Quirky thoughts from an old man.
One of the ideas that I promote is not just looking at things but actually seeing them. I call it backyard scuba because it is what people are willing to do underwater but forget to do in the backyard unless reminded. The new small digital cameras allow us to see the wonders in our own …
This idea is complicated and it might be completely wrong but I think it contains one of my brilliant insights. When we go codger diving a lot of guys take a lot of pictures. Most of the codgers don’t take many photos when they are above water but underwater they are snapping away like there …
“Be on the lookout for serendipitous moments.” Obligations, commitments, fears and inertia all combine to make us miss the serendipity that surrounds us. Backyard Scuba is a method to surreptitiously discover serendipity. This display of liquor bottles is a joy to behold. It can be seen at The White Chocolate Grill in Scottsdale AZ.
I went hiking, with Peter and Jim, north of Cave Creek, Arizona last Sunday and one of the wonders we came across was an oak tree with oak galls on it. The ones pictured above are about a half inch in diameter. They were mostly empty and the shells weigh less than a gram. They …
The riot of pollinator activity around the Saguaro bloom was a wonderful surprise for me in the last few weeks. I saw bees, other bugs, Hummingbirds and Threshers. It make you wonder what they all live on the rest of the year.
The LA County Arboretum in Arcadia is a visual feast. I took these pictures of details during a visit with Lillian and Rebecca during Passover. The first three photos are of the backyard scuba variety. The last shows the purpose of our visit which was to see the Olive Tree that we helped to get …
I’ve been taking some pictures of the flora (trees, flowers and plants) nearby. Focusing on the beauty you can see helps to offset the “June gloom” of the weather. See backyard scuba for more on this idea. In Pasadena we have one of the best blooms of the Jacaranda in years. I call them “Blue …
This is one of the backyard scuba stories I love so much. Nurit and I took Missy the Brave for a walk last weekend in the Chapman Woods area about a mile south of here. We started walking in the nice, eclectic, upscale residential neighborhood and came to a fenced area that looked like the …
Spring usually comes to Pasadena in February. Succulents flowers: Vibrant Greens: And more Red berries: Life is good. The entire green suite is on Flickr I took all of these picture in about a half hour within about a hundred yards of my front door. It was definitely a backyard scuba experience.
I found this mystery pod on the ground outside Huntington Hospital in Pasadena. It turned out to be the dried and twisted seed pod of a Wisteria vine. This is an example of Backyard Scuba. If you look at anything with wonder you will see wonderful things.