#20: Surveillance

The only thing missing from this back alley home was a sign that read "Forget The Dog, Beware The Owner".

And we saw that one a few houses down .....

.......................... Ruprecht ( STOP )

#20 of 365 (The Second Go Around)
Somebody's watching me .....

#19: McCrappage

"..... you deserve a break today ...
... so get up and get away ....."

I remember singing that iconic McDonald's song in the back of the car as the family was off on some weekend adventure, the sun just rising to greet us. Road trips usually included a swing through The Golden Arches.

Now, those lyrics are sung when I happen to find myself sitting inside the restaurant .....

.......................... Ruprecht ( STOP )

#19 of 365 (The Second Go Around)
I suddenly feel ill .....

#18: Cebollas

Last night's dinner for my eldest daughter.

No. She doesn't like onions in the least. Why do you ask?

.......................... Ruprecht ( STOP )

#18 of 365 (The Second Go Around)
Diced and loaded .....
(*psssssst* Thanks for being there, camera phone.)

#17: The Singing Detective

Far, far, far from a good technical picture in many ways .....

..... but still my favorite of the day .....

.......................... Ruprecht ( STOP )

#17 of 365 (The Second Go Around)
Reed in character .....

#16: Frondy Top

Getting stronger everyday .....

.......................... Ruprecht ( STOP )

#16 of 365 (The Second Go Around)
In the land of fruit and nuts .....

#15: Art Docent

I played "art docent" yesterday morning.

Thirty-three students (mostly) paid attention as instructions were doled out for an art print project. The subject of the project was "Trees".

Preliminary drawings were created by the students, then were used as their "guides" for painting onto the lexan plates you see above. The images were then transferred onto paper while still wet.

The final products were much more dramatic than the plates you see.

I had a lot of fun helping the students out. So much so, I became the "lucky winner" (read: the one who volunteered) to take the plates home for cleaning.

.......................... Ruprecht ( STOP )

#15 of 365 (The Second Go Around)
And yes ... that's Reed's up there ... the green-trunked apple tree bearing fruit.

#14: Rusty

This is Rusty.

He's a metal horse. With a wrench for an eye.

He's sometimes used to provide mechanical advantage in applying torque. Go figger .....

.......................... Ruprecht ( STOP )

#14 of 365 (The Second Go Around)
Whatta metal head.

#13: Bad Resin

When the resin goes from clear to yellow, the artificiality is soon to deteriorate .....

.......................... Ruprecht ( STOP )

#13 of 365 (The Second Go Around)
Silk snip .....

#12: Signs & Supports & Slopes

Gas and burger and pole and stop and palm and mountainy goodness .....

.......................... Ruprecht ( STOP )

#12 of 365 (The Second Go Around)
How primary .....

#11: Display

The rain.

It scrubs the air clean ... it washes the roadways ... it sustains plant life.

Amongst other things .....

.......................... Ruprecht ( STOP )

#11 of 365 (The Second Go Around)
I hope they can be ironed out .....

#10: Cheesecloth Safe

Fist-sized clods of dirt (and more) wrapped and tossed on the side of the road.

What are they? I'ven't a clue.

.......................... Ruprecht ( STOP )

#10 of 365 (The Second Go Around)
Miniature dirt mummies, perhaps .... awaiting reanimation.

#9: Body Parts #8 - The Cheek Bone

Yes ... I have strange sleep habits.

Every once in a while, I will arise with some odd mark on my face.

I will awaken some mornings looking like someone cold-cocked me in my sleep.

Every now and again, I will have a "third eye" smack dab in between my two regular ones, positioned just atop my nose.

My forehead will look as if I was out carousing the night before, complete with scratches and markings.

I had the abrasion you see above in evidence when I looked in the mirror yesterday morning. How it got there I haven't a clue.

It could be the work of Bob The Dog. Or, perhaps, The Blue People.

I'm not certain. Feel free to guess .....

.......................... Ruprecht ( STOP )

#9 of 365 (The Second Go Around)
And the cheek bone's connected to the .....

#8: Toss, Climb, Stop

Please remember to toss your refuse prior to the commencement of your journey to nowhere.

You might not get another chance .....

.......................... Ruprecht ( STOP )

#8 of 365 (The Second Go Around)
And if you listen very hard the truth will come to you at last .....
..... she's buying a stairway ... to Deadend .....

#7: Body Parts #7 - The Hand

In the continuing "Body Parts" series ..... offered here is "The Hand".

This hand (it just so happens to be mine) comes courtesy of a season's worth of holiday decorating.

