Cell Snaps - Day 2 - Colors

Sometimes I see an object/scene/person/situation and I just want to take a picture.  Oftentimes, I can't even figure out why I want to take a snap of it and mostly it is something ordinary like leaves on the ground or the shadow of a fence. But one thing I definitely am drawn to are bright colors - and shiny objects - don't make fun :/ 

Por ejemplo: Out in Julian today I saw this (rather creepy) five-winged cardinal windcatcher.  Even though it was a gross mutation of bird anatomy, the vibrant color was so beautiful against the bare branches and clear sky.  Mountain air makes everything seem crisper.  I love the mountains!

Also, the other day I was making a stir-fry seasoning in a mortar and pestle (what do you call that? pounding? crushing? pwning?) out of garlic, cilantro, peppercorns and kosher salt. When I scooped the finished product into a spoon and set it aside on my cutting board I spied another colorful vignette:

(Also, please don't let the texture mislead you, this seasoning is yummilicious! It's pungent and peppery and herby all at once.  I stir-fried it with some shredded left-over roast chicken for a quick and easy week-day dinner.)

Am I alone in this (aside from the magpies)? What everyday objects catch your fancy?

New Year, New Project(s)

Let me just say I am not a good photographer.  Sure, I wish I was, and I see the beautiful photographs that other people take and I seethe (I mean seethe) with jealousy.  But I am just not patient enough to learn about aperture and focal distance and how to work all the whatchamacallit settings and doodads on even my point-and-shoot -- so I guess my below-amateurish skill level is on me.

In addition to being impatient, I'm also very lazy.  Even though I carry my little point-and-shoot with me (in a purse that seems to be a bottomless pit) I rarely use it.  When I take a spontaneous picture, its usually on my cell phone.  There is something about cell-phone camera pictures that I love.  Maybe it's their inherent spontaneity, or the slightly fuzzy "real-life" quality of them.  But I find that those images capture the moment so much better than I am able to do with a "real" camera.


Anyhoodle, I've decided to start a new project based on my love of my lil' cell phone camera!

The rules:

(1) Photos must be taken with my cell phone camera.

Actually, that's the only rule. Sometimes I like to edit the pics with filters from Snapbucket, and the phone itself has a few setting, but they are - for the most part - SOOC.

I'm going to try to do this everyday for a year! (sort of a pseudo New Years resolution)

And since this is the first post in my little project - BONUS PIC:

What do you think? Will this project keep me busy and the cabin-fever blues at bay? I always feel a little funky when I'm between teaching jobs.

What about you? What passions (hover small) do you have? What projects will you begin this year?