Zombie Dolls

 In a suburban neighborhood where friendly blow-up ghosts and happy jack-o-lanterns signify the arrival of Halloween, one house stands out. A teenage girl, tired of her Barbies, Disney Princesses and Monster Highschoolers has transformed them into a zombie army. They march stiffly across the lawn, all with glowing yellow eyes and a deadly pallor. Their faces and clothing are stained with blood. Four Horsewomen of the Zombie Apocalypse ride behind. Neighbors with young children may look askance at this tableau but I salute maker’s the creativity and dark humor.

Tombstone, BonaventureCemetery

 The first people were laid to rest in Savannah's Bonaventure Cemetery in 1850. Spread out on land that was part of plantation, it has all the required southern features: brooding rows of live oaks, heavy drapes of moss that sometimes brush your shoulders, rusty fences bordering family plots and a host of carved angels. John Muir slept on top of graves here in 1867, on his Thousand Mile Walk. Nowadays, people tend to think of Bonaventure as the "Midnight In the Garden of Good and Evil" cemetery. This is the perfect time of year to visit such a peaceful but also possibly spooky site.

Dogs, Dogs, Dogs

 One of my favorite stops at an annual street fair is the booth presenting needle-felted dogs. Tracy Shue is a fiber artist who really knows her dogs. Corgis, terriers, beagles, pugs, labradoodles---you will find puppies and adults of every possible breed. Her business, Walking Olive, delights everyone. Somehow she captures the essence of each dog, right down to the stance and expression on those fuzzy little lifelike faces. Best of all, everyone who stops to look walks away smiling.

Spotty Leaves

 Is this strange? Is this ugly? The brilliant glowing yellow was what first caught my eye. But society tends to connect irregular patterns like these spots to the idea of blemishes. The conventional idea of beauty leans towards smooth, balanced, somewhat unsurprising shapes and patterns. These leaves are intriguing. The blotches have edges with hints of purples and blues. The speckled pattern bubbles up into tiny surprising beads of texture. Each leaf has contorted itself into odd shapes, like potato chips tumbling from a deep fryer. Beautiful? Fascinating? Does it matter?

Romanesco

 There is an odd-looking vegetable that is rarely found at the grocery store. Romanesco is a brassica, the same family that gave us broccoli and cauliflower. With a texture like an alien from outer space and bright chartreuse color, it remains a novelty.  Romanesco's spiky protrusions are perfect examples of fractals, repeating patterns found in nature. Is it just me, or does anyone else also see a group of wildly creative but very bumpy crocheted hats??