Decatur County Fair

Rear Window

2012-01-29T15:35:00.001-08:00

Through the window at the Brooklyn Comics and Graphics Fest last month.

Peaks and Valleys

2012-01-29T15:23:00.000-08:00

One of several similar buildings on the way from Clinton Hill to Bed Stuy.

Blue Ball Glass

2012-01-29T15:18:00.000-08:00

Raw chunks of blue glass from an old Ball jar factory in Pennsylvania, for sale at the Brooklyn Flea.

Mac and Me Presentation at Whim: Serious Matters

2012-01-07T20:52:00.001-08:00

It's a Go -- the Brooklyn Zine Fest 2012 is on!

2011-12-04T21:47:00.001-08:00

A few months ago, Kseniya and I cooked up a plan for a fitting zine fest in the borough of Kings, and along with our partner Eric we've brought the Brooklyn Zine Fest to life. Early exhibitors have been confirmed and posted, the registration is open to the public, and we're very happy to move into the second stage of planning. All information is up at the Brooklyn Zine Fest 2012 site.

Richmond in October

2011-10-20T09:35:00.000-07:00

View of the downtown from the Belle Isle pedestrian bridge:

The Belle Isle pedestrian bridge:

A visit to the Hollywood Cemetery brought new friends. Some lively, some not so much.

This was near the neighborhood of Oregon Hill, with its bright berries and beautifully dated Fine Food Superette:

We made a brief stop in Petersburg, VA:

And on the way down, Kseniya spotted some strangely decayed art in a New Jersey rest stop:

These guys had a pretty good time.

Signs and Murals of Richmond

2011-10-20T09:20:00.000-07:00

Get your rug cleaned and visit the Hollywood Cemetary:

These two were in Petersburg, VA:

Meanwhale, back in Richmond:

We went back to this spot at night to try and recreate, from memory, a photo I had taken in the daytime this past June. I think I did a pretty good job:

Memories of Richmond Pool

2011-10-06T07:28:00.001-07:00

Prospect Park Zoo

2011-10-01T07:53:00.000-07:00

Mount Beacon

2011-09-22T14:48:00.000-07:00

The former wheelhouse that powered the funicular, back when there was a hotel and casino on top of the mountain.

Storm King Art Center

2011-09-13T12:20:00.000-07:00

Reflective fence.

Sunset.

We couldn't figure out what this thing was. A mushroom? Except there was nothing else like it, anywhere.

Beacon, NY

2011-09-13T12:09:00.000-07:00

Electric Windows installation.

At the Beacon Historical Society.

We were the only people there, but they still turned on the party lights for us.

A wish come true!

Bannerman (Pollepel) Island

2011-09-10T23:29:00.000-07:00

Trip to Governors Island

2011-08-31T09:01:00.000-07:00

Our adventure coincided with the massive Jazz Age Lawn Party, but that was all contained within one central area. All our favorite abandoned places were empty and quiet, the way we like them.

Abandoned barracks.

Taken in one of the restored officers' homes.

Map of New York, with Governors Island sitting off of Red Hook, painted in a children's play area.

All aboard.

The Big Jaunt, Part One

2011-08-11T15:38:00.000-07:00

Kseniya wanted to go for a long walk, so I suggested we walk the length of Manhattan.

In installments. The first day, we walked from the bottom tip of Battery Park up to 14th Street, meandering through Wall Street, Tribeca, SoHo, and the West Village.

Battery Park.

Battery Park.

New York Stock Exchange.

Financial District.

Tribeca.

Tribeca.

Tribeca.

Visiting Rachel at The Strand.

McCarthy Square in the West Village. (See the pigeon in flight?)

Bird house at McCarthy Square in the West Village.

Bird house at McCarthy Square in the West Village.

West Village.

On the platform.

Back on the subway.

Brooklyn Museum

2011-08-11T15:24:00.001-07:00

Yarmouth, Maine

2011-08-11T14:51:00.000-07:00

Bags of biscuits sitting in the pews. These were either meant for strawberry shortcake or the next morning's breakfast at the Clamfest in Yarmouth. Or they were here to repent.

A rock painted some time ago by one of the kids, yet it's an eerily accurate portrait of Kseniya, a person they've never met.

Tibetan prayer flags in the woods.

Body parts.

Linus at the harbor.

Taken at the creek/waterfall seen in the first photo.

At the L.L. Bean store in Freeport.

Richmond, Virginia in June

2011-08-11T13:40:00.000-07:00

On a bridge over the railroad right next to the James River in Richmond, Virginia.

We saw some great art:

And also bought some:

I swam in the James River a bit:

And we caught a movie (the terrible, but occasionally ridiculously entertaining Limitless with Bradley Cooper) at the beautiful Byrd Theatre:

A lit-up Bob Gulledge on the "Mighty Wurlitzer" organ before the show.

Richmond. It's a nice place to be.

Lauren Got Wed

2011-08-11T13:03:00.000-07:00

She did. And Melissa was a bridesmaid. And we danced in a corner of the floor away from all the people who can actually dance.

Photos from Meet the Lady

2011-07-05T20:12:00.001-07:00

We presented at the latest Meet the Lady show (theme: Working Girls) about Shades of Love, our favorite series of Canadian late-80s straight-to-VHS romance novel adaptations. It was really great!

Photos from the 92YTribeca flickr page.

Un Ball

2011-06-06T08:51:00.000-07:00

Fifth Avenue street fair in Brooklyn.

