2008

Here's a highlight of the year - visiting lake Tahoe. There were others, like seeing some family and friends I hadn't seen in a while. Still, here's hoping the new year is a good one all around. Most of us could use it.

hill country views

Above, a view with Inks Lake in the background. Below, proof that the grass is always greener on the other side of the lake.

avocado

For reasons that are no longer clear to me, I named this picture "Past, Present, Future."

closest moon of the year

Fortunately for you, I was there. Unfortunately though, I stepped on a pebble, cursed God, and the following happened. Sorry about that.

thanksgiving

It's becoming a tradition to take a sunset picture on Thanksgiving day. This one, though, is different because it features a hardcore fisherboy. There was a surprising amount of Fall color, and a scarcity of decent pictures of the color.

on squirrels and mortality

I have knowingly had direct involvement in the deaths of two squirrels. “Knowingly” is not the same as “intentionally,” but “direct involvement in the deaths of” is the same as “killed.” The first time was a blur, just sudden road-kill in my rearview mirror. I remember telling a class about it that day, and thereafter I was routinely called squirrel-killer.

That is many years past. A few months ago it happened again. I drove down a hill and hit the brakes as one darted in front of me, then I slowed again for a second, managing to avoid each (or vice-versa). I came to a complete stop when a third one ran out, but not before hearing a thud. For days I was angry at the squirrel for having put me in a position of having to kill him.

More recently I woke up in the middle of the night and listened to an anguished squeal. I knew something outside was hurting, but couldn’t tell what it was. When it stopped I heard an owl hoot while a squirrel chirped in defiance. While the evidence is limited, the image I formed was similar to the Mexican flag, except instead of an eagle and a snake it was an owl taking off with a squirrel. (In my version of the flag, the squirrel would be grasping one of my tomato plants.)

This last weekend I walked toward the edge of my yard where there is a sudden drop of about 40 feet. A squirrel fell from a tree in front of me. I chuckled at first at its apparent spasticity, but stopped when I got close to the edge and could see the ground. It looked as if the squirrel had impaled itself on a fallen branch. All I could see was a lifeless furry lump with a large bloody gash. I would have needed a closer look to know with certainty what happened, but there are limits to my curiosity.

So I find myself wondering why a shameless carnivore, one who has experienced much of the nuisance these creatures can provide a homeowner, would react with such visceral lament to their deaths. Well, I suppose they can be cute and entertaining, but I think there’s more to it than that. I think it illustrates how everyone and everything is perched at the edge of a flimsy branch and we don’t know what’s down there. We all have to cross some thoroughfare sooner or later, but the oncoming traffic doesn’t care where we need to get to.

Last winter I saw a nest slide through some branches and land on the ground, then saw a squirrel scamper off with what I assumed to be a baby bird. It was horrifying to think that my backyard had spawned some new race of hunter squirrels. When it returned for another, I ran to chastise it for its betrayal of its own instincts, but saw that it wasn’t a bird in its mouth, it was a baby squirrel being carried away to a new nest. So this is the slightly happy ending to my squirrel meditation: we’ll never run out of squirrels, no matter how often or with what creativity they abuse themselves.

hey, fog

I always figure foggy mornings make for good photo opportunities, but I discovered on this day that sometimes you can only see fog. All the photogenic landmarks I hoped to capture were all buried under a thick mist, and a couple of places where I planned to stop, I missed the turn due to poor visibility. These hay rolls were close enough to the road, though, eager to have their picture taken.

haiku for student

Wearing ear buds, she
asked something. The answer was
repeated. Again.

Here's a mostly unrelated photo:

garden

This is a gourd tendril. I've read that they are among the tendriliest.

I will now do a google search for "tendriliest" to see if this post comes up.

i heart stuff

My name means "lover of horses." That's probably an exaggeration. I mean, I like them okay, but love? And if my feelings could be described as love, they shouldn't be confused with love love. That would most certainly be illegal, and logistically complex.

Here are more pictures expressing love.

boo

While decorating for Halloween, someone came into my office and asked if they could use the plant I was "growing." I was deeply offended, until I looked at it.

I look at the picture below and wish that more of my students looked that engaged.

I also discovered that having a camera in the office brought out the inner-ham.

a post about arm-farting, eventually

About a month and several degrees Fahrenheit ago, these wasps would have been much less amenable to having a camera all up in their hive. But this evening seemed like a good time to capture them in a group hug. In a side note, one of the few things I can say about my upbringing that makes me slightly atypical in my home is that I was not a WASP. That, and my rather extraordinary arm-farting technique, an talent that has faded with every new pound.

While editing the above photo, I came across the one below of a sculpture whose name I don't know. The photo I have decided to name "arm-fart."

tolerance

I consider myself an open minded person. Someone votes or worships differently from me, I can dig it. You like doing things with handcuffs or body lotions, that's your bag. For all I know you might even like NASCAR, and I say that I accept you despite such character flaws. However, someone recently suggested I try the food at Chop Stix over my usual Happy Wok because it's so much better. Well, I tried it. And to anyone who prefers Chop Stix to Happy Wok . . . you're dead to me.

unauthorized anthony snape photos

Here are a couple more pictures from when we were asked not to take pictures. I, however, am a lawless renegade. I'm a rebel. I'm another Ted Stevens.

unauthorized tommy emmanuel photos

This venue always has an announcement before shows listing restrictions on audience activities. Someday I will rebel against them all by smoking and leaving my cell phone and pager on. And when they tell me to enjoy the show, I won't. In the meantime, I just have pictures, so I'm only a little bad.

armadillo

The other morning, while I sat at my breakfast table, an armadillo walked past the window, not more than 10 feet from me. As I watched it saunter off into the bushes I ruminated on what a great picture I could have gotten had a camera been nearby. It was then that I noticed I had not one, not two - well, okay, two - cameras within arm's length. I grabbed one, walked outside, spotted the armored beast making its way into a hole, and snapped two pictures. Both were terrible.

