April 29, 2011 - Day 414

If Mike wants to reserve this parking space I think he needs to be a little more obvious!

April 28, 2011 - Day 413

I have seen plaques like this in catalogs, but this may be the first time I've seen one on a building. Too funny.

April 27, 2011 - Day 412

Attended a lecture held at the Crow Collection of Asian Art and this hallway was full of origami birds made of Japanese newspapers.

April 26, 2011 - Day 411

Michael's Venus fly trap is blooming, which means it's in its third year of life. You can't tell from the photo, but the flower's stem is about 5 inches tall - to keep the pollinators from becoming  food. We're excited to have one live so long!

April 25, 2011 - Day 410

Even from amongst the clouds and storms, some beautiful light can show itself.

April 24, 2011 - Day 409

This sums up what most of the day looked like. There were brief periods of sun, but overall it was pretty gray. 

April 23, 2011 - Day 408

I went to a festival today at White Rock Lake. The temperature was nice but it was a bit dark and windy. The May pole had to be held up by three men.

April 22, 2011 - Day 407

The pole of this street sign is dressed up - for what I really can't say. This is a close-up. At least as much more of the pole was covered as is seen here.

April 21, 2011 - Day 406

The sun finally came out, and it was a lovely site.

April 20, 2011 - Day 405

Today was really gray all day, so I thought these would be a pleasant burst of color.

April 19, 2011 - Day 404

Things are a little glossy from this afternoon's rain, and everything green seems even more so.

April 18, 2011 - Day 403

This is a car windshield begging to be replaced. Luckily it doesn't belong to anyone I know.

April 17, 2011 - Day 402

Whimsical overflow drain, I guess. 

April 16, 2011 - Day 401

The storms the other day brought a cold front that has made it okay to wear my flannel pajama pants and warm fuzzy slippers a bit longer. (I have to admit they're so comfy that I was sad earlier in the week when I thought it was time to put them away for the season.)

April 15, 2011 - Day 400

Last night's storm didn't do any major damage here, but the high winds today brought down this tree next to our driveway. Luckily no one was hurt and it didn't hit our building or the neighbor's house. We're just hoping that what's left of the tree doesn't come down on the house as well.

April 14, 2011 - Day 399

Exciting night to be a meteorologist. This is the radar map from about 11:20 tonight. The storm moved through rather quickly, though they're still warning people about high winds as the storm moves to the east.

April 13, 2011 - Day 398

The honeysuckle is at the "you don't need to see it to know it's there" stage - it's very fragrant!

April 12, 2011 - Day 397

From far away most irises seem to be just the blue-green of the leaves and the main color of the petals. What a delightful surprise that the petals also contain markings reminiscent of orchids!

April 11, 2011 - Day 396

After the thunderstorm I was pouring out standing water (don't need any more mosquitoes) and caught the reflection of the sky and tree in the running water.

April 10, 2011 - Day 395

I didn't notice the honeysuckle last year. I guess we moved in after its prime.

April 9, 2011 - Day 394

A rather impressive row of roses lining a front yard nearby.

April 8, 2011 - Day 393

The roses are out in full force. 

April 7, 2011 - Day 392

The office building I work in is located in what was meant to be a "live-work-play" development that mixes condos with retail and office space - before the economy tanked. Many of the retail spaces are empty and sometimes are leased for special events. The latest was for Audi sales training - hence two rows of Audis in the street.

April 6, 2011 - Day 391

I found this little guy on the step when I got home - and very nearly crushed him when putting my bag down. I'm glad I missed - it looks like he had a bad day.

April 5, 2011 - Day 390

Some of the orthodontist's tools. She's still adjusting a couple of teeth. I go back in three weeks - hopefully she'll make impressions for retainers then!

April 4, 2011 - Day 389

Bird of Paradise is a strange bloom, both beautiful and a little frightening.

April 3, 2011 - Day 388

I didn't leave the house today. Still getting over the end of the cold and we were under a wind advisory. I figured that adding blowing pollen to the mix was not a good idea. Here's a shot of some delicate tree buds from our walk yesterday.

April 2, 1011 - Day 387

Flower beds in the neighborhood are becoming full of new color, like this dianthus.

April 1, 2011 - Day 386

Kudos to Google for an excellent April Fools' Day joke - Gmail Motion, in which you use the webcam on your computer, along with "Google's patented spatial tracking technology" to compose, rather than using a mouse and keyboard.

March 31, 2011 - Day 385

I've been recovering from a cold all week. Thank goodness for cough drops and tissues, among other things! I am now aware of all the daily things we take for granted - like breathing with ease - and looking forward to getting back to those things.