Ripples of a Coming Storm

Backyard, Wekiva Springs, Florida, USA. 06/01/10, 8:15 PM.  (Click for the larger.)

Mayonnaise is Looking for Fans on Facebook

Yes it is.

Donna Wood of Switzerland writes on Hellmann's wall:

"Hellmans is the best, I eat mayo with everything, so does my son and so does my mum, we are addicted!!! lol!

Dallas Edwards of Australia writes:

Oh my gosh! i just tried it tonight and there is no way in hell im going back to the other crap i've been eating!
YUMM!

Jonathan Trackwell of Los Angeles says simply:

I love you Hellmann's.

There is a group on Facebook that wants to get mayo into McDonald's in the UK.

Who knows how much of that is seeded by Hellmann's? I'm not sure it really matters anymore. The fact remains: it's a weird world out there for brands.

Hellmann's was used last night at my house. I may as well jump on the UGC bandwagon now.

supersize.

A Nation of Immigrants

Hey, Hannity! They barely speak English, but they love their country.

Patriotism is alive in one of the most neglected yet colorful areas of Miami. This in-progress American mural graces a wall in Little Haiti.

mas grande

I'm hoping the artist eventually puts some lapels on that Mister Rogers sweater Obama's wearing, turning it into a proper jacket.

River Otter Romantic Comedy

I'm no Steve Irwin, but from what I could tell, these river otters in the backyard were having an argument about how their relationship should proceed.

This was one of the many skirmishes where the female (voiced by Jennifer Aniston in the upcoming film) seemed to be saying to the male (voiced by Vince Vaughn), "I don't like you like that. You're like a brother to me."

Loudly protesting, Jennifer objects to the less-than-gentlemanly behavior of the frat boy Vince.

Rejected once again, Vince skulks down the opposite bank, probably off to rent porn and drink beer with his buddies. (Voiced by Luke and Owen Wilson, with a cameo by Will Ferrell.)

La Navidad en la Florida

Makes you think all the world's a sunny day...

Norfolk Island Pine, front yard 12.24.08 / 8:31 AM

Oranges, back yard 12.24.08 / 8:33 AM

They get ridiculously large if you click them.

Chocolate Tuxes, Orange Dresses

click for the huge 300dpi

Happened upon this wedding party in a park in Altamonte Springs on Saturday at dusk.

The Autumn People

Sitting out back tonight, waiting for some pork chops on the grill, I was tempted to run inside and grab the camera, as even here in Florida, the arrival of Fall can be felt. There was a golden moment that lasted for only half a minute, where light and depth seem almost stereoscopic, as if you're looking at a multi-layered PSD and the saturation has been cranked up. Had I run inside to grab the camera, I would've missed it, so I just enjoyed it for the brief time it lasted. Autumn is magical to me.Jason Ertel of New Jersey, who I found through James Helms of Dallas, does the Autumn thing quite nicely. He uses a Nikon D50 and then does something in Photoshop to give his images a surreal quality that reminds me of Ray Bradbury stories. It's easy to get lost on his site. And just like when I watch a great guitar player doing his thing and feel unworthy to ever touch a guitar again, Jason makes me feel like I do not deserve to own a D50 myself.

Another fine photographer who I found linking to this site is David Torrence of St. Louis. He's available for advertising and editorial work, I'm pretty sure.

Yeah, there's something in the air
It's like Autumn all the time
Where the world's 3D and layered deep
Clouds marching for the shoreline like they're walking in their sleep

- Telegraph Canyon

Purple Clouds Majesty

In the aftermath of Tropical Storm Fay, we loaded five trash bins and two giant bags with downed limbs and assorted tree castoffs. As the final remnants of the storm are crossing the Panhandle, the southern bands of the system leaving Central Florida are quite pretty. The distant rumblings of thunder this evening called me outdoors to witness the beauty of nature's anger.
If clouds are your thing, you'll enjoy rock photographer Ross Halfin's travel section. He spends a lot of time flying around the world in First Class, shooting out the window. The guy is good.

Cubicle Still Life

Click for large

A black and white study in the life of the modern cube dweller, taken as we in CubeWorld^™ waited to be released early in litigious fear of Tropical Storm Fay, lest an employee run his car into a ditch on the way home and blame his evil corporate masters for making him stay at work when it was raining a little harder than normal.

A review of the photograph:

In the antiseptic style characteristic of this sort of work, Jetpacks takes us into the typical and retreaded "misery of the cubicle," where it's all wires and buttons, chrome and plastic. A pair of sunglasses suggests the longing for the outdoors and fresh air, while a small fan, ridiculously (or more likely in the mind of the artist, "rebelliously") labeled "fake wind," provides some small semblance of nature. An older model cell phone lets us know (without any attempt at subtlety) that the artist is either stuck in the past or can't afford an iPhone.

For all its overbearing and fervent striving at importance, "Cubicle Still Life" is neither remarkable nor poignant, and calls to mind the photography of impoverished street children who are given disposable cameras for some do-gooder PBS special, randomly and haphazardly taking pictures of nothing.

Looking at the World Through Rose Colored Wine Glasses

Casa de Jetpacks, 5:50 PM, EDT

Bill of Fare

Faustino VII Rioja, 2003
Chef salad
Lima beans
Grilled Guatemalan sugar snap peas, dusted in Parmesan
Lime-soaked boneless breast of chicken, grilled, with a diced tomato and basil relish

Blue Heron on a Rooftop After a Rain

Click it for bigger, better, grainier version.

Had I been able to catch the fuzzy moon above him, that would've made it perfect.

Grilling Law #44

"If after you light the coals you hear distant thunder, the chance of rain during your grilling session is 90%."

Adidas Spec Ad

I bought them because they were on the clearance rack and they were affordable. They're running shoes, but I use them for cycling. They work. I like 'em.

We aren't all super-athletes. Some of us just need some freakin' shoes. Based on a true story, as I'm a fan of true testimonials. Photographed in my front yard this evening as the salmon was waiting to be turned on the grill in the backyard.

Click for viewage

And I don't claim to be an AD or a designer, so don't jump my shit about the layout. It's a concept. (UPDATE: For the sake of the challenge, I went ahead and tried to lay it out better. Go ahead, designers, tell me where I screwed up.)

Wait Your Turn, Ugly

Nature teaches us that the pretty go first. Here, a beautiful, graceful hawk enjoys a roadkill squirrel under a tree on my street while the hideous, disgusting buzzard hopes for leftovers.

Some people say squirrels are cute. Agreed. They're so precious when they're being eaten by hawks.

Things Happening In Space

What a day for the Heavens, with the space shuttle landing and a satellite (allegedly) getting blasted out of the sky. Not to mention a full lunar eclipse, as seen from my backyard in beautiful Florida tonight.

Had a helluva time getting the right shutter speed and aperture. Damn digital photography. Getting in the way of of my old skool skilz.