Cleaning @ Home

Sorry, folks. I haven't had much to report lately. I've been spending a lot of time clearing junk out of my upstairs/attic closets at home, trying to reclaim some sense of order.



Rudy hasn't necessarily been helping. I can't really blame this mess on him, though. This mess belongs to a weak-willed trash bag that lost its bottom as I carried it downstairs.

P.S. - No, Rudy isn't huge. He's actually kind of small in the grand scheme to things. Our stairs are just that narrow.

Tina & Rob's going away party

The party I mentioned in the last post was for my friends Tina & Rob. Tina starts work this week as a Molecular Biology Writer for Science News. It's a fantastic career move, but we're really sorry to see them go.

Tina gets a few last photos


Cath officiates at the FB table


The cool kids hang in the kitchen

Shopping at 2am when you know you're not going to want to get up and to in the morning

Last week we stayed out late Friday night for a going away party. On the way home, Julie remembered she needed a few more ingredients for the chili she was making for another party Saturday night. The Hampton Village Schnuck's is pretty quiet at 2am on a Saturday.



How could this tree end up in the clearance section? It's tall, skinny & askew - perfect for a city house!


So many beans to pick from...

Saturday @ Jay International on Grand

This doesn't mean it's made with kittens, does it?


I am sorry I did not get a clear shot of the Lover Hot Pot. I used to enjoy hot pot nights in grad school.


I had no idea this is what Pennywort looked like. I also did not know it could be turned into a beverage.




P.S.: Hello . Happy New Year!

Saturday @ Dunaway Books on Grand

We hadn't given ourselves a trip to the bookstore for a while, so Julie & I spent a little while at Dunaway last weekend. We didn't overspend the book budget too badly...

Books I did not buy in the business section:


Is it rude to peek down into their back office? I always do.


A freezer sign pointing to "Polar Books" and "Hunting & Fishing" just seems right.

At Cath's Toilet Party

Sometimes you just have to pick up your tools, get together with your friends, and fix a toilet. It's what we do in the city since we can't have a barn raisin'.




While Karen & I worked in the bathroom, Cath hunted up parts for us, and Julie finished putting away Cath's Christmas gear.


Tech note: No, I didn't think to take a camera with me. I took these with my cell phone.

Sunday afternoon in Carondelet Park

Julie & I were just looking for a place to lounge and sip cold drinks. This is what we found on the hill beside the lake.

Saturday Shopping on The Hill

Lawn Mary aficionados (I know you're out there) really owe it to themselves to spend some time on The Hill. The old neighborhood is changing radically - we saw scads of new construction today in places I never would have expected it - but I was happy to see my favorite Marys decked out for the new year. I like to call this one "Our Lady of the Penny."


Viviano's was almost quiet today. The line at the deli counter was only half a dozen deep, and the checkout line didn't wind all the way back to the cheese cabinet. We showed restraint, though. Nothing but fresh bread and some seasonings for us.


Since when has Adriana's been open on Saturdays? I thought it was weekdays only. We got there around one and every table was full, of course, but the line only wound about halfway back to the door. Weekday lunches push it all the way out. I love their sandwiches. I had a meatball today instead of my favorite salsicisa. Variety, you know. Half of it's in the fridge. Those suckers are huge.

Flashback: More from Dauster

Flashback: Fly-In at Dauster Flying Field

At least I'm pretty sure these are from the Historic Aircraft Restoration Museum at Dauster. They're a few years old, but I just developed the film.

Happy New Year

Happy New Year! Sorry, I almost forgot. Cameras can be so distracting.



My film backlog is almost conquered. I have two rolls of Bergger (one 35mm, one 120mm) and one roll of strange underexposed127mm and then I'm up to date.

Tomorrow: vintage air show.

In PrinHigh with my "new" camera

I'm a lucky girl. My friends found a beautiful old Yashica A twin lens reflex and gave it to me. I ran two rolls of TMX through it the first night.







When I went into the darkroom yesterday to develop them, I started working on my random film backlog. I have a big backlog. Stay tuned for some black & white flashbacks.