bark, bugs, leaves, & lizards

Magritte?

Cement Scribes

Now that we have a dog and I walk him everyday I’ve come to think that having a dog is good for community building.  I know the streets of our neighborhood and surrounding neighborhoods far better and I’ve met many fellow citizens I probably would have never met.  It’s a good check against my tendency toward alienation.

I’ve started to pay much more attention to scribbles in the sidwalk.  Sometimes the markings people leave behind are ephemeral:

And there’s plenty of “I was here” messaging:

And sometimes it gets a little weird:

My favorite is when kids are clearly involved:

In fact, I think it’d be cool if when new sidewalks are poured city workers encourage neighborhood children to scribble on select sidewalk tiles.  So long as nobody uses profanity or scribbles hateful messages, it can only enhance the feeling of community.

Data Stream

At Flickr, my 14th most popular picture, with 947 views, is Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal (2008).

My 13th most popular picture, with 949 views, is our daughter’s cat, Tabby (2007).

And my 12th most popular picture, with 982 views, is a jar of old Vaseline I noticed on a neighbor’s porch (2006).

Truthily Great [Updated]

Update: And to think that back during the Civil War a member of the military was convicted of “contemptuous speech” against the president (Article 88 of the Uniform Code of Military Justice) for saying:

Jeff Davis was as good a man as Abraham Lincoln

Garden District: Secured

That’s Cairo trying to keep a Hubig’s wrapper he found alongside St. Charles Avenue.  Since I started taking Cairo for walks I’ve tended to walk the Garden District side instead of the Central City side.  Cairo snags all the trash he can–he keeps his nose at ground level, forever sniffing, forever nabbing detritus–and there’s far more of it, in much greater variety, on the Central City side.  Until I personally clean the streets and sidewalks of Central City, you won’t hear me complaining.  Instead, I just make like I’m a tourist.  I grab my point and shoot camera and go to the streets with all of the historical plaques and exquisitely landscaped yards.  Oh that’s the house Sandra Bullock bought! I’m an Illinoisan all over again.  One thing I’ve noticed, though, is the array of home security companies providing services in the Garden District.  It’s almost like there’s a different security outfit for each house.  (More here.)

Another thing I’ve tried to pay more attention to is how people build with trees in mind–or don’t object when trees take over.  The first example, incidentally, is from the Central City side of St. Charles:

Flags Over Acura

Essential New Orleanians

“Uncle” Lionel Batiste & Jennifer Jones

At Least It Wasn’t Hot

Modes of Transportation

During the French Quarter Festival I made myself a little side project to look for shots that would feature as many modes of transportation as possible.  I was thinking a combo of a bike, a car, a Segway, those 3-wheeled-go-cart-type-vehicles-people-rent-down-there, you get the idea.  The problem now is I can’t stop looking.  Okay, I can, and it’s not really a problem, but it continues to buzz around in my head.

Eat @ Bullet’s [Updated]

Update: Infrogmation has the other side covered: