Thursday, September 30, 2010

365 Photo Project - Day 272

Taken: September 29, 2010, approx 4 p.m.
Location: Marshall, Ca.

We spent the day down at Hog Island Oyster Farm in Marshall, Ca., which is right on the Bodega Bay. After two straight scorchers that reached over 100 degrees, it was the best respite ever.  It felt like the last gasp of summer but somehow the coming fall and winter makes me more hopeful than usual. We packed a picnic and went with some friends to celebrate my husband's birthday. Beautiful day, wonderful friends, great food. It's all good.

Tuesday, September 28, 2010

365 Photo Project - Day 271

Taken: September 28, 2010, approx 6 p.m.
Location: Santa Rosa, Ca

Whole Foods recently opened a huge market near us and, having shopped at Whole Foods, for almost 20 years, I was looking forward to seeing the new place. They have a lot of a lot of stuff - -most notably and incredible selection of local and international beers. I'm an old school beer drinker -- my husband and I met at a micro-brew bar and one reason we moved up to northern California was for the fresh, local beer (it's really "beer" country to us".  I'm not drinking at the moment but that didn't lesson the pleasant jolt of walking around a corner and seeing this. They even have a beer bar in the middle of the store -- 30 locals on tap and they'll open any beer in the store for a dollar. However, it's most useful for me when I lose track of my husband in the maze of aisles. At least I know where to find him.

Thursday, September 9, 2010

365 Photo Project - Day 252


Taken: September 9, 2010
Location: Rutherford, CA

Whenever I say I live in Northern California wine country, most people assume I mean Napa Valley. Sonoma County is still behind Napa in terms of tourists if not its equal in winemaking. I would say most of us are very much okay with that as Napa has become very tourist-oriented and traffic can be awful there. That aside, every few weeks or so, I find myself driving through Napa -- in this case I was staying in St. Helena for a week to watch a friend's wonderful 13-year-old while they were away.

I had a chance to take a drive around the valley and it was one of those days that make you glad to be alive. Temperate and sunny with some post-rain clouds drifting harmlessly across a bright, blue sky. Just beautiful. I didn't have my camera with me so I snapped this shot with my iPhone 4 hrough my windshield on a two-lane cut-through road between the well-travelled Rte 29 and the Silverado Trail.

I pulled over about a mile down the road, got out my notebook and wrote under the shade of a row of olive trees. The thing about moving -- and committing to staying on in wine country is that you get reminders every day why the choice is such a natch. I guess the day I get sick of the view will be the day I move somewhere else. Not expecting that to happen anytime soon.

Monday, September 6, 2010

365 Photo Project - Day 249

Taken: September 6, 2010
Location: Forrestville, CA

I live in Northern California. Any questions?

Tuesday, August 31, 2010

365 Photo Project - Day 243 (From the Archives)


Taken: August 15, 2010
Location: Healdsburg, CA

I shot this image in the same session as this shot. This is my "old man" pug Louie, who we rescued in Los Angeles about five years ago. We think he's around 10 years old and he's now completely deaf and blind in one eye. He's the dog that started my love affair with pugs and he'll always have a special place in my heart. I love him madly. Hell, everyone who meets him does too.

Monday, August 30, 2010

365 Photo Project - Day 242

Taken: August 30, 2010
Location: Healdsburg, CA

I shot this from the road where I live. My house would be off and out of frame to the right. I love the drama of the moment -- a late afternoon day on the day of or right after the first rain we got in months. No matter how much I've come to love color images and certainly no matter how easy it gets to work with them in the digital world, I'll always love the black and white shots the best. More of my Dad's influence no doubt.

Sunday, August 29, 2010

365 Photo Project - Day 241

Taken: August 29, 2010
Location: Healdsburg, CA

It's been a remarkably temperate summer, not that I'm complaining. I think it got over 90 degrees maybe a half dozen times which compared to last summer is like Christmas in July. And August. The place we rent doesn't do well in extreme temps, especially the heat. My other pug, Chamuco, will park himself on the chaise lounge outside on the porch until well after sundown. It's almost always 10 degrees or more cooler out there than it is inside so it's hard to argue with him.