Spring Walk

2011-06-06T08:50:00.001-07:00

Sloss Furnaces, Birmingham

2011-03-29T14:14:00.000-07:00

Birmingham, Alabama

2011-03-29T14:02:00.000-07:00

Gulf of Mexico - Another Water Body Conquered!

2011-03-19T18:22:00.000-07:00

Barataria Preserve, Louisiana

2011-03-19T15:35:00.000-07:00

The Barataria Preserve is one part of the Jean Lafitte National Historic Park, a collection of natural resources named after a pirate. Most of the natural paths were flooded when we visited, but this path as well as the one carved out by an old mining road were open to the public.

This little guy hopped up on the path at one point. There weren't many people around that morning, so he kind of had the run of the place.

In his normal habitat.

That deer was great, but where are the gators hiding?

Oh. Right there. At the edge of the path. Waiting for any sign of weakness or soft flesh. Keep your tasty haunches covered!

They're all around, basically. None were too terribly huge, but you wouldn't want to poke any of them with a stick. We saw fifteen or so in two hours.

This was the biggest one we saw. She's the mama...

...and this is one of several little ones around her.

Spanish Moss on the trees...

...and on these little stumplets from trees since past:

There were tons of friendly salamanders.

The longer path ends at a huge plain of dry grass. It was hot and quiet and good for contemplation.

New Orleans

2011-03-07T14:47:00.000-08:00

Oak Alley Plantation.

Lafayette Cemetery No. 1

Warning from upon the grave?

Restored grave, left. Unrestored, right.

At the Pharmacy Museum.

From the French Quarter to the Central Business District.

Lafayette Square.

Covington, across Lake Ponchartrain.

Flying out.

Pre-Mardi Gras Parade

2011-03-06T16:23:00.000-08:00

It was fun.

But it was also terrifying.

Bronx Zoo

2011-01-09T10:01:00.000-08:00

"Exhibit closed for improvements."

In the Mouse House.

Crocodile reflected in the underside of the water's surface.

Mr. Polar Bear wasn't feeling well despite the very polar weather. Oh, wait but...

...there he is!

It probably says, "No tigers here," right?

AAAAAHHH, no it doesn't!

Snow Night, Snow Day.

2010-12-27T08:48:00.000-08:00

Spooky Window

2010-12-26T07:10:00.001-08:00

Prospect Park Zoo

2010-12-18T07:25:00.000-08:00

Bowie in Labyrinth.

Apartment Beginnings

2010-12-18T07:13:00.000-08:00

11.21.10

San Antonio

2010-11-14T06:01:00.000-08:00

While on a walk, I heard some sirens and walked the block and a half over to see this -- an SUV had jumped the curb and taken down a wooden light pole.

The guy on the ground wasn't the driver. He was actually quiet and compliant -- the driver was his friend who kept arguing with the police officers and ended up being roughly arrested and put in the back of the cop car.

The officer on the left is carrying the streetlight itself, which is actually huge when you see it up close. It had been catapulted a good forty feet when the pole came down.

There were way more campaign signs in San Antonio than I've seen in any other place.

This stained glass had no discernable design or pattern. So the one place where you should be able to see a vision of the Virgin Mary, she wasn't actually there.

En route to San Antonio

2010-11-08T15:32:00.000-08:00

Shortly before landing in San Antonio. The lighting and angle make it look like a scale model of a construction site, rather than a real one.

Murals (And That's all for California)

2010-10-25T19:56:00.000-07:00

A small piece of an expansive mural in the Mission which snaked around windows and doors. A bird's (and a birdwatcher's) dream.

Part of a much larger Rotary Club mural on the side of a deli, on Maple Ave. in Manteca. This stretch seemed to be Barber Row; we passed at least a half dozen haircutting places in just a few short blocks.

We walked into Athens Burgers and split one giant hamburger with a huge block (four? five? six ounces?) of feta cheese. Across the parking lot, a huge cow mural stretched across an entire wall. It was completely bathed in sunlight, and ended up a little washed out on the Polaroid. But I like how it kind of looks like a watercolor, with the muted hues.

The side of a bar in Hollister, which actually turned out to be a cute little town without any shirtless male models standing in front of stores. Who knew?

In the Mission, I believe on Valencia Street.

Near our rented apartment in the Mission. Pretty well done.

In the Mission, on Church Street between 22nd and 23rd Streets. It was a hard slog up the hill in chilly, windy weather, but coming across this house was our reward.

The other side of the scale: a terrible one of Brando in Hollister, CA.

At the Beach Boardwalk in Santa Cruz, which is similar to Coney Island, except the boards haven't popped loose everywhere in an attempt to stab your shins. This is probably just some woman and some man, or maybe it's the lead singer of a hair metal band and Zach Galifianakis.

Such ennui.

No Small Affair

2010-10-20T08:50:00.001-07:00

I had a few surprises up my sleeve for Kseniya this trip (including the Jelly Belly factory tour), but I saved the best for last. Well maybe not the best, but the weirdest and closest to our hearts.

In the movie No Small Affair, which is set it San Francisco, budding photographer Jon Cryer takes a few snaps of muse Demi Moore in front of a large whale mural. After a whole bunch of researching, I determined that the mural used in the movie was actually in Long Beach, and had been painted over to boot. But the artist who painted it, Robert Wyland, has painted a hundred Whaling Walls around the world, two of which are still up in San Francisco.

I'd bought the beret online right before our trip (you'd [probably not] be surprised to learn that almost no women's clothing stores near Union Square carry mustard berets) and had it shipped ahead to our hotel in Los Banos. When Kseniya opened that package, she had no idea what it was about. Luckily, she didn't figure out my plot until several days later when I walked her up to the whale mural. Even then, it took some explaining -- apparently the yellow beret and the whales hadn't stuck in her mind as much as it had in mine.

