Terrariums

Had to do a few of my own after seeing Janick's awesome terrariums over at Creativeadoration. I sized these pics way too big, so take advantage of it and click on 'em to see them large and in charge.

The big one.





The wee one, with a cow.





And my favorite, on my window ledge.





Addictive little buggers, they are.

Button beatings

image courtesy of: toothpastefordinner.com

Question of the day: Why do pedestrians pound on the walk signal button a thousand times? Is this some kind of weird Seattle thing? I certainly never noticed it while living in Milwaukee.

I don’t get it. I’m inclined to believe that one push is all it takes. Sometimes I’ll give it an extra one or two pushes (gently) but it’s more out of ritual than out of feeling that I’m actually making the signal work faster. There’s a woman who rides my morning bus, and as soon as she gets off, she bolts to the stoplight in her skirt and tiny heels, and proceeds to push the signal over and over again, her eyes darting around nervously.

A coworker told me he heard of a way you could trip up the signal by using a series of morse-code like pushes. Three short pushes, two longs, a bunch more pushes of varying lengths, etc. He had not proven the theory true yet, and was slightly afraid of looking like a total moron while doing the weird pushy maneuver. I don’t blame him.

I tried researching the code thing (and walk signals in general), wanting to get to the bottom of signal pushing and why people here insist on beating the button with their fists. Poor, poor button. I didn’t come up with much, but Ask Metafilter has some interesting discussion and additional linkage.

Does this happen in other cities, or are we just that impatient on the west coast? What do you think?

Low tide, part two

A continuation from the other day...

I love collecting sea glass.

tiny rivers

hole

salty dog

my love

shell, with my beach companions in the background

office berries

I think I'd look at the Himalayan Blackberry a little differently if I were to own a home in the Pacific Northwest. But for now...how COOL is it that I can walk 10 feet from my office door and pick a whole cup full of wonderful ripe berries for breakfast?

Note: Berry cup contains a disturbing number of spiders and other strange looking, unidentifiable creatures. I'll drown 'em out, I will!

n

I found an amazing bookstore in Ballard today. New e. e. cummings and a handful of other incredible finds to marvel at.

the best flea market ever

Well, I'm back from Wisconsin with sunburned shoulders and a suitcase full of flea market finds. I totally wasn't planning on going, but my wonderful girl Tina and her mom invited me along and I managed to squeeze in a couple hours of browsing.

Holy crap. To think that I grew up just fifteen minutes away and never once visited the Elkhorn Flea Market is just unbelievable. If I still lived there, no doubt my entire home would be decorated and furnished with goods from the market. Fricking huge. I probably only got through a third of it.

Since suitcase space was limited, I stuck to little things that could easily be tucked in with clothes or laid flat. Like this nifty coke crate, which is going to make a great little shelf (dog legs not included).



And then there's this happy little jar of white buttons. I collect buttons, and I loved the various shades of white and bits of string.



I fell in love with this cushion, perfect for my new old chair from Goodwill. It was the most expensive thing I bought at the market -- a whopping $11.



This enamel box is painted with an asian-looking landscape. And to my surprise, there was a wee man inside! I think he is some kind of saint. Perhaps the patron saint of enamel boxes?



And last but not least, a few items for the jewelry box. A tiny brass lock in the shape of a heart (I added the chain) and a girly painted pin for my winter coat.




Wait! There's one more thing. It's a wind-up travel alarm clock, just like the one my dad brought along on family vacations when I was a kid. It still works. I couldn't resist a little piece of dad nostalgia.



Wow...I missed a couple other things. But that's enough photos for today. If you're ever in...um...rural southeastern Wisconsin on just the right weekend, check out the Elkhorn Flea. Be prepared to barter, and bring a van!

Back to center

I'm headed back to Wisconsin for a couple photography jobs, a visit with the fam, and a serious date with some fried food on a stick at the state fair. Why not celebrate with a few Etsy products to honor everyone's favorite mitten-shaped state?

Sara Dae's skull purse makes me giggle, in a good way.



Next up, a neato photo by the Bucks County Frame and Moulding Co.



How about some classy tees from CarbonCopy that show off Milwaukee's pretty little skyline? I'll always have a soft spot in my heart for the view of the city in the early morning, with yellow light glinting off the buildings and Lake Michigan as blue as blue can be.



And last but not least, this print by Max Estes at made by max totally cracks me up. Love it.



Ready or not, here I come. See you next week!

Low tide, part one

Last Saturday we awoke at 6:00 AM to walk along the Sound at low tide. It was totally worth it.

bound with a belt.

if only i could fly so high.

four.

burds wuz herr.

More to come.