Boop, rescue and fun name

- Poor kitty! It's Random Photo Thursday. :)

- Friend Leisa rescuing me from my angst in trying to get labels to format for a mass mailing I do every year. She pretty much did it. Thanks friend! And I got a kick out of her three dogs spotting me from outside, one by one. They lined up at the door with tails wagging. "We've got company!!!"

- And later, at a neighborhood pub, choosing a drink called "I Have a Babysitter Mojito" based on its fun name.

Rain, no arm twisting here and no regrets

- It's Random Photo Thursday and this depiction of a rainy night in midtown Atlanta is what I am hoping for the day: a rainy day and rainy night. So far, so good - I woke hearing rain and a little thunder off in the distance.

- Someone's birthday inspired a red velvet cake put out at work to share. Oh twist my arm! One taste and I knew it came from Henri's Bakery - real butter and cream cheese in the icing.

- A big fail on sticking with the vegetarian diet for the day by ending up at dinner with an entree advertising itself as Asiago Peppercorn steak. No regrets. :)

Cosette, the Eiffel Tower and French cooking

It's Random Photo Thursday and also Bastille Day in France. So here are three photos that are kind of French in nature. :)

- My company prints posters and such for Wolf Trap - I grabbed this one of Cosette from Les Misérables as I was coming in one morning and they were printing it, and hung it in my office. I love her face, taken from the portrait "Cosette" by Emile Bayard in 1862.

- This image of the Eiffel Tower is hanging in my kitchen. It is said that plans for the Eiffel Tower were originally met with extreme skepticism. A petition against its construction read, "We, the writers, painters, sculptors, architects and lovers of the beauty of Paris, do protest with all our vigour and all our indignation, in the name of French taste and endangered French art and history, against the useless and monstrous Eiffel Tower." Of course, Gustave Eiffel's Tower is now regarded as one of the most innovative structural monuments in the world. I have read that most Parisians still don't like it, but I would love to see it in person.

- And I have neither mastered the art of French cooking or made anything from Dorie Greenspan's around the French table cookbook, but there's still hope.

Lake Chatuge 1, 2, 3

It's Random Photo Thursday! These are from the edge of the Rhododendron Gardens in Hiawassee, Georgia of Lake Chatuge on Memorial Day weekend.

- So peaceful. Chatuge Reservoir, located on the Hiwassee River in western North Carolina, is 13 miles long and extends southeast from the dam into north Georgia. The reservoir was named after a nearby Cherokee settlement.

- A pontoon boat on a family outing comes by...

...and leaves rolling waves in its wake.

Poppies (I think), pizza substitute and give-away

- Poppies? I'm not sure. The one on the right looks like a poppy, but the one on the left looks a bit like a carnation. Photo taken from a neighbor's garden. When I see this flower, I always hear the Wicked Witch of the West in my head saying, "Paaaah-pees" when she throws them in front of Dorothy and crew to make them sleep in that field in the land of Oz.

- Watching a friend dig into a salad loaded with pizza toppings: shredded mozzarella cheese, green olives and mushrooms. There is red sauce on the side. When questioned, she reminds me that she is allergic to gluten, so this is the closest she can come to having pizza. She tops each bite of salad with a little pizza sauce.

- "Paris : distribution gratuite de concombres et de tomates." This is why it is so much fun to be facebook friends with American in Paris, David Lebovitz: his wall post this morning gives notice of "Free give-away this Saturday of cucumbers and tomatoes on the Champ de Mars in Paris (bring football padding to deal with the crowds!)" I guess!

Here comes the bride, the groom and windows

- It's Random Photo Thursday and we have three of them today - all taken on Saturday, May 21, 2011. (Click to enlarge.) This one was a bride on a photo shoot in Central Park.

- And there's the groom at the bottom of the steps. I love the boats in the water.

- Later that day, a man rather precariously washes windows.

Destination, classic rock and life is good

- It's Random Photo Thursday again! That is the Talmadge Memorial Bridge connecting Savannah, Georgia to South Carolina. Taken from River Street in Savannah on a blue sky Saturday in April 2009 - there for a "destination" wedding.

- Visiting a building that is home to the "classic rock" radio station 100.5 FM. The visit was unrelated, but a van all painted up with the station logos pulled out of the parking deck and inspired me to switch to that station for the afternoon. Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers were playing, a good choice for an afternoon drive.

- Someone who had behaved rather badly comes by to apologize. Life is good.