This shot of Louie was taken (with my iPhone) on one of those hot, hot days. If pugs know anything, it's how to get cool. And pressing every available area of your fur-covered body against a cold wood floor is about as cool as it gets. Smart dog.

Friday, August 27, 2010

365 Photo Project - Day 239

Taken: August 27, 2010
Location: St. Helena, CA

This is one of those images I wish I'd taken with a camera other than my iPhone, but when is life ever perfect right? That's my hand in the picture. I love the composition of this shot -- a lucky break if ever there was one. But you know what they say about luck. I'll take it.

Wednesday, August 25, 2010

365 Photo Project - Day 237

Taken: August 25, 2010
Location: Santa Rosa, CA

Shot this through my windshield with my iPhone 4 while I was driving through Santa Rosa.  Not the kind of thing you see every day, even up here in wine country.

Wednesday, August 18, 2010

365 Photo Project - Day 230

Taken: August 18, 2010
Location: Healdsburg, CA

Another image using my twins-reflex camera. This is of my friend and her baby girl who was born in May. I shot an image of her just a few days after she was born, here and here. I love the depth of focus in this image -- and again, the rich colors. I can't quite put my finger on it but there's just something about shooting on film over digital. Maybe it's the richness and the depth. I don't know. I just like it. I got a few more rolls of film. I'll see what shakes out and post them when they come back from film developing.



Monday, August 16, 2010

365 Photo Project - Day 228


Taken: August 16, 2010
Location: Healdsburg, CA

This is a first for this project -- an image shot with a film camera. Remember them? A few days ago, I blogged about getting some camera equipment from my Dad, who has been cleaning out a lifetime worth of junk out of his garage in our summer house on Martha's Vineyard. The one diamond in the bunch was the Ricoh twin-lens reflex he got from my Mom as a wedding present in 1959. I suspected it was in near-flawless condition, as he had stored it in its original leather case and with the lens protector. Well, here's the proof. This photo was edited only for size. I did no other touch-up.

I'm way impressed by the deep color and clarity of the image -- I shot this on 400 film which accounts for the graininess of the image. But everything else, pretty much wows me.

The image itself is of our local Healdsburg Post Office, one of my most favorite spots in all of town, more for its convenience and the people who worked there than its architecture. It burned down yesterday in a fire that was initial reported as "possibly suspicious" for reasons that have never really been clearly elaborated to me. The next day, the road was roped off and I walked up to take some pictures. The guy on the left  has "ATF" on the back of his shirt and the one of the right told me he was a federal agent. He came up to chat with me because he wanted to see my camera. Turns out he restores old cameras as a hobby. Funny I write about crime for a hobby. Now that's some very nice symbiosis yes?

Sunday, August 15, 2010

365 Photo Project - Day 227

Taken: August 15, 2010
Location: Healdsburg, CA

This is by far my most favorite image of my young pug, Chamuco. I love it because it perfectly captures his personality, I'm quite proud of this shot, as I am of little Chamuco who might be the most friendly dog in the history of dogs. My vet calls him the social butterfly. That's why I always worry he'll go home with one of our guests. :-D

Saturday, August 14, 2010

365 Photo Project - Day 226


Taken: August 14, 2010
Location: Healdsburg, CA

The weapons of mass destruction. 

Friday, August 13, 2010

365 Photo Project - Day 225


Taken: August 13, 2010
Location: Healdsburg, CA

My Dad decided (likely on the strong prodding of my Mom) to clean out some of his stash of stuff. And by stuff I mean while my Dad would not make it on Hoarders, it's only because my Mom has managed to rein him in over the years. His current bout with garage-cleaning though is my gain. I've mentioned this numerous times on this blog, but it's my Dad who got me interested in photography in the first place. He let me use his cameras and play around in his darkroom. He taught me how to shoot, develop film and make prints, told me about Adams and Bourke-White, Cartier-Bresson, Westin in his favorites the Afreds: Stieglitz and Eisenstaedt, the latter a long-time resident and photo-historian of Martha's Vineyard, where we spent the summers of my youth and where my father's latest stash arrived from.

