Mohave Yucca Sky!

I took these last time we went out to 29 Palms.  We have Mohave Yuccas on our property, and I like the way the sharp spiny leaves look like their holding up the clouds!  Happy Sky Watch Friday and have a great weekend.  We're hoping to get out to the desert this weekend for more Sky Watch shots!

Photo taken at sunset just outside our garage door... I never get tired of this view!~

What's in a Name??

Democrat/republican? Teenager? Majority/minority? Baby boomer/Gen X/Gen Y? Married/single? Straight/gay? We all go through life with names and labels, most of which have never had too much meaning to me. But the other day my wife came into my office, set an envelope on my desk in front of me, and didn't say a word... she only laughed as she left the room. Here's the envelope:

I did a double-take... "Senior Citizen Offer"? Me?? Well, I'm 58 years old, but in my minds eye, I sure don't feel like a senior citizen. To my knowledge, this is the first time I've received something in the mail addressed to me as a "senior citizen".  What's the definition of a senior citizen, anyway? Sixty-five? Seventy? I must say, my initial reaction was a distinct feeling of being irritated; perhaps a little angry. A little bit of a feeling like someone called me a bad name. So names and labels haven't meant much to me, but this one is a major adjustment and is going to take some time getting used to! Or may be the trick is to not adjust... don't think of myself as a senior citizen; stay young at heart and all that stuff. Thankfully I have someone to share the journey with, bumpy though the road may be at times!

Macro Monday: Old Printer's Blocks

I guess it wasn't that many years ago that printed materials were all made using printing presses, led type and printing blocks. Showing my age here, but I can remember in Junior High School having my choice of signing up for Wood Shop, Metal Shop, or Graphic Arts. I opted for Graphic Arts and learned a little about setting type and printing presses. Very cool!

We have almost 20 of these blocks that my wife bought years ago at a garage sale. They are all similar (though not identical) in size at about 2"x2". They appear to be made out of a hardwood base with an etched metal (copper?) print face. The metal face is nailed to the wood block beneath it. I love the detail in these old blocks. I tried to research them but couldn't find much. I'm guessing these date back to the '40s, and they all appear to be advertisements for an electrical motor repair company. They represent a photographic challenge: To capture the beautiful detail, and because they are made as a mirror image so they print correctly, I need to flip them around so you could read them. Hope you like them!

Linking over to Macro Monday. Please click the link 

to see great macro photos.  Have a great week!!

Seal Beach Pier (Final Installment!)

So just finishing up the post from last Sunday. It was a very warm winter day and we took a drive down to Seal Beach pier with the ultimate goal of some Ruby-burgers, but also to take some photos along the way. It's so incredible when you combine a pier, the Pacific Ocean, and a sunset... how can you possibly go wrong?!

Waiting for the green flash!

End of the pier, fisherman, and Catalina Island.  Oil platform on the left.

Looking back towards the town of Seal Beach from the end of the pier.

Capturing that perfect moment!

This house (too big for a house... probably condos or something) was like a jewel glowing in the setting sun!

Our ultimate reward... burgers on the way!

I'm linking to Skywatch Friday.  Please go check it out for some 

awesome skies from all over the world!