miniature poinsettia...

miniature poinsettia..., a photo by credd on Flickr.

this little beauty is 2 inches tall.
it caught my eye on thursday when i was in whole foods.
i'm going to follow some guidelines to keep it alive for a year.
hopefully i'll be successful.

tea lights...

tea lights..., a photo by credd on Flickr.

this evening i attended my photography meetup group holiday party.
these are some of the tea lights on the dining room table.

at play amongst the snowmen...

at play amongst the snowmen..., a photo by credd on Flickr.

tonight was the snowman lighting at cornerstone sonoma.

we arrived shortly after four o'clock...
and lucked up on a parking spot...
as the place was packed.

we wandered around...
got some tickets for some of the booths that they had....
and i took a few photos...
waiting for the lighting at 6 o'clock.

once the snowmen were lit...
kids (big and small) played amongst them.

on ice...

on ice..., a photo by credd on Flickr.

today...
while at streets of brentwood...
i wandered over to the ice rink for a few photos.

if you're interested in ice skating...
there are a number of bay area cities w/rinks during the holidays...
- brentwood
- napa
- san francisco
- walnut creek

for more holiday ice rink info...click here.

peek-a-boo

peek-a-boo, a photo by credd on Flickr.

when i went to whole foods today...
i saw these ornaments hanging in the trees.

when i came out...
i took a few selfies.

so...
to all the people that kept asking and wondering...
what i was doing...
now you know.

that kind of day...

that kind of day..., a photo by credd on Flickr.

11:11:11(EST) on 11/11/11...

11:11:11(EST) on 11/11/11..., a photo by credd on Flickr.

worldwide moment

the title should probably read...
11:11:08...
but if i were being REALLY techinical...
it'd read...
08:11:08.
:)

aspiration...

aspiration..., a photo by credd on Flickr.

oil on canvas
1936

painted by
aaron douglas
b 1899 - d 1979

aka the father of african american arts.
read about mr. douglas here.

mooned...

mooned..., a photo by credd on Flickr.

i've been looking at the moon for a couple of days now.
tonight...
i could no longer resist.

always the best show in town...

always the best show in town..., a photo by credd on Flickr.

today...
my photography meetup group went to the paramount theatre in oakland.
we were given a tour...
and allowed to take photographs.

there was SO much to see.

i've been to the paramount numerous times...
but this was the first time it wasn't overflowing with people...
and i was really able to look around.

if you've ever been there (or if you haven't)...
and would love a closer look...
they offer two tours a month.

ceiling light in the women's powder room in the basement.  

***

part of the mural in the women's powder room in the basement. 

***

inside the theatre.  

***

window pane right inside the lobby.  

***

dancing girls.

golden gate bridge...

golden gate bridge..., a photo by credd on Flickr.

today i took a pto day...
and visited the de young museum...
and then the golden gate bridge.

there were some interesting exhibits at the de young...
and i'm glad i finally went there.

i always enjoy seeing the golden gate bridge...
and don't get there often enough.

for 2012...
i'll shoot in sf once a month.

occupy walnut creek...

occupy walnut creek..., a photo by credd on Flickr.

main street meets wall street.

i heard on the news this morning...
that #occupywalnutcreek would be occuring today...
and i planned to attend.

at approximately 2:00...
i received an email from our building complex manager...
that the protest would be taking place near our office.

i notified our clients of the time and location of the event...
and possible traffic delays...
and closed the office an hour early.

while everyone else went home...
i headed towards the event...
camera in hand.

a few people asked me why i was taking photos...
some posed for me...
and others urged me to join them.

i stayed on the sidelines with my camera...
chatting with those that approached me.

they plan to be out there again next wednesday...
and so do i.

peanut buster parfait...

peanut buster parfait..., a photo by credd on Flickr.

ok...
so this doesn't exactly fit my 'healthy eating' profile...
but it certainly tasted good.

really...
i only ate a spoonful of it so far...
but plan to snack on it throughout the day.

one of my fondest memories of my childhood...
is being in georgia...
on a hot summer night...(what other kind is there)
with my brothers and all my cousins...
as we conned my grandfather into taking all nine of us to dairy queen...
we even had a song! :)

that was 1971...
and the last time we were all together.

that is also the last time i was with my grandfather...
as i moved to japan the next day...
and he passed away a few months later.

ok...
this post is getting deeper and deeper the more i write.
i just remembered that next week is the anniversary of his passing.

so...
to herman dixon...
i love you...
and i miss you...
and will forever hold you close in my heart.

empire state...

empire state..., a photo by credd on Flickr.

today was a full day....
and my body is T.I.R.E.D.

our first stop was the food truck rally...
at grand army plaza.
we shared a delicious shrimp roll as an appetizer...
as we had other foodie plans for the day.

