Izumi Tanaka

I came home last night after being at the concert at the Pier to find a vase of unseasonable freesias on the dining table.  My husband had brought them for me fro Trader Joe’s.  He knows Freesias are my favorite flowers, but he said he had to read the price tag in the bucket to make sure they were freesias because he wasn’t sure.  Isn’t that sweet, though, he finally learned the name of the flower.

I was invited to dinner at my friends’ on Saturday at the condo they recently purchased.  It’s a simple and ordinary place, but what caught my eyes were these pieces of antique furniture.  For some reason, they fit perfectly into the rest of the environment….  I didn’t ask about the history, well because it seemed like they were content sitting there with all the stories contained in themselves…

What’s a July 4th without BBQ!?  And this year, we were at our friends, John & Tamara’s, and OMG John’s hamburgers were out of this world!!!  AND the fireworks display at Culver City High School was spectacular.  Great friends, great food, and great entertainment.  It was a five-star holiday!

This was a self-care day.  I went to a chiropractor, got a hair-cut, and got my car washed.  On my way home, I stopped at Trader Joe’s for grocery and treated myself to a bunch of peonies.  We had peonies in our garden when I was little.  I even wrote a little story about the fairies living inside the flower….

It looks like the jacarandas are at their peak right now.  We have a view of one fully-blossoming tree from our living room window accompanied with the Lilies of the Niles in the exact same hue.  My kitties enjoy the view as well.

We left Chicago on Monday.  It was a sunny and crisp morning after a thunderstorm the night before.  For a week, this place was home, and I was sad to leave.

I had a nice treat yesterday to visit the Art Institute of Chicago.  While Matisse show was terrific, I had a bonus treat of William Eggleston photography show, who shot “everyday life.”  Inspired, I shot the dining room table where our friend, Chuck, left his airplane kite after our excursion to the city.

I didn’t shoot today.  Oh, no!  But I had three shoots this week; two photos and one video.  So I think I give myself a little break.

While I was shooting my friend’s kitty, Toonces, I noticed her bedroom was filled with this soft light.  My bedroom gets a little bit of sun in the morning, but that’s it, and I so want a sun filled room.  One day soon……

After a loooong day yesterday, I was busy all day today editing video I shot yesterday and photos I shot this afternoon.  Exhausted, but always happy to work with images…  Here’s St. Francis, who gives me the same calming feelings as Virgin Mary, Buddha and Kuan Yin.  After all, they’re all some sort of enlightened, right?

I skipped my photo diary the last two days because I was consumed by editing the images I shot last week on an assignment for a new property listing for realtors (one being my husband).  This one was “rejected.”

I understand their objective is to sell the house, so obviously they don’t need a shot like this. Honestly, I like shooting these vignettes much better and always shoot them for my own creativity sake.   No hurt feelings.