good news

[bryant st at embarcadero]

i haven't, as i had
feared, completely forgotten how
to ride a bike. (and
lucky for me, this town's pretty
bike-friendly, too.)

round the corner

[webster st (obviously) at coleridge ave]

pause briefly to reflect
on the road you have traveled, feel
the solid ground beneath you, check
for opposing traffic, slowly round
the corner onto a
new road, in a
new direction, and
move on.

bored with clear skies yet?

[main quad looking toward hoover tower, stanford]

if you have been here
before, you will have noticed that
bright
blue
spotless
skies
form the normal backdrop. well,
look closely today and
you'll find a spot. a spot
with wings.

visit skywatch and you'll find
a variety of views to
cure the boring-blank-sky blues
(not that i'm complaining!)

for this i am thankful

[somewhere above stanford ave, i believe]

'i think i'll always feel at
home under the trees,' i told him, and
he smiled. it's true, though i only
recently discovered it. i grew
up surrounded by greenery, beneath
a canopy alive with whispering leaves and
chattering birds, wistful avian songs my
soundtrack, glittering fireflies illuminating black
foliage in syncopated rhythm while i try to keep
track, keep
up with the universal symphony, keep
an eye on the conductor.

the trees they are part
of me, their roots are
my roots and so how joyous to live
once more in their embrace.

not-so-friendly rivalry

[white plaza, stanford]

another scene from big game week: red
(or shall we say cardinal) dye
colors several campus fountains, and
here a poor cal teddy bear finds
himself in a fatal run-in with "the claw"

not a secret rivalry

[old union, stanford]

finally took the campus tour last

friday, day before the big game. banners

all over campus emblazoned with the

general sentiment of stanford football

fans. (i don't even know who won.)

symbols of a bygone era?

[by green library, stanford]

i stop to wonder why
someone has graced the pavement with
an endearing chalk rendition of
pika-
chu!
then
i think it doesn't really
matter, i smile, take a
picture, and walk on

fantastical creatures underfoot

[by green library, stanford]

about a month ago i found
myself in curious company
in an alley behind
the library (pikachu
was nearby. anybody
recognize this guy?)

polychromatic

[webster st near hamilton ave]

if you want to park your
car in downtown palo alto, you
could find yourself navigating a
rainbow of purple, lime,
blue, coral (those are the colors i've
spotted so far. who knows but
that right around the corner i might
find goldenrod or aquamarine
or tangerine!)

morning moon

[university ave & mitchell ln]

clear skies in
november (can it really be
almost winter?) and
a distant lunar
fingerprint on the canvas

keep watching the skies!

stay a while

[cowper inn bed & breakfast, cowper st at forest ave]

over a century old, elegant
craftsman style, exuding
cabin-in-the-woods and yet just
around the corner from
our bustling little downtown
(anyone want to come visit?)

flora mixta

[webster st]

cactus. surrounded by
pine needles. welcome to
california.

not your typical road sign

[somewhere along stanford ave in august]

preserving greenery
protecting new growth
promoting absurdity

is this place real?

[main quad, stanford]

i mentioned to a colleague that it is sort of
funny that i ended up at a university again
just when i thought that i would take a
break from that world, not set foot on
a college campus for at least a few
years. his reply: "sure, but stanford is
more like a country club than a university!" i mean,
just look at it.

this is your captain speaking

[center for turbulence research, stanford university]

we're coming up on
some bumpy air; please return
to your seats and keep your
seatbelts fastened

what color was your day?

[park blvd, i think]

the weather today was
gorgeous, sunny and eighty
degrees in november. golden saturday
morning overflowing with
brightness, afternoon turning sour
lemon. golden. yellow.

floating

[alma st over university ave]

travel a world of celestial
vistas: flights now departing
from the skywatch portal

despite the warnings...

[palm drive, stanford]

...i've decided to get a bike.

one too many instances of

dissonance between mine and

the shuttle's schedules, and

the time has come. i hope

that what they say about never

forgetting how to ride a bike is

true (it's been at least a decade

and a half).

trapped

[palo alto caltrain station]

the train station has been under
construction for a while now; i guess
that's why this fencing is in place. i just
like its happy orange color

one of the reasons why i love this town

[near stanford shopping center]

i actually took this
photo shortly before i
moved to palo alto (but
i'm pretty sure the sign is
still there). it's a welcoming
message, don't you agree?

sorry for inconvenient

CLOSED FOR VACATION
(Sorry for inconvenient)
Thank You

[a subtle instance of engrish on the door of
mint leaf thai & vietnamese cuisine,
university ave, across from the apple store]

this place has been
'closed for vacation' since
before i moved here nearly
two months ago.
i'm missing what
i've never known.
it's a minor 'inconvenient,' though.
i hope that they're having a
spectacular vacation!

we shall see that it is all matter

[first united methodist church, hamilton ave at webster st]

liquids and gases, i learned
in elementary school, expand
to fill their containers; how then
does spirit behave in such
a curiously defined space?

All spirit is matter, but it is more fine or pure, and can only be discerned by purer eyes; We cannot see it; but when our bodies are purified we shall see that it is all matter.

Doctrine & Covenants 131:7-8

no need to water the plants today

[somewhere along bryant st, i think]

saturdays are rainy lately

p.a. is for...

left to right:
parking garage (labeled PArk)
patagonia store (you can't see the name behind the trees, but it's there, i promise)
pampas brazilian restaurant

[alma st at university ave]

only mild interference in an
otherwise bright sky
last sunday
sandwiched between a
cold, wet saturday and a
dreary, dripping monday


happy skywatch friday! enjoy the views:

that's why they call it palo alto

[cowper st near forest ave]

redwood trees in the city
heaven in the neighborhood

(in case you're curious, the city
is really named after this tree.)

this nation is a young nation

[hotel president, university ave]

around here, especially in
california, eighty-year-old buildings are
kind of a big deal

rush hour

last-minute campaigning at

palo alto caltrain station

follow the election results
minute-by-minute here!

but then again, if you must travel on four wheels...

[alvarado row, stanford]

before i moved to california, i was living
in utah, where it wasn't easy being green.
there, never did i spot a real live prius;
here, a flock of hybrids is a common sight.

around here the wheel count of choice is two

[palo alto bicycles, university avenue]

it's no davis, but palo alto
does cater to a large number of cyclists.
without wheels myself, i guess
i'm not a real palo altan
yet

november theme day: books

[bell's books, emerson st]

"I hope it is true that a man can die and yet
not only live in others but give them life, and
not only life but that great consciousness of life."
[Jack Kerouac]