next...
chelsea market.
we browsed around...
grabbed a shrimp salad and a beverage...
and then picked up a couple of salts (black truffle & pepper salt)...
for our culinary activities.

next...
we met @shaznyc...
and went off to the high line.

finally...
we hit up whole foods for some staples...
more kale for kale chips...
and some shrimp inari rolls (yeah...more shrimp) for dinner.

now...
we're sipping on moscato...
and having the remaining apple crisp w/vanilla ice cream for dessert.

street art tribute...

street art tribute..., a photo by credd on Flickr.

this morning on twitter...
i read about a street art tribute to steve jobs...
that someone had put up on bond street.

i added that site to my list of places to visit...
figured out the subway route...
and went over for photos.

street life...

street life..., a photo by credd on Flickr.

today's agenda...
coffee at blue bottle...
browsing at the brooklyn kitchen...
and dining at dumont.

on the way...
i captured a few street scenes.

handbills on poles...
murals...
and graffiti.  

oh...
and my daughter's reflection on a building.

me & mini-me...

me & mini-me..., a photo by credd on Flickr.

we were supposed to go to baltimore today...
and i came down with a cold or something.
so...
we stayed in brooklyn...
because i did NOT feel up to 4 hours of travel today...
and that's not even counting the commute to manhattan.

we started out on the subway headed to the green market...
where we picked up some pickles from rick's picks.
i'd seen them in whole foods at home...
but had never tried them.
they were comparable to my own.

we then headed to lunch at a place i'd seen on food network (mile end)...
where we decided to split the appetizing platter and the poutine.
omg...they were both delish...
and the over-sized mug of stumptown coffee was divine.

after sitting at the counter for over an hour...
watching them prepare numerous smoked meat sandwiches...
i ordered one to go.

we rolled out of there and caught the mta bus to target and bath & body works...
where we stocked up on a few supplies and candles...
then ventured back to the apartment.

now...
it's time for wine, candles and laptops.

manhattan lights...

manhattan lights..., a photo by credd on Flickr.

tonight..
my daughter and i met up with @shaznyc for a photoshoot.

i got some nice silhouettes of the brooklyn bridge...
and some even nicer photos of the manhattan bridge..

this one...
reminds me of a painting.

if we're connected on google+...
i plan to post more of the photos there.

obscured...

obscured..., a photo by credd on Flickr.

this is a photo i took during saturaday's wwpw.

we were walking down the street...
and i spied someone sitting on the porch...
their top half obscured by a sun shade.

i walked past the house a few feet...
and then returned to ask for a photo.

i guess it's ready...

i guess it's ready..., a photo by credd on Flickr.

since this is the first time i've ever grown a watermelon...
i didn't know when i was ready.

when i went out and looked at it this morning...
it was starting to split.

so...
i guess it's ready.

to go...

to go..., a photo by credd on Flickr.

today when i was in the office...
i started pulling things out of my 'gadget bag'...
and had these four flash drives in my hand.

mind you...
i also carry a 250gb drive...
and a 1tb drive.

i won't mention all the other gadgets i carry around with me on the daily...
but lets just say...
i'm well prepared.

btw...
my nickname is...
inspector gadget. :)

napa riverfront...

napa riverfront..., a photo by credd on Flickr.

this afternoon...
i headed to one of my favorite places...
to take some photos for a class assignment...
and my google+ pow.

our first stop was to visit the grape crusher...
and then...
it was on to the riverfront.

i had also planned to go to oxbow...
but i spent so much time at the other places...
and since the weather had drastically changed...
we headed for home.

***

three second exposure...
and a few tweaks in lr.

still waters...

still waters..., a photo by credd on Flickr.

i wanted to go out to emeryville and berkeley today for some photos...
but when we went to get on the freeway...
bumper to bumper traffic.

i exited at the next off ramp...
and headed in another direction...
still in search of water.

we ended up at port sonoma...
where i took a few photos of boats...
but what i really wanted were bird photos.

remembrance...

remembrance..., a photo by credd on Flickr.

i made cookies...

i made cookies..., a photo by credd on Flickr.

last night...
after bringing in the veggie harvest of the day...
i roasted a pan of tomatoes...
and made a jar of refrigerator dill pickles.

i was tweeting about it last night...
and was asked why i hadn't made cake or cookies.
so...
because i try to keep some 'instant' sweets on hand...
i made these this morning.

still harvesting...

still harvesting..., a photo by credd on Flickr.

tonight i picked this cucumber...
a tray of tomatoes...
and four japanese eggplants.

i'm going to attempt to make dill pickles tonight.
the tomatoes & cukes...
i'm taking to class tomorrow.

the last couple of projects i did for class...
were photos of my garden...
and a classmate inquired about some of the bounty...
so...
i'm taking her some.

i'm going to pick some herbs in the morning...
basil, oregano, mint, and sage...
and take them too.

vitamins...

vitamins..., a photo by credd on Flickr.

