August 31, 2010 - Day 173

Yummy spinach salad, though now my teeth feel like they're made of wood. Or, I guess it would be more accurate to say - what I've always imagined wooden teeth would feel like. It's not like I'm going to test that theory, and George Washington's not around to ask.

August 30, 2010 - Day 172

I see this shadow on the way home from work if it's sunny enough (and not too late). I wanted to capture it now because I imagine it might not be as visible as the seasons change.

August 29, 2010 - Day 171

Sometimes there's something unexpectedly beautiful just outside the door.

August 28, 2010 - Day 170

I don't know what kind of pine this is in our front  yard, but I'm rather fond of it. It has what look like large, pale blue berries in its upper branches. Every time I photograph it I notice something new.

August 27, 2010 - Day 169

I may be wrong, but I take it as a hopeful sign that the economy may be beginning to turn around. There are at least four lots in our neighborhood that have either been empty and now have new houses going up, or where a slightly ramshackle looking house has been razed and the lot posted for sale.

August 26, 2010 - Day 168

Gee, I wonder what you're supposed to do here. It makes me think of the comedy routine about how a British policeman could influence you without a gun, "Stop! Or I'll yell stop again!"

August 25, 2010 - Day 167

With the heat wave broken - it's 79 degrees now, not nearly 100 - fall seems to be in sight. I'm not complaining about it being gray today, but cloudy days do make you appreciate shadows! This is from one evening last week.

August 24, 2010 - Day 166

The heat wave seems to finally be broken - but for how long? These very smooth wintry-looking clouds floated by around lunch time. After lunch the sky looked summery again. (I say this to explain that I took this shot through the window - hence the pale blue circle reflected in the shot.)

August 23, 2010 - Day 165

Some of the plants out front look like there's someone running around attacking them with a hole punch.

August 22, 2010 - Day 164

I'm on a cooking strike until the temperature comes down some. This morning when I was making breakfast tacos I set of the smoke alarm. So tonight we tried a new Tex-Mex place down the street. The "curtains" on the windows were long rows of purple beads, which cast interesting shadows in the room.

August 21, 2010 - Day 163

Someone's missing a side mirror. With a big house full of college students across the street, I imagine this won't be the last spare part we find.

August 20, 2010 - Day 162

Yesterday's rain did lower the temperature a bit for a short while (which we appreciated!) and made for a beautiful sunset. Today was back close to where it had been, though there was a breeze.

August 19, 2010 - Day 161

An amazing thing  happened this afternoon - water fell from the sky. And the temperature is about 10 degrees cooler. Finally.

August 18, 2010 - Day 160

As I was leaving work I saw a bird swoop into a nearby tree. At first I thought it was a mockingbird but then noticed it 's a blue jay. Always so noisy and yet so hard to catch with a camera. This one might be a juvenile - due to being more mockingbird-sized and having a bit of a pointy head.

August 17, 2010 - Day 159

I was delighted to see the near-sunset light looking different, and hoped these clouds meant rain. I didn't see any, but some heard thunder and had brief showers. The wind did bring the temperature down some, which was very pleasant.

August 16, 2010 - Day 158

I was looking for something to remind me of fall color. (I can't remember ever yearning so much for autumn.) The funny thing is that this photo is from the spring of 2008.

August 15, 2010 - Day 157

We were hoping these clouds held some rain in them, but they melted away.

August 14, 2010 - Day 156

After running a couple of errands this afternoon I decided I wasn't going to venture out in the heat for a while, so here's a shot from the window. It's still around 100 degrees out!

August 13, 2010 - Day 155

Seems that someone had a disagreement with this pole - and the pole won. Don't worry, it wasn't me.

August 12, 2010 - Day 154

Beryl personally inspected the blanket on my lap to ensure its safety.

August 11, 2010 - Day 153

This is the waterfall in the picture from a few days ago. It wasn't exactly cool inside the aquarium, but at least it was lush and green, which is much better than the oven feeling outside. This afternoon we were surprised by a brief shower, but if you hadn't seen it you would have never known that it rained.

August 10, 2010 - Day 152

Each time I back my car out of its spot I see this tree and I've been wondering why the trunk has such a segmented look. I'm a bit perplexed - it looks like coat hanger wire, and it seems painful to me. The tree just kept going, though. Plants are tenacious.

August 9, 2010 - Day 151

Spent a few minutes outside this evening in the fading sunlight. Enjoyed seeing the crystal in this mobile throwing rainbows around and seeing a bunch of dragonflies darting around in the patch of sunlight in the next yard over.

August 8, 2010 - Day 150

Yesterday we went to the Dallas World Aquarium with Michael's family. We thought it would be a cool, indoor activity that would keep us out of the 100+ degree weather. Didn't realize that a good part of the place is a rain forest habitat. The many pools of water and falls looked cool, anyway.

August 7, 2010 - Day 149

Today I decided that I had the wrong impression about geese. I've seen some that are territorial and a bit aggressive. And, their image is not helped by them being loud and moving like flesh-eating dinosaurs do in movies. The ones we saw today just seemed to hope were bringing food. Here are a couple watching Michael's mom taking photos.

August 6, 2010 - Day 148

Because most of the Saturn dealerships have closed, we had to take Michael's car to a Chevy dealer for repairs last night. This one is so big it has its own cafe inside that's open from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. I've never seen one with its own cafe!

August 5, 2010 - Day 147

The black square in the upper right corner is a sticker that says "The Tisdales." At risk of showing how out of touch I am with pop culture, I don't know who or what The Tisdales might be, but hope it's not a bad sign that they're advertised on the door of a port-a-john.

August 4, 2010 - Day 146

I love the curvy, squished quality of things reflected in a building with lots of individual panes of glass.

August 3, 2010 - Day 145

Alstromeria. I figured we needed something bright around (besides the scorching sun).

August 2, 2010 - Day 144

Today I had jury duty and cameras are not allowed in the court house. So, here's a photo of Old Red, the original Dallas court house, which is now a museum. I took this shot a couple of years ago when I worked nearby. The texture of the warehouse building in the foreground was always fun to observe with the shadows from the exposed beams changing throughout the day.

August 1, 1010 - Day 143

The shade here only hints that cool temperatures are possible. Today's high was around 105 degrees - everyone I meet is ready for fall!

July 31, 2010 - Day 142

No, it's not poison ivy. It's Virginia creeper. But, no, I didn't touch it.