on ice

We're back from our short adventure to North Carolina to visit my relatives. On the way home today we stopped at an ice rink near Knoxville for a couple of hours of skating. The ice ws so cold that my shutter finger began to freeze up after a while. I was still able to click off about 180 shots in all. (r)ouge, (t)onks and my wife all love to ice skate, and since we no longer have a rink in our area, they have to wait quite a while between skates. Everyone seemed to have a great time today. The last time I ice skated I fell 250 times, so I am guessing that ice skating is not one of my preferred sports . . . at least not as a participant. I do enjoy taking pictures of skaters though.
--------------------------------------------------
Song 254: Black Dog
Artist: Led Zeppelin
Album: Led Zeppelin IV (zoso)
Year: 1971
--------------------------------------------------

Hey, hey, mama, said the way you move
Gonna make you sweat, gonna make you groove.
Oh, oh, child, way you shake that thing
Gonna make you burn, gonna make you sting.
Hey, hey, baby, when you walk that way
Watch your honey drip, cant keep away.

*ah yeah, ah yeah, ah, ah, ah., ah yeah, ah yeah, ah, ah, ah.

I gotta roll, cant stand still,
Got a flame in my heart, cant get my fill,
Eyes that shine burning red,
Dreams of you all thru my head.
Ah ah ah ah ah ah ah ah ah ah ah ah ah.

Hey, baby, oh, baby, pretty baby,
Tell me what you do me now.
(repeat)

Didnt take too long fore I found out
What people mean my down and out.
Spent my money, took my car,
Started tellin her friends she wants to be a star.
I dont know but I been told
A big legged woman aint got no soul.

corkboard

Just like this corkboard in (r)ouge's room at home, my family is an eclectic collection . . . of people. There's my brother (e)ee who can do almost anything mechanical. He can rebuild an engine, refloor a house, build bookcases and cabinets. There's my sister-in-law, (b)ee who is a great story-teller, my nephew, jp, who can master a musical instrument in no time. There's my wonderful sister who takes care of my mother in such a great way. And my mother who has lead our family through the years with loving kindness. She is so sweet and fragile at 90 years old.

I have enjoyed visiting with my family and I would like to thank my neice for organizing our get together at my mom's house. We thoroughly enjoyed ourselves.
---------------------------------------------------
Song 253: Behind Blue Eyes
Artist: The Who
Album: Who's Next
Year: 1971
---------------------------------------------------

No one knows what it's like
To be the bad man
To be the sad man
Behind blue eyes

No one knows what it's like
To be hated
To be fated
To telling only lies

But my dreams
They aren't as empty
As my conscience seems to be

I have hours, only lonely
My love is vengeance
That's never free

No one knows what it's like
To feel these feelings
Like I do
And I blame you

No one bites back as hard
On their anger
None of my pain and woe
Can show through

But my dreams
They aren't as empty
As my conscience seems to be

I have hours, only lonely
My love is vengeance
That's never free

When my fist clenches, crack it open
Before I use it and lose my cool
When I smile, tell me some bad news
Before I laugh and act like a fool

If I swallow anything evil
Put your finger down my throat
If I shiver, please give me a blanket
Keep me warm, let me wear your coat

No one knows what it's like
To be the bad man
To be the sad man
Behind blue eyes

hot donuts at the end of the day

It is always such a good time when I get together with my brothers and sister. I spent time today with two of my brothers, my sister and my mom. My mom is ninety now and my sister has retired so she can take care of her. Mom looks so content now. She looked a bit worried last time I saw her so it was good to see her a bit more chipper. My brother, (d)ee was also looking good today. So was brother (e)ee. I enjoyed listening to his stories and his philosophy of life. He is a Viet Nam Veteran, so much of our conversation today was centered around Viet Nam and respect of persons today. He was drafted in 1968, and served 13 months in Viet Nam, near the DMZ. He saw lots of action and it is a miracle he survived. Twice his unit was over run and he lost men each time. He still feels guilty at times that he survived and some of his men didn't.

I could sit for hours and listen to stories of World War II when my dad was alive, and now I can sit for hours and listen to brother talk about Viet Nam. He has considered writing a book about his experience, but he says that there probably wouldn't be anyone interested in reading it. I think he would be surprised.

I served in the Air Force back in the early seventies, but I didn't see much action. I joined the service because my dad had served, and my brother had served, and I felt obligated to follow in their footsteps. I would have gladly served on foreign soil if the need had arisen.

