JEN ZONE

Chat chat regarding food addictions..........I'm a carboholic!.............Carboholic translated: Love for breads, crackers, pastas, beans, potatoes, bran, rice and cereals.

Sat, 17 May 2008 16:25:25 GMT

Question to jenj: Why did you buy that humongo banquet sized bag of Oriental trail mix?

jenj's answer: I thought I could be disciplined enough to use the Banquet sized bag of Oriental trail mix occasionally for a special snack or pre-dinner tongue-wetter.

Reality: The bag I purchased not too many days ago is almost empty and most of the good stuff has been gleaned out leaving behind a couple of hand fulls of salted peanuts. I'm going to toss out the peanuts into the garbage. I realize this is wasteful but I have to get those last hand fulls of tasty, tiny, salted nuts out of my sight before they end up becoming a "muffin top" attached to my abdomen.

Jenj, speaking to jenj: My goodness, jenj, you over did it this week with your over-the-top carbohydrate intake. SCARY! Not good!}

With great resolution, jenj is once again listening to her inner conscious rather than listening to the nonsense of her "I'm hungry!" gullet-fixated-mindless-eat-center.

For breakfast: jenj (me) started out the day with fresh ground and fresh brewed french roast coffee; a small bowl of warmed mixed berries blended with chopped apricot; two large segments of ruby red grapefruit; Four ounces of light cranberry juice.

For lunch: jenj will have thinly sliced smoked Alaskan salmon with slices of peppered and salted tomato wedged into mini pita bread rounds alongside a handful of alfalfa sprouts.

Dinner: Yet to be announced.

How's that for eating healthy again and staying on track?

Therapy session over.

Wish me luck.

Thank you,

-jenj

Post Script: Taking off for a Saturday morning stroll or bike ride. (Yes!)

Oriental accidental neon blue suede shoes

Fri, 16 May 2008 20:59:31 GMT

Accidental, casual, fortuitous all describe something outside the usual course of events.

Midtown Furniture & More.......Located half block from my home.........Candid shot of trendy customers. I'm aquanted with the shop owners, Daniel and Sean. A wonderful place to browse buy and sell. They've marketed some of my creations.....

Sat, 10 May 2008 15:34:45 GMT

Baby's got bike!...

and much, much more...

Drunken kittens.....Drunk Gatitos...Question: What does one drunk kitten say to another drunk kitten? --------- Answer: "Why can't we all just get along?"...Vector illustration created with Adobe Illustrator 10 with a philosophical theme.

Fri, 09 May 2008 15:36:19 GMT

Question: What does one drunk kitten say to another drunk kitten?
Answer: "Why can't we all just get along?"

The (above) kettle of kittens got into their cups last evening.

They pondered universal questions in their little kitten heads

and with their bright luminous eyes saw further into the unknown.

With their soft big kitten ears popped open wide

they were able to detect the universe laughing.

These dear little gatitos proceeded to

sing verse and dance and play and frolic into the wee morning hours.

Ponder.

A man with a vision.....Baja Mexico.......Bahia Asuncion.....Another structure assessment.....Bone yard delight.....Ideas are anything but idle......Peep-hole preview of hill-top view.

Thu, 08 May 2008 15:44:13 GMT

Nombre quarente (no. 40) truck setting outside another of my brother's structures.

-Do you think it was used in a destruction/demolition derby?

Be proud.

I think my brother's got a smile upon his face again. ;0)

A man.

A family.

A life-time.

A journey.

Take hold your ideas and your ambitions.

One's notions & visions & dreams can come true.

Conceptualization.

Conceive. Conceiving. Conception.

A seed.

Receive. Proceed.

Try not to presume things are impossible.

No limitations. No conclusions.

Resolve to dream...

A peep hole view from inside the dwelling.

{Eye captain, I think I see a ship sailing upon the horizon...

...Nope, only a yard full of yunke in the foreground.}

Clean as a whistle with a speckled glint of sunlight shining through.

Reminds me of that James Bond movie where Mr. Bond is about to be sliced in half

by a stream of laser light slowly moving toward 007's groin. (Movie: Gold Finger 1964)

Looking to employ go-go dancers for the prime establishment you see above - (J.K.!) ;0)

I offered my go-go dancing scouting services to my brother but he says

that he and his son rob will take it upon themselves to do a world-wide search recruiting such talent. - Go figure?...;0)

Life sprouts up through death.

Bone yard heaps of white shells parted from there meaty-sweet-mollusk bodies.

{Ceviche anyone?}

Heaps of crustaceans (Claws/bodies/legs) that used to be bright orange-red

find themselves beached and bundled into hills and hills of bleached white calcium deposits.

