Camera Crazy

I had the most incredible experience on Saturday. Really, nothing like this has ever happened to me, or at least I hope that's the case. Have I got your interest yet?

Here's the deal--I'm standing in line at the Garden Center at Wal Mart behind a group of three women and a girl, probably around 11 years old. In my cart there is a 20lb bag of sunflower seeds for the birds, which, in case you are missing the birds, so am I. More on that a little later. As well, there is a pack of 4 Hanes undershirts, a bottle of Round Up, some Fritos and a bag of tortilla chips. Oh yeah, two containers of deodorant. Why, you ask am I detailing my cart full? You'll know in a minute.

One of the women pays for some chicken with cash. She moves towards the door. The other three push their purchases forward. Two sippy cups, a gallon of milk, some tights, and dishwashing liquid. They complete their transaction and leave. My turn! After my transaction is complete, I ask the cashier why I haven&…

From what I've read, polls are predicting a re-election of President Obama, however, if the signs I'm seeing everywhere I go are any indication, Mitt Romney will have given him a run for his money. That's not to say there are no yard signs for Obama, but they are few and far between no matter where I travel. In a few years from now, I'll look back on this post documenting what was happening in our neck of the woods two weeks before the election.
Apparently sticks in the ground didn't work for these folks. And then there's this one hanging high above the street from a gigantic oak tree:
Every now and again I'll see one for Obama:
Mostly, they are the lone ranger on a street full of signs for Romney:
The lounging cats could care less who wins the election:
I kept thinking about the car industry when I saw this one:
Rain from Hurricane Sandy left a reflective puddle behind:
You wouldn't know there had been any rain looking at the dry ground in this one:
It…

Two full days in the Los Angeles area is about a tenth of the time necessary to see what there is to see. No, I did not get to the Getty, or any museum for that matter, nor really much of any of the big sights, but I did see a few iconic places, and others, only a local can show you. So, let's begin, shall we?
How's this for a house? Carol drove us up into the hills for a stunning view of downtown LA, and if you look really hard, you can even see the Pacific.
We were in what is called the "bird streets" because all of the streets are named for birds. Duh Gail! Here's a little something from the Hollywood Reporter about this tony neighborhood. Larry Flint, of Hustler fame (yuk), lives here:
There are sculptures everywhere, and I do mean, everywhere. I believe I counted about fifty what with all of them on the ground and the roof!!

Along the way we saw this flower shop. Need I say more?
Carol was awesome about stopping whenever I saw something I wanted to photograp…

If you ever visit La Jolla, California, I strongly recommend you stay at the Hyatt Regency if at all possible. Bruce has limits as to what he can spend for a hotel while traveling, and strangely enough, this Michael Grave's four diamond hotel is not too expensive. Am I ever glad that is the case because it is a wonderful place to stay. Every detail seems to be thoroughly thought out, with little delights for your senses everywhere. Wonderful use of color as in this beautiful tile with the fountains running into the outdoor whirlpool.
This view from the pool area shows the cute little circus roof which leads to the underground parking.
The lobby is beautiful as well, which is the case with the rooms. Great bed, linens, bathroom--all fantastic! The price to have Bruce's shirts done--not so much. $10.
Unlike my younger sister Lisa, I'm not one to relish driving in a strange city. So much so, much as I wanted to, I did not make it to the world famous San Diego Zoo. Bruce took …