One Little Piggy...

I bought this pig statue at Home Goods with the garden solar lights and a vase. I just couldn't bring myself to put it outside, so he's currently just inside my sliding glass door.

New Garden Lights

While my mom was here visiting, we bought these solar garden lights at Home Goods and set them up out by my water feature!

Western Ranchman Store

I drove by and noticed the horse out in front of this store once before. I thought about stopping to take a picture on my way back after an errand, but by that time, they had brought it in for the day. Today, I went by in the afternoon and luckily the horse was still out front!

Sundial

This sundial is back behind the Avondale Civic Center Library. There's all kinds of coll stuff out by the Civic Center. Anyway, I stumbled upon the sundial while investigating photo ops after visiting the library. Here's what the sign next to it says:

To Use The Sundial:
Stand on the current month with your back to the sun. Your shadow falls across the "hours" to show the time -- with surprising accuracy! If your shadow doesn't reach the ellipse, raise your arm over your head to add height.

Across the Street

Here's the view from my driveway looking across and down the street...

What We Learned...

In class today, we discussed a homework activity I had my students complete. At the end, I always ask them what they learned from the activity. It surprises me how different and varied the answers are from class to class, semester to semester. Here's what my summer class came up with today:

Another Prius Commercial

Here's a shot of yet another Prius commercial. They never come out quite how I want them to...

Whiteboard Markers

A random shot of some whiteboard markers I have on-hand for my classes...

Coffee Table Books

A sample from my collection of books (though they aren't on my coffee table)...

Exercise On Demand!

I discovered today that you can get all sorts of stuff (for free!) on the On Demand channel via cable. I knew about free movies since I've watched them before, but there are entire categories (other than movies) that are available. One of the categories is Exercise TV! I've wanted to get back into exercising for a while, so I decided to start at home via On Demand...

Keychains!

For as long as I can remember, I've collected key chains. Back when I was in junior high (and had only 2 keys), I remember having 14 key chains on the ring with my keys! Now I'm a bit pickier about what key chains I add to my collection and I usually don't actually use them. When I visit other cities and countries, I always look out for unusual key chains. When my friends and family go on vacation, they look for key chains for me as well! Now I just need a better way to display them all. These 3 are recent additions and just happen to be sitting on my dresser tonight so I decided to make them my photo for the day.

Avondale Lamp Post

As I came out of the library this evening, I looked up and saw this lamp post, so I decided to use it for my photo today!

Black Thumb?

I tend to have a black thumb. I've even killed a couple of cactus plants before. Why I decided to let my mom talk me into this plant, I'm not sure. I do like it though. I just hope I can keep it alive!

Prius Commercial

I love looking at the sun in this Prius commercial. Tonight I tried to capture it off the TV (though it didn't work too well).

Shopping at Lowes

I went to Lowes to stock up on chlorine and air filters (and to use a coupon!) when I realized I hadn't taken my photo today. I decided to stop by the cactus plants before I got to the chlorine. The light wasn't too great, but I did the best I could!

Back at 5 & Diner!

My mom and I were back at the 5 & Diner for dinner tonight. I tried to get a decent shot of the working jukebox (though it's still a bit glare-y).

Sunset Before Dinner

My mom and I went to On the Border for dinner tonight and I just had to stop and take this photo before we headed inside to eat. I was wishing I was back at the EMCC parking lot like the night before, but this shot came out okay!

Sunset Over White Tanks

I was out running errands tonight when I noticed the sunset. I rushed to get to the parking lot at Estrella Mountain because it's the perfect place to get the sun setting over the White Tanks. I've missed a few great shots because I've been too far away to get there, but I made it tonight!

HOES?!

My mom first spotted this sign when we were out this evening. The sign is supposed to say SHOES, but the S burned out! It reminded me of the time in Camarillo when the Winchell's Donuts sign read "hell's Donuts" instead. It cracked me up and I thought the timing was interesting since it happened right after they opened a 24 hour Fitness next door to Winchell's!

