Poetic Shutterbug

Me and my Superhero :) Click photos to enlarge the image The cast of characters roaming Hollywood Boulevard is really quite a novelty. I first thought that maybe these people were just dressed up for Halloween but when talking to my superhero in the above photo, I found out that these people are actually out there on a daily basis and make their living taking photos with and receiving tips from tourists. Some are more popular than others and some are also more aggressive than others. Elvis was one of those aggressive ones. When I snapped the photo of him which you'll see below, he came over to me, put his arm through mine and asked some guy to take our photo with my camera. While I love Elvis, I did not like his particular aggressive nature and pulled away. However, superman was much more sweet, charming, young and flirty, not to mention those huge muscles so of course I posed with him and slipped him a few bucks. From then on I tried to be sly getting photos without having t...

This is a guest post by Taylor Graham. I want to thank Taylor as always for her fantastic poetry. Happy Halloween everyone. SPIDER In the paved garden of the courtyard by the gilded fountain where we sat listening to poetry into autumn dusk and then dark, when outdoor lights came on, one corner lamp illuminating a web, and in its center, the orb-weaver, abdomen gold-amber in the light spinning out its thread catching words and lines and images in a silken weave – bright poem-moths in a perfect orb, energy suspended in light, winged tension gilded by the crescent Harvest Moon.

Photo courtesy of tripadvisor .com I wanted to let all of you know that I am off to Hollywood to see Sony and her quartet perform this week. Since it's been so long that I've visited Hollywood I decided to stay for a bit and have a mini vacation while there. I plan to do some sightseeing and will hopefully have many photos to share with you when I return. Since I'm considering this a short vacation, I will not be online again until Friday at the earliest. So, I will be visiting all of you again at the end of this week. Have a wonderful week everyone. Jo

Photo of Repulse Bay Lookout Point in Hong Kong taken in February 2005 perchance love whispers on the wind of Winter's breath melody at dawn

I want to thank Chey (Cheryl Oertli ) for this guest post and her wonderful poem The Teacher. The Teacher He's a teacher, a master of wisdom, Bestowing knowledge to those in his charge; Molding young minds, a planter of seeds, With a career, larger than large. With each seed of knowledge he has planted, It's a blessing to watch each student grow; Proud to shape the future of young minds, From the land of the lost to the land of the know. He's a teacher, caring and compassionate, The kind of teacher you long for in September; One who enjoys the challenge of his job, A stellar teacher, the kind students remember. He has come a long way from the days of his youth, Accepting the challenges, achieving his goal; He's a teacher, a guardian of wisdom, From the catacombs of his mind to the depths of his soul.

Photo courtesy of www.chippendales.com I want to personally congratulate Margie and Edna for these ripe specimens. I am so honored and breathing heavily over the fact that I am in charge of the photography and chocolate slathering of Margie's men. Little did I know that my Margiedales suggestion would come to fruition so quickly. Margie you are my hero :D

Photos of the grounds around the Palace of Fine Arts in San Francisco. The videos below catch some birds at play. Enjoy!

October 24 & 25 Saturday and Sunday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., rain or shine Kids ages 4-14 dressed in costume receive $1 off regular admission. Boo at the Zoo returns to the San Francisco Zoo for some trick-or-treating fun with the animals! Come dressed up in you Halloween costume and enjoy the day roaming the Zoo for tasty treats to take home. Don't miss out on spectacular magic shows, take-home crafts and the amazing pumpking "chomp 'n stomp" where the animals get their own Halloween goodies! Activities are free with paid Zoo admission and no registration is required for this event. The Zoo requests that trick-or-treaters not wear rubber masks as they may frighten the animals.

Visit PhotoScapes's ArtFire Shop for more detailed information.

Photo courtesy of www.sonyholland.com October 28, 8pm CATALINA JAZZ CLUB : LOS ANGELES, CA 8pm @ L.A.'s premier jazz club ! 6725 West SUNSET Blvd., CA. 90028 - (323) 466-2210 Sony Holland Quartet: Theo Saunders, piano: Steve Cotter, guitar: John B. Williams, bass: Tony Austin, drums.

Photo courtesy of images.businessweek.com The Jello Chronicles I wiggle and I jiggle these are the elements of my being dare do you dribble my essence sight unseen. I've been topped I've been stuffed marshmallows, fruit du jour savor my sugary taste slippery sliding to my core. Tidbit : If you are ever experiencing vertigo or feeling dizzy pour a little jello powder into an eight ounce glass and fill it with hot water. Drink the entire glass. It will help with the dizziness and nausea.

Photo taken 10/18/09 @ The Lagoon in San Mateo The Poet's Evening Solitude a tribute to Longfellow's "The Day Is Done" Alabastrine eventide Blanched in empirical thoughts Provided by frozen memories Thawed into liquid ideas, soluble. They cascade freely and imbue Creative brain waves along Pale parchments of the Virgin nerve endings Of discovery. A silent affair With Quiet thoughts Untamed.

