushed by mall security for unauthorized photography. But it turned out this picture of a backyard squirrel was much less fuzzy. He's poised to attack the bird feeder, not knowing that it's been spiked with cayenne pepper. The ambusher has become the ambushee. Ha!

open way

I just started a book called "River Horse" by William Least Heat-Moon where he's taking a boat journey, and the boat is adorned with two inscriptions. One is "proceed as the way opens," and the other is "avoid irritation." The first is a Quaker proverb and the second is from Heart of Darkness. My response to reading them is that they are both easy to do when you're out on the water, but more of a challenge if you apply them to land-life.

I should acknowledge that the picture above doesn't exactly show someone proceeding as the way opens, mainly because I can't steer and take pictures at the same time. I mention this to try and avoid the irritation of corrective comments.

Merry Christmas, Happy New Year, and Avoid Irritation.

fresh

"Fresh" is the Photo Friday theme for the week. In this case it's navy beans with onion, anaheim peppers, tomato, mustard greens, thyme, bay leaf, cumin, garlic, and olive oil. The secret ingredient is prolonged anticipation.

stillness

This week's Photo Friday theme is "stillness." I was having a moment of inner stillness earlier this afternoon, so I decided to take a picture. By the time I was in and out of the house and had my camera set up, the inner stillness was gone. I got a couple of pictures, but when I pulled them up on the computer I came across this lone duck from a couple of weeks ago. Looking at it brought back the inner stillness, and made me less fond of today's pictures.

recycling

It must be hard to let go of a beloved pick-up truck, so this Hill Country owner found a new use. Later, out on the lake, I mentioned this to Mike (below) who thought it was a bright idea.

immature

This is a submission for the Photo Friday theme of "immature." Honestly, I don't know if the immaturity comes from an exposed belly on a cold day, or from surreptitiously photographing that belly. Twice. There are things I really love about my little camera.

And of course I recognize that my interpretation of this event is in part a reflection of age.

evil

This is for the Photo Friday theme of "evil." I didn't want to put pictures of individuals, be too political, or try to fit into an Evel Knievel costume, so I was left to examine the darkness of my own heart. Then I went and attacked an avocado. It had it coming.

fall, part two or three

Last week I took a sick and tired day from work (don't tell anyone) so I could take advantage of the fruits of global warming. While not entirely related to the picture above, a haiku came out the experience:

Blue skies, nothing but
blue skies. Oh, and a yellow
Chinaberry tree.

I also had occasion to visit an air show, where the skies were equally blue.

gross

I decided to take an Alfred Hitchcock approach to the assigned theme of "gross." That is, rather than directly show you what makes this portable toilet gross, the icons lead viewers to conjure grossness from the dark recesses of their own consciousness (ooh, gross). Plus, I like to minimize the amount of time I spend in there.

election day

Here's Air Force One about to leave following the President's ballot casting. After I took this picture, security told me "we need you to step back." Fight the Power! I wanted to tell them of the likelihood that I had just counter-balanced all their boss's votes.

light

Here's my submission for the theme of "light." I was thinking that "light" could be the theme in just about any picture, since there's got to be at least some to get an image. Here, though, the interpretation is of color. Light could also be the opposite of heavy, which could then be measured either in pounds or in intellectual value. This heavy dog is light.

fall, part one

I've spent the last couple of days looking for some Fall color. So far that color is green. Still, you might glean from the pictures how temperate and leisurely the days have been, whether in my backyard (above) or going for a walk (below). Stay tuned for updates.

accidental

No humans were injured in the making of this picture for the Photo Friday challenge, "accidental." The neighbors, though, were wondering what the hell I was doing. If you study the picture closely enough you will recognize this as a fine example of method acting.

innocence

This week's photo friday theme: innocence. I immediately associated innocence with youth, hence this budding geranium. Still, there's no way of knowing what impure thoughts this plant may have already had.

So if the flower-as-innocence idea doesn't work, then think of the photographer's inability to figure out how to use the macro-lens function on his camera. So innocent, so many new things out there to learn about.

destruction

It was easy to find examples for this week's photo friday theme of "destruction" at this demolition site, but it was hard to find one I like. The site is an imploded hospital. This picture has layers of destruction, including the demolished building, the vandalism, and the reference to a bombed city. I'm not sure how to interpret the writing on the wall.

self-portrait as nihilist

I guess the scary part is that this is how someone spends his time.

guanajuato

Today I was talking to someone from Leon, Mexico who was telling me about his favorite vacation spot, the city of Guanajuato. That prompted me to pull out this picture of the town from my files (that, and having nothing else to blog about). Looking at the picture makes me think about how going from where I live to a place like this means making so many subtle and sometimes imperceptible changes to one's sense of space, time, and social interaction. Usually I end up finding that very therapeutic.

thin

The Photo Friday theme this week is "thin." I took this last Spring in Houston at a sculpture garden. It reminded me of me before I discovered gluttony and sloth. But that time of year everything seemed thin: the branches, the young leaves, and the spire aspiring to eternal thinness. Only the photographer had any true gravitas in this moment.

different anger

After my last entry with a picture of staged anger directed at my dog (actually, sort of a historical re-creation) I remembered I had this picture from my trip to London.

This anti-war vigil was being kept across from the Houses of Parliament with Westminster Abbey in the background. In retrospect I wonder why I chose to stay on the opposite side of the street (making it difficult to get a decent picture). I suppose that as a foreigner in those parts, taking pictures of someone's anger seemed like it may have only provoked more.

anger

No animals were harmed in the making of this picture for Photo Friday's theme of "anger." However, there may have been some disappointment that this little exercise in theater wasn't food-related.

