Rule of Thirds

Random Abandon

2009-11-15T23:44:00.001-08:00

Total random abandon

I'm checkin up on all you blog rebels

Just pinchin all of you

to see where you are

This post was sparked by a random run-in

with a long-lost acquaintance at Target today

Inspired me to check out Rule of Thirds

and check in on everybody else

(Jumpin' Juniper, J, where art thou?

Wert 'appened 2 all toes fotoes, grrl?)

You can bet this grass

this clover

this whatever-it-is

is still green

May be November, but this is California

Happy Turkey/Tofurky Day, America

(approaching)

See you around

Love,

Laurie

Summer Pick: Urban Nightscapes

2009-07-25T13:36:00.000-07:00

Summer's come, the natives are restless.

Evan, who was home-schooled last year,

has satisfied his high school photography class requirement,

and so, no urgency regarding further proof that he can shoot from

the hip and file the results here on the page.

I am on self-prescribed spiritual retreat (ha-ha!),

putting the tools to work,

peeling the onion, so to speak,

and I think I'll just leave the rest a mystery.

The photos are from a recent batch of nightscapes.

The light streamers in #2 came from a truck with a car in tow,

which I let sail right through the frame.

The tow driver then veered left and sped

through the open gate of a barbed-wire fence just out of frame,

and I prayed that he would not come back and sock me.

(One never knows with involuntary photography subjects.)

Anyway, good summer, all,

and if we don't see you,

and you don't see us,

have a peaceful life.

Best,

Laurie

Photographer's Choice: Departures

2009-07-14T21:26:00.000-07:00

can't remember whether he'd put in the tomatoes yet

but here he's watering something

Evan's dad

my ex-husband

today he's leaving to go on tour with the musicians

he manages on the road

his wife stays behind

her job's to be pregnant and get ready for baby

behind him, more garden

the stones we laid five years past

the cracks lined with dead thyme

done in by his enthusiastic mowing

and - dang - let's do something about that flash going off!

it's broad daylight, for God's sake!

here's his airport taxi camouflaged in Bottlebrush

drat! there's that flash again

'bye, ex. Have a good trip

Rule of Thirds: Summer Protocol

2009-07-12T11:12:00.000-07:00

Rule of Thirds has decided to wing it for Summer.

During July and August, we will be letting our photographers

post non-sequentially and choose their own themes.

Two basic rules still stand:

Please allow 48 hours between posts

and no more than 3 pictures max per post.

Thanks and have fun!

Photographer's Choice: Refrigerator Decor

2009-07-06T20:54:00.001-07:00

Wouldn’t you agree it’s time for
a display of refrigerator decor?
Although the above lines do rhyme
in spite of the professor's opinion that
“You’ll never be taken seriously
as a poet if you rhyme!”
and I truly believe that decorative
baskets are excellent for hiding
clutter if you run out of shopping bags
and the bug that bobs when you open
the frig, hoping there’s something
good to snack on besides peanut
butter is so attractive,
compelling even, don’t you agree?

love,
ama

Photographer's Choice: And Now For Something Completely Different

2009-07-01T23:05:00.000-07:00

One from a stand of tin can hams, Shattuck Avenue, Berkeley

A Klee/Miro/de Saint Phalle splash on a Shattuck studio wall

Sculptor Mark Bullwinkle progeny shaking it on Shattuck at The Dry Garden 'neath a tattered billboard

Happy Summer, Y'all!

New Theme: Photographer's Choice

2009-06-24T20:29:00.000-07:00

Photographers? - you've earned it.

Please post three photographs of your choice, any theme.

The one requirement is that the photos must all be new, created especially for this post.

There need not be a unifying theme between pictures.

Thanks,

Laurie

Expect the Unexpected: Duaflex IV

2009-06-21T23:42:00.000-07:00

I was playing around with my old Duaflex IV, taking pictures of it (because it's no longer able to take pictures, itself).

I started experimenting more with taking pictures with my digital through the lens of the Duaflex. I was surprised with the unexpected: Abstract deliciousness.

*Clicking on the pictures to view the larger size makes them look more vibrant, for some reason*

Expect the Unexpected: Unexpecteds (i think i finally got the spelling right)

2009-06-18T11:12:00.000-07:00

1. the light reflections on the ceiling

2. the black speck on my sock

3. the postcard portrait that came last week that looks like a De Kooning

4. the portrait's title, Diamond Lady

5. artist Thomas PriNgLe's last name

6. what it says on the paper textile on my kitchen wall

Expect the Unexpected!: In the 'Hood

2009-06-15T12:38:00.001-07:00

This Blue Heron poised on highest point of backyard neighbor’s roof waits patiently for me to grab my camera. He probably has a nest in vicinity of nearby Golden Gate Park's Stow Lake.

These grubby animals, including Teddy and Donald Duck, may be relics of the pickup owner’s childhood? Where’s his blanky?

Armadillo Bar-B-Q! Our friend Linda phoned to urge baba and me to get right down to Ft. Mason to see it. The guy who designed and built it and towed it all the way from Amarillo,Texas to San Francisco to cater a party, fed us a sample. Delicious!

I’m endlessly surprised.

love,
ama

NEW THEME: Expect the Unexpected!

2009-06-15T08:31:00.000-07:00

Expect the Unexpected! I don’t know who originated this adage, but years ago I was very taken with it and I put up a Village Voice poster with that slogan, placing it on a wall where one wouldn’t see it, until turning on the stair landing to the next flight of stairs it would suddenly appear.

