Daily Photos

< August 2004 >

August 1, 2004
An albino black widow? It`s completely white - even its legs are translucent. And now for another type of spider. It appears my favorite superhero has succumbed to wood ticks. How long has this been going on? Long before I was born. Too young to lose its speckled breast, or to know not to let humans get so close. The leaves in the foreground create an illusion of a rather angry man in the moon.

August 2, 2004
I didn`t believe it until I heard Osama`s impassioned speech at the Democratic National Convention. Note the temporary tag. Within the past 30 days, someone actually paid money to buy this car. Bucolic graffiti. Soylent Green is people!!! It`s always alarming when fire trucks pull up outside the building I`m in.

August 3, 2004
Did I tell you I scored four touchdowns in that game? Outside the U.D. Athletics building. What is an arch turned on its side called? Like some natural Victrola horn, this glorious flower was destroyed by rain the next day. Attics can be addicting. In the kitchen tap, there is beauty.

August 4, 2004
Worse than its bite. Flowers offer fragrance, color, beauty . . . . . . well, yeah, there`s that too. The little guy needs to clarify his concept of camouflage. Like a prefabricated wedding bouquet.

August 5, 2004
Greetings from Portland! Who needs ruby slippers? I take more pictures before 9:00am than most people take all day. Most of my friends agree I`m a fungi -- er, fun guy. Man`s unbridled development continues to encroach upon the habitat of wildlife.

August 6, 2004
I`ve always wanted to shoot a cat. I noticed this huge blossom from my car a half-block away. Hitch-hiking flowers. Climb Oregon Canyon! A little weed killer should take care of that.

August 7, 2004
Morning in the city. MMM - this street corner smelled good! I thought I`d send you a letter. That`s a lot of lines. Get it? A LOT. That has lines. Think about it . . . When the moon hits your eye like a big pizza pie, that`s armory.

August 8, 2004
Down, but not out. Put the petal to the metal. The Wright brothers invented the first practical wind tunnel (mostly just to blow each other`s hats off). Criticism of my photographs rolls off me just like water from a duck`s back. Rollin`, rollin`, rollin` down the river!

August 9, 2004
Don`t step on my blue suede flowers. Where grape-flavored fruit roll-ups come from. A red circle of glass within a brick wall (I`m experimenting with literalist captions now). Three empty benches (literalism is boring). Experiment in motion photography.

August 10, 2004
One of several churches in the Oregon District that have gone out of (or rather, gone into) business. Got a really good deal on the paint. It was like they were trying to give it away! What is it? Do you eat it? `Nelly Moser` clematis (Ranunculaceae). HA! I do know what some of these flowers are. U.D. students flock to the bookstore to stock up on the essentials.

August 11, 2004
The shot of this Buick`s tail fins didn`t look good, but I got a nice reflection of Mini Me in the bumper. I was glad to see that the stairway to heaven also has an accessible ramp. By sacrificing a couple pawns, I was able to capture the white queen (but needed help carrying her off the board). The next Mia Hamm. Oh, I have slipped the surly bonds of earth, And danced the skies on laughter-silvered wings. JOHN GILLESPIE MAGEE JR.

August 12, 2004
I warned them not to go swimming right after they ate. Hmm, more death. Refer to June 13 to see how this very same flower once looked. Not so much `Meow` as `Ho-hum`. Even had one of those days when it felt like your Info Tube was empty? Even if I could explain it, I think I prefer the mystery.

August 13, 2004
Down, but not out. It`s so cold at the radio station, they just leave the ice cubes sitting out. I know I`m 100% normal because the copier tells me so. Sure, the Mozart Weight-Loss program involves radical surgical procedures, but results are guaranteed! Experiment in slow shutter speed.

August 14, 2004
A housing project by any other name. All right, you squirrels: consider yourselves warned! It`s two -- two -- two flower photos in one! My effort to bring you an endless variety of images takes me to some smelly places. Look at the proboscis on this guy. He`s the Cyrano de Bergerac of the insect world!

