Snapshots with Princess Nell

Nell is ready to go :) 

An overcast day is perfect for thinky thoughts.

Green flourishes in the algae-populated wastewater.

Day 29: They still think I am a real tree.

Those two distant dots in the concrete are a man and his dog.

There is so much going on in this backyard... 

To the right, we have the secret garden...

Pink, white, red, and purple bougainvilleas.

Maybe these birds are spelling out a song... too bad I can't read music. 

Little white dove, you came to the wrong neighborhood... 

Homeless people live in those cement dugouts... 

Pigeons in flight.

We arrive at the city of Cypress. 

Some little details that could not be captured by photo were

The intimidating glare emitted by a mob of gangster-looking ravens, strutting their avian swagger. 

The wall of air that hits your face, taking you aback, when an entire flock of dusty gray pigeons suddenly takes flight at the first sense of a threat.

The gaze of an old man as he slowly pulls the strings tighter on the hood of his wife's fleece jacket, and then cocoons her face with his warm hands. 

The concrete and soda-can smell of wastewater, flowing into the artificial stream from car washes, commercial plazas, and nonexistent rainfall. 

The pruned hands of a young woman standing in her backyard, furiously hand washing a load of laundry in a large white plastic bucket. (Twenty minutes later, when I was on my way back home, she was still washing.)

The feeling of nervousness when you suddenly stumble upon a bearded homeless man, and immediately wonder if you can outrun him. 

The feeling of guilt when he merely looks at you with tired eyes framed by deep wrinkles, and you look away.