Classic black and white contrasting image.

The skull is that of a dogs.

The shell with the three holes was used for either buttons or board game pieces.

If you look closely at the vertebra bone (upper-right-hand-corner) you can see it's heart-shaped.

-I discovered that the vertebra has devil horns on it if you flip it over.

Hmmmmm....there seems to be a strange balance to life most of the time. Hmmmmm?

BURNING PIG! May 3rd 2008......Camp Hollowell..... Yolo county California....Roasted Pig..Art..Artists..Live Band..Skatebording..basketball playing..Smiling..Laughing..Playing..People Watching..Bonfire building..and much, much more...

Wed, 07 May 2008 15:34:17 GMT

Onlookers

Rockabilly vs. Rockers.

I just love the dynamics of the (above) photo. - a juxtaposition.

I was never formally introduced to these three individuals.

Though several smiles were brushed back and forth (transpired) between myself and the man behind the glasses during the evening's rich atmosphere.

This individual had a nice soothing comfortable way about him.

He reminded me of the character Nicholas Cage took on in the movie Moon Struck and another actor that slips my tongue at the moment.

Fireside guitar playing and folk singing took its turn blending into the early morning hours.

Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz...

Check out this link to find out more about the background of the bonfire: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bonfire

Tribute to S.T.A.G. Snowflake The Albino Gorilla

Wed, 07 May 2008 05:03:57 GMT

Photo Credit: Photos of Snowflake I collaged can be found here: http://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/snowflake/index.html

http://www.albinogorilla.dk/snowflake

Burning Pig 2008.....Located @ Camp Hollowell,.......Yolo County........Northern California.......Silent art auction....Music.....Many varieties of pot-luck dishes....Fine tasting roasted pig....

Tue, 06 May 2008 17:15:06 GMT

Stained glass window.

This leaded stained glass window leads in and out of an artist's studio.

More to come regarding Burning Pig 2008 soon.

Be grateful today.

Lobster for a lunch?.......Invitation accepted!......Fernando and his wife prepared a beautiful spread for a mid-day meal. Yes!, I love Baja Mexico. Bahia Asuncion's locals are exceptionally nice people..

Sat, 03 May 2008 15:25:32 GMT

A meal to remember.

Lobster that has been scavenged for every single morsel of meat.

I've never been served a whole lobster before; only lobster tail.

It was great to pick apart other sections loaded with meat from these bottom-feeders.....

BUT...!!!

the shells are extremely sharp and spiny and easily prick one's fingers. (OUCH!)

Fernando demonstrated how to pick up the whole lobster and crack certain parts of the body

to release the sweet buttery meat using his teeth.

We all took advantage of this trick and I had to laugh because it reminded me of a scene in the movie,

Splash when Darryl Hannah's character is dining in a fine restaurant and uses her hands and teeth to consume the spiny beast instead of utensils.

I think it was a ten-napkin-meal for me. ;0)

{Which reminds me...(a bit off the subject here)...have you ever had a ten-olive martini?

It's a scrumptiously, delicious, smack-happy snack.}

....Back to Bahia Asuncion and our lunch invitation.....

Lobster& butter, plus love and attention = one fine scrumptious meal.

Our hosts

Fernando, (My brother's contractor) and his wife,

Theresa stand before the finely prepared feast.

I have to note that the lobster you see over flowing the platter was just half of what was offered.

As we sat down to eat more of those sweet delicious crustaceans were being heated on the stove.

Can we say.....decadent!? Oh My Gooooooodness!

Post Script: They're expecting a baby soon! -See Theresa's baby belly?

Then....

on to....

YANNY:

One of our first sit-down meals along Baja's Highway 1.

The place was decorated in everything Coca Cola.

Totally red and white Coca Cola items and promotional fixtures and signs.

Check out the flatware.....the handle is a red plastic Coca Cola bottle.

I had a carne filled torta that was out-of-this-world tasty.
Eric had tres (yummy) tacos.

Yanny's Exterior

More Bahia Asuncion.............Mexico............Bones........Cemetery.......Sand...............flowers.................seashell................Ocean blue.............Hand painted sidewalks.....

Fri, 02 May 2008 11:54:42 GMT

Bahia Asuncion greeters...........Too funny and appropriate.........Just like Dorothy entering the Emerald city in the movie The Wizard of OZ......Horses greet you at the gates. -They even change colors!

Thu, 01 May 2008 18:11:10 GMT

Entering Bahia Asuncion for the first time.

Natural (Extremely 'GREEN') lawn mowers.