i've been fighting a cold or the flu or something all day.
nyquil and sleep were my constant companions...
with an occasional tweet thrown in here & there when i was semi-conscious.

i came downstairs about 9 to get something to eat...
and take my photo of the day.

this is a splash of vodka w/lime juice...
and i added a slice of lemon, some strawberries, pineapple and blueberries.

it can't make me feel any worse than i already do.

cheers!

coneflower bokeh...

coneflower bokeh..., a photo by credd on Flickr.

today i used my 50...
for the first time in probably a year or so.

once i got my 35...
the 50 was sitting in the bag.

i forgot how beautiful it is.
even with all the spider webs on the coneflower.

kidney-shaped melon...

kidney-shaped melon..., a photo by credd on Flickr.

i've got a few of these babies on the vine now.
but this one was first.

as you can see...
he's quite a ways from the raised bed.

i wonder how to tell when its ready.
will be researching that this weekend.

kicking butt...

kicking butt..., a photo by credd on Flickr.

been up since 3 something.
wanted to get up and print before the rest of the company back east came online....
and SLOWED down the system.

cleaned out my emails...
and sent out even more.

roasted some veggies for my lunch...
and took photos for my homework tomorrow night...
as well as my potd.

its month end...
and i see smooth sailing for the rest of my day.

undercover...

undercover..., a photo by credd on Flickr.

today when i was leaving the post office at travis...
i saw this 'mannequin' and immediately thought - potd!!!

i pulled out my blackberry...
and as i took aim...
a woman passing by said...
what would you do if there was a real person in there?

i told her...
you wouldn't even want to see that...
and we laughed.

if he had moved...
i'd have probably had a heart attack on the spot!!!

next time i'm out there...
i'm gonna feel his arm...
just to see if he's real.

***

years ago...
my friend and i were in vegas at ceasar's palace...
and if you've been there...
you know they have the gladiators up on top of the slot machines...
striking a pose.

well...
we were standing there for a few minutes...
debating about whether or not the guy was real...
and...
i'm sure to mess with us...
he slowly changed positions.

we fell out...
but the brotha was good...
and didn't bat an eye.

it's 5 o'clock somewhere...

it's 5 o'clock somewhere..., a photo by credd on Flickr.

i was chatting with one of my co-workers at 4:50...
and we both said we were going to have a glass of wine at 5:00.

we chatted back a forth a couple more minutes...
and when i glanced at the clock again...
it looked like the time had gone backwards a couple of minutes.

i know it was only my imagination...
as this has been an exceptionally crazed week for me...
and i was ready for it to be over!!!

hope you all have a safe, & relaxing weekend.

cheers!

mineta airport hands...

mineta airport hands..., a photo by credd on Flickr.

The hands of 54 Silicon Valley residents – actually giant images of the hands of 54 Silicon Valley residents – are part an unusual mural being installed in the new rental car and public garage at Mineta San Jose International Airport (SJC).

The digitally created mural, titled "Hands", is the work of artist Christian Moeller and will be hard to miss: the mural is 1,200 feet long and seven stories high.

***

i wish i'd taken my zoom lens to my room...but...i'll be back in the sj office next week...so i'll get a better photo then.

single...

single..., a photo by credd on Flickr.

she's just had her daily shower.

i have one urn that i planted three different types of sunflowers in.
this one lives all alone.

either it's a seed from last year (doubtful)...
or i got distracted when i was planting (likely)...
and forgot to plant more than the one.

i think i'll put some other seeds in there tonight...
hopefully there's still time for them to bloom this year.

explorers...

explorers..., a photo by credd on Flickr.

this morning when i was out watering my garden...
and photographing its progress...
i saw the shadow of something thru the petals.

i dropped the hose...
and went inside to get another lens.

i pulled the flower down...
and there was the beetle.
the gnat was a bonus.

i just love the fuzziness of the sunflower stem!!!

friday update...

friday update..., a photo by credd on Flickr.

the raised bed is doing quite well.

last week we secured some netting to the back of the trellis...
so that we could train the cucumbers to go up the back...
instead of spreading out over the bed and covering up everything.


the watermelon branches are a few feet long...
and still growing.

i saw one teeny watermelon last week...
and photographed it.
but a couple of days later...
it had fallen off.

there are at least ten more that i saw this week...
so hopefully at least one of them will grow into maturity.

i harvested two japanese eggplants this week...
and of course...
my csa box had three HUGE eggplants in it this week...
so i will definitely be cooking something with all of them tomorrow.

btw...
my csa box also contained basil, cucumbers and tomatoes...
all of which i am growing...
and they are producing abundantly.

today for dinner...
i made panzanella...
and used a few of the tomatoes...
and one of the cucumbers.

tomorrow...
i'm making bread and butter pickles...
and roasting more tomatoes to put up in my freezer.

panzanella recipe on my food blog.