I like its oxymoron-ish aspect, that one’s expectation includes what one does not expect!
Surprise us!

love,
ama

Long Exposure: Urban Nightscapes

2009-06-12T00:15:00.000-07:00

i am of two minds

one wants to play it safe

so it removes all my credits cards from my wallet

before i go out shooting after dark

leaves the cash

so if i get mugged i'll have something to give the guy

my neighbors walk by while i'm taking pictures

the girls love to talk

but go mute just before they turn down the drive

next to where i'm shooting

this is my process:

extend the tripod legs

screw the camera on top

drop the passenger seat and lay the gadget on it

leave the driver and passenger doors unlocked while shooting

so i can make a quick getaway if trouble starts

likewise, the contraption pops right out of the car

if i'm driving along and spot something good

like a pachyderm perched above a parking lot

.................................................................................

the other mind loves Love

craves truth

gets the first mind to read Fear No Evil by Eva Pierrakos

rests

.................................................................................

dig this wild coincidence:

this morning Evan sent me this link

to an amazing TED lecture

that wraps up this two-mind idea

click here

Night: Two If By Night

2009-06-09T23:42:00.001-07:00

The Italian artist Giorgio Morandi painted minimalist elongated bottles in muted colors. And that’s how my neighbor’s lit bathroom window with its assortment of silhouetted bottles appeared to me, like a local Morandi.

I didn't use a long exposure, unfamiliar with my little camera's capabilities, and the flash kicked in, actually adding to the mystery of the images.

Shooting my own closed window reflected back two abstract shapes, nicely spectral. And where did that rich blue shape come from? It all just happened.

Love,
ama

Long Exposure: City Lights Reflected

2009-06-07T23:13:00.000-07:00

It was interesting playing around with long exposure... and hard.

I probably should have read my camera's manual before I ventured out into the Berkeley Marina at 9:30, my frozen fingers fumbling with the camera's settings and various knobs and buttons.

But I think it was an overall success, especially because these landscapes the camera was capturing were pitch–black as I looked up, over my camera's lens. But after 30 seconds of the open shutter, What's this? (Semi) well–lit pictures appeared on the screen!

NEW THEME: Long Exposure

2009-06-06T09:49:00.000-07:00

Light up the dark with a long exposure.

The picture doesn't need to be perfect ... Just play around with it. Experiment.

Industrial Snapshots: Color + Black and White

2009-06-02T11:21:00.000-07:00

It goes against all my instincts to pair these pictures together. The blazing and eye–catching color extremes of the rusty wheel contrasted with the black and white cement.

Together, they reach across the spectrum.

Industrial Snapshots: Ready Mix

2009-05-31T16:26:00.000-07:00

San Francisco Ready Mix, Illinois & Mariposa. That’s where Baba and I ended up, near Third Street, trying to find some remnant of local heavy industry that hadn’t migrated, outsourced, gone belly-up, rusted. No more American Can, Bethlehem Steel. Buildings turned into condos, lofts.

So I settled for San Francisco Ready-Mix, on a Sunday, not working, fenced-in, deserted, nothing, but nothing, happening.

love,
ama

Industrial Snapshots: Postcards from Industrial City, Emeryville, USA

2009-05-26T22:58:00.000-07:00

i am blank tonight

maybe i should let the-little-city-that-could

speak for itself

there was a woman in a little red car in this tiny alley who looked at me funny through her rearview mirror

afterwards, I fantasized about returning with a snapshot postcard to leave in her mailbox so she could see I was making art, not casing houses on the street, scoping out marks for later

"look at this!" i'd say. "isn't it beautiful?!"

i imagined residents stepping outside to retrieve their mail

and finding postcards of the charming views they see everyday from their stoops across the street

emeryville, california

i like you a lot

:) laurie

NEW THEME: Industrial Snapshots

2009-05-26T21:17:00.000-07:00

Some Industrial-strength photos, please.

Beginning with this post, two new rules apply:

1. Each blogger must wait at least 48 hours between posts.

2. There is no waiting period for the first post following the posting of a new theme.

Thanks,

Laurie

B: Stands For...

2009-05-24T09:44:00.001-07:00

I didn't really have anything specific in mind to shoot,

so I just wandered around the house.

It's time to learn your ABCs ... or maybe just your BBBs.

Broccoli

Bottle Brush

And, well, Bee

B: Artful Birds

2009-05-18T15:56:00.001-07:00

Bird Art: Entrancing depictions, universally appealing.
Symbolic of grace, speed, lightness.
Music.
Transient creatures immortalized by artists everywhere.
Bird Art: Laurie’s papier mache bird eternally in flight.
Bird Art: Painted clay from Mexico, painted paper from India.
Beauty in my museum.

love,
ama

B: Is For Bike

2009-05-17T19:11:00.000-07:00

Mornings, I ride down to the Berkeley Marina before Evan wakes up. There's zero storage in the apartment, so I keep my bike next to my bed and try not to thonk the wall between bedrooms while carrying out the bike. This is one of those pictures I love to take of Emeryville, California - the tiny city that is kind to cameras.

There's a rough trail that bisects the nature preserve at the Marina. In rainy weather the path floods and I'll be forced to use the paved road and dodge traffic and broken glass.

A few mornings ago there was a falcon, a blackbird, and a crow perched on lampposts above the road. The crow and the blackbird were none too pleased at the appearance of the falcon. The little blackbird stationed itself at the end of the kestrel's post, and over and over again dove and snapped at the predator's tail while the crow harangued him from its perch some distance away. I biked on, rounded the spit, and when I returned, the falcon was alone, the blackbird had flown, and the crow was on the ground pestering a hiker for food.

Here's the 880 overpass. I've left the Marina behind. Sometimes I'll dismount, park my bike, frame a shot, and stand and wait for the rest of the elements to drive into it...what I do for excitement.

Ama, I don't know what happened to "A",

but one thing I do know -

"B" is for "bike".

Love,

Laurie

NEW THEME: B

2009-05-17T10:05:00.000-07:00

Is this EZ or what? Photograph and write about anything with B. It can begin with B, it can have the letter B in it! Bad is Burgeoningly Beautiful! Bottles Babble! The Be-All East Bay!

love,
ama

Treasure Hunt: Alameda Ghost Town

2009-05-16T21:34:00.000-07:00

Today we drove down to the old

Alameda Military Base on San Francisco Bay.