If the theme of "defiance" ever comes up, I'll probably use the same picture.

more football

Here are a few of the sights, sounds, and odors from UT vs Iowa State.

There was a lot of marching going on.

There was a lot of standing and gesturing. Sometimes even during the commercials.

There were, of course, plenty of long horns.

And there was a game.

Hello Cowgirl in the Stands!

girl

I decided to use my first college football game as an occasion to look for the photo friday challenge of "girl." This girl was photogenic, and her hair suggests a genetic predisposition to follow the team in orange.

energy

I was looking for the energy to get another blog page up, so I looked until I found this picture of hyperactivity. It's actually been a while since the dogs have had this kind of outing in the country, but now that it's starting to cool off they're probably ready for it again. I may even go with them.

And for good measure, behold the armadillo.

bright

This mostly dark picture is for this week's photo friday theme of "bright." When it comes to light and dark, one is the absence of the other. I don't remember if I learned that in science class or theology. Before taking this, though, I took a few of the sun (hours earlier, of course) and understood that bright is a matter of degree and relationship.

guitar

A couple of posts ago I listed all the most superlative guitarists I could remember having seen as a way of celebrating Tommy Emmanuel (whose CD "Endless Road" I've been enjoying mucho). If I add the ZZ Top guy (Mr. Gibbons) and Keith Richards, I've pretty much exhausted my list. I guess I need to get out more.

Anyway, while I was thinking about it I remembered this picture of a funky guitar taken outside Central Park, NYC.

boy

For this week's Photo Friday theme of "boy" I tried out a few new ideas, but ended up pulling this one from my archives. The expression on the kid's face always made me wonder about the face under the hat.

man in black

I've seen some pretty good guitarists live: Chet Atkins, John McLaughlin, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Jimmy Vaughan, Al DiMeola, Eric Clapton, John Williams, Eric Johnson, Paco DeLucia . . . The man pictured above, Tommy Emmanuel, takes a back seat to none. Last night I had the privilege to see him for the second time. The most amazing thing is that each time was here in a town generally lacking in anything resembling a music scene, yet this time it's his only appearance in the state. At times I feel grateful to be here.

I had to take the picture before the show while I still had light.

I don't know who the guy in plaid is, but I'm sure he's okay.

as promised . . .

Well, maybe I hadn't really made any promises, but here's another picture from my trip to Little Rock. We learned two things while visiting this quaint old train depot. First, there's nothing inside, despite the fact that it's a fully functioning train station. Second, we discovered that if you stand on an elevator without pressing any buttons, you will remain stationary for as long as you are willing to ignore your mistake. In science this is known as "Poulter's Law."

silver

This week's Photo Friday theme is silver.

Who is this holding the spoon? Why is he doing it? Is the spoon really silver? Is it symbolic of something? What is reflected in the spoon? Did he intend for that to happen? Is he trying to make a statement with his gesture? Why is he talking about himself in the third person and asking strange questions?

good bad and ugly

Here's a picture I found in my files saved as "goodbadugly." I think looking at it made me whistle the music to the movie, since it looks like it might be a scene from a Western. It also looks like a scene from an oppressively hot Summer, but I'm sure I took it in Spring. For one thing I wouldn't be out there in the heat, and I don't think the mesquite tree (I think that's what it is) would be looking so happy.

Ennio Morricone rocks!

circle

"The eye is the first circle; the horizon which it forms is the second; and throughout nature this primary figure is repeated without end." - Ralph Waldo Emerson

I've always understood Emerson's essay on circles as a description of the self in nature, which is a part of and participant in nature, and therein (for the transendentalist) has its infinite nature. In that spirit I went into the archives for this contribution to Photo Friday's circle theme. It is an old 8mm movie camera, representing an extension of the primary circle of the "eye," or the "I."

la petite roche

I recently had the pleasure of going to Little Rock, AR. I didn't know what to expect, but now believe its grass is greener than where I live.

Among other things, Little Rock is the home of the world's most stuck-up (not stuck) pig.

We also visited the Clinton Library, which the locals evidently call the trailer in the sky.

The Oval Office is an exact replica of the one used on the West Wing.

When I got home I discovered that Pluto is no longer a planet. Bummer. Still, while a part of me is nostalgic, I also look at it as living etymology: have we ever, over the millennia, really had a definition of "planet?" And, nothing connects us to our most ancient ancestors as much as contemplating heavenly bodies.

friend

This week's Photo Friday theme is "friend." Special thanks to my friend who made this picture possible. Otherwise I would have been stuck, sadly, with a picture of my imaginary friend.

Optimism

Here's a picture of me contemplating my Fall schedule.

the woods

Last night I sat in my backyard and noticed I was just a few feet from this creature.

I hear owls occasionally, and I'm sure I've seen a couple swoop by overhead, but I've never seen one in repose and certainly never gotten this close. I wanted to get another picture with the face fully visible, but the flash must have bothered it. Plus, the truth is I was a little scared. When I first saw it in the dusk light I thought it was a lump of debris with eyes. When I realized it was living, it looked alien enough to fill my imagination with horror scenes. It resembled something out the movie "Gremlins" as much as any common creature I'd ever layed eyes on before, and so I couldn't fully trust that it wouldn't grab my face and turn me into a zombie.

That's one of the things I like about the woods. As peaceful as they may seem, with singing birds and calm swaying shadows, there's always an underlying potential for danger.

I hope I didn't drive it too far away, since I need something around to pose a danger to some of the other nocturnal creatures I've seen scuttling around.

four

The Photo Friday challenge for this week was four. I thought "fooouuuur!" and pulled out a golf club.