The Teva tan is in full swing. I've only had on "regular" shoes once this summer. I wore them to a portrait job of coat-&-tie execs. I promised myself I was going to be in shorts this year but can't seem to deviate from my uniform of painter pants and a blue H&M t-shirt. I need to get these legs tanned in one day at Coney before summer's end.

Walking up Hudson Street I took a little detour through the garden behind St. Lukes while on my way to the thrift store. Walking along the path I had a flashback to my first years of photography shooting flowers and bugs with my trusty Nikon. I had a 50mm macro with me and took a few snaps of these tiny, delicate flowers. It was a sort of Zen moment. I may start shooting nature again as a form of meditation. I found it very calming.

Up in the Bronx I saw this guy sitting outside a bodega eating something he had just taken out of the trash. I asked him if I could take his portrait and he smiled and sort of mumbled "yeah... yeah...." As I raised my camera he closed his eyes. I shot a few frames and then asked him to open his eyes. He didn't respond. Then I noticed that he had cotton stuffed in both ears. I finally yelled, "open your eyes" and he did... but his face turned sour and almost demonic, even annoyed. After I finished I loudly asked him if I could buy him a drink. He smiled and said, "Corona." I gave him $2.