textured

I didn't have to look too far to find examples of something textured, though finding it in focus was a little more of a challenge.

That's Wiggly above, bird seed below:

And one of where the birds spilled their seed:

self-portrait 2007

For other people's self-portraits, look here.

old coot

This is from a few weeks ago when the weather was briefly nice (I am unlikely to risk personal discomfort to take pictures). It's funny how a little bit of shade and just the right angle can make a very muddy river look like clear blue waters.

sky

This a church in Santa Fe. It's interesting that the sky can often become the real subject of pictures of just about anything. Here it not only adds a little color and drama, but with the right shadows it presents what's not being shown as well.

strange

What's so strange about this cliff? Well, it seems strange to me that something that took over 60 million years to make could be viewed as commonplace. Or that I could walk past it frequently without paying much attention. That things can live by rooting into limestone. Or that people could use a place like this to deposit trash (I kept that part out of the photo). It's also strange that the violence of a land fault and years of erosion result in a kind of beauty.

brother

This is a photo-friday submission. To me the funniest thing about this is that the free template I used claimed that it would improve self-esteem.

gratitude

I was grateful to have a nice warm day for the first time in a while, and probably the last one for another week or so. It made me happy, and it made all the people happy:

Actually my friend and I went out looking for good nature pictures and ended up (at least I did) with more pictures of civilization.

fast

Yes, those are the fingers of an actual mortal human, moving at delirious warp speed. They're so fast, you don't even want to know what it sounds like. And it's a darn good thing!

Actually, close inspection will reveal that the strings aren't even vibrating. How'd that happen?

For the real thing, click here.

when texas freezes over

Those rock-looking things surrounding the sparrow are figs (except for the one that's actually a rock). I threw them out about a week ago, and it appears that the animals don't like them either.

Like the birds, I've done little else on this icy day but eat. If we get iced-in tomorrow then eventually I will eat everything in the house. But don't worry. By then I will no doubt have asphyxiated myself with the fat on my face, so I won't have any need for more supplies.

peaceful

Peaceful, when the weather's kind of dreary, means sitting around all day staying warm, making soup, reading, watching stuff, surfing, and every once in a while putting on a coat and going outside to take a picture of something that represents peaceful.

five things

I received a request (challenge/dare/burden/invitation) from this guy to list five things people might not know about me. So, in order(?), here they are:

1. I almost always have tortillas in my house, yet I rarely have sliced bread.

2. When I was about nine years old my brother and I formed a music group called Gladys Arm and the Pits. I don't recall much music coming from it.

3. Often, when I'm leaving my dogs to themselves, I tell them that I have "some doin' to do." They seem to accept that explanation.

4. I have a modest collection of nude postcards (that is to say, postcards with photos of nudes). I don't think I purchased any of them. Most were given as gifts by people who believed I collected postcards of nudes. One was pilfered from a used bookstore (though given the time I think I could explain how it was justifiable pilfering).

5. I have never completed a novel by anyone named Austen or Bronte. This is a confession, not a critical position.

sister (moon)

Admittedly, this is a stretch, but it was fun standing out in the street at night having passersby wonder what I was doing with a small table and St. Francis. Some people (not many) may remember a movie that came out in the 70's called Brother Sun, Sister Moon, portraying Francis of Assisi as a flower child. I don't remember it being particularly good, but I still remember the song, performed by Donovan I think.

So when I saw the Photo Friday theme of "sister," knowing that my own sibling is in another state and that there is no convenient access to nuns in the neighborhood, this is what comes out: an obscure allusion featuring a slightly scary-looking saint (it looks like he might smash the bird) and a fuzzy satellite.

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.