Reminds me of some of the beasts-of-burden the cartoon the Flintstones would have used.

My first peek at the Deposito property!

My brother, Eric in silhouette. -I think he might be smiling?

Room with many views.

-A sliding glass door will be operating within this frame work the next time

(hopefully in August) we visit Bahia Asuncion

Angles and openings and more angles and openings.

The Scenery

Thanks for taking time to peek at the zone today.

May pleasant surprises come to life for you...

- Be aware of them -------take note ---------be thankful.

-jenj

Master of your own destiny.....Salt flats of Baja, Mexico. Headed toward Bahia Asuncion

Wed, 30 Apr 2008 14:46:30 GMT

And a road runs through it

I imagine a photo shoot here with high-end fashion models sauntering elegantly across the white, wind blown, salt plain

wearing bright, colorful, sheer flowing clothes. -Parasols; veils and scarves......a must.

Beyond the superficial...........the most amazing thing is the geology and history of such a salt flat. -Think about it. (?)

A grown-up executive decision.

- Stop the vehicle.....get out......and...........PLAY!

Reprise: A road almost runs through it.

Don't screw with mother nature.

The sands of time never stop flowing.

Thanks for peeking.

-jenj

Boasting about roasting a fine assortment of red and green chili peppers and letting you in on my newest addiction to homemade hummus.---Hummus? What is hummus you might ask? -----Join me today and find out.

Tue, 29 Apr 2008 17:06:33 GMT

Still life no. 1

Still life no.2

Which still life version do you like best?

Grilling e roasting a variety of chili peppers collected at a local Mexican market.

Tres vessels

Roasted Delight

Ready to be peeled and chopped and made into a few variations of chili sauce.

Commercial Break

Advertising sea sal de Baja, ( Sea salt of Baja)

alongside some of my favorite good-for-you snacks - smoked mussels and sardines packed in tomato sauce.

I love the logo art. -The ocean and sun and whales breaching out of the sea.

I poured some salt into a sea shell I found along the beach of Bahia Asuncion, Mexico and placed it on my stove for easy access.

The salt can either be tipped out from the shell or you can place a small spoon for sprinkling or use a smaller sized sea shell for scooping.

Works great on the super table as well!

Try it!

How about using another large shell for a stove-top spoon or ladel rest?

Hmmmmm.......think about it.....;0)

{Thanks , Rosann, for the sea-shell-salt-scoop idea.}

Uhhhhhh........yes, that kinda strange looking glob/blob/pile is some of my homemade hummus.

It usually looks more appetizing and appealing when placed and served in a small bowl.

I've been using the huge, Swedish, whole rye, cracker rounds for hummus spreading.

This is a preparation I made for someone special.

It's not work.............it's called love.

I love to prepare and experiment with all kinds of foods and create dishes.

Food tastes better when it is shared with others.

Hummus recipes and chili sauce recipes to follow. -another day....

Thanks for dropping by the J-Zone

and

remember to believe in yourself

...have fun....

....share your wealth....

-j

Post Script: Link > All you wanted to know about hummus but were afraid to ask.

I googled it for your convenience.

Baja, Mexico.................a focus.............of............many..................different...........................people..............and places.

Sun, 27 Apr 2008 16:43:12 GMT

A very comfortable "greeter".

No hola here ...............zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz............taking a mid-day siesta.

Why are doors and openings and entrances and exits and pathways such great subjects to photograph and ponder?

The true definition of a mini-mart.

I love the political posters posted up everywhere in Mexico.

We also saw vehicles driving around with bullhorns and loudspeakers fastened atop their roofs

vocally broadcasting and advocating their political candidates.

Why don't we see more political posters pasted up across city streets and neighborhoods in the U.S.A.?

Why don't we have more

folks driving around with bullhorns strapped to the roofs of their vehicles audibly promoting political parties and candidates?

Didn't this used to happen in the U.S.A.?

What happened?

Baja Mexico's Seguaro Cactus e Cacti thriving amongst an ancient ocean bed of active ingredients.

Sat, 26 Apr 2008 15:28:48 GMT

Deserts are not just black and white and dead.

Deserts are full of living plants and creatures that creep and buzz and fly about with magical delight.

Stately Saguaro

The word Saguaro, is pronounced, "Sah-wah'-ro,"

Click here for more saguaro information: (link)

Plateaus dot the landscape.

My brother stands 6 foot 1 inch. - How tall do you think this Saguaro is?

How old would you guess this Saguaro to be?

Look closely at the tips of this beauty and you can see buds and flowers.

My brother spotted this cactus flowering above his head.

