Bug Bites

Chanticleer

2011-07-18T14:25:00.001-04:00

Looks like a muddy day at the beach

2011-06-19T09:51:00.000-04:00

I just figured out how to do this. duuhhh. First upload to Picasa and then download to blogger. I spend yesterday in Stone Harbor. I need a new car. Id like to get a Prius but some people say no and I didnt see a single one yesterday. The features sound so lovely. It has a fan that cools the car while its parked in the sun! and in order to unlock the car and the trunk one need only to stand next to the car with the key in your pocket and the gas consumption is supposed to be little. oh well.

Too much snowy

2011-01-27T22:21:00.000-05:00

This is the 8th time we've had snow here in Philadelphia and its only the 2nd month of winter.

Christmas is acomin' in.

2010-12-19T18:19:00.000-05:00

How come a bit of England is moving to Poland?

2010-11-27T08:53:00.000-05:00

This was kind of a surprise to read in the New Yorker Magazine. The Brits are moving Twinings of London Tea to Poland after the British workers show the Poles how to produce it. Then the British workers will be laid off. Maybe the British don't drink as much tea anymore. Could be. Or maybe the Poles drink more tea.

San Francisco

2010-07-12T08:52:00.003-04:00

Photos From San Francisco

Plant and bird life is incredibly different in San Francisco. I think the place was once a big sand dune and all the vegetation has been imported. anyhow the roses are enormous. Red bougainvillea seen occasionally. very different birds. I was only there for 3 days so I couldnt make much sense out of it. The plane ride from Philadelphia was tedious. and the city is really too built up and full of traffic to want to lived there. its kinda like another country.

Lotus

2010-07-11T20:38:00.011-04:00

Service stations are omnipresent dead zones.
and they are all over, blots on the country: lonely ugly places.
But Chanticleer in Wayne Pa is pretty

I have to admit I moved the Plymouth from its slum dwelling. I like its red rims.

From A Friend: 'Postal Workers Skip Home After Cat Attacks - Family News Story - KCRA Sacramento'

2010-04-13T18:36:00.001-04:00

Turquis has sent you a link: "Postal Workers Skip Home After Cat Attacks - Family News Story - KCRA Sacramento"

The link:
http://www.kcra.com/family/23102923/detail.html?taf=sac

The Color Purple

2010-03-19T23:24:00.004-04:00

Alice Walker in her book, The Color Purple, has a character say "I think it pisses God off when you walk by the color purple in a field and don't notice it." Actually the purple crocus have popped up on lotsa lawns this week and they are impossible not to notice unless of course, you have other things on your mind. My lawn has snowdrops but they are not very abundant this year. Maybe they hate snow.

Cancun

2010-02-11T19:46:00.002-05:00

This is probably a flycatcher. The birds fly around very fast so I dont know how to shoot them plus I have a very rudimentary bird book. Birds here are very loud.

grackles

2010-02-10T21:15:00.004-05:00

Grackles are the vermin of Cancun. Im reading a book on animal hunting in Nigeria in 1930 by a biologist and he calls all the familiar animals vermin. You can see the distinguishing yellow eye in the female. Grackles make a racket at sunset when they all roost in one tree. Its nice and warm here though a bit overcast. Record amounts of snow have fallen again on Philadelphia. I had a big problem here when my Bank of America cash card was canceled. I was on the phone for 2 days and finally...I have money. hurray for me.

Ansel

2010-02-07T14:53:00.006-05:00

I tried for an Ansel Adams effect with this shot in our local woods today. Unfortunately I couldnt find anything worthy of Ansel Adams to shoot. The snow is quite lovely; very squeeky with purple shadows. I took my car out for a short spin. When I get on the main roads there was no problem at all with the snow.

Im ready to fly to Cancun on Tuesday. I hope I am but I have to go to work tomorrow. I think Ill walk to the train station.

Big Snow

2010-02-06T12:57:00.009-05:00

Its been snowing heavily in Philadelphia for 12 hours now. It must be a blizzard. A few stalwart neighbors have started digging out while it is still snowing. One was out with a snowblower at 7am. I am having feelings of alarm and dread about shoveling the walkways and the car which now looks like a boat.

later: Two teenagers came to the door and are now shoveling for me. $25. My what lazy 15 year olds. One was receiving cell phone calls the entire time. They complained the snow was too heavy to finish the car. Anyhow: the worst is done. I stayed outside and did a bit more ... in my house shoes. It feels like my thumb and fingertips have been frostbitten. Oh my. I think the snow is slowing down. Ill go out again later and dig out the car some more.

A Hawk's Lunch

2010-01-11T13:03:00.002-05:00

bougainvillea

2010-01-08T09:39:00.002-05:00

This plant has been so special this winter for me. I bought it last March and it started blooming for the first time and just wont stop. One night I left it on the windowsill over night and I thought I lost it because all the blossoms wilted with the cold. But it revived and just keeps going. It absolutely amazes me.

2009-12-24T00:53:00.001-05:00

Winter Solstice

2009-12-21T19:40:00.004-05:00

2009-12-11T22:20:00.004-05:00

10:15 pm this day slipped by so fast I never wrote anything about it. I went to repro center in ardmore and found that i could get a 16 " print mounted on gator board there. I think i might do it tomorrow just for old tyme sake. im gonna do it. its the weekend and the house is a mess again and tom is cross with me for good reason probably. and damn christmas is creeping up and winter is here for 3 months like a giant frog sitting on my face. its cold. brrrr.

get the car inspected

hey i also found out that pnc has good cd interst rates

i left my portfolio case on the r5 and its gone bye bye. shit.

gotta kill humana

maybe tomorrow i can file the damn papers.

yeah. my life is el stupido. dopey. lonely. wasteful. but i love it.

Dillie the deer and the seamen's chapel

2009-12-10T13:13:00.004-05:00

2009-10-25T22:29:00.000-04:00

Autumn comes to Phila

2009-09-25T22:03:00.008-04:00

A blank mind

2009-09-20T11:35:00.010-04:00

I went to Linvilla Orchards yesterday and picked some apples. The apples are gigantic this year possibly due to the immense amount of rain we have had all summer. I managed to find a withered tree with some small Mahon apples and bought a few Jonamac to make apple sauce with. The place was absolutely mobbed. There is a petting zoo with goats and ostriches and all that kind of stuff plus (among other things) a nice blues band who i listened to as I ate greasy apple fritters. Whoever owns that place must be a zillionaire cause there is absolutely nothing else to do in Delaware County so they all come there.

John Huson

2009-09-20T00:10:00.002-04:00

The final Six a la Uelsmann

2009-09-08T11:02:00.007-04:00

NC Wyeth

2009-09-02T23:36:00.003-04:00

High Line

2009-08-29T09:22:00.003-04:00

Very sad that summer seems to be finishing up. The Fringe Festival is here and next weekend is Labor Day and a possible trip to NYC. Jerry Uelsmann is kinda obsessing me now. I have to do 6 shots in imitation of a photographer and he seems the most harmless choice, but of course he is vintage. He seems to like hands, lotus pods, sign posts, and faces, lips, eyes, sand and clouds in inappropriate places so I am on the lookout for signposts today. If you have one, please send me a large jpg file of it.

Move

2009-08-22T12:32:00.010-04:00

"Move" was a large tragedy in Philadelphia in the 1980's. They had poor housekeeping and lived in a house they owned on Osage Av in west Philadelphia. They had guns to defend themselves. There was a shootout with the cops. I remember I woke my son up so he could hear the gun fire which traveled miles in the early morning. Then the big bad thing happened. Joan Spector, Arlen's wife, who at that time was a city councilman and owned a little pie bakery in my neighborhood, was a rabid Republican. She harassed the mayor to do something about the Move people cause they were such slobs. She was constantly on the radio yelling about it. Soooo....Mayor Goode dropped a suitcase with a big bomb in it on the house from a helicopter and the entire street exploded. and the problem was solved. We got to watch it on tv. It really was a suitcase. Good thing Goode was not a white man. But bad for the poor Moves which included children including Birdie Africa. The few adults who lived went to jail including the leader John Africa. He is dead now. And Joan Spector sold her pie company years ago, dropped out of politics and now is a rich businesslady like Lady Bird was. Her husband Arlen has been PA senator since that time, switching around between parties looking for opportunities; aged, recovering from a brain tumor, the longest serving US Senator.

