29 Beaumont Street

 I love to walk around city neighborhoods, enjoying the architectural details that go by too fast in a car. This fine building stands at an oddly shaped intersection in London. The accoutrements of a gracious home are still here: wrought iron doors and numbers plus a brass doorbell and letterbox, all set within an entryway of terra cotta bricks. Let's stop a moment and imagine what it might have been like in the nineteenth century to ring that bell and be ushered inside.  This is my little postcard to you, with a reminder to slow down and enjoy the street-level views.

Parking Lot

 A square of hexagon mesh languished in the street. "What is that?" I wondered, and looked around. It had escaped from a gravel parking lot. Apparently, they no longer simply dump loads of gravel all over an empty lot and hope for the best. First they lay down grids to stabilize and even out the surface. The lot was in need of more gravel. Exposed squares formed a fascinating pattern that appeared and disappeared across the surface of the lot. I took many photos, but resisted the urge to walk off with one of the mesh squares. My suitcase was already packed.

Fading Coneflowers

 Yes, here I am with more coneflowers. Weeds have crept into gardens and many flowers have lost their enthusiasm for putting on a show. But this patch of coneflowers makes my heart sing. Their colors are changing; some are darkening, some have taken on a more complex tone. They offer a gentler palette of soft, faded Victorian colors. Those who mix paints or dyes will recognize that they are the colors you get when you mix in a little bit of a complement. It's a lesson in color mixing, offered gratis by Mother Nature on a hot day.

Hobbit House

 Well before Tolkien wrote about hobbits and elves, someone built a handful of homes that are fantastical interpretations of the houses that can be found in an the English village. Instead of a thatched roof, skillfully placed shingles ripple and curve like the scales of Smaug the dragon. Arched windows echo the roof.  Carefully chosen stones add color (and more of an American Arts and Crafts flavor) to this facade. Last year, we happened to drive past one of the other similar homes just as workers were ripping off the roof. I do not have the nerve to check on that house. Who has the skills or the cash to replicate those curving shingles? Instead, for now, I will find joy in this still-intact architectural gem.

Hot Sauce

 There are a lot of hot sauces out there. So many, in fact, that I took this photo in a store where they've had to alphabetize them. My photo shows perhaps twenty percent of what was available in this store. Packaging is such an important part of selling a product. Colors can help. The reds, oranges and yellows on these shelves, suggest the idea of heat. A clever name or beautiful label could encourage a shopper to grab a bottle. But I am still wondering who buys that great big bottle of liquid heat on the bottom shelf.