My Dad sent me two boxes of camera equipment he had saved over the years, some of which he picked up at garage sales, others he bought new and still others, like the one pictured above, were gifts. Most of the stuff is in need of repair or long since outlived its usefulness but there's a few gems in the lot -- some just because it sparks memories of my youth.

The image above is a Ricoh twin-lens reflex camera, a so-called "medium format" camera because the negatives are so large. It is the type of camera used by many of the great photographers of the 20th century and one I've been longing for since I got more serious about taking pictures.

This one is special in all sorts of ways. For one, it was a wedding gift from my Mom to my Dad -- in 1959. Equally thrilling is the camera's condition -- the outside is flawless and the glass looks very clean. I can't wait to see what photos this thing takes. I'll be sure to post them up here soon as I get out and get them developed. Might be awhile though. I am so spoiled by the instant gratification of digital photography. See if my patience holds.

Tuesday, August 10, 2010

365 Photo Project - Day 222


Taken: August 10, 2010
Location: Healdsburg, CA

Late-afternoon August sunset off the porch of my house in Healdsburg. This is one image I didn't edit at all. I imported into Photoshop and played around with it but I kept going back to the original. I know it's far from perfect but I like it. 

Monday, August 9, 2010

365 photo Project - Day 221


Taken: August 9, 2010
Location: Healdsburg, CA

Taken on a lovely and temperate summer day, late in the afternoon when the trees were reflecting off the roof of my car in the golden light of the setting sun. I can feel the cool breeze just looking at this image.

Saturday, August 7, 2010

365 Photo Project - Day 219

Taken: August 7, 2010
Location: Healdsburg, CA

I have alluded to this day in previous posts, rather cryptically.  This day right here is the first day of the rest of my life. And that's no mere cliche. I'm deadly serious.

I have been slightly overweight for the last 10 years or so but worse is how I've felt. Tired, achy, lethargic, low energy and a host of aches and pains I've been attributing to getting older. I've decided to do something about that. After consulting with my doctor, I chose a detox diet -- basically a diet where I'm eliminating certain foods that can cause allergic reactions and intolerances in people. Those foods in no particular order: caffeine, dairy, glutens, nightshade vegetables, table sugar, eggs, red meats, and of course all that crap they pack into processed foods. Anybody who knows me knows that I have my own personal food groups, which are cream, butter, salt and bacon with chocolate as the dessert. I don't think I've gone two days in a row my whole life without eating one item on that list. Well, that's about to change.

Starting tomorrow, I'm changing my life. The diet I'm doing is a basic 7-day plan that you can expand to three weeks -- or with modifications for life if you want. I'm shooting for three weeks to start and I'll see how I feel. I don't expect it to be easy.  As I write this blog entry, I've gone without coffee for six days, one of my real food loves. Making and drinking my morning coffee has become a ritual with me. New me, new ritual.

We'll see how it goes and I'll try to report back to y'all how it's going.

Thursday, August 5, 2010

365 Photo Project - Day 217

Taken: August 5, 2010
Location: Healdsburg, CA

Another self-portrait plus a little bit of fooling around in Photoshop.  This photo says a lot about me -- there's my iPhone headphones I almost never go without and that little thing around my neck is my portable hard drive (for all my photos and other work) and I'm wearing my usual uniform -- t-shirt and jeans. And sunglasses. I love my sunglasses.

This photo has some other import -- like the image on this day, I'm actually leading up to a big change in my life. I'll explain in a few days. 

Wednesday, August 4, 2010

365 photo Project - Day 216 (From the Archives)


Taken: March 24, 2006
Location: Palm Springs, Ca.

One of my favorite shots ever. I took this of my brother's first child, Sylvia, on what I believe was her first birthday. They were visiting California from the east coast and I drove down to see them in Palm Springs and spent the day there. I shot this with a point-and-shoot digital camera. We were eating on the patio of a local deli and Sylvia met a dog there. They fell for each other, naturally.

Tuesday, August 3, 2010

365 Photo Project - Day 215

Taken: August 3, 2010
Location: Healdsburg, Ca.

Anybody who grew up a baseball fan in New York would get the irony of this photo. That's my credit card there. The hat was a gift. Only way I'd ever buy one.

