Another day, another errand, another street walk in Santa Barbara.
And what do I find of interest? This moped! It looked like I could just hop on and take it for a spin!
This would be the coolest mode of transportation for traveling around Santa Barbara for photography! Except I think I would always be out photographing and never get any work done – like the marketing plan that begs completion, or the website that needs just one final page added to it, or the anniversary pictures I owe my family, or . . . well, you get the picture.
 moped - itis Today I received an update on the status of my Canon 5d – WOO HOO ! ! ! I knew last week that Mack Camera and Video Repair had sent it directly to Canon for repair – Canon in New Jersey, but Canon nonetheless. Today I received confirmation from Mack that they had approved the estimate Canon sent them to repair it – do I know what the determined issue/problem was? No. Do I have an estimated return date? No. Do I know what the repair is supposed to be and how long it will take? No. Am I still anxious to get it back, like yesterday? Absolutely!
A rose for my mother ~
 roses are red from the yard that I was on a mission to photograph when interrupted by ‘the bird’
Today’s image is one of intrigue.
In color this image is kind of ho-hum, in Black & White it seems to have an entirely different appeal: the smooth flesh of the cactus, in comparison to the prickly spines, or thorns as it were, seem to mimic the effect of the muted lighting compared to the divergence of its outline against the background light.
A little deep, I know, but I told you it was about intrigue . . .
 intrigue The feel of this image almost reminds me Hollywood Glamour lighting – I said almost . . .
The story of ‘The Bird’ . . .
I found myself walking down a street in downtown Santa Barbara, on a mission: I saw this home with a beautiful garden in the front yard – full of colorful plants and a variety of potted ones adorning its steps and walkway – that is where I was headed – totally thinking of my mother on this one. Oh, that’s another thing she has always done so incredibly well – landscaping and gardening!
[back to the story – I seem to get side tracked so easily, don’t I?] ~ on both sides of this particular home were two yards that were overgrown and not very appealing. As I walked by the first home, oblivious to most everything save the garden, I heard “hello”, “HELLO”, then I heard it again. Turning to talk to the person and engage in conversation, I found this parrot perched atop the chain link fence I had just passed. There was no person . . . so I started talking to ‘the bird’ and talking pictures of him.
Turns out the only thing he would say is “hello”. It must have looked pretty silly to see me making conversation with a bird! and trying to get him to pose long enough so I could create his portrait – didn’t he know it was a portrait session? Maybe I wasn’t very clear.
So the story goes . . . .
 portrait of 'the bird' Here are just a few more of the images from this portrait session. And there was a second one in the background that I never saw either, until I caught something moving out of the corner of my eye – he was a little more difficult to photograph due to the height of the surrounding bushes – and me being so short!
Another yellow poppy: around the corner and past my other neighbors house, there is this field – where wild flowers grow in abundance.
And I finally figured out why I take so many pictures of flowers! After a month and a half of doing this project, it’s about time, don’t you think?
It’s really about my mother . . . back in April she suffered from brain seizures caused by a brain tumor, which the family just found out she has had for a number of years. It is the type of tumor that is typically harmless until some physiological change happens in the body that causes it to swell; the swelling then causes the tumor to push against other parts of the brain, resulting in the seizures. One would think that surgery would be necessary, but at the age of 83 and the frailty of my mother, the neurologists think it better not to try to remove it.
The results of the seizures and subsequent pneumonia have left my mother in an extreme weakened state, and practically immobilized – she has been in a rehabilitation center ever since undergoing physical therapy to help her walk and use her arms again. While she has not made the best progress due to complications of pneumonia and staff infections, she makes a little bit everyday and we are hopeful that she will be able to return home soon.
My mother has led an extraordinary life: raising 10 children, being a fabulous cook, and having a career as what we would probably refer to as a modern-day Food and Beverage Director for such prestigious places like Omni International and Cooperstown Country Club (yes, the Baseball Hall of Fame City). As a young child, I remember her always sending and receiving letters from shut-ins and friends-across-the-miles, and her Christmas card list was a mile long! What I didn’t know until a recent trip home in November to help care for another condition she developed, was that she used to write monthly columns in several magazines that went out to these shut-ins. She would write to people that were in the same condition she now finds herself in and after reading some of the articles, I was blown away with their simplicity and poignancy. I was blown away at how relevant and applicable her articles still are today!
So, now, as my mother lay in this rehabilitation center with no room mates (due to the staff infection), she really has no contact with the outside world save for the daily visits from my Dad and younger sister. So I decided about a month ago, that I would write her a short letter every day – just a quick note to let her know what I was doing, ask her about her progress, and give her a little bit of hope and inspiration. The notes become cards and the cards become photographs – and rather than send her photographs of telephone poles, I use the images of flowers to create the cards.
But I think I have started something I can’t undo – she no longer likes the store bought note cards – she wants more of the ones I make myself! Which says a lot for me, but now I have to keep it up, now I have to be doubly creative – once for this blog, and once for her – both on a daily basis.
So that is why you are seeing so many flower images posted here, just in case you were the least bit curious or tired of them!
 for my dear mother - may this bring you a bit of sunshine
Today’s image and story line are short and simple and self-explanatory.
I call it ‘man made’ . . .
 man made Perhaps a more fitting title would be ‘man made mess!’ Below is the same pole, but converted to infrared. At first I thought it pronounced the mess; but somehow, the more I look at the infrared conversion, it makes the scene appear artsy – like the pole and insulators are a sculpture standing tall above the trees.
I find it quite interesting how we define things, how our perspective changes based on point of view (duh!), but mostly how subjective art really is.
 infrared: man made art?
