Sneak Peek: Masks & Mannequins

Masks & Mannequins is a back-burner series I have been working on for the better part of a year. In the future I am hoping to put together a slideshow set to music composed by my son. Tonight I'm sharing just a small part of the work towards that end: some iPhone shots which I took at an antique and consignment store in downtown Bakersfield. While I love the emotion (or lack of) which these photos convey, I regret that I didn't have my "real" camera with me on this occasion.

Home sweet home.

There is plenty of room and plenty of love
filling this 1940 fixer-upper! 

Somehow the subject of homes came up as Phillip and I were talking today. Although we can get caught up in complaining about our rental property, we actually love the space and treat it as if it is our own. So many others have been forced to downgrade their living quarters and we have been blessed--so far--to be able to afford our quiet little home. This post is just to give thanks and remember that there are a great many others who are not as fortunate. We will continue to pray that this economy turns around and that many will be able to get back on their feet again soon.

Good Sky Day

[Bloggist's note: Foiled by technology again, last night's post is being retro-uploaded today, 2/27/11]

Homework, housework, and hobby work occupied most of my time today, but I still managed to take a short drive and capture some of the beauty of this Saturday. Shooting from the car is always a challenge--aside from the dangers of driving and snapping--but I didn't feel like getting out of my jammies, so the best I could do was (sometimes) roll down a window. Even though the weather report had many of us hopeful for a glimpse of snow, at least in Bakersfield, our only chance was to spy it from the distant mountain peaks. Still, it was a good sky day, and that makes for good pictures.

Wish on a star

Proud Mama post:

Victoria's Stomach performs at the Highland High School Talent  Show

Tonight Daniel took part in his high school talent show. I am so proud of him! He and some friends got a 3-piece together to perform "Wish" by Nine Inch Nails. As the final act in a show filled with acoustic sugar and pop, Victoria's Stomach treated the teen-filled auditorium to a show closer full of angst and energy. Delicious!

David

Andrew

Daniel

It takes a lot of courage to audition and then perform in front of a roomful of adolescent peers and their parents, but nervousness aside, all the kids did a really great job. Congrats to the winners, and even those, like my son who didn't get a trophy, but who took the stage in stride and put on a show with a lot of heart. That's entertainment!

Yeah.. thanks for the busted window...

Okay.. up too late and wasting time lurking around passiveaggressivenotes.com. It's a website devoted to photos of snarky, passive aggressive notes left by the irritated, the flabbergasted, and the livid--but mild-mannered. If you're having a boring day or night, there's some pretty funny stuff there to be appreciated and keep you entertained. I'm headed to bed now, but I'd like to leave you with my own passive aggressive photo which I took one Saturday on 19th Street in downtown Bakersfield.

As always, click on the photo to enlarge.

Baby Pix

Pixel Cat--approximately 6 weeks--March 2009.

So I realize that not all of you are cat lovers, but tonight you'll have to bear with me for just one.. ok, two feline photos. I'm not sure of the exact date, but I know it was roughly two years ago this month that one of the cutest kittens ever to roam the earth was born. In celebration, here is a baby pic of my fluffy mini-tiger. Happy Birthday Pixel--and many more!

Before Pixel, Phillip had never had a cat.
 She has made him into a "cat person."

Almonds and orchards and allergies...

...oh my! Just editing tonight's photos made me sneeze! But arguably, blossoming almond trees are one of the most beautiful sights in Kern County. If you've felt a little sneezy lately this could be why:

Still, even with all those allergens floating around, it's worth it to pop that Zyrtec and enjoy these snowy blooms while they last.

Rest for the weary.

As a very tired college student with a big test coming up in less than 24 hours, all I can say is... not much. Instead of words, how about a pretty picture or two? Above and below are a couple of photos of the Kern River at its frosty, beautiful best. When I look at these I think tranquility. And on that peaceful note, I bid you good night.

Seafood

I had hoped to take Daniel to the beach for fish and chips last weekend, but plans fell through. Today's beautiful weather helped me to decide to try again, and so we headed off for an afternoon in sunny Santa Barbara. What a great shopping and dining expedition. I bought some vintage scarves (a bit of a mild obsession for me), and Daniel got to try calamari (we learned he is not a fan).

Now home, I am pretty wiped out after the drive, so it is off to bed. I leave you with a couple of photos from our quick trip.

