Full Frontal Athens

The decisive moment

This is not it, by the way. This is just one of the few I took in Puerto Rico of someone from the front. I have, taken from the rear, the following: lady on the cell phone wearing very high heels (the lady, not the phone), this same policeman, a policewoman directing traffic, storeowner taking a cigarette break, waiter taking a cigarette break (love those cigarette break photos), delivery man at the same restaurant, a guy at the pool gesticulating wildly while taking on the cell phone, a girl in hotel pool, and a very dapper man crossing a plaza in Old San Juan. It is because I'm shy about shooting these people, but sneaking up behind them is not only difficult for me and startling for them, it's creepy and stalkerish, so I must stop. I did get one of the delivery man wearing a lovely blue shirt and the cigarette waiter front on, but only because I was so far away they didn't notice me, so when I enlarged it, the resolution sucked.

So, I'm going to run over to Athens and shoot people while actually facing them. Or at least sidelong. If I"m very, very lucky and there's another World Cup match this afternoon, maybe I'll get some fans. Here's hoping. I dub my new project "Full Frontal Athens."

Red chair

What is there to do to get ready for Easter? Here's my list:

1. get ready for Melissa's impending visit
2. prepare to park myself in the chair of denial (it's the red one above) if she claims she can't come
3. paint some birds (if they'll just hold still)
4. put up creche in attic and pretend I just realized Epiphany is over
5. urge Albarta to take down her Christmas tree
6. paint some buildings magenta

Sadly, all those things, plus taking pictures, may be put on hold while I mow the lawn and try not to eat all the Easter candy. Or Alberta and I may just blow everything off and go out juning around, as our mother XLo-05 would say. Happy Easter to all!

Alberta just sold a painting

Yes, it walked right out of the gallery---Your Own Personal Jesus, a mixed media work with a red/orange/pink/yellow color scheme. I'm delighted to say it featured (in the bottom right corner) my photo of Jesus, taken on the way back from Myrtle Beach, although I guess she should now share collab credits with the person who had the statue of a purple Jesus in his or her front yard.

My sister, the hotcakes-like-selling artist. Mine. I knew I taught art history for something. Now I'm the most qualified applicant when Alberta opens her own gallery and needs a curator.

Happy Valentine's Day

Scots and clocks

I used to teach with a Scot on an exchange program who mocked me for not wearing a watch. "That's such an English teacher thing," he said. What? He attributed it to some entrenched Emily Dickinson-free spirit affectation.



Which was fine; I liked being bohemian. He also called a wrench a "spanner" and kept threatening to invite me over for haggis, so of course I thought of him Sunday when I skipped going to church to look for clocks instead.



They're not easy to find. Here's the short list for Walton/Gwinnett county:
1. Monroe courthouse
2. Funeral home in Social Circle
3. Duluth town square


That's it. I scurried around feeling like the White Rabbit, looking for a good clock. Instead I found a nice green swing, a stucco former jail,



and a couple of appealing rooflines. Oh, and I was also seduced by a few windows, cause I'm easy.
A toast to all watch-wearing Scots wielding spanners and haggis(Poor wee slicket timorous beasties; sorry, I can't help myself) and bon voyage to Melissa, Scotland-bound with a sore throat and knocking back tea with honey, who will no doubt come back all bohemian, sans watch.