Yield!

I saw this sign being enveloped by this heart shaped green vegetation and I just had to grab a pic. It always makes me laugh to see these signs because everyone I know says San Antonio drivers don't know how to yield. Even my sister who was born and raised here bitches about people that yield when they shouldn't and those that don't when they should.

For those at Fort Hood:

“That which causes us trials shall yield us triumph: and that which make our hearts ache shall fill us with gladness. We must pass through the darkness, to reach the light.”-Albert Pike

La Luna

The moon was incredible tonight. So big and orangy looking. This was an early shot, before the bigness and the orange stuff happened. I tried to take one later, but the movement of the car did not help me get anything but light streaks. My niece of course was enchanted by it, although she was convinced like most kids her age are that the moon was following us.

Fall is Here

When I saw this tree on the wall the first thought that went through my mind was cool. I like how they brought this tree to life. Check out some books about Fall.

The Blue Line Stops Here

The Blue line of the VIA trolley's now stops in front (Soledad) of the Central Library in downtown San Antonio. Previously it stopped on the right (Navarro). It doesn't much matter to me where it stops since I used to take it when it was on the right, but still this is nice. I take advantage of that line especially during the holidays when I take jaunts to River Center Mall for shopping or to grab pics of the Christmas tree when it goes up.

Theme Day: Door ways

I decided to emulate Paris Daily Photo and kill two birds with one stone. The theme for this month is door ways and today is also Dia de los Muertos. I thought this photo covered both of those nicely. This is a shot from San Fernando Cemetery on Castroville.

Undead Scrub

I didn't get to take much pictures of the trick or treaters coming to the house this year because we were mobbed beginning at 5:30 and all the way through 8:30 p.m. I got a few pics and this was one of them. It was a pretty good costume. In the background you can see Dexter, the serial killer that only kills bad guys. Watch the series or read the books.

Trick or Treat One Day Early

Saw this line up of people and finally realized that they were Baptist employees waiting with treats for the kids from the neighboring day care center to be brought out to trick or treat. I know most hospitals do the same thing for the children in the hospital at Halloween time too.

The Light of the World

Baptist Hospital in downtown San Antonio does this pumpkin carving contest every year (or for the past couple that I have noticed) This year the money made would go to the Employee Crisis Fund. People can pay to vote for the winner. 1 vote is 25 cents or five votes for a dollar. I usually try to vote but I didn't get a chance to this year--I did get a chance to get a shot of all or most of the pumpkins in the contest this year though. I liked the simplicity of this one.

Halloween 80s Style

This time of year people bring out their knives and other carving tools and go all medieval on some pumpkins. Props to those who can name this pumpkin. The younger crowd will have no idea, or think they do, but will be wrong.

Perfection

I had to grab a pic of the sky and this is what I managed. The sky was so blue, the trees were so green, the temp was just about perfect, the sun was out (but not burning) and there was a slight wind. This for me is Fall perfection.

Those Hoods

You see kids in their hoodies everywhere--they're just not for kids anymore. Even I am always on the hunt for just the perfect hoodie. I like it to be fleece lined, but not too thick. I prefer black and somewhat embellished if possible (if not that's cool I can do it myself and pay way less too). Recently we were out shopping and my sister being ever helpful points out a few to me, but none of them were just right, especially when she started pointing out the Hannah Montana ones. Yikes! If y'all spot any good ones let me know. P.S. they must be zipper fronts, no pull over and I like those hand pockets in the front.

One Shirt

Saw this shirt today and I loved it. I know people say we Texans are too much in love with our sports, especially football...but damn this shirt says it all. I'm not much of a sports fan, but I do love my Texas teams.

Roadside Retail

It's not just in those other countries that you will see people selling stuff on the streets. This is not strictly in San Antonio. We are just about to enter Elemndorf as you can see from the sign, but it's close enough not to matter. This seller has cans to sell. I think they use these mainly to burn trash/brush because of the burn bans in some of these counties. I've also seen people selling grass, fruits and veggies, rugs/carpets and even purses and stuffed animals. Of course people also sell the usual candy apples, puppies, pinatas, cars, shirts, shoes, etc--although that tends to be more in the city than in these more rural roads.

Central Construction

The Central Library has fallen victim to that San Antonio Construction bug. :D I like the orange of the cone and the black of the curtaining because it goes with the Halloween season.

Jail Adjacent

I hadn't been this way in a while so this building to the left of the jail seemed new to me. I wondered what it was and my sister postulated that it was an addition to the jail.

D.D. Flores and Son

This is on Commerce Street if I'm not mistaken. Not sure quite what D.D and son do, but I liked the look of the sign. I pass by here quite often and I don't think I've noticed the sign before, either that or it's always been there and I've just been as unobservant as usual.