November breeze a faint whisper rustling leaves

Fire Boat Phoenix Sony and Jerry Holland providing the afternoon entertainment for the crowds Sony Holland sings the San Francisco song with Lily Coit Mayor Gavin Newsom Boats docked along Marina Green San Francisco Fire Commission And the sirens sound at 5:04 p.m. with a moment of silence

Photos courtesy of the New York Times The San Francisco Oakland Bay Bridge Upper Deck Collapse 10/17/89 As a tribute to all who risked their lives during the Loma Prieta Earthquake on October 17, 1989 I would like to offer a poem written by my friend Taylor Graham who along with her husband and their dogs took part in the rescue effort during this horrible disaster. I'd like to thank Taylor and her husband for helping and putting their own lives at risk during this earthquake and for also allowing me to share her wonderful poem with all of you. For those of you in the Bay Area there will be a monument tribute and memorial being held on the Marina Green in San Francisco today @ 3:00 p.m. Dignitaries along with Mayor Gavin Newsom and members of the police and fire departments will be on hand with festivities taking place throughout the day. Our own Sony Holland duo will be providing the musical entertainment for the ceremony. If you are in the area come on out. Thank you. ...

Far and Away Stars exchange glances moonlight pales and I think of you a distant echo another realm with me nowhere to be found.

This is a guest post by poet Robin Delaney. I'd like to thank her for her gorgeous photo and poetry. The Mask A thousand masks I wear yet none of them are me for I am buried deep within afraid for you to see Far below the surface beneath the layers deep my soul cries out in sadness and mournful tears I weep I lost myself so long ago and somewhere along the way I learned the art of pretense like chameleons at play Secrets are my game assuming a new face concealed by my deception you think me a disgrace Yet I long for you to find me to hear what I can't say to listen to my heartsong and love me anyway But there is no magic kiss nor knight upon a steed strong enough to penetrate the better part of me

This is just a short tidbit. Since I removed Entrecard and stopped dropping, I noticed a huge decrease in traffic. Granted my bounce rate decreased but I did not like the decrease in traffic. So, I again went back to EC. I will be dropping on blogs that I know to be safe, without virus warnings etc... It also looks as if we have choices as to what paid ads will be shown on our blogs so I am feeling a bit better about the entire situation. I just have this love/hate relationship with EC that I cannot shake :D I also wanted to let all of you know that since adding meta tags to my blogger template that my Google traffic and other search engine traffic has slightly increased. So, you will all see me back on EC albeit with a different color widget as seen above this post.

Walking through the botanical gardens is a journey through not only nature but sunlight and reflections. Walking paths are showing up each day as the renovations continue. These three photos were taken on three separate occasions. I hope you enjoy them.

I just received this award from Margie and Edna's Basement . It is a real honor to receive this from them because their blog is one of my favorites. It never ceases to make me smile and it's one that I visit on a daily basis. Thank you girls, I've got my zoom lens ready just for the Margiedales :D

I would like to thank Carla Iacovetti for allowing me to publish her beautiful poetry and photography on Poetic Shutterbug. You can read more of her work at http://thelyricalvoice.wordpress.com/ The Tree and the Bird This stalwart tree, towering above life A still fix of emotion and perfect symmetry Held out his strong branches unaware, Of the injured bird flying from far beyond the sea— Into his shadow that cast great care Over her broken heart filled with despair. He, a refuge from so much pain, Became a fortress for her wounded heart. A means of heaven’s ample expression— A haven from which she could not depart. Infused with strength from his affirmation She fluttered in his branches upright, And nestled in his deep interior. The little bird chirped and chirped, Leaving behind a hard anterior Where pain and suffering lurked, As she dwelt securely in his shelter The Tree and the Bird thus merged.

Me with my poet pose :) The Poet In Me I’ve been known to be inspirations flowing through my veins energy of the muse. The word interpreter , I breathe metaphors and paint pictures with lyrical destinations on blank maps. The voracious reader , I’ve heard my voice astounding thunderclaps in rudimentary dreamscapes and rebellious realism. The doubtful visionary , I’ve spoken silent affirmations in unknown languages understanding the future. The anti critic , I’ve sold not my soul for a good review accepting the bad as the challenge it is. The poetic archivist , I’ve known what was read to be reiterated in past anthologies. The unknown author , I speak through my words which speak for themselves and resound in you while residing in me. The validated versifier , I proclaim the passionate poetess in me speechless!

