PINK BIRTH

My long anticipated blooms have finally started to open.
This is a singular post, though clicking it might take you to some surprises, I don`t really know.
Have a great day.

BEACH ART

I took a walk on the beach, since my flowers are no longer needed here.
A few things to set the mood.
I met a few girls who were visiting the area so I had to advise them of a few things.
The young lady on the rock, I reduced in size & relocated her & the rock back onto it`s original spot to show the scale of the rocks` size.
Out past the cliff, you`ll notice a buoy.
That`s the buoy whose bell I hear from my house.
I live above the cliffs pictured.
Do Not Drive on the sand.
Besides a view down the coast, some on the cliff have a view of the skies.
The Peg legged bird, is my little bit of artwork, down by the water.
Have a nice day.

FOUNTAIN PROMISE

I did mention previously that the Irises out front by the fountain would open in about a week.
Here you go.
As you may have noticed, I`ve been slacking lately, but I`ve been fooling around with Teri.
For example telling her to stand by a Rolls for a picture, next to one of my old hangouts, "The Brig".
I`ve been working on the legal finishings of her accident case, something she is quite capable of doing herself,
but I think she likes that I`ve been taking care of all of it.
I`ve been through the process before so I know the ins & outs although I`m not a paralegal whereas she is.
I`ll be getting her a new car soon, especially since I don`t like anyone driving my vehicles.
It won`t be an MGTC, though I wouldn`t mind that one bit.
I actually love that model of MG.
I`m going to finally finish up on my little sports car myself in the coming months.
A rare little 2 litre Jensen Healy that you can see on Planet Earth. You may have seen it before in the past years.
I have to put a new exhaust system in it & do the upholstery.

WHEN IRIS EYES ARE SMILING

This morning this flower was just a bud showing a little bit of skirt.
By four o`clock, it had opened to this.
I have a bunch of these in the front by the fountain also, but they won`t open for about a week I`d say.
I changed the header since I was tired of looking at Las Vegas at night.
Over on Planet Earth, we were about to leave The Brig, so I took a picture of Teri with the Rolls.
It`s really a great car.
The Brig
Damn what a place.
I used to hang there many many years ago.
I used to hustle pool there starting at six in the morning when it opened.
It was quite a dive when I frequented the place, but it`s renovated now to keep up with the times.
It`s just around the corner from Electric Avenue.
I should mention that I hope you have a nice day since we`ll be into the high seventies again tomorrow.
One of my clients, a doctor & pie maker par excellence, dropped off a steaming apple pie, although we`d just finished some strawberry shortcakes with homemade heavy whipped cream, so tomorrow shall be Pie Day.
I was out taking shots of the iris when the phone rang.
He said he wanted to bring a pie to us while the aroma was still wafting about.
I asked him where he was & he said, "Your front door!"
Another day in paradise.

ELECTRIC AVENUE

If you click on this, you`ll be enjoying a little walk I took in Venice, on Electric Avenue, yesterday.
You may be surprised that this is a $25,000,000.00 set I talked about, but I was wrong.
The houses or "cracker boxes" imaged are worth from 1.25 to 2 million dollars each.
These are the back yards taken from a little walk-street right at Electric Avenue.
You may click on the video or the slide show to see them all.
I took many more but did include a 3D of "Lily`s Court in the set.
For those who can/learned how to view my "stereoscopes" I hope you like it.
We met up with some friends there & went on a walk-about.
Five points to whoever spots the little dog.

BLACK & GOLD BLUES

Coming out of the market yesterday, I noticed a little photo shoot going on.
I took my camera out & walked up to the subject from the opposite side & took a few shots.
The musician looked over at me.
I told him he`d be a better subject if I could shoot with music playing.
I took another shot & bailed.
Here it is.
Tomorrow I have a set worth over $25,000,000.00
Stay tuned.
And some one is watching you behind a click.