The base was abandoned by the navy a decade ago,

left to rust and crumble.

Insidious weeds, long jagged cracks in the pavement,

broken windows.

You feel as if you're being watched.

Out of place: A de-commissioned bomber on a concrete pillar guards the base.

Red (and orange): A brake light on an abandoned truck in the middle of a concrete lot.

Broken: A warped and rusted car on risers with no wheels.

Treasure Hunt: Voila!

2009-05-11T21:46:00.001-07:00

My husband is just returned from ER, angiogram, stents, and I’m sticking close to home while he recovers from his coronary ordeal, not a heart attack, but close. So instead of going on a photo shoot, I’m foraging through pictures I’ve already taken to see what, if anything, fits this theme...something out of place, something broken, something red...

Voila! As they say, an embarrassment of riches. Why, I wonder, do they say that? Is it embarrassing to succeed, is success embarrassing? Can one succeed too well?

love,
ama

Treasure Hunt: San Francisco Secrets

2009-05-10T00:05:00.000-07:00

Something out of place

Graffiti tags and stickers lining a Post Street stop sign

Downtown San Francisco

Something broken

Rusted marquee, Ruby Skye nightclub

Downtown San Francisco

Something red

Phormium and City Hall

San Francisco Civic Center

this morning I took the train into the city

on my way to a new meet-up on "cathedral hill".

my old stomping grounds, it felt good to be pounding

hometown streets again.

i'd brought the easyshare and everytime I took a shot

people squinted to see what in heck I was aiming at.

no landmarks, just beauty in the rough.

beauty, beauty, beauty, beauty.

laurie

NEW THEME: Treasure Hunt

2009-05-09T21:51:00.000-07:00

~Hunt for three pictures~

Something out of place

Something broken

Something red

At least one photograph must be taken beyond your neighborhood.

Explore.

Advertise!: Not–So–Subliminal

2009-05-07T16:19:00.001-07:00

We have learned to just ignore the constant stream of "Buy This!" that bombards us on a daily basis. While looking around the house, trying to decide what to do for this post, I realized that there were millions of possibilities. Everywhere I looked, ads jumped out at me.

Now, they're art.

Advertise!: Labels

2009-05-04T11:37:00.000-07:00

Iceland Skating Rink

Berkeley, California

Emerybay 10 Cinema

Emeryville, California

Emeryville Amtrak Train Station

Emeryville, California

I've been an on again-off again fan of Eckhart Tolle (author of The Power of Now and A New Earth). I just went out and bought his second book, Stillness Speaks, and now I'm on for life. I am aware that going to a guy to have him tell you about what you need to do to be love, be joy, be Being, is a contradiction. Getting enlightened by someone other than myself makes me feel less than angelic, but one must start somewhere. Thus, I searched the Web to see what Tolle had on labeling, looking for a quote for this post. In A New Earth, Tolle defines labeling as the mind's learned habit of naming things as a means of positioning the "I" at the center of its universe, impeding the stillness required to experience Being. Tolle suggests we watch the labeling.

While searching Tolle, I found a plethora of articles, interviews, and criticism on this New Age spiritual teacher. Tolle's perceptions do not fit the traditional Christian mold and some find his process offensive. What's great is it doesn't matter. Nothing seems to stay the same and one can resist only for so long before the tide pulls you somewhere and things change.

March 2008 journal entry, before the tide changed:

"I wonder, why create more for monkey mind to do by giving it the task of not labeling things? My mind leaves a house to step onto a street to face miles of things not to label. It's a lot of stuff."

Laurie

Advertise!: Call Now!

2009-05-03T16:23:00.001-07:00

“Advertising may be described as the science of arresting human intelligence long enough to get money from it.” This quote by Stephen Leacock, Canadian humorist, 1869-1944, seems just as true today as when Leacock wrote this in 1924.

And how about all those endless TV ads, more ads than the movie or the news, commercials always interrupting at the very moment you are waiting to see what’s gonna happen next!

Here’s a list of America’s needs, according to the ads: 1. Weight loss. 2. A brand-new car. 3. Relief from insomnia.

4. Finding the perfect love(er). 5. Relief from erectile dysfunction. 6. Food. 7. Relief from indigestion. 8. Weight loss.

love,
ama

NEW THEME: Advertise!

2009-05-03T14:35:00.000-07:00

Bloggers, please present a marketing scheme: Advertise!

Thanks,

Laurie

Gadgets: Cool, but...

2009-05-03T12:52:00.000-07:00

We are surrounded by various gadgets always, everywhere. They either make our lives easier or just preoccupy us for a while. Sometimes I feel emotionaly connected to these machines. I just have to remember that what's most important, you can't buy...

My Phone

My Gameboy Game

My Gameboy

(Haven't played in a year.... I miss that little time waster)

Gadgets: Learning Aid

2009-05-02T12:07:00.001-07:00

i use the computer to connect with learning resources

i journal with spirit in a desktop file and

source channeled material and less frequently

YouTube videos of people like new age spirituality mentor,

eckhart tolle, above, and vampire weekend (see their

video, oxford comma, an all-in-one-shot-miracle along

the lines of that unbelievable brits-on-the-beach

panorama from the film atonement)

the computer is useful but has its limitations

sometimes i'll get on the computer and feel like

it's dead, nothing's coming in

then something'll go "bingo!" and i'll figure out i

need to tap new territory or revisit

something i thought was done

laurie

Gadgets: Irresistible!

2009-04-30T19:09:00.001-07:00

Our house was built in 1910. We moved here in November 1959, almost fifty years ago. And still attached to the kitchen wall was an old-fashioned bottle/jar opener. It is more than fifty years old, maybe as old as the house, close to 100 years old. I use it all the time. I pull the spring back with the little black knob, insert the top of the jar, push the spring back with the knob for the jaws to clench the top. When it’s firmly gripped, turn the jar, now see the top loosen. It’s my favorite gadget.

