Zoo Photo Shoot

Turtle Girl By Finijo

I went on a photo shoot at the Zoo with a photo group I joined on line. It was a lot of fun and a HUGE learning experience. This statue reminded me of when I rode a turtle like that at the Little Rock Zoo - it doesn't seem the nicest thing to do to a Galapagos turtle.

White Bird by Finijo

This bird was perched at the top of a habitat enclosure that had other birds, gophers, field mice and some strange kind of rabbit. The rodent life seemed to be enjoying themselves as they scampered all over the place.

Vulturine by Finijo

This bird looks like a cross between a vulture and a pheasant. The picture does not do the electric blue plumage justice - it was gorgeous.

Giraffe by Finijo

The sun was really bright, so I had a difficult time seeing what I was shooting at. I took a huge amount of pictures and very few of them were usable. The problems on this shoot were innumerable.

Iguana by Finijo

In the reptile house they use different types of lighting to simulate the habitats of different reptiles. This is one of the few shots that came out looking like it what I saw behind the glass.

Blue Frog by Finijo

I didn't doctor this shot of the frog at all. He is a blue frog with black spots and his tank had a lot of condensation built up on the glass. I like that it came out looking like a heat sensory image.

Albino Gator by Finijo

This guy was half in and half out of the water, so the bottom half looks a little distorted because of the water. I snapped this photo of him just as he was giving me the eye.

Komodo Dragon by Finijo

I took a lot of shots of the Komodo Dragon, but I had to shoot through Plexiglas that was quite scratched up, so there is some distortion. Worse than the distortion was the fact that most of the shots had the reflection of a yellow warning stripe that was on the stairs in front of the enclosure. For being a dangerous reptile, it has a rather sweet facial expression.

Elephant Hiding by Finijo

I took photos of the elephants, but this is the only one I like, because it doesn't show the industrial looking pen. The others are full body shots, but the elephant enclosure looks like something from Juraisic Park - and frankly, it's just too ugly to want to capture in photos.

Snakehead Turtles by Finijo

These guys freaked me out. At first I thought that there were snakes in the water with the turtles - creeeeepy! I took this shot from above their tank while they were under water.

Lioness by Finijo

I shot this beautiful girl through Plexiglas. She came right up to the window I was standing in front of and just plopped down and went to sleep. It was a hot day, so I can't blame her. I thoroughly enjoyed getting together with other photographers (20 in total) and I plan to do it again soon.

Buddhist Temple

Pure Land Window by Finijo

I took this photo from inside of the Buddhist temple I visited somewhere near Tomball, Texas. I have to be honest, because of my lousy sense of direction, I am not sure what the name of the Temple is or exactly where it is. I would never have found it, if I had not been given explicit directions each step of the way. I didn't even get off any exterior shots, because the sky opened up in a major thunder storm before I got the chance.

Temple Interior by Switters

This is what the inside of the temple looked like. It is ornate and quite simple at the same time. The type of Buddhism practiced here is called Pure Land and it is a type of Mahayana Buddhism. The exterior of the building is not ornate, but the grounds are full of statues and the interior has a huge alter and many objects of worship.

Amitabha by Finijo

We were greeted by a female monk when we arrived and she called the master on her cell phone to ask what to do with us, because she did not speak English. I talked briefly to him and when he was satisfied that we were there to learn, he gave her instructions. She allowed us to take pictures inside the temple, and she gave us books to take with us to learn more about their practice. I was impressed by their sense of openness and hospitality, and in spite of the distance, I am really glad I made the trip. This was a really nice surprise of an adventure.

Rain

My yard has been so parched lately. The storm that hit today was more than welcome. I need to throw down that grass seed I have in a bag, to try to bring back what has burned away.

Wiggy's New Trick

Wiggy Trick by Finijo

Saffie has taught Wiggy the fine art of drinking...from the toilet. We now have two cats who think this is appropriate. Notice the repair job I did with strapping tape. The truth is that I bought a new toilet seat a month ago, but haven't felt like putting it on since the tape worked so well...

The Station Museum - Defending Democracy!

Connor and I got a chance to visit The Station Museum of Contemporary Art again. I have to say that this museum and the Menil are my two favorite places to view art at the moment. The Menil is fantastic with so many pieces of classic art, antiquities, and an incredible Surrealist collection. The Station Museum is a different kind of museum. The installations I have seen so far are based on a theme that ties all of the work together. Although it is a smaller exhibition space, each of the exhibits I have viewed there was staged for maximum visual impact, and they have all been incredibly provocative.

The exhibit currently showing is Defending Democracy and it features Emory Douglas: The Black Panther Party, Otabenga Jones & Associates, and ASAR (Assembly of Revolutionary Artists of Oaxaca). As the curator said, "This is revolutionary art for the people." Notice the markers on the floor, put there for patrons to be able to contribute their own revolutionary declarations. Connor wrote, "McCain is OLD!" I'm not sure how revolutionary that statement is, but it made him feel good to put his two cents on the walls of a museum.

