Overdue

Recently, I have been attracted, almost magnetized, to the Container Store and all the overly expensive items inside.  The overwhelming desire to buy container upon container stems from an urge to remove all the clutter cramping up my limited space and to improve a lack of packing skills.  On that note, I am putting up some pictures of the wildflowers sprinkled along the highway seen during my vacation and the luggage I took for the 4-day trip.

If you look closely, there are five, yes, FIVE bags:  one small carry-on, one black tote, one blue laptop bag, one project folder, and one duffel bag…and a pair of rain boots (not quite a bag, but apparently still a trip necessity).  Inside my luggage one could find:  a CHI, at least 15 different outfits, various hair products for any styling desire, novels, sandals, running shoes…and there was actually one more bag already in the car when I took this picture.  Pretty bad, huh?  Well, I have found some hope in several snazzy packing gadgets and a “Flip-n’-Fold”, a folding board that makes laundry a breeze.  I’ll be sure to photo-document my next packing attempt to measure any visible improvement in my skills.

Outside the window of the Kia there was nothing but a stream of bright blue, purple, yellow, and red covering the grassy areas along Highway 6 and I-35.  It was gorgeous.  This shot was taken between Marlin and Calvert on Highway 6.  After pulling over to get a shot of some cattle and wildflowers, I realized that trying to have a photo shoot on the shoulder of a two-lane highway is probably not the safest thing to do.  Luckily, this was the second picture I took before deciding it was better to get back in the car and continue on my way.

[Read more...]

Automotive Candy and Fun for the Eyeballs

My official vacation road-trip ended Friday night around 10 pm in time to catch the Houston news.  From the news I learned that the Art Car Parade/Show would be Saturday at 1 pm.  Last year’s parade was great, so I opted to forgo getting some rest and headed to the show around 11 the next morning.  This year ended up being more enjoyable than the last due to learning from things that could have made my previous experience even better, such as:  arriving early enough to get good parking (having an SUV made this much easier), instead of driving past the field using it as a parking lot, sitting on the opposite side of the street to get a better view, and arriving early, getting there early, coming early.  Check, check, check, and check.

Characters of all sorts come to see the cars, actually build the cars, or are hoping to sell something.  This guy was pitching love and hugs.  I was a little too freaked out to buy what he was selling, but he did pique my interest and a smile.

[Read more...]

Make Friends

Happy Earth Day to everyone!  Now go out and enjoy it.

This picture was taken at Manini Beach on the Big Island (Hawaii) in Hawaii.  I was scouring through my photos to find a picture that embodies what I think Earth Day is all about.  It took a while to figure out which photos most illustrated my love of nature and decided the crab handshake would be the one to make the cut.  It says, “I’m nature.  Meet me.  Love me.  Cherish me.  Enjoy me.”

And I say, “Okay, man.  Will do.”