Saturday, June 17, 2006 A
"Early Morning Motion"
7:20am
Julia and I woke early, at the first light. The cool air outside called me. It had been so long since we'd had a walk in the park, and I knew we'd better take advantage of the morning coolness. Already, a long row of cars were parked, waiting for the walkers to return:
The path stretched on, inviting us...
The path stretching on...
I caught our long shadows , as a walker speeds by us...
Our legs stretched, we then went to the grocery store to get the last of the things we needed:
Our 'beast' in the sun, while Julia collects a cart...
(Yes, there's a few dents!)
(Car pics inspired by this week's Photo Friday theme.)
Saturday, June 17, 2006 B
"Mysteries Speaking Mysteries Speaking Mysteries"
7:13pm
I was playing with an image and then got the idea to mirror it and then mirror that result. Viola, a mandala of sorts:
To see larger version, CLICK HERE.
Maybe it is because I am getting tired, there's the weirdest sense of being the 'Ba bird' that is flying above a huge pyramid and is looking down...
Monday, June 19, 2006
"Be Present"
7:03am
At the place where silence speaks, be present...
Tuesday, June 20, 2006
"Egyptian Turtle"
7:46pm
Someone posted to one of my lists a link to a site all about the Egyptian turtle, Testudo kleinmanni. As this combines two of my interests, Egypt and critters, I was especially fascinated. I learned these turtles are the smallest of the breeds, 3 – 5 inches (8 – 12 cm), with the females being larger. They are herbivores and like lots of fiber. Being used to desert climes, they don't tolerate humidity. They're easily stressed and like hidey holes. The hidey hole, in addition to giving them peace and quiet, in the wild gives them a refuge from the heat. In addition, as a further way of coping with the heat, they tend to go inactive during the worst summer heat, rather of a 'reverse' hibernation.
I was curious about how hot it gets in the Egyptian desert. I'm not sure of average ranges but on June 20, 2006, Yuma has them beat. I checked three different locales, Aswan:105° F 41° C/ 73° F 23° C, Luxor:106 °F 41 °/C 74 °F 23 °C and Kawm Umbu: 104° F 40° C / 71° F 22° C. Kawm Umbu is the modern day spelling of a region which was associated with the God Set. Alternative spellings are Kom Ombo, or Ombos. One of Set's titles is 'Lord of Ombos', according to TeVelde.
Yes, it's hot there in that Egyptian desert. But we in Yuma have them BEAT! Our high today was 108 °F 42 °C and our low was 80 °F 26 °C. And it's supposed to get near 115 °F this weekend.
But the air conditioned apartment serves as a cool hidey hole, so indoors I don't have to go into 'reverse hibernation'.
Here's a quick sketch of the Egyptian turtle:
He'd feel right at home here!
Wednesday, June 21, 2006
"In the Mirror"
10:11pm
I figured it was time to experiment with the whole 'box of crayons'...
(larger version underneath...)
I'm not sure why the eyes and mouth look so mangled. I hope to improve in the next attempt.
Thursday, June 22, 2006
"A Crayon I Need"
7:27pm
I had a ready answer to this 52 Figments question:
"Crayola needs a new crayon! What is the color and what is it called?" After I wasn't completely satisfied with my eyes and mouth in yesterday's self portrait, I thought of it. The left eye was especially bad. I'd gone wild with the 'Burnt Ochre' and the 'Apple Green', forgetting to leave a bare spot to represent the reflection. The eye looks glassy and 'dead'. There's nothing I can do to fix that on the paper version. Nothing. Once the color pigment is there, it's there. It can't be erased, and a dark color can't really be lightened.
"A crayon the world needs, I know I need it! "Magic Undo", the "anti-color" pencil!
OOPS! But mistakes are gone!
So, not having a 'Magic Undo' crayon, I used the next best thing, a digital fix! I tapped the color of the eye reflection spot of the other eye, and did a nice little addition. Viola! At least in the digital version, both eyes have reflections.
(Later note... For some reason, this makes me think of laser surgery on the eye, like the 'magic undo' is a laser tool removing a cataract off the eye. The fact that the spilled blue blob has been erased to reveal a 'C' adds to this odd effect.)
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