Tag: houston

Photo Friday, No. 806

Current Photo Friday theme: Difficult Shot


Houston Galleria, June 1, 2009

What made this shot difficult:
Getting only one human, Timothy, on his floor and the ones above it inside a busy mall.
Being in the right place to get some reflection in the windows behind the flag.
Getting in trouble with security afterward for shooting photos there (shot with a Nikon D40, not a sneaky cell phone).

Previously used for Photo Friday, No. 154, July 3, 2009

Tiny Tuesday!


I photographed my Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s “Judgmints” next to my mouse so you could see how tiny the tin is. The mints are also tiny and taste a little like Altoids but are softer.

They pair well with my latest candle purchase which joins others, including Stevie, in creating a good writing atmosphere for me today. I need it because I’m frustrated with myself for forgetting to call a particular friend yesterday (before Mercury started that thing Mercury does today), and I’m pretending to ignore the dog who has gotten in trouble twice today. ETA: I also couldn’t solve my daily word puzzle (it isn’t Wordle; I think it predates Wordle). That usually means I’ll go back to it later and have an easier time, but then I accidentally saw the solution online. Dang it.

RBG products were purchased locally. I’m trying to curtail shopping online for a bit, just as I’ve curtailed social media for a bit. It’s a self-imposed test.

Button Sunday

This is often all we can do in a world that’s driving us mad or breaking our hearts.

I celebrated art today by spending a leisurely few hours alone at the Bayou City Arts Festival. There were a couple of artists I wanted to see/meet, but I was happy to absorb art and creativity on every level I could. This is the first public event I’ve attended in more than two years. It was an odd experience being among lots of strangers again, but the weather was good, there was plenty of water to drink and shade to enjoy for brief rests, along with live music and SO MUCH ART. You can be sure you’ll be seeing photos from the day in future posts.

Seeing behind an artist’s festival exhibition space can be as fun as seeing what’s inside it.

It was a good, inspiring way to finish off my birthday weekend. I saw and explored things that make me want to write as well as paint. Our world would be so grim without the good energy of animals, the healing energy of nature, and the creative energy of humans. Music, dance, film, books, and the many varieties of visual art–I’m endlessly grateful for it all.


Stunning day for a festival.

Waves…waves…waves…

You can, if you wish, go back and revisit this post from October in which I went off on a little rant about one of my favorite artists Bruce Springsteen (honestly, VERY high on my list, higher even than maybe a Beatle or two) and how I once taught his song “Thunder Road” to my college freshmen as a fine example of the carpe diem theme, wherein I told them “Mary’s dress waves,” then years later, I was faced with what I was told was hard evidence that “Mary’s dress sways.” I apologized to my students all these decades later if I had misled them.


Wait. Let me pause here for a photo that recently landed in my social media feed. Taken in 1970… this lovely Irish/Italian/Dutch boy, name of Bruce… What? He was twenty-one and legal!

I, however, was not. I’ll enter the Bruce plea: Not guilty of inappropriate thoughts because it IS hard to be a saint in the city.


Moving on from all that, a couple of weeks back, Tim told me about a new used bookstore in the Heights that’s pretty cool, KABOOM. Since our two closest Half Price Books shuttered during This Pandemic™, a new used bookstore was good news to me. On my weekly outing, I went browsing.


I took several photos inside and out, and bought several books, and sooner or later, you’ll probably see a lot of that one way or another on the blog. Here is one of the books I bought, and it’s not quite as elaborate or detailed as the Paul McCartney books I recently featured here.


Then again, it’s 24 years old. Bruce has released a lot more material since then. But it is authored by the Boss himself. So….


Here it is, that song that remains forever lodged in either the first or second spot of my all-time favorite songs.


Wait, do I need to zoom in on “Thunder Road?” Her dress is WAVING? You don’t say.

I rest my case. (ETA: But y’all should read my answer to Marika in the comments.)

A few shots featuring Bruce and more of my favorite things.

I wore the album The River out when I got it. It still blows me away. Saw him on tour for that one.


Lovely, hand-scribbled lyrics for “Glory Days.”


Song “Born in the U.S.A.” misunderstood and misappropriated by political candidates. Because their teams don’t read the lyrics. Or ask Bruce.


Bruuuuuce! One of my two favorite Jersey-born boys.