Monday, August 2, 2010

365 photo Project - Day 214 (From the Archives)

Taken: October 7, 2007
Location: Golden Gate Park, San Francisco, Ca.

Another image from the archives -- this one of the great Emmylou Harris that I shot at Hardly Strictly Bluegrass 2007, which if you haven't gone is worth checking out at least once (though be wary while it's free, it's really crowded). This year, in fact, is its 10th anniversary.  It's coming up the first week in October. I've always loved the clarity and color of this image. Knowing what I know about photo editing now, I might have cropped this one but I decided to leave it as I original edited it.

Sunday, August 1, 2010

365 Photo Project - Day 213

Taken: August 1, 2010
Location: St. Helena, Ca.

This is this baby, a beautiful little girl born July 27, 2010. I feel like she's a member of our family. She's so sweet and so small, all those things that make the most cynical among us go gaga over babies. What I love about this girl is every time I see her (about once a week so far) she has some whole new thing going, a look, an expression, some movement of hand or head or foot, just another dance step on the way to whoever she's going to be. Magic.


Saturday, July 31, 2010

365 Photo Project - Day 212


Taken: July 31, 2010
Location: Healdsburg, CA

My theory of life. I'm not quite all the way there yet but I'm working on it.

Friday, July 30, 2010

365 Photo Project - Day 211




Taken: July 30, 2010
Location: Healdsburg, CA

I know I said I was going to start putting up images but I just realized that I left some of them on the hard drive on my office computer. So much for my plan. However, I'm going to be a little crazy here and skip a few days (with a promise to return and post those images later). I'm also going to stop and comment on today's image too. A little give-and-take then.

Those of you who know me will be familiar with the binding at the bottom of this stack. For those who don't, it's mine. As in the first novel I wrote,  also my first published work and the one book I've written (four penned, two published and one I hope will be published next year) that I can still read without cringing too much.

My rather large ego aside, I don't usually have one of my novels on the side table next to my bed, but I've been returning to its pages lately as a kind of research for my current book (and also as a starting point for my eventual return to the unpublished Book Three, which is a continuation of the series begun with "Zen and the Art of Murder.") I don't usually have James Joyce's "Ulysses" there either. And the juxtaposition of the two novels is not lost on me.

There is something truly wondrous about seeing a book you wrote on a bookshelf in a bookstore for the first time. I'll never forget it. It was a Barnes & Noble in West Los Angeles, just before closing on a rainy night. I stopped in to see if it was out yet, and there it was, right between between Connelly and Crais, saying "you've arrived, kid". I sat down on the floor in the Mystery Books aisle and paged through it, hoping I wouldn't catch an editing error (I probably found at least one). And then I called my mother. Naturally.

The memory may fade some with time, but it's always out there to be rekindled, like when you happen to glance at your bedside table one night and see your book under the weight of The Real Thing. Like James Joyce's "Ulysses".  Oh, you know you're not in the same league, you with your little slice of noir fiction verses the great and good literary giant, but you have the binding in common and the cover, maybe even an author photo and yes, that precious ISDN number. You are now forever in the pantheon of published works that includes the great classics, the heavyweights, the Writers Who Led You to Writerville. No, you are not in their class, but you are, at the very least, in the club. 

Now, as to why I happen to have the seemingly impenetrable "Ulysses" on my nightstand is another story.  It all began with my searching iTunes for something other than music to listen to, a vague attempt to exercise my mind. I've been longing for a little enlightenment, to strike a blow at the growing and scary anti-intellectualism movement, and so it's been off to the virtual stacks of iTunes' Podcasts and iTunes University. 

I've found a few I like. The How Stuff Works podcasts are very fun and educational and I enjoy listening to Fresh Air interviews and the Moth Radio Hour can be awesome, but it's been a relatively new podcast that has really wowed me.  It's called Re:Joyce, a title whose double-entendre (at least) fits in perfectly in a podcast that explores the seminal work of a writer who never wrote a sentence that didn't have more than one interpretation.

