ghost in the line

ghost in the line, originally uploaded by gawdessness.

a homeschooling field trip of sorts
my youngest two and I
at the local public school
helping tiny princesses and superheroes
play halloween games

reflect iphone

reflect iphone, originally uploaded by gawdessness.

candlesticks and sliver balls in the dining room

glass stack

glass stack, originally uploaded by gawdessness.

been sick, hope not to be tomorrow

gleam

gleam, originally uploaded by gawdessness.

fluffy tailed rodent
bobs on the branches
outside my bedroom window
it loves these apples
mushy after the frosts

in a row (Oct. 27) IPHONE

in a row (Oct. 27) IPHONE, originally uploaded by gawdessness.

in a row
expensive nail polish
three of them blue
make me think of summer
because I only ever use
them on my feet
because I like looking down
and seeing the colours
winking up at me
from my sandals

oj for what ails me - isight

oj for what ails me - isight, originally uploaded by gawdessness.

I usually don't feel cold
when I have a cold
or too hot either
but my face can sure hurt

hand in hand

hand in hand, originally uploaded by gawdessness.

most Saturday mornings
we are up EARLY
to schlep kids to pottery
I never cease to be amazed
at what is produced there
this will be a pencil holder
after glazing and firing

spocktacular

spocktacular, originally uploaded by gawdessness.

which character from popular science fiction is my nine year old channeling?

souvenir

souvenir, originally uploaded by gawdessness.

bought in San Diego
from an artist
in Balboa Park
I like the weight of it
bumping against the base of my throat
and I like the flash of ocean colours
when I see my reflection
as I move through my day

scary cookies at the dollar store iphone

scary cookies at the dollar store iphone, originally uploaded by gawdessness.

nothing in the other aisles
the ones
dedicated to halloween
seemed as spooky
as the shattered face
of this princess head
made of hardened dough

curve

curve, originally uploaded by gawdessness.

holes in the blue

light lunch

light lunch, originally uploaded by gawdessness.

love the light
love the textures
love the lines

black face

black face, originally uploaded by gawdessness.

outside the local highschool
this thing stands
a tribute to...
school spirit I guess

needles of gold

needles of gold, originally uploaded by gawdessness.

the larch in our neighborhood
startles me every year
changing it's green for yellow

blue has a light of it's own

blue has a light of it's own, originally uploaded by gawdessness.

it is my favourite colour
probably because of the sky
on those days with the sun shining just so

but oh
those times that it wraps around me
fills my head and obscures the gold of happy

I don't know quite what to do

my favourite sweater still smells like the sea

my favourite sweater still smells like the sea, originally uploaded by gawdessness.

higher

higher, originally uploaded by gawdessness.

unexpected find
in the field behind the high school
pulled over the van so we could all watch it
bump slowly, and awkwardly
slightly up and then down
a little at a time
until there was only up

imitation

imitation, originally uploaded by gawdessness.

how do I show the season
without the leaves?
that was the challenge I set myself today
because autumn here is
all about the leaves
yellowing, falling, browning, curling
and blowing along the ground
and I found
it is also about the light
as I stopped and bent against the sharp wind
pausing on my way to VOTE
to take this shot of the ice rink fence

department store orchid

department store orchid, originally uploaded by gawdessness.

running late this year on the holiday shopping
I like to get it done before halloween
when it is quiet and not too many people are about
and most of the stuff I am looking for is still there
today was my first real foray out
and I was pleased to find a small oasis of
orchids under the cold blue glare
of the fluorescent lighs

autumn kissed leaves

autumn kissed leaves, originally uploaded by gawdessness.

making me think of that grateful dead song
something about a touch of chill in the air today
a touch of silver in my hair

anyway, I still have the images of waves in my head
but I also love my oceanless home

stop over in las vegas

stop over in las vegas, originally uploaded by gawdessness.

