Bike Rack, Part III

Adding to my collection of bike rack photos.

Cup Colors

A few of my kids' colorful toy stacking cups. I love sunny Saturdays with nothing pressing to do...

Come Sit With Me

A park bench down the street.

When I'm in public places, I sometimes wonder just how many other people have sat right where I'm sitting, or have stood and looked at the very thing I'm looking at. What were they doing there? What troublesome and happy thoughts were rumbling through their head?

I'll never know them, but for a moment we've shared a connection.

Play

The great advantage to being a dad is the excuse to spend Saturdays playing. I realized once that I would have only 936 weekends with each child before they left me for adulthood and I don't want to waste a single one. So Saturdays have been christened Family Fun Day in which we try to spend a significant amount of time enjoying life and each other. There will be plenty of time for working weekends when they're grown. Then I'll drive by empty playgrounds and remember when.

If Only...

For all those times when the good stuff seems out of reach.

Red Swirly

Somethin' fun at the playground.

Purses

Display of purses in a shop down at the mall.

Time to Go Home

Hope y'all have enjoyed the month-long China retrospective, but it's time to wrap it up. One more post tomorrow and then back to scenes of daily life in Portland.

The above shot is from the China Hotel lobby in Guangzhou.

Stay On Your Own Side

Smiling Addiction

Any time I see a smiley guy, I can't help but think of this video.

Service for Six

A snowflake pattern of plates and bowls on display at IKEA.

Holes

Holes in the floor of playground equipment, shot at night.

It's Beginning to Luke a Lot Like Christmas

The Grinch has nothing on Darth Vader--it seems even the Dark Side of the Force has softened up with some Christmas Spirit. In what has to be one of the more surreal sights of my life, a half dozen Star Wars Storm Troopers stood outside Macy's this weekend ringing cutsey little bells to raise funds for the Salvation Army.

Spectrum

A blank compact disc prisms an artificial rainbow.

Shoeless

I imagine the second pair is there for revenge.

Hole in the Hedge

Curb appeal from a house down the street. I guess they got tired of walking around their 6-foot hedge, so they cut a hole in it and put in a gate.

Stone Stairs

Warmth of sun meets cold of stone on top of Mt. Tabor.

Asian Lantern

Decor from a Japanese restaraunt. I love the simple elegance in traditional Asian architecture.

Apples

Apples sit in the hollow trunk of their tree, stashed there by a critter, a person, or just happenstance.

Musical Thingy

Set of chimes on a playground in town. Kids can push the metal balls so that they strike the pipes and play a tune--or random noise.

Triangles

On the playground one evening last week.

Splatter

A rain drop ripples away water puddled on our deck during a storm, hammering its own temporary crater.

Fire

Enjoyed a weekend of camping with the family and good friends. So relaxing to sit around the campfire, mesmerized by the flames, lost in thought.

Ohio Art

One thing that put Bryan, Ohio on the map is a famous toy that's been around for generations made by The Ohio Art Company. It was even in the "Toy Story" movies. Can you guess what it is? (No fair guessing if you live or are from Williams County!)

Jurassic Bark

We drive by this tree a lot and it always looks to me like a dinosaur waiting to crush the next car that comes over the hill. Do you see it? I'm sure the guys from the electric company who trimmed the tree weren't intending to sculpt a piece of public art, but it certainly amuses me.

Macro Lens Fun

Had a little science experiment with the boys the other day. Took the macro lenses from my camera--which are essentially just magnifying lenses--and showed them how to focus the sun's rays to burn holes in leaves and make ants scurry pretty fast. It was a fond pasttime of my childhood. I was a very bored child. (The image above is the shadow of my hand holding a macro lens. Note how it casts an upside down image of the tree with the sun peeking through the leaves.)