Brown Bear Brawl

We so loved the huge habitats the animals have at the Riverbanks Zoo. We were so blessed to see the bears arise from the afternoon nap in the sun. The first one up made sure the other was awake and soon they set about playing.



We watched for over an hour as they wrestled & played. We thought they were trying to push each other into the water, but they remained on solid ground. It was a time of sheer delight for everyone around.

Early Impressions

Prior to the last photo class I took, I was to shoot 100+ images without regard to light, composition, balance, etc. This was very difficult for me...to shoot without thinking artistically. The goal was to identify what things attract my eye. What I realized most is that I am attracted to texture...particularly mixed textures. It made sense and yet, felt odd. As a visual artist, I render smooth, gradual shading in pencil, paint and pen.
My brother, Wesley, and I periodically go "grazing" at the store. This is something we don't do often, but LOVE ! We will be gone for hours. We always find ourselves in weird, off-beat sections of the store...I noticed that we will point and look and, "wow" at the same thing at the same time...and it is usually texture-based! I commented on this and he said, "It makes sense. We both grew up in the same house." We are also drawn to the same shells when we beach comb together.

The home my parents chose to raise their kids in was built by a contractor for his daughter, who only lived there a short time. He had outfitted the place with all kinds of cool and varied textures...white gravel, framed in wrought iron in front of the fireplace which was double-sided in a rose, stone wall. there were copper tiles in the kitchen, more gravel in the bay window. Several of the plaster-walled rooms had one wall of a different kid of panelling.Outside there was brick, gray stone and wood. There were fields arund and forests nearby.
It is amazing to me how our surroundings, subconsciously affect our preferences. The youngest of 8 grand kids, I was the only girl. I was a tomboy and was always trying to keep up with my brothers and boy cousins. All the adults wanted to keep me in pink and ribbons and lace... As an adult, this has become my "comfort color"...the color that makes me happy...the color I wear when I want to feel loved or just plain comfortable. Early impressions may be more lasting than we think.
Next time....an array of different shell textures...

What Is This? (Pt. 2)

Ok, you should have it now, but if not, the next one will be a give-away.

Carol of the Bells

Yesterday, as we headed out for our respective schools, London looked at me with a big grin and said, "I have a way to make you think about me all day long."
I replied, "Honey, I think about you all day, every day".
"No, I have a way to make you think bad about me all day."
"Oh, baby, I would never think bad about you."
He then set about whistling, "Carol of the Bells"...He was right ! Two days in and I am still thinking bad things about him at work !!!! (and several of my classes are thinking bad things about me!)

Robot Fun

Burnt

This is "Burnt"...not to be confused with Bert, from Sesame Street. London named him. He is the target of torture. I was a bit concerned, but have been told that boys tend to set aside one toy that is such a target. I have asked a large number of men and most eagerly expound fondly and in vivid detail all about their "special" toy of destruction. Burnt has been frozen in blocks of ice, lashed to railings for days on in end, in all seasons. He has been left on the roof in summer heat and thunder storms. He has been strapped to CO2 propelled cars and raced down school halls. He has been spiked on fishing hooks and used as bait, wrapped in duct tape, buried in mud...you get the idea. In this picture, Burnt is locked between my classroom doors. Presently, he has one arm that is attached with duct tape and the other is in a drawer somewhere. He is perched on a top shelf in London's room, peering down from the heights of peril.
Sigh !....He also has an "Extreme [Girl] Doll"...a little Bratz doll. She sits on death row awaiting death by explosion....Ah, boys !!!!

Another Spring Welcome

The "hoppy toads" are back!!!....and with them, 2 little boys spending hours hunting up food for them....a difficult time of year to do so. Of course, they had to be checked out by the vets, so out came the medical kit....all fine. After a time, they were returned to where they were found. Both boys know where to find them. I am glad that they have learned to "watch".

"Disgusting science (Pt 1)

We gave London an awesome "Disgusting Science" experiment kit, which my dad found online.

Yesterday, we made gelatin and prepared petri dishes to grow molds and bacteria. We also enacted peristalsis...the muscle contractions that carry food through the digestive track. In a nutshell, we put food in the balloon. It went down the "esophogus" and into the "stomach". We added "acid" to the "stomach" and kneaded to assist digestion just as muscles do. Turn it over and the balloon neck becomes "intestines"... In this shot, Tom and London continue peristalsis and the food becomes....homemade poo!!! Way gross ! Way FUN !!!