Part of the appeal of Re:Joyce is its host,  author and scholar Frank Delaney, who is Irish-born and fittingly quite an authority on Joyce. His task here? Beginning on Bloomsday of this year, Delaney began reading through the weighty "Ulysses" word-by-word in weekly podcasts roughly 5 minutes in length.

Full disclosure: I'm one of these people who loves a good Irish brogue and hearing Joyce's words read (expertly I might add) by a man with a fabulous one, is part of the appeal, but ah, we are but scratching the surface. Delaney isn't just reading the words, he's guiding you through them, sometimes spending whole podcasts on one paragraph, one word or idea. (I think it took him five podcasts just for the first page). 

Far from being tedious, though, his annotations are endlessly fascinating as well as illuminating, sometimes funny, coy, and always, always positively endearing. His knowledge of the work, of Joyce, of fine literature, religion, Dublin, philosophy, writing, language and languages, is immense. His kindness in sharing it with the world -- for free I might add -- is a true and priceless gift. And it's all so full of love for the text, for writing, for the whole deal, that Mr. Delaney has currently displaced George Clooney as "The Person I'd Most Like to Have Dinner With."  My low standards notwithstanding, this guy is just great. The best part? His affection for this work is positively infectious. And isn't that saying a lot for a novel of the heft and complexity of "Ulysses"? 

And I just can't understate the value of this podcast on my own writing. Immersing myself now in a great writer's work is like going back to the place where I first discovered my love of the craft. It's a fine memory to have sparked again and again.

I'm already a fan of Joyce but while I've read and re-read "Portrait" and his short stories ("The Dead" being an all-time favorite), "Ulysses" has eluded me. It is the book I know I'd love if I just took the time to get through it. But I'm not equipped to do it alone -- far too many references for the many gaps in my education.  Now, I don't have to do.

In this digital age, the fact that I have a copy of "Ulysses" now sitting, bookmarked, on my night table waiting for the weekly thrill of tackling one more page or paragraph, really warms my writer's heart. After all these years, it feels good to be back in in the world of turn-of-the-century Dublin on that long and fascinating day, a day that is finally beginning to make sense to me. 

My biggest fear about this podcast is that he will stop before the end of the book -- which for 700 pages might take literally years. This is one reason I'm mentioning it here. If you've ever wanted to read "Ulysses" or re-read it with someone who knows the text as well as he knows his own heart -- and loves it just as much -- then crack open your copy and download this podcast. 

I realize I'm gushing, but this podcast has been a true revelation for me -- as it would be for any lover of great art and literature, of words and their meanings, of language, philosophy and really, just the obvious pleasure one man has in sharing his joy. Almost every week, there's a moment in the podcast where I can almost see Delaney's wide, schoolboy grin -- and know how much fun he's having. Listen and you'll know too. Start with the introduction and work your way from there. It's a fine time to jump in and catch up as he's just getting through the first few pages. And for added fun, follow Mr. Delaney on Twitter @FDbytheword. 

Come to think of it, you can follow me on twitter too. I'm @shyonelung, naturally. Make sure you mention this blog so I know how you know me. I'll be back soon to fill in the days I've skipped. Promise.

Thursday, July 29, 2010

365 photo Project - Day 210 (From the archives)


Taken: June 26, 2009
Location: Florence, Italy

I shot this out the window of my hotel room in Florence. It was raining and I was exhausted -- more than a week into my three-week tour of Italy and I was still getting my traveling legs. 

Wednesday, July 28, 2010

365 Photo Project - Day 209 (From the Archives)

Taken: June 22, 2009
Location: Florence, Italy

So you know I'm already behind on this blog, but I've also been so busy that there have been days where I have not even had time to take a photograph at all. I wish I could have kept up with my promise to get in a photo a day, but I'm going to take a bow to my crazy live and hope y'all are okay with it.  I'm also going to take the opportunity to post some of my favorites of my photos from days and years past. This is one I shot last year in Italy that I've always been proud of.  Of course, everybody who goes to Florence shoots the Ponte Vecchio but I just love the light and detail of this shot, and also the reflections of the building in the water.

I loved our trip to Italy, especially Venice where we headed after our four days in Florence. Maybe I'll have a chance to post a couple of images from there.

Tuesday, July 27, 2010

365 Photo Project - Day 208

Taken: July 27, 2010
Location: St. Helena, Ca.

I post this image because it will have significance in the near future of my life. This is one cool thing about putting up posts long after the fact.  I had this chopped salad with my friend Michael who had just become a father for the first time very early on this day. His -- and my friend Keiko's little girl -- will get some face time over the next few weeks here. And I'll get back to the salad shortly. Promise.

Monday, July 26, 2010

365 Photo Project - Day 207


Taken: July 26, 2010
Location: San Francisco, Ca.

Street shot of the Embarcadero in San Francisco. Can you spot the spot? Ha.

Sunday, July 25, 2010

365 Photo Project - Day 206


Taken: July 25, 2010, noon
Location: Golden Gate Bridge, San Francisco, CA

I'm back.

This will be a furious return as I'm going to start chucking up photos as fast as I can put them up. I've got nearly 50 days to make up so I might have to skip some commentary now. Though I reserve the right to come back and add some words to the images later. Without further ado, though... here we go. To my regulars, please drop me a line to let me know you're still out there.

A Brief Delay....


It's been nearly two weeks since my last post -- life is just happening and it's all I can do to wrangle it. I have been shooting, but haven't had time to get them up here. I wanted to check and say that I should be able to get the images up by the middle of next week and that I appreciate everyone who have been in touch to ask where I've been.

By the way, the image above is from a project I did for a Photoshop class I took this summer. That's Louie, my pug of course, and the sky in the background might be familiar to some of you who have followed my 365 Photo Project here. The rest is constructed from found images and my new PS skills. It's not my usual MO with editing photos but I think a number of things I learned will help me process my photos better. We'll see -- and so will you...

The good news is I'm pretty sure I'll have a lot to say once I do get this project back on track. I promised myself I'd see it through and I will. I hope y'all will continue to have patience with me. Check back next week for my latest images.

See y'all soon.

Saturday, July 24, 2010

365 Photo Project - Day 205

Taken: July 24, 2010, noon
Location: Geyserville, Ca.

Part of my theory of life involves cookies. Not eating cookies, baking them. I may have gotten this idea from my grandmother on my dad's side. She was one of those people that was always cooking and baking and sewing and noodling -- always prepared for company or an emergency or a surprise visit from a grandchild. My Dad is a fixer -- he is always trying to fix or figure something out -- but his Mom was a serial homemaker. And I use the word "homemaker" in the most respectful and complimentary way.

I find baking to be cathartic and I love baking with other people. At the offer of a friend, I did just that this morning. I didn't even eat any of the cookies. Just baking them was enough to satisfy my restless soul. I highly recommend it. Seriously, there's not much a bowl of flour and butter, eggs and sugar and some crunch peanut butter can't do for a person's general disposition. Try it.

Friday, July 23, 2010

365 Photo Project - Day 204



Taken: July 23, 2010, approx. 10 a.m.
Location: Healdsburg, Ca

Thursday, July 22, 2010

365 Photo Project - Day 203


Taken: July 22, 2010, approx. 6 p.m.
Location: Healdsburg, Ca. 

I've been having trouble coming up with photos lately. I know part of this is just me worried that my images won't be good enough to put up here. I always think that even though I started this project as a way to learn more about photography and myself. I've always been hard on myself. I'm sure most of us are and I know for most of us, the really hard part is letting go, is forgiving yourself for not being perfect. You know, like everybody else. Ha.

A good friend told me to try looking at things around me differently. To try making images from the every day routine of my life. I'm trying to take that to heart. This is one of those days. The shot is of the barbells my husband has laid out in a row on the deck railing. Most of the time, we used them to keep things from flying away in the wind. Occasionally we actually use them for exercise. Sometimes even more than once a week. 

Wednesday, July 21, 2010

365 Photo Project - Day 202


Taken: July 20, 2010. approx. 3:30 p.m.
Location: Healdsburg, Ca

I'm cheating today. I didn't take this photo today -- I shot it yesterday. For the second time in two weeks, I just didn't have enough time in the day to take a damn photograph. I feel really guilty. But I snapped this one yesterday and I almost used it so, here it is. I took it at a local shop here in town.