August 15, 2004
DO NOT MESS with the Chaplain. Our culture seems to revere lions. Inanimate ones, that is. There are always lots of chicks around RiverScape. A rather poorly-designed bird cage. Yeah, sometimes my eyes feel that way too.

August 16, 2004
Like some `70s cop show, I went out today to shoot a fence. I`m reminded why fences like this are constructed: to keep people like me out. Or to keep some things in. Looks inviting, but I didn`t sit on it. Some neighbor might lose his temper. Or his head.

August 17, 2004
Morning in the Oregon District. A sign of things to come. What are the 39 steps? Someday I`m going to get stung. Do you MIND?

August 18, 2004
You may be able to detect a theme today. A common thread that unifies these photos. Be alert, because it`s very subtle. Look closely and I`m sure you`ll spot it. Have you figured it out yet?

August 19, 2004
Georgia O`Keefe would`ve loved it. Opening Soon! Irrepressible life. Preview of coming attractions. Preview of coming precipitation.

August 20, 2004
Fire hydrants in their larval state. Welcome to Kountry Jon! Y`all come in and set a spell. Just enough imperfection to be interesting. Susan, before the black eye. I didn`t make any color adjustments. That`s how it looked even on an overcast morning.

August 21, 2004
When seen from the air, Antarctica can be starkly beautiful. More rings than Liberace. Where pretzel sticks come from. Hidden complexity. No comment from me necessary.

August 22, 2004
Of fowls after their kind, and of cattle after their kind, of every creeping thing of the earth after his kind, two of every sort shall come unto thee. GENESIS 6:20 Don`t look so koi. `I wuv cwover!` It`s an odd feeling when the flowers are taller than me. `Come on in, the water`s fine!`

August 23, 2004
Here comes the sun. How`d they get the sun inside there? Nearly time to chime. What a Chicago Cubs outfielder sees. `Don`t take my picture - I just got up.`

August 24, 2004
Cats and spiders: I can`t stand them, so why do I take pictures of them? Working at a Catholic university, I see lots of priests and nuns - and even the occasional cardinal. All is ready for the Olympic chain-jumping competition. It`s called a cupola. That`s Italian for `Large upside-down cup-shaped thing on top of a building.` What goes around comes around.

August 25, 2004
They send everyone home promptly at noon. The pool hall`s high-tech security system. Birds of a feather fight together. `You gotta get me out of here. I`m innocent, I tell you!` Palm trees once again tower above the Wintergarden of the Schuster Performing Arts Center.

August 26, 2004
Due to the rain, all of today`s pictures were taken from inside my car. It was good weather for ducks. To live in hearts we leave behind is not to die. THOMAS CAMPBELL Silently - imperceptibly - while the family slept - it crept toward the house. If you`re patriotic and you love America, you`ll advertise here.

August 27, 2004
Just walking down the sidewalk, one sees the most arresting images. 11:45am - The world`s tiniest bee. 5:08pm - The world`s largest bee (about 2 inches). Suddenly the notion of dying from a sting sounds plausible. Architects love it. Custodians hate it. Day 1.

August 28, 2004
I drove through beautiful Kentucky horse country today, and this is all I have to show for it. Is it somebody`s birthday? Rain can make photography more difficult - or more interesting. I need my glasses! Day 2.

August 29, 2004
Ticket sales have increased dramatically since they changed the name from `Dull Slide`. From the Caribbean Sea to my apartment. Edward Weston wants his seashells back. What one takes pictures of when it is raining outside. Day 3.

August 30, 2004
Not raining quite as much today, but still wet. A mangrove tree in Dayton, Ohio? A bit early for that type of thing, don`t you think? Who do we have to thank for this? I recalled the way my hands got sticky after throwing these at people when I was little.

August 31, 2004
Celebrate! It`s a sunny day. Somebody`s watching you. `Is this a good look for me, or should I wear it up?` Putting berries on my bran cereal makes it taste better. Did I mention it`s a sunny day?

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