After an afternoon of listening to stories and telling stories of my own, my wife, (t)onks, (r)ouge and I enjoyed each other's company at Applebee's and stopped by Krispy Kreme for freshly-made hot donuts.
--------------------------------------------------
Song 252: The Battle For Evermore
Artist: Led Zepellin
Album: Led Zepellin 4 [Zoso]
Year: 1971
--------------------------------------------------

Queen of Light took her bow, And then she turned to go,
The Prince of Peace embraced the gloom, And walked the night alone.

Oh, dance in the dark of night, Sing to the morning light.
The dark Lord rides in force tonight, And time will tell us all.

Oh, throw down your plow and hoe, Rest not to lock your homes.

Side by side we wait the might of the darkest of them all.

I hear the horses' thunder down in the valley below,
I'm waiting for the angels of Avalon, waiting for the eastern glow.

The apples of the valley hold, The seeds of happiness,
The ground is rich from tender care, Repay, do not forget, no, no.
Dance in the dark of night, sing to the morning light.

The apples turn to brown and black, The tyrant's face is red.

Oh war is the common cry, Pick up your swords and fly.
The sky is filled with good and bad that mortals never know.

Oh, well, the night is long, the beads of time pass slow,
Tired eyes on the sunrise, waiting for the eastern glow.

The pain of war cannot exceed the woe of aftermath,
The drums will shake the castle wall, the ringwraiths ride in black, Ride on.

Sing as you raise your bow, shoot straighter than before.
No comfort has the fire at night that lights the face so cold.

Oh dance in the dark of night, Sing to the morning light.
The magic runes are writ in gold to bring the balance back. Bring it back.

At last the sun is shining, The clouds of blue roll by,
With flames from the dragon of darkness, the sunlight blinds his eyes.

Ooh, Bring it back, Bring it back...

vw bus just like 1969

Our family quest for today was to find an ice rink. We drove and drove and drove and when we arrived at what we thought was an ice rink . . . it wasn't. We sought directions to a real ice rink from the information booth at the mall. But, alas, the key learning for today is this . . . never stop at a mall to ask directions to an ice rink when you have two daughters. Bottom line . . . we never made it to the ice rink, but we did do a lot of shopping.

As we were leaving the mall parking lot a VW bus was just in front of us, and then it dawned on me. I have been thinking about getting a new car. I thought I wanted a Jeep, but what I really want is a vintage 60s VW bus, just like the one my buddies and I drove from North Carolina to New York in August, 1969 . . . the ultimate road trip to the ultimate rock festival of all time . . . Woodstock.
-------------------------------------------------
Song 251: Aqualung
Artist: Jethro Tull
Album: Aqualung
Year: 1971
-------------------------------------------------

Sitting on a park bench
eyeing little girls with bad intent.
Snot running down his nose
greasy fingers smearing shabby clothes.
Drying in the cold sun
Watching as the frilly panties run.
Feeling like a dead duck
spitting out pieces of his broken luck.

Sun streaking cold
an old man wandering lonely.
Taking time
the only way he knows.
Leg hurting bad,
as he bends to pick a dog-end
he goes down to the bog
and warms his feet.

Feeling alone
the army's up the rode
salvation à la mode and
a cup of tea.
Aqualung my friend
don't start away uneasy
you poor old sod, you see, it's only me.
Do you still remember
December's foggy freeze
when the ice that
clings on to your beard is
screaming agony.
And you snatch your rattling last breaths
with deep-sea-diver sounds,
and the flowers bloom like
madness in the spring.

august rush and company

A few of the new CDs found under the tree this year:

[01] August Rush: Music from the motion picture
Critics didn't like this movie very much. All the more reason for me to want to see it. I loved the music, from the classic to the rock and roll and everything in between, especially Raise It Up, performed by Jamia Simone Nash and Impact Repertory Theatre.

[02] Seal: System
This is Seal's first album in several years and it is worth the wait. Of the eleven tracks on this CD, Loaded is my favorite right now. Not since his debut album have I enjoyed Seal's music so much. I think he is back in the dance track mode of his earlier days.

[03] James Asher: Shaman Drums
I love drums and percussion and this CD is premo, especially the opening track, Amma, which is a collaboration between Asher and Sivamani, a master drummer from India. Their musical blend is reminiscent of Mickey Hart's Planet Drum.

