Settle down. Let's not go totally off the road in the first paragraph.

Indeed. We'll see how the day goes forward, but we're feeling just fine after yesterday, let me tell you. Hup!

There's an Autumn Lights Festival of some kind later this evening down by the lake, so we have an event to photograph. I purchased a ticket online last night, so we're committed. After starting this day with that plain vanilla breakfast I described in yesterday's (somewhat meandering) entry. Hup!

Later. Soon after our little bright and chipper beginning we set out to take a look at the Saturday's farmers market by walking along the lake and then on to the morning café for a cup of (half water and) coffee, staff members commenting: “my goodness, weren't you just here?”. I'm already a joke there, so no real damage. We persevere.

A walk on back home tarrying briefly to consider waiting on the bus instead of walking, a long line of people streaming along the lake as I passed by. I'm pretty sure they were walking for some cause, this is quite common on the weekends, but couldn't make out any of the signs and t-shirts in the distance and so waited until I could enlarge one of the pictures here at the computer to find a logo. I have no idea what it is or who they are, but they're walking.

Still, a good start to a morning, even if the pictures seemed half hearted. Point and shoot, no blink, no think. Actually - no blink, no think - that, if it's taken with a bit of Zen, is not a bad way to take pictures. I was more in the “take a snapshot just to take a shot” mode, knowing there were moves and angles I could have explored to make them better. You always know when you're in gear or goofing off if you're paying any attention.

I set out with a 105mm lens, a nice lens, but limiting (as are all lenses) in the pictures they can take. Even then, walking in a 105mm world, I guess my heart wasn't in it. No complaints, it happens, I'm aware of it, we'll see if we can't do better this evening at this Autumn Lights in the Garden Festival.

And so a nap?

Well, no. We're feeling pretty good, although heading out again for something like the downtown to sit out at a table seems overly repetitive. Don't want to head to San Francisco, although it's still early, we could do that. Except we won't.

Later still. A bus downtown (stopping at the ATM was the rationale that got me out of the apartment), a walk then on farther to the City Center for a crêpe (out at a table) before returning on the bus, stopping at the 7-11 lookalike for an ice cream cone. I've discovered ice cream is good medicine for that thing with the dry mouth.

That thing with the dry mouth?

Just a touch, nothing over the top and the ice cream took care of it.

I noticed a series of these on the bus, stopping to photograph one on the way back. The real estate market seems (and I stress “seems”) from recent press to have started to turn around in the area, but three percent down isn't necessarily a good sign. Phrases like “no down, no payments for twelve months” and similar come-ons aren't necessarily a good sign. This from someone who started his work life running numbers for a real estate investment firm, true, but with little or no direct experience in the housing market. I would suggest you be really suspicious, though, when they throw in a free pony.

Otherwise, the head in a bit of a bubble, but more a sort of standard every day bubble rather than a bad day bubble, so we'll comfortably say our day is going well. Still sunny, a shirt sleeve temperature, approaching mid-afternoon. Autumn Lights in the Garden is coming up soon, we'll see if we can't get some better pictures.

And cut out the carping.

And cut out the carping.

Evening. I wasn't sure what to expect, but the Autumn Lights Festival held in the various garden areas by the lake was, well, interesting. A picture or two starting with the early evening light, more pictures as it started to get dark. I passed an older Asian couple thinking I'd seen the woman before, passed them again, two people among the (large, but not overly large) crowd, recognized the mayor. Made sense, the major and her husband attending a garden event.

So maybe an hour and a half of walking around drinking the glass of wine that came with the ticket, taking pictures that I hoped weren't too shaky, heading home at about half past seven thinking I'd rather not be walking alone along (even) Grand at night. Silly, of course, there were plenty of people about, no problem walking along Grand, although you wouldn't want to be wandering in the darker end of the park beside the lake.

Home now, that glass of wine feeling nice, a pint of ice cream I picked up along the way a good substitute for dinner, another small bottle of Jack Daniels yet to be opened. I'm thinking maybe another night for the Jack Daniels, although it certainly aided my sleep last night. Not a good enough rationalization? I suspect it's not. Best to take it easy, I suppose, having had so much sensible advice over time on the alcohol subject. Larger than life soft drinks now seem to have been added to the list.