Ha.

2009-08-19T14:39:00.001-04:00

Only one other soul showed up today for class. and this is with me getting up before 6 am. So I went to chanticleer and shot some material for compilations. It is really hot now.

assignments

2009-08-18T07:06:00.001-04:00

sunday at the beach

2009-08-17T10:58:00.003-04:00

I wish I had the secret to taking fine close ups of bugs. They never sit still. The focus goes out. What kind of lens do I need, I wonder.

Yesterday I drove to the beach and it was perfect cause it was a very hot day here. I ran in to no traffic problems at all. The surf was lovely and so was the temp of the water and the lack of jellyfish which usually appear this time of year. funny thing also no horseshoe crabs either. First I stopped at the Barefoot Tea Shop on the way and loaded up on iced rooibos tea to take with me. and on the way back i stopped at Leamings Run Gardens, a very odd treasure. Thats where I got the shots of the dragonflies.

phs city gardens contest 2009

2009-08-14T17:27:00.003-04:00

The city gardens contest was a bit confusing. The panel that I was on was confusing as well. One of the gardens had no right to be in the finals. The ground was covered with large pieces of wall to wall carpeting. It was repulsive actually and did not beautify the neighborhood at all. It uglified it. The best little community gardens are in south philadelphia because of the spirit of the gardeners. They all work together to make the place prettier. There was a nice little flower garden in the Fairmount neighborhood which probably was the best garden but it was exclusive, gots lots of $$$ from civic associations and no one was allowed insid the garden. The gardeners are old people and they have trouble with teenage boys. a vendetta. So it is a tricky balance between gardening ability and the community. I have no idea how it is going to be decided. The captain of my panel is an very old lady who cannot go out in hot weather! her friend who is (was) on the panel left for 2 weeks in Hollywood with the Red Hat Society and the third person on the panel only travels by motor scooter. So...I did my judging and I dont care who wins. I think there is a money prize. The aged captain will make her own decision probably and Im not going to argue.

City Gardens Contest Finals

2009-08-08T14:50:00.001-04:00

kaytidid.com artist in Hicks' Street garden.

Sulimay's

2009-08-04T20:09:00.002-04:00

Rain...

2009-08-02T09:57:00.004-04:00

Its Sunday and its raining and extreme thunderstorms are predicted alas.

I dont really know what to make of Pierre and Gilles and how to elicit something from them for my own approach to photography. My daughter's friend (a set designer) likes them and she loaned me a book of their work. They collaborate on what to photograph, Gilles shoots it and Pierre paints over it, with an airbrush it seems. I have no idea how thats done. Photoshop is not used as a tool. Sexual motifs are/were of prime interest to them like Tom of Finland but there is beauty in the men they present. Their style has been so adopted by others since they came to light in the 70's that its kindof old hat now. Picasso was a genius because he developed and changed his style over his life time but artists dont seem to do that anymore. The latest I can find of Pierre and Giles is hanging in a church in France !!!!!!

Morning in the Garden

2009-07-31T17:26:00.000-04:00

A church band

2009-07-26T18:17:00.006-04:00

Yesterday was birthday celebration and an informal brass band was playing in rittenhouse square. i had a very peculiar massage by a blind man at adolph biecker and then we went to el vez for lunch where they had very interesting corn on the cob. THe husk was braided and the corn was covered with chopped cheese and grilled. and a crispy mahi mahi tortilla. Today was 6 hours devoted to the beach again and a toddle in the surf and a stop at fruit and produce shack for orange tomatoes, unusual small green melons, and a bunch of dill flowers, and all the other usual stuff. summer is really nice now.

My Tiddles is not interested in learning how to do this.

2009-07-24T11:41:00.005-04:00

Chase Hypnotises Luna (his grandfather's chicken) in California

2009-07-24T10:14:00.009-04:00

2009-07-23T13:21:00.002-04:00

2009-07-22T13:30:00.005-04:00

Cicadas/dragonflies

2009-07-19T08:02:00.005-04:00

Its off to the beach I go today a summer's beautiful day. Odd thing about this summer so far: no loud summer insects sounds: no locusts, katydids, or cicadas or whatever they are: I cant remember when its been this quiet: even in an off year. A few days ago I heard one. Its been rainy and cool. AND very few Japanese beetles. AND very few butterflies. even the little ants have given up coming in my kitchen window for a look see. One summer years ago I had a bold German blind teenaged girl stay with me and she was horrified at the loud summer night sounds. ah...a cicada just whirred for a second but quieted down immediately. They are our Howler Monkeys which sound like Tigers in the jungles of Central America. Cicadas sound like giant space ships landing but not this summer so far. Plenty of bird various bird sounds. Last month they got up as early as 2 am to begin. But that's over now.

7pm

the beach was quite nice and im getting used to doing it. all i forgot this time was the camera. the farm/woods walk was lovely and i had a long chat with the woman owner who sells dried flowers in sort of a barn there. her husband grows them, she gave me a pamphlet she wrote about the history of the place originally owned by a whaler from 1750 or something. it is nice but i dont like to know the doodads of american history. its amazing how easy the traffic has been. the beach of course was mobbed up and down the coast. the surf was nice but the tide was out so i had to wade and wade to get to it and then it was chilly when i came out but i do like to be buffeted by the surf. no body surfing for me anymore and i do tend to toddle and i have a feeling the life guards keep their eyes on my in case I get swept away or under. then I had an ice cream cone and walked the perfect board walk. its about 1/2 mile with no stores just dunes and big houses empty. I stopped at a sheep farm on the way back to buy a roving for my boss's birthday tomorrow. Im going to re-gift her a drop spindle Fred made for me so its nice to have the roving although I havent a clue on how the darn thing works and dont want to know. a nice detour. so many lifestyles. and then there is my tiny weeny marginal lifestyle that i like. I stopped at the teahouse on the way down and got some idedroibos tea which I took with me to the beach. I did bring along a little ice chest and used it to bring back farm tomatoes which finally are beginning to taste like something good. so...im sleepy. wonder whats on pbs tonight... and besides: the farm/walk through the woods had a large pond with "darning needles" swooping all over light blue in color. Do we have "dragonflies" in america??? Ive only ever heard them called darning needles. They dont have the long curved backside that dragonflies have that little fairy children seem to like to sit on. hmmm

TIDE TABLE

City Garden Contest Preliminaries

2009-07-18T07:57:00.007-04:00

Yesterday I captained Judging Panel 21 in the City Gardens Contest going to 4 inner city gardens. One really stood out: It was almost impossible to describe. A rock garden made out of boulders with 4 ponds along the foundation of a 3 story row house a corner.

Boo

2009-07-15T19:59:00.011-04:00

what is so rare as a day i july?

2009-07-06T09:04:00.004-04:00

Maybe I should count these precious days. They are precious. Perhaps i could videotape them, Sitting on the deck having breakfast perusing my garden empire. Of course there is a earsplitting machine roaring away somewhere probably the blind school. are their bitting insects in paradise? probably there are. the air is super. there the noise is gone. the big log cut in half. the birds peep different notes. thistle croaks a few barks out. a leaf falls. the cerise phlox are beginning to bloom. The new pink cone flower peeps out. the tiger lilies say good bye,. the tomato is as tall as i am. the pink knockout roses rule again. the baskets of petunias lounge on top of cherry tomatoes. the dogwood behaves it self and stays within boundaries. the birds have ignored the filled feeders. snappy is probably responsible for that.

my crippled right knee has given me thanks for the use of my legs. thank you the powers that be. If like Jackson I had gone out like a light at aged 50, i would have left this world greatly disappointed and unhappy. Many people have to do that but thankfully I didnt.,

ok: I have 1/2 hour to prepare for work, get dressed, make lunch and fold some boxes. then off to robert and thence to art museum and a walk to work. Is the walking better for my joints? only time will tell. Its not worse. I got sunburned yesterda6yy on my back and arms. I hope I can do it every sunday.

2009-07-05T23:14:00.002-04:00

I went to Avalon today and walked on the beach.

2009-05-30T20:23:00.002-04:00

2009-05-19T17:09:00.002-04:00

This was an assignment to learn to use fonts in photoshop.