--------------------------------------------------
Song 250: Raise It Up
Artist: Jamia Simone Nash and Impact Repertory Theatre
Album: August Rush Soundtrack
Year: 2007
--------------------------------------------------

No father figure in the house
and i'm wonderin' how i'm gonna work it out

oh my friends keep on tellin' me how i don't need that man but they don't really understand

there's far too many presures in reality but dealing with the pain and stress and poverty

and i gotta be myself because there's nobody else for me (ohhhh)

(heading there with me)sometimes it takes a different kind of love to raise a child
(so don't give up)so don't give up

(when pressures come down)sometimes it takes a different kind of dream to make you smile

(so raise it up)
(hang in there with me)sometimes we need another helping hand to show the ways

(so don't give up) so don't give up
(when presures come down)sometimes it seems impossible and that's why we pray

(so raise it up) we raise

[HOPE] seems to be nothing left for me mommas gone daddy didnt wanna be and now i'm all by myself wonderin where is love or should i just give up

life falls down on me, cuts into my soul but i know i got the strength to make it through it all cause im still standin tall breaking through this wall i'm gonna give my all

[HOPE] feelin like a motherless child hankered into my soul its bringing me down cant find my smile on a face of a motherless child

im gonna break down these walls gonna give it my all ya know
yeah yeah yeah yeahhhh

(hang in there with me)sometimes it takes a different kind of love to raise a child
(so dont give up)so dont give up
(when pressures come down)sometimes it takes a different kind of dream to make a smile
(so raise it up) so raise it up
(hang in there with me) raise it up
sometimes it takes another helping hand to show you the way
(so dont give up, when pressures come down)
[HOPE] sometimes it seems impossible thats why we pray
SO RAISE IT UP

oh christmas tree

Such a nice, relaxing day. Presents before breakfast. Lunch at my wife's parents'. Then a movie with my wife and our daughters. My wife and I had seen August Rush before, but (r)ouge and (t)onks had not seen it until tonight. I liked it even better the second time. By the time we left the movie, we were all hungry, but alas, no restaurants were open. So we snacked when we aqrrived back home.

And now . . . my all-time favorite song!
---------------------------------------------------
Song 249: American Pie
Artist: Don McLean
Album: American Pie
Year: 1971
---------------------------------------------------

A long, long time ago...
I can still remember
How that music used to make me smile.
And I knew if I had my chance
That I could make those people dance
And, maybe, they’d be happy for a while.

But february made me shiver
With every paper I’d deliver.
Bad news on the doorstep;
I couldn’t take one more step.

I can’t remember if I cried
When I read about his widowed bride,
But something touched me deep inside
The day the music died.

So bye-bye, miss american pie.
Drove my chevy to the levee,
But the levee was dry.
And them good old boys were drinkin’ whiskey and rye
Singin’, "this’ll be the day that I die.
"this’ll be the day that I die."

Did you write the book of love,
And do you have faith in God above,
If the Bible tells you so?
Do you believe in rock ’n roll,
Can music save your mortal soul,
And can you teach me how to dance real slow?

Well, I know that you’re in love with him
`cause I saw you dancin’ in the gym.
You both kicked off your shoes.
Man, I dig those rhythm and blues.

I was a lonely teenage broncin’ buck
With a pink carnation and a pickup truck,
But I knew I was out of luck
The day the music died.

I started singin’,
"bye-bye, miss american pie."
Drove my chevy to the levee,
But the levee was dry.
Them good old boys were drinkin’ whiskey and rye
And singin’, "this’ll be the day that I die.
"this’ll be the day that I die."

Now for ten years we’ve been on our own
And moss grows fat on a rollin’ stone,
But that’s not how it used to be.
When the jester sang for the king and queen,
In a coat he borrowed from james dean
And a voice that came from you and me,

Oh, and while the king was looking down,
The jester stole his thorny crown.
The courtroom was adjourned;
No verdict was returned.
And while lennon read a book of marx,
The quartet practiced in the park,
And we sang dirges in the dark
The day the music died.

We were singing,
"bye-bye, miss american pie."
Drove my chevy to the levee,
But the levee was dry.
Them good old boys were drinkin’ whiskey and rye
And singin’, "this’ll be the day that I die.
"this’ll be the day that I die."

Helter skelter in a summer swelter.
The birds flew off with a fallout shelter,
Eight miles high and falling fast.
It landed foul on the grass.
The players tried for a forward pass,
With the jester on the sidelines in a cast.

