Sons of Bob.

Stephen.

Damian.

Rock-shaped birthday cake.

I've been finding really cool rocks while digging in the garden lately.
It makes me wonder what treasures remain buried.

Have Merci.

I used to work with Merci back in the Parks days.
She was the event planner in the Communications and Marketing Division where we worked.
Recently I ran into my boss from those days and she told me some gossip about Merci.
County people love to gossip.
Anyway I shot this at a top donor's United Way lunch reception at La Loggia downtown,
back in '06.

The Nova.

1. The Nova (english): Captain Scott's bad-ass souped-up four-door grandma muscle car.
2. No Va (spanish): Does not go.*
*Apparently the Nova didn't sell too well in Mexico.

mark of excellence.

hubcap.

Tropical Botany.

mamey sapote.

Back from the Dead.

This mamey sapote tree looked like it was knocking on death's door when we moved into das Haus two months ago.
Lately it's been making a miraculous recovery.

AndiMetro@dasHaus.

My good make-up artist friend Andrea stopped by the other night for an impromptu photo session.
We shot these in the laundry room on the dryer.

Multiple Sculptures.

I found this spooky flick while rummaging through the deep archives.
Dedicated to my friend Mr. Corbin Buhr. (Seen here amongst my and his other selves at the Little Haiti apartment in 2005 I believe.)
Ghost Shirt lives.

Itamaraca, Brasil.

I found these kids at an orphanage on the island of Itamaraca, outside of Recife in the northeast of Brazil.
They were so enthusiastic about the camera..."outro ca!" they would shout "take another over here!"
And then they would all come rushing up to see the picture on the back of the camera.
These kids never knew anything other than digital photography.
They were born into a digital age.
Yet the stone wall they are standing on was built in the mid 1600's.
This picture always makes me think Gap for Kids, Brazil.

Graffiti Shadow Palms.

Here in Miami some of the bus stop shelters have glass backs with white palm tree motif decal decorations.
Last week the sun shone through one to make these shadows on a fence.

Long Exposure Self Portrait at Twilight.

Here you see me pointing my cell phone at the security light for no apparent reason.
You also (sort of) see the NE corner of Das Haus' (bier)garten.

Yard Worked.

After two days of tackling the yard at Das Haus,
my hands are worn and my back is sore,
but my spirits are high.
I've been clearing out planters,
pulling vines and dead roots,
collecting random rocks
and taking old stumps out with the ax.
Things are beginning to look a lot better.

Boom Bip.

I like to play the drums.
When I was twelve I got a pair of drumsticks and brought them to school everyday.
I learned how to play beats on my knee and how to twirl the sticks between my fingers.
The next year I got my first drum set.
My friends and I formed our first band, Noise Pollution.
We played the sixth grade party circuit.
The crowd went wild.
I was hooked for life.

Question Mark Caterpillar

I caught this inquisitive specimen chomping on my papaya tree.
A great example of what I call the cyclops thorn-tail green caterpillar, one of my major garden pests.

These guys and their small green cousins are beautiful nuisances.

A little love for my boy Max.

This photo is five months old, and I've published it before, but when I came across it just now I felt like I should post it again.
Maxdog you are my brother!
I snapped this one afternoon while taking a break from working on the vegetable garden.
Me and Max were the guardians of the yard and garden.
Those were some extra-happy days.

Snail Info Show/Makroushnik.

While hanging in the Ukraine this past golden autumn I gained my nickname of Makroushnik.
Sergi, my photog pal in Kyiv, told me that's what they call macro shooters in Russian.
He also mentioned that the word for ax-murderer sounds very similar.
I found that to be oddly appropriate.
Anyway I truly aim to live up to my nickname by taking as many macro photos as possible.
Here are some shots from a series I did on snails.

Google Search keyword Affenschlaf.

This is especially amusing because my sister Emily has a similar looking wire-haired Dachsund named Lil Weasel. I call her Rat Limo though.


http://de.geocities.com/dackel_leo/16.html

Welcome to Affenschlaf.

Affenschlaf came to me in a dream.
The word, I mean.
Ironically enough, it translates to monkeysleep from the German.
I asked my German mother if she had ever heard the word and she said no.
Actually I think it was influenced by something my friend Capt. Scott says when he
pretends to speak Austrian.
His sounds maybe more like HAFFEN SNOF!
Anyway at first I thought I would use Affenschlaf as an album name for my imaginary band,
Los Neckos Rojos.
But then I just started saying Affenschlaf at big moments, like right before kicking the ball in
kickball.
Slowly it worked its way into my daily routine.
Now Affenschlaf has taken over my reality.
It's my mantra.
Affenschlaf is a way of life.
It's a lifestyle.
It's about quitting the "quote, unquote rat race" and sitting back to grab a nap.
Watching the fluffy old clouds float by slow-mo from your hammock.
Inner eyelid kaleidoscope.
Bananas and more bananas.
Daydreaming monkey in the sun.
Affenschlaf.