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This sign annoys me for two reasons. First, it annoys me because you can’t read it in this photo. No, its not the sign’s fault…its just an artifact from the Treo…and that I was driving when I took this. Soooo, really its the Treo that I’m ranting about. (Yes, I should have my real camera at the ready.)

But still…I took this shot in the hopes of highlighting a STUPID SIGN. This one says “BROADWAY AT MONTGOMERY MAY BE CLOSED”. (This is due to a landslide in the city yesterday morning.) But really…as a driver…what should I do with this? I either avoid Broadway or not, but I think some more up to date info would be helpful.

STUPID.

[UPDATE: I snapped this shot a couple of days later with a real camera. Just for reference on this riveting topic.]

This weekend, I had the pleasure of leading a group of coworkers into Muir Woods National Monument to assist with ongoing habitat restoration. The one-ness with Nature was greatly enhanced by the near-constant drizzle that doused us all morning. In all, our group transplanted over 700 native plants (including the aforementioned elderberry…there is a Monty Python joke in there…but I’ll leave it be).

We were also joined by several banana slugs, which are quite a site indeed. They wreak havoc on the tender plants in the nursery, so we got to give these guys flying lessons deep into the woods 🙂

Buddy asked for a few more pictures from the Paris catacombs. How could I resist a simple request from a tired new father 🙂

The first shot, is at the entrance to the catacombs, deep under Paris. Then, there is another dark, moody shot of some piles. And finally, some of the scrawled words in the world of the dead.

It has been a busy past couple of weeks, I must say. No excuse for not posting, but true nonetheless. This week I was in Denver and Ft. Collins, Colorado…with no camera in hand…it was odd. One highlight–more food–was an amazing sandwich I had at the Pickle Barrel, adjacent to the Colorado State campus in Ft. Collins. This sandwich shop came highly recommended, and it did not disappoint. My coworkers and I had already had a long morning with our clients, and we were sorely in need of a warm, hearty lunch. All three of us ordered the “Toonces”, which was a grilled turkey sandwich with avacado and Havarti dill cheese. (And all you can eat pickles, of course!) Six thumbs up from our three-some.

Anyhow…Paris. So, today’s set of pics comes from the day Jeff and I spent beneath the streets–in the sewers and the famous catacombs.

First the sewers. As I mentioned in my blog previously, neither Jeff nor I were thrilled with the sewers. As you can see from these photos, it was just a wet, drippy place with rushing streams of who-knows-what. There was no true sense of the 100+ year history of Paris’ revolutionary sewer system.

But the catacombs, by contrast, were just old and cool. You could truly get the sense that you might easily get lost in the miles of limestone tunnels piled high with the bones of six million Parisians.

I’ve started to sort through my Paris photos, and I’m starting near the end of the trip. As is typical, I am drawn to the more moody photos of Paris at night. I thought these captured that mood quite nicely. The one above is from our dusk walk through St. Germain. The shots below are from our walk along the Seine.

I’m really happy with how the new camera is working. I’m getting adept at using my body as a tripod, and that enabled some unique angles.

More soon 🙂