Describe Me!

In one of my classes today, we played a game to get them to understand the importance of describing things accurately and in great detail. The students paired up and choose one of two roles: one got to describe and the other got to draw. The person describing chose one of these objects from a bag and then had to describe to his or her partner how draw it (without naming it or describing what it is). The other person had to draw the object based only on what his or her partner said (i.e. without seeing it or knowing what it was). It was quite entertaining and it got the point across!

I am always looking for ideas of how to get the importance of details across to my students, and this was the first time I tried this game. I played it myself at a holiday party and it was a blast. I plan to try it again this fall!

Ducks!

Today was the first day of summer school. As I walked across campus, I saw something I normally don't see on campus: ducks! These two were wandering by, so I just had to pull out the camera (even though it was incredibly bright). Of course, I think I ended up scaring them away a bit even though I tried to stay far enough away (and boy can they move!)

View From My Garage

Nothing too exciting today...Here's the view from inside my garage out toward the front of my house and the street.

5 & Diner

Ever since Summer first took me to a 5 & Diner when I visited her in Phoenix (before I lived in Arizona), it has been one of my favorite restaurants! Now, my mom and I go there every time she visits me. She likes it because she can get an old-fashioned chocolate soda. And I like it because their Parisian Omelette is the best (and their pancakes are pretty good too)! I decided it would make a good picture tonight after we stopped there for dinner :-)

School Cars at EMCC

I've been meaning to take a photo of the EMCC campus cars, but the light is never right (it's way too bright around here most of the day). Today the light was almost gone when I came back from dinner with my mom, but we stopped anyway...

Cloudy Blue Sky

If you haven't noticed by now, I am fascinated by the clouds in the sky. Today, the sky was a bit stormy and it was so blue. I was glad I stopped to take the photos when I did because the wind blew the clouds pretty quickly and the sky just didn't look quite the same later on.

Hood Ornament

My mom and I hit the road today back to Avondale. Every time we stopped, I kept my eye out for a photo for the day. I decided on this one at our last stop in Gila Bend at the Burger King there. I've never seen a hood ornament quite like it!

Interesting Mailbox

I don't drive down this street much anymore. It used to be a bit of a shortcut, but when it attracted out of area traffic, they walled off the end of the street so it didn't go through. It now goes through in one direction these days, and I actually remembered that today. As I was driving by, I noticed this mailbox and just had to stop and take some pictures!

Palm Fronds

Nothing too inspiring today. These are some palm fronds from some trees outside the restaurant where my parents and I went to dinner tonight.

Ono's Cafe

Ono's Cafe is just next door to the House of 9 Dragon's Chinese restaurant in Bonita. It actually exists in a space that used to be a part of House of 9 Dragons, but was walled off and leased separately a number of years back. When Ono's first opened, it was my periodic lumpia fix. I just love lumpia, but it's hard to find places to get it. In high school, various clubs used to sell it at lunch time. Now, I rarely find good, homemade lumpia that I like.

House of 9 Dragons

I went to my all-time favorite Chinese restaurant for dinner tonight with my parents. They have the best egg rolls! I always visit when I come back to visit my parents.

Rocking Horse

I went out to some local thrift stores looking for books today. On my way to the checkout counter, I got distracted when I saw this rocking horse. Of course when I first saw it, there was a little boy riding it. I had to act fast to get a shot between riders. Whoever decided where to put it was smart; it was right at the entrance for maximum kid exposure.

What's so special about a rocking horse? It totally brought back memories of childhood for me. I loved horses growing up. I had Misty the pony at my 6th birthday. I got in trouble in kindergarten for going to visit a horse across from my bus stop instead of going right home (which I totally don't remember). And best of all, I had a rocking horse that I rode all the time. I mean all the time. It was an older version of this one.

Flower Frenzy

I went out to the Otay Ranch shopping center with my mom today. I got lots of different pictures of various things, so it was pretty hard to decide which one to use. I'll be posting the rest of them over at my regular blog with the ones I didn't choose later this week!

I saw these flowers planted at the base of a small tree (all in a large pot) just outside Borders this afternoon. It was in the shade, so the light wasn't great, but I really loved the colors of the flowers. This is my favorite shot of those I took.

Goodbye Circuit City

I was over visiting one of my favorite used bookstores when I saw this empty Circuit City building. I used to frequent this Circuit City quite a bit (it's the closest one to my parents' house). All of the other Circuit City buildings Ive seen have been stripped inside and out (including the signage). This sign was still intact, so I decided to capture it while I still could!

On the Road Yet Again...

I hit the road this afternoon to visit my parents in San Diego. There are so many places along the drive that I'd like to stop to take photos, but it's not exactly safe most of the time. In fact on my way back to Avondale from my spring break visit, I decided that what I really needed was a camera mounted on my windshield (maybe on the other side of the rear-view mirror?) so I could just click a button and take a photo!

Anyway, just west of El Centro, the road winds through these rocky hills. The rock formations are so interesting, especially on the way down (from San Diego to El Centro). Unfortunately, there are no pull-off areas on the road down hill (and the roads each direction are totally separate).

On the road uphill (from El Centro into San Diego), however, there are many stops and pull-off areas. Why? Well, with the long, constant incline, it seems cars have a tendency to overheat, so they created a bunch of areas along the way where you can pull off the road and get water for your radiator.

The trip was a pretty dusty one (due to high winds), but once I got to the uphill climb outside of El Centro, the sky was pretty clear. I decided to pull off the road at one of the radiator water stations and take some photos. I was pretty careful, though, because I know it is still pretty dangerous. I stayed well off the road and didn't take any photos anytime a car was within sight.

I thought I would end up using an uphill photo since the sky was blue, but the light was a bit harsh since it was getting close to sunset. I will post those on other blog (http://lilikoi44.blogspot.com) shortly. This shot is one I took looking back down the hill. It caught my eye since I kept turning around to look for cars coming up the hill before taking my uphill shots. I was careful never to turn my back on an on-coming car.

Family at Play

I noticed this art sculpture when I visited the library on Saturday. I ran out of time at the library Saturday because I had to go to a baby shower, so I went back this evening. On my way out, I stopped to take a photo of this sculpture which is called "Family at play."

Pretty Clouds

I was in the drive through at In N Out tonight when I looked up and noticed this cloud. I really liked the color of the sky and the lighting, so I grabbed my camera, rolled down my window, and took a few shots!

Mosaic Avondale

I made my first trip to the public library at the Avondale Civic Center today. This mosaic was on the wall outside the entrance and I thought it captured Avondale well. I just wish they hadn't planted a tree in front of one side. It made getting the picture a bit difficult!

Exhausted!

After sitting through graduation in the heat today (from 10:00am to 12:00pm), I was worn out. I mean really, graduation in Phoenix in a black robe when the sun is out?! It just got worse as the ceremony went on.

We had a pot luck after graduation and when I got home, I just about passed out. I decided a photo of my cars exhaust pipe was a good representation of my exhaustion today.

My Name is Michelle...

and I am a book-a-holic. I readily admit I am addicted to books; and not just reading them, buying them too! I was sad to hear earlier this year that Borders was in danger of being de-listed from the NYSE. I love Borders (and prefer it over B&N because I hate paying money to save money with their loyalty program). Just recently, I heard Borders is no longer in danger of being de-listed. I think it was all due to my spending habits at Borders the last few months. I really am a book addict!

My Messy Office

My parents wouldn't be surprised that my office is such a mess. I tend to get caught up in doing so much that I just don't have time to keep things clean. And really, there are so many things that are more fun and better uses of my time. I do try to clean my office every now and then, but inevitably it is messy again in just a couple of weeks!

Another Cactus

I got this shot of a cactus today as I was leaving. It was bright and hot, so it's not my best shot ever, but at least I remembered to take one!

Ripples

An odd thing happened today: I had more than one picture to choose from! I couldn't decide whether to use the overall scenic shot of the courtyard outside Montezuma Hall with the trees and water feature or this close up of the water in the water feature. As you can see, I went with the close up of the water :-)

Ant Hill

This ant hill popped up in my front yard over night! I couldn't believe how fast the ants were. The pest control people were out the next day and treated it...only to have my gardener demolish the ant hill and bait the day after! Oh well.

Colorful Butterfly

I bought this painting recently, but haven't had a chance to hang it yet. I love the colors in it!

Full Moon

I was out and about when the full moon rose, and I just couldn't help stopping to take a photo (even without the proper equipment). Here's a close up of my best shot this time around.

Last Missed Day?

I could have sworn I took a picture today. Unfortunately, I can't find it anywhere! Maybe I accidentally deleted it. I don't know. I don't remember taking the picture, but I find that the days all blur together unless a major event happens. The weird thing is that the last time this happened was on a Thursday as well. What the heck happens to me on Thursdays?

Anyway, I think this is the last day I've missed in my crazy rush to the end of the semester after being sick. Hopefully it will be my last missed day this year!

Tapioca In Progress

I've been making tapioca quite a bit lately. It's been my dessert of choice. Anyway, since I took a picture of the finished product last time, I figured I would take a picture of it in progress this time. I use my grandmother's recipe (slightly different than the one on the box) which calls for beating the egg whites and folding it into the other mixture once it's been cooked. Here's the mixture after being cooked together, just waiting for the egg whites to be beaten and folded into the mix!

Fallen Petals

The wind (with the help of the landscape maintenance crew on campus) blew all the petals of the flowers on the trees on campus. It makes me sad, but made for an interesting picture as the fallen petals were blown all along the edge of the grass.

Another Missed Day...

Between cleaning the water feature and doing my grading, I found myself exhausted today. I decided to "take a nap" after I got home from work, and well, the nap turned into me sleeping through the night. As a result, I missed my photo. I find I am much more successful at getting my photo of the day if I do it before I come inside the house after work.

One thing I learned from getting sick is that my health is more important than getting my photo of the day. I'm going to try to be better about taking my photo earlier in the day to avoid this situation again...

Drained...

I finally got around to draining and cleaning out my water feature this weekend. I had planned to do it before I got sick and since then I just haven't had a chance. I did most of the cleaning yesterday, but I left it empty overnight. This photo is from right before I filled it.

This is the third time I've drained it, and each time I do it, I get more efficient! This time, I turned off the auto-fill water valve for a week in advance. It is amazing how much water evaporates in a week with the weather as hot as it's been!

I also used my discovery from last time (to stir up the dirt off the bottom with the brush so that it mixes with the water and can be pumped out rather than shop-vac'd out). It saved us (my mom and I) so much time last time! It was a real PITA having to drag the full shop vac back in forth to the sink in the garage to empty it every few minutes before that and it cut back on our trips last time.

This time I was actually able to cut back on the trips even more! I kept the pump out even as I hosed down some of the dirt left behind and pumped out the water I added to get it clean. Amazingly, I only had to empty the shop vac once the entire time I was cleaning it! I know it may not sound like much, but water is heavy and half of it ends up on the person carrying it unless you walk very, very slowly.

Side note from after the fact: Don't drain and clean water feature just before the gardener comes to do the yard. He ends up blowing a bunch of crap into the water! Either that or I need a cover for when he comes.

Easy?

Taking my photo for the day was not so easy for today. Out of desperation, I got this shot of the easy button I got when I signed the contract for buying my house. At first I thought Larry was joking when he said he'd give me an easy button for signing. He wasn't. LOL!

Red Bird of Paradise

I stopped to get a close-up shot of this red bird of paradise flower on the way to my car this afternoon. I got a bit frustrated with my digital point-and-shoot camera's focus though as it wasn't working too well.