home

Flooded Google Street View

Flooded street

This is what my street could look like according World Under Water. It is a Google Maps powered website (Chrome only) that it lets you pick any Street View location and see what it will look like after sea levels have risen. The site was created to bring awareness to World Environment Day on June 5. Unfortunately it uses the same effect for every location and the sea level doesn’t change depending on your geography. Regardless, it’s an admirable idea and the illusion is fairly believable.

They’re All Made Out Of Ticky-Tacky And They All Look Just The Same

There is a surprising amount of visual diversity in these tract homes in Santa Clara, California. Especially given that all the houses are all located in the same area, are all built during the same decade (1950’s), and all are structured from the same architectural plan. Photographer Julia Baum says of the photo collection,

“Over the past 50 years these Houses have transformed from modest white cubes into a vibrant display of personality and present a rebellion against conformity. My work asserts that human individuality cannot be contained. Inevitably it shines through even the most average facade.”

Snow Dinosaur

October Blizzard '09

It snowed about fourteen inches at my house over the last two days. This is an exceptional amount of snow for this early in the season. Anyway, while shoveling the sidewalks I looked up at this snow covered tree in my yard. With a littlie imagination I think it kinda looks like a snow dinosaur.

Spring Has Sprung

Coming home from NYC last week I was greeted by a bloomin’ bonanza in my front yard. It was a great greeting. I’m not sure what kind of shrub it is but when the season is right it explodes. Unfortunatly it only lasts a couple of weeks and the petals soon dry up and fall to the ground below. As of right now, the the blooms are looking pretty pathetic. The heat expected over the next couple of days should do a good job of finishing them off mortal combat style. Enjoy the pics. Speaking of yard stuff, the lawn mower was stolen last weekend – how the fuck did that happen?

This is the flowering shrub in my front yard

Bright Lights, Big Pity

I’m back and back to normal. NYC was turbo-incredible. I’m not really sure how to describe the city in a single blog entry so I won’t even attempt it. So much happened that I’m not really interested in trying to rehash it all for you. On top of that, I left my camera at my brothers the other night so you’ll have to wait a while for pictures as well.

I’ve given NYC a hard time in the past. And I still think it deserves a hard time. There isn’t enough glass, brick, and steel in the entire city to contain it’s ego. But I’d be damned if a New York city doesn’t change you a little bit. Of all the things offered to me in NYC, I think a different perspective was the one I enjoyed the most. I have a new lust for NYC and a greater appreciation for all that home has to offer as well. I can’t believe it’s taken me this long to get there and it’s good to be back.

Two In The Hand, One In The Bush

We have a large wreath on the wall of our front porch. Over the last couple of summers birds have built nests in the wreath. About three weeks ago I noticed three or four little blue speckled eggs in the nest. Last week they hatched.

Recently hatched chics in the wreath on our porch.

Sweatpea


Homegrown fresh-from-the-garden peas

My mom has always had a garden. And from that garden, for every summer in my memory has come a bountiful harvest, or at least enough vegetables for a bunch of plentiful salads throughout the summer months. Lettuce (usually a few different types), carrots, green onions, tomatoes (of course), radishes, cucumbers, green beans, and my favorite: garden peas. As a child, I would sit on a towel at the swimming pool or scabby-kneed under the shade of a backyard tree or with my shirt off in the recliner chair and in my lap I an enormous bowl full of peas that I would devour the in an afternoon. Now of course, the peas have to be eaten fresh, uncooked, straight off the vine. Cooked pees are pretty much gross, in fact most cooked vegetables are pretty much gross. To this day, homegrown peas, fresh off the vine, remain one of my most treasured summertime snacks (right up there with frozen grapes). When I lived in Platt Park I grew my own, fairly successful, batch of pole peas. Last night I got myself a big old bag of peas from my moms garden. My bag is much smaller because my brother, Pandy, and I, immediately started gorging on the yield and didn’t stop till we were half way through. We slowed down once we realized that my brother was going to be the winner of the “most peas per pod contest” with a grand nine peas. Not to mention I was hoping this bag would last me through the weekend but I’m beginning to become doubtful.

Scroll to Top