At the Petal Center

Such loveliness... 

Valley Lights

 

The Neon Museum of Las Vegas, Nevada (5 Sept 2024)

I have friends who are very dear to me who go to Las Vegas to party.  I adore them, but won't go, becasue I don't enjoy being dressed up and drunk.

I found the Neon Museum, and it is so much more interesting than drinking!

The small piece of land filled with oversized signs contains both neon signs and other historic signs of Las Vegas, often from leased signage that was reclaimed by sign companies prior to the demolition and replacement of old casinos.

Shapely letters, so many bulbs.

Oh!

What a great S.

This required some interpretation, but it used to be part of the Flamingo sign.  

Sea horses very much seem to be alien life forms - I'm unsure how they wind up posing as ordinary sea creatures of earth.  This sign puts them in this alien context.

If my clothes ever emote this much, it's a sign I've had too much espresso, and need to stay home from work.

I enjoyed my visit to this museum very much, and appreciated the patio with misters, which helped those of us who were walking around in high 90s temperatures a chance to almost cool off.

 

A ridge engulfing a different sort of ridge (3 Sept 2024)

 Geology surprise in Nevada.

Crop Circles, no, the other kind (3 Sept 2024)

So bizarre, the kind of thing that would alarm us if we observed it on another planet. 

South Bay Salt (3 Sept 2024)

How can muddy pools be SO INTERESTING!?

Auto Body Wall (1 Sept 2024)

 I like the column details, too, which unify the series of garage door pieces.

Clarion Alley Murals of the Moment (Together)(1 Sept 2024)

 

Clarion Alley Murals of the Moment (415)(1 Sept 2024)

Our City motto is in Spanish: Oro en Paz, Fierro en Guerra: gold in peace, iron in war.  

415 is our traditional telephone area code.

And yes, it is funny that there are entire states who only have enough people for one area code.  No, they shouldn't have electoral college votes out of proportion to their population.  

Clarion Alley Murals of the Moment (Freedom for Iran)(1 Sept 2024)

 The gate is symbolic of their imprisonment.

Clarion Alley Murals of the Moment (alien dj)(1 Sept 2024)

 

Previously an Elbo (1 Sept 2024)

 

Mission Street Skeleton (1 Sept 2024)

 

Hawk At Work (1 Sept 2024)

I had to look up what the hawk version of a falconer is, since it isn't a hawker. (It should have been, but that word took a weird turn... You expected me to make a tern joke there, but I'm not going to!... Oh, wait...) 

It's an "austringer."  (Which also took a turn, because most of the results are video-game-weapon-related.  I searched for 'is there a hawk equivalent of a falconer' and got to the right word that way). 

Our local BART system (regional electric trains) employs austringers to clear stations of pigeons, and it works.  I asked the austringer directly, and it takes a while for the pigeons to take a hint.  You can see a 'hawks at work' sign in the distance in the upper right corner of the photo, which I think helps commuters not ask silly questions about why austringers are wandering through the stations. Also, there is a BART anime mascot addressing this topic. (No, really.)

This particular austringer is (a) very handsome and (b) also has a hawk on his right arm in a stunningly gorgeous tattoo in the style of a Japanese painting.  (I don't post photos of other people's tattoos without their permission, but I made giddy sounds when I reviewed the photo later. Such. Amazing. Ink.)

  

Bowl with light (31 August 2024)

So glad this art (from the SF Women Artists gallery) survived many years and two moves! The shape and glazes are so gorgeous.

Rhapsody in Many Colors, Really

There is a tunnel between concourses B and C in Chicago O'Hare, where Rhapsody in Blue usually plays, and where the tunnel has been turned into a rather successful art installation.  I sent these images to friends who have been to O'Hare, but have never passed through.  It is quite an installation.

Did I mention Chicago (27 August)

I've passed through Chicago, but have never really spent time there.  This is still true, but at least I've been out and about a little bit in downtown.

In Praise of Virgin Hotel Chicago's Design Elements

I was at the Virgin Hotel in Chicago, which took over an older building and preserved its details while adding Virgin's own style.  And that shade of red they love so much.

It was easy to find my room: I just had to look for my ceramic dog.

I was advised to brace myself before entering the bathroom, but she should have told me to brace myself for brightness and delight.  It is a very fashionable yet low-budget strategy!  (And the bathroom remained immaculate.)

Here is a detail from the ceiling.  I think they had new pieces cast, as they were very clean.

There were many other nice details I didn't photograph, but the environment was enjoyable.

 

What Feels Like Giant Owl's Clover

Wikipedia tells me it is White Clover, trifolium repens, of some sort.  So huge! So happy in front of my local library, where volunteers are keeping it happy in its pot.

Larger Moth Family

So bright and lovely...  The orchids that came from the office in sympathy for a death in my family bloom gloriously again.