It took a lot of practice to get our timing right, but luckily we only burned one Polaroid on a bad shot. We took a lot more when I switched to my digital camera, and Kseniya was kind of exhausted by the time I let her stop jumping.

Paradiso Lost

2010-10-19T15:28:00.001-07:00

According to Google Street View, this place looks like it used to be a car dealership, and the letters up there once said Harry Marx. These days, the lot is empty, and the walls can barely remember what they had to say.

East Pacheco Blvd (Rt. 152) in Los Banos, CA. Across the street from the excellent little donut shop Donut Nation.

In the window of a record store in Santa Cruz, CA. Presumably, someone there has a thing for Nana Mouskouri.

It looks like someone changed his or her mind in a hurry. In Petaluma, where much of American Graffiti was filmed.

Our headboard in the Wild West room at the Rose Cottage in Coulterville, CA, close to Yosemite National Park.

The owl is a reprint of a Halloween decoration from the 1940s, purchased at a great vintage and eclectica store in Petaluma. Taken on the patio of our room in Sonoma.

San Francisco

2010-10-06T17:56:00.000-07:00

Pigeon Point Lighthouse

2010-10-02T07:38:00.000-07:00

We took California State Route 1 north out of Santa Cruz, hoping to spend the next hour and a half marveling at the beautiful coastline as we made our way to San Francisco. It was perfectly clear in Santa Cruz; but just a few miles up, the wall of fog suddenly hit, and only occasionally (and barely) thinned out. The road was already quiet, but the fog seemed to silence it.

We pulled off at a few points to stand on the edge of the continent and look out into nothingness. It was like being in the Truman Show. We knew there was something beyond our border (we could even hear the ocean and the occasional rustling plant), but we would never see it. Dinosaur Point's silence had been incongruous; it didn't make sense that there would be no noise, since everything was so bright and there was so much to see. But along this quiet road, in this enveloping fog, it seemed like there was nothing else.

Two bikers passed us on the road and almost immediately disappeared into the white. When we saw a sign for a pulloff, we took it, looking for as many opportunities as possible to surround ourselves in this expanse. The turn took us to the Pigeon Point Lighthouse and Hostel, where the two bikers were booking beds at the office. The hostel is actually several small buildings, all with views of the cliff and water (well, "view" is relative), and all in a bit of a rustic state.

There was a short walkway out onto one of the cliffs. Someone had already carved this into the railing, so I didn't have to.

Birds. Barely.

It's hard to see their shape, but we first noticed these plants in Santa Cruz, and then saw them everywhere we stopped along the coast. They look like little wedged french fries, but much more beautiful and probably a lot less tasty.

Twenty Six Candles

2010-09-21T05:58:00.000-07:00

Golden years. Whop whop whop.

California Coast

2010-09-20T12:17:00.000-07:00

My introduction to the Pacific Ocean, in Carmel-by-the-Sea. These birds seem to think it's no big deal.

Kseniya approaches the chilly beast.

The 17-Mile Drive is a winding stretch between Carmel-by-the-Sea and Pacific Grove. The 10 mile road (yup) snakes its way through a very expensive neighborhood (which your $9.50-per-car helps to maintain) and offers very few views for the first seven miles or so. The last few are a lot more interesting though, with some beautiful sights. The most famous is probably the Lone Cypress.

Bird Rock is more impressive, but harder to photograph without a good zoom. It's a small, rocky island covered with birds and sunning sea lions. The island is a good distance from the mainland, but the animals can be easily made out with a pair of binoculars or one of the pay telescopes set up on the shore. You can also clearly hear the sea lions' barking, and with the binoculars you can occasionally figure out which one's making all the fuss.

Improbable-looking rock pile at Spanish Bay.

At the end of 17-Mile Drive you can turn onto Sunset Drive, which runs along the coast of Pacific Grove and offers views that are less dramatic, but which are absolutely free and very serene in the evening light.

The result of water vs. rock at Natural Bridges State Beach in Santa Cruz.

Propellors

2010-09-16T22:25:00.000-07:00

Dinosaur Point

2010-09-16T22:07:00.000-07:00

West of Los Banos, CA, State Route 152 hugs the northern rim of the San Luis Reservoir. North of the road, the land scrunches up into small hills covered with what appears to be the fur of a golden retriever. To the south, views of the reservoir open and close between more furry hills. Glimpses of the reservoir's banks reveal tightly striated layers of gray and white sediment punctuated by fertile emerald veins.

We wanted to find a place to pull off and reach the shores, but the signs for the recreation areas all came up too suddenly, and it seemed like we'd missed all our chances. But when a sign ahead said "Dinosaur Point," we bit. I was kind of expecting some sort of archaeological dig or educational center, maybe a reproduction of a partially unearthed beast in the dirt. But that side road led to what I think was the quietest place I've ever been. Far across the reservoir the cars glimmered on the road, but everything else stood still.

Modesto

2010-09-16T14:18:00.000-07:00

When we pulled into Modesto an hour or so before sunset, it seemed like something had gone wrong. The streets were quiet; by the time the sun went down, they'd be empty. We walked around for a few hours, ducking into alleys, marveling at all the perfectly-manicured trees and bushes (trimmed by whom? for whose benefit?), and feeling like the only people alive.

A sandwich shop built out of an old gas station. They apparently close at 3pm every day, so we found Brighter Side in darkness.

The State Theatre, which looks like it shows an impressive selection of independent and etcetera films. This is where I would be if I lived in Modesto.

