Wilshire Boulevard, Los Angeles (circa 1955-56)

Click on the photo to see a larger version.

Los Angeles in Black and White...

Here is a photograph of L.A. in the '30s, a time when I would loved to have lived there (in fact, any time in the forty years between 1930 and 1970 would have been perfectly fine). In this vintage photo of famed Hollywood Boulevard you can see the Roosevelt Hotel sign at the rear left.

Photo: The New York Times

Just a beautiful photograph...

Of Ocean Beach, San Francisco.

Munchy has released this photograph...

Although he earlier took a "no more photos" stance, Munchy has consented to release this recent photograph to his multitude of fans. He appears to be a gray tabby here due to the angle of the sunlight, but rest assured that he is still brown.

Photo: Joseph / Munchy Archives

the word of the day

Today's word is hearth, meaning a brick, stone or concrete area in front of a fireplace, or the floor of the fireplace. It can also mean home or a vital or creative center as in "the central hearth of occidental civilization." (A.L. Kroeber)

Thus, if you were moving out of your house in San Francisco and heading east, and you suddenly realize that you forgot to remove the brick from the front of the fireplace in your former home, you might yell out, "I left my hearth in San Francisco!"

Dance Lessons of the Thirties... (a poem by Donald Justice)

Wafts of old incense mixed with Cuban coffee
Hung on the air; a fan turned; it was summer.
And (of the buried life) some last aroma
Still clung to the tumbled cushions of the sofa.

At lesson time, pushed back, it used to be
The thing we managed somehow just to miss
With our last-second dips and whirls - all this
While the Victrola wound down gradually.

And this was their exile, those brave ladies who taught us
So much of art, and stepped off to their doom
Demonstrating the fox-trot with their daughters
Endlessly around some sad makeshift ballroom.

O little lost Bohemias of the suburbs!

Photo: flickr (gerardov)

It has been

It has been
by Joseph

I was contacted by the spirits and souls
And elected not to take the call
The past took up so much of my time
So I refuse to feed it anymore...

Suppose tomorrow we could go back
And relive what we lived before
And see who we saw
And love who we loved before...

What makes us think we'd hear a message
We didn't hear before, some lesson
We didn't learn before...
And why would we respond just because
It was the 2nd time the message kicked upon our
door?

I lived my life the first time
I choose not to try to live it again
The answering machine is on; please record your thoughts...

I'm moving onward, my friends


photo: flickr (shoebappa)

Sometimes you just...

Sometimes you just come across an interesting and fascinating photograph. All I know about this one is that it pictures a McLaren team Formula One driver practicing in Spain under real-life El Greco (1541-1614) skies.

Click on the photo to see a larger version.

Yes, Virginia, Cats Do Grow On Trees...

At least they do in Tokyo, Japan...

Here's Munchy the cat...

Saying "no, thanks" I don't want to be photographed any more today...

Photo: Joseph/Munchy Archives

Touch-Me-Nots

Touch-Me-Nots by Jill Bialosky

She brought a little of the country into the city

in the pots of impatiens she had planted

The petals white, pure, the opposite of color.

She had transferred the impatiens from the garden,

digging her hands into soil two parts fibrous loam,

one part leaf mold and peat moss and pushing

the roots into the earth. Despite the quality

of the soil - its rich decomposition of life -

still they would not last. The plants were hard

and tender, with thick stems and dark green leaves,

the seedpods inside waiting to release, the air

awash in pollen. She looked into the flower

as into a pair of beckoning eyes offering

sustenance independent of a body, free floating

and regenerative and wholly belonging

to what was impossible ever to touch.

Note: Jill Bialosky is the author of Intruder, a volume of poetry "which stretches our understanding of the creative process." She will be participating in the Los Angeles Times Book Festival on April 25, 2009.

Photo: flickr (tile432)

Those with a sharp eye...

Those with a sharp eye will note that the photo in the post, below, is labeled as Buffalo Springfield. In fact, it is actually a picture of Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young. Why it has the wrong title, I do not know.

Above is a photograph of the actual Buffalo Springfield.

Photo: flickr (bob3052)

Sometimes it's great...

Sometimes it's great to have a conversation with your best friend, even if not a lot of words are spoken.

Next: The Question of Favorite Music, Part III in a series.

mouse to cat and cat to dog...

It's Semantic by The Web Laureate

when everything is related

from mouse to cat and cat to dog,

of types and forms so varied,

the websites, web products, and web logs,

connected and intertwining -

social chatter, thither-hither-thither and fro,

more sharing and fun-fun-fun,

richer experiences will surely grow.

Photo: flickr (thedangling)

Vintage Fresno...

This is a photograph of Fulton Avenue, circa 1955.

Photo: flickr (vintagefresno)

The Great South Gate of Seoul, Korea

Namdaemun. The photograph was taken in the 1930's during the Japanese occupation.

Photo: flickr (born1945)

Next: Poetry with Seoul.

Every Picture Tells A Story...

Here are the young Small Faces, circa 1970. From left to right, Ian McLagan, Kenny Jones, Rod Stewart, Ronnie Lane and Ron Wood.

Note: Organist Ian McLagen and The Bump Band will perform live at Anthology in the Gaslight District of San Diego (1337 India Street) on Wednesday, April 29, 2009. McLagen has just released a new album - favorably reviewed by Rolling Stone - entitled Never Say Never. For information, call (619) 595-0300.

"Direct from Austin..."

Photo by Martin Cook.

Two great rock band photographs...

Here are the Beatles and the Byrds, circa 1965.

Photos: flickr (Beatles photograph from maxnoche)

Next: The Question of Favorite Music, Part II in a series.

Unclear on the Concept...

Most cats like to sleep in boxes. This one thinks you're supposed to wear the box while walking around the house!

Photo: flickr (hostyle)

Papi gets his move on!

This is Papi the dog enjoying the sun, sand and surf in Santa Monica!

Photo: Los Angeles Times (Reader Photos)