Crime Scene Revisited

Surprise--I actually went out and made pictures today!

About a year ago, on a gorgeous, sunny day in Bakersfield, Phillip and I visited some fields on the northeast side of town (my home turf) which appeared to have either once been a housing tract, or which once was going to be a housing tract. Debris left by one-time residents (or nearby neighbors who didn't feel like going all the way to the dump) was scattered over the area. The remainders made for an interesting photo session, and I featured one of the photos, "Crime Scene Barbie" on the January 30th post.

Today we returned on a gloomy, rainy day to revisit the scene. We were surprised to find that some things had changed and more surprised to see that some things hadn't changed all that much. I hope we'll get a chance next year for a return trip to again be able to document the evidence of passing time.

Storm clouds

February 18th has been a blustery day for Californians. Although I didn't brave the wind for new photos today, I did pull these out from two months ago, Christmas 2010, when we experienced a similarly stormy day.

A ripe offering

Is life a bowl of cherries, or is it the pits?

...or is it just that I ran across this photo of fruit that I really liked and thought it would make a quick and pretty post for this Thursday evening...?

You guessed it--this photo, depicting some fine looking cherries, was picked to share because of its juicy color and bright, cheery composition.  It can be tricky to photograph food and make it look appetizing, but I believe this photo is a success. Mouth watering!

Color blocks

Are you perhaps old enough to remember when colored lines would appear on television before the day's broadcast begin? It's hard to believe that I am... But one of today's photos reminded me of that. The other more closely resembles a pH or litmus test. I seem to remember doing some of those in high school biology. (Please tell me they still do those in high school and somebody knows what I'm talking about. How old have I become?) Anyway, for some reason these photos, again from the archive, caught my eye and I thought I'd share.

Royal Laundry

Tomorrow is back to work after a 4-day weekend. There's not much to say other than it sure is nice to take a break sometimes! I feel like my life was thrown in the wash and is now coming out of the dryer smelling spring fresh and ready for a new day. Or something like that. 

The above photo was taken in San Francisco, in an alley near the SFMOMA. I just love photos composed with red, white, and blue in them. How about you?

Alternate view of The Huntington

Yesterday I also shot some different views of The Huntington with my iPhone. Here's an alternate take on the great library, museum, and gallery.

View from inside the library looking outside

Vintage lightbulb collection inside one of the science rooms

An amazing wall of color and light upon which to feast the eyes

Every castle needs a fairy tale

Collection of Bukowski novels on sale in the bookstore

Delicious fresh-from-the-grill burger and early Valentine's treat

 P.S. Hope you've had a happy day, filled with love--Happy Valentine's Day! See you tomorrow!

The Huntington Library

A couple of hours away, tucked into an elegant neighborhood in San Marino (near Pasadena),  an exquisite  collection of books, art, and nature are open to the public most days. The Huntington Library, Art Collections and Botanical Gardens offer glimpses of history, decadence, and beauty in no small measure. If you have never been, or if, like me, your exposure was long ago as a child, find some time to take the short trip down south and be enchanted. This visit was a belated birthday gift to Phillip, who had heard that an area devoted to Charles Bukowski was on temporary display. I am so glad that we were able to take in this exhibit on its closing day.

Finding balance

You may have noticed that my post from yesterday "magically" appeared this evening. That is because I had some technical difficulties and was not able to post last night, so I retro-posted tonight. For the record, there are times when I am working on a post but cannot meet the midnight deadline, which I nonetheless pre-date to continue my once-a-day challenge. Yes, I allow myself cheats--and so should you--because sometimes we don't give ourselves enough breaks and that can cause undue frustration and discouragement.

That being said, giving oneself too many breaks is not such a good thing and I am actively struggling to find the balance between self-moderation and self-indulgence. One area that I'm working on, as I've mentioned before, is my diet. That is to say, my nutrition. In the past I have over-indulged myself by giving in to every fatty craving I desired. But I'm learning that eating good food can be rewarding too. Case in point: Today's lunch. Pizza is one of my favorite dishes, and taking control of toppings and portion-size made it a deliciously healthy one. (It was fun too!)

Mini Boboli crusts and a variety of toppings

Daniel & Savanna, creating their pies

Combo!

Veggie!

Hawaiian!

Pepperoni & Cheesey!