Once more with clarity.

Lighting the way for no one.

While looking for the State Theatre, we were mistakenly drawn to these lights instead. A security guard, maybe a few years older than us, came over while we were taking pictures. I was expecting trouble, but he just wanted to talk. I guess the quiet streets, peaceful as they are, can get to you after a while.

He said this theater had been built maybe five years ago, which surprised me because I've never seen a modern-day movie theater this nice. They sometimes add special lighting to the facade for events, and he showed us photos on his phone that he'd taken from the top of a nearby parking garage. I asked him why the streets were so quiet, but he didn't have an answer. When I guessed that maybe Modesto was a college town, which might be sleepy on a Monday, he had a hard time even naming any nearby schools. I pointed out the beauty college that we'd passed on our walk, but he didn't think that counted.

Muir Woods

2010-09-08T21:31:00.000-07:00

Redwood giants, a half hour's drive from San Francisco.

We like to play this game where we go into the woods and pretend to be amputees.

Jelly Belly Factory - Fairfield, CA

2010-09-08T20:01:00.000-07:00

Apparently Reagan was a champion of Jelly Belly during his administration, and helped bring them national recognition. In return, there are paintings, shrines, and mosaic portraits made from jelly beans all throughout the factory.

Yosemite

2010-09-08T13:09:00.000-07:00

Small person, big rock.

Yep.

Half Dome and reflection viewed from Sentinel Bridge.

El Capitan.

Tunnel View.

Half Dome reflection in the water under Sentinel Bridge.

Half Dome itself.

Posing for someone else's camera.

Couple sitting on the cliff at Glacier point, looking out across the valley.

Diorama of the former native village.

Partially burned forest.

Bridalveil Falls.

Half Dome in the top left, our shadow in the bottom right.

2010-09-07T22:25:00.000-07:00

More coming soon.

Cyclone and Friend

2010-08-26T21:13:00.000-07:00

Having a little fun:

The Last What

2010-08-26T21:06:00.000-07:00

The Foods are Whole, but the language is partial.

2010-08-26T21:00:00.001-07:00

Coney Island

2010-08-23T23:30:00.000-07:00

On Gothamist.

2010-08-23T23:11:00.000-07:00

Obviously I appreciate my new roommate's tendency to share her baked goods, but this is still an unsettling thing to find on top of your stove at two in the morning.

G ometry

2010-08-15T20:16:00.000-07:00

Nice Weather

2010-08-15T20:01:00.000-07:00

Posing for touristy photos at the Irish Hunger Memorial feels at least 90% less insensitive than tourists posing for photos at Ground Zero a few blocks away.

2010-08-10T22:18:00.000-07:00

Then what are [this] out here?

Party's Over

2010-08-10T22:12:00.000-07:00

Borough Hall Wall

2010-08-08T07:12:00.000-07:00

Covering a construction site in Downtown Brooklyn.

Circular Radiator

2010-08-08T07:09:00.000-07:00

I've never seen anything like this one. At the YMCA in the Armory in Park Slope, Brooklyn.

Beach Ailments

2010-08-05T22:27:00.000-07:00

One, a victim of spray-on sunscreen. Two, the victim of a wayward bodyboard.

Swimming Holes

2010-07-22T00:26:00.001-07:00

In a patient room at the Nassau University Medical Center. Really.

Why do we have to be making eye contact? Is he trying to shame us? It's not our fault somebody put this thing on the wall! I hope this doesn't get me entered into some kind of database. IMoonDb.

"My Rabbit Has Cheeks"

2010-07-15T22:16:00.000-07:00

Some worried-looking bunnies in the window of a day care center in Cobble Hill, Brooklyn.

Happy Cleaners and Friend

2010-07-14T22:28:00.000-07:00

Snow in July! No, this is from a while ago. Kseniya is considering a lawsuit for the unauthorized use of her likeness.

Diamond-Shaped Pearl Snap Buttons

2010-07-14T22:26:00.000-07:00

This shirt didn't fit at all, but I wanted it so badly for those buttons. I've never seen anything like that before. Hopefully some smaller person is now appreciating them forever the way I did for a few precious moments.

2010-07-09T09:37:00.001-07:00

I've always loved this photo from the TripAdvisor page for a Motel 6 near the Grand Canyon. "La télé," it's titled.

2010-07-08T20:42:00.000-07:00

Everyone got to run the bases after the Brooklyn Cyclones game tonight. Parents, children, children the age of parents -- everyone!

Support Mark Burrier's book on Kickstarter

2010-07-06T21:53:00.000-07:00

"Never Stopped Loving You"

Illustrator Mark Burrier, who did the cover for I Love Bad Movies #2 and who also is great, is in the process of raising money to publish a first volume of his series Rare Words. For the Rare Words project, people send Mark words or phrases, which he then illustrates in any way he feels. Many of the illustrations are beautiful in their own right, and can become touching or funny next to the phrases that inspired them. If you go to Mark's Kickstarter page, you can see the many ways of helping out.

I'm in at the $50 level, which means I get a signed copy of the full-color book, as well as my choice of an original art piece. There are still about two weeks and $1,500 left to go, so pledge a few bucks and help a good human put a good thing into this frequently good world.

Some more Rare Words from Mark:

"Media Monarchy"

"Invisible Immortal"

"Hungry"

All images copyright Mark Burrier

2010-06-15T22:10:00.000-07:00

Wall across from Home Depot parking lot. Gowanus, Brooklyn.

2010-06-15T21:58:00.000-07:00

Corbin Bernsen has been hiding under the Grand Central Parkway.

