WCB

Weekend Cat Blogging #268

I had no idea what to post for Weekend Cat Blogging (I have been so focused on the performances, rehearsals and other goings on).  But while sitting on the patio this morning, I saw Luna looking up at something, and managed to get a few good pictures.  Here is one.  It is definitely worth doing the “click to enlarge” thing:

[click image to enlarge]

I have no idea what she was looking at.

Yesterday on a whim I tried out the HD video feature on my camera – this camera is for still photography, so the video feature was mostly coincidental – and caught a bit of Luna scampering about.  You can hear her give one little squeak early in the video.

Behold the power of HD video to use up hundreds of megabytes of slightly shaky and blurry motion!  Also, as this an impromptu recording, the house is in the middle of normal daily use, with cat toys and the incongruous bright blue yoga mat spread out in our usually clean living room.  (Actually, the cat toys are usually scattered about.)

While on one of my long urban walks yesterday, I saw one of the mobile adoption stations set up by the San Francisco SPCA.  This one was along the Embarcadero, near the Gap company headquarters.  Lots of kittens, mostly curled up for an afternoon nap.  We certainly hope they find good homes.  The mobile adoption stations are out regularly in the summer, so if you’re in San Francisco downtown, check out their schedule and stop by.

Weekend Cat Blogging #268 is hosted by Nikita and Elvira (the new edition to their household) at Meowsings of an Opinionated Pussycat.

The Carnival of the Cats will be hosted tomorrow by Kashim, Othello and Salome.

And the Friday Ark is at the modulator.

Weekend Cat Blogging #267

Between the Outsound Festival and other things going on here at CatSynth, we barely had time to squeeze in Weekend Cat Blogging.

I returned home briefly last night between various events to rest for a moment and of course to spend a few minutes Luna. With camera already in hand and made a few photos of Luna near our favorite glass-and-metal table. It caught a bit of blue in the reflection, and inspired me to make this image with everything but the blue reduced to grayscale:

Later that evening, I encountered some feline themed art:

This is a moment from a 3D film/video by Kerry Laitala that was screened last night at SOMArts. I did not see the kitten featured on the exhibition website, though. I will have a review of the full event at SOMArts soon.

Aside from brief excursions in photography and visual art, the last few days have been dominated by music.  For each of the groups I am working with, wehave compositions that we print on paper and then read during rehearsals and performances. It is a lot of work.

But is sheet music tasty?

On the subject of tasty treats, our friends Kashim, Othello, Salome and Astrid are hosting special edition of WCB dedicated to Sher, who passed away unexpectedly two years ago. In addition to being a dedicated and supportive member of Weekend Cat Blogging, she was also a food blogger who published many recipes which I have used over the last few years. We will go back to the archives and try some more as soon as things calm down a bit and we have time for luxuries like well-prepared home-cooked meals.

Weekend Cat Blogging #267: In honor of Sher is hosted by Kashim, Othello, Salome and Astrid at PaulChens Foodblog?!.

The Carnival of the Cats will be up today at When Cats Attack!.

And the Friday Ark is at the modulator

Weekend Cat Blogging #266 and Photo Hunt: Free

For Weekend Cat Blogging #266, we present some photos of Luna relaxing in the dining area.

A contrast of colors, texture and shape.

This is also perhaps one of our weaker attempts to fit the Photo Hunt theme this weekend, which is free. Relaxing in a favorite spot is a fine way to spend free time.

Weekend Cat Blogging #266 is being hosted by LB and Breadchick at The Sour Dough. It also marks the approximate 5th anniversary since WCB was started by a group of mostly food bloggers who set aside a day on the weekend to blog about cats.

The Photo Hunt is hosted as always by tnchick. This week’s theme is free.

The Carnival of the Cats will be hosted by Nikita Cat.

And the Friday Ark is at the modulator.

Weekend Cat Blogging #265: Health and Creativity

The themes of this month here at CatSynth are health and creativity, and we reflect on those themes for Weekend Cat Blogging.

We have started a recent phase in our beginning yoga practice centered on opening up creativity, prosperity and opportunity.  It is of course also good exercise and helpful for health and well being.  Luna enjoys joining in, too:

Photography continues to be a central form of creative expression, even as I need to balance it with music, especially with several more shows coming up this month.  Luna obliged me earlier this week by posing in front of one of the patio sculptures on a warm afternoon:

I got several great photos from this session, one of them appeared earlier this week during Wordless Wednesday.  Here is a small version, but readers are encouraged to check out the larger version in the WW post.

Weekend Cat Blogging #265 will be hosted by Jules and Vincent. Because of the Independence Day holiday here in the U.S., the roundup will be up on July 5.

The Carnival of the Cats, will be up tomorrow, July 4, at Mind of Mog.

Nikita Cat will be hosting the monthly Bad Kitty Cats Festival of Chaos on July 4 as well.

And the Friday Ark is at the modulator.

Weekend Cat Blogging 264: Cats in Santa Cruz

Last weekend I made a brief visit to Santa Cruz (where as many readers know I lived for several years). While walking around with a friend, I was reminded of how many cats are around, in front yards and on sidewalks. Here are a few of them:

This cat appears to be enjoying the plants in this garden, or perhaps something hidden amongst the plants:

Cats are a rarity on my walks around downtown San Francisco, though I occasionally encounter them in the Mission district and in industrial areas.

Weekend Cat Blogging #264 is being hosted by Nikita Cat at Meowings of an Opinionated Pussycat. His dad often takes photos of cats he sees on walks.

The Carnival of the Cats will be up this Sunday at One Cats Nip.

And the Friday Ark is at the modulator.

Weekend Cat Blogging #263

Last weekend was exceptionally warm here, and we opened the whole doorway between the patio and the main room. Luna enjoyed some time outside in the morning before the stones got too hot:

She does like to play hunt with insects she comes across:

Having both patio doors open gave me different views on familiar objects inside. For example, we have seen Luna pose next to the glass table many times, but from this new angle one could see the reflections from the colored lamp. Little spots of color against the black, silver and glass.

We will be looking forward to enjoying a quiet Father’s Day tomorrow…

Weekend Cat Blogging #263 will be hosted by Othello at Paulchens Foodblog?!

The Carnival of the Cats will be up this Sunday at When Cats Attack!

And the Friday Ark reaches a milestone today with #300!.

Weekend Cat Blogging: 5th Anniversaries

This past Thursday we celebrated Luna’s adoption anniversary (aka “Gotcha Day”).  For Weekend Cat Blogging we present some photos from our celebration that evening.

Of course, there was yummy food.  In this case, Sardines, inspired in part by a (human) recipe I had heard on the radio few days earlier and still want to try out.  Luna devoured her feline fish treats with aplomb:

There were some cards from friends.  And of course, new toys.  I was particularly fond of this toy, which seemed apropos of this year:

Luna was not quite as interested (though I did see her kick it around briefly):

On the other hand, she took right away to this black mouse toy and spent quite a bit of time kicking it around, even getting it stuck on a shelf and pawing diligently to get it out.

And after a spell of vigorous play, it was time to relax:

Not only is this Luna’s fifth adoption anniversary, but it is also the 5th Anniversary of Weekend Cat Blogging. It was started by group of primarily food bloggers who set aside a post on the weekend for their cats. We found it back in 2006 as I was first starting this site. This special edition is being hosted by LB and breadchick at The Sour Dough.

The Carnival of the Cats will be up this Sunday at Nikita’s Meowings of an Opinionated Pussycat. And the Friday Ark is at the modulator.

Weekend Cat Blogging #261

We at CatSynth are happy to be hosting Weekend Cat Blogging #261.  It’s a delightful weekend here, one to step outside and enjoy.  And we hope we have a lot of cats come join us.

In order to participate, please leave a comment below, or contact us, and we’ll be happy to add you over the course of the weekend.

And without further ado, let us get started with the round-up:

First up, Nikita Cat provides definitive proof that cat lovers are not brainless. Thanks to MRI technology, see how Nikita performs a “cat scan” on his dad’s brain.

Next we have Parker caught in mid-yawn, or is that a roar? In any case, it sounds like Parker is looking forward to a nice weekend with some outside time on the deck (similar to Luna’s excursions on the patio).

Seeing double?  No, this is “whiz-kitts” Daniel and Mikey, a pair a litter-mates in and old photo (as one can tell from the CRT monitor, anyone remember those?).  They are part of the family at Kittens ‘n Things.

Samantha and Clementine are getting along better, but still have their differences, as can be seen in this Smilebox slide show they have put together to share this weekend, complete with captions of their antics and background music.

We are delighted to have Jules from Judi’s Mind Over Matter join us this weekend.  “Jules and Luna have something special in common,” as can be seen in these pictures.  Black cats and white blinds are also a good visual combination, as we have shown in some previous photos.

More of our fellow black cats are joining us this weekend, including Maruschka from Rosa’s Yummy Yums. Her eyes almost look orange in this photo, as does the rug on which she lies.  They leave us with an apropos quote from the band Danzig: “Big black witch cat.  Yes, you cast a real strong spell…”

Finally, Spot (aka “Harry Spotter”) and Fiona are happy to be reunited with their family after their mom and dad’s trip to China.  And it looks like they have a new human member of the family!

That concludes the round-up for this weekend.  Thanks to everyone who participated!  (And if we did miss your entry, please let us know and we would be happy to add it retroactively.)

Weekend Cat Blogging #260: Close-ups

For Weekend Cat Blogging, we present some new close-up portraits of Luna. These are inspired by the weekly Friday Close-ups” from our friends Mickey, Georgia, and Tillie.

Close-up portraits are a practice I am still working on. These were done by just picking up the camera with its zoom lens and shooting – I would have opted for the fixed-width portrait, but with a cat you have to be ready to use whatever you have on hand.

Here is another from the same series, in monochrome:

For those who haven’t seen it yet, please check out my review of the Quickening Moon Concert which features a video of Luna. And we will be hosting the Carnival of the Cats tomorrow here at CatSynth.

Weekend Cat Blogging #260 is being hosted this weekend by Nikita Cat.

The Carnival of the Cats will be up here tomorrow at CatSynth!

And the friday ark is at the modulator.

Weekend Cat Blogging #259: Industrial Cat

At the end of April, I was visiting open studios along Islais Creek. I have been here several times before, and took advantage of the evening like to take photos along the creek. The main landmark, this old industrial crane, should be familiar to long-time readers of this site:

Walking around, I espied a small tuxedo cat walking around on the ground. Once it saw me, it immediately ran off and through a chain link fence into the neighboring lot. But he (or she) did come out soon, and I was able to get some photos through the fence:

The cat was definitely curious but wary .  A few minutes later, the cat posed on some wooden objects that provided a geometric backdrop (once again, from behind the fence).

When I see cats among the old buildings or lots, they are often skittish and immediately run to hide. So it’s rare that I have a chance to intersect cats and industrial landscape this way.

Weekend Cat Blogging #259 is hosted by Pam at Sidewalk Shoes.

The Carnival of the Cats will be up this Sunday at One Cats Nip.

And the friday ark is at the modulator.