Some of the others: the chicken timer, the Japanese goma toaster, sesame seed shaken over the flame till golden, the garlic press I bought when I was first married, some fifty-seven years ago, in a hardware store on Polk Street, and a wedge-shaped but efficient Wilton ice cream scoop, red rubber-like grip, streamlined silver head, the latest gadget I couldn’t resist. Oh, lovely gadgets!

love,
ama

NEW THEME: Gadgets

2009-04-27T12:49:00.000-07:00

Dear Fellow Bloggers,
I chose Gadgets as our new theme because—true confession—I love ‘em! Especially
kitchen gadgets. Many times I have declared (to myself) that I will not buy any more gadgets.
I reply (to myself): But they are so useful, so ingenious, so enjoyable!
I try to resist but I cannot!
Don’t get me wrong, some old-timers are wonderful too.
So, what are your thoughts? Tell all!
love,
ama

Mathematics: Quotes

2009-04-25T18:24:00.001-07:00

Do not worry about your difficulties in mathematics,

I assure you that mine are greater.

-Albert Einstein

Whatever we Greeks receive we improve and perfect.

-Plato (On math)

There is nothing strange in the circle

being the origin of any and every marvel.

-Aristotle

Arithmetic is being able to count up to twenty

without taking off your shoes.

-Mickey Mouse

Mathematics: Oh, the A-gon-y of Geometry

2009-04-24T18:30:00.000-07:00

Evan and I agreed that somebody ought to come up with some REAL math so I was given a second chance to redeem myself after flaking with my emo math post From Abstract to Real.

Above is my double-header - a Scrabble game score pad, one of the few places I practice addition these days. That square doodle on the right was actually made by a rubber stamp Evan's dad commissioned for him after Ev came up with the symbol. The mark not only incorporates the letters in Evan's name, E, V, A, and N, but fortunately for me also utilizes 2 triangles and 2 trapezoid polygons.

Math practice:

To determine play-by-play scores for each Scrabble player, subtract each number on the list from the one following.

Above is Evan's hanging wall art overlaid with a paper towel I snuck in there. The towel is pierced with octagons, diamonds, squares, and triangles. The nearby circles and rectangles are provided by the tin man.

Thank you.

Laurie

Mathematics: Of Time

2009-04-22T21:47:00.000-07:00

Time maths on.
Seconds, minutes, hours, years.

A bona fide fossil.
Stainless band, second hand, 5:07.

A bona fide fossil.
Look at them wrinkles!

Set the time.
Set the timer.

Digital don’t tick!
Start/Stop. Bing!

Mathematics: From Abstract to Real

2009-04-21T12:12:00.000-07:00

as a child i was bad at math

couldn't do math to save my soul

always had to ask for help and even then rarely got math

in seventh grade my mother wrote my math teacher, mr. georgy,

to ask him to stop tsk-ing me

when handing back quizzes and homework

my confusion was not criminal

now i can sort things out

because i'm dealing with

home improvement and

supermarket purchases instead of

cryptic numbers on paper

when i started work in HMO finance

my boss called me into his office to get acquainted

and revealed that there are actually

people living in the world today

who don't know what numbers are

i said nothing

just wondered if he'd forgotten that i was a temp

and that having a facility for numbers

barely figures into the equation

when filling a temp position

with the third hire in as many months

is it cheating to ask the Divine for help with math?

"setting aside that thing re

the growing pains in my friendship with S--

what, Spirit, is math?"

math is all the sorry's you feel when it is time for friends to go

math is the desires of the heart towards

something unmistakable and mysterious

math is knowing why you want such a thing

and why you have outgrown others

math is the tweedling sounds birds make

beyond your fractured window of mind

math is your great protest

math is your peace when protest is done

math seeks not the words of God, but opens the door to Him

math is truth

math is fiddlesticks

math is who you are and

where you travel on the winding path to Peace

be well, dear one

be in math,

in truth

laurie

NEW THEME: Mathematics

2009-04-20T22:58:00.000-07:00

We are continuously surrounded by real–life demonstrations of mathematical forms. Concepts of math appear in architecture, nature, art, and everything else everywhere. Ratios, mathematical sequences, and geometric design make up the world; spanning from the symmetrical and unique snowflake, to the rhythmic ticking of a clock.

See if you can uncover math in the world around you.

Turn chaos into calculus...

Warmth: Past, Passed, Present

2009-04-19T14:37:00.000-07:00

Five handmade afghans, gifts from five beloved people who have died, the warmth of treasured family and friends remembered. My mother’s based on the Mondrian paintings she was fascinated by, a gift for my husband. My great-grandmother Oma’s, like a coat of many colors, knit from leftover scraps of wool, edged with black crochet. My dear friend Bunny’s, with long stripes of colors she selected just for me. Our daughter Sydney’s, dramatic green, black, red, a charming openwork pattern. A narrow pink throw from Hazel Davis, who introduced my husband to his birth-mother in Kansas years ago and asked if she could be his mother, too.

Warm cherished memories.

love,
ama

Warmth: Many Matching Matches

2009-04-19T00:29:00.000-07:00

The warm glow of a match is a precious thing.

Wonder, to me, it has and will always bring.

Too windy, too wet,

it won't light at all.

A precious burning ruby,

me it does enthrall.

Warmth: Home

2009-04-16T17:19:00.001-07:00

filling in the blanks,

after my divorce

I moved six blocks away

from the house I had jointly owned

with evan's dad for twelve years

my apartment's in the mango-colored building

at the end of the drive on the right

my son, evan

i love this view of our neighbor's cottage

looking toward the berkeley hills

moving was scary

I had no idea what to expect

from single life

now, new + home = warmth

laurie

NEW THEME: Warmth

2009-04-15T21:13:00.000-07:00

Please interpret "Warmth".

