Strike A Pose

"The only mystery about the cat is why it ever decided to become a domestic animal." ~Sir Compton MacKenzie

Orgánico

good words between friends

present in the aroma

fresh cup of questions

Feeling Shadowy ... Again

Hat & Tree

Rock Solid

Hat Lamp District

My Nahual

"Every child is born with a nahual. The nahual is like a shadow, his protective spirit who will go through life with him. The nahual is the representative of the earth, the animal world, the sun and water, and in this way the child communicates with nature. The nahual is our double ..." ~Rigoberta Menchú, from I, Rigoberta Menchú: An Indian Woman in Guatemala

For A Warrior

"Poetry is the liquid voice that can wear through stone." 

~Adrienne Rich (16 May 1929 - 27 March 2012)

Yogis

"Time spent with cats is never wasted." ~May Sarton

Crow Haiku #8

just a city bird
without reception, still i
thought i heard u caw.

This Clear

no matter the storm
i'll hold on with all i have
loving you so pure.

Enchantment

Venus, Jupiter, Waxing Crescent Moon

Repeat 1 > Track 4

for this breath ...

we are rhythm
at least allies
to cherish
in this struggle.

for this day ...

we are beauty
at least butterflies
to dance
in this dream.

My Soul Remembers ...

The Last Bookstore

"However tough the peasant in his heart, every writer needs people who believe in him, give him a shoulder to cry on, and value what he values." ~John Gardner

[ Much later that morning ... ]

I think i walked through some kind of portal last night on 5th Street in Downtown. The new moon in Aries was also feisty with some left over winter melancholia. The mood bookended what was a sensational night of music at the Exchange: Alice Russell with Quantic, DJ Rich Medina, and the Robert Glasper Experiment--joined by special guests vocalists Bilal, King, and Lalah Hathaway. If that show was a groove and beat heavy powered trip into the new directions, and ever present dimensions, of "jazz", then The Last Bookstore on 5th Street and Spring, with its retro-futurism deco and fixtures - a little romantic, a little industrial - was a welcomed, albeit melancholy, rest stop for a broken hearted time traveling bard ... (22.03.12)

Walk, Point, and Shoot

7th & Broadway

... what a beautiful afternoon to take in all the things you are L.A. No wonder Downtown's Historic Core is the destination for many photographers. Even Ansel Adams spent some time shooting around the Bunker Hill area before World War II. Reuniting on the eve of the new moon in Aries, my friend esther (also an Aries) and i met at drkrm gallery to see their current exhibit of Ansel's rarely seen photos documenting pre-WWII proletariat Los Angeles. That was followed by some curious and fantastic art next door at the Hive Gallery, onward to the Fashion District and Santee Alley, L.A. Live and continuing our improvised walking tour through the Jewelry District admiring some gorgeous architecture. Street photographers were aplenty. This guy snapped a picture of us as we walked down 7th Street enjoying our Thrifty ice cream cones. Needless to say i was ogling the Leica in his hand, my dream camera. There was so much to shoot and so much i missed, I'm still a bit apprehensive pointing my BlackBerry in people's faces ... I think i just may join the friendly fray of street photographers in Downtown L.A. this season.

Chips & Salsa

... it was a good day for this today. But Don Cuco's doors shut eight months ago.

Thursday nights after work. Margaritas on the rocks. With salt. Lakers games. Our table by the fountain. Dipping the first chip in salsa and raising it in a toast. Chicken fajitas. Más chips y salsa por favor. And frijol dip, too. Our friendly chismoso waiter. Those incompetent bartenders. Otra margarita? Make it a Negra Modelo. Laughing in the cold along Brand to walk the 'buzzito' away. Snapping pictures of it all with our phones ... It's the first day of Spring and  "I just remember what we used to do" ... Salúd, bebe.

A Vernal Breath of New Fire

"Perhaps all the dragons in our lives are princesses who are only waiting to see us once beautiful and brave." ~Rainer Maria Rilke

Crow Haiku #7

feathers flay the sky
soothe the skin of trees anew
springtime medicine.

A Road Rises

"May you have the hindsight to know where you've been, the foresight to know where you're going, and the insight to know when you're going too far." ~Irish blessing

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Hombre Sincero

"A genuine man goes to the roots. To be a radical is no more than that: to go to the roots." ~José Martí

One Crow Sorrow ...

Suffer no more

Wings envelop your spirit now

Taking you home.

In sweet memory of LaNette Bales Brown Gutshall (1950 - 2012). Friend and Co-worker, "Cyber Mom" to many, a lover of all things crafty, creepy and black, of cats, spiders and bats ... she showed us the beauty in all that. 

Alone Together

The Venus-Jupiter Conjunction

"I think I shall never see a poem as lovely as a tree." ~Joyce Kilmer

i
miss
u

Conjunction

L.A. streets are paved
with guardians ... ascending
between our shadows.


[... don't forget to glance at the evening sky for the spectacular Venus-Jupiter conjunction this week. Read about it at EarthSky.org. Also, first person to guess where in the City of Angels i am in this photo gets a prize!]

Xochitl

Flor

Flower

walk with butterflies
sing sun rays and drops of rain
blossom in beauty.

Starry Hike

"I have loved the stars too fondly to be fearful of the night." ~Galileo

... a good friend organized an evening hike in Griffith Park today--the hikes are a monthly ritual with the purpose of reconnecting not just with nature, but with one another outside the gadgetry of social media. Usually morning outings, this month's gathering called for an evening hike in honor of the week's full Moon, the last of the winter season.

Seventeen of us set forth on a spectacular evening with breathtaking views and the sure feathered accompaniment of hummingbirds, crows, and red tailed hawks. Begining at the Merry Go Round, this was my first time on the over four-mile loop to Beacon Hill and Glendale Peak. Hiking down the trail at nightfall, and in the company of old and new friends, was an experience i won't soon forget.

[Thank you Crow Moon hikers! I worked my BlackBerry's camera to its fullest, almost to battery's end, and although disappointed by some shots (not to mention those elusive crows), most of the photos came out OK.  You can view them here.]

Wild Things

"Prowling in his own quiet backyard or asleep by the fire, he is still only a whisker away from the wilds." ~Jean Burden

The Grass Is Greener ...

"I feel very adventurous. There are so many doors to be opened, and I'm not afraid to look behind them." ~Elizabeth Taylor

Get Ta Steppin'

... advice from tonight's Crow Moon. And in lieu of a photo of this month's full moon, i found this cool animated short. May all your paths be filled with magic and light.

Jewel City Swag

... saw this cat on the corner and knew i had to take his picture.  I also knew i had to e-mail it to my oldest and closest homie, as well as co-jazz/fashion conspirator, Carlos, at Yale. His reply not only cracked me up but enlightened me to a wonderful blog. I share them both with you here:

"Here's a man that believes in the sartorial gesture. Yo, you should check out The Sartorialist blog. It's all about the street photo. Yeah I'm feeing his whole swagger. [Even the pipe], a fine detail indeed."

I'm diggin' the fashion street photo ... i just may begin a new series!

Tree Chi

... i had to pause and meditate on the magnificent movement and energy of this tree--it also reminded me of this.

Emerging

... on a path of balance and renewel, i, like the garter snake, welcome Spring.

Repeat 1 > Track 3

Mars in Leo in
separable in love in
terstellar in blue.

Tesla Tree

... these Winter branches are like Tesla coils, standing underneath imagining Creator placing her hands over the Earth.

"If you want to find the secrets of the universe, think in terms of energy, frequency and vibration." ~Nikola Tesla

Sunshine

Hiker Praising The Angels

"We love it!" 80-degree days and Spring's right around the corner ... Throw your hands in the air L.A.!

Sour Puss?

"A cat is a lion in a jungle of small bushes." ~Indian proverb