boolie

Marooned

This is not my beautiful house and this is not my small automobile, but I was drawn both by the old Honda and the abundance of maroon, one of my favorite colors. The Civic was red but on the damp day, and against the maroon house and maroon tree branches, seemed maroon in spirit. I never had a Civic this old but the first car I owned, and the first car I enjoyed driving, was a little red 1984 Nissan Pulsar that my step-father found for sale. Within a couple of years of buying that car I had earned enough to buy my first new car, a 1992 Honda Civic Si, that I loved and drove for many years and many miles.

And though the house isn’t mine, the neighborhood is, Ellie and I passed this scene on the far end of our walk as we turned back towards the general direction of our house. I’ve loved living here (we’ve been here 15 years) and this little scene reminded me both of my past and my present. An old car and an old house, both making me smile.

Wildlife Watching

Boo watches wildlife in the back yard from the top of the cat tree as I photograph him from the floor. “Look, Trixie, there’s a junco!”

Trixie, in her own inimitable style, watches wildlife in the back yard from the middle of the cat tree as I photograph her from the floor. “Look, Boo, there’s a squirrel!”

Trixie watches me watching her. “Look, Boo, an ape!”

📷: Canon 7D II | Sigma 17-50mm f/2.8
🗓️: December 3, 2016

Walking on the Beach

I always love seeing black oystercatchers when I’m on the coast, with their bright orange bills and sensational orange-ringed yellow eyes, but I suppose my opinion would be quite different if I was a mollusk in a tide pool.

Here Comes the Tide

I had many thoughts as the ocean covered my feet as I photographed the incoming tide washing over the starfish, anemones, and mussels attached to this large rock. My first thought was that I need to get some tall waterproof boots (which reminds me, I need to get some tall waterproof boots). But mostly I was just amazed that any creatures could survive in this spot, sometimes in air, sometimes in water, and that I could stand in this spot for a hundred years and still not fully understand the little ecosystem right in front of me.

The Alphabet Machine

The machine I use to generate the letters and numbers that go into the posts you see here is an old one, full of knobs and dials and pneumatic valves. I’m a little jealous of the speed and convenience of keyboards I see on people’s laptops when I’m on the train, able to tap a key labeled ‘B’ and see a ‘B’ appear on the screen. But where’s the noise, the drama, the emotion?

It may be time to upgrade though. My machine can’t generate ‘@’ or ‘#’ signs, which is really holding me back on social media. I’ve been hoping the company would create an add-on (they call them Helper Outlets), like when Q, R, S, and T were added to the English language, but sadly that’s not going to happen.

I first came across this machine when I didn’t have my camera with me, it was being used to raise a house up several feet off its foundation. I kept forgetting to go and photograph it but finally got some pictures on a Friday when I had a few extra minutes in the morning, and took a few more on the way home at the end of the day. I’m glad I did, I next walked past two days later while walking Ellie and the machine was gone.

Fall Comes to the Door of Hope

In early December, I wanted to photograph this maple in fall color in Irving Park with the Door of Hope church as a backdrop. Even though it is just a few steps from the dog park, I had to bribe Ellie with treats to even get her this far, as she was ready to head into the neighborhood. That’s not Ellie walking across the leaves in the first picture, she was by my side, fortunately another dog filled in as my model. We’ve had many great memories in this little park, the pup and I.

Not A Self-Portrait

I’ve spent many nights covered in cats, but this happy sleeper is part of a mural at a dialysis treatment center I often walk past on the way home.

Good News Sir! We’ve Discovered Why Your Truck Won’t Start!

Turns out there’s a tree growing inside. Also, the door’s off.

The Home Stretch

I had to laugh when I saw Sam sleeping all stretched out on the cat tree, of the six cats we’ve had only the tidy Scout would be less likely to sleep like this. Sam generally prefers to sleep curled up so I don’t know how he ended up in this position, he had been sleeping up there alone so he had the entire space to himself.

Urban Wildlife

One downside to living in an urban neighborhood is that I don’t see much wildlife near the house. But perhaps I just haven’t been looking closely enough, as while walking Ellie I noticed a frog, a bird, and some rabbits, all within a block of each other.

They were clearly accustomed to not only humans but also dogs, as they didn’t seem to be bothered by either my presence or the faithful pup waiting beside me.