Tuesday, July 20, 2010

365 Photo Project - Day 201


Taken: July 20, 2010
Location: Healdsburg, Ca. approx. 2 p.m.

This is an iPhone photo but I love the way it turned out. This is my friend Keiko. As long as I've known her, she's been scary great shape, even eight plus months pregnant.  She eats right, does yoga, surfs, loves life -- but if you met her mom, you'd know where her beauty comes from. She lives over in Napa and she and her mom came to town to spend an afternoon window shopping, talking and hanging out. They even bought me an Ugly Doll (which I'll have to feature down the road on this blog). I shot this photo to send to her stepdad who was stuck working in hot, hot, hot New York. Never intended it to be the photo-of-the-day but I just love it so much, I knew it had to be.

I love how she's looking down at her belly and the muscles in her arms -- she's my hero. She's also one of several of my friends who are pregnant or who have just given birth. It's such an exciting time around here. I'm looking forward to being the crazy aunt.

Monday, July 19, 2010

365 Photo Project - Day 200


Taken: July 19, 2010, Sunset
Location: Healdsburg, Ca

This is my friend, Sidrah, who is one of the wonderful souls I've met up here in my little wine country town. She's now living in the city (San Francisco I mean) and comes up to visit her folks once a week or so. We met for dinner late Monday, just before sunset and there was a tractor sitting idle in the parking lot so we did a little goof shot. It was so dark, I barely got the shot in focus but I still love what it says about our neck of the woods. I love more what it says about Sidrah, who is a fine writer by the way. My hope is to one day read her fabulous words in print. 

Sunday, July 18, 2010

Saturday, July 17, 2010

Friday, July 16, 2010

Thursday, July 15, 2010

365 Photo Project - Day 196

Taken: July 15, 2010
Location: Healdsburg, Ca

Wednesday, July 14, 2010

365 Photo Project - Day 195

Taken: July 14, 2010
Location: Healdsburg, Ca

Tuesday, July 13, 2010

Monday, July 12, 2010

365 Photo Project - Day 193


Taken: July 12, 2010
Location: Santa Rosa, Ca.

Sunday, July 11, 2010

365 Photo Project - Day 192

Taken: January 20, 2010
Location:  Davis, Ca.

Horrors. I don't have a photo for today, July 11, 2010. I'm going to blame it on technical difficulties and the fact that I'm neck-deep in my writing and well, I could bore you with a million excuses but it is what it is.

I must say that it bothered me a lot. Enough to make me wait a few days before putting up this post at all. I thought a lot about what to do and in the end just asked my friend Susie, who is the wisest person my age that I know. She talked me off my mental bridge and suggested I just put up an old photo. I decided on this one, a shot I took back in January when I was down at UC Davis with my pug, Louie.

I had already posted my shot for the day when I drove by this greenhouse on campus just around sunset. I drove a half mile down the road before turning around and going back. I've always loved the way this came out and happy to have the chance to throw it up here.

I hate to keep apologizing, but I will one more time for my lack of prose the last two weeks. I'm trying to finish that elusive new novel and another project and well, I know that as soon as I get it done, I'll have a lot to talk about. And won't you be the lucky ones for that?

I sure hope so. See you soon and thank you to everyone who continues to come visit. I am your biggest fans. I mean that.

Saturday, July 10, 2010

Friday, July 9, 2010

365 Photo Project - Day 190

Taken: July 9, 2010, 1 p.m.
Location: Santa Rosa, Ca.

Thursday, July 8, 2010

365 Photo Project - Day 189


Taken: July 8, 2010, approx. 11 p.m.
Location: Healdsburg, Ca.

I've been seeing this image in my sleep these days. Tap, tap, tap.

Wednesday, July 7, 2010

Tuesday, July 6, 2010

365 Photo Project - Day 187

Taken: July 6, 2010, approx. 5 p.m.
Location: Healdsburg, Ca.

Monday, July 5, 2010

365 Photo Project - Day 186


Taken: July 5, 2010, approx. 9 p.m.
Location: Healdsburg, Ca.

I'm writing this week and next. Just photos for a few days. Sorry my peeps....