Da Goddess

One cat per chair. Nap time is sacred and I obviously disturbed them terribly. Celia’s givin’ me stink eye fo’ sho’

Forgive the glowing eyes. Sometimes you just can’t get around it with flash.

Then there was this shot. As you can see, Fletch is really a bit too large for the top shelf on the cat tree, but he likes it up there. Celia has recently taken it over as HER spot, though Fletch occasionally gets up there to play King of the Hill. Usually, it’s done with very little grace and much laughter (on our part).

Tonight, they’re being a little naughty. I’ve heard at least two separate jumps from counter to floor in the kitchen. That would be the diva. She hasn’t done that in a very long time. Apparently the chicken we fed her earlier has made her bold again.

And with that, I’m off to see what else I have hiding in my archives.

We came home after a trip to the vet a few weeks ago to find the most blantant sexual act happening on our front steps.

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King Arthur loves his little grand-daughter with all his heart. He sings to her, engages her in all sorts of teaching moments, and is always looking for something sweet to get her, like the sunglasses she’s wearing in these photos. He spoils her with love and loving gifts. It’s lovely to witness.

She’s a very good baby. Lady M and Lord R have done a great job getting her on a schedule and keeping her on one. They’ve taken her to restaurants and even a hockey game (her outfit was ADORABLE! — another gift from her papa). Unfortunately, Baby E is at that stage where she is sometimes frightened of people she doesn’t see much. Especially men. During their little hug and hold playtime, E was fine with her papa holding her and singing and playing, but later cried up a storm when put in his arms. At least we had photos to prove that she DID enjoy him earlier in the day.

We spent the afternoon with Lady M, Lord R, and Baby Princess E before mommy and daddy went out for the evening. We wanted to make sure the little Princess wasn’t going to cry the whole time. As I said, she did fine with her papa earlier in the day, but melted down later. With me, she was absolutely perfect. We have an arrangement, the Princess and I. I hold her and play with her and make her giggle, give her a bottle, change her diapers, and basically do everything I possibly can to make her comfortable, and, in return, she is a delight for me. Plus, it helps that I possess a little baby whispering magic. (I was born with the gift. My whole family has it, including LD and Mojo.)

Lady M and Lord R had a nice night out. KA and I had a very nice night with the baby. It was a win-win for all. Plus, I get grandma credits. Someday, yes, someday, I fully expect LD and Mojo to have their own families and I’m practicing all I can.

After court a few weeks ago, King Arthur and I went to Balboa Park to see the pirate exhibit at the Natural History Museum. It’s there until September, so get your hiney out to San Diego and see it. It’s impressive! (They didn’t allow photography of the exhibit, so no photos of any of it.) We took a short break at one point and had snickerdoodles. KA did his best Cookie Monster impression, as depicted below.

Then there’s the obligatory shot of the California Tower in Balboa Park. From any angle, it’s an impressive structure. I just had to capture it.

And finally, as I was sitting on a park bench, I was faced with a serious, philosophical question:

My answer: I don’t know. But, I keep going. That’s what I do. I move on. I move forward. I move. I just keep swimming because that’s what Dory told us to do.

When I had to go into court against the insurance company a couple weeks ago, we saw a naval ship off the coast at Camp Pendleton, practicing loading and offloading of gear. The haze and the sun and the angle of our vehicle made it look rather ghostly, as if it were floating up in the thin clouds. By the time we pulled over at the rest stop, it looked a little less ghostly, but I took a few photos anyway.

I couldn’t leave well enough alone, so I separated myself from the crowd (who were also out shooting with cameras and snapping with cell phones), wandered behind the one tree that stood off to the side, and figured I’d play NCIS agent to get the next two shots. King Arthur had the same idea and was trying to find me certain angles, which didn’t work so well because he’s taller and, guess what? I’m not. So I stuck with my range of view.

Yeah, I’m a total geek when it comes to making something easy a lot more difficult. I think they turned out okay. Sadly, I had no DiNozzo to slap upside the head, although I think I called KA “probie” in keeping with the NCIS theme. (I’ve already admitted I’m weird. No need to say it again, unless you absolutely must.)