Laurie

Artistry: Adorning the Home

2009-04-14T14:26:00.000-07:00

Here are some of the textiles adorning our home that I appreciate anew each day. An embroidered crewel-work pillow from India. The square of lace covering our front door glass that Laurie brought us from a London flea market. The quilt Stephanie made for our anniversary, its subtle colors making each square uniquely beautiful. Just a sampling of the riches that adorn our home, giving me such pleasure.

love,
ama

Artistry: Surrounded by Art

2009-04-13T21:34:00.001-07:00

I have had an art–filled week.

I decorated Easter eggs with family...

... discovered things that had been forgotten

(like this assemblage clock)...

... and bought some interesting hand–made figures,

each one is as big as your thumb nail.

I also remembered my old technique of using a flashlight for dramatic lighting.

Overall, it has been a great Spring Break.

Artistry: Learning To Be Love

2009-04-05T10:07:00.000-07:00

(The following is a message from Spirit through myself, a channel. The message concerns the celestial concept of the world as classroom. The classroom offers learning experiences that help us change our perception of such concepts as "separate" and "good" and "bad". Eventually, we awaken and learn that the world is illusion, as the Buddha taught long ago. Over time, through many earth incarnations and experiences, we are again and again offered opportunities to rise above "duality"--the belief in opposites--and remember that we are all really spirit and One in God. -Laurie)

Dear Spirit,

Do you have any desire to define "artistry" for the photo blog?

Good Morning, Dear One.

I come to you this morning to engage in the art of peaceful change: seeking right knowledge whereby one must reach the stream of greatest Love that bids you welcome and holds forth the lovely key to your authentic freedom and peace. This, then, is true artistry: the choice of such peace that transcends the blighted skies that seek not peace, but their own dented quest for sovereignty. These ideas, as you know, dear one, are temporal. They are justly combined only for a specific time that each dear soul may enter into true peace in its very own way. This transition goes by the name of "learning", which each soul undertakes for its true expansion into Love. From the temporal, as you would put it, to the Divine. Which - make no mistake - all of you now are. The temporal is the carefree laboratory for such timely transitions from perceived freedoms into Gold. The world will not last, but your kindly Lord, God, will. Have no fear, then, of your golden inheritance, your true selves, God. Your origin is golden, your Source, God. Your true and fundamental Artistry Supreme.

Thank you.

NEW THEME: Artistry

2009-04-04T21:57:00.000-07:00

Artistry expressed in so many ways: paper clips, pens, rubber bands stored attractively for instant access; refrigerator magnets grouped to catch the eye; shoes, tee-shirts, socks arrayed in neat piles. Cooking, of course: eggs scrambled just right, not runny, not hard; the inviting selection of carrot sticks, radishes, broccoli florets for the party dip. And the random artistry of nature: the bright yellow blooms of oxalis decorating yards, fields not yet turned into supermarkets, car dealerships, housing tracts; the wild blackberry bushes.

love,
ama

Most Treasured: Evan's Recovery

2009-04-04T17:13:00.001-07:00

I can’t begin to count my treasures, all the things I love: my family, friends, home, things I’ve collected. Right now, I’d say my biggest treasure is my grandson Evan’s recovery from a bad arthritis. Although recovery is very intangible to photograph, isn’t it?

Another treasure is our spring garden. Beautiful Pacific Coast iris hybrids, Labrador violets, ferns. I’ve shown you the garden more than once, haven’t I? So please bear with me as I picture it again!

love,
ama

Most Treasured: My Meds

2009-04-03T19:32:00.000-07:00

I was considering choosing my journal as my most treasured possession; my laptop; the gold chain my best friend gave me. But my most important and treasured material possessions are the pills I have been taking.

They (along with physical therapy) are my path to getting better, my way out.

Most Treasured: Truth

2009-04-02T09:30:00.000-07:00

"You hear me repeat the word that has brought so many hearts together in Love and Peace. Truth. Truth. Would that the sky you entrust with your thoughts and aims ring with the sound of that word. Would that all would be inclined to peer up into the Light that made the chimes that sound that word. Truth. This, then, is what you stand for. What you love and seek. The truth."

-Spirit, March 30, 2009

NEW THEME: Most Treasured

2009-03-31T21:30:00.000-07:00

For the new theme, take a photo of your most treasured thing(s).

What's most important to you?

Down Under: The Burner

2009-03-28T21:44:00.000-07:00

An oily, amber crust collects

under the grates

where it burns.

Down Under: Unveiling

2009-03-27T16:54:00.000-07:00

Swathed in blinding green plastic tied down with twine in grommets to withstand the winds and rains of California winter, not much of either this year, probably due to global warming, the garden furniture is unwrapped, unveiled today. A glimpse of chair and table legs, their shadows falling across the concrete umbrella stand and flagstone. A view from down under(neath)!
love,
ama

Down Under: Beyond The Fringe

2009-03-26T19:02:00.000-07:00

the california hotel

viewed from under the 580 overpass

san pablo ave

oakland, california

looking up san pablo ave

from under a bottlebrush tree

oakland, california

laurie

NEW THEME: Down Under

2009-03-26T11:49:00.000-07:00

flip over that rock

scan through leaves

peer through that mop

look beyond that overhang

show

what

you

see

laurie

Spring Is Busting Out!: Smelling the Sunshine

2009-03-24T14:51:00.000-07:00

Feel the warmth of the sun on your skin,

a kiss on your cheek;

the breeze blowing through your hair.

Take a deep breath.

Smell the soft sweet blossoms,

the grass sprouting up through the earth.

Spring has arrived...

Spring Is Busting Out!: All Over!