Wiggly Grub

I'm posting this just for T. former member of SADP and now blogger of Seguin Daily Photo. It's not quite a caterpillar, but it was yucky indeed. There was a hole in the dirt from some recent digging and while I was waiting for a drop off I was watching this thing wiggle about. Kind of makes you wonder what other things are wiggling around beneath our feet.

Riding Home Into the Sunset

The drive home is usually not so bad for me, but then I'm a passenger as opposed to a driver. I can sit back and relax and enjoy the kind of skies that have been gracing us lately and of course because I'm not driving I can take as many pictures as I want.

Alice In Wonderland

Saw these movie posters while at the theatre. I love the colors and can imagine that next year there will be quite a bit of people dressed up as these guys during Halloween. If I'm not mistaken they are also doing an Alice version for cable/TV.

Where The Wild Things Were

Unlike most people I have never read this book, at least not that I remember. My 14 year old niece recalls it very fondly. My sister wanted to take the kids and usually she can't drag me along with her, but the previews looked very good so I went. I think my sister and I enjoyed it more than the 6 and 5 year old with us. We saw this at Cielo Vista so for us and a few other people, that's where the wild things were, at least that day.

Danger

These danger signs always freak me out just a bit when I see them. Now me all I really wonder is what would happen if there was smoking, open flames or sparks around this area. Some other people might be tempted to find out for sure--you know those people who are especially adamant about doing something they've been told not to do.

Coming Down, Part 3

Here is the final shot of the Fiesta Tower. It has been fully disassembled and all that is left is the black metal stand. Not sure how long it will be gone, but I'm sure it will be missing from the Central Library skyline for at least some while.

Coming Down, Part 2

Here's a second shot of the Fiesta Tower being taken down. Most of the metal stand can be seen in this pic as the man in the cherry picker is carefully taking down the pieces of glass.

Coming Down, Part 1

The Fiesta Tower by Chihuly that has been reigning supreme at the Central Library in downtown San Antonio is being taken down to prevent damage while the Central Library is undergoing renovations. At this point the take down had just begun, as you can see from the little bit of the black metal stand that you can see up top.

Overgrown

Saw this across the street from the Municipal Auditorium. It looks like those lights at football stadiums, the ones made famous by Friday Night Lights. I'm not sure whether these are still in use, but I liked how it looked choked by the greenery.

Shopping in Heels

Was at my local H.E.B. when I caught a load of these shoes. I kind of like heels, but don't really like to wear them unless they are pretty low. I usually choose my shoes by if I can run like hell in them...just in case.

Saturday Night Football: Jay vs Taft

Went to the Jay vs Taft homecoming game, not to see the game but to see the half-time show (Saber Guard). We rooted for Jay because although we did not go there some people we know did and still do. A former SADPer was the mascot for a while. :D

Wok Inn Asian Cafe

We've been meaning to try this restaurant on Potranco. We finally got a chance and it was pretty good. Worth going back for. I had chicken and broccoli over steamed white rice, some egg drop soup and an order of edamame.

Halloween Decorations are Up

There's not much decorations up in my neighborhood. Other neighborhoods I've lived in the houses might be a little beat and the people not bring home so much money but their houses get all dolled up for the holidays.

This year I added a bit more decorations: the hanging Scream like guys, more spider webs including some glow in the dark Halloween orange lights, and a specially made Halloween wreath. :D

Flags UnFurled

I love to see the flag flying in a breeze. These happen to be the United States flag and the Texas flag. I love that the red, white and blue of the flags is reflected in the colors of this shot.

Birthday Flowers

Pretty colorful flowers that bled into their water. Today was my niece's 5th birthday and she got her first bouquet of flowers. She loved them. Her little brother loved them tto, so much that he requested a bouquet of his own for his birthday next month.

I remember when I was in school they sold all kinds of flowers that were dyeable for all sorts of occasions, from Valentine's to Homecoming to Mother's Day. I think they still sell them to this day, along with other more modern ways of making money.

Genghis Grill Dinner

A Genghis Grill opened up a bit ago by our house. My sister and I had been wanting to try it out and we finally did. You walk in get assigned a table and then go to put your meal together. I had pork, potatoes, broccoli, baby corn over steamed rice with a sweet and sour sauce (I think). We had a guy come and help us out with our selection which was great. He did tell us to pile our little bowls high because the stuff would shrink down a bit, but as you can see I didn't follow his orders. Regardless I still wasn't able to finish the whole plate, but it was good.

Pro Plus Mills

I pass this building by sometimes if we go a different way home than usual. The area around it is pretty beat down, but quite a bit of it seems to be on its way to a revitalization. Hopefully this will be next.