This past Christmas I actually made lots of cookies with King Arthur, Lady M, Lord R, KA’s stepson Lord B, and Lord B’s kids, Miss K and Mister D. It proved to be a little messy, but was tons of fun. The kids, especially, enjoyed the process. Mister D had a great time rolling out dough and deploying the cookie cutters that Lady M had given me as a Christmas gift. Even the adults had a good time with the decorating, except for King Arthur, who thought there was too much work involved. In the end, he liked how they looked.

Because Lady M and Lord R are both graduates of UCLA, we snuck in some school spirit. At one point, we even took a dig at USC (because that’s how we roll around here). Also included, “pirates”. And, there is one cookie that is completely different from all the rest. It’s one from a batch of cookies my sister had made. See if you can guess which one it is.

I’d fully meant to post these photos sooner, however, I’m lame. Just…lame. But I figure this is a great time to post them as you probably need a break from cats, cats, cats. (I have so many more of those stories, too!)

After seeing these photos, I’m ready for a few dozen cookies. Gingerbread, sugar cookies, shortbread, and some of the chocolate chile cookies. I may need to bake this week or next. We’ll see how it goes. If you have a preference, let me know. I’d love to try some new recipes. My only request is: no nuts. Neither KA nor I eat nuts.

And here we have the happy gang. Well, the cats are still getting accustomed to the place, but they’ll get there. Fletch is the chillest of the two. Celia is the diva. And LD is, as always, my favorite son. Sadly, he departs in the morning. We’ll have the cats to keep us busy until he returns.

Ansel Adams. It’s the 112th anniversary of his birth today and it should not go unnoticed. He gave photography a leg up in the art world with his breathtaking landscapes and his unflinching quest for perfection when it came to balancing light and shadows. His zone system is still taught for tonal balance. Anyone interested in photography should study the zone system.

He got his first camera at the age of 14, in 1916, on his first trip to Yosemite. In 1921 his first images of Yosemite were published, thus beginning the nation’s (and, indeed, the world’s) fascination with the man and his art.

Often cited as lyrical in his depiction of wilderness, it should come as no surprise that Adams had aspired to be a professional musician (pianist). So keen was his creative spirit, the same intensity that made his music so beautiful drove him to excellence in his photography.

But, don’t believe for a second that Adams could only shoot landscapes! His portraits — particularly of those in the Manzanar internment camp ( War Relocation Center) — are just as lovingly crafted as anything else. The portraits were not simply a collection of faces, though. Adams deeply felt the betrayal by the government against its own citizens. Those depicted in the images with dignity and indomitable spirit shining brightly.

He also created images in industrial settings, my favorite of which come from the Salz Tannery in Santa Cruz, California.

Every image taken by Ansel Adams and shown to the world had to meet his exacting standards. He sought balance and he achieved it, or it wouldn’t be seen by the public.

Among those images are these from the tannery.

Looking at the tones in these images, one should note the range of those tones. Nary a glaring, blown-out highlight to be found (as is so often the case with photographers these days). From the deepest black to the palest white, the tones are true — much like a perfectly played note.

Without belaboring his entire history (I encourage you to read up, though!), it’s no stretch to say that most everyone in the Western world (and well beyond) have heard of Ansel Adams and have likely viewed one of his images in some manner, such is the depth and breadth of his oeuvre. His desire to teach his techniques to others, to unite like minds, and to pursue his art has made Adams one of the greatest influences in photography.

Happy birthday, Ansel! Thank you for making photography so very intriguing.

This is what I see from the shower. The shower has a huge frosted glass window and this is what I see when I step in.

Was reading over on DIYPhotographer.com and saw the following:

of the things that I try getting across to my students is that despite all of its amazing capabilities, the camera is just a box. Yes, it is programmed with a seemingly limitless number of exposure combinations, but when all is said and done it’s just a box. It has no artistic intent. We have to speak its language, telling it what we see, in hopes that the image in our head matches the image in the box.

Yep, just one more person agreeing with the truth that it is NOT the camera that takes/makes great images, but rather the artist behind the box.

In an effort to distract myself momentarily from the dreaded sinus crud that’s invaded our home, here are some photos from last year’s trip to Vegas. We stopped at Count’s Kustoms and had a look around. Ran into Horny Mike as he was moving in a display of his helmet work. Pretty cool stuff.

My favorite is Pinhead. Striking as all get out.

If you head over to Photojojo for some sweet shutterbug Christmas treats, this link and get $5 off!