As I walked through the museum, it occurred to me that many of the works I was viewing were painted directly on the walls of the museum. I know The Station Museum well at this point, so I realized that the works would be destroyed when the exhibit ends, because they were not on canvas or paper that could be rolled up and sent off. The ASAR logo is a gun with a finger on the trigger. I had to be told this by the curator, because I thought it was a watch and a cell phone (I know, how revolutionary is watch and a cell phone?).

I told the curator on duty that it was a shame that the murals would no longer exist in a matter of weeks. I also said that I have always wanted to take pictures in a museum, and I was shocked when he responded by telling me to take all the pictures I wanted. I didn't believe him at first and asked a couple of times if he was sure- as you can see by the pictures here, he was serious.

This is a woodblock print about two by two and a half feet. There are many of these works on display in the exhibit, including one that is about 6 times the size of this one. I never saw woodblock prints that were this large before. There is a lot of the exhibit that I left out, because my pictures did not turn out very good. I did take some video of the back room of the exhibit, which has been turned into the basketball court for El Shabazz H.S., with a net, a score board and bleachers for watching the documentary that is playing. It was a visionary concept to create a theater out of a basketball court and for the presentation of this film.

I have to credit the curator, James Harithas, for his vision and for consistently and imaginatively presenting a unique variety of contemporary art at the Station.

Piddling Girl

I saw this when I was on the road today. I had to stop to take a picture. I think the statue is quite beautiful (albeit a bit much for the modest home it stands before). On the other hand, the placement of the water hose is a bit unfortunate, but it did catch my eye...

Reflections on a Life

Reflections on a Life by Finijo

I passed this old woman who was slowly lumbering in the sweltering heat of the day as she made her way home with her groceries in tow. I drove around the block so that I could meet her at my driveway and offer her a ride to her destination. She smiled when she replied, "No, Honey. This is my WALK." She was so cheerful in her big hat under in stultifying heat, I could not help but admire her and her spirit.

Weekend Photo Shoot

Wheel of Fortune by Finijo

I got restless Saturday night and went out to take some pictures. I found myself all over the place. This shot was taken at a Mexican Carnival in Southwest Houston. I snuck in through a crack between the 18 Wheelers and the rides.

Fountain Afire by Finijo

I shot this after going through the sculpture garden in front of the Museum of Fine Arts. I had a nice walk from the museum to the fountains and I think it may be a more beautiful view at night than it is in the daylight.

Pale Horse by Finijo

I love the way this statue looked when I photographed it - so ghostly. The statue is made of drift wood and it is located at one of the rear entrances of the Museum of Fine Arts.

Mossy Jesus by Finijo

They say moss doesn't grow on a rolling stone - so maybe Jesus needs to shake things up a bit... This was taken at the Methodist Church near the MFA. Poor Jesus is missing some fingers.

Robobowler by Finijo

These next shots are from our bowling fun with Dad. Dad sports quite an impressive array of machinery when he bowls. I don't know if it is to help him bowl or to intimidate the other team.

Roboarm by Finijo

Dad has on a gel brace for his elbow pain, an ace bandage, a rubber finger tip, tape on one finger and last but not least - The Mongoose. Yes, the black brace is called The Mongoose. I think it's appropriate.

Four Balls by Finijo

This is how we started out our game, but by the end, we had about 6 balls lined up. Dad likes to have choices while on the lanes. I don't think I mentioned it before, but of course, Dad wiped the floor with us. I did manage to get a 123 and a 156...not bad scores when I wasn't expecting to break a hundred.

Happy Father's Day!

We took Dad out for bowling and lunch for Father's Day and it was a blast! I haven't bowled in a really long time (maybe 10 years), because the last time I bowled the lupus was not yet diagnosed and I was in a lot of pain. I found out that I am better than I used to be, but also that it is possible to pull muscles in your butt that you did not even know you had. Mainly we just had a lot of fun. It was nice to get to treat Dad for a change.

Connor Breaks Face

Connor got his Red belt today!!! He did a great job in his belt test, but there was one snafu - when he broke the board, he almost broke the instructor's face. She was a trooper and just kept plugging away at the belt tests, but as the goose egg on her forehead grew, I just couldn't take it any more and told the staff what happened, so they could get her some ice for her head. She was very kind about it and told Connor that it wasn't his fault, and he apologized profusely.

Diva

Cynthia and Jules

For those of you who knew my cat, Diva, (RIP) - she was named for one of my favorite movies (as well as her unstoppable personality). I got a wonderful treat tonight when I saw Diva on the big screen more than 20 years after I saw it for the first time on HBO. I still have the video tape I recorded of Diva when I was in high school - and yes, it still works (thanks, Dad, for buying the good video tapes back in the day!). Diva has always been one of my favorite movies and seeing it again all these years later only reinforced that feeling.

