No Belt? No Problem.

206/365

It was back to work today, at least for a few hours, for Mr. CM. Loose fit is best, after lower back surgery... so, belts are an issue. However, showing up to the workplace with "dangerously low" trousers is an issue, too. Braces seemed like a smart solution.

Popcorn Persists

205/365

Growing up, popcorn was always the go-to snack at home. We'd have it after school, watching tv at night (Love Boat, Happy Days, Mork & Mindy...), sometimes even for dinner! Always in the same green bowl. Usually with a dog nearby, attentively and patiently waiting to catch a tossed or dropped kernel.

Back then, in the dark ages, we would make it on the stove. Then we moved on to air-poppers, and special contraptions for popping kernels in the microwave. At my house, we have gone back to stovetop methods with a crank-handle kettle, which is fun. But for ultimate ease, and letting kids help themselves, the air-popper is the way to go.

I don't do microwave bags of popcorn. But I do butter. Always plenty of butter.

From the Goodie Bag

204/365

Show of hands, please... Who remembers Mr. Owl?

Four

203/365

Four years old: energetic, chatty, sweet, fresh, adorable, frustrating, endearing, loud, charming, pugnacious, generous, competitive, loving, determined, amiable, baffling, eager, busy, stubborn, nimble, spirited, exhausting and irresistible.

It (Still) Fits!

202/365

Can you feel the coolness?

That's his dad's sweatshirt. From high school. I'm not sure which is more distressing: that the boy is big enough to wear it, or that the dad still has it.

Long Live the King!

201/365

Felafel King, that is...

Blender Debate

200/200

The issue: Would you add chocolate sauce here, or just continue the process, as is?

The Set

199/365

Thing is, I was too busy taking photos to take any photos today...

Soon, I'll be able to share with you the project I'm working on. Until then, this is my "backyard studio." Note the nifty DIY lightbox, made from materials scavenged around the house. You can find directions on how to build your own here or here. But, I think it was originally invented by MacGyver.

Leaf Peeping

198/365

Tomorrow is the first day of fall? Cue the leaves.

Soup Season

197/365

It's on again.

Doodle Lash

196/365

How does a dog end up with eyelashes like that?!

Remotes and Recovery

195/365

This is what passes for an "action shot" in his world right now. Luckily, modern technology has improved all phases of treatment and recovery. No need to ring a bell, should he need anything. He can just send a text.

The View

194/365

Since it was dark outside when our patient finally got settled in his room last night, it wasn't until this morning that I realized what a great view he had! Of course, you have to imagine how it sparkles on a clear day, but people pay big bucks for this kind of vista in the city. He got to enjoy it free, with purchase of one lumbar discectomy.

Hangin' at the PACU

193/365

PACU stands for Post Anesthesia Care Unit. We logged several hours there yesterday. (Mr. CM had his back repaired, and is now on the mend, thankfully.) The unit sits at the intersection of two corridors, in what feels like a subterranean basement. It's actually on the third floor of the hospital, but I was so turned around that I pressed the "up" elevator button when I went to leave...

Anyway. Since we had to wait an extra-long time for his room to become available, I was allowed to hang around the PACU, and occasionally visit with our patient. In between visits, I waited here at the intersection, watching a steady stream of doctors, nurses, transport aides, custodians pass by, at various speeds.

It was a long day. I am grateful that, for us, everything will turn out ok. But the hospital is not the best place for taking photos. At least not for me on this occasion. Too much tension and worry. In the end, this self-portrait (that I snuck during a traffic-free moment) best captured the mood of the day.

Flip-Flop

192/365

I have a guest editor today... Mr. CM noticed this subject, and insisted it was photo-worthy. Lacking a better idea, and willing to indulge him despite the bandsaw affair, I agreed.

Anyone else out there have an appreciation for this sort of thing? Do you know what makes this bike so special? Or why it's called a "Flip-Flop?"

Shadow

191/365

It's a morning glory vine... but there haven't been any flowers yet. Just evening shadows.

Bandsaw

190/365

I'm kind of disappointed that my best shot today is of a bandsaw. Truthfully, I'm not even sure why we have a bandsaw. Yesterday, we didn't. But today, through the magic of craigslist and U-haul, we do. Go figure.

Ascophyllum Nodosum

189/365

It's funny how seaweed comes & goes at the beach. Some weeks, there's hardly any at all. Other times, the sand is strewn with large, tangled clumps, and it churns in the waves.

It's also funny how I've never thought much at all about seaweed, until now. It's actually kind of interesting... According to Wikipedia, this variety is the best known, most extensively researched and widely used for medicinal purposes. Who knew?

Friday

188/365

We are trying to settle into our new school-year routine this week. So far, so good. The new pace sometimes leaves me scrambling for a photo op, though. Today's opportunity came in the 10 minutes between gymnastics carpool & Prince Firstly's Shuttle Service.

Lunch Envy

187/365

Every now and then, I suffer from lunch envy. I get tired of fixing a sandwich or reheating leftovers at home, and long for something interesting, tasty, and made by someone else. Mr. CM knows better than to go into too much detail about his lunches out -- it only makes me sulk.

I could feel it coming on today, so I decided to act quickly, before things got out of hand. I don't need anything fancy... This is a #10 from the sandwich shop down the street: turkey, bacon, lettuce, red pepper and guacamole, on a wrap.

Exhibit A

186/365

I have spent the past two days trying to put our household in order after a season of neglect. Progress is steady, if not as rapid as I would like. I notice that time moves much more quickly when children are in school than when they are here at home.

I was able to sort out my beach bag, though. After removing the sunblock, ball caps, flip-flops and bathing suits of indeterminate laundry status, only a handful of items remained at the sandy bottom. Naturally, I photographed them.

The inventory: 4 clamshells (1 large, 3 small), a dime, a pink hair elastic, 2 foil tops from orange soda cans, a seagull feather, a friendship bracelet, a hairclip, a tiny chunk of surfboard wax and 200 mg of ibuprofen.

The Bus Stop Gang

185/365

Backpacks? Check.

Nametags? Check.

New shoes? Check.

Carefully selected outfit? Check.

First graders: poster of family photos? Check, check and check.

Parents: camera & a hanky, just in case? (sniff) Check!

Last Look

184/365

Of all the things I did this summer, this might be the craziest. Or, the coolest.

I shot this photo from inside a Sonex experimental, homebuilt, aerobatic plane with a fancy paint job. It seats two adults snugly. Add a camera with a long lens and it gets pretty tight in there. However, the visibility is excellent, because the top is made of clear plexiglass all around. It flips open like the top of an orange-to-green-shade-shifting jewelbox.

When we took off early this morning the air was so calm, we glided smoothly over the beach neighborhoods where I have spent nearly every summer. Even from our vantage point, the colors, textures and waves are as familiar to me as my own family. Even though we couldn't hear the surf or put our feet in the sand, I know how this beach sounds, I know how it changes with the tide, and with the hour. Capturing one last look from above was a great way to end the season.

Thanks, Aaron!

Invitation

183/365

If 2am doesn't work for you, I understand he also hosts get-togethers at midnight and 4am...

Still at the Beach...

182/365

Another glorious day. A few more waves would have been nice, but we're not complaining.

Deal of the Day

181/365

Or, as we say around here: "That's a wicked good deal on lobstah."

Stuff Happens

180/365

One thing I've observed this summer is that our free time doesn't stay free for long. Something always happens. And then, whether we were enjoying our unstructured time, or floundering in it, it is spoken for.

Often, this is an agreeable turn of events. Other times, not so much. Twice on this day, our puttering was interrupted by the sound of breaking glass. The first time was a vase crashing to the floor. The second occurred when the nail supporting this frame pulled out of the wall, completely without warning or apparent provocation.

Oh well. Not too many barefoot summer days left, anyway.

Back to School Shopping

179/365

We shopped 'til we dropped today. And then, we got smoothies.

Pink Cadillac

178/365

Here's how it went down on Facebook today, in case you missed it.

Christine Kelly Nielsen There's a pink Cadillac in my neighbor's driveway. I know it's just the Mary Kay lady, but, wow... never seen one of those before.

Christine There's a pink Cadillac in my neighbor's driveway. I know it's just the Mary Kay lady, but, wow... never seen one of those before.

Jihad likes this.

Pat

photo op!

10 hours ago · Delete

Rich

Crushed velvet seats

Riding in the back

Oozing down the street

Waving to the girls

Feeling out of sight...

Christine

Pat -- I know!!! And, it's killing me, because it's parked in the bright sun, with patches of shade. There's no good way to expose it, and get the pink to be right... Argh!!

(I should add that, before I realized she was the Mary Kay lady, she came knocking on my door, looking for my neighbor, and asking lots of questions. I didn't know if she was the tax collector or a process server, or the repo man, so I kind of gave her the brush-off... )

So, now I am sneaking around my yard with the camera, having my 7 yr old act as a lookout... Can you believe it has come to this?...

Pat

LOL. Sounds like a photo op in and of itself. I should rush over!

Jihad

I'm thinking Anton need look no further for your next Birthday gift ;-)

Christine

You mean a 600mm telephoto lens, right? Then I could really take this 'spying on the neighbors' thing to the next level... ;)

Rich

Brush off or no, just ask the MK Lady to move her car into the sun!

Niki

I'm sure anyone who sells Mary Kay for a living and drives a pink Cadillac would be thrilled to let you take the pix. Come out from behind the bushes, Chris.