airport terminal in las vegas
complete with one arm bandits
and brushed aluminum sky
and burnished metal palms
the view outside the windows was surreal
a sphinx, a pyramid, a golden cube and a fairy castle
shimmering at the end of the tarmac

sun sets on La Jolla Cove

sun sets on La Jolla Cove, originally uploaded by gawdessness.

the weather has finally turned Octoberish
still not cold but somewhat sweatery
which is fine because I brought one of those and will probably wear it for one last walk on the beach before we are thrust back into the the travelling travails
this is the city in southern california that will have a piece of my heart
even when I am far away and in a different country

look closely

look closely, originally uploaded by gawdessness.

made from Lego...

Legoland California
felt as crowded as this
even though it was a weekday,
in October,
oh but my kids didn't care
even at the feeding frenzy that was the gift store
at closing time

early morning sand castles IPHONE

early morning sand castles IPHONE, originally uploaded by gawdessness.

when I go home
I will be happy to be there
but I will miss running on the beach
in the early morning
sharing the shore with
surfers and dog walkers
and finding
the magical and the ephemeral
beauty of sand castles

memories of the friendly giant

memories of the friendly giant, originally uploaded by gawdessness.

san diego wild animal park
what a wonderful place
older kids and dad did the segue tour
younger kids and I did the PHOTO safari
A blast was had by all!
We are left wanting to go back...

on the way home we stopped and picked up an
OSTRICH egg from a roadside stand
much to the kid's disbelief
there may be an ostrich omellette in our
future

panda toddler

panda toddler, originally uploaded by gawdessness.

we went to the zoo, zoo, zoo
the san diego zoo
and we spent all day
I almost cried when I saw the pandas

found, dead on beach

found, dead on beach, originally uploaded by gawdessness.

found, dead on beach
cuttlefish
purple
3 feet long
seen during morning walk towards scripps pier,
I thought about it later when wading in the surf,
flinching when seaweed tangled around my ankles.

kids saw leopard sharks,
while they were playing
small and harmless
but very cool...

still, between that and the surfer
talking about the sting ray they encountered...
playing in the ocean was a very aerobic experience for me today

piper x

piper x, originally uploaded by gawdessness.

early morning beach
seeing the sandpiper
and then
weaving in and out of the joggers, walkers and surfers
oh the surfers,
all ages and sizes and sun bleached hair
everywhere I look,
and the surfer talk all around
like listening to a soundtrack from a beach movie
it makes me smile

but then the chop,chop, chop
of the rescue helicopter circling overhead
and the lifeguards on the ocean
searching for a lost diver
makes the morning a little less sunny

the searchers are still there
hours later
the lost still unfound
when we're back with the kids

we try sea kayaking
look at caves in the cliffs
and sea lions basking on sandstone

my oldest and I both get
hit with churning nausea
oh seasickness ick
it cuts our trip a little short

but solid land is so welcoming
that we don't care

up where we belong

up where we belong, originally uploaded by gawdessness.

Sea World
meant
being checked for weapons at the entrance
and me not figuring that out till later
babbling to the guard about the illicit food we were smuggling in
being okay because it was for our daughter who is celiac
and
it meant
sore feet from walking all day
and
beluga whales circling
walruses doing underwater somersaults
and
dolphins
soaring

buttons and the vet

buttons and the vet, originally uploaded by gawdessness.

the ocean surprised me,
it captivated all of us.
so did seeing the disabled U.S. war veterans - surfing in that ocean

feels funny saying "I'm from Canada"
because I never say it otherwise
but it is good to talk to so many nice Americans
and that is all we seem to encounter

aquarium
in and out burger
more beach
and trying to surf ourself
then tide pools
and hummingbirds
and butterflies
and seals and sea lions
and pelicans
and that is only the first full day

the blue rolling beneath my wings

the blue rolling beneath my wings, originally uploaded by gawdessness.

from the window of the plane
land between seattle and san diego
I can hear the ocean
tomorrow I bring my children to it