Before ~ I took this photo at Ocean Beach in San Francisco. It was an overcast, foggy day and there was just something so beautiful about the waves and sea foam pattern along the shore. After ~ I didn't do much altering on this one other than spot lighting the rock area, changing the color scheme to more of a cool palette and adding the wind and punch modes for a more closeup effect. I like the dark feel to both of them. As a result of my new obsession I decided to open a free artfire .com shop. Basic membership is free and you can sell prints, photos, cards etc... basically anything handcrafted can be sold. Whether any of these will sell, I have no idea but I wanted to share artfire .com with you. Many of you are photographers out there and could benefit from opening your own shop. Here is a text link to register online for a free membership. Register on ArtFire .com Below is a link to my shop or you can visit by going to my sidebar and clicking my shop window. Visit PhotoSc...

Before ~ These beautiful clocks are made by a company called Rhythm. They are musical and animated. We sold them in a retail store where I worked for about twelve years. After ~ I decided to manipulate something other than nature photos so I thought the clock would be an interesting subject and it did not disappoint. I used the swirl, pinch and highlight modes along with a decorative fringe on the border. Enjoy!

I would like to share with all of you Blue Turtle Crossing . This ezine was created and is edited and published by my friend Colleen Breuning . This zine exemplifies what a creative arts ezine should employ. The photography and videography created by Colleen is second to none. The dozens of poets sharing their poetic creations is a testament to the creative soul of Blue Turtle Crossing. It is a residence for dozens of accomplished poets. Please see the video below which displays the photos of each poet included in this issue plus a montage of Colleen's photos. I urge all of you to read and peruse this issue and share in the poetic expertise that is this ezine . Enjoy!

Photo courtesy of blogs.redfin.com - Apartment building in the Marina collapsing onto a car. It was a warm day on October 17, 1989. There was excitement and high anticipation in the air as the San Francisco Giants and The Oakland A's prepared for their first World Series match at Candlestick Park. The game was to begin at 5:00 p.m. Though twenty years have passed, I remember that day as if it happened yesterday. I was working downtown for an insurance agency and normally left work at 5:00. Due to the game I left early so that I could be home in time to watch it on television with my neighbor. It's a good thing I left when I did otherwise I would have been stuck downtown all night. I left work, hopped on my streetcar to get home and was excited about watching the game. The streetcar was rolling along and about 6 blocks from my home when all of a sudden it began shaking and rolling from one side to the other. It was rolling back and forth so forcefully that I thought it w...

This is a guest post by Cheryl Oertli . I want to thank her for her friendship and beautiful poetry. Crystal Visions Words come in crystal visions, Images painted as if canvas creations, Prisms of an inner mind, Multicolored majesty. Rhythmic repetitions, melodic and grand. Each thought, each image developed, Lovingly cared for, painstakingly planned. Words bring forth emotions, A collage of emotions recorded In quatrains and lyrical verse; Touching the heart and mind, As a soothing balm for the soul.

This is the first time I was able to catch a squirrel so still. I took the shot, he then turned to me for a few seconds then ran away. This was at the Botanical Gardens during my walk. Ratty, over at The Everyday Adventurer , this one's for you. Enjoy!

I just wanted to share this information with you. I checked my stats for Poetic Shutterbug and found that although I do receive traffic from search engines the majority of my traffic comes from referrals and direct hits. So, I did some research and found that it is important to add meta tags to your blogs. Now I am not a computer whiz so I did some Googling and found that you have to manually add the meta tags to your blog if you use blogger. I had absolutely know idea how to do this and at the same time am deathly afraid of altering any html code if I don't know what I'm doing. I did however find a blog which explains and illustrates exactly how to add the tags to your blog. He even gives you the code to do it. I cautiously followed the instructions and voila! It worked perfectly. Here is the url to that blog so you all can check it out http://www.bloggertricks.com/2007/12/adding-meta-tags-to-bloggerblogspot.html I have the tags etc... on my blog and did a meta tag an...

Before ~ This was taken at Ocean Beach in San Francisco. The sunsets here can be spectacular and I happened to catch one amazing scene. I've always loved this photo and wondered what if anything I could do to enhance it or change the feel. The result is below. After ~ While using my software with oil paint mode, swirl, punch, pinch, highlight and wind modes, I was able to get an ocean wave/swirl effect. Enjoy!

I visited my sea lion buddies a while ago at Pier 39. Walking through the pier I was surprised there were not many people around until I came upon the sea lion area only to find literally hundreds of people with their cameras getting shots of the lions. You could hear the barking from a block away. Years ago the sea lions for some unknown reason inhabited that area at pier 39 which was used as docks for small boats. At that time there was major distress over what to do with the sea lions. The boat owners were not happy, the city got involved and everyone was trying to come up with a solution. In the meantime the sea lions were drawing quite a crowd which made the pier 39 ownership sit up and take notice. Long story short Pier 39 won the endless discussions and allowed the sea lions to take residence. Where are the boats? They have docked in another area around pier 39. Unfortunately another controversy is brewing over these beautiful creatures. You can read the SF Examiner art...

Click photo to enlarge and read the sign. Enjoy!