Three Years of Looking Great.

2010-06-09T14:43:00.001-07:00

Summer 2007.

Recent Reflections

2010-06-03T21:07:00.000-07:00

The Astor Place K-Mart building reflected in the Chase building across the street.

In a storefront in Cobble Hill.

Two idiots in a security mirror in Park Slope.

Dance Parade 2010

2010-06-02T22:04:00.000-07:00

Trip to the Brooklyn Navy Yard

2010-05-26T20:36:00.000-07:00

We went to the Brooklyn Navy Yard a few weekends ago because a friend's family's TV/film prop company was auctioning off all the set decorations from Guiding Light, which ended last year. We didn't end up with anything (there were some alright horse paintings and a pretty nice hand-forged cross, but they had already been bid on by the time we got there), so we just explored in and around the yard.

Found near the prop company's building. So this is presumably (and hopefully) a set.

A steady stream of steam flowed out of a bubbling hole in the pavement that someone had apparently tried to patch up with asphalt, except they didn't do a very good job.

Kseniya's sunglasses collection

2010-05-20T23:37:00.000-07:00

Carefully arranged by me after we finished moving all of her stuff into her new apartment (directly below her old apartment). The horse was a gift from me.

Event Horizon

2010-05-20T22:11:00.000-07:00

One of the thirty one sculptures set on the ground and atop buildings near Madison Square Park as part of Anthony Gormley's Event Horizon installation.

2010-05-20T21:21:00.000-07:00

The ceiling HVAC duct in one of the screening rooms at the IFC Center.

"The power of lights compels you."

2010-05-20T21:20:00.000-07:00

Somewhere in Park Slope.

Photo of the Day on TheDigitel Charleston

2010-05-20T20:38:00.000-07:00

My photos of Charleston from two years ago have been noticed by the editors at TheDigitel, a greater Charleston news site, and two of them have been chosen as their Photos of the Day so far. I don't know if it was my mood during the trip, or the fact that the off-season weather was kind of cold and dreary, but everywhere I walked it seemed like I was the only person there, and I think that comes through in a lot of the images. Of course, I was largely photographing inanimate objects in various states of decay and lit by gray skies, but the mood and the quiet/loneliness added to it.

On the other hand, these best friends are just so happy to have each other. TheDigitel used this one on the aquarium's 10-year anniversary.

MoMA Treats

2010-05-17T19:52:00.001-07:00

I don't remember who made this, and I'm not sure what the point was, but art is always more fun when you can crawl inside. And when you can try and see if one of your old shirts is in there somewhere.

I really love this photo. Marilyn Monroe was obviously very beautiful, but she was also very pretty. I think there's a difference, even if I don't know what it is or how to articulate it. I guess it comes down to this: There are many beautiful women, but there are very few women who look this pretty while eating a hamburger. The hamburger may actually make her even prettier.

Adams Haunts Hood

2010-05-17T19:39:00.000-07:00

Manhattan bound R train platform at 4th Ave. and 9th St. in Brooklyn.

These of course are the lyrics to Bryan Adams' "(Everything I Do) I Do It For You," the theme song to Kevin Costner's Robin Hood go-round. Is Russell Crowe aiming for the heart of an enemy... or of a lover?

(Sorry. Please forgive me.)

Sprang has sprong.

2010-05-17T19:25:00.001-07:00

Paris -- The End

2010-05-17T16:32:00.000-07:00

On a lone walk, belly full of couscous, I ended up on a small quiet street where a parted curtain gave me a peek at what looked like an artists' class. (There were others there, but I could only see them as figures behind the curtain.) Someone had placed this doll in the window either as inspiration, or so that they could keep their back turned to it and not have to look at it.

On the same street as the artists' school. This time there were no curtains, and I could see the entirety of a large white room, completely empty except for the two strollers. There was no angle at which I could see more of the second room than the back of this guy's head, but I imagine it was another class. For some reason, based on nothing at all other than the stark minimalism of the space, I felt like the discussion was about architecture. But what about the strollers? Maybe the class was actually about babies? For babies? Taught by babies?

Near Montmartre.

Montmartre is filled with tourist-trap artistes trying to draw your caricature. This was a nice break from that.

It was pretty much impossible to capture what was happening here, due to the dirtiness/reflection of the glass, the obstruction of the grate, and the darkness of the cat. We stood in front of this store window for many minutes, watching this cat lazily topple sculpture after sculpture in his pursuit of either absolute destruction or a simple back scratch. We knocked on the grate and on the window, made "Go Away!" gestures, and generally tried to get the cat to leave the surviving pieces alone, but he ignored us and kept on with his rampage.

I wondered if he had broken into the store, or if he was the domesticated guard cat who finally had had enough of his oppressors and their silly statuary pursuits.

Almost...

...no, wrong way...

..there he is!

Paris, Texas France

2010-05-07T11:10:00.000-07:00

She's holding it up while they do some renovations.

The centerpieces of the Musee de l'Orangerie, which was built to house these large-format works by Monet, are two oval-shaped rooms, one of which you partially see here. There are four paintings in each room, two shorter and two longer. The great innovation here is essentially a giant diffuse skylight running the length of each room, which bathes the paintings in a perfectly even light with no harsh highlights and no shadows. Apparently it mimics the lighting situation in Monet's studio where he painted the pieces, so we're seeing them exactly as he did when they were created. Pretty cool.

The museum also housed a variety of other works, some of which had a real attitude.

This may have been my favorite painting in the museum. It's just so strange. Why are they in the desert? Will they survive? Or have they already been driven mad with dehydration and head stroke? Why do they play music and wear clown outfits if they hate it so much? Do they sew their own clothes?

