Gross

In honor of Halloween, we're going to meditate on the word gross. Don't know about you folks, but it was disappointing around age ten to find out that the word gross had another meaning or two. Bushels of peaches or turnips. A farmers almanac sounding relic. We liked gross for under-the-bandaid, barfy, moldy warty things, with over-sized sticky, icky, slimey parts that are the wrong color - perfect Halloween accessories. Those other grosses just didn't have the punch that the real gross did when it was young and new.   

We did not want to hear about the GROSS domestic product. Or really how much they grossed, because there are too many zeros to keep track of. Boooooooooo0000000000!

You Guessed it! Alan Greenspan guru-not

And hats on to Occupy Wallstreet!  I'm so heartened that the Rage has finally taken hold and hope they have a good sleepingbag. The gutsy activists are pinpointing the GROSS negligence and Obsene Gross Margins that the few did with your toiling hours, all gambling and golfing it off. 

On to simpler gross things such as the gorgeous color palettes of molds and decay around the Ranger's grounds.

Nature takes care of potentially gross things by processing vigorously back into earth while turning many colors, textures and shapes.  Of knowing how to make use of everything it has got. Autumn nutrients.
May your Haloween have just the right amount of  gross, or funny or clever or scary or plastic or elastic or delicious in it. If not, there are always memories of sorting and trading candy on the floor with tired feet and molars packed with tootsie pop mortar.  And feeling gross the next day (possibly crazy too).
By the way, Halloween is expected to gross 6.86 billion this year, consuming second place only to x-mas. Therefore, by gum, it must be a factor in our Gross Domestic Product.
Booooooooo!

Found Art Friday 64

Welcome to The Department of Homeland Inspiration! 

For today's contributions, we have a continuation of tree appreciation. This one from Jim Smith in Torrey Pines (shhhhh) State Park:

Another from Bonnie Hotz of the Central Coast:

"Are those two different sized boobs and the hole is where we make deposits
to the heart?"

Wow - have you made any heart deposits lately?  Or set up your goal posts?

Here is Richard Piscuscas finding some "wildlife" in L.A.

 which flashes back to this hospital waiting area found by Ellis Lindenthal

And do you like where the lichens like to stick?

Okay, one more thank you to Steve Jobs for being visionary.
Praise be the Cut and Paste!
Share your curious shots here: FAF@homelandinspiration.org

Found Art Friday 63

Welcome to Found Art Friday 63.
For this week's images, The Art Ranger notices a cornucopia of animalia, so here is our inquiry:
Why do photos with animals evoke narrative so easily? Whole greeting card companies have sprung up.

It was out in front of the bank in Seaside, where the Art Ranger spotted This Dog on the dashboard of a sunburned maroon Izuzu truck. We knew instantly that her name was Suzy.  She may be tired of her job and her wardrobe, yet she overlooks it and is loyal and virtuous to the end. A wise and potent overseer.

Recyclables Collecting Vehicle in front of a Costco, adorned with taxidermy iguana and can crusher.
The lady at the entrance who checks cards sings and hugs hugs and sings all the live long day in her padded puffy parka.

Mel was a rescued junkyard dog.  His owners were in a vaudeville comedy routine with him every day because they loved his unconventional charm and his backstory.  Plus, he willingly wore Halloween costumes.  Mel was a warm, loving piece of stubborn furniture. Until he wasn't. He went to doggy jail and became Mugshot Mel for biting the mailman's thigh.  Later they found out he had had a stroke and naturally was feeling bothered by nearly everything. Plus, it was still his dang junkyard! RIP Mel.

What goes around comes around? How can pigeons already have evolved such a petroleum based look? Those plasticky feet? The polyurethane eye? Taco shop in Santa Cruz

And two nature evokes narrative photos from Jim Lindenthal in Pacific Grove. Oystercatcher parenting scene. You work hard to get that stuff and hope to god they do something good with it.

A sun salutation? stretch by a young Harbor Seal.  The Ranger enjoys the solid still halfmoon shape hunk in contrast with the light pattern of wavelets in constant motion. You can smell fresh air in this photo.

Enjoy your autumn foods and weather.  Please see what you can see and send it to us: FAF@homelandinspiration.org.

Found Art Friday 62

Welcome to the Department of Homeland Inspiration!

Before we go a blogging, let's thank Steve Jobs right this instant for being so amazing and for innovating the infrastructure for us to even have this dialog around images.

This this week's Found Art Friday is dedicated to trees. Trees gathered from walks.  Since settling in the Salinas, California region approximately five years ago, The Art Ranger has fallen in love with the Oaks of the central coast.

Not just the trees themselves, but their acrobatic understanding of hill terrain, their interaction with mood of sky.

Here, nature gently reminds us who is boss on the passage of time, strong yet flexible the way we aspire to be.

 Wow, and then there is the whole subset of trees with holes in them.

And sometimes even trees with bees in them.

Dear random person of the blogoshpere, if you have any images of interest discovered in nature, out on the street or in a dusty corner that you'd like to share on this blog,

please send your submissions to FAF@homelandinspiration.org.  We welcome your participation and point of view.
Enjoy the fresh rain soaked colors.