Some have learned the way to turn themselves to trees

[sovay]

It is amazing how much the dominant note on returning from any masked walk in the cold is "Oh, thank God, now I can blow my nose." Yesterday we left the house late enough in the day that spatch got some incredible dusk-lit pictures of the part-demolished high school and it was too cold for me to take my hands out of my pockets without a better grade of gloves. This afternoon we made a point of bolting from the house before sunset hit. I took a bunch of photos, but almost none of them came out as I wanted, more than documentary. Rob took a carefully, quickly unmasked photo of me. I did not at that time think to blow my nose.



We were right that this building was not scheduled to survive the renovations. Now its windows really open into sky.



Around the side of an apartment block on Highland Avenue. I loved the embers of the brick in the setting sun.



At the edge of the library. There was a rather nice daymoon just out of shot.

Everything else I had planned for the day was crashed by pain, but the mail brought me a substantial hardcover of The Book of Dragons (ed. Jonathan Strahan, 2020) courtesy of selkie, so I should be fine on the couch for a while.

Comments

[selkie]

That apartment building looks very like a place out of time. Like, I had to blink at it a second.

Hey, it arrived! And not via Lichtenstein! *hugs*

[sovay]

That apartment building looks very like a place out of time. Like, I had to blink at it a second.

We get a lot of buildings that like around here. You should be warned when you visit.

Hey, it arrived! And not via Lichtenstein!

I was fully expecting it to arrive next week!

*hugs*

[asakiyume]

Haha, yes, right onto the sky. And yes, the color of that sunset-touched brick is marvelous. Your face is rosy too, though maybe more from the cold than the sunset.

[sovay]

Haha, yes, right onto the sky. And yes, the color of that sunset-touched brick is marvelous.

I was so glad it came through. A lot of the other photos came out more dully or flatly than they looked to the eye, which frustrated me.

Your face is rosy too, though maybe more from the cold than the sunset.

It was just above freezing when we left the house and just below freezing when we returned to it!

I miss walking around the winter city so much.

[julian]

Love that first picture.

(Calluna has the Book of Dragons! Among other things, great cover. But also it has a McKillip story!)

[sovay]

Love that first picture.

Thank you!

(Calluna has the Book of Dragons! Among other things, great cover. But also it has a McKillip story!)

I saw! Traditionally she writes good dragons.

[thawrecka]

Gorgeous photos!

[sovay]

Gorgeous photos!

Thank you!

[minoanmiss]

The photos are lovely, and I really hope you feel better soon.

*nakes note of Dragons*
*is still working on the previous Dragons project*

[sovay]

The photos are lovely, and I really hope you feel better soon.

Thank you!

*is still working on the previous Dragons project*

*is patient, undemandingly*

[gwynnega]

Great photos! I hope you feel better soon, but at least you have something good to read meanwhile.

[sovay]

Great photos! I hope you feel better soon, but at least you have something good to read meanwhile.

Thank you! The feeling better has been a little sketchy, but the book situation is good.

Re Hot Ruins

[nodrog]

Archaeologists in Pompeii, the city buried in a volcanic eruption in 79 AD, have made the extraordinary find of a frescoed hot food and drinks shop that served up the ancient equivalent of street food to Roman passersby.

https://www.reuters.com/article/italy-pompeii/archaeologists-uncover-ancient-street-food-shop-in-pompeii-idUSKBN2900D3

Re: Re Hot Ruins

[sovay]

Archaeologists in Pompeii, the city buried in a volcanic eruption in 79 AD, have made the extraordinary find of a frescoed hot food and drinks shop that served up the ancient equivalent of street food to Roman passersby.

Yes! I saw about the thermopolium! I love that sort of thing. Thank you for making sure I knew about it.

Re: Re Hot Ruins

[nodrog]

People are people, and it's astonishing sometimes how “modern” the Romans were - or vice versa (no pun intended).  Gladiators did product endorsements - they were going to include that in the R Crowe movie Gladiator, but the audience would have taken it as a joke by the filmmakers, spoiling the mood of the story!

Re: Re Hot Ruins

[nodrog]

[By the bye, if it seems sometimes that my comments are irrelevant non sequiturs that ignore what you’ve actually said, I do apologize; I could only say (and mean) what others here say.  I seek to provide more interesting content, when I can, to entertain and distract from chronic problems.]

Re: Re Hot Ruins

[sovay]

I seek to provide more interesting content, when I can, to entertain and distract from chronic problems.

I appreciate the check-in. I never mind interesting links, even if off-topic. Sometimes I haven't seen them.

[thisbluespirit]

Aw, I am sorry about the pain. I hope it's a bit better today.

And the photo of the half demolished building is particularly good! Poor building.

Yay for books in the post. :)

[sovay]

Aw, I am sorry about the pain. I hope it's a bit better today.

Thank you. Monday was a wash to the point where I keep thinking it's Wednesday, but today does actually feel like an improvement. I'm just sick of the sliding scale at all.

And the photo of the half demolished building is particularly good! Poor building.

I do feel bad for it! I hope it is replaced by a worthy successor that people enjoy teaching in and that doesn't fall down around them.

Yay for books in the post.

Books are so important.

[moon_custafer]

Oooh, what is that eldritch silver lapel pin?

[davidgillon]

I was wondering that myself.

[sovay]

I was wondering that myself.

See below!

[sovay]

Oooh, what is that eldritch silver lapel pin?

It is a mimic octopus! It was my birthday present last year from spatch.

[davidgillon]

It's so you!

[sovay]

It's so you!

Thank you!

[selkie]

I was going to say this, but you get such wonderful comments every time that I thought they should all go to you. It must have been brand new when I saw it and clearly it is now, in addition to all its original intent, apotropaic guard against scallop woods.

[sovay]

It must have been brand new when I saw it and clearly it is now, in addition to all its original intent, apotropaic guard against scallop woods.

Good! Something should be!

*hugs*