Malibu morning picture of the day and STeeT aRT THurSDay! - Thursday, December 18, 2014

Dear Family, Friends, and Gentle Readers,

They said the rain would be gone today--kind of true. It's still here, but not hitting the surface...

As I was a-driving in, I saw a lot of rain in the sky, but it just stayed floating there. I even got a slight portion of a rainbow (about a 15 degree segment), but moved out of angle of viewing before I could turn on the phone and take a picture through the windshield.

Probably saved someone's life by NOT doing that (an idiotic move to take a picture while driving in LA morning rush hour now that I think of it). I guess that qualifies me as a picture-taking fanatic now.



I decided to be a good 21st-century cyber-shopper and buy my Christmas presents online. Of course everything is backordered, so nothing will be given on time. This works out well for retailers since I now feel the need to go out and buy additional "secondary placeholder-substitute" presents. Insidious!

Sorry. I'll just tell people I'm protesting the commercialization of a religious holiday but then I'll call them New Year's presents. (They're nothing great anyway...)

The Hell-Mel Museum of Contemporary Street Art is proud to present detail shots of a nearby cinder block wall which delight and entertain those parking to enter a laundromat on Edgemont and Melrose. Our theme is East Hollywood wildlife.

Untitled - detail; royal golden seals of bling, Anonymous, paint on concrete

Untitled - detail; turquoise chicken, Anonymous, paint on concrete 

Untitled -detail; dapper American longhair cat, Anonymous, paint on concrete

The mural images on these walls are refreshed or repainted now and then, so there must be an ongoing relationship between artist and property owner here. I have not been able to discern a creator's mark yet, but when I do, I'll post more of this mural.

These images are fun, fanciful, playful, and a true delight. The cat shows influence of Miyazaki (at least to me) since there's a very similar looking character in the film The Cat Returns.

Are these true depictions of wildlife here? There are plenty of feral cats, yes. And I know of two houses where could go steal a fresh chicken dinner if I wanted. Seals? Well, you can possibly get to seals from Hollywood more easily than Dubuque or Waco, so it's not a stretch. The Pacific is only 15 miles away.

Anyway, enjoy your Thursday. But if you're still trying to shop without going into a store, I'd say skip the clicking and phone it in.

Love,
Pops