Parker Minimialism

The television show, The Parker, on Bravo network "takes viewers into the pampered luxury of the Parker Palm Springs hotel...and, more interestingly, into the personal lives of the staff and guests," says TV.com.

Above is the minimalist front wall of the Parker Palm Springs Hotel. This wall also serves a purpose. It acts as a sunscreen to protect the main structure from the blistering desert heat.

What goes in and out the door is probably dressed to the gills, rich and maybe even famous.

Please be warned: Don't make your camera obvious when you see a movie star here.

Transporting Rabbits

Asian markets fill my head with questions. Take these bunnies on a bike, for example. The first thing that comes to mind is where are they going to be taken on that bike?
Are they going to be people's pets?

After thinking about the above niceties, It comes to my mind that they are going to end up in some rabbit stew.

Now I don't want anyone to think I'm cruel, I mean by talking about killing and then eating rabbit. But it's done all the time. Back in 1990, the New York Times published an article that contained the recipe for rabbit stew.

As my train of thought moves to the next level, I recall when I ate rabbit. It wasn't in a rabbit stew, though. It was braised like a chicken. It looked like a chicken. It even tasted like chicken. But the bones, they were weird. It's like they were smaller than chicken bones--more brittle.

The thought gives me goose bumps (or should I say rabbit bumps). To this day, my pals tease me with the line, "you ate da bunny."

Circle of Light

A painter at Palm Springs Village Fest shows his wares while he works. The perspective of this image is deepened by the circle of light that surrounds the artist in ever direction. Think of the image as having, not only as two-dimensional with an x and y axis with the light reaching up and down along y and right and left along x, but also having a z axis which extends up throughout the picture, making it look 3 dimensional.

Just in case you wanted to know, in spite of the rather technical conversation above, the photograph was candid, that is I didn't even think about the dimensions. I just saw good light and then framed and shot it.

Patina

Buildings made out of wood then painted make great subjects. Add the sun baking the painted wood day after day and you've got patina.

Patina is when an object changes over time due to the elements. Painted wood is one of the most favorable to get a beautiful patina. That's because the paint often fades, blending in the woods color and texture to create a new type and even prettier surface.

Other surfaces such as glass and steel don't offer a good patina because the surfaces don't really move onto other more attractive colors like painted wood does. Steel rusts and glass can turn into an ugly off white color.

Bars that Won't Go Away

Don't you just love the bars that won't go away. It's like there's a predictable pattern that can tell you a bar won't or hasn't gone away.

1. An old neon sign out front.
2. Patrons in the 60s to 90s.
3. A bathroom that everyone from the street uses.
4. A bar made out of wood.
5. Carpet with patterns on it.

The Twin Peaks Tavern in San Francisco is just that bar. Now, mind you, this bar is gay, but a bar that won't go away can be straight too.

You can go to any American city and find at least a few bars that won't go away.

A Taste of Sweden

After a visit to Wisconsin and Minnesota, I'm missing Jack Frost.

The nipping at my nose has ceased and now all I can think of is a beautiful snow covered land that has a taste of Sweden.

I had stopped in Lindstrom, MN this afternoon, a quaint little town incorporated in 1894. It was settled by Swede Daniel Lindstrom. Many of the people are descendants of people from Sweden.

Here you'll find a taste of Sweden in the food and culture--a meatball here and loganberry there.

All this time the only thing Swedish I ever knew was the Ikea in Burbank.

American Barn

About two hours east of Minneapolis just inside the Wisconsin border, there's a town called Luck. It's charming, but even more charming are the barns around it.

Now I know barns have been overdone in photography, but there just so stately when empty and left to the elements, you can't help but get out of the car and trudge thorough the snow to talk to them with your camera. They fill a frame so nicely.

And when you take a peek inside the light through planks of wood illuminates right down to the small knots inside.

More tomorrow.