Diaphanous and Delicate Jellyfish

Mesmerizing, floating, and incredibly varied jellies swim at the Monterey Bay Aquarium.

World Trade Center Mural

WTC Mural, photo by Matthew Hobbs (© 2003 some rights reserved)

This mural known as "Forever Tall" was painted on the side of a restaurant on the Lower East Side of Manhattan in the days following September 11, 2001. Upon seeing it, the twinkling flowers in the outline of the Twin Towers amidst the other city lights evoked an emotional response in me. I felt the vibrancy of the souls lost as something separate from all of that sameness. This work of art was my favorite out of all the memorials and dedications from that period around Manhattan. I'm relieved to have found it documented as I missed getting to the area with my own camera. Thirteen years later, yes, we remember.

Balancing Beach Art

Last week, I took a mini-vacation to San Francisco then a friend graciously drove me to Monterey for a family wedding. We stayed in Cannery Row for the night, and stumbled across these sculptural balancing rock formations (known as rock cairns) on the beach just in front of our seaside lodging. Are they art? Or are they some form of meditations? The guy who made them was out there day and night hoping to catch some tips from enamored tourists like us.