Out Standing… in their field

Yeah, yeah… but is what they do and what they were doing. I am especially fond of the bull in the hole. I’m sure there’s a twisted cliche in there – but one is probably enough for tonight…

Searching for Dystopia

Why else would we build this?

Baboons live in Paradise

If I was a baboon, this is where I would want to live. Hmmm… I’m pretty sure I’m not a baboon (though there are those who might disagree, I’m sure) but I think I would still like to live here.

Silos

Everything is art now. I’m not sure if that’s a good thing or a bad thing or just the way things are.

Pied Cormorants

Melbourne is a city full of reflections – everywhere I turned it seemed there was another version of everything. Here is a pair of pied cormorants enjoying the sunny day. The sky really was this mad shade of blue.

Oakley Creek Reflection 2 & 3

The more I look at these photos, the more I think Oakley Creek might be one of Auckland’s secret wonders… it manages to ramble through a lot of suburbia, yet I spotted only a couple of houses through the bush. It’s the perfect foil for a cerulean sky – the sort we get as a reward for having suffered through the endless dreary winter. I guess it’s worth it. What do you think? Here’s another take…

After the Landing

I was there. I saw it. And now you have too.

This is the 600th image in the series. Hard to believe that!

Monsters’ Lair

 

A couple of weeks ago I posted the Tale of the Monsters’ Hideout, the human’s eye view of the monster habitat in the heart of Auckland City. I also mentioned that I followed some young men down below the street for a monster point of view, figuring that they were young and tender and everyone knows that monsters only partake of fine, firm young flesh, no interest in an old bird like me (not that I consider myself all that old, but I would not hesitate to use that as a trump card in a stand off with a monster.)

So here we were, down below, in all that blue light, tunnels opening out into the water, mollusks creaking, water lapping, echoes echoing. Waiting and anticipating. Nervous laughter. Boyish dares and slightly nervous glances. But nothing happened. Nothing at all. No adventure, no wild story to report. Just this blue blue blue…

The tale of the monster hideout

This is the wharf area in downtown Auckland on a Saturday night. And that blue light below street level – I have not coloured or enhanced that, other than opening the aperture up to let as much light in as possible. But there really are blue lights down there, so below the street where people are drinking and eating and doing the sorts of things one does when one is out on the town, below the ‘normal’ place,there is the dark, blue place. And all the people up above – they just pretend it isn’t there.

Hello! That’s where monsters live! It’s where they wait. They don’t creep out until 3 or 4 in the morning, when all the sane people have wandered home and the late night crazies are roaming around, staggering a bit, holding onto each other, or to the railing. Leaning over the railing, gulping a bit more air. And the monsters leap up and grab them, pull them into the water, into the icy blue dungeon below the street. If those unfortunates have their wits about them and have the strength, they might be able to swim to the ladder and climb out. But of course the monsters can, too. If they want to. But if they don’t… they might never be heard from again.

Three teenage boys with expensive cameras wandered down there while I was watching, so I joined them. I figure if the monsters are hungry, they’d rather have one of them than me. They didn’t speak English, but I could see by their nods of recognition, they were looking for the monsters, wanted to get photos of them. It was deep and dark and their laughter echoed hollow on the dungeon walls. I think the barnacles creaked and there was a bit of splashing in the darkest depths. But no sign of monsters. Not tonight. Maybe next time…

 

Beautiful Blue

Apologies for the re-run, but it’s a bit full-on at the moment and this was taken back in 2009, the last time I was in New York. It’s a wig stand in a subway station. I do love New York!