2009-03-24T10:15:00.000-07:00

And in my garden Spring blooms. Tiny violets, wild trillium, yellow and white sparaxis, the ornamental crabapple, quince bushes. Even the Japanese maples put out little red flower puffs, ferns unfurl their new fronds. Mornings I walk into that exhilarating display, the swelling buds, almost-open flowers, brilliant new leaves.
love,
ama

Spring Is Busting Out!: What The Camera Saw

2009-03-23T18:14:00.003-07:00

mystery box

emeryville, ca

new zealand flax

berkeley, ca

these are

what the camera

picked up

for spring

laurie

NEW THEME: Spring Is Busting Out!

2009-03-23T11:45:00.000-07:00

And our new theme is: Spring Is Busting Out!
love,
ama

Game On: Portraits of Old Things

2009-03-23T11:07:00.001-07:00

The dominoes were my mother’s. Precious objects, austere in their
black-and-whiteness. Maybe 100 years old. My inheritance.
The Chinese checkers from my daughters’ childhood. Maybe 50 years old.
I admit it, I save almost everything!
You never know when something will come in handy, right?
love,
ama

Game On: Life Seen Through the Eyes of the Joker

2009-03-22T21:46:00.000-07:00

We are all just pawns in the game of life.

Sometimes we win, and sometimes we lose,

but we are always able to pick ourselves up

and play another round.

When GAME OVER finally comes, we know we have played our best and the game was good while it lasted.

Plus, there's always time tomorrow for a rematch...

Game On: Stop. Smog Test. Where Is Your Family?

2009-03-21T12:17:00.000-07:00

When my son announced the new blog theme--Game On--I assumed that this was a post that would require a light touch. I'd just been out shooting groovy urban landscapes and was all pumped about that and in no mood to stalk playgrounds and the like to capture pictures of toys or kids at play.

Last night, I was kind of guilting myself for having missed two check-ins (?) with the Spirit I channel--daily dialoging being a recommended part of spiritual practice. When I opened the file I discovered that the last entry had Spirit comparing life on earth to a game. Big coincidence, considering the new blog theme. Spirit's offering was triggered by a transatlantic telephone call my ex-husband made to our son a couple days ago. During that call, my son spoke to his father, then to his English Grandparents, as they are called (one's actually a Yank), and then to his father again. Then they hung up. It felt weird for my ex to call all the way from England and ring off without saying hi. After all, we've known one another 20 years. I didn't especially need to speak with my ex. Still, it felt strange.

I brought my confusion to Spirit--He of the big picture--and this is what He said:

Dear one, you are right where you want to be, where you need to be. It is no longer necessary for you to be cruising around, tracking down people to love and to have relationships with. You would only find yourself right back in the soup you toppled into before. You would still feel just as unsatisfied with those relationships as you were at first. Is this what you would again desire? Is this--the thing you already pursued and relinquished--what you would again want? This puzzle? This game? Do not return to the past and hope that something new will come of the games you once played that you believed would mend and satisfy. Do not return to the past. Keep moving, and you will return to your actual home in peace.

This is what I want

no games

only truth

peace

Laurie

NEW THEME: Game On

2009-03-20T20:30:00.000-07:00

Take a picture of a game.

(Open to interpretation)

It's time to play...

Old Vs. New: Reflected in the Blue

2009-03-20T19:47:00.001-07:00

Exploring the Emeryville industrial area, I found an old red brick building reflected in the new glossy blue windows of the Bayer Protocol Data Unit Building.

(Click the pic to make it bigger)

It was so surreal – low tech next to high tech, the old literally mirrored in the new...

Old Vs. New: Oaktown Versus Oakland

2009-03-16T13:27:00.000-07:00

"There is no there there," Gertrude Stein wrote

of the West Coast city of Oakland, California.

Oakland's been jacking up the heat ever since.

Locals still call it Oaktown,

and, unlike other fast-track metropolitan cities,

Oakland city planners have a respectful regard for

Oaktown architectural antiquities,

demonstrated by the fresh proliferation

of mirrored monoliths cropping up

next to renovated Victorians

and revamped Deco entertainment palaces.

A year ago, I walked into Bibliomania Books

looking for a used copy of Elizabeth Gilbert's Eat, Pray, Love.

Turned out Eat, Pray, Love used wasn't "used" enough.

In Bibliomania, used means vintage. Old.

I guessed the proprietors were probably tired

of people wandering in looking for last year's

New York Times bestsellers in a vintage bookstore.

I tucked my tail between my legs

and beat it.

Oakland's Fox Theatre has just reopened

after 2 years of extensive renovations.

It shares space with the new

Oakland School for the Arts.

The Mission Revival Style complex

is large-format camera material,

too grand for my little Kodak Easyshare.

Laurie

Old Vs. New: Toddle Vs. Totter!

2009-03-14T14:37:00.001-07:00

And here we are, enjoying each other. One toddles. The old ones totter. We’re symbiotic. We need each other! Me, hubby Chuck, baby Truman. Not our grandchild, just borrowed for a minute.
love,
ama

NEW THEME: Old Vs. New

2009-03-14T12:42:00.000-07:00

You are to interpret Old Versus New

One condition applies:

The old must be captured with the new,

both must appear in the same frame.

Good luck, Photogs!

Laurie

Urban Landscape: Pieces

2009-03-13T21:14:00.000-07:00

The urban landscape is composed of many parts
that coalesce.
Fracture.
Its beauty held in the camera’s lens.
The eye of the beholder.

love,
ama

Urban Landscape: Emeryville, California

2009-03-13T19:42:00.000-07:00

The fog didn't burn off until late this morning

I'd promised I'd be home by 9

but was waylaid by the vision of a makeshift church (not pictured)

and a discarded cigarette box I saw in the street on

my way back to the car after shooting the church

When I got home, Evan was just waking up

or maybe I woke him up when I opened the door to his room at 10:10

Emeryville, California, I like you a lot

Laurie

Urban Landscape: Oh, Picnik, What Would I Do Without You?