Gerber daisies, a left over image from Melanie’s Birthday Party . . .
 gerber daisies of the pink variety But there is another story here that I just have to share. I was with her when she bought them, when she picked out these pretty pink ones – though you can’t really tell they are pink (another other story that involves my Canon 10D).
And why is it so noteworthy that I was with her? Because one of our stops was Trader Joe’s on De la Vina Street – the first time I have been into Trader Joe’s in the 5 years I have lived here in Santa Barbara! ! ! !
Now, I ask you, is that crazy dumb, or what ! ! ! ? ? ?
Who hasn’t been to Trader Joe’s (uh, moi!)? But now I have!
WOW! The prices are great! And the food selection different, but unique – I kinda gravitated towards the candy isle – am liking the chocolate covered gummy bears! And $2 bottles of wine – gotta try it one of these days. Can any bottle of wine that is $2 be any good?
Should I mention the food samples and the bell that rings when the samples are ready? As their website says, “. . . kinda Pavlovian, but it seems to work!”
That’s my story for the day, but Trader Joe’s is definitely on my list from now on!
Got a little winded again yesterday!
Happy Birthday to my good friend Melanie.
I took pictures, a few, but mostly of Melanie and her friends. And currently I don’t have permission to publish them to the public – so you aren’t going to see any of them.
But Winnie, her most lovable cat, on the other hand, I don’t think I need a model release for!
Everyone hates Winnie because she is so mean – look at her the wrong way and she will snarl and growl at you – maybe even if you look at her the right way! But that doesn’t bother me at all – I love her to pieces. And since my kitty kitty passed away last September (at almost 20 years old, she lived a good long life! Actually it was a ‘he’), the only kitty I have to love on – is Winnie. And she lets me!
Whenever I visit, Winnie greets me at the window and when I enter, she says ‘hello’ and waits for a head and neck massage! Then she promptly lets me know she has had enough – I can deal with that!
 Winnie cat She is just a big ball of lovable fur! Here is to you Winnie cat!
Hmmm …m …. mm, let’s see, where should I go today, what should I photograph? I am thinking sugar and sweets and the most decadent cupcakes you ever wanted to indulge in.
Yup, Crush Cakes of Santa Barbara – you guessed it. I am picking up a dozen of these delectable little goodies for Melanie’s birthday party tomorrow – but she doesn’t know it – so, shhh . . . h . . . h, it’s a secret!
I took my camera in with me and asked the girl behind the counter if it would be okay to take pictures and she was kind enough to say yes . . . I got one image shot when the owner came around the corner and asked me what I was doing. Could it be the camera?
I told her that I had asked permission first, that I was purchasing a dozen + cupcakes, and that the photos were for Melanie (though I had no clue quite how I was going to use them other than this post). Shannon was not a happy camper, and though she really didn’t tell me to stop, I could see the discomfort on her face – she doesn’t know me from Adam – I could be a really fierce competitor taking pictures of her display and stealing her presentation style – for all she knew.
Needless to say, her discomfort was enough for me not to take anymore images, and being the professional photographer that I am, I totally respect and understand where she was coming from. And then I felt quite terrible about doing it in the first place, but . . . . .
Really really really? All I wanted to do is boast and brag about her business, the customer service and the best ever cupcakes in the world! And give her gracious accolades for building such a wonderful little cafe and shop in the heart of Santa Barbara! Did I mention that she also sells great coffee and tea should you not be able resist the temptation of sitting down right then and there to enjoy a little piece of heaven?
So, to you Shannon, I apologize for making you uncomfortable with the camera, but to everyone else in Santa Barbara ~ and around the world, for that matter ~ if you haven’t tried these cupcakes, you are missing out on a whole lot of decadence, delectability, deliciousness (okay, calories too) and out right goodness!
Try them – you won’t be sorry – except maybe for the extra pounds on your hips!
TODAY’S IMAGE
 the best ever cupcakes in the world ! ! ! And since I couldn’t, wouldn’t, didn’t take more than this one image, here are a few from the day Melanie first introduced me to Crush Cakes Cupcakery back in September of 2008 . . .
They make your mouth water just by looking at them, don’t they ? ? ? So hurry on down to Crush Cakes Cupcakery on the corner of Arlington Avenue and Anacapa Streets in downtown Santa Barbara and try one, or two, or a dozen! And no, Shannon didn’t pay me to write or post this blog – when you believe in something and it is “ohhh. . . h . . .h sooooo good”, you must share!
Wow, long post yesterday – just to get to the images! I promise today won’t be so long – mainly because my time is running short.
Today’s post is about dragonflies! Walking outside this this morning to get some fresh air, I was almost dive-bombed by this little guy (yes, it could be a gal, I’m just sayin’ . . .). He buzzed just past my head and landed on the knob of the antenna on my sons car! I watched and waited, for what seemed to me to be an hour (when in reality it was probably 15 seconds max), to see how quickly it would fly away – it didn’t.
So, I ran in the house, grabbed my camera and ran back out – no joke! A site to see, too! And I wasn’t too late either – got about 8 shots total, with each one inching a little closer. I was already at max focal length on the lens (300mm), but he didn’t fill the view finder, and I wanted the entire frame filled.
Think about this, 300mm on a Canon 10D, with a magnification factor of 1.6x is almost like having a 450mm lens and I still didn’t get what I wanted! Now that doesn’t mean I don’t like what I did get, it just means . . . I wanted more . . . . . . .
And as stealthily as I inched closer and tried to get different angles – he had had enough of my antics and flew away! [sadness]
TODAY’S IMAGE
 dragonfly don't fly away  dragonfly too, I'm watching you I have decided not to post anymore of the camera data for now. If anyone would prefer this data, let me know and I will add it back to the posts each day.
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