Now the half-time air was sweet perfume
While the sergeants played a marching tune.
We all got up to dance,
Oh, but we never got the chance!
`cause the players tried to take the field;
The marching band refused to yield.
Do you recall what was revealed
The day the music died?

We started singing,
"bye-bye, miss american pie."
Drove my chevy to the levee,
But the levee was dry.
Them good old boys were drinkin’ whiskey and rye
And singin’, "this’ll be the day that I die.
"this’ll be the day that I die."

Oh, and there we were all in one place,
A generation lost in space
With no time left to start again.
So come on: jack be nimble, jack be quick!
Jack flash sat on a candlestick
Cause fire is the devil’s only friend.

Oh, and as I watched him on the stage
My hands were clenched in fists of rage.
No angel born in hell
Could break that satan’s spell.
And as the flames climbed high into the night
To light the sacrificial rite,
I saw satan laughing with delight
The day the music died

He was singing,
"bye-bye, miss american pie."
Drove my chevy to the levee,
But the levee was dry.
Them good old boys were drinkin’ whiskey and rye
And singin’, "this’ll be the day that I die.
"this’ll be the day that I die."

I met a girl who sang the blues
And I asked her for some happy news,
But she just smiled and turned away.
I went down to the sacred store
Where I’d heard the music years before,
But the man there said the music wouldn’t play.

And in the streets: the children screamed,
The lovers cried, and the poets dreamed.
But not a word was spoken;
The church bells all were broken.
And the three men I admire most:
The father, son, and the holy ghost,
They caught the last train for the coast
The day the music died.

And they were singing,
"bye-bye, miss american pie."
Drove my chevy to the levee,
But the levee was dry.
And them good old boys were drinkin’ whiskey and rye
Singin’, "this’ll be the day that I die.
"this’ll be the day that I die."

They were singing,
"bye-bye, miss american pie."
Drove my chevy to the levee,
But the levee was dry.
Them good old boys were drinkin’ whiskey and rye
Singin’, "this’ll be the day that I die."

christmas eve sky show

The moon photographed by P-M Heden of Vallentuna, Sweden. Photo courtesy of NASA.

It's Christmas Eve, and you're snuggled cozily in your den. A glowing fire gently crackles and pops in the fireplace, and your head starts to droop as you nod off. Just then, something cold and wet nudges your cheek. You open your eyes to stare directly into a large black nose. It's time to take the dog for his walk.

Grumbling in vain, you put on your coat, snap the leash onto the wiggling dog's collar, open the door to a rush of cold air. You step outside and enter a magical landscape.

The night isn't dark, it's glowing with a silvery-white light. Up above, the 98% full moon looks huge and clear in the azure sky. It just might be the brightest moon you've ever seen. That's because it's the highest-riding full moon until the year 2023.

And not far from the beautiful moon glows fireplace-red Mars. This Christmas Eve, Mars is at its closest to Earth for the next nine years. Mars is also "at opposition." That's astronomy-lingo for "directly opposite the sun." It means Mars is up whenever the sun is down: on Christmas Eve, the Red Planet will be visible all night long.

As Christmas scenes go, it doesn't get much better. Gliding in formation across the sky, the moon and Mars seem so close you could almost reach up, grab the pair and bounce them down the street for Fido to retrieve.

Or maybe you could lasso them, as George says in the movie It's a Wonderful Life. "Just say the word and I'll throw a lasso around it and pull it down. Hey! That's a pretty good idea! I'll give you the moon, Mary...."

In the years ahead, NASA is going to lasso the moon. NASA's giant Ares rocket, still on the drawing board, will take form and then take mankind back to that brilliant silver orb where scientists will learn how to harness the moon's powers.

Plans are to establish a lunar base for exploration and use the moon's surface as a springboard to even further destinations. At the moon's poles there is evidence of hydrogen and perhaps actual water frozen in the soil. Furthermore, ordinary moonrocks are made of minerals that contain more than 40% oxygen. These are resources that can be used to produce rocket fuel, breathable air and a welcome drink on a dry, dusty world.

Maybe on some future Christmas Eve, one of us will step outside of our cozy lunar cabin and walk our space-suited dog with long, floating steps down some dusty lunar road. We'll look up and say, "There's a pretty full Earth tonight!"