Some various artworks outside of the museum:

On the train platform near our rented apartment.

I have no idea.

They were still building out the inside of this place, so it was hard to tell what it would eventually be.

These gold diagrams are embedded into the base of an obelisk which was taken from Egypt. They explain how the obelisk was taken down and shipped to France.

View from outside the Musee de l'Orangerie

At the Louvre with our British tour guide, who also speaks fluent French, and with whom Kseniya is going to run away.

Looking north from the south side of the Jardin des Tuileries at the Basilique du Sacré-Cœur in the distance. It's also known as the Basilica of the Sacred Heart of Jesus of Paris, which is helpful so you don't get it mixed up with the Jesuses of other places. Those guys of are so of territorial.

But also, look at the perfectly straight line along the tops of those trees (same goes for the sides). There were lines of trees like these all over the place, which means that there are people trimming them on a near-constant basis. I guess it's good for employment? But really there must be some other jobs to do.

The Rodin garden was a really great find. You can pay 15 Euros to see the original sculptures inside the museum, or you can pay just one Euro to walk around the beautiful gardens and see replicas (hint: they look the same!) of those sculptures, including The Thinker and The Gates of Hell. There were some winding paths and a nicely sculpted landscape, and it was big enough that you could sometimes feel alone in the place. Plus, there were adorable, well-behaved French children everywhere. What a deal!

White lady can sort of jump.

This guy had a weird stance and facial expression. He's called The Artist, I think. er.

On our last (half) day, we walked around the city a bit and then up the stairs to Montmartre. It was a lot of stairs for a couple of fatties.

Once there, we realized we were essentially in a smaller, Frencher, less electrified version of Times Square, so we walked a few blocks away from the hubbub and had some nice views.

It was a little foggy though.

Finally, here is a room filled with art at the Musee de l'Orangerie...

...except it's not! Watch out, tiny room!

Saison du Fraison?

2010-05-05T21:58:00.000-07:00

I guess it was Strawberry Season in Paris.

More coming soon. Of things other than this thing. But from the same place.

2010-04-29T23:13:00.000-07:00

That's a crepe and a waffle, from a carnival-looking stand right behind me. It was tourist-trap food, but somehow it was incredibly delicious and really well-priced. It was also the only food option we'd seen since landing in Paris, and we would have enjoyed it no matter what.

Reflected in a window at the Palais de Chaillot, across the river.

Kiev

2010-04-29T14:59:00.001-07:00

St. Michael's Golden-Domed Monastery.

Logging in front of St. Andrew's Church. This is a crop of a much wider shot -- I only noticed afterwards that these two men were cutting down half the trees in front of the church. Maybe it's to clear up the view of the church from below, or maybe it's something to do with this, from Wikipedia:

As the church sits atop a hill, foundation problems have been one of the main concerns of preservationists. More recently, the foundation below the church has started to shift, causing some concerns that the church's foundation might collapse. Cracks have already appeared in the foundation, and some of the church's falling decor has been found in neighboring areas.

Funicular between the lower Podil neighborhood and the historic Uppertown.

Ceiling of the funicular station. It would've been nice to get a better shot, but I didn't.

A giant pysanka (intricately painted Easter egg) made from many regular-sized pysanky.

Looking out at the skyline of Greater Kiev, with the Mother Motherland statue (here and here) behind me.

At the Lavra, where we were kicked out of the Catacombs because Kseniya was wearing pants, which are vulgar and unseemly for a place of such sacred status. High heels and slutty skirts the size of a wristband, however, are totally cool apparently. As is being a creepy priest who walks through dark tunnels kissing the glass coffins of mummified children. That is just a very normal thing to do, but a woman wearing pants is like a fork in the eye.

DEFINITELY not allowed in the Catacombs. Ad for an upcoming dance show at the unbelievably large entertainment complex Dream Town. (Go to their site and wait a few seconds for the picture show to start.) There's a bowling alley, ice skating rink, roller skating rink (all full-size), movie theater(s?), bumper cars, and tons of eating/shopping/Roman statues. They have definitely won the Malld War.

The Road to Dmitrovka

2010-04-29T14:34:00.000-07:00

Field behind a gas station.

Animals on Bah-bah Polya's Farm (And Others)

2010-04-28T19:01:00.000-07:00

I think this is my favorite photo of the trip.

The sleepy cat naps in the small houselet next to the main house. The cat is perched on top of the brick oven, which is apparently where Kseniya's dad and uncle slept when they were little. On top, not inside.

Some Pig(s).

Ghost Dog.

The kids.

The adults.

Polya's chicken coop.

They started fluttering and I got terrified while pressing the shutter.

Chasing some other chickens that belonged to... someone.

Not a real goose, but Polya repaints it when it gets worn, so it's been living a lot longer than any real geese.

Also not a real goose.

Not an animal, but I didn't know where else to put it. Man (defendant? plaintiff?) and judge from a court TV show.

Polya's House and Greater Dmitrovka

2010-04-28T16:39:00.001-07:00

Polya cooking up the buttery potatoes and onions that I ate all of.

Back area of the property from the kitchen window, with the farm starting just behind the fence.

Kseniya's dad pointing at something. I don't remember what. I just think he's standing in for a statue of Napoleon.

Kseniya looking through generations of old photographs that Polya keeps in files in her house. I realized how uneasy it makes me these days to not have things digitized and backed up.

Chatting with a few distant relatives who raise the pigs. The pigs were adorable.

Polya laughs.

With Grandpa.