2009-03-11T22:35:00.000-07:00

This just further proves my love for Picnik.com

Every picture deserves to be Picnik'd.

We drove around in the car all afternoon, just taking pictures. It was really nice to get out of the house and get some fresh air.

Fresh air > Stale musty house air

I love capturing the old rundown industrial areas.

It reminds me that beauty can be found anywhere...

NEW THEME: Urban Landscape

2009-03-11T20:12:00.000-07:00

Let's capture the beautiful city we take for granted

every

single

day...

Escape!: Into the Nursery

2009-03-09T15:08:00.000-07:00

An hour on the parking meter. Hardly enough time for my escape. To lose myself among the blooming helleborus, the deer fern, the little four-inch thymus to plant between the flagstones. The festuca glauca, shining blue-green mini-grasses; the pink-white cherry blooms, the cyclamen, white, red, pink, their heart-shaped marbled leaves. I am an escapee to the bloom, the leafing-out of spring. I dare you to find me!
love,
ama

Escape!: They're Like Two Thugs in a Pod

2009-03-07T16:07:00.001-08:00

"I gotta break outta dis joint! Who's wit me?"

"We is, Frankie!"

"Right, boys, lets do dis!"

"We's almost dare, Frankie! One last push ta freedom!"

"We did it, boys. We's finally free! I thought we's was gonna be sleepin' wit tha fishes!"

Escape!: ANTM

2009-03-06T21:39:00.003-08:00

When I want escape I flip the TV on

for a hit of America's Next Top Model.

I'm a discriminate ANTM watcher.

I record so I can fast-forward over

the messy stuff - the squabbles.

"Mama" Tyra, Jay Alexander, Miss J -

they're family.

Laurie

NEW THEME: Escape!

2009-03-06T07:41:00.000-08:00

Escape! Let your imagination and your camera roam, unfettered!
love,
ama

Rule of Thirds: The Downtown Sweep

2009-03-04T21:45:00.000-08:00

Today was my last day at my job. Sort of. My manager, who is always swamped, has been ditching me for weeks, trying to avoid saying good-bye. I walked the urban sweep at noon and shot photos till the charge ran out. The view above was taken from Snow Park, a small stretch of green directly across the street from work.
The Winnebago turned up at the foot of the park. That's corporate headquarters in the background. The company is installed in five buildings in the area. I call the one I work in "The Palace". I got lost on my floor once. Left the elevator and thought I'd arrived in an alternate universe. A team mate took me back out into the lobby and showed me some landmarks to look out for so I wouldn't get stumped again. Gave me all his little tricks for staying on track. The tour worked. I never got lost again.

Thanks,

Laurie

Rule of Thirds: Ok, So Not Really...

2009-03-04T18:24:00.001-08:00

My feeble attempts at following the rule of thirds:

I just kept straying from what I was supposed to do... I mean, I guess you could call this thirds... It's ironic that I'm having so much trouble following the rule that we named the blog after.

Hmm. With the new theme will come new inspiration...

Rule of Thirds: Rule of Thumb

2009-03-04T07:33:00.000-08:00

“Rule of thumb: A rough measure or guide. The part of the thumb from the knuckle
to the end is approximately one inch and has often served as a measure
when a more precise one was not at hand.”
From The Dictionary of Cliches

Rules are made to be broken. Stick to the rules. Rule of thumb.
Cliches are what we live by.
Or not.

Love,
ama

NEW THEME, 100th Post: Rule of Thirds

2009-02-28T18:37:00.000-08:00

Your assignment for Rule of Thirds' 100th post is to create an image or images using the rule of thirds as your guide.

The rule of thirds as defined by the Wikipedia free online dictionary:

"The rule of thirds is a compositional rule of thumb in visual arts such as painting, photography and design.

The rule states that an image should be imagined as divided into nine parts by two equally-spaced horizontal lines and two equally-spaced vertical lines, and that important compositional elements should be placed along these lines or their intersections.

Proponents of the technique claim that aligning a subject with these points creates more tension, energy and interest in the composition that simply centering the subject would."

Good luck, Photogs!

~Laurie

(From Wikipedia user Moondigger, August 1999)

Macro: Kodak Six-20

2009-02-28T11:46:00.000-08:00

It was love at first sight when Ama brought this, along with two other beautiful folder cameras from over 70 years ago. I was amazed when I saw that they all still work. Yesterday when I was looking around to find a good subject for my macro picture, my eyes fell on this beautiful face; her luminescent eye starring back at me. I couldn't resist!

Macro: Bromeliads

2009-02-28T10:18:00.001-08:00

Can’t beat nature for closeups. Outside a slight breeze blurs flower closeups. Indoors, no breeze, so I close in close up on my fascinating bromeliads. Trying to practice macro. Sometimes blurred, sometimes sharp focus. Tricky sometimes!

love,
ama

Macro: Not Quite Macro

2009-02-26T20:15:00.000-08:00

evan and larry looking over the menu at p.f. chang's.

i've always thought that ev's hands are beautiful

so is a menu when you're hungry

~laurie

NEW THEME: Macro

2009-02-26T00:29:00.000-08:00

It's time to focus in, to examine the things that usually go unnoticed.

Let's zoom in and get up-close and personal with our subjects, discover the hidden beauty all around us.

What I Forgot... To Post

2009-02-25T00:28:00.000-08:00

Lately I've been having trouble remembering to post... Well, remembering to take the photos for the post. I know this is a really bad segue from the theme (the segue being that I forget to post a lot, and this is a post right now, and this is what's in this post. Basically, this post has nothing to do with forgetfulness). Ug. Whatever.

Soooooo, moving on. Someone recently pointed me in the direction of the online photo editor, Picnik.com

(Thanks Caroline, Miz Unnecessary J!)

...And I've just been exploring the wonders of the site. There are so many cool things you can do to your pics. Usually I stay away from enhancing my pictures digitally, but on Picnik, it's so fun and easy...

