07-30-15. A man and his dog dressed as a watering can and a Chia Pet at a dog park.

07-29-15. The antennae of a stink bug in a Georgia peach orchard.

07-28-15. A woman uses a keyboard in a cider house at harvest time.

07-27-15. A young woman in a skirt poses in front of Gaudí's Sagrada Família in Barcelona, Spain.

07-26-15. Imagining poking at my least favorite food near the Golden Gate Bridge at sunset.

07-25-15. A seesaw beside a Roach Motel.

07-24-15. Curtains at the O. K. Corral.

07-23-15. A tourist's flask of whiskey during the Running of the Bulls in Pamplona, Spain.

07-22-15. A camper eats bacon at sleep-away camp.

07-21-15. Zebra print in a vampire's bedroom (as seen in The Sims).

07-20-15. A black hole in an ancient copper mine in Timna Valley, Israel, possible site of King Solomon's mines.

Harrods Kilim (61)

"Harrods Kilim (61)", oil on canvas, 24x24". For sale on Etsy.

This is me, with a slightly enlarged forehead, reading a book. The book is Museum of Innocence by Orhan Pamuk, who is from Turkey. Behind me is a rug with a blend of various Turkish kilim patterns. My randomly selected topics were Harrods Green (color #61 in Naomi Kuno's Colorscape book) and Turkey (from my DK Family Encyclopedia). Harrods department store is mentioned in a chapter of Pamuk's novel.

I'm fascinated by the larger story behind the novel. There is a real museum in Istanbul connected to the book. In it are exhibits corresponding to more than 80 chapters of the book, except for Chapter 24, The Engagement Party, which is the one that mentions Harrods. I loved the concept, but the actual novel left me kind of cold, hence my blank expression in this portrait. I wasn't able to finish the book before I had to return it to the library. I had too many other things going on every day. The confused kilim pattern behind me represents this constant distracting activity.

07-19-15. A pulmonary doctor checks a lung scan on her iPad during a trip to a rocky cliff.

07-18-15. A model in tears over her tears at Versailles.

07-17-15. Fireworks exploding near the Washington Monument and its circle of flags, July 4, 2010.

07-16-15. A salt shaker at Stones River Country Club in Murfreesboro, Tennessee during a 2012 wedding.

07-15-15. Benjamin is 7 months old today.

07-14-15. A diving board in a field of sunflowers.

07-13-15. Travelers sharing road trip photos while waiting at an airport boarding gate.

07-12-15. Scrooge McDuck fights the Giant Moon Rat boss on the surface of the moon.

07-11-15. A wreath in How the Grinch Stole Christmas on Broadway.

07-10-15. A woman carries her diapered baby through an Austrian ski lodge.

07-09-15. The Boomerang, a 1930s boathouse at White Rock Lake in Dallas, TX.

07-08-15. Imagining my family and myself on an ecotour of a Mongolian grassland.

07-07-15. Happy 3rd Birthday, Maxwell!

07-06-15. Ferry captain Bill Nearhoff wears a moustache at Sinclair Inlet in Washington State.

07-05-15. A researcher sprinkles feldspar clay for a marker horizon in a salt marsh.

07-04-15. A climber takes Diamox for altitude sickness on top of Mount Olympus.

07-03-15. Sittin' on the dock of the bay trying to get better reception.

07-02-15. I pinky swear with Harold that what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas.

07-01-15. A young man listens to "Heartbreak Hotel" at Chichén Itzá.

06-30-15. Checkpoint Charlie is such a mess now I might as well drive a Goldfish in front of it.