Three generations. The bag of candy was left for Grandpa. Apparently in Ukraine, every time you visit a grave you have to leave something. And Grandpa has a sweet tooth.

The cemetary is just behind the rows of farms on her street, so Grandpa and others aren't more than a short walk away. You can maybe make out scattered blue picnic tables and benches. They look kind of strange and out-of-place at first, but they serve a nice purpose -- the whole family can sit and spend some time together.

Bottles, containers, and shoes were placed all along the fence, I assume to cover up the rebar points. Made for an interesting, odd collection.

Kseniya recently pointed out that they could be there for drying or storage for future reuse. Also that it's been a custom for a very long time to put pots and containers on fences.

Polya loves color. Not only was the house painted in a pretty bold scheme...

...everything inside the house was full of color as well.

She did all the wallpapering herself, though I barely captured enough to do the work justice. There were at least a dozen different patterns on different walls, all very vibrant and lively. She really spruced the place up.

Clubland (Arcadia District, Odessa, Ukraine)

2010-04-28T10:22:00.000-07:00

Arcadia is the nightclub area of Odessa, where tons of open-air outdoor clubs are filled with partiers in the summer, and allowed to fall into advanced states of disrepair during the winter. I think I prefer the latter. More texture.

These Egyptian ruins are part of a club that's been closed for a few years now.

Of course, there are still things to do in the winter. Some carnival games and walking around and the waterfront and John Wayne and Indians.

Nastya (half-cousin) and Kseniya.

Vova will break you.

Dima will also attempt to break you, but with less vigor.

Outdoor War and Military Museum, Odessa

2010-04-23T22:11:00.000-07:00

The years of the Great Patriotic War or, Russian involvement in World War II.

Skip to Myloutually Assured Destruction. I really like the happy face on that vehicle on the left. It's like a little Japanese rabbit. This kid was really excited to get on top of the tanks, most of the kids were. Kids are so unafraid of tetanus.

I loved how they just let people climb all over these big, rusty, pointy things. In America, every vehicle would be coated with rubber and set behind a small fence. In Ukraine, if a kid climbs on a tank and falls off, nobody sues anybody.

Adults climbed, too.

She was posing for someone on the other side of the bus.

A pretty patchy and oddly curved drive-in screen. Very curious if they still show movies there, and what they would look like on such a piecemeal surface.

Map of the War of the Worlds. I'm pretty sure it depicts a Nazi invasion of Ukraine and the subsequent Soviet defense.

You could rent a bunch of different scooters and Hot Wheels type cars around here. Not sure if this kid rented, or brought his own. I definitely brought my own shadow though.

Tall lanky trees.

Uncle Vanya's Beach House, Odessa

2010-04-23T22:06:00.000-07:00

Cap'n Kse'n.

Stepmom Tanya, Aunt Dasha, Dad.

Neighbors to the left. Vanya's house is much newer and more modern, but again, I only took photos from and not of the house.

Neighbors to the right.

Enhance.

Uphill neighbors.

Uncle Vanya's House and Office - Odessa

2010-04-21T15:15:00.000-07:00

Kseniya on the roof of her uncle Vanya's house in Odessa, with cousin Anya. I've realized I don't have any photos of the house, just from the house. Just imagine a big house. It looks like that.

I just really liked the boldness of that color choice. It reminds me of the pinkstone in Brooklyn. I like houses that stand out.

We stopped by that church on Easter. Ukraine has many beautiful churches, with a lot of impressive icons and imagery. I'm not a big fan of icons when they're actually on the wall of a home -- I find them very creepy and watchful when they're in a personal space -- but I really love the style and wanted to buy every single one of them from the gift shops (every church also has a gift shop).

The backyard stretches back quite a ways. It would've been greener and the pool would have been filled if we'd been there at a warmer time (see here. We stayed in the guest house in the top right corner. Behind that was the pheasant, which was beautiful but made too much noise at night. The neon green spot is Dasha with the dogs, and near the back Tanya and Big Vova are grilling shish kebabs. The kebabs were delicious.

I do not know why these would have been on the roof, clipped to something about body spray. Then again, I've found weirder things on my own roof.

Inside the house is a beautifully done mural of the whole family in a very Renaissance scene. Little Vova. So easily distracted!

Uncle Vanya and Aunt Dasha. Not sure who the other couple is supposed to be, in the back on the right. Someone's parents maybe? Notice the pomegranate in the lower right corner, the source of all this family's good fortune. Hail Pomegranate!

Nastya and little Balu, who was named after Baloo of The Jungle Book and is now the approximate size of a bear. I couldn't get a shot without that shadow running through it, because...

...the entire mural is hidden behind a bunch of scaffolding. I wish they'd let it breathe, but I guess there's more to be painted? It does look like they left some room on the right side of the center panel, so maybe they're not done familying yet.

Over at Vanya's office we sampled a bunch of their juices (Kvant: "Energy of the Sun"), which were all really delicious. It was the best cranberry juice I've ever had (not tart, but not cloying), and all of the flavors had a very natural sweetness to them. I don't drink pomegranate juice often enough to know if theirs was better than most, but it probably was. Vanya's office also contained this:

Vanya has had the cactus and holder for as long as he's had the office, which made it pretty unfortunate when Kseniya accidentally knocked it out of the man's pants.

She got it back together, but the cactus gave her a prick. (Sorry.)

It'll be fine, as long as it's leaning up against something. I won't even make an erectile dysfunction joke. I won't do it!

Odessa

2010-04-19T17:11:00.000-07:00

Reflection of a building at the Odessa harborfront. The figure in the center with his arm out is some idiot. The people to his right are his girlfriend (reflected twice in different glass panes) and her dad.

