A lovely autumn day. Woke to the sound of rain which eased my weary mind after a long week of client stupidity (do not speak to me of hotels in Dallas or cars in Houston lest I scream and break your eardrums). Pottered around the house doing various chores and accruing moral superiority as a result. Scanned in some photos from Sedona for the imminent update of my Ring of Photography page. Drank tea out of one of my recently unearthed Limoges tea cup. Admired a tufted titmouse which pecked at the seeds scattered outside the sliding glass door to the backyard until it suddenly noticed two tail-switching, chittering cats crouching on the other side of the door. Tried to memorize exact shade of crimson in the trees when the sun is shining on them and the sky behind them is filled with dark slate-blue rainclouds.
Then I went to my hair appointment. Halleluia, I've found a hair stylist I like. I waited two months for the appointment, and she charges twice what I've paid anyone previously, even in Manhattan , but it was worth the effort. She repaired the ravages I inflicted on myself earlier this month with the scissors, and tamed my tangled locks back into the smooth bob I prefer. She's also convinced me to grow out the sides of my bangs (the British 'fringe' is so much more descriptive; I wonder where 'bangs' came from?) which, as anyone who's ever tried growing them can attest, is a colossal pain. She knows what she's doing, and she doesn't want to chitchat all through the cut, thank god. I'm sticking with this one. I haven't had a decent haircut in a year.
Afterwards, I ate lunch on University Avenue in Palo Alto where I marveled as always at just how wonderful it is, and how lucky I am to live near a thriving university district, and drove up to Brisbane to see my best friend Denise. We spent an agreeable three hours looking at each other's photographs and discussing photography. I'd like to try some Polaroid emulsion transfers; hers were fantastic. Of course, she's an infinitely better photographer than I am, and her basic images were amazing before she even peeled back the film covers and slapped them down on cold press paper, but I think I could do some nice work. Besides, I improve every year. Good artists inspire me.
As I drove home just after sunset the sky was a clear, translucent robin's egg blue. The coastal fog was welling up behind the hills, silhouetted by the western light, and it looked as though the hills themselves were dissolving into tattered wisps floating up into the air.
Tonight, the wind which blew away the rainclouds is rearranging the newly fallen leaves. The cats are eager to find laps whenever we sit down. The air is chilly when I walk the dog just after midnight. The undercurrent of ancient anxiety is strong tonight: winter is coming, and we must prepare. Forage, nest, stockpile. My nerves dance with excitement. Winter is coming.