Before

After

Isn't it amazing? It really makes my picture POP.

What I Forgot... Rediscovered

2009-02-24T20:15:00.000-08:00

Three Japanese toys. I lost the fish. Looked and looked for it. Finally found it, welcomed it back like a dear friend!
My two cousins and I at our backyard tea party, an old photo I couldn't find for years, unearthed from an unmarked envelope, framed and hung in the dining room, where I enjoy it as I walk by.
This old Kodak, one of three cameras my friend’s father had owned in the 1930s, buried among my memorabilia until now, when I excavated all three to give to my grandson.
Two postcards of Belgian statues my late daughter Sydney gave me. I found them in a shoe box of photos and cards. Set on my poetry bookshelf so I won’t lose them ever again.
Love,
ama

What I Forgot... A Place Where The Sea Remembers

2009-02-22T18:54:00.000-08:00

what I forgot

was to pick up a copy of Sandra Benitez's

A Place Where the Sea Remembers

which Evan needs for his English reading assignment

today I went to the public library

but there was no parking

so I went to Barnes and Noble at El Cerrito Plaza

and bought it there

and a dazzling bright red 3-D apple puzzle

because Evan loves puzzles

-laurie

NEW THEME: What I Forgot...

2009-02-21T18:44:00.000-08:00

What I forgot...Until now? To defrost the chicken? Brush my teeth? Water the tillandsia? Thank Ruth for the ride? Pick up the laundry? The existential question? It’s all yours, dear bloggers!

love,
ama

Through the Viewfinder: Ttv Variations

2009-02-19T13:37:00.000-08:00

So I found an old disposable-ish camera that gave a nice green tint and boxy effect when I took a picture through the view finder....

...And then I strayed from the main theme and started taking pictures of my friend, Isa, through a peach colored bead. Ok, so it's not quite a viewfinder, but it's glass and it alters the picture...

Hehe I love it!

Through the Viewfinder: See Where I Don't Live

2009-02-18T20:10:00.000-08:00

Grab your camera. Pick a neighborhood. Any neighborhood. Doesn't have to be yours. Look through the viewfinder. Frame it. Take it. Through the camera’s lens you will own it. For a while.

Love,
ama

Through the Viewfinder: Secret Garden

2009-02-16T22:58:00.000-08:00

i found a secret garden inside a camera

it waited while i held my breath

we chased the rain away

love,

laurie

NEW THEME: Through the Viewfinder

2009-02-16T22:39:00.000-08:00

shoot through a viewfinder

locate a old mothballed camera, place your contemporary camera's digital lens flush against the back of the latter's tiny viewfinder and shoot

surprise us.

love,

laurie

Rain: My Precipitation Proclamation

2009-02-16T18:23:00.001-08:00

I absolutely love the rain. The smell, the sound, the sight of it all makes me immensely happy. Today I was a little nervous when I woke up to find that the storm had passed. I considered just faking it with a hose and a shower nozzle, but lucky, a second storm blew in...

Rain: Saturday, Chance of Rain

2009-02-16T09:52:00.000-08:00

Some people follow the horses, the horoscopes. I follow precipitation. Wha-oh! Only 50% of normal to date, season to date, last year to date. Drought. Rationing. Creeks, lakes, oceans vanishing. Where’s the damn rain? Not mist, drizzle. Not those little flurries, teaser showers.
R-A-I-N!

Love,
ama

Rain: If You Love Rain...

2009-02-15T18:49:00.001-08:00

know what?

if you love rain

and don't have a lover

you can always just love rain

love,

laurie

NEW THEME: Rain

2009-02-15T15:48:00.000-08:00

Oh the weather outside is frightful,

But the fire is so delightful,

And since we've no place to go,

Let It Rain! Let It Rain! Let It Rain!

Well It's raining in the San Francisco / Bay Area and

I think we should take advantage of such nice weather

by capturing it on film!

Good luck and stay warm.

Be My Valentine: In All Their Infinite Variety

2009-02-14T16:50:00.000-08:00

These are my hearts: , A white ceramic glovemaker’s form, garage sale heart suspended from it, lying on a heart-shaped rock in our garden, Laurie’s beautiful card, Annemette’s woven-paper heart, a Mexican one, the homemade handstitched one, the pierced silver heart from Sydney, the hand-painted china heart I bought with my allowance for my mother when I was eight. All these and so much more, in all their beauty, stored forever in my heart.

Love,
ama

Be My Valentine: Love = Candy?

2009-02-14T13:53:00.001-08:00

This might have been my favorite photo shoot for this blog. Between each picture I slipped a few of the photo subjects into my mouth. Even now, I'm running on a sugar high.

When Valentine's Day comes around each year, I try to stay true to what "love" really means. It's not about how many valentine cards you give and receive or the kinds of candy you get...

...It's about the links you share with others, the bonds that connect us all.

In honor of today....

Download L-o-v-e by Nat King Cole

Be My Valentine: Valentine-O-Rama

2009-02-13T19:11:00.000-08:00

I love Valentine cards. Actually, I'll go for any kind of card. I love art.

This job was filed under Pre-teen and I'm not sure why.

I mean, I'd buy it...for anybody! (Oops! Mum's the word.)

Some love chocolate, some love fish.

This one's gender-specific, but nothing's set in stone.

I bought an "I'm a lucky dog!" Valentine once, whose gender I altered

by drawing eyelashes on the pooch with a Sharpie pen.
"All I need is you.

Okay, you and chocolate, but that's all!"

Happy Valentine's Day!

Hearts,

Laurie

NEW THEME: Be My Valentine

2009-02-12T21:31:00.000-08:00

Almost Valentine's Day, that celebration of love, friendship, affection. Hearts and flowers and cards and candy, oh yes! Be My Valentine is our theme for this warm and fuzzy holiday.
Love,
ama