But on this frosty Christmas Eve, your feet crunch Earth's cold ground with a crisp clear sound as you walk back toward the house looking up through the silvery stillness at the lovely moon and its bright partner, Mars. The only other sounds you hear are dog tags jingling like sleigh bells. Suddenly a shadow flits across the moon. A cloud? A plane? A sleigh! Maybe those were sleigh bells you heard!

Smiling to yourself, you open the door to go back inside, taking one last glance at the night sky and one of the loveliest heavenly sights you’ll see for years.

Don't forget to thank Fido.

And, thanks to NASA for this Christmas article.
--------------------------------------------------
Song 248: Ain't No Sunshine
Artist: Bill Withers
Album: Just As I Am
Year: 1971
--------------------------------------------------

Ain't no sunshine when she's gone.
It's not warm when she's away.
Ain't no sunshine when she's gone
and she's always gone too long
anytime she goes away.

Wonder this time where she's gone,
wonder if she's gone to stay
Ain't no sunshine when she's gone
and this house just ain't no home
anytime she goes away.

And I know, I know, I know, I know, I know,
I know, I know, I know, I know, I know, I know,
I know, I know, I know, I know, I know, I know,
I know, I know, I know, I know, I know, I know,
I know, I know, I know

Hey, I ought to leave the young thing alone,
but ain't no sunshine when she's gone,
ain't no sunshine when she's gone,
only darkness everyday.
Ain't no sunshine when she's gone,
and this house just ain't no home
anytime she goes away.
Anytime she goes away.
Anytime she goes away.
Anytime she goes away.
Anytime she goes away.

tiny anvil

(r)ouge has been busy as a bee today making necklaces as Christmas presents for her friends. This tiny anvil came into play when she began making necklaces made with guitar picks. First she had to drill small holes in the picks, then she used the small hammer and anvil to flatten bead caps, which she used as an embellishment over the holes she drilled. I'm not a jewelry maker, but I enjoy watching (r)ouge, (t)onks and my wife when they pull out all the wire, beads, ribbons, chains, findings, pliers, snips, trays . . . It's quite an adventure.

A note about the song
Your Song is one of my all-time favorite songs. I love both versions, the one by Elton John and the one by Three Dog Night. It's one of those songs that I just have to stop an listen to every time I hear it playing. In my younger days I would play it over and over, singing along and drawing pictures in my mind of the song writer sitting on the roof of a moss-covered house, looking out over a sun-drenched field, writing this special song to the one he loved. Elton John and Bernie Taupin co-wrote this song in 1969.
--------------------------------------------------
Song 247: Your Song
Artist: Three Dog Night
Album: It Ain't Easy
Year: 1970
--------------------------------------------------

It's a little bit funny this feeling inside
I'm not one of those who can easily hide
I don't have much money but boy if I did
I'd buy a big house where we both could live

If I was a sculptor, but then again, no
Or a man who makes potions in a travelling show
I know it's not much but it's the best I can do
My gift is my song and this one's for you

And you can tell everybody this is your song
It may be quite simple but now that it's done
I hope you don't mind
I hope you don't mind that I put down in words
How wonderful life is while you're in the world

I sat on the roof and kicked off the moss
Well a few of the verses well they've got me quite cross
But the sun's been quite kind while I wrote this song
It's for people like you that keep it turned on

So excuse me forgetting but these things I do
You see I've forgotten if they're green or they're blue
Anyway the thing is what I really mean
Yours are the sweetest eyes I've ever seen

boy riding a turtle

Although the sun was shining off and on today, the wind was blowing most of time, ushering in a cold front. Afternoon temperatures dropped to the upper forties. It felt like Christmas. I had to take a break from last-minute shopping to relax a bit and take a few pictures. There are bronze sculptures of children scattered throughout this mall. This particular sculpture looked especially cold . . . a boy riding on a turtle, holding a frog high in the air.
--------------------------------------------------
Song 246: Working Class Hero
Artist: John Lennon
Album: John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band
Year: 1970
--------------------------------------------------

As soon as your born they make you feel small,
By giving you no time instead of it all,
Till the pain is so big you feel nothing at all,
A working class hero is something to be,
A working class hero is something to be.
They hurt you at home and they hit you at school,
They hate you if you're clever and they despise a fool,
Till you're so crazy you can't follow their rules,
A working class hero is something to be,
A working class hero is something to be.
When they've tortured and scared you for twenty odd years,
Then they expect you to pick a career,
When you can't really function you're so full of fear,
A working class hero is something to be,
A working class hero is something to be.
Keep you doped with religion and sex and TV,
And you think you're so clever and classless and free,
But you're still peasants as far as I can see,
A working class hero is something to be,
A working class hero is something to be.
There's room at the top they are telling you still,
But first you must learn how to smile as you kill,
If you want to be like the folks on the hill,
A working class hero is something to be.
A working class hero is something to be.
If you want to be a hero well just follow me,
If you want to be a hero well just follow me.

berries in the rain

The red berries in our backyard looked so cold today, just hanging around waiting for Christmas.
----------------------------------------
Song 245: Woman
Artist: James Gang
Album: James Gang Rides Again
Year: 1970
----------------------------------------

art in nature

Just after a nice, long rain is the best time to explore. A moderately heavy rain was falling this morning as I drove to work, but by noon the rain had stopped and the clouds were beginning to break. I took advantage of the opportunity to explore. The image above is the reflection of the forest canopy in the water covering the White Trail. As much as four inches of water covered the trail in some places. I found myself stopping often to stare into the water, watching the ripples, observing the distortion of the fallen leaves beneath the water. At times, sunlight came streaming through the bare tree limbs, flooding the forest floor with warmth and sunshine. Fallen branches along the trail interrupted the vertical landscape of winter trees with an occasional horizontal plane. I added about fifty new images to my portfolio of art in nature today.
--------------------------------------------------
Song 244: Wild World
Artist: Cat Stevens
Album: Tea For The Tillerman
Year: 1970
--------------------------------------------------

Now that I've lost everything to you
You say you wanna start something new
And it's breakin' my heart you're leavin'
Baby, I'm grievin'
But if you wanna leave, take good care
I hope you have a lot of nice things to wear
But then a lot of nice things turn bad out there

[Chorus:]
Oh, baby, baby, it's a wild world
It's hard to get by just upon a smile
Oh, baby, baby, it's a wild world
I'll always remember you like a child, girl

You know I've seen a lot of what the world can do
And it's breakin' my heart in two
Because I never wanna see you a sad girl
Don't be a bad girl
But if you wanna leave, take good care
I hope you make a lot of nice friends out there
But just remember there's a lot of bad and beware

[Chorus]

Baby, I love you
But if you wanna leave, take good care
I hope you make a lot of nice friends out there
But just remember there's a lot of bad and beware

[Chorus]

peppermint bark

pound peppermint candy canes into pieces
heat water in double boiler
add blocks of white chocolate
melt on medium high
pour onto waxed paper
swirl in red and green food coloring
sprinkle in peppermint candy pieces
let harden
break into nice-sized chunks
wrap in small packages
distribute to friends at school

That was (r)ouge's goal this evening.
Mission accomplished.
--------------------------------------------------
Song 243: Who'll Stop The Rain
Artist: Creedence Clearwater Revival
Album: Cosmo's Factory
Year: 1970
--------------------------------------------------

Long as I remember the rain been comin down.
Clouds of mystry pourin confusion on the ground.
Good men through the ages, tryin to find the sun;
And I wonder, still I wonder, wholl stop the rain.

I went down virginia, seekin shelter from the storm.
Caught up in the fable, I watched the tower grow.
Five year plans and new deals, wrapped in golden chains.
And I wonder, still I wonder wholl stop the rain.

Heard the singers playin, how we cheered for more.
The crowd had rushed together, tryin to keep warm.
Still the rain kept pourin, fallin on my ears.
And I wonder, still I wonder wholl stop the rain.

attack of the killer black hole

Composite image of binary galaxy system 3C321, courtesy of NASA

According to new data from NASA observatories, a powerful jet from a supermassive black hole is blasting a galaxy nearby. This incredible galactic violence may have a profound effect on planets in the jet's path and could trigger a burst of star birth in its destructive wake.

This real-life scene, worthy of the most outlandish science fiction, is playing out in a faraway binary galaxy system known as 3C321. Two galaxies are in orbit around one another. A supermassive black hole at the core of the system's larger galaxy is spewing a jet in the direction of its smaller companion.

Jets from supermassive black holes produce large amounts of radiation, especially high-energy X-rays and gamma-rays, which can be lethal in large quantities. The combined effects of this radiation and particles traveling at almost the speed of light could severely damage the atmospheres of planets lying in the path of the jet. For example, protective layers of ozone in the upper atmosphere of planets could be destroyed.

The effect of the jet on the companion galaxy is likely to be substantