"Kill you in your sleep..."
Spotted at the corner of 5th and D Streets

Note that Petaluma's population includes a far higher-than-average-per-capita number of redheads on bicycles. Could this be an artistic comment on that phenomenon, or is it just a general comment on crazy redheads?

New Yorker Pizza and a Stone 13th Anniversary Ale, which paired nicely. And no, it wasn't really breakfast.

And to balance out the beer, a bear.



And more found objects:


Alien on a windowsill.


Spotted in Wickersham Park: The ring of books.

Yeah, it's time once again to round up all my recent (and less than recent) posts to los_faces. Here you go...


"B-b-b-but I'm too cute to eat," said Sammy the Sandwich, shortly before he realized exactly how harsh and uncaring the world is.

( More of the faces that abound around us appear behind the cut... )

"Happy Birthday Violet"
Mixed Media: Watercolor on paper, tree, thumbtacks
Found in Wickersham Park, June 14, 2009

Which reminds me. It's also my sister's birthday. So happy birthday to Alexis in Texas.


Bonus pic: Maddie likes the piggy noses.

Maddie found a fossil near Walnut Park yesterday. Or maybe it's a gyroid. Got your shovel handy?





---
Don't get it? Then you obviously haven't been playing enough Animal Crossing: City Folk.

"Happy Belated Mother's Day"
Found in Walnut Park
May, 2009

Wax Dancer.

Snail.


Doll.

Maddie and I were hanging out over at Jan and Randy's place, and while Randy and I were discussing something (woodchucks, if I remember correctly), Maddie got bored and wandered off. Eventually, I noticed that she wasn't nearby, so I looked around the church, discovering that she'd decided climb into Randy's kayak.


"Pew, pew," said Maddie, looking out across the deck from the cockpit. "Kaboom." She glanced up at me as I approached. "Got 'em."

"What are you up to there, Mighty Quinn? Seal hunting?" I checked my watch. Nearly five o'clock, dinner time for little dogs.


"Nope," replied Maddie. "I'm flying my rocket ship through the asteroid belt, hunting for giant space scorpions and crab monsters. Besides, I like seals. They're cute. I think I'd like to meet a seal." She paused. "Wait, what did you just call me?"

"'Mighty Quinn,'" I answered. "It's—"

"It's a store downtown," said Maddie, eying me suspiciously. "We walk past there all the time. Why did you just call me a store?"

"I didn't. The Mighty Quinn was a character in an old Bob Dylan song long before it was a store. He's an Eskimo."

"What's an Eskimo?"

"Indigenous peoples of the Great White North," I answered. "They come from Alaska, Siberia, and Greenland. They invented kayaks." I tapped on the boat's hull. "Though the song's really about the actor Anthony Quinn."

"Who's he."

"Zorba the Greek, for one. And he was Zampanò, the Gypsy strong man in La Strada. Oh, and he also played Auda abu Tayi, the leader of the Howeitat in Lawrence of Arabia. You watched that one with me, remember?"

"I think so," said Maddie, like she was trying to fit puzzle pieces together. "So this Quinn guy is from Greenland? And he's the leader of the Weetzie Bats? Or was that the Aquabats? I'm confused."

"Anthony Quinn? No, he's from Chihuahua."

"He's a Chihuahua? Now I'm even more confused."

"From Chihuahua, not a Chihuahua. It's a state in Mexico."

"But I thought you said he was an Eskimo."

I shook my head. "No, Anthony Quinn was an actor. He only played an Eskimo."

"Oh. I think I get it. So do they sell Eskimos at the Mighty Quinn? Or do Eskimos run the place?"

"No, it's a head shop."


"Wait, they sell heads there?" asked Maddie. "That's really weird."

"Never mind that," I said, changing the subject. "You about ready to head home for dinner?"

"Yeah, I guess I am kind of hungry."

"Well then come on, it's dinner time."


"But what about the giant space scorpions?" asked Maddie.

"Don't worry about them," I said. "The asteroid belt's a long way from earth. We'll be fine. You can always come back and hunt them after dinner."


But meanwhile...

So maybe not exactly today, but Nineteen Eighty-Nine was obviously the peak-and-pinnacle of my big '80s hair. Wow. How very Jack Nance. I am hereby humbled.



Long story short, I just joined Facebook. Actually, Jennifer joined, then my sister (on the left) invited my mom to join, but my mom wasn't sure, so she asked me and I essentially said "why bother?", but then Jennifer talked me into letting her set up an account for me.

And what do I end up finding? Strange evidence of me taking my sister's friend (Was her name Crystal? I'm uncertain. I know the guy went by "Orca," and Orca was very mëtäl) to a high school dance. Improv tux, Siouxsie and the Banshees buttons, antique cokespoon ankh necklace, pirate pin. I must have thought I was stylin'. Facebook is a scary place.

Señior Coconut says "Hola."
Cross-posted to texture*
Spotted at Whole Foods Market.
Petaluma, CA. February 2009.


* and subsequently, and rather meanly, rejected from the community by sarcasmosis, who said, "text is not welcome here. feel free to resubmit this picture if you want, but on a personal level, i hate it". While I understand the objection to the text, explained far more nicely by gardenofevils, who said in an earlier comment "Please read the rules: Entries with text will be deleted without warning; I am only concerned about the visual texture itself, not it's story. Feel free to lj-cut descriptions if absolutely necessary. I ask this because I feel the text distracts from the pure image appreciation. The page looks much better without text as well", the tone affected by sarcasmosis tells me that I'm better not wasting my time with these people. On a personal level, sarcasmosis, your username makes you sound like a cancer. I suspect it's not far from the truth. DIAF. Besides, I actually thought I was in los_faces when I posted it.

"Lets go this way," said Maddie as we left the house, pulling me the opposite direction of Wickersham Park. "I wanna go this way."

"Sure thing," I said, taking the steps two at a time, trying to keep up. "What's the big hurry."

"There's something I need to check," Maddie said. She led me down 5th Street to E, then up to 4th Street. I expected her to drag me over to Walnut Park, but she turned, leading me to the post office. "I hope it's here," said Maddie, leading me up the stairs and inside.


"Check the box," said Maddie. "I hope it's something good."

I fumbled with my keys, dropped and retrieved them, then opened the box. I peered inside. "It's empty, Maddie."


"Huh?" asked Maddie. "Empty? Pick me up so I can see."

I hefted her up, so that she could see into the box. "Nothing but sunlight," I said, lowering her back to the floor.


"Oh, foo," said Maddie once we got back outside. "How disappointing. I had a dream there was something good for me in there."

"In the P.O. box? Jennifer and I usually just use that for business stuff."

"But it was a really good dream," insisted Maddie. "You know, the kind that makes you wake up smiling."

"Oh, Maddie," I said, sitting down next to her on the sidewalk and stroking the top of her head. "It's like my mom always says, 'you have to send letters to get letters.'"

Maddie looked up at me, squinting one eye inquisitively. "Does she really say that?"

"Yeah," I replied. "At least she always said that when I was a kid."

"Is it true?"

I shrugged. "Sure. My mom wouldn't steer you wrong."

Maddie thought for a few moments as I scratched her ears. Finally, she spoke up. "So if I send stuff, I might get stuff?"

I nodded.

"Grandma's kinda smart, isn't she?" asked Maddie.

I nodded again. "So, who do you want to write to?"

"I dunno. I'm going to have to think about it," replied Maddie. We walked back home, lingering in Walnut Park awhile on the way. When we got back to the house, the mail had come. In the mailbox was a card from my mom... for Maddie.

( Tons of stuff behind the cut... )

Figure on the moon, with satellites and fish hook. Pencil and ink on dew-soaked paper. Found folded into quarters, a heart inscribed on the upward-facing panel. Left at ATM. Artist unknown.

( More pictures behind the cut. )

Alfred Bester


Turbo Frog

( See more faces behind the cut... )

Spotted around town: Sad Bunny misses George Carlin.

The latest batch of my posts to los_faces. Got to keep the Russians entertained. Enjoy.


Angry Pie (photo by Frank Henderson)


Water Meter Grin


IKEA Instruction Sheet

( The best is yet to come... behind the cut, of course. )

Lost (and found) Little Tree.

Monitoring Well
Petaluma, CA
(As posted to los_faces.)

Small Green Planet.
Chipped glass marble, spotted on E Street near 5th, while walking toward Walnut Park.

Early one morning last week, I was working from home, drinking my coffee while cleaning up and correcting the Harry Turtledove book Night Shade is putting out in June. Suddenly, there came a knock at the door.

Now it wasn't a big knock, only a slight scratching. And it wasn't the front door, either. It was the back door. So I went to check.

I looked out the window. Nothing. I opened the door. Still nothing. I looked down...

( Find out what was at the door (and more) behind the cut... )