Cuts. Bruises. Cracks. Jagged nails. (They definitely need to be trimmed. Longer nails come in handy during decorating. You don't want to know.)

Torn to shreds cuticles. (I've had more pine needles jabbed up beneath them than I care to admit ... and they hurt like a son of a gun. In addition, they're so ragged, they could double as an alien landscape in some up and coming science fiction flick.)

Additional slashes obscure my fingertips. (Trust me: if I ever decide to go "serial killer", the authorities haven't got anything on my fingerprints - I'm unrecognizable.)

Sap and electrical tape stains mar my palms. Scabs which will turn into marks of the season will forever be reminders of 2009.

These are the badges of the year's end of workery.

(If you've missed any, here are the rest of the Body Parts series.)

.......................... Ruprecht ( STOP )

#7 of 365 (The Second Go Around)
Ouch.

#6: Crunch

Rice crackers. They're what's for lunch .....

.......................... Ruprecht ( STOP )

#6 of 365 (The Second Go Around)
Seaweed wrapped.

#5: The Wish

Oh I wish I were an Oscar Meyer wiener
That is what I truly wish to be
'Cause if I were an Oscar Meyer wiener
Everyone would be in love with me .....

.......................... Ruprecht ( STOP )

#5 of 365 (The Second Go Around)
Hotdoggin' it.

#4: Teacher

Just waiting ....

.......................... Ruprecht ( STOP )

#4 of 365 (The Second Go Around)
Triangulated vulcanization deflater.

#3: Hot Mess

Cripes .....

Get a garden, already

.......................... Ruprecht ( STOP )

#3 of 365 (The Second Go Around)
The watering can gets lots of use 'round these parts and is very happy.

#2: Invasion Of The Mushroom People

They're coming to get you. They will bend you to their warm, steamy will.

Resistance is futile. It's just a matter of time .....

.......................... Ruprecht ( STOP )

#2 of 365 (The Second Go Around)
A little butter, a little garlic and a sauté pan are their worst enemies .....

#1: Badass

Badass.

And so's the bike.

.......................... Ruprecht ( STOP )

#1 of 365 (Fiscal Year 2, The Second Go Around)
Vroom.

Side Note

Well, that was a short respite ..... wasn't it?

I barely cool from the warmth of my premiere 365 Project accomplishment and I'm back in the fray, ready for Round 2. Go figure.

Since I'm on a roll (stands to see if he's sitting on anything) I might as well keep the momentum churning forward. I'll continue to post regularly ..... but if I'm not as "a-post-a-day" diligent as the first go round, I won't lose any hair over it. I'll still do what I can to pop an image on daily, just without the constant nudging of it needing to be done each and every 24th hour. There may be a pause or hiccup, but each posting will be for a particular day.

So sit tight ... keep your hands and arms in at all times ..... secure your wallets and any loose change ..... and let's see where this new ride takes us (pun intended, given the image above).

#365: The End

..... graffitist ..... subject ..... enabler .....

I done did it.

Three hundred sixty-five days of posting a photo a day. I met the challenge ..... and learned tons along the way.

I learned to always keep my camera at the ready. (Not "always" possible, let me tell you ... and that's why the word should not be used.) I learned I need a better camera. I made do with several ... including a camera phone for the occasional stand-in emergency when the regular one wasn't around for whatever reason.

I learned inspiration comes in many forms. I learned what I think is spiffy sometimes isn't and what I think is throw-away trips someone's trigger.

I learned some of the best subjects are right around the corner.

I learned not to beat myself up. There's no point in doing so. This was a process and an experience and the first time I'd ever committed to a photo project, so anything went. And usually did.

I learned not to be jealous of other's efforts. As my father said: "There's always someone out there who's better than you. And there's always someone worse."

I specifically kept away from tricks and trickery when it came to shots. No filters or speeds or alterations. Cropping was the most I committed to. The rare lightening of an image ... but little else. I'm just not that learned yet. Besides, it was enough simply reaching the 365 mark, let alone nit-picking over my own personal quirks.

I saw the seriousness of photography. I saw a beauty in it I hadn't seen before. I was able to express my personality in efforts that surprised even me.

I illicted thoughts and emotions and comments I wouldn't have believed possible ... within the postings and elsewhere.

And I also learned there is soooooooooo much more to absorb and explore and attempt ... and I'm up to that challenge just as I was up to this one.

I trust you enjoyed the ride. A quick break and I'll be back for Round Two.

