Happy Birthday, August!

My neighbors have a boy who turned one this past weekend, a handsome boy. Being the overachievers they are, they threw a lovely birthday party for him, not just with one cake, but also homemade banana ice cream, cupcakes and a little cake intended just for August to dive into all alone. And dive, he did. You've gotta love a boy who gets into eating and doesn't mind a little ice cream in his ear.

Orange is Sweet

This little house with a chair is hanging on my neighbor's fence. It won't fit a bird inside, so I'm not sure of its purpose. I think it exists to be sweet.

Electric Orange

I like a color that makes a statement, that isn't shy about what it is. I think these shades of orange are quirky and comfortable with who they are, don't you?

Off topic: I went to a birthday party the other night and met an elderly gentleman from Brooklyn Heights. He had the most charming conversation style, and was utterly engaging to speak with. He told stories about about his early days in New York and his occasional brush with famous writers and celebrities. He would say things like, "I have another anecdote I think you would enjoy, if you permit me ..." I found myself slowing down to listen. It was delightful.

Have you ever met such a person?

Pink Orange Red - Cocteau Twins

A special video to celebrate Orange August month. Enjoy, and have a delightful weekend!

Gentle Orange

My friend Leann (whom I never tire of talking about because she is so inspired and inspiring) brought me this guy last night. In spite of the fact that I seem to buy cashmere for the sole purpose of feeding moths, I should like to have seen him alive. (Really, I should just hang a cashmere sweater in the back yard the way some people hang bird feeders. I digress.)

I'm no pro at moth identification, but he appears to belong to the Polyphemus family (Antheraea polyphemus). Would you agree?

If you want to see more of him, go here. Flickr has just upgraded photostreams with bigger images, and improved geotags to make sharing images a richer experience.

More Orange for August

You know those Sprint commercials (or is it Verizon?) in which people walk through their days surrounded by metaphors in the landscape of the number of bars they have with their cellular service? I love those images, any images with things lined up nicely. Throw orange in, and it's even better.

What do you have that is orange?

August is Orange

It isn't news to anyone that different colors have different meanings from culture to culture. But orange seems to have a consensus of sorts. It's bold without the aggression of red. It's defiantly happy. It seems to stimulate appetites, creativity and sociability across nationalities. Native Americans credit orange with kinship, while China and Japan see in it love. I just like it.