South Jersey: the Manumuskin River (with a bit of Mexico)

2009-05-11T19:33:00.003-04:00

Loud

2009-04-30T19:44:00.000-04:00

Snuffys tea

2009-04-29T12:51:00.000-04:00

Genius

2009-04-21T08:18:00.002-04:00

Class yesterday was interesting enough. Its all about photoshop. So far we have learned how to make actions and droplets, and yesterday how to use LAB color to sharpen. I sit next to a young man who is a wonderful fashion photographer wannabee. (His roomate is a stylist which I realize is a strong component of fashion photography.) He gets students/people off the street and the stylist goes to work on the hair and provides clothing and his artistry and enthusiasm produces lovely shots. He has quite an eye for faces and his techniques are excellent plus he is driven by his love of the subject. I think this is kind of genius. Ive seen it before in the school. One can only hope that the world will find a place for him to flourish.

2009-04-20T18:25:00.000-04:00

funeral for a cold dark day

2009-04-15T15:17:00.006-04:00

I went to a funeral today. At least I think it was a funeral. It was the perfectly hideous day for a funeral: cold, dark and rainy. Joeann's elderly mother died last week. I wonder where her body is. An announcement was made before the mass that she was not going to be buried today but there would be lunch for everyone at the golf club. Joeann is one of the unhappiest women I know. Her father is a self made tycoon ruler of the roost type. She has/had 3 sisters and 2 brothers. There have been two suicides amongst her siblings and their children. I probably should have met the mother, the innocent helpmeet. It might have explained Joeann's great unhappiness and why all the sister's have yellow hair in the same hair style and are frightfully thin. They looked like the undead. One sister was missing but I presume is alive.

Easter Day

2009-04-14T09:41:00.009-04:00

Oh my where to begin. Yesterday I was bone tired. I had to get up again at 6 am to go to class. The teacher is good. He tries and has a good personality. He speaks slowly and doesnt mind questions. Plus he knows things I want to learn and is organized. We learned how to make actions and droplets. He reminds me a bit of Horatio in csi miami even though he doesnt have red hair. I took the train back home after class with a box of Church's chicken and went to sleep for a while before going back to work. Sunday I spent 12 hours going and coming and being in Manhattan with my darling daughter. We both had decorated straw hats which we brought with us in plastic bags and then nervously put on in the ladies at Penn Station and then walked up 5th ave to MOMA. For about 5 blocks around st patricks cathedral and rockafella center, the street was blocked off, and there was a festival of hats. very minor but kinda sweet. people just wanted to be looked at. I am glad we had our hats. It was cold but sunny and it would have been fine just to be on the street all day and walk up to central park but...we planned to go to MOMA and Im afraid I wouldnt have had the energy to do more.. The food is nice there. We had a salumi and cheese platter and rose wine and then went to the Photography of the Americn West exhibit and then had coffee and ice cream. The exhibit was thrilling of course and low and behold there was a Larry Sultan photo of a cherry tree in blossom and that is what I am working on right now and mine is oh so crappy I see now. I didnt have time for anything more. S wanted to go to the gallery of the masters but I knew I had no more time/energy so we walked back to the station and said farewell. The train trip back was 3 hours plus with a half hour wait in Trenton but it was a lovely day.

"Op zoek naar Maria - Dans in het Centraal Station van Antwerpen"

2009-04-11T11:40:00.002-04:00


Op zoek naar Maria - Dans in het Centraal Station van Antwerpen Op Zoek naar Maria gaat van start op vtm, en dat zullen ze in Antwerpen geweten hebben. Ruim 200 dansers hebben de hal van het station op z'n kop gezet.
© 2009 YouTube, LLC

April is the cruelest month...

2009-04-11T09:02:00.005-04:00

Its raining of course but its lovely to look out the window at springtime. all the greens are vivid with the addition of yellow forsythia, daffodils and cornell pink rhododendron and various hyacinth. I cant see the hellabore and the witch hazel is too modest.

2009-04-10T19:35:00.002-04:00

why i do this is stupid. anyhow. i just drank a liter of Chardonnay in a paper carton cause i was sore all over from training yesterday. I think maybe that's why i did it. The night is still young and its not cold...and its not raining... and I'm not gonna get into it. I'm sitting outside. a siren is going off. someone is having a problem somewhere. birds are peeping good night to each other. the sky is cloudy. I have no wishes. Peach. Peace. Peaches are something to look forward to. Its lovely to see the bare silhouettes of the huge trees which are blanketed in leaves in Summer. One looks smaller than I remember. I like to live.

Hidden City Bus Tour

2009-04-09T18:21:00.002-04:00

*Hidden City Bus Tour*
Disston Saw Works
Founder's Hall, Girard College
German Society of Pennsylvania
Metropolitan Opera House
Mother Bethel AME Church
Philadelphia Inquirer Building
Royal Theater
Shiloh Baptist Church
The Armory of the First Troop Philadelphia City Cavalry

Plans gone awry

2009-04-08T13:11:00.004-04:00

Ha. I went to training yesterday and felt so great I tried to go back again today but missed the turn into the little street and had to go many many streets beyond before I could turn back. Wrong. There was a small invisible No U turn Sign where I turned and a cop car popped right out after me. Yoicks. And my purse was in the trunk of my car. So I got out of the car knowing the cop wanted to see Everything. Well, that was the wrong thing to do. The cop immediately called for Backup thinking I was going to kill him or something and when I got the stuff out I found that I had packed an expired auto registration. I sat there for about 10 minutes expecting a huge fine while he searched the files online for my lifestory . There was now a second cop on the other side of my car in case I did anything dangerous. My man sauntered over and smiled and said forgetabout it. Where my new registration is, is a mystery to me. Of course I was almost in tears and ever so grateful I would have kissed him probably if I wasnt in the car. The other cop was still guarding the passenger side in case I had tried to grab my man to give him a power kiss probably. So of course...I didnt go to training but an answered prayer made the sun come out so I went to the Japanese house in fairmount park and tried to shoot a big gnarled cherry tree and also a long shot over the pond. I wasnt pleased when I got home and looked at what I had shot. I have just started to bracket and now Id like to view the shots on a laptop as I shoot. After a bit of a search, I think I have to download a utility from Canon in order to do this. I wasted about an hour fruitlessly trying to do it with Bridge and iFoto. Kind of a wasted day so far.

camera to computer

2009-04-06T21:29:00.003-04:00

http://pindelski.blogspot.com/2006/03/canons-eos-capture.html

http://www.openphotographyforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=3566

http://www.usa.canon.com/consumer/controller?act=ModelInfoAct&tabact=DownloadDetailTabAct&fcategoryid=314&modelid=11154

and of course I do not have the original software cd.

3 Sisters

2009-04-06T06:49:00.003-04:00

Yesterday was an absolute jewel of a day, balmy and bright. I was in the garden all day pruning a hundred year old climbing rose that has ideas of its own about where it wants to grow and huge stickers to impose its view point. Its not even especially beautiful. Its blossoms are white clusters which fall apart after a short time so are useless as cut flowers. I decided I am going to plant the 3 sisters to give me some privacy from Joe my next door neighber who cuts my bushes down low so I have little privacy now. He wouldn't dare cut down corn, would he? I have a month before planting cause the soil has to be 60F. I am up at the crack of dawn today and its actually thundering and lightening. ugh. New classes begin today. ugh.

Crick

2009-04-03T17:20:00.004-04:00

so today I trudged in the rain to the #10 street car and got to UPenn Hospital confused. I had a bunch of tests and of course, as per usual, my blood pressure was no problem at all. The Crick Study has been extended for another 4 years. Hurray. They test me for all kinds of things kidney wise, and I find out if Im okay and I seem to be. JUst that they think the waist is on the hipbone and I dont like that measurement. I got $50 plus a gift certificate to Target for $25 plus breakfast and a huge umbrella with a huge logo for the Crick renal study! surprise. Then I took the bus to school and arrived sort of on time and got a free roast beef sandwich with potato chips. School begins again on Monday and for me at 8 am. I still wonder why McFarlane's student's photos have disappeared. Not only mine but nimka's and emilie's which were fine examples of certain techniques. Then...ha...I bought some shiraz and the smallest possible Church's chicken and ate it in the garden where many green things are poking up plus flowers bloom. So now its the weekend and my house is a disaster.

