At Village Walk

My mom and I stopped to get frozen yogurt at Golden Spoon and I couldn't resist taking some shots of the pond with the plants and flowers in bloom.

Sunset Through Trees

I went out to try to get a photo of Blossom in the big coral tree out back, but she didn't cooperate. Before I came in, I took this shot of the sun setting through the trees.

Out & About in the Backyard

When my mom took the cats out for their evening romp through the backyard, I decided to tag along with them (Blossom mostly) to get some photos. I gave up on kitty photos after a while and gave into my fascination with clouds as it was a stormy looking sky. I love cotton ball clouds! These are a variety of photos I took while out in the yard with the cats.

Joelle & Blossom

Joelle was sleeping on the couch on her blanket one night when Blossom came out to join her.  They immediately started grooming each other and cuddling.  Of course, I ran to get my camera!

Joelle Relaxing on Chair

Here's Joelle (Mom's cat) on one of her favorite blankets on the chair.

Joelle and I have an...interesting...relationship. The very first night I met her (Thanksgiving of 2009), she jumped in my lap and stayed there for hours while I watched TV. Flash forward a year and she's hissing at me every time I try to pet her (and sometimes when I'm just in the near vicinity!)

She's fine when my mom pets her, just not me (or my sister). We do seem to have some temporary truces when she rubs on me, lets me pet her, etc. It's usually when she wants something from me, though (like playing with her or letting her outside).

We keep saying that one day we're going to have to consult a pet psychic or a cat whisperer to figure out what the heck is going on...

Stained Glass Door

Just before my dad passed away, he and my mom ordered some new custom front doors (wood with two stain glass panels). They weren't ready or installed until after he died, but they're in now and they caught my eye this afternoon.

These photos are all taken in natural light (no flash).

Through the Desert

I drove through the Arizona/California desert areas today. I've always wanted to stop and take photos of the sand dunes, but it is either crowded, hot as $%#@, or the light is bad. Also, I was never sure where I could get photos without the power lines in the way and usually am not in the mood to explore.

Today, it was still hot and quite bright, but I wasn't feeling rushed, so I decided to stop and explore! I also stopped along the winding road to get the rock shot.

Sunrise Photos

Amazingly, I was awake at sunrise this morning. As usual, though, it meant I hadn't been to bed yet. That's generally the only time I see sunrise. As I peeked outside, the clouds and light looked interesting, so I went out to take some photos. Here are a few of my favorites I took from my backyard.

Estrella Mountains & Sunset Over White Tanks

Leaving campus the last few weeks, I noticed a nice view of the Estrella Mountains and made a mental note to make sure to take some photos at some point in the future. I decided to head out to do some errands when it cooled off. I didn't make it far before I noticed a nice sunset in the making, so I made the first u-turn I could and went back for my camera. I decided to head for campus to get both some sunset shots over the White Tanks and a shot of the light at sunset on the Estrellas from the vantage point I noted before. It inspired me to try to get some better shots from closer in the future.

Here are the results from today!

Record Heat Sunset

We set the record for how hot is was today (118 degrees!!)  I didn't even venture outside until sunset to get these photos.  Even then, I didn't venture further than my backyard.

Master P-Nut?

The Snickers commercials on TV and billboards around town have caught my eye for a while now. I've wanted to get shots of some billboards, but they were always in places where it's hard to get a photo (at least the ones I noticed). Today while playing back The Closer, I noticed this even as I was fast forwarding through the commercials. I just had to go back and take a photo.

I just wish I could have captured the entire commercial all in one photo, but I guess this part sums it up well:

"Get some bling with Master P-Nut"

For Humans Only?

I decided to give myself a break from the heat at home today by going to see Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. It was a good movie, but the books are so much better. Anyway, I digress.

When I went to use the restroom before the movie, I was confronted by a poster claiming that the restroom was for humans only on the door to the Ladies' Room. I wasn't sure at first which movie it was an ad for (turns out it is for District 9), but I loved it!

I wanted to take a photo right away, but because I've had some not-so-pleasant experiences recently, I decided to wait until after the movie so I didn't get thrown out or scolded or some such thing that would end up ruining the movie for me. Anyway, no one said a word when I spent a couple of minutes trying to get a decent shot of the door and poster on my way out. I was just glad I had my camera because I usually don't bring my camera(s) with me to the movie theater!

On the Wall...

Back when I lived in Camarillo, I discovered Carol Tao and her beautiful paper flowers. I bought 2 at an arts & crafts fair (I think it might have been the Strawberry Festival but I'm not quite sure). I love them and get frequent comments on them (when people see them). Right now, they're hanging in the master bedroom. One of them is pictured here and the other will just have to wait for another day!

Soft Water!

I finally made it to Lowes tonight (though I put it off until close to closing because of the heat). One of the things I needed was salt for my soft water system. I have plenty for it to function, but I always like to have a bag on hand just in case!

Currently Reading...

I finished the first book in Michael Buckley's Sisters Grimm series and now I'm on to the second book!

Welcome to Mexico!

While I was home visiting my parents in Bonita (which is less than 10 miles from the border with Mexico), I got the strangest text message from Sprint (my cell carrier). I got a "Welcome to Mexico" text message even though I hadn't crossed the border (though I was far enough south that I could see over into Mexico.) I didn't take a photo of it at the time, but as I didn't have a photo for today, I figured better late than never!

Early Morning Storm Clouds

I have totally screwed up my sleeping pattern lately, so I was actually awake at sunrise. Since it's a pretty rare occurrence for me, I decided to take the camera and head out into my back yard. My first few shots were blah, but then I looked toward the South and saw these clouds. The way the light hit them really made them interesting. I took quite a few shots, but here is my favorite!

Nightlight!

A nightlight in the guest bathroom. It remains off unless I have a visitor staying over!

eBook Reader

I've been a big fan of eBooks for years (especially since I'm running out of bookshelf space). I tend to alternate between reading eBooks and paper book (yes, I still buy physical books). I'm in an eBook phase recently, so today's photo is of my current eBook reader. I've been thinking about upgrading to a Sony Reader, but I'm waiting a bit longer since the technology seems to be changing pretty quickly these days with regards to e-readers!

A Corner of My Life

A snapshot of a corner in my bedroom (sorry it's a bit messy).