MOURNING

I took pictures of some roses in our garden after going to a little roadside memorial on the corner down by the highway. A little 13 year old girl was struck & killed on Sat. walking home from a friend`s house on the "Point" here.
My local news feed mentions a 26 year old male who apparently intentionally tried to crash his vehicle into a utility pole, but lost control & killed the little one. (He is in custody facing murder charges)
I was down there this afternoon talking to some of the moms & their children who went to school with her.
Her name was Emily Rose Shane.
All I can do is post this image in her memory.
I did not know her.
(I have more images beyond the click.)

ON THE BEACH

A painting on the dining room wall at an Easter egg hunt at Teri`s daughter`s house today.
One more after a click.

TOOTSIE ROLL

This year`s first rescue is not a baby bird, but a just weaned little field mouse.
As Teri & I exited the front door, "Tootsie" was on the first step, wondering what to do, or at least that`s what we thought her expression meant.
So now Teri has a mission.
She`s made a little "mouse house" for TOOTSIE to figure out what life is all about.
I figure the little mouse is very recently weaned & got separated from it`s mother.
I think if it survives the night, it will be well on it`s way to a bright future.
If not, there will be an unconsolable person around the house.
There are more pix of Tootsie, beyond the click.

PALM SOMEDAY

Teri usually reminds me of the sunsets & I often "pooh pooh" her.
But I always take the camera & go out on the deck to "humor" her.
I always come away with a nice sunset though.
Here`s the one from tonight.
It`s very centralized in the sky, so it`s taken at maximum digital zoom.
Enjoy & have a great day.
Beth, you like purple do you?

BABY MASSAGERS

That`s all for today.
Have a nice tomorrow.

NATIVE INNOCENCE

A statue gifted to me from Sheryl.
I shot it while playing around last evening.
Planet Earth,
Tonight, (fooling around again) I took a few shots of a bowl given to me by Carpunder.
He is a Master wood turner.
You can see some of his work here.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/7400423@N06/sets/72157603773379295/

GLADIATOR

From the back yard, a fighting gladiator.
Although I do have only one, I might go nuts & get another bulb for next year.
(If I knew how)
Well it was another 80`s degree day here, but I hear it will go down into the seventies tomorrow.
YeeHaw.
Have a great day.

Single Shot Sunset

I think I took this Friday.
I`ve been a little frazzled lately.
I mean it was 85 degrees here today.
I have to start getting used to paradise all over again.
I`m hoping to take 4/5 months off to spend at the beach.

BACK YARD BUNCH

This is a bunch of flowers growing in the yard presently.
They close up at sundown every day.
On Planet Earth, a very tall gladiola is waking up.

CASTLE IN THE SNOW

A 2,000 piece puzzle Teri & I finished last week. This one was about 1 month in the making, while the one on Planet Earth, is about a 4 day effort.
No, we don`t sit around doing these puzzles all day.
They are on a large table & we work on them a few minutes at a time, or 30 mins at another time waiting for dinner to finish cooking, for example.
We both have completely different methods of putting it together.
Teri works by the shapes of the pieces, while I work with the image on each individual piece & match it to the image on the box for it`s location.
I use my big magnifying loupe for that.
May your days not be so puzzling.
Peace.

THE CONTORTIONIST

The writhing antics, seemingly impossible to control, from such a basic animal as an anemone, are, in my eyes, a natural mystery.
This is my Purple Anemone.
There` a few flowers & ferns over on Planet Earth.
Have a great day.

DON`T HAVE A COW

I stopped by to have a little moo with my bovine friend today.
I brought her a little `grass`, but she said she was OK for now.
Next time I`ll bring her an udder kind.
After you finish groaning, have a nice day, & be kind to animals.
Please.

PAINTBALL WARS

A little Percula playing around in his coral `head`.
Have a great day.
(You can see him again past the click, sounding an echo)

OLIVIA`S SUNSET

This post is dedicated to a great friend, compatriot, fellow photographer, & exceptional young lady.
Minutes before shooting this sunset image down on my beach, I talked to Olivia, via email, & mentioned how chilly & dreary it seemed.
Once down on the beach, my whole attitude changed & I shot these for her.
It turned out to be a very nice walk.
A strange dog ran up to me & made friends.
More surprisingly, a seal decided to come up in the surf, acknowledged my presence, then swam off into the sunset.
I take signs like this seriously.
To the dog, the seal & my friends, have a lovely journey.
Tony
I never signed off like this, but she`ll understand.
Olivia, I`ll see you at sunrise.

