The Flower Which Blooms Only In The Rain - Friday 3/3/2006

Helpful little blossom!

Good Old Shoe Thursday 3/2/2006

I bought them when I was at a writing retreat five years ago. They are probably my favorite shoes. They have seen better days.

Don’t try to borrow them, the insides are molded to the shape of my foot.

Funky Crosswalk - Wednesday 3/1/2006

This broken crosswalk guy always looks to me like he’s wearing bell bottoms. It took me about 3 light changes to get this shot. No wonder you have hustle to get across the street!

Curtains - Tuesday 2/28/2006

Detail of the curtains in my studio, where I spent the day. I worked at home because it was pouring rain and I didn’t feel like dealing with it. By the afternoon it was gorgeous!

Hands - Monday 2/27/2006

This morning the power to the train cars was out, so there were only a couple of lights on in the dark train when I got on. It was very peaceful. Almost everyone was sleeping because they couldn’t read. The few who talked, did so in hushed tones because there was no background sound of air moving through the vents.

It got a little close by the time the power was finally restored, but the man across the table from me slept through it all. These are his hands.

Interloper - Sunday 2/26/2006

Hmmm… The only photo I took yesterday. This bozo was trying to drive up the fire road behind our house. I’ve climbed that and it’s almost as steep as a ladder toward the top.

We watched as this driver went as high as he could and then decided to back down. Part of the reason I took the photo was to try and identify the vehicle if it should do anything to cause a fire while up there.

See more progress on: Take a photo every day

The other truth about Santa Monica - Saturday 2/25/2006

Is that there are a lot of homeless people.

Truly, by the end of our time there, I was thinking about the incredible wealth of some of the people who play there juxtiposed with the terrible poverty of those who live on the streets. There used to be a great independent bookstore—Midnight Books—on the Third Street Promenade, where I gave my first public reading of my own work. There was also a Planned Parenthood. Now it’s mostly high-end stores.

I don’t usually take photos of strangers, but the texture of the wood and this man’s blanket stopped me in my tracks.

Beautiful Day in Santa Monica - Saturday 2/26/2006

Weird brocolli at the Farmer's Market.


Under the Santa Monica Pier, looking inland.

Ashes and Snow Exhibit - Saturday 2/25/2006

D and I went to Santa Monica to see the Ashes and Snow exhibit. It was well worth it.

The building itself was very interesting...it's made of big containers, etc. The exhibit was amazing. The lighting inside made it very intimate.

I was drawn in at first because I am very much moved by animals. I believe in protecting them and their environments and I have deeply loved the animals I've had as pets.

That said, the photos and films are of people interacting with animals, with no explanation so that a person will not be directed as to how to interpret the images. It's beautiful, but ultimately I found it disquieting to see people interacting with dangerous animals like cheetahs and wild African dogs. A friend of mine saw this and thought it was just beautiful and said something about how people and animals should be interacting, implying maybe that we would interact in these ways if we were in the correct frame of mind.

To me it was another confirmation of just how far we are from our natural roots. We are, at best, competators with some of these creatures as far as the food chain goes. Yes, gorgeous to see the woman and kids on the dunes with the wild cats, but don't try this at home. The cats had the good sense to get up and move when the wind started kicking up sand. Not the humans. They were being all soulful for the camera.

I'd like to see this guy put his dreamy humans next to veal calves or force fed chickens. I think he may be perpetuating myths about animals that don't really help.