The sunny side

I've always said that when I was growing up, I didn't understand the song, "The Sunny Side of the Street," because in my hometown no building was taller than two stories high, and therefore both sides of the street were sunny. This photo, however, shows that I've been exaggerating ... a bit.

Different species; same dress

A chance encounter brought together this reluctant pooch and a sweet little girl at a CVS pharmacy in DeLand on Easter Sunday. I was checking out my cartload of American products to take back to Paris (some at the behest of expat friends), when I heard a lady sigh, Oh, I wish I'd brought my camera!
Although I'd been nearly tossed out of the store earlier for taking illegal photos (see below), I naturally whipped out my Sony and recorded the two girls -- Fiji, the lady's dog, and Gracie, there with her own mother -- in their flowered Sunday best. Gracie was fearless about posing with Fiji who, frankly, displayed no evidence of ever having attended obedience school.

Here's the photo I'd snapped earlier, fascinated by CVS' rip-off of Garnier's shampoo products. The camera referenced in the round warning sign (click on photo to enlarge) must be for real, because a minute later the manager nearly threatened to confiscate my own!

Forbidden Spanish Moss

When I was a little girl growing up in Florida, my friends and I used to love to play with the Spanish moss that hangs from all the oak trees here. However, I was not allowed to do the most fun thing: make a pillow out of it. (According to my mother, Spanish Moss is a source of nasty insects, although I never saw any.)

The setting of this magnificent tree is surprising: the house to which it belongs is by far the least imposing on the street.

Gardener and gardian

The man in the cap is my father, a former basketball coach and college professor who gardens in the final stretch of his long life. The watchful tabby at left answers only to him. Here she's defending their territory against a threat from the woods.

The woods. To judge by her posture, the cat has reduced the alert level from orange to "yellow".

A couple of squirrel cousins

While walking past the park on my last full day in Berkeley, I was struck by the fact that the groundspeople had lopped off an enormous part of this great oak tree. After I took the photo, I realized that a squirrel had been posing for me. (Just now I noticed a second squirrel in the tree.)

So I honed in for a closer look:

Our mammalian ancestors, those who survived the scourge of the dinosaur, were not much smaller than squirrels, and I feel an instinctual kinship with these clever creatures.

Kids' Kingdom

Looking back on this 7-year-old blog, I realize that this photo is a far better portrait than the one of the four girls I originally posted below.  (My niece is 17 years old now... no longer a denizen of Kids Kingdom.)

Amazing how well four third-graders (my niece among them) can line up to pose with no direction at all!

Epicurious Berkeley

While waiting at the ATM I turned around and saw some people enjoying themselves on the deck of my cooking school, Kitchen on Fire. I say 'my' school, because I've known Olivier Said (yes, he's French!), one of the two owner-chefs, since he managed the tapas bar next door. Here he calls himself "Oliveman" and plays the amusing sidekick to chef MikeC (no last name). Together they make a fantastic team, and they've already changed my life -- or at least, greatly improved my knife skills!

View from my window II

Back in California (for a too-brief visit) after six months in France, a friend called from the road and asked if we'd noticed the sunset. Thanks, Joshua!

When I look at this photo, I'm reminded of the promise that someday, someday, the city will 'undergound' our electric lines.
[Postscript: Upon hearing my complaint, my father, aged 88, responded, That's probably the least of their worries, and should be yours, too." And he's right.]