Kseniya and Dad.

In the sculpture garden of the Literary Museum, you can only take a photo of a sculpture if someone is standing next to it. I really wanted to go to this place because I assumed it would be a lot of Sherlock Holmes and Alice in Wonderland and other popular characters, but everything turned out to be from Ukrainian and Russian stories I had never heard of. This is one of the Twelve Chairs. It's probably the best story about chairs.

Anya, Kseniya's little cousin. She's a dancer and a singer, the latter proven by her karaoke rendition of some song about Snickers bars and yogurt.

Anya at the harbor across from the Potemkin Steps.

Anya underneath the giant titular beast at the dolphinarium. "Dolphinarium" seems to be a common term, and it would appear all of Ukraine's aquamuseums contain only one species of sea creature. We saw signs for several dolphinariums, but never any aquariums.

I had to lay on the ground to be able to fit both her and the dolphin's head into the frame, which the security guards (one is in the window near the bottom) did not like. Because pride of place is strongest when that place is next to a field of rotting funhouses (see below).

Why bother building and maintaining a pesky beautiful building for bothersome centuries when some scaffolding and a giant printed tarp will do? They were probably just doing some renovations behind there, but I do like the idea of giving a quick and easy historical makeover to an otherwise bland and boring place like, say, Cleveland.

These cool knobbly trees were growing in groups all over the central part of Odessa.

Right next to a giant luxury waterfront hotel (under construction), this fenced-in area appeared to be some kind of amusement graveyard where carnival attractions go to die. Very strange that such theoretically prime real estate would simply be the resting grounds for a bunch of decaying playhouses. It's like the Secret Garden, but for cripples who are also jerks.

This was hard to capture, but it was a series of sculptures of world landmarks broken apart by trees growing through them. A green takeover of the world, I guess. Oddly enough, some of the monuments, like the Eiffel Tower and that windmill on the left, didn't have any trees near them and appeared to have collapsed or decayed on their own. Mixed messages.

And this is a giant muscular baby breaking out of a metal sphere. Sometimes art makes almost too much sense.

Wax Museum in Odessa, Ukraine

2010-04-18T19:31:00.000-07:00

This place has apparently undergone a makeover sometime since 2006, because Arnold is no longer stuck under a stairwell with a bloody lip. Most of the fun (at least for the visiting Americans) was had in the small "Hollywood" section. This area consisted entirely of: The Beatles, Danny DeVito (a.k.a. the Fourth-and-a-Halfth Beatle), Arnold Schwarzenegger, Bruce Willis, some French guy, and a pretty good Robert De Niro who I didn't photograph. Which means that, since the Beatles and some French guy aren't really connected to Hollywood, Danny DeVito is the fourth most famous person in American entertainment today. According to a Ukrainian museum with cat graffiti.

The Shab Four.

A wax zombie whose proximity to three other suited wax figures suggests his role in some kind of quartet. May be named George.

Meet the Whotles -- Jon Lenin, Ranger Star, and Paul McKenzie. Seriously, who are these people? Did they use Ringo's mustache to make John's welder glasses?

Danny DeVito, the fourth most popular man in Hollywood (see above paragraph).

Twins.

Man and machine.

Cop and Cat is a big hit over there.

Apparently Bruce Willis could use your spare change.

And a shave.

Dancing queens.

Winking Michael Caine?

These old friends, as well as a Gollum, a Captain Jack Deppington, and a few other blockbuster characters, were placed near the entrance to convince people that there wouldn't just be a bunch of boring old poets around the corner. There were.

This guy didn't mind, though.

Photobomb!

2010-03-26T23:02:00.000-07:00

(Click through for slightly larger version)

After the Teen Witch Sing-along at 92Y Tribeca. That's Cindy Valentine on the left, who plays pop star Shana in the movie. And that's my tiny head growing out of that girl's regular-sized head. I don't know who the other guy is, but apparently he's a good bomber too. Creepy duo!

It's rare to actually see something that you've photobombed, since you either never know where to look for it online, or the person just deletes the photo or never bothers to put it anywhere. But in this case the girls had asked Kseniya to take the picture with their phone, and she heard them mention something about Twittering it as she walked away. (Kseniya didn't realize I was in the shot until I mentioned it later, although I think we would make a pretty good photobombing team if we hung around tourist sites).

These are the insides of my eyes.

2010-03-14T12:40:00.001-07:00

Photos taken during an optometry test at Park Slope Eye, which is a pretty great place for frames and/or photographs of your eyes. The whitish wormhole thing is the optic nerve, with blood vessels going into/out of that. I forget what the nipple is. I just like how much the eye looks like a really neat galaxy.

2010-02-24T19:28:00.000-08:00

Kseniya having a roll at our favorite alley, Melody Lanes in Sunset Park. Bowling photos are really fun because of the weird way body parts seem to disappear in the low light and fast motion. I'd like to do more of these with our other bowling partners. Kseniya's striped skirt is especially interesting here -- even more so in the Large or Original sizes.

Serving two purposes at a hair salon in Brooklyn Heights. One, a seat designed to distract children from the sharp objects fluttering around their heads. Two, a terrifying night watchman.

Brooklyn bodega signs are usually pretty colorful, but mostly just a bunch of boring text. The Landmark Mini-Mart in Sunset Park really steps it up with a creative adaptation of the cityscape, including an imagined suspension bridge anchored by tall buildings on either side.

2010-02-22T18:25:00.000-08:00

Film stills I've captured from Cat-Women on of the Moon.