I surprise myself

2009-04-01T09:17:00.003-04:00

Oh my, its after 9 am already. I drank a bottle of beer last night and stayed up until 1 am watching the 3d season of Project Runway. It always amazes me howt talent becomes obvious eventually. I have a surfeit of dvds to watch. and I am so lazy. It is maddening to change schedules and work during the day instead of night. Its kinda fun to take the trolley to work and knit and watch the people but the house is a mess again. The only thing constructive I did yesterday was to drive to Lowes to buy some grass seed which I have to throw down before I leave because it is about to rain. A Community College student announced on Craigslist that they are having an exhibition about environmental awareness so I photoshopped some photographs of south philly community greenings and emailed them out into the blue. I realized with surprise that I never kept most of the photos I took for phs. I put them on cds and sent them to phs but didnt keep them for myself. oh well.

tornado

2009-03-30T19:05:00.003-04:00

Yesterday was worse that I thought weatherwise. I was mad for exercise so I tried to drive to Tinnicum even though it was misty and drizzly. Partway there it started to really rain, so I turned around and went in the opposite direction to shops along the Delaware River. I bought a mat for a photo, and some lubricated socks for dry feet, and then went window shopping in Ikea and had some lunch. When I came out the sun was brightly shining so I pointed the car in the direction of Tinnicum but didnt know how to get there really. I passed Franklin Delano Roosevelt park and decided to stop. Id never been there before but couldnt find the skateboard area which ive seen photos of so I parked the car and walked around a large pond and took a look at the swedish museum gift shop. I didnt want to pay $6 to see the entire museum of course. The weather got really warm and I had to tie my jacket around my waist. It was lovely to hear the redwing blackbirds wratcheting away. All the usual suspects were around but also a flock of cormorants and a grey heron flew overhead. So it was nice and it was sunny and warm. I got back and worked a bit in the garden. The sky got grey again. There was thunder and lightening and we had the most enormous hail storm Ive ever been in. It was quite frightening because it made such a clatter. I didnt know what it was. But the white hail stones piled up on the very green lawns. It didnt last very long. Today, I learned that there was circular motion wind over Philadelphia! An area not far away had a tornado touch down and houses were destroyed. My oh my.

Good news today. I saw McFarlane and one of my shots is going up on the photo wall for next quarter. I am only going to take one course: digital photo production because a mentally deranged lousy teacher teaches Digital Illustration. I wouldnt learn anything and he would be nasty to me the entire time. Unfortunately he is full time faculty. There is a faculty union at my school. Im not going to take architectural photography because I cannot take two 8 am courses. Im too weak sad to say. It would be nice to take it in the spring and the teacher is a good one. alas. I guess I wont have any shooting. That sucks.

Im working days all this week and my trainer is sick so no training. Its confusing to work days and have evenings free. I rode the trolley for the first time.

Getting to work today

2009-03-26T18:23:00.005-04:00

Not easy to get to work today. There is an old fashioned Yashiva right next to the train station in Overbrook; the kind where the boys all wear big black hats etc. They are all very polite and intense unlike the loud callow nitwits from Friends Central. Anyhow...an important rabbi died of old age or something similar and there was an immense funeral with reputedly one thousand cars in it which totally tied up traffic in that part of town. The station master said the station house had been filled with men and boys in big black hats earlier. A kinda funny aside: there was an african-american woman dressed as a muslim in an extreme chador leaning agains the wall. I asked her what was going on and she said there were Amish all over the place. Of course, the two groups wear similar hats.

Then I got on the train which went one stop when the announcement was made that the train would only go as far as Temple University because electric wires were down. But the conductor didnt make the announcement correctly in the next car and all of the people got off and then most of them got back on and one of them was half in and half off when the train started up. Fortunately it didnt affect me but we pulled out of the 30th street station leaving a troup of very confused people.

Bears

2009-03-25T17:53:00.002-04:00

Webcam of baby Bears.

My class is finished and I didnt do a perfect job because of going to Mexico. I dont like studio work and lugging around lighting. So that detracted. Minka did a very nice portrait shot from an odd angle photoshopped with lens flares, much sharpening including hi-pass. So it looked odd. and Emily was a bit hysterical cause her grandma died and she hadnt printed out and had to go do it during class time. The one shot she had for another class was very nice using dyna lites outside. Both very trendy. The other 2 students did extremely poor work.

Ha Ha Johnny Walker

2009-03-24T17:56:00.002-04:00

Photoshop?

Nadya Suleman goes to the Marti Gras

2009-03-24T08:37:00.009-04:00

This gets stranger and stranger. She is 33 and has had 14 children by artifical insemination and no job. She wants to be a movie star like Angelina Jolie.

Toad Monitor

2009-03-22T21:57:00.012-04:00

Driving Directions
Link: 7 miles: about 16 minutes

1. Head northeast on Woodbine Ave toward Wynnewood Rd - 0.2 mi
2. Turn left at Lancaster Ave/US-30 - 0.4 mi
3. Turn right at City Ave/City Line Ave/US-1 - 2.1 mi
4. Turn left at Belmont Ave - 1.8 mi
5. Turn left at Main St - 0.2 mi
6. Turn right at Leverington Ave - 387 ft
7. Turn left at Umbria St - 1.6 mi
8. Slight right at Shawmont Ave - 0.6 mi
9. Turn right at Eva St Destination will be on the right - 138 ft

Arrive at: EVA ST & SHAWMONT AV

http://www.premiereproducts.biz/products/precisetemp.php

Trojan Horse

2009-03-18T18:08:00.012-04:00

Students are going nuts as it is end of quarter. Nilda was in hysterics last night, Brittany has pneumonia, Bryon's mother died in Kenya and he has to return, Adrianna is going all the way to Cairo, Egypt and back to visit her parents for one week only AND ha ha this morning art students from Tyler School of Arts snuck in and assembled a large Trojan Horse out of cardboard on the second floor of our school. They did the same thing in 3 other local art schools. Now Chris (Industrial Design student) is wild crazy to pay back but he cant think of anything. The Tyler foray was very well planned. We all have security guards to keep out unwanted guests. Everyone is supposed to show their official ID in order to get into the school. At the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts they constructed the Trojan Horse right next to the security guard!

Wall of Death or Jeff Wall

2009-03-17T09:11:00.008-04:00

Today D and I went to the Cezanne and Beyond exhibit at the Philadelphia Art Museum. It was provocative and worth a visit. Its really kind of funny how you dont have to whisper anymore in museums because people all walk around with head sets on like zombies being told what to think. Cezanne's many images are beautiful but the idea was to hang similar paintings nearby in increasing stages of abstraction until we get to Jasper Johns who painted the front of an old chest of drawers and hung it on the wall...actually only one drawer. So you pays your money and you makes your choice. So Im left with the idea, what is the use of a still life? of a portrait? of a landscape? D says to have something nice to hang on the wall. Of course, advertizements come to mind as paramount today like selling art to the church was in the renaissance. I also saw the exhibit of the Japanese photographer Moriyama: black and white photographs overexposed and very contrasty taken in the 1980s. Interesting but my teachers wouldnt like it if I did them. and some Frank Gehry...something about a Frank house but they dont even show shots of the finished house. Gehry is silly. Why make things so difficult? Oh yeah, they also had large transparencies in light boxes landscapes taken by Jeff Wall in 1980 in the Cezanne show. Cezanne made me do it, says Wall. You will have to get the headsets if you need to know the details. I'll take the Wall of Death if you dont mind.

We had lunch in the restaurant in the museum and D had his birthday martini. It was pleasant. He reluctantly said he'll show me Shell Pile, Port Norris, Bivalve and Harry's Hideaway maybe on Sunday if the weather is good.

The Pumping Station

2009-03-16T09:21:00.005-04:00

I finally got my shots and it was a real accomplishment cause I am scared of the dark. Scouting the location was the biggest challenge. I really couldnt get close enough to the target. I bought some vivid orange washable paint and marked the spots where the tripod's feet were to stand for the dark shot. I used a wide aperture and locked all the adjustments in place. Mistake one: I didnt take the first shot at twilight so the roof looks a bit bright. Maybe I can fix that. Mistake two: the focal length changed minimally but I was able to transform that. I should have checked it in the camera although it would have been difficult in the dark. Actually it is impossible to check the focal legnth in the info of the canon. It appears when the shots are downloaded into Bridge but it is not available in the Info in the Canon. I took the second shot at 9 pm. There was a small parking lot right across the street from where I stood so I didnt have to walk far with the camera and tripod and actually a woman jogger went by while I was setting up so she wasnt afraid of the dark so why should I be? I got scared over nothing as usual. So..this was a first time and I really want to do this more. Id like to go into south New Jersey towards Delaware Bay. Do I dare? Like do this again at night?

