Gray Is Bustin' Out All Over

Woo. Hoo. These photos are typical of how the city 

has looked this week, either gray and damp,

or gray and cold. Looking south from the corner

of Ohio and Capitol Streets, one can see the facade of

the Simon Properties corporate headquarters.

It looks like it has a giant tuning fork stuck on its front.

When it was being erected, one critic remarked that

the Simon family could have afforded the services of an

architect who would design a creative landmark,

instead giving us more of the same pre-fab concrete,

granite, and limestone facades that make up the

rest of the downtown offices.

Take a look towards the east, along Ohio Street,

and one can see the same ol'-sameol'

with little variation in color or width of stripes.

It must be one of the classes in basic architecture -

Stripes: Glass and Granite 101.

WTF? Muddy Prints

I was returning home from the store when I saw the prints, 

at first taking them to be those of a big dog. 

After second look, I was surprised and dismayed to see 

they were the prints of a small child,

one who had perhaps been pulling a wagon.

There were no accompanying prints, such

as an adult might make, so why was this child out alone,

in his stocking feet, on a damp and dreary morning? 

Red Dots

I love to see these berries each winter. 

Their bright orange-y red contrasted against 

the clear blue sky creates a visual dance 

for me as my gaze takes in the little orbs vibrating

in the breeze, foreground to back.

The winter birds love the berries, which provide

them with a source for food; as the winter progresses

they will gather in the trees, gorging on the tiny fruit.

As I took these pictures, I was caught up in how 

the berries' variation in size,

created by their distance from the lens 

made for a rhythmic composition, 

one that teased my eyes into following

their little shapes around the frame.

There is an artist, Yayoi Kusama, whose obsession 

with dots has resulted in a wide range of work

using polka dots as the theme. Who'da thought that

the humble dot could have such possibilities,

resulting in paintings, sculptures, and installations

the world over? In fact, the renowned French company,

Louis Vuitton, based a recent collection on 

Ms. Kusama's work, a promotional video 

for which is shown below.

After looking at the berries and Kusama's work, 

I find myself becoming more interested in the dots,

noticing them in the swarming trail of bubbles 

I swim in as I follow another swimmer in the pool

each night. Sometimes, they support me,

raising me up in the water, making it easier to swim.

Mostly though, they are a warning that I am getting 

a bit too close. Either way, they are my friends,

just as Yayoi Kusama's are hers.

My Blue

As you walk just ahead of me,

through the woods, I watch you.

Your shirt blue, like mine,

edge-lit by the fading sun,

accents your blue eyes,

clear and honest, full of humor.

Your hair turning silver - like mine,

Glinting in the light.

I just want you to be.

Mine.

Textured Tuesday: Theme and Variation

There is something about the pattern 

in the rubber base of the traffic barrel that 

echoes the shapes of the concrete 

chunks lying just beside it.

Concrete Evidence

A section of a street near my home is having its surface ground down, 

then repaired and repaved. When this has been completed, 

new curbs are being installed, as needed. Here, one can see evidence 

of the heavy equipment used to perform the work; 

the tread marks of the dump trucks and grinders left behind 

where they were driven through the wet conctete slurry. 

December Theme Day: Looking Out

While working and swimming, the days have passed fairly quickly, 

so much so that I nearly overlooked the "looking out"

theme for December 1st. I guess though, in my attempt to miss nothing, 

I spend a lot of time looking out for stuff, including 

these back-lit grasses and flower stalks.

Photographers from the world over have posted 

their contributions for today's theme at the City Daily Photo portal.

Click the above link to see the varied interpretations,

or the CDP badge on the right-hand side of this page.