time flies whether you're having fun or not

Five years ago today I wrote my first blog post ever. It was a toast to my dad, on what would have been his 92nd birthday. My father was an amazingly strong influence in my life, much more than I realized five years ago, and I'm discovering more and more each year how that influence has shaped my life. He was a gifted writer, raconteur, self-taught artist and builder of things, and a piano player extraordinaire, who taught me to follow my dreams and to believe that those dreams would eventually take me somewhere worthwhile. 

Three hundred and thirty-seven blog posts later, I'm still following my bliss, and that meandering trail has taken me places I'd never have imagined.  Happy birthday, Dad.

"For me there is only the traveling 

on paths that have heart, 

on any path that may have heart.

There I travel, and the only worthwhile challenge

is to traverse its full length.

And there I travel: looking, looking, breathlessly."

~ CARLOS CASTANEDA ~

wordless wednesday no. 29

thematic photographic no. 194

Here are a couple more on the theme Strong Lines. And like yesterday's, these photos were both shot on a trip to San Francisco. I guess I was working on a theme without even knowing it.

Fort Funston graffiti

Gnarly tree, Golden Gate Park

Now go on and check out some of the other fine work at Carmi's blog, Written Inc.

strong lines

California Academy of Sciences, San Francisco   {click to enlarge}    

Shadows and light, curves and straight lines. I love the graphic nature of contrast, and the challenge of capturing the essence of a thing with as little information as possible...
Every week,  Carmi over at the blog Written Inc. posts a photographic theme, and invites everyone to join in. This week's theme is "Strong Lines". Click on over to Thematic Photographic  and see what's happening.

Check in here tomorrow for more Strong Lines, none of which are straight ones!

wordless wednesday no. 28

getting old is not for the faint of heart

The other day I bent over to pull on my sandals, 

and now I'm walking around like this:

If this keeps up, pretty soon I'm going to have Boy Scouts trying to help me across the street.

Next week my friends and I 

are starting a new exercise regimen.

Last one in the pool's a rotten egg!

how not to sell your stuff on craigslist

Let's say for instance, you have a treadmill in your bedroom that's turned into a very expensive thing on which to hang your clothes. You've  given up hope you or your significant other will ever use it again, because...let's face it: your home is not a 24 Hour Fitness, and the only place in the house it fits is in your bedroom, where you are forced to exercise facing a blank wall. So you haul it out to the garage, where it now sits, covered in camping gear and dust, preventing you from actually using your garage for a place to park your car.
Two or three years go by, and you attempt to argue with your wife in defense of your most sincere desire to start a new fitness routine (an argument you lose, because she'd rather have a place to park her car) and you decide to sell it on craigslist.
 So, you take a picture, put in the pertinent info, and post it on the website.

Hmmm. Perhaps you should try again. The first ad didn't seem to get any response at all...

Then your wife says, "Maybe a new exercise routine isn't such a bad idea after all, honey."