Daily Photo

I think I’m so used to El Hub and my family not even blinking an eye anymore when I whip out my camera to take pictures of food that I forget it’s kind of weird.

Last Sunday I was craving Puerto Rican food, so we drove down to Sol Food in San Rafael, one of my favorite restaurants when I want something upbeat, tasty and lively.

When we go, we usually eat outside on their back patio, but it was packed that day, so we grabbed a couple spots on their small counter pressed up against a wall.

The walls are painted bright colors and have lots of neat textures, like old doors, fastened to them.

I’d never noticed the doors hanging on the walls before because I’m usually entranced by the old pictures, but this time I took a ton of pics with my camera of the walls and, of course, my food.

I was clicking away, oblivious of time, when I noticed a woman sitting next to us at the counter looking at me funny. El Hub said, “She does this all the time,” referring to me and my picture taking. “ALL THE TIME.”

Hahaha!

The lady, Dottie, was very nice. “That’s a little weird,” she said.

“Yeah, it is!” I agreed. “I always take pictures of my food. It’s kind of my thing.”

Dottie was a blast. Hey, Dottie! 🙂 Even though I’m pretty sure she isn’t reading this, whatev.

She said she was 65 years old, but she didn’t look anywhere near that. Of course I had to ask her for her secret. She said, “healthy living, and an ‘I don’t give a sh*t attitude.'”

Who knew?!

I ordered large quantities of fried food because my PMS was/is in overdrive. I had a niño pobre — breaded fried prawns on toasted french bread with lettuce, tomato and cilantro lime mayo — and mariquitas, which are sliced, fried green plantains. And an orange mango iced tea.

Yeah, my tummy just rumbled. 🙂

Did you ever draw on the sidewalk with chalk when you were a kid? I remember doing that a lot… Sometimes we’d use real chalk when we were lucky enough to have some, and sometimes we’d also use these white rocks we’d just find on the ground around the neighborhood.

Chalk rocks, we called them.

Yeah, I was never as good at street art as these folks here…

Behold the marvelous madonnari of Marin County!

Last weekend El Hub and I went to an Italian Street Painting festival in the town of San Rafael. Basically, the town closed off a section of street, and then a bunch of madonnari, which is Italian for “street painters,” created works of art right there on the asphalt with chalk.

All of the works were somehow themed around the 1940s, with some of them more lighthearted than others, but there were lots of different styles and subjects represented.

It was very cool watching the artists work, and I actually saw a couple things that reminded me of applying eyeshadow.

One girl cracked a big piece of chalk into smaller pieces she then sprinkled over a section of what looked like her subject’s leg, and then worked the smaller pieces together with her hands to create a wash of color.

Totally reminded me of messily applying liner on the lids and then smoothing it out with a buffing brush.

One of my favorite works was the one of Vivian Leigh from Gone With the Wind (there’s a pic down below). It almost looked like a photograph. The blues and greens in her eyes were so beautiful…

Oh, incidentally, while I was there I also had my first Rainbow Popsicle in about 20 years! 🙂

So, what happened to the paintings after they were done? I’m not sure, but I spoke with someone later that day who said that they’re all just washed away…

They’re photographed extensively, and there’s a raffle and donations to raise money for different causes and charities, but yup. Pretty soon they’re gone.

Behold, my new favorite accessory!

It was a gift from my brother and his girlfriend (looks like they know me well).

The nails are MAC Rebel and the purse is Kate Spade.

Clearly, the world needs more accessories with husky tabbies on them. 🙂

I’m nearly not as excited about these as El Hub is (he loooooves spicy food), but I like the shapes and colors.

Why am I’m tempted to rub one of those red ones on my lips?

Why?

No, Karen, don’t do that. You’d regret it. Instead, why don’t you look for a lipstick in the same color?

Yes, sometimes I talk to myself in the third person. 🙂

When I walked out my front door the other day I saw these beautiful flowers in my neighbor’s yard.

I was like, “Oh, look!” I’m being greeted by flowers.

That’s the thing about other people’s flowers… We’re allowed to enjoy them too. 🙂

Do you have any neighbors who have a lot of flowers?

Honestly, I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to eat a sad, half-@ssed store-bought tomato ever again.

I’m ruined for tomatoes.

Simply ruined.

OMG, the ones growing in my deck garden are finally starting to ripen, and let me tell you — biting into one is like instant food ecstasy. The flavor is so intense that my eyes roll back in my head when I bite one, no joke!

I’ve yet to try those lemon cucumbers yet, but I will.

OH, I will… 🙂

How’s your summer garden coming?