Sharply Angled House

I see this house every once in a while as we go home the long way. It's located on W. Martin. I like the shape of the house and have always wanted to get a shot of it. This is not the best shot, but it's the best one I've gotten so far.

Banned Books Week Display

Took this pic at the library. They are really big on freedom's and rights and will defend everyone's rights to them.

Visible in the background is the cover to Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card and Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury. I love, love, love Ender's Game. One of my favorite books of all time and Fahrenheit 451 was The library's Big Read selection last year.

Banned Books Week (BBW) is an annual event celebrating the freedom to read and the importance of the First Amendment. Held during the last week of September, Banned Books Week highlights the benefits of free and open access to information while drawing attention to the harms of censorship by spotlighting actual or attempted bannings of books across the United States. - ALA

Theme Day: Contrast

This month's theme day is Contrast. This is a photo of the Central Library in downtown San Antonio. Contrasts are easy to find at this library as the vibrant colors of blue, yellow, purple, red, and orange and used all over, along with white.

This shot was taken from the lobby of the first floor looking up to the second floor. Visible in this shot is the Fiesta Tower, a blown glass art piece done by Dale Chihuly.

Sheraton Frost Bros

This is a pic of the Sheraton Gunter parking structure and the building labeled in the back with Frost Bros is now a fitness center I think. I like how they kept the old writing on the wall as the case may be.

Ready for Halloween

I have not been to many cemeteries and none outside of San Antonio, so I don't know how common this is, but I have noticed that local grave sites tend to be decorated for whatever holiday/occasion is current. I like it.

Angelus Funeral Home

On the way back to work from lunch at Demo's we passed by this. I didn't even think about it until another co-worker mentioned Angelus in the context of Buffy and then of course I had to get a picture of it.

Malling

I didn't have much use for malls when I was younger beyond a way to get out of school if it was offered. I forget what we were at the mall for on this day, but I like going to:

• People watch and
• To score books

I saw the kids on the right and thought they were cute. The lady on the left looks like she might have been giving me the evil eye, but that could just be my paranoia talking.

Cemetery Walking

Went on a walkabout of San Fernando Cemetery on Castroville Road while my sister went to some workshop at Our Lady of the Lake University. We have some family buried here and I was hoping to "unearth" some of them. I lucked out and found my grandmother and grandfather on my mother's side, but will have to go back for more in depth research at a later date. I enjoyed looking about but was a bit weirded out by walking on the graves. I wasn't quite sure what the protocol was, but in some areas you can't help but walk on some buried remains.

Sky Watch Friday

Walking to and from dropping off the nephew at school this was the sky I was greeted with. How could anything be wrong in the world when this is above you. It's no wonder that as children we spend many an hour speculating about what we see in the clouds.

Steel Trucking

Every once in a while I see a CMC Steel Texas truck alongside our car as we drive to work. Every time I do see one I have to smile because it reminds me of an old SADP blogger who know blogs on her own blog: Seguin Daily Photo. Check it out, her shots and writing are awesome. /me waves at T.

Rain, Rain, It Came Again

It's so nice when we actually have to pull out our umbrellas because of the rain and not because of the sun, or at least not totally because of the sun.

Designer Dress

For Hispanic Heritage 2009 the Library challenged some designers to come up with some library centric designs for Quinceanera gowns that would be shown at a fashion show. They put up all the designs up as a display, which I'm glad of since I didn't get to make it to the fashion show. (I regret missing the photo op more than anything else) This one actually looks pretty nice. This also reminded me of that show that Heidi's on about the designers, which for the life of me I just can't remember the name of, and I'm just too lazy to Google/IMDB it.

The Wall

It looks like another segment of the Southwest School of Art & Craft wall is done. It looks so nice and clean, like a clean slate. I wonder how long that state will last.

Super Job

It's that time when Halloween Super Stores are opening up all over vying for our cash. This one store is out past 1604. They had some good stuff, but some of it is fairly pricey. From what I hear though, employees get 20% off--back when I worked retail that was our discount too.

Bookmobile

Saw the Library's Bookmobile between stops. It's hard to miss is it not?

• Learn more about the Bookmobile.
  
• Where can I find the Bookmobile?
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The Love Mobile

Saw this car on my way home. Every time I see a car like this it reminds me of one of my sisters first dates. Her date was coming to pick her up but we had no idea what kind of vehicle he would be arriving in. As cars passed by we thought this is it, and when a car like this came driving up my sister was like please don't let that be him, please don't let that be him. Well of course it was him. Now this car is pretty nice. The one that picked her up was a little different and a lit more beat up. As a high school girl, she just couldn't appreciate it I guess.

Mother and Son

There was an exhibit at the Central Library Gallery about Judge Albert Pena, Jr. I liked quite a bit of the paintings, but this one really drew my eye. It reminded me of all the family members past and present that were in the military.