2009-03-13T18:23:00.002-04:00

I got up before dawn and went to the Belmont Plateau and tried to shoot the Chamonix Mansion which is actually a hostel. It didnt work. Dawn wasgrey blah. It was very cold. And there were few lights on in the Mansion. Yuck. I just cannot find a good location.

I went back to the exercise class and I guess that was good and then went to see Dr Kim and am pleased to report that my blood pressure pleased him and Im back to my old weight which pleased me. The kitchen is a horrid mess and there are tiny ants in the cat's dish all the time now. Tomorrow is cleanup day for sure. Its kinda cute how things are popping out all over. The trees have a red cast, the lawn is full of snow drops, and daffodils are ready to bloom. I should rake. I should. Time will tell.

The Partywall and the Chamonix Mansion

2009-03-12T18:30:00.008-04:00

I got a few surprise phonecalls today as I was out scouting locations for my final shot. Leila from Shipley School called me about volunteering at the Bryn Mawr library garden. Surprise. I cant timewise and dont want to anyway. I want to volunteer at Shipley when they plant bulbs to force in September. Then D called about his birthday lunch which i promised to treat him to. He has tickets to the Cezanne show at the art museum but doesnt really know how to get them. Its tentative for St Patrick's Day. The next day is his birthday thusly always easy to remember. Then a mysterious girl called to tell me my doctors appointment is tomorrow but didnt say what doctor or what time or where! eeek. It turns out that I had made one 3 months ago for a routine checkup and its tomorrow. I just ate some salted spanish peanuts and today has been stressful trying to find a location which Im going to check out further tonight and possibly go out before dawn (7:15 am) and take the shots. That will really make my blood pressure high which will make Dr. Kim concerned and there is no telling what he might do next. I think Ill go to training before hand cause its usually soothing and its in the same building. The real big surprise was the roofers that replaced the roof next door a few years ago came and fixed all the dismantled copper. Seems it was still under warantee or something. Scheinfield woke me up saying he would be over in 20 minutes. He was supposed to come on Friday if he might have a chance. Its was pretty funny. People are always watching. He must have seen the Union Roofing truck parked in front of the house with several men running up 3 story ladders. So Scheinfeld went up the ladder and discussed the matter with the Union Roofing men and told me that they were putting the copper over the party wall and that was that! Gosh. And tomorrow is Friday the thirteenth.

Roofing hell

2009-03-10T09:42:00.003-04:00

The roofer man came and gave me the usual roofer song and dance about how he had to get all new copper and make big changes and on and on. All Roofers are crooks. He left a message. I gotta call him for the price of course. He wont leave it on the phone. Im gonna ask him to send the estimate and then will have to get another crook roofer for another estimate. Ill post on our neighborhood list serve. Thats what Ill do. and ask for an honest roofer.

I am now obsessed with Photoshopping my shots. Its not a good idea to do this before I go to bed because then I cannot sleep for hours. Photoshop is bad for my blood pressure. I have learned a lot but not what the teacher wanted me to learn of course. Im not a good student. But have I learned more than I thought I ever would. I want to have some things to show him tomorrow for comment, if he has a moment which he wont of course. Oh hell.

Flower Show last day

2009-03-09T08:33:00.003-04:00

I had a very nice day yesterday with Tony and Christine who came down from Scarsdale for the last day of the flower show and she seemed enthusiastic about it. They still are very sweet together after so many years and she wore the jacket I gave her for christmas and it fit perfectly. It was so warm yesterday that we didnt need coats. She was not negative about moving to Switzerland if necessary but was about Australia. Everyone is worried about losing jobs. They are sensible and have not incurred much debt. Their mortgage payments are rather low. But...the radio (NPR) is full of stories of people being laid off. The NYT had a story on Sunday about how the major flower shows in the country are finished including the one in Boston. ( NPR has nothing good to say about anything. This morning they even had a story (with sound effects) about a murder in some tiny province in China that was unsolved.) Would they really move to Basel? The roofer called about replacing the copper that fell off during last Monday's snow storm. That will determine if it fell off my roof. I dont feel like arguing with my neighbor who is a scary bachelor. He already purloined the copper and put it in his backyard.

Black from Tula

2009-03-07T09:13:00.007-05:00

Oh. Its Saturday and a warm day. The cat went out and in several times for the first time in months AND snow drops are blooming all over the front lawn and I got through the week okay. At the moment I am obsessed with Photoshopping my shots. I must stop that now. Must!

clean up kitchen
clean up second floor
laundry
library
stamps
buy little plugs to start seeds
make granola
make bread
ask Arrizi to clean up garden
get car washed and vacuum it out.
air car out due to d's gas spill
replace 2 lighbulbs

the darn night shot as a combo of late night and twilight seems impossible. I cant find a location and its kinda scary wandering about at night with a camera and tripod. Nerves.
Id really like to try it but I havent found the place to do it.

I have to meet Tony and Christine tomorrow at 12:30 so I gotta take the 12:05.

There must be more but I cant think of anything else.

Ruth and Jim both have mentioned a huge rash of buglaries in Roxborough where they both seems to live. I guess its huge with many neighborhoods.

Of course, now I want to see why my radio slave made in china doesnt work. I must not do that right now. Gosh, its a beautiful day.

Ill throw it all in and go to Tinnicum for a stroll. I must not do that.

3 pm of course i didnt get very far. I got some little peet pots and started too many tomatoes. Like the pack has 25 to 30 seeds. Black from Tula is the name of the tomato.

I also have the autobiography of luis bunel to read. I made the bread and now have the granola to make.

A large piece of copper flew off the roof like a spear and stuck in the ground beside my house during the last snow storm. I now see where it came from so Id better call the roofer on Monday probably. Of course, Joe Barr took it and put it in his backyard. I took it back and its in the house now. He will probably kill me for it. I see there is some debris on their roof but I think the piece actually fell off my roof cause I see the place it came from. So....call the roofer and let him decide. He will probably throw it away and make me buy a new piece. oh well.

Radio Slave

2009-03-06T14:24:00.005-05:00

Today was the last day of the competition. The recorders were all bossy and no fun to work with anymore but it was kind of nice walking around and seeing people that I admire. Mrs. Hamilton now walks with difficulty. Sylvia Lin with her huge eyeglasses and Dr. Barad taking his leisure and smiling and Lee Raden in a wheelchair and Mr. Tulip. I made contact with Leila Peck who runs Shipley Sprouts and she was positive about me volunteering there in September helping the Shipley students to force bulbs.

Then I met a photographer who made it all look easy. He was shooting the display of EP Henry, who are hardscapers they say. That means they sell high price paving stones. He had a Canon with a large display so the client could see what he had shot. His radio slave (Jianisi) and wireless shutter control were bought on Ebay. He had a speedlite on a monopod wand that he held over his head. He was tall so that was useful. He had a wonderful Bogen 3033 which came with the proper head so he didnt know what head he had on it. He had a super wide Canon W83E EF 17-40mm EF-S 10-22 which I see on Amazon costs $710 and Canon EW-83E Lens Hood. I dont know what model canon he had. Steve Ravener from Freehold, NJ. What he shoots is to his own liking and salesworthy. But I just loved to see how he did it.

Homes at Night

2009-03-05T12:52:00.008-05:00

I am scouting out locations for my final shots. I need two combo night time/day time shots for Homes at Night Architectural Digest style probably and two interiors. Haverford College has an interesting Observatory as well as other nice buildings that might work. Across from the Ardmore library is an interesting house. Last night after work I drove to Mantua where there are some good murals and was surprised to note that all of the houses in the neighborhood have no lights on at 9:30 pm! What can that mean? So Mantua is out. I can try Locust Walk at Penn and the 711 parking lot at 3 in the morning. Oh Joy. Then I would have to come back at dawn and shoot it again with the camera in exactly the same place, same aperture but faster time. This isnt nice. I will get accused of being a terrorist I know. Im gonna go back to Ardmore tonight after I get off the train and see what's up. I would like to find a large building with a large glass window that is lit up from the inside at night. Of course, those kinds of buildings at Haverford have venetian blinds pulled down over the large windows to keep the sun out. Im wracking my brain but I cant think of anything appropriate. And today my own house was scouted by a scout from NBC as the possible site for a new tv series. Its highly unlikely it will be chosen but what the heck. I let him take photos for the producer to look at. If its chosen I will have to go to a hotel while they use it. Ha. What about Snappy? They will have to pay me a small fortune for me to allow them to do that to us.

