All Entries

Oct 17

A California Scrub Jay (the blue jays of the west)
Picture taken on a mid-day walk.  I really like how it turned out with the blue sky.
He flew up on a branch (I startled him) and I figured I'd try to take a picture.  Very pleased by how the picture turned out.  Not much bird detail, but the composition and the blue sky turned out neat.
Edited to add:  My desktop monitor showed the picture as much darker, mostly the blue sky contrasted against black. ...
[ Read More ]

Oct 15

I bought a new desk at the end of last year.  & I set up a little side table for some extra space.  I expected my cat to maybe sit or nap more on the side table, but he doesn't seem too interested.
On Wednesday night I was working late and my cat was annoyed.  He usually jumps on my desk, when he's had enough.  Usually after a full work day.  But on this day he just jumped on my side table and looked somewhat annoyed.  (Maybe more annoyed,...
[ Read More ]

Hahaha, I drastically underestimated how hectic my October is; I've got so much going on and trying to get my paid work done in between other things has made for crazy days that are over before I know it. Well, I've got a couple hours of downtime right now, so I looked through my phone to see if I happened to take any pics this last week. Not many, but here are a few:
Saturday 10/11
I spent Friday-Sunday in a DIY in-town "writer's retreat" with a friend; we visited libraries,...
[ Read More ]

Saw this recently in a parking lot, and thought it was very clever, even if it is a Kia.

[ Read More ]

This was a very good dessert this week: a flourless chocolate cake (warm) with raspberry sorbet and pistachio nuts.
Took dad to PT, then lunch. Mowed the back lawn when I got home.
[ Read More ]

Alas, I got a flat tire yesterday.  I installed an old spare tire and drove it to a garage.  The place was so busy, they couldn't get it done today, so I have to wait until tomorrow to pick it up.  Anyways, here's today's photo entry:

[ Read More ]

So tired of difficulties posting here. 
Anyhoo, catching up for a few days of missed photos.
Tonight I went to a meeting on efforts to ban rodenticides in my state. This is a rehabbed screech owl that survived an anticoagulant poison that killed the rest of its family. They've seen a real spike in birds and mammals like foxes and even domestic cats poisoned by rat and mice bait. This woman, with a group called A Place Called Hope, was a great advocate and very informative. 

This...
[ Read More ]

Oct 14

Picture taken on a work break walk.  I was surprised how quickly the scenery turned to fall.  We just had a couple of days of cooler temps and rain.
Which reminds me, I turned on the heat today.  Wanted to make sure everything was working, before we really *need* it.  The temp inside the house dropped by 11 degrees, over the last few days.  

I made a fajita casserole for dinner tonight.   I was just taking pictures of colorful...
[ Read More ]

I friend of mine really, really likes sunflowers, so when I saw them growing on the side of the road, I decided to stop and take some photos of it for her.While I'm here, I want to apologize if I am posting all these separate photo entries instead of just one big one.  SA blogs has this weird thing where it won't publish the first time I click it, so then I have to click the back button, and then click the publish button again to actually publish.
That's what I have figured...
[ Read More ]

As some of you may know, I was law enforcement in a previous life.  Although it's behind me now, I guess some things about me still permeates that past life, such as that I still have gang members that have sworn to kill me in the streets, and I still have to largely avoid certain areas and neighborhoods where they reside.
As such, I still have to remain vigilant, and even shoot once in a while just to brush up.  I like shooting as a hobby anyway, even though I would...
[ Read More ]

Earlier this summer, I caught up with a couple of guys I knew from all the way back since high school.  We didn't do anything particularly interesting.  Just kind of hung out at a park for example, and this merry-go-round just happened to be there.

[ Read More ]

Maybe this is completely a normal thing for the rest of you, but I never knew it was possible to have white pumpkins until I saw it recently at a local grocery store.

[ Read More ]

How in the world a guy this big managed to get into my house is a complete mystery to me.  Luckily, I was able to get him back outside, but not before taking this picture first.

[ Read More ]

As the weather cools, I start to crave soups and stews, which is more or less what I am doing these days.  Here is a photo of my last crockpot pot roast.

[ Read More ]

Oct 12

I've only just discovered chicken noodle soup.  & minestrone.  It's just nothing my parents ever made.  & MH never makes.  So it took almost 50 years to get it into the rotation.  I mean, I discovered 4 months ago.
Because it's a new thing, the thought didn't cross my mind (or MH's mind) when he was sick.  It took me a minute.  But I thought about it last week and made some soup over the weekend. 
Around the same time...
[ Read More ]

So I do love sushi and this was quite an experience.  Kaiten (conveyor belt) sushi but michelin grade.  We were there before it opened at 10 am (9:30 am) and we were still number 5 on the waitlist.  I've never had 3 different types of Uni (sea urchin) purple, green, and orange.  Delicious. Scallop, Salmon, and a O-Toro in the background.

We left tokyo and journey to Hakone for a two night stay at an Onsen.  It's a traditional Japanese Bath.  When...
[ Read More ]

So we are moving...eventually...we dont have a date that we have to move out by so we are taking the time to find a rental that will suit us better and have the room we want...although it will cost more because rents are ridiculous right now. But it also given me time to go through each room (which I am still doing) and get rid of what we dont want/use/need anymore. We have a storage unit which is pretty full that we have put stuff in that we need but dont use all the time ...
[ Read More ]

OK, so I needed to come up with a photo today, but it's been so cold, dreary and now rainy that I haven't really ventured outside. So I had to delve into my photo gallery to pick something recent. I imagine you are getting tired of my many plant photos, so here's another dish I enjoyed at that favorite cafe in town I told you I visited last week with my father.
This dish is "meatball salad." Each meatball is the size of 3 regular meatballs. It's delicious.

 
[ Read More ]

2025 is the year of Grants, for our household. 
MH was instrumental in getting a grant for the cable access show that he works on.  This grant was secured last year but took some months to come through.  It's not a lot, but MH is receiving $50 every time he works in the studio or works an event.  He also just received a reimbursement for some dues he needs to pay to access the public studio.  That's $460 for 5 months.  (He missed out on at least $100,...
[ Read More ]

Oct 11

MH & I attended an event at a historic theater in our city.  The theater was built in 1912.
It was a selection of short films from local film makers.  There's always a handful of people (usually actors) who dress like they are going to the Oscars.   In addition to some unique characters.  Definitely an artistic group.
[ Read More ]