Relief

It has been incredibly emotional today, watching the inauguration of President Barack Obama. I must admit however that even though the swearing-in reduced me to tears I felt the most relief when Marine 1 lifted off, thus taking the worst president in history, George W. Bush, out of our nation's capital where he could no longer do our country anymore damage. Our very long national nightmare is finally over.

Useful toys!

Believe it or not, there is a toy company that makes something called the Playmobil Security Check Point. It's,  um, interesting that this toy exists in the first place but the most entertaining thing about it is the customer reviews on Amazon. Hysterical!

Our hedonist

It's a sunny day in Portland and one of our resident hedonists will not miss out. Cleo knows a good thing when she sees it....a bed in the sun....aaahhhh....

BTW, one of the first things I learned in photography school is that you, as a photographer, are responsible for every square millimeter of your photograph. With that thought in mind, I find the shadow in the lower right corner distracting. I generally try and frame my shots so that the eye is not drawn to a distracting shadow or some object that does not add to the overall composition. I was, however, trying to quickly shoot a moving object (there was considerable pleasurable rolling around, flopping and purring) and so the luminosity of her eyes help overcome any other shortcomings. I could Photoshop out the corner wedge but I don't wanna. It's a snap of the cat. Again, isn't she pretty?

So much for that.....

Well, so much for the picture every day resolution. It's been so gray and lifeless here in Portland it's hard to get motivated to even take a snap of the cat. I kind of feel like these two at the right --->

Have no fear though, all is not lost. The camera is still my nearly constant companion even if I don't use it. Meanwhile the sun is out today so I may find something good while I walk in the park.

Bonjour Françoise!

(La photo est "Romance, Champs Elysees, Paris" 1997)

Merci pour ton encouragement, Françoise! Je fais des photos chaque jour cette semaine. La pluie et la neige est très difficile mais je fais un photo à la chatte...j'ai terminé ma resolution. Voilà!

Comment ça va? J'èspere tu vas bien!

Je tu embrasse....!

(Translation for the non-French readers: Thanks for your encouragement, Françoise! I've taken some photos each day this week. La rain and the snow are very difficult but I take a photo of the cat....I have completed my resolution! 

How's it going? I hope you are doing well.

Hugs, etc....)

It's a dark and stormy day

It's a windy, rainy winter day and I'm NOT heading out with my camera today. I warned you not every shot would be a masterpiece but this shot I took this morning of Bindi is still quite fine. Note the negative space surrounding the cat and the chiaroscuro effect in the shadowing behind her.....oh for gawd's sake, never mind. It's a snap of the cat. Isn't she pretty?

Stock Tip

(Hand colored photo of a woman in Cusano, Italy, 1997)

Here's a stock tip for possibly some quick turn around cash (and I know many of you will have no idea what I'm talking about here). If there is continued irrational exuberance in the market early in the week, buy a few near-the-money calls in SPY, be ready to sell just after the inauguration.

After that, wait for the market to drift back down to previous lows in the spring....when you're feeling absolutely the most pessimistic and miserable as you think you possibly can, buy stock in companies that interest you for the next great bull run.

The world is going to get a lot worse before it's going to get better but there are ways to make money in the short run.

Remember, always take my stock tips for what they are worth....and that is not much. Do your own due diligence.

Meanwhile, take more pictures! And plan for better days.

Happy New Year!

(Photo of birch trees taken in June 2004, Wyoming)

And so the picture-a-day project begins. I started taking pictures a couple of days ago because it just seemed too cliche to start on the 1st. I walked up to Hawthorne Blvd. with my camera in hand and just snapped whatever struck my fancy. I not only see the world differently when I do this, I see the world. Portland is a quirky town (the city motto is "Keep Portland Weird") especially here on the South East side. Portland has two distinct personalities. West of the Willamette River has downtown and the SW hills covered with expensive homes owned by doctors, lawyers and Indian chiefs. East of the river (where we are) are 100+ year old houses where the artists, musicians and other creative types live. In the SE, we are much more likely to see the creativity in the houses themselves...wild paint jobs, lawn art, crazy gardens. Needless to say, Charles and I are SE people, through and through.

Charles New Year's resolution is to go out and put in some time in his shop every day. We should both have great things to show for our efforts this year!