Tod Hido Kinda interesting to see Tod Hido mentioned in American Cinematographer. Just the ticket. hee hee hee

2009-03-03T11:31:00.003-05:00

Oh dear. I was supposed to go downtown this morning at 6am to be a recorder and I forgot.

I hope Tony and Christine will like to go for Peking Duck on Sunday.

Flower Show 2009 first showing

2009-03-02T08:42:00.007-05:00

Its snowing like mad and all the schools are closed today including AIPH as I was informed on the phone at 5 am so no work tonight BUT I will have to shovel when the snow stops and its still coming down quite heavily so...I don't like it.

Yesterday at the Flower Show was fun. Sarah and I ate at the bar in Maggiano's Little Italy which was fun but I think I gained 2 pounds and it was quite expensive. The bartender gave us each tastes of 3 wines before we made our minds up that the Chianti was actually our preferred choice and then we shared a second glass of something called Super Tuscan which I had never heard of. The meal was tasty but too much even though we shared and we got into the Flower Show with our volunteer badges! So I am left with 4 tickets. Tony and Christine may come next Sunday. I hope it will be worth the trip for them. It seems to me only the truly obsessed can enjoy the flower show to the fullest. I bought a rex begonia and will keep it under glass forever as Lucy warned me it wont live otherwise. It sure is pretty. I also bought 2 bougainvilleas. I made some notes I made on the back of an envelope and will have to be more careful next time cause I cant find the name of the narcissus that Lee Morris Raden is showing. It was very small with very narrow leaves but the flowers looked like regular daffodils. It was a rock garden plant and will probably be gone the next time I show up as recorder for the second round of competition. rats. I did not take good notes and got brain freeze too soon.

Jacques Amand of Ancramdale, ny had a wonderful display.
narcissus little gem
Narcissus rip van winkle

Philadelphia Flower Show

2009-02-28T18:56:00.008-05:00

One of Last year's Miniature settings

This was an exhausting but fun day getting up at 5 am and driving downtown to the convention center before dawn. It all went well; there were 2 other recorders and 2 passers in my group. We checked in large plants, cacti, a few terrariums and I did one job with Lucy as a super recorder when a class was split because it was overcrowded. They just narrowed it down to the species. But we can't lose people's plants, can we? Its really amazing how so many volunteers do so many complicated job so well. The judges come from all over the world actually.

Sarah was very intense about her judging of the miniature settings and I never got to meet up with her. She said she was late to wake up and was late arriving and is terrified that she wont be called again next year. Two of the judges in her group were from Colorado and one from Minnesota! Plus there were 2 apprentice judges and one alternate! That is really incredible. And they picked the room I liked the best for the blue ribbon. I walked around looking at the judgings in my area and found I had gotten quite fond of the ones I had dealings with. There was a big topiary of a rooster that I was charmed by. It didnt win anything. A small dog got a blue ribbon. Sarah and I spoke on the phone and plan to meet tomorrow back at the show but the weather forecast is lousy. Bigtime snow is pulling up tomorrow night after rain and ice tonight and tomorrow morning. So time will tell. I already took a nap and I was actually glad it didnt work out with us today because I was very tired. I have two more early mornings as a recorder at the end of next week for the second judging. I met some very interesting women today. People know so much and have interests similar to mine.

Hudson River Valley

2009-02-27T21:16:00.005-05:00

I think Tony should think about buying this photograph but he probably thinks of art as something made of canvas and oilpaint alas. Time will tell.

Witches' Kitchen

2009-02-27T19:13:00.001-05:00

Flower Showing

2009-02-27T17:08:00.005-05:00

I have been on my feet since noon checking in people's plants to the competion and eating my heart out at their beauty. Of course so many of the entrants are people rich enough to have greenhouses and staff but anyhow they are all nutty about their plants and Im nutty about them too. and I am now a super recorder and have to stay after the entries are closed because some of the classes are too full and have to be split. I missed the training today and Lucy had to give me a quick refresher course in how to write down all the information. It seemed busier than last year for the first day. I am going to be very very tired tomorrow and I still dont know when Im going to get to see my darling daughter. She is arriving tonight for dinner at the Acorn Club to meet the other judges and then will overnight at the Union League Club I think. Im at work right now and things are real quiet and its drizzling outside. I think the students are chilling out and taking a little breather. By the way I saw no evidence of John McFarlane's wife. No one has heard of her. There is a John McFarlane plant man but that's not him. My John McFarlane is a photographer.

makes about 2 cups
2 cups water
¼ cup raw cashews
One 4 oz. jar pimentos, drained
1 cup nutritional yeast flakes
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 ½ teaspoons salt, or to taste
½ teaspoon onion powder
¼ teaspoon garlic powder
½ teaspoon cumin, heaping
Combine all ingredients and blend until completely smooth. Transfer mixture to a medium saucepan and whisk constantly over medium heat until thickened, about 5 to 6 minutes.Serve as a dip with tortilla chips and vegetables.

Beginning Again

2009-02-26T08:25:00.005-05:00

Its kinda confusing to be home again. I badly need a maid to make the bed and mop the floor (s) and clean up the kitchen and do the laundry, don't I? The worst thing now would be to get a cold and the inside of my nose is dry and itchy. Today the goal is to clean up everything and go to work. Also buy some food. I forget what I usually eat. Its mildly annoying to have to use Wireless Philadelphia but its a blessing that it exists. Its very slow but it does work. Coffee from the cheaper coffee beans from Finca la chiquilla are quite tasteless. Where to begin? I went to ye olde knit shoppe yesterday and bought some 12 inch circular needles to work on the socks I began at the walmart in Cancun. Of course, they thought I was mad. The girl pulled out a magnificent cap she was knitting to demonstrate something or other. What I am doing is so very primitive. I dont care. Im gonna do it anyhow. The cat wont let me out of his sight. What he really missed was someone to throw a ball for him to catch.

9PM hurray. my Verizon wireless is back again. Phew. All went well in the library tonight and R and A were happy to get the Mexican honey and wiggly turtles. Ben came in to get help finding a book. He is graduating at the end of the quarter with a BA in Photography and is obviously nervous. Im glad Im not young anymore. I signed up for 3 courses for next quarter without any problem which was odd. Now I have to wait to see who is teaching them cause there is one very peculiar teacher I would rather fry in a frying pan that sit in class with and have to deal with his personality. Ill probably drop 2 of them. Its not even clear when McFarlane's course is going to be held. Very strange. All I know is that its a Special Topic. Tomorrow is the big day at PHS Flower Show. I have to go in for a briefing at noon and then process entries from 1 to 3PM and then I have to go to work at 4:30. Saturday will be the real big big day with Sarah coming down from NYC to be a judge and D going to the opening cocktail party. I am curious and have to be careful not to get exhausted.

Honey Im home

2009-02-25T17:54:00.001-05:00

I accomplished 3 things today and that's enough. I went to 8 am Location Photography class and it was worthwhile. The teacher is very kindly and patient and knowledgeable. We went to the Marriot hotel with tons of equipment and shot the swimming pool and the exercise room. Next week we will photoshop the shots. I am very slow at photoshop. I never took the elementary course. Most of the students have been doing it since they were in diapers almost. There were only 4 students so it was really good. McFarlane is teaching an advanced photoshop course in illustration next quarter. do i dare? If I miss a little step at the beginning, like oh where is the smudge icon? he goes flying ahead and when I have found the smudge icon he is 5 steps ahead and i never catch up. it is irksome. Then I came home and dealt with my loss of wireless service from Verizon which was totally maddening. Its still not solved. Of course they signed me up for a new service which will begin on March 3...duh. But I could not pay my arears even though I went to Bangladesh, Mumbai, small towns in the south, all over the world...that is when I actually spoke to a living person which I had to scream and cry in order to get the automated voice to put me through to. The problem is still not solved. I am using free Wireless Philadelphia which is slow as a snail. I suppose I could try tomorrow to pay the bill on the computer at school. I probably will. somehow verizon will not connect here on wireless philadelphia. Its really horrid. And thirdly, I am making bread using real Mexican honey. Alas, I did not lose anymore weight on my vacation but I did not gain any either. So its back to that again tomorrow maybe and its back to work tomorrow. McFarlane's wife is also going to be a recorder at the flower show so it will be interesting to meet her. That begins on Friday. I still am enchanted by the daffodils I was successful in forcing to bloom. So...down I lay me under the duvet to finish reading Tony Hillerman's Sleeping Woman. It was so nice to come home to an orderly house. I am now in the process of messing it up again.