I zoomed in quite a distance with my telephoto lens and tried to capture a humming bird sipping nectar from this bud.

As you can see I had no luck.

The sweet, busy, humming bird hovered, drank, and darted.

Close up of the bloom (s) that attracted the humming bird.

Serious desert scientist at work checking out the wind ratio with an archaic weather meter/device.

- I believe this ancient method of weather forecasting may be as accurate,

if not more accurate than our modern-day meteorologist instruments.

Bright yellow bloom displaying its colors alongside its red prickly protection.

Piles of massive volcanic rocks are scattered throughout the desert.

If you look closely you can see where someone left their mark with a spray can tag of graffiti.

Pretty, delicate, desert buds that remind me of the wandering potato vine that grew in an alley way I lived by years ago.

Pan

Faun

I was able to capture the expression and face of this creature. - It kept on staring at me. ;o)

The image above reminded me of a Pan; a Faun that was portrayed in the movie Pan's Labyrinth.

BTW, have any of you seen the movie, Pan's Labyrinth by Guillermo del Toro? Laberinto del fauno?

I highly recommend it.

See more about Pan's Labyrinth (here)

Travel in your head and in your sleep and in your dreams and with yourself and alongside friends and amongst family and nature.

You will find a gold mine of platinum thoughts and ideas and knowledge and wisdom and questions you never knew existed.

Let the inner and outer world of wonder, erupt within your heart and spirit and soul.

Share your time.

Travel the universe.

Thrive.

In search of...................an image.....................a New York Times newspaper..............print edition.

Fri, 25 Apr 2008 15:29:07 GMT

In search of:

A Wednesday April 23, 2008 paper edition of the New York Times newspaper
with a front page color image of
Hillary Clinton, holding hands with her daughter, Chelsea and both are standing face to face and looking into each others eyes and smiling with a background full of supporters with signs and banners and faces full of life and enthusiasm and red white and blue confetti falling around them.

I saw the image on line located on the New York Times website and should have printed it out or saved the image THEN/ Immediately. -I didn't realize it would be so difficult to come across it again.

The image is SO inspiring and impressed the heck out of me.

I don't want to get political here; - I want this blog / electric-journal to remain art related.

I will not say which candidate I am leaning towards.

The photograph of Hillary standing with her daughter,
Chelsea sharing what looked to be a very private and personal moment surrounded by hundreds of admirers MOVED me.

I loved the message. Very moving.

There is more to this story...

I had to get that New York Times newspaper in my hands! So I drove downtown and found a metered parking spot between the Library and Post Office. Went into the library to see if the N.Y.T. daily newspaper was available to view. It was no where to be found! I had the a librarians assistance to help me. We searched EVERYWHERE with no luck.

I asked the kind librarian if he knew where I might find a news stand selling N.Y.T. newspapers. He directed me to a liquor store located on 9th and J Street and there I found a newspaper for $1.25 BUT......it didn't have the photo of Hillary and Chelsea on the front page. (What?)

So......I went home and found out there are two editions of the N.Y.T. printed daily. One local; one National. I think the version I'm in search of is located in N.Y.C.

(Hey, Jennifer, great time to make a trip to the East coast!....it's been over a week since you've taken a vacation!....;0) My life is charmed ......I'm sure)

I'm gonna get that N.Y.Times edition in my hands some how.

I found the option to print the front page headlines of the paper off of the N.Y.T. web site but it's modified to reveal only the photographs and headlines and masthead, -the fine print is too small to read, perfect for printing and framing.

I didn't print it out....yet...

I must find it now again. -It hasn't been easy. When I do find it I'll manage to...

"get'errr done!"

In the meantime, while I was downtown I took the opportunity travel on foot taking lots of "Random Life" photos, and made it to the top floor of one of the tallest buildings to take some panoramic photos of the beautiful spring-green Sacramento Valley floor.
(photos to appear here someday soon.......and........ I have to go back and take some more high-rise shots as my camera's memory card ran out of memory.)

I also popped into "THE CHAMBERS" a classic, old, downtown, drinking lounge that is connected to a wonderful old-school diner called "Jade Garden" to take a peek around.

I was SO impressed! The lounge had a very welcoming atmosphere about it. A very small intimate space with black walls and black ceilings and low lighting and had original artworks for sell hanging on the wall.

I love good ol' fashioned establishments.
Trendy is as trendy does and but established IS sometimes better.

Ughhhhggg there was even a portrait someone took the time to paint of G.W. Bush.......ughhhhgggg.....!
(Oh, yeah, I said I wasn't gonna get too political here. Oooops! all of the sudden I'm feeling nauseated. )

http://www.iraqbodycount.org/database/ -just a tad-bit-o-reason why Bush and his admin. make my stomach turn.

Toodles, Poopsies!

Take advantage of the time you can find between each minute.

Really, a minute can be a VERY long time.

Test it out by counting to 60 by the thousands.

One thousand, Two thousand, Three thousand...

SEE!!!?

Dia Uno..........Day one........Road trip along Baja, Mexico's super duper loooooong two lane highway.........

Mon, 21 Apr 2008 14:47:03 GMT

After lots and lots and lots of hours on the road

we finely spot the...

Mexican seaside!

One of many small Mexican fishing villages.

Brand new smooth dark two lane highway.

Celebrating!

My brother kindly releases the caps off of a pair of DOS EQUIS Cerveza

while we wait for our Taco Stand tacos to be prepared.

My brother takes in the the last glimpse of scenery at dusk

before darkness falls upon us

during a long journey towards our

overnight sleeping destination, El Rosario.

(Thank you, bro., for being such a cautious and confident driver)

Pretty lights sparkle down a busy palm lined Mexican Main Street

Stopping at a local taco stand for an energizing snack

for my private tour guide and pilot.

-That being my brother.

A local scooping up tacos and sauce and tortillas

and

enjoying tasty

"exotic"

meats.

Yep, brains and gizzards and stomach linings and much, much more are offered to delight one's every whim and salivating-fancy.

When in Mexico do as the Mexican's do?

I'll try most anything 'edible' at least once.

I'm a risk taker.

-You be one toooooooo!

Tune in tomorrow for Cacti time!(yeehee!)

Hola!

Dashboard duties of devine intervention. Loads of fantastic fascia fun and photographs taken while traveling a pathway to another world. - See definition of the term "fascia" at the bottom of this entry. No confusion -K? Only fun education! A Documentary

Sat, 19 Apr 2008 15:19:26 GMT

In the beginning...

We saw...

CHRIST!

A gigante statue of Cristo!

- view through the luna e sol roof of my brother's vehicle.

Hola, Cristo e Jesus !

Chromatic Delight

The image above reminds me of a retro postcard from yester-year. -Don't you think?

Note: I love the way the electrical wires dissect the sky.

I fooled around with the above image zooming in and cropping and adjusting the Adobe Photoshop filter, Sharpen > Unsharp Mask.

I think the hue and saturation came through to that extreme level without taking it through the Hue and Saturation dialogue box (short-cut key 'control 'H')

The images above were taken once we passed the Mexican border town of Tijuana.

Note: Most of the photography I took on this trip across Mexico's Baja landscape and architecture was snapped documentary style.

I didn't lean towards 'fine' photography this trip, (Oh! but there are more than a million opportunities to do JUST that. O.M.G.!!!) but rather I happily snapped the shutter lens of my camera without too much thought to details. I just wanted to delight with whim and fancy the free adventures and memories of traveling on a pathway, a roadway, a segway in time.

(Did my use of the term "segway" make any sense to you? - or am I just being poetic. (?)....

Whatever the deal...segway sounds right to me for the moment.)

Where's my EDITOR? ;0)

FYI :

The name "Segway" is a homophone of "segue" (a smooth transition, literally Italian for "follows").

PT is an initialism for personal transporter while the old acronym HT was an initialism for human transporter.

AND the term "Fascia" revealed:

A dashboard, dash, and sometimes fascia (chiefly in British English)

For other uses, see Dashboard (disambiguation).

The dashboard of a modern car, a Bentley Continental GTC

A dashboard, dash, and sometimes fascia (chiefly in British English) is a control panel located under the windshield of an automobile. It contains instrumentation and controls pertaining to operation of the vehicle. During the design phase of an autombile, the dashboard or instrument panel may be abbreviated to IP.

Originally, a dashboard was the upturned screen of wood or leather placed on the front of a horse-drawn carriage, sleigh or other vehicle that protected the driver from mud, debris, water and snow thrown up by the horse's hooves. ^[1] ^[2]

Thanks e Gracias for taking the time to check out my J-Zone!

Happy trails to you!

Beautiful Peaceful Easy Serene Bahia Asuncion, Mexico...

Wed, 16 Apr 2008 16:02:35 GMT

Bahia Asuncion's 'Deposito Corona' structure located in Baja, Mexico

Look at the Deposito Corona building in the background.

My brother's family is modifying it into a beach house!

- Keeping the original logo art and advertising on it.

Way cool and fun and SO Mexico!

(Thank you, Brother, for the more-than-wonderful road trip / adventure.)