So instead I offer a picture of a good band, Atash, who were happy to be playing in what their singer referred to as "the city of Baylor."

At the same event I had an opportunity to harass this poor, underpaid mime, who, very un-mimelike, averted her eyes when I aimed the camera. Maybe she's appropriately paid after all.

the ordinary

Here's a bush I see everyday that's been flowering all summer, just as it did last summer. Every once in a while, though, there's something about the light that makes me go in and grab the camera. Just an example of how the ordinary things are sometimes the ones worth paying most attention to.

exercise

I've decided to go into intensive training, just in case playing the maraca becomes an Olympic sport.

Actually, this picture was taken to go with others on the theme of exercise. I estimate that I burned 14 and half calories while taking this picture.

unspectacular quirks

Here is a response to a tag asking for six unspectacular quirks. So,

1. When I hear things like "unspectacular quirks" I wonder what a spectacular quirk would be. Walking into a crowded post office with a semi-automatic weapon?


2. The idea of living somewhere with a busy town square where people stroll in the evenings and catch up with acquaintances always seems appealing to me, until I remember that most of the times I see acquaintances in public places I run and hide.


3. I grew up in a household with the quirk of setting up the coffee pot so that in the morning you just have to turn it on. I've inherited that.


4. For a while I developed a habit where, while driving, I would wonder what kind of jokes Jesus would tell if he were a Borscht Belt comedian: "I spent a week in Galilee the other night. Sure, you can walk on the water; just don't drink it! Am I right people?" (Yes, that's the best I've come up with.)


5. Here's another one that's only partly my quirk. My dogs like to come with me to check the mail. Now, to keep them happy, I have to pretend to check the mail on days when it doesn't come.


6. I could make a list of lazy quirks, but here is one. Some mornings, if I've been lounging around but decide it's time to wash and begin the day, taking a shower seems like too much trouble, so I end up in the hot tub instead.



Here's a picture unrelated to anything.

old fashioned

For photofriday I took this picture of a drink called an old fashioned. I told the bartender that it has sugar, water, bitters, bourbon, an orange wedge, and a cherry. He'd never heard of bitters, so we agreed on a compromised version. It turned out that he'd evidently never heard of oranges either. Still, it came out alright. The picture is slightly out of focus in an attempt to simulate the experience of drinking one.

Obviously I suffer for my pictures.

troubled waters

The creek is dry here, but a few days prior it had enough water to wash my neighbor's bridge down into my yard. As you can see, it's built to last, just not necessarily in one place.

august rain

Here are a couple of pictures of unseasonable rain falling off the roof. When I put the title "August Rain" I thought it had a familiar ring, like it comes from a movie or CD or feminine hygiene product. It may be the scent of some air freshener I recently bought. In any case, it seems like something I've heard.

The pictures were taken on separate days.

usurper

Here is a squirrel napping on my patio. It seems that they are now too used to making themselves at home to be thought of as wild, but too independent to be domesticated. If they could classify themselves, it would probably be "entitled."

rough

How real men shave. At least those that don't have beards.

There are more "rough" pictures here.

something that happened in port aransas

I was driving down a street when I came up behind a car that was just stopped in the middle of the lane. The brake lights were on, and I couldn't figure out what the driver was doing. Was he having car problems? Was he waiting on someone? I drifted over into the other lane and went around him. Then I looked in my rearview mirror and saw a traffic light.

Here are a few pictures that have nothing to do with this event.

some beach pictures

First is a picture of me having taken a wrong turn.

Plenty of pelicans.

Dogs contemplating the howling infinite.

When I got home I had about 200 pictures. About 150 must have been of dorsal fins.

flight

This picture of a heron was taken sometime in the spring. I may have used it before, except that this is the new improved bluer and smaller version.

habanero contrition

Forgive me for having doubted thy strength, for it is I who is weak, and thou who in thy mercy did spare me thine most strenuous wrath. Instead, thou have my toes brought wondrous delights, have my armpits shown colors abundant, and have the door upon the crown of my head opened to journeys ineffable. My tongue shall sing thy praises, as soon as it begins working again.

spiral

This snail was minding its own business when someone moved it into the light (not fair in 100 degree weather) and forced it to pose for a few pictures. It was a good sport about it.

vanitas still life

Vanitas painting was a style inspired by a line in Ecclesiastes: "all is vanity." The paintings were typically dark and filled with objects that symbolize the transience of life and the futility of earthly possessions. A human skull, for example, was a common way for the painter to say "hey look, people die."

I didn't have any skulls around the house, so I decided to use what was already on my desk and come up with the symbolism later. So here it is. There is a modem, responsible for much idleness. There are two daily joke calendars showing time fly. I still have last year's because it's so funny, and this year's because I forget what day it.

In a classical vanitas painting, musical instruments (along with books) pointed to the empty pursuit of loftiness or knowledge. I prefer to think that mine symbolize an angel playing maracas and a harmonica while dancing on my grave. (I've made a mental note to someday take a picture of what that might look like.)

There is a camera, delegated to less use since I got another. There is an oblique reference to money that will soon be used to pay someone to drill a hole in one of my molars. There is also a large pile of miscellaneous crap, which symbolizes a large pile of miscellaneous crap.

the great outdoors

There were a lot of great views of lakes and mountains where this picture was taken, but sometimes the great outdoors is about the details.

more (or less) movement

I had a couple of pictures that I thought contrasted with the previous post, and oddly enough, with each other. Those are turtles above, if you don't at first see, waiting to have their picture taken. Below is someone who, despite moving fast, still looks a little like Buddha.