The End

2009-02-24T20:08:00.013-05:00

This must be the pendant nest of the Oropendola which I didnt see hanging around of course.

Well, Im home and its cold but that cat is happy to see me and all the bulbs I tried to force are blooming which is nice. The Apple Blossom Amarylis is fantastic. and my Verizon Internet connection is dead cause I didnt pay the bill. eek. and they never let me know I was in default. The credit card it was on went defunct. So now Im using the free wireless Philadelphia signal. I couldnt get it straightened out this evening and got frustrated with all the menu junk. Yesterday I went to Chichen Itza on the Ado bus. It took hours to get there and the bus was like a refrigerator. There were zillions of tourists there from all over the world. Its a huge place. Id been there before. Beside the ruins were zillions of Mexican knick knack stands. I found a way to escape out the back down a path to a really nice hotel where I had prosciutto and melon and a glass of white wine. I felt fortunate to have discovered it. Im not certain about the ham. It was very thick. When I arrived, it was confusing because there were so many people all over. I wandered past a bar when a woman rushed up and demanded a Margarita fast. She was returning to her cruise ship and she said she was from Louisiana and she needed help getting back to the ship on the long bus ride. So I said Thats a pretty good idea and I had one too. It was frozen and gave me those painful ice shocks in the sinus. It was a good way to begin. Of course, there was absolutely no wild life anywhere but I think I noticed a pendant oriole nest hanging from a tree in the bus parking area. Its not as long as other oriole nests Ive seen. Maybe its the Mot Mot bird's. Ha. I think not. The flight back today was effortless. I had to buy a sandwich in the airport because absolutely no food at all is served anymore. not even a peanut. I also bought some coffee beans from Chiapas at the airport which were ridiculously expensive. I also bought some from a different province at half the price in Puerto Morales.

Last Day already

2009-02-23T08:17:00.000-05:00

Did Carnival begin yesterday? Is it almost Lent? I went to Puerto Morales yet again and this time got in a boat and went out to the reef. I went with a family from California. It was too rough for me and I had forgotten how afraid I get in the water so I got back in the boat pretty soon. But I enjoyed the day. I loved the invertebrates the most. I just cant take the confusion of drowning and being carried away. The father cut himself on the coral. They saw a turtle and an enormous ray plus the usual assortment of colored fish. Then he tipped the guide a huge roll of bills much to the guides glee. Afterwards I found the place that sells coffee beans and wandered into a cafe recommended by the woman I bought the t shirt from last week. It was packed with Mexicans who do love Sunday. and the little troupe of costumed children came in again (they were on the dock earlier) and wiggle danced to great applause. Then on the tv I saw there was dancing all over the country yesterday so I thought maybe carnival has begun. The academy awards were on tv but I couldnt watch. The films all were repulsive except of course for the one that I see has won. We will probably get that one in the library as soon as its available. Two young men are pacing around the park. One asked me where the parque de palapas was and then some other complicated question. I think one is crazy and the other one is watching him. Id better go back and get breakfast. Today I am taking the bus to chichen Itza, a 3 1/2 ride. Maybe Ill see the Mot Mot bird.

sunday

2009-02-22T09:41:00.001-05:00

I finally saw tthe woodpecker. He is small with the usual red hat. Now the enormous grackle is carrying on behind me. He sure can make a lot of sounds. Its sunday morning so its very quiet . I have only two days left and am saddened by that idea. Its quite nice being alone cause people are very friendly and Im not burdened with anyones moods and problems. I suppose I could have traveled further if I had someone with me but bah. Yesterday I went to the botanical park outside of puerto morales which was basically a nice experience because it was all dappled sunlight. Many iguanas. several birdwatchers but few birds at noon of course. Nice views over the mangrove forest to the sea from a scarey hanging bridge. I didnt go up the tower nor did the Danish lady. I shared a cab to puerto morales with a pleasant Danish coupe, he a birdwatcher. women in a book store told me they saw the MotMot outside of chicken Itza. I had some fish soup on a comfortable terrace of the Aqua hotel which included mini octupus tentacles. Very flavorful soup. I came back and had a long conversation with a young german woman who traveled all over by herself. They are closing down all the nuclear reactors in Germany. I didnt know that. There are 2 fairly close to where I live. Id better get moving. She also said if she traveled in Cuba she could use her German cash card. So...that means I would have to establish a foreign bank account. She also said she heard that traveling in Cuba was difficult cause there are no hostals there. Just expensive hotels. It is so nice just to sit in this park on sunday. few people are around. The air is just perfect.

after the rain

2009-02-21T09:05:00.007-05:00

There is a woodpecker in this little park! I hear it knocking. I really need to get a bird book. and I got a big mosquito bite on the top of my foot. The rain must have awoken the mosquitos. There are still clouds around and someone said it may rain this afternoon but Im going to attempt to go to the botanical garden in Puerto Morales and then hang around there for the day until it rains if it does. Then when the good weather resumes Ill go back and take a snorkel boat to the reef. I have only 3 more days here and then its back to to the cold weather. I am not thinking kindly about resuming the photography class. Its oh so boring and a real bother to have to do studio work with the Hasselblad due to the conditions in the cage. Im thinking of quiting the program. The lady greattail grackles have brown heads and breasts similar to our cowbirds and they bicker. I think its the women in the daycare place that feed the cats. Maybe I should leave them some treats. By the way, I am cooking unknown items. Cactus is a big item in the supermarket and other various fruits. I had one last night that was a bit like a fig in that it had tiny pits inside. I cooked it with poblano peppers (which are a bit more hot than they are at home) green onions (which are scallions with onion bulbs), little round zuchinnis, and tomatoes. The result was mildly fruity. I also put some red wine in it which the small man left when the rain started. Then half of the large steak which I had bought the previous day and I had covered with cracked pepper corns. Cooking has been a bit of an adventure but I cant think about it if Im not hungry. I read some more Miss Marple last night. I dont think she has been portrayed accurately in the films at all. Granted that she is a clever old (between 75 and 90) proper white haired lady from a small town. Thats true. But...she gets pretty wild at times. In the Caribean mystery she breaks into the room of an old crippled millionaire and shakes him awake while wearing an outlandish pink headwrap and proclaiming that her name is Nemasis. That gets his attention. She also crawls about in the bushes first having broken the heel off her shoe so she could say to anyone who saw her that she slipped. Ive never seen that side of her portrayed but I havent seen the margaret rutherford series. A man with only a few very white teeth just stopped. He had a drywall-cement bucket full of tamales and wanted me to buy one. Tamales are leaves stuffed with ? He was cheerful enough.

Rainy maybe

2009-02-20T10:17:00.002-05:00

The sky is overcast and I think there is a slight drizzle! Not a bad thing really because I have sunburn on my nose and cheeks. I took the big bus to Puerto Morales yesterday and think I may go again today but this time to the Dr. alfredo barrera marin jardin botanico and then take a taxi to have lunch in the village and buy the birds of the yukatan book which might be a silly purchase because it only has the bigtime birds like yeah lets go look for a quetzel. I couldnt fall asleep last night for a while and in the morning I found that I had left my key in the wrong side of the door. Loosing my mind. Hey, these big black birds are longtailed grackles. There is a man my age at the hostel. but he is very very short and spanish or italian with no english at all. he cooks for himself and was perturbed last night because he had bought a container of what he though were tomatoes even though it was clearly marked catsup. he made risotto with it and it was uneatable. he had to throw it away. oh well. I see the cats are awaiting their dry cat food repast on the side walk down on the other side street. The street has somekind of sheet metal store, somekind of alternative nursery school, and a large airy alcoholics annomymous center. I wonder who is feeding the pussies.

oh well. i tried to up load some photos but didnt work. i had a yearning for brie cheese and red wine. It doesnt seem to have killed me yet.

Puerto Moreles

2009-02-19T18:07:00.001-05:00

I took the big bus to puerto moreles on a whim and even forgot my bathing suit. It was nice and untouristy...mainly canadians there and i met 2 nice birders in a book store. I think Ill go back tomorrow and go to the botanical gardens with are outside of town. The taxis seem pretty honest. and I should snorkel. the reef is very close to shore. I should do that. Hey. I could go to Cuba. I am going to check it out. I saw a sign in a store window near the bus station that says Cuba. But first I really need a guide book in English. That would be a start. There's always next year. I have a large t-bone steak for supper. Its so difficult to purchase small amounts of food. All I ate today was guacamole with tostados and a beer. I dont seem to be hungry. I think I should buy better flip flops. Im ashamed but that would be the 3rd set of footware Ive bought here. The ones I have are for the shower.

Gatto Nero

2009-02-19T09:04:00.001-05:00

I had a bad dream that my cat got lost in an underground parking lot in a shopping mall and I had no idea how to find him. I wasn't happy when I woke up. Then when I went out to the park after breakfast I saw across the street that someone is feeding stray cats. There were about 5 of them wraith like as most central american cats are; one with siamese markings the others black. Is gatto the word for cat? I am thinking of going to Puerto Morales on the bus and even staying overnight. Its near a reef. The plan is to check out the bus today. Also Im sunburned on my chest. I dont know how to handle that. The wonderful mothers with their lovely children are appearing in the park now. One mother does homework with her son every morning. I think school begins at 8:30. The appear to be about 5 years old.

Wednesday

2009-02-18T09:01:00.003-05:00

What can this mean? respect me, but dont pet me????
This guy I would love to pet. I dont know what animal this is. Its as big as a dog and seemed to want to come closer. I went to Parque Kabah today on the R-9 bus and they were around in the bushes. It was a pleasant park with a sort of fitness trail throughout and dappled sunlight. I think Ill go back.

Back in love park. The password that the international club hostal gave me connects but the connection is slow as molases so the heck with that oen. This morning at breakfast a man my age appeared at the breakfast table. V. nice man. He is going back to the Rocky Mountains today alas. He was teaching English for one month in a tiny mountain village north of here. The remote on the tv doesnt work but I found TNT and watched 2 films last night! A Beautiful Mind and The Constant Gardener, which I turned off before the end. Like who cares what happens. Finnes is so gorgeous but that was not enough to keep watching. Odd cinematography. Like was it supposed to be a hand held documentary? The weather continues to be dreamy. I ate too much yesterday: 1/2 of a barbequed chicken. Today the goal is to take a bus to Parque Kabah. Oh dear. The sweeper lady is sweeping leaves this way into a big pile. Two moms are chatting with their kids ready to go to the school across the street. The boy is doing his homework sitting on the cement block. How nice to have talked to some one my own age! Hurray. Photoclass in Philadelphia is meeting just now and I am ohso glad not to be there. Id like to stay here all winter.

Does this work, do you think?

2009-02-17T17:53:00.001-05:00

Sent via gmail.

2009-02-17T17:40:00.000-05:00

Internet connections are insane here. Butch felt sorry for me sitting in the park with my apple and sent me to Joe at the International Club Hostal who gave me their user name and password. The Haina's is out for me completely. Its still silly. I have to put the laptop on top of a white wall that I can barely see over to connect. Oh my. I did look for a computer store and walked around more and think I might be able to walk to the Parque Kabah. I suppose I should take some photographs, shouldnt I? Why? I dont need any snapshots. Just happy doing nothing. Is that a sin? Bertram's Hotel ended in a silly way. Agatha really loved that rich girl who was the mob leader. yuuee yetch

2009-02-17T08:40:00.002-05:00

Yesterday I took the ferry to Isla Mujeres and rented a chaise and an umbrella and sat on the beach and even took a dip. The North Beach is over rated. Its narrow and full of revelers. I was on an eastern beach rather unpopulated but with a couple of families and some very chubby very pale newlyweds and an odd couple with her roasting herself nut brown and he with a white mustache read a pamphlet. Often Im glad to be alone BUT Id probably get to go more places if I was with someone else. Coming back in the late afternoon, I stopped for a glass of wine in an Argentinian cafe on the park. Nice music. (one negative about Mexicans is their passion for loudly amplified boring music) They love it. One glass of wine caused me to lose my reading glasses! I also forgot the combination to my suitcase for a while. Great balls of fire. So today I have to search out a place to buy some reading glasses. I sure wish I could find an apple computer repair store. Everyone else gets wireless on their computers in the hostal but me. and I wish I had brought my knitting. I dont want to be on the go all the time. I bought a fish from a fisherman yesterday. I was surprised that there were active fisherman on Isla Mujeres. It was a fish I was familiar with. He gutted it but I had a hard time filleting it.

2009-02-16T08:39:00.002-05:00

Here I am in the park directly in front of the Quetzel Hostel getting the signal. But lover's are sitting in my favorite place on the stage. The boy just walked off but the girl remains sitting there. I feel like I slept too much last night but I didnt. Perhaps I had strenuous dreams. Ah. The boy came back and now they are leaving hand in hand smiling. Now I have a sight of another lover pair, a bit older. a Mom and two young children. A lady cleaner with several brooms, a young man at the other end of the stage with nothing to do, and one sitting on a bench reading a news paper. another beautiful day with nothing to do. I have to make plans to go to Isla Mujeres and also to Cozumel via playa del carmen. I must read the guide book carefully. Yes. I am coming to the end of The Last Yiddish Policemen's Union and I really dont want it to end with a lot of political stuff and I have switched to Bertram's Hotel. Chabon's book would make a great movie but of course not to be. We could never allow name calling like Yids. I turned on the tv in the room for the first time last nightn and was surprised to find so many american movies with spanish subtitles: even Spiderman which I was tempted to watch kinda. I like spiderman but the tv mysteriously lost its signal at 10:45. There was a julia roberts wedding movie on as well. I wonder who has the biggest lips: Julia Roberts or Angelina Jolie. If the lips were put on a scale whose lips would be the heaviest. I felt they were grotesque. There are more disabled men here than I am used to. Deformed limbs usually but last night a nicely dressed couple he blind.

sunday in cancun

2009-02-15T09:06:00.006-05:00

Ce ja the name of a restaurant in Mercado 28. 2 american ladies, one rather battered looking, on their way to Cuba. they booked a flight from here yesterday and are leaving today with a guide book and rather little Spanish, They booked a room for tonight in Havana on the internet. they are taking a satchel of money with them cause no credit cards and no cash cards can be used in Cuba hee. and no wireless access probably. Who knows? The girl the with apple computer that worked wirelessly in the hotel just passed me with her huge huge back pack and flip flops as I crouch here in the park. She is up dating Lets Go Mexico and yesterday was deadline for this segment. She is headed down the coast. Two wonderful places: Cuba for 2 travelers, and down the coast for a writer. Ah youth. I dont care ... I love it here exactly where I am. Maybe Ill trot over to Mercado 28 today. or should I go to the beach again today? The tree behind the kitchen is full of birds. Or should I try to find Parque Kabah? Everything here is geared towards funneling the tourists to the main sites. But this is a large city and the people must have pleasant places to go and I want to find them. Last night there was a big Valentine's fiesta in the main plaza and today cadets were out picking up the trash for disposal and then marched around. hmmmm. Its 9 am and ohso pleasant. But it will be hot in a few hours. I think Ill try to walk to Kobah. Go Bless google maps cause there is no map here cause its necessary for all tourists to go to big name places. oh well. I still kinda wonder why I cant access wireless with a password. The computer says the password is not valid but it is. the other girl used it. oh well. the mystery of life. Im blissful enough without it.

7PM here i am again with my trusted network Motorola. In the park. young lovers: deaf mutes in matching shirts with white stripes down the sleeves, she on her knees. a cute dog and lady just went by with a Yorkie, she is chatting with another lady with a marvelous large manicured big grey and white dog...the drum and bugle corps is practicing...same group of teenagers probably that practiced marching around in the parque palapas this morning. another day doing nothing...in the morning I walked to mercado 28 on the recommendation of the battered woman on her way to cuba. It was just mexican stuff that they themselves never use and a few restaurants. I went in and had a drink of something that tasted good and walked back. Had lunch and then went to the beach which was nicely filled with families and youths. I was going to stop in a wine and tapas bar but its closed. damn. Sunday is nice here. Little traffic. There are so many infants. The fathers carry them around like footballs. I would like a glass of wine.