Tag: weekly photo challenge

Hidden Neon Alphabet

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I’ve had my hair cut by the same woman for well over 30 years. I’d follow her anywhere. But this is by far her most unusual location. She has a tiny one chair salon deep inside this old building in Seattle, among several very small odds and ends businesses, and surrounded by this wasted (in my opinion) hidden treasure from early in another century.

Take us to school

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On our Train Trip, we went to the Organic Farmer’s Market, held each Saturday at this Encinitas (CA.) elementary school. The produce and various treats, and the crafts were all amazing but what really stopped me in my tracks was this wall. Each square (or tile) was created by a student in that year’s graduating class.

Encinitas has an interesting Mosaic history. My favorite story is a community battle over a piece of art deemed “graffiti” (because it was illegally installed). Here’s an article about it.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Surfing_Madonna

Alphabet

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On a recent, spectacular, 3 day train trip from Seattle to Oceanside, CA., we were treated to the Art of the Alphabet all along the way. It was everywhere, on these dead railroad cars, on fences, on grassy fields, on abandoned cars, on the backs of huge buildings, deserted and otherwise…and it was obviously there just for us as no one but train passengers would ever see it. Some of the pieces were impossible to imagine in the act of their creation, installed in terrifyingly high places, or clearly accessible to authorities who would surely have halted the beautiful expressions.

These Artists, unpaid, un-thanked and hopefully unknown, were a highlight of our trip!

Like holding air in your hand….

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This is one of my bugs, (Extatosoma tiaratum). She is about 1/3 of the way through her life. She will more than double in size, and then I will be able to feel her weight, barely. In this photo, but for the faint tickle of her claws on my skin, she is completely weightless. I can’t feel her.

 

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I watched this little one for a hours one day and couldn’t tell if she was scruffy old and ready to go, or young and still shedding baby fluff.

The next day, I found her dead on the ground under the feeder. When I picked her up, she seemed to weigh even less than my full grown Bugs. I still could not guess her age.