Jean-Jacques Beineix directed this uber cool movie and and all these years later, it still holds up. Back in the 80's he led the way in the French New Wave of films. At the time I remember people saying the film was style over substance, but watching it again, I just don't buy it. From the gritty sets to the wet and dirty streets of Paris in 1981, the film is a visual feast. The storyline is still just mysterious enough to keep the audience interested in what happens next.

If you aren't familiar with this movie, I will provide a brief synopsis. Jules (Frédéric Andrei), is a moped riding postman who idolizes an opera singer, Cynthia Hawkins (Wilhelmenia Wiggins Fernandez). Hawkins, the Diva of the title, is vehemently opposed to recording herself singing, but in his ardor, he makes a bootleg concert tape of surprisingly high quality. Add to these characters, an underworld kingpin who specializes in drug running and white slavery, the police, two Taiwanese music pirates, two hit men, a Vietnamese teenager who lives with a rich "benefactor" and you have one hell of a movie. A couple of things struck me as I watched the film, but they didn't detract, they just gave me pause to think. The first is that by today's standards, Jules would be considered a stalker, and the second was that the rich benefactor (Gorodesh) would be considered a pedophile.

This movie is romantic and luscious to watch. Each scene was framed perfectly, and seeing it in a theater for the first time only made me wish I had seen it in the theater all those years before - I missed so many details. It also has a wonderful sound track. If you get the chance, go see Diva at the Museum of Fine Arts this Friday, June 20th at 7:30 PM. I don't think you will be disappointed. Let me know if you are going, and I might make time to go with you;)

Artshouston

Visit ArtsHouston

I just joined ArtsHouston. I thought this would be a good way to connect with artists and photographers in Houston. My favorite onscreen name of one of the artists is Poopy Lungstuffing - it's a lively group.

Hot In The Heights

Banana Sky by Finijo

I went to meet a client in The Heights today and there were a lot of interesting sites to be seen. Starting at the 11th St. Cafe, I found these bananas. I think bananas are one of the most strange looking plants I've seen. The flower is a little vulgar (OK a lot vulgar) and the whole tree is so oddly symmetrical when it fruits, it's beautiful to me.

Flag Fence by Finijo

I found this fence on Studemont in The Heights. The Olympic flag reads Beijing 08. I like the funkiness of The Heights. It reminds me of Austin, and the Montrose area, as well.

Finale House by Finijo

This house may be too much for even New Orleans' French Quarter. I don't think I have seen another house with more ornamentation than this one has. WOW!!

Grand Finale by Finijo

This house is completely over the top, but this statue is absolutely spectacular. It's like the gigantic cherry on the top of one of those cakes that the lady jumps out of in old TV shows. As a matter of fact, I think that's the lady in the cake.

Kids Get Your Lips Off That Thing

Hot Pink Mess by Finijo

This odd find on the side of the road reminded me of an old SNL Skit with Steve Martin. It's simple, he's standing in a doorway looking outside and saying, "What the hell is that thing? Kids get away from that thing!" That's all he says, while making strange, inquisitive faces. The punchline was, "Kids, get your lips off that thing!"

Hot Pink Mass Detail by Finijo

I don't know exactly what this thing is. I found it on the side of the road, in front of an old apartment complex. I touched it, I stood on it, I smelled it, but I did not put my lips on it. Someone went to great effort to streusel and fold a large amount of some kind of resin. I don't know if it's supposed to be art or just a blob of cast off trash. Whatever the intention of the person who deposited it roadside, it is a vision to behold.

Wiggy Endorses Obama

Wiggy Watches Obama by Finijo

I was shocked to notice that Wiggy seems to be mesmerized by one of Obama's speeches. She never seemed to notice the TV before, but as soon as the channel was on Obama, she was agog. I'm still a Hillary fan, but I guess Obama will do in a pinch. Once again, I have filmed in my bedroom when I have clothes that need to be put away and an unmade bed...photo ops do not work around my housekeeping schedule. To be honest, I don't work around my housekeeping schedule either.

Congratulations David!!!

We are so proud of you for graduating from high school and getting into the Honors program at UT! If you end up in Jester, you have to let me come visit so I can reminesce.

I started recording a few names before David's because the announcer was just so enthusiastic and affected.

Two Party Day

Party # 1: David had his graduation brunch at Baba Yega's today. It was good to see the Arouty's and Barron's, and Baba Yega's is always great. We have to come up with more things to do together before Dave goes off to college.

Party # 2: I went to a retirement party for Julio. It was hot,humid, and a whole lot of fun. There was great food and two pinatas - one for candy and one for money. The video depicts how grown people go crazy when there is a pinata filled with money hanging around.