Day 576 Wayne with a Back Light

I didn't feel like cleaning the lens off from yesterday's picture.

Day 575 Old Work Boots

I've been wanting to photograph these old work boots for over a year now. I remember during one of my junior college photography courses the instructor showing a beautiful picture of ballet slippers. He told us how the photographer used new slippers but wore them out a bit to make them look well worn. That way they looked used but still retained some of their shine. I didn't do anything to the boots, they are well worn, but they do have new laces!

Day 574 Disney a Half Moon Conure

I love this picture! You can really see what a happy sweet bird Disney is.

Day 573 Old Rose

I kept a few of the roses from the last rose picture to photograph when dried.

Day 572 Disney a Half Moon Conure

All I wanted was a portrait of Disney with a brown background.

Day 571 Foggy Morning and a Canal

What an ugly ugly day. I stopped the car by water. Painfully boring picture, but it could be worse...

Day 570 Coffee Kiosk

My favorite place for a cup of coffee and an almond scone. I've photographed it before but have always gotten a better picture, well today I did not get a better picture. So here you go, my favorite coffee kiosk in this mornings fog.

Day 569 Trees in Fog

I took two frames today. Both of the trees out front in the morning fog.

Day 568 Grapevine

It was a long six hour drive today back home and I didn't feel like taking any pictures. I did manage to pull over a take a few frames out the passenger side window.

Day 567 Kylie and Alicia

My nieces Kylie and Alicia kept me company while I took care of my mom. Two very cute girls. So cute in fact I can never tell which is which.

Day 566 Stray people at the Beach

I managed to get a quick shot of this girl as she passed me by. She had just gotten off the bus. Then I sat down and photographed people riding their bikes. I was going to dump all the bike shots as I really like the girl picture, but this man's face is priceless.

Day 565 Birds at the Beach

I was able to take another walk to the beach this day. Not a lot of activity but a gorgeous day.

Day 564 Overcast at the Beach

Today my only chance for pictures was a quick walk to the beach. Unfortunately it was an ugly day with no people milling about. I felt like I owned the beach.

Day 563 Beau

The last time I was down there I took a picture of my mom's dog Charlie by the window. This time I photographed her other dog Beau by the same window.

Day 562 The Grapevine

Finally back home. I took another trip South to help care for my mom who is going through chemo therapy. I drove up Monday. It's a six hour drive from here to there and usually my only chance for taking pictures is while driving.

This proved to be true for this trip. I didn't take many pictures, but did manage to take this one while on the Grapevine. I couldn't believe the stunning light that was coming through the mountains. This is a very lucky shot as I was in the center lane.

Day 561 Disney a Half Moon Conure

I figured it was about time to photograph him again. I told him give me something cute! And he did.

Day 560 Whisper my Foster Shepherd

I had to take pictures of Whisper today for the website of the German Shepherd Rescue that owns her. They need pretty basic pictures to show her body and face but of course I had to take a picture for myself.

Day 559 Post 2. Veal the Reality

I have driven by this place before. It makes me sick. I wish everyone who orders veal would be forced to live in a casket size box for a few months. At least then they could be aware of the pain and suffering they inflict on other living beings.

Photographically, I do like this picture. I love the muted tones of the oranges and greens against the pale cloudy sky. It would have looked to flat and ugly displayed with the brightness of the other pictures taken today. It needed it's own post for both aesthetic and content reasons.

Day 559 Drive to and From Work

I probably could have picked either one of the bottom two images for todays post, but I like them both and couldn't choose. The top wouldn't be my pick for best of the day, except that it is the same tire shop I have had pictures of twice before for this blog. It's burnt down. Nothing last forever! I was hoping to have an entire series of that tire shop. Oh well...

Day 558 Patch of Dirt After a Rain with Trains

I was driving my foster dog to the vets to get spayed when I drove by this place. I've driven by it before and have wanted to photograph it, but this morning it looked especially inviting. I had to wait until after I dropped off the dog, but since I knew I was going to stop for a picture it was easy enough to get out of traffic and pull in. Originally I thought I could just take a picture from my Jeep, but that proved to be difficult, so for this serene scene I actually got out of my vehicle!

Day 557 Jonathon

Here's Jonathon making eyes at my camera. I told him thanks for the picture, and he said "I hope you enjoyed my music too!"

Day 556 Bridge

This is the kind of photograph I would have taken in high school. The more things change the more they stay the same...

I added the top picture. It was taken on the other side of the bridge.

Day 555 A Supermarket Rose

The only thing I did today was make a trip to the store. I tried to photograph a few people I saw there, but they were to smart and walked away. Knowing I'd not be going out again tonight I thought while shopping, "what can I photograph"? Then it occurred to me that I had not photographed a flower in a very long time. So I bought some roses. It was disappointing pulling them out of their package as they were all wilted. I picked the best one I could find. Exhausted from doing nothing all day I decided to only set up one light. Even then I couldn't bring myself to get out the umbrella. I have not photographed a flower in this way, so all was good and fun. Maybe tomorrow just for cause I'll photograph the ugliest rose from todays purchase.

Day 554 Disney and Wayne

I wanted to get a picture of Disney but he was running around like a mad man, so I asked Wayne to hold Disney. I haphazardly got this shot of Disney avoiding getting back down on his cage.

Day 553 Bus Stop on Sepulveda Boulevard

I drove home today! Yeah!! But first I got off the 405 and had breakfast with my sister a nephew a few nieces and a couple of all their friends and my nephews adorable daughter. I took this while driving down Sepulveda Boulevard to meet them.

Day 552 Charlie

I stayed home with my mom this day. So I took only five frames, all of her dog Charlie.

Day 551 Sunset at the Beach

Another day spent with medical business. Upon arrival back to where my mom resides, I took a walk to the beach. Such a beautiful evening I had too many images to choose from. However I was able to narrow it down to one, because it seemed a bit more dramatic than the others.

Day 550 Guy in a Truck

My sister and I spent the day taking my mom to medical appointments, so not much time for pictures there... I managed to snap this one from the back seat of her SUV.

Day 549 Sunset walk

I spent the day with my mom while she underwent chemotherapy. Not much chance for pictures there so as soon as we got back to the house and she was settled in I took a walk to the beach. Before I left I told myself I would photograph a sunset at the beach. Well I wasn't able to get there in time, as you can tell by the darkness of this picture which was taken on my way to the beach.

Day 548 The Central Valley and the Grapevine

I haven't posted. When I travel to visit my mom who is dealing with cancer and chemo therapy I have no way to post pictures. At some point I'll get a mac laptop and be able to take my pictures on the road... so to speak. Until then, I'll still take a picture a day when I travel to visit and help my mom out, but I'll have to post it when I get back to my home computer.

Monday I left for the long drive to where my mom is living in Huntington Beach. I took many pictures along the way. From all of those I'm posting two, one of my drive though the Central Valley and one of my drive through the Grapevine.

Day 547 Young and Old

I took the dog I am fostering for a walk today in the drizzle that was trying to be rain. I came across this young woman who although she said she didn't want me to take her picture, actually in spirit gave me permission. The best I can explain is the non verbal communication people give one another. She did say she didn't want me to use the picture because of the way she looked, so sad and all... and I was even going to not use the picture for that reason, but who would I be if I let other people tell me what pictures to use. I am a photographer, bottom line.

I continued on my walk and saw this old man walking his dogs. I lifted up my camera and boldly took his picture. He noticed but said nothing and kept walking.

Day 546 Colorful Lights on a Bare Tree

We were driving home from a breakfast out when we drove by this house with their Christmas decorations still up.