GOING POSTAL

The view from inside the atrium at the post office around the corner.
Click on it to view a quadruple unintentional self portrait.
It`s really not impressive or anything, but I only noticed it after downloading the files.
Obviously I faked the HD quality of the shot, using primitive techniques.
If the image on Planet Earth is not of Charlie, it`s because I put a few random shots there.
Please give me a few minutes to go find some.
Have a great day & see if it`s made better by promoting random acts of kindness.
Since I started that program personally, quite a few years ago, I`ve somehow been a very "lucky dude".
Coincidentally, I was reading an article on that phenomenon, today, on Biomes Blog.
Amazing that we may in effect create our own "luck".

TEST HIKE

Well, I know you had your fingers crossed so I couldn`t let you down.
Although some of these are not considered Wild flowers, many were in fields & not cultivated, although they do have plenty of class.
You can see them as individuals, by simply clicking your heels.
Have a great day.

BLACK MATRIX

This shot of a Marine Betta, taken tonight, shows how up-close & personal I can get to my underwater friends.
I would hope so after almost 10 years of interaction.
This fish is very friendly with me & me alone, but will attack Coconut, if he`s with me at the time of our interaction.
The fish seems protective of me, almost.
I hope to take a wildflower hike tomorrow, near my project site after I put everybody to work.
Cross your fingers for some shots of springtime in Malibu.

BLUE MOON

Out looking for tiny baby rabbits to shoot tonight, I saw the moon in the Sycamore.
That could be the opening sentence of a new book, but it`snot.
I do hope though, to be able to shoot some baby bunnies soon.
Have a nice day.

I may go shoot some trails & paths tomorrow. (Thanks AndiF)

PURPLE POUT

A little change of pace today.
As you may have noticed, I have a new "header" posted.
It is comprised of repetitive images of a little spring loaded bouncer in one of our gardens.
I simply gave her a different colored dress here & there.
On Planet Earth, a collection of random shots beginning with a surfer, Teri, & Charlie, who "don`t surf".
That`s for another post though.
The main posted image is of a Royal Gramma, a little upset that I`ve cornered her in a rocky hole & knows she must let herself be shot, to rid herself of a pesky invader,.. me.
The wildflowers are starting to overtake winter here, so I`ll soon be going into the hills, to try my luck at shooting them.
Have a beautiful day.

Hacienda

A little trip into the past when California was a land divided into pueblos.
One can imagine this.
Pueblo of Los Angeles in Los Angeles County, founded in 1781; patented August 4. 1875 to the City of Los Angeles; containing 17,172.37 acres.
These pueblos, or Land Grants, stretched from San Diego To San Jose, in the north.
Some were over 55 thousand acres.
This structure was built as a stable, but now we`d say a fortress.
It`s an historical building I spotted a month or so ago & have been looking for it ever since.
I found it today.
What I also found a few blocks away were two steer.
I pulled over to pretend to ask them for directions & surreptitiously took a few shots of one of them.
I couldn`t resist coupling the two, into one iconic image of the old California Rancheros.
Please click to see the rest of this amazing building from this morning`s shoot.

CELEBRATING CHERYL

I know I mentioned posting something else tonight, but Teri & I had decided to remember Cheryl, our neighbor who passed away a year ago today.
I came home at 10:00 AM & we went down in the yard where we have some of her statues.
This is one of my favorites.
Later in the evening I took a shot of the setting sun, an "eye" in the sky.
Then mysteriously the sky cleared & Cheryl seemed to do a close flyby of the moon, & then again, only closer.
Rest in Peace, Cheryl

MALIBU LUMBER

Yesterday I went down to Malibu Masonry for some supplies.
I then stopped in at Malibu Lumber.
This is a new little retail center built on the site of the Malibu Lumber Yard, a place I did many building supply purchases over 35 years.
But all things must come to pass & the lumber yard now exists only as the sign declaring a new high dollar joint.
There is one redeeming factor about the place & that is that Olivia has opened a fashion shop there with a friend she never mentioned.(at least to me)
This is also a place where, as you`ll see in one of the images, paparazzi are not welcome.
Strange that they should mention that, since we don`t appreciate any of them anywhere in Malibu.
I then went north to my old friend`s place, Zuma Orchids, to show him & his wife the blog post I did of him.
He was thrilled about it & he`ll have thousands of new & different orchids blooming in about six weeks.
Look forward to them, as I`ll be shooting them at that time.
Have a great day.

HERE COMES THE SUN

HERE COMES THE SUN
Originally uploaded by 37KNUCKLEHEAD

Here`s a little bit sunshine for your day

OUTDOOR ORCHID

A little something in a friend`s yard.
It`s been 80 degrees here & lovely, so I hope this cheers you up.
Spring is just around the corner.
Have a great day.

GREEN CHROMIS

This is a school of Green Chromis from my reef tank.
I have three of them.
Have a great day.
I`m back to work tomorrow, after a minor rain delay.

STARBURST

Things end up in a reef from god knows where.
This starfish, one of many, is presently footing it across an expanse of little light galaxies, a background created from a large anemone.
Click on this image to see the little star on the background, of a larger setting.
My girls brought me a pleasant surprise tonight, themselves, bearing birthday gifts.
They are all three amazing

RED POPPY

The poppies are out already.
There`s a yellow one beyond, & I hope to get some orange morphs also.

The sunsets are still on full power also.
Because of posting them, I`m backed up with other images I take, but they`ll go into my posting reserves I guess.
Have a great day.
Watch for a "Starburst" tomorrow.

A Month Of Color

I must remind you to go see this image on Flickr in "Original" size. (It should be huge)

My girls

My daughter & grand daughters swooped on me tonight for a surprise visit.
It`s always great to see them.
The girls needed their iPods recharged, & we have no more grapes.
Have a great day.

Feb. 1st

The month of my birthday just started.
Please go to the images beyond this one to see more of what I`m expecting for my special month.
At the same time I`ll try & give you the pleasure of my presents.
I try & not investigate what kind of weather you`re all having, since I don`t want to jinx mine.
Have a nice day tomorrow.
BTW, The blue herons are decimating my pond Koi.
More on that tomorrow.

SUNRISE

Since you must be tiring of sunsets, here`s a sunrise from my garden, taken while shooting tonight`s sunset.
There are a fair number of buds on this plant.
I also started pulling beets from the garden, btw.
On Planet Earth you can see last night`s sunset.
Have a great day.

Filet of Ruby

Ruby fillets on a Saphire background.
I did tell you it was intense at my place.
I hope you are well prepared to view a month of these celestial jewels.
I am holding a chest of them.

EXITING 2009

This is the end of 2009 leaving a trail to the past.

BACK YARD GRASSES

Seeing as my yard is a font of weeds, weed, seed & treed, I figure I should be allowed to shoot anything there.
Here are a few grass stems contrasting the lowering sun.
If any of you have any ideas as to how you`d like the "Sunset Presentation" to be unveiled, please speak your piece.
Have a nice day.
You can also see how a week may be spent keeping Teri & I active during unseasonal rains, over on Planet Earth.
In the header, just the usual view from my deck.

UNDERSEA FAUNA

One of my worms.
If I baste the reef with blood worms & mysis shrimp, the long tentacles grab the food out of the current & coil it down to the Day-Glo green tentacles which then direct it down into in it`s oral cavity in the center.
It`s always fascinating to observe.
Have a great day & remember, I`m still on my "Sunset Project".
I promise a mind blow on that one.
But no advance peeks.

REEF AGAIN

Revisiting my reef, I shot the Purple Tipped Anemone with it`s little lights on.
I`m spending a lot of time on my Sunset Project, so stayed tuned (Beth).
On the other hand, AndiF, don`t fear, your "wake-up" shot is behind this post.
Have a great week ahead.

NEON GARDEN

I`m just keeping up my supply of greenery & flowers for those of you so deprived.
I`m also working daily on my project to shoot every single sunset for a month.
I think I only missed one, when I went to see Avatar.
You`ll see them at month`s end.
I also included the pod I used for the "Seductress`s eyes & worked on it a bit more.

SNAKES & LADDERS

For those of you that are seasonally, greenery impaired, I`m posting some of the tropical looking plants on the Pond
Project grounds.
There are more beyond this.
I`m posting a little something for Boran2 on Planet Earth made from the same blossom pod as "Garden Fairy" & a kisser made from Olivia`s tulips.

One more thing, I went to see Avatar with Teri`s dad last Fri.
We saw it in 3D +
I ate some of my specialty herbal goodies while he went with the smokable 4th dimension.
Having not been to a movie theater in 15 years, I`m glad I chose this movie to break my cinematic fast.
Total mind blow.
As a big fan of 3D in photography, I was intrigued with seeing it in 3D.
I`ve never been to any movie twice, but tomorrow I`m taking Teri.
And I can`t wait.
Fabulous movie.
I`ll send "goodies" to any one who wants to go see it in 4D.

LITTLE GREEN SURFBOARDS

A few shots I took today while checking my project sites in preparation for some major rainstorms that are rolling through here for the whole week.

WOODLAND FAIRY

A little fairy I made from seed pods I shot today, with green leaf lips.

BIRD FEEDER CREEK BRIDGE

Sometimes while hiking around my area, I come upon a little something that reminds me of other images in my archives. I often use the memory to compose my present shot.
Tomorrow; what memories are made from.

I call this "BIRD FEEDER CREEK" because I often see Blue Herons wading in the waters there.
I will be hiking up to the headwaters of this creek at the end of the month, & will post the surprise origin at that time.
Have a great day & keep a thought for the people in Haiti.

ANDY`S PARADISE

Today Andy walked up on me, shooting this marvel of evolution.
I told him I would post it on the blog just for him, in it`s raw form.
I should let Teri tell you about Andy, but that would maybe make him blush.
Here`s a favorite of his, "Bird of Paradise".
I did post one beyond it with a contrasting background.
Enjoy, & don`t feel bad about our local weather, we`ll probably get hit with some extreme conditions soon.
(The above statement is basically to adjudicate my guilt on our heavenly weather)
Be safe & warm.

DSCN3732

DSCN3732
Originally uploaded by 37KNUCKLEHEAD

This is after a little bit of tuning up.
This little guitar was basically a little workshop on building a working instrument with parts found around the house, a guitar neck from a neighbor & a few parts from a music store.
Total time 3 hours.

The Stewart Gibson

A new guitar is about to be unveiled to the world today.
It`s modeled after a "Canjo", a banjo made with an oilcan.
I built it with Bligh today.
To see more images of this soon to be famous CrackerBacker, click the image & check the little slide show where you can see/hear Bligh play it.
Have a nice day.

LAND OWNER

Bligh, Guest Blogger,

Here`s another capture by Bligh.
You know where to look for more images on this voyage.
Enjoy, & have a great day.

YOSEMITE COYOTE

BLIGH, Guest Blogger

Bligh, Teri` son, visiting from Australia, & his lovely girlfriend Eleanor here from London, just came back from a three day excursion through Yosemite, Oregon & down back to Malibu.
He will have many of his terrific images posted here for the next few days.
WooHoo, a few days off.
In this image, a very rare occurrence, showing the usually quite wary Coyote, tolerating human presence within feet of it`s it`s food find, while a con artist crow tries to cheat him out of at least a few scraps.
Enjoy, & do come back tomorrow for grand vistas & another noble forest dweller.