.......................... Ruprecht ( STOP )

#365 of 365
"Regrets, I've had a few ..... but then again, too few to mention,
"I did what I had to do and saw it through without exemption,
"I planned each charted course, each careful step along the byway,
"And more, much more than this ..... I did it my way."

#364: Hi, Guy

Just not something you see everyday while waiting in line for coffee at the AM PM .... y'know? Guess I'm just lucky that way.

Still ..... I have no words.

.......................... Ruprecht ( STOP )

#364 of 365
"There's nothing more that I'd like to do than take the floor and dance with you .....
Keep dancin' ..... let's keep daaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa-aaa-aaaaaancin' ....."

#363: UV Index

"Don't forget the lemonade and the suntan lotion, dear ....."

While California frolics in the sunshine the first week of the year, headlines across the country tell a completely different story:

"Feels Like the North Pole Out There"

"The Siberian Connection"

"Arctic Cold Plunging Deep into the South"

"Worry in the Florida Citrus Groves"

"Heavy Snowfall, Poor Visibility
at Time of Ohio Crash"

"Ice Also a Threat in the South"

"Record-Breaking Cold Pouring Southward"

"Snow Map from Plains to East"

"Timing the New Arctic Invasion"

"Café au lait-sicle!"

.......................... Ruprecht ( STOP )

#363 of 365
"Where did we put the umbrella? Did Jeffery leave it at the beach last week?"

#362: Holey Metal Structure, Batman

Yellow clad woman with blue pants, brown worn-in-front fanny pack and ski poles walking toward me like it's nobody's business.

Oh. And there's the fence, too.

.......................... Ruprecht ( STOP )

#362 of 365
Lance Link.

#361: That New Tenant Smell

There's a waft in the air. The distinct smell of freshly painted drywall.

That new carpet smell.

Hammering. Tools dropping. A haze of dust in your sight. The sound of masking tape being ripped and ripped and ripped again.

Ooooooooooooooh .... a slightly moldy odor of musty carpet padding as it's being removed and tossed.

All of these things are the clear signs new tenants are coming .....

.......................... Ruprecht ( STOP )

#361 of 365
Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmm ..... fresh .....

#360: He Thinks He's Leroy Brown

Oh ... Bob The Dog knows he's done something wrong all right.

Just take a gander at that mug.
Coming home from morning work Tuesday and letting him in, I spied debris on the far end of the yard outside. On closer inspection, Star Wars action figures and other collectibles were strewn along the perimeter of the yard.

It took all I had not to kill him. But the feeling lasted for all of 20 seconds. The only fortunate thing was the fact most of the toys flung hither and yon were duplicates.

Given: The poor guy has been dog-sat for the last 10 days during the holidays only to come home to the girls taking off for school and myself taking off for work. At the end of the day - with night having fallen - there's not much time for frolicking except inside the house.

I rushed about (almost late for work) picking up the yard when I realized I'd missed a golden photo opportunity. So, I dragged his butt to the spot of contention and snapped a few shots of his sad, sour puss with the toys hastily bagged up ... being the box they were in was destroyed beyond recognition.

I must admit, however, since we've gotten home from our vacation, he's been pretty good.

Except for today, that is ... when the urge to commit monkey business was obviously irresistible .....

.......................... Ruprecht ( STOP )

#360 of 365"Why, I oughta carp your diem ....."

#359: (Humming) Bird Is The Word

Mother (visible), nest (visible), eggs (not visible) .....

And, and, and .... more photos and words about Mother Hummingbird above at Rupe's Value Added Services.

.......................... Ruprecht ( STOP )

#359 of 365
Papa-ooma-mow-mow .....

#358: Tensely Coiled

Ready and waiting patiently on the garage floor .....

.......................... Ruprecht ( STOP )

#358 of 365
Round and round ... what goes around comes around .....

#357: Deca-Dunce Hat

No ... I was not on a film set.

I was in the Commerce Casino .... scoping a new job.

It was an odd scene, indeed .....

.......................... Ruprecht ( STOP )

#357 of 365
Ra .....

#356: That's What "They" Say

"They" say what you do New Year's Day dooms you to do so for the remainder of the year.

This guy, then, will be relocating.

Yet again.

And stopping off at Starbucks (off camera) for a refill in the process.

.......................... Ruprecht ( STOP )

#356 of 365
"We're gonna need a lot more boxes, Jim ....."

#355: Just Numbers

It's 2010, A.D.

Happy New Year, I say.

.......................... Ruprecht ( STOP )

#355 of 365
Happy New Year, everyone .....
..... and remember: The end of the decade is next year .....