Ring Holder

My mom bought me this ring holder on one of her recent trips. Instead of rings, though, she bought it for my hair bands. It's even my favorite color!

Kleenex Box

It's been insanely busy, so tonight's shot is a bit of a desperate one: a close up of a pattern on a Kleenex box!

View from Master Bedroom

Here's the view from the master bedroom through the wood-blinds taken this afternoon...

Back Yard Bottle Brush

Here's another bottle brush in bloom, this time in my backyard!

Estrella Water Feature

There are quite a few water features around campus. I've wanted to get a good shot of this one for a while, but the light is usually off. It's not the best today (with the big shadow through the middle), but it's better than usual.

Brick Wall

I was getting desperate for a photo today. It was a long day at work and it was even more windy than yesterday. I was so tired, I decided to go through the A&W drivethru for dinner. Since the line was long, I spent a lot of time looking at this brick wall. I thought it might make an interesting picture, and luckily I had my camera!

Windy Day

It's been really windy this week, and as I was leaving campus today I noticed the flags were really blowing in the wind. Even though I had to drop all my stuff, I decided to stop and take some photos on the way to the car. Here's my favorite of the bunch.

Spring at Estrella Mountain

It's definitely spring around here! Everything's in bloom and I love taking photos of all the plants and flowers. I'm still getting used to all the differences between the plants in Arizona and Southern California. As is usual lately I had a hard time choosing which photo to use today. The other photo was an Ocotillo in bloom which I'll try to post on my other blog soon!

Jury Duty!

I had jury duty today. Arizona is a one day-one trial state. I called last night, and they told me I didn't have to report at 8:00am but I did need to call at 11:00am to see if I would have to report. I thought that was a bit odd, and others (who were more familiar with Arizona jury duty) thought so too. Evidently it was just an extremely busy day because I did have to show up in the afternoon (12:45pm).

They called 6 panels (one of 50 people!) in the first 30 minutes after I checked in, but luckily I wasn't one of them. Normally I'd like to serve, but it was a bad week (and as I'm a teacher, a bad time of year period). So after a couple hours, I got released.

I noticed some photo ops on the way in, but I had left my cameras in the car because I wasn't sure if they'd be allowed in the court building. Since I got out early, I walked the 5 blocks to the parking garage (we had just missed the shuttle), got my camera, then walked the 5 blocks back to the courthouse. The light wasn't the best, but I got some interesting shots (more than just the one here). This is what I think best represents the day though it's a bit boring. I'll be posting the rest of my photos on my other blog (http://lilikoi44.blogspot.com) if you want to check them out!

On The Road Again...

Today I spent most of the day driving back to Arizona (or packing/unpacking as a result of the trip). It was raining as I left San Diego and very windy even after the rain stopped (causing crazy dust storms), so most of the drive wasn't very conducive to stopping for photos.

It did get me thinking that I'd really like someone to come up with a camera that is built in to regular passenger cars somewhere around the front windshield area. There were a few shots I'd love to have gotten along the highway where it wasn't safe to stop. Since I couldn't stop for those, I got this shot when I made a pit stop in Gila Bend.

I've driven through Gila Bend and by this store a lot, but this mural never caught my eye before. I'm not sure if it's because I'm usually going through Gila Bend this direction closer to dark, the way the light was hitting it this time, or just me being more observant since I'm doing Project 365. Either way, I'm glad I stopped here (after my pit stop at Burger King)!

Cow Parade!

It's taken me a while to get the photo for today up because I took literally hundreds of photos today and choosing my favorite was extremely tough. Why? Because I spent a large part of the day tracking down cows that are part of the Cow Parade La Jolla Art Exhibit.

You can read more about it here (http://www.cowparadelajolla.com/).

It's something that's taken places in other cities before, but it's new to San Diego (the exhibit runs from March 15 through June 15). Basically, 40 local artists got blank white cow statues that they were able to alter to fit their vision. Each cow is sponsored by a local business as well. At the end of the exhibition, the cows will be auctioned off and the proceeds donated to charity. I have a few favorites, but nowhere to put them, so I won't be bidding, but I enjoyed photographing the ones I was able to get to this time around :-)

I still haven't gone through all my photos, but I figured I better get this posted so I choose one of my favorites so far (I had many). This is actually the first cow I visited!

If you're interested in seeing the rest of the cows, I plan to post the entire parade (or at least those I was able to find and photograph) on my other blog (http://lilikoi44.blogspot.com) sometime this weekend!

Got All Your Marbles?

I went to the Spring Harvest Festival (an arts & crafts fair) at the Del Mar Fairgrounds today. There were lots of things I wanted to take pictures of at the festival, but there were "No Photography" signs everywhere :-(

I bought quite a few things at the festival, but I didn't buy anything from the booth where I got this card. The huge banner up at the booth really caught my eye and I was itching to take out my camera (I had it with me after all), but I resisted and grabbed a business card for later. Of course, this shot is pretty out of focus because by the time I got around to taking the photo, it was late and I was tired.

Anyway, I love interesting business names, and I'm definitely adding this one to my list. It's an interesting product too! Jewelry with interchangeable marbles (all pieces come with a bag of marbles). You can make your jewelry match any outfit! And they've even started making marbles out of some more precious materials. Check them out online at http://www.gotallyourmarbles.com/

Bird of Paradise

I got this shot when I was walking around the yard to get a cobweb-free shot of the bench from yesterday. The bird of paradise plants in my parents yard are always so interesting because if you looked at them from a distance, you'd never see this one flower. Most of the flowers on this particular plant (and the others as well) are in the last stages of their life, so they aren't particularly beautiful in the traditional sense.

Thinking about them while postings got me thinking about how these plants in my parents' yard really represent the cycle of life. On one bird of paradise plant you have the older blooms that are starting to turn brown and die, the fresh, young blooming flowers like this one, and even more that are just waiting to bloom but aren't quite ready yet.

I'm really glad I found this one particular flower today!

Backyard Bench

I took a walk around my parents yard again today for my photo. I actually held off on posting because there is one thing about this photo that gets to me (and did when I took it).

What is it? The branch/leaves/cobweb in front of the leg of the bench. I've taken other pictures of the bench (with all that stuff removed) since I took this photo, but it was a different day and I had other photos for those days. Therefore, I decided to use it (imperfections and all) for today. I'll post my other shots of the bench (de-cobwebbed) on my other blog later this coming week!

Purple Hillside

As I was leaving to run some errands today, I noticed this bank of purple flowers between two neighbors homes. I couldn't resist, so I went over to take a few shots. While I was there, I almost caught a hummingbird on film, but my camera was still processing my shots of the hillside. I was really bummed because the hummingbird fluttered in front of me longer than ever before!

Through the Coral Tree Branches

Here's another photo from my parents backyard. I took this as I stood under their coral tree and looked up at the sky in the late afternoon.

Backyard Garden

I got quite a few great shots today, so I'm having a hard time deciding which to use as my photo of the day. I eliminated one because I decided since I used a photo of Sophie yesterday, I better use a non-Sophie photo today.

The others are all various shots of my parents backyard. It's not going anywhere, so you'll probably see more of it as the week goes on!

Bath Time for Sophie!

Since next week is my spring break, I drove to San Diego with my mom today to visit my parents. I wasn't inspired by anything in particular along the drive, so I got this shot of my parents' cat Sophie after our arrival. She wasn't too happy with me since I kept interrupting her bath with the flash, though. Oh well! I'm sure you'll see more shots of Sophie throughout the week (if not here then on my other blog as "left overs" from my chosen daily photo shots).

Bottle Brush in Bloom

Many plants are in bloom in Phoenix these days. I love the colorful displays, though it's often too bright to get good shots for most of the day.

Here is a close up of one of my bottle brush plants in bloom from my front yard.

Desert Garden at PVCC

Today was my last class at Paradise Valley. I think I'm going to miss my Thursdays there, but I'll be glad to have some less hectic Thursday afternoons. Here's a desert garden which I walked through to get to my car.

Best Barbecue Ever!

My mom is in town visiting this week, so we went to our favorite barbecue restaurant: Bobby Q's in Phoenix, Arizona. It was wonderful as usual. If I lived closer, I'd probably need a bailout myself because I'd eat there so often!

My mom and I just happened upon it by chance on one of my preliminary trips to Phoenix to find an apartment before I moved permanently in the summer of 2007. It was the closest restaurant to the hotel, so we tried it. We've been back more times than I can count. Even my dad (who loves barbecue) said recently he needed to come visit because he hadn't had his Bobby Q's fix in a while :-)

If you're ever in Phoenix, be sure to check it out!

My First Scorpion

Today's picture represents a first for me since I have been in Arizona...The first scorpion I've seen. Thank goodness it was dead! My mom is visiting and she found it dead in a box in my garage. I'm just glad my pest control seems to be working (and that it wasn't found inside the house).

Clouds Over the Hills

When I got out of class today, I noticed the shadows of the clouds over the hills in the distance. I took quite a few shots with my point and shoot (the only camera I had with me) of the hills and just the clouds in the sky.

Canal Wildflowers!

Yesterday, I stopped in a strip mall to look at something I plan to shoot later for my daily photo when I noticed all of these beautiful, colorful wildflowers growing in the canal behind it. The light wasn't the best and I already had my shot for the day, so I decided to go back today!

Bo's Funky Stuff

Summer spotted this "antique" store when we were in Glendale at the Chocolate Festival. She had realized by then that I have been looking for businesses with interesting names. I missed it the first time around (we were on the chocolate factory shuttle), and by the time we went back it was too dark. Since I was out that way running an errand today, I stopped to see if I could get a shot of the sign. It was a bit challenging since the tree blocks part of the sign from across the street. I had to take this by standing in an empty parking spot on the street right in front of the store.

Daytime Moon

The moon truly intrigues me. I love the way it looks every time I see it, and I wish I was better at taking photos of it. This is my most successful attempt so far. I can't believe it turned out even this well without a better zoom lens. Of course now I can't help but think what it would look like if I had had a better lens!

Tree at Last Light

Today was my second to last Thursday at Paradise Valley for my professional development course. I got a few good shots once again tonight and had to make a tough decision. I decided on this one because it was the most unexpected. I was all the way back at my car, ready to leave, when I noticed the way the light was hitting the tree right across from my car. The last light from the setting sun completely changed the coloring and the way the tree looked!

Another Church Sunset

Wow, another sunset over the church photo in the same week. I had taken a couple of photos while at work earlier today, but even before the sun set, I knew it was going to be a great one. I rushed home (and put off an errand) just to get some photos!

Museum Piece

Desperation struck once again tonight, and I finally decided on this decorative plate my sister bought me for Christmas one year. She got it at the Brooklyn Museum in New York. The light wasn't great and because the surface is so reflective, it didn't make the best subject, but such is life!

Sunset Over Church

I was really intrigued by the cloud patterns and the way the sky looked this evening when I got home. The sun was a bit bright behind the church, but I was able to get the right angle for the building to block most of it!

Cherie on Canvas

Today was another desperate day. I walked around the house and was still uninspired. I came to my study and saw this canvas on the wall. Cherie was one of my favorite subjects to follow around and photograph when she was still around. I miss her so much! I figured if I can't take a picture of her, I'd take a picture of a picture. I had this canvas made for myself and my family the year we lost her.