When they said, 'Clear your desk', he took that further than they had intended.

When I worked for a school board in Toronto we used to have to clear our desks for the trustees' annual tour of the building (why did they tour the building? -- no idea). Now I regret not going farther than they intended.

Well, I did actually quit my job there, eventually. Maybe that played some unconscious role in the taking of this picture.

If the grocery bags are full of groceries, there is a lot more to the story than just desk cleaning! I suspect they are miscellany hoping to be picked up by someone scavenging. I've had to get rid of my office chair several times now when they stop locking in a raised position that lets my arms and wrists operate in the positions they were made to. I dismembered the last one and put it in the garbage bin, but hey - somebody might have come by and taken it.

But who cares about all that? If it weren't for the incongruous curbside items, this scene would be sterile suburbia, enlivened by the maroon car driving by with no reason to stop. Maybe a real estate office across the street, or apartments where the police are called on Saturday night to quiet the inflamed row upstairs or perhaps a rowdy party. Bah, humbug.

Those bags are common sights in suburbia here, Bob; they're for yard waste. I'm getting the impression they're not used elsewhere. Another reason why photos shouldn't try to send messages. Anyway, this neighbourhood has big backyards and a climate like yours, so spring cleaning is late and bountiful.

And with a climate like yours the earth heaves here and subverts the neat suburban ideal.

And as I mentioned to Keith, your comments and his have revealed to me why I'm taking these New Topographics-style photos. I'm chronicling the subversion of the neat suburban ideal. Thanks to you both.

Superb shot! Stay well!

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Thanks, William. You, too.

Like a painting ! Great, John !

Thanks, Ulrich. I hadn't thought of it that way, but your point is well taken.

Cleverly composed John. I like the way the lamp post breaks the horizon and the red car sort of balances out the large tree on the right. The wonky post in the foreground catches the eye but as rdhinmn intimated above, it's the office chair and brown paper sacks that steal the scene and leave us guessing why they're there!

Thanks, Keith. The wonky post is a utility installation, so not maintained by the owner. To someone from around here the purpose of those bag -- holding yard waste -- is immediately obvious; so I was surprised that people from elsewhere didn't recognize them. But your and Bob's comments have helped me realize what I'm actually doing with these New Topographics-style photos -- chronicling the subversion of the neat suburban ideal, so thanks to you both.

A well balanced composition, with the chair and bags certainly grabbing the attention and creating an enigmatic feeling.

Thanks, George. This scene has been begging me to take its picture for some time, but only after several days of trying did I find a composition I liked (and that I had much to do with the three items that appeared for curbside collection). So it's good to know that others like the composition, too.

Uh-oh, did you get fired, John? I like the wide open spaces shown here, even though it's in town.

The difference in open space between here and where I was living in Toronto is stunning, Diane. You can actually shoot in the early morning and early evening here. In midtown and downtown Toronto the sun doesn't reach the ground till late morning and leaves it in late afternoon. And you have to look up to see the sky.

Can't fire a self-employed person, by the way. I have often described myself as self-unemployed, though. Work has been slow lately (several clients have retired or died) but I still believe I will be a millionaire in a year or so. I've believed that for my entire 28 years of self-unemployment. It has to come true eventually.

Hehe - when you become a millionaire, will you still speak to me? As for open spaces, I've noticed the same here, as so many of my shots illustrate. I think it's the sky that is so different. Big, multi-layered and busy, unlike the coast I came from. Even though there was the ocean, the clouds were grey, flat and boring.

I hope I'll talk to you, Diane, but I remember an old Hector Breeze cartoon showing a factory worker at his machine with a fellow dressed as a butler beside him, and off to the side two workmates, one of whom says "He said his pools win wouldn't change him, but already he's hired a bloke to put his fag-end behind his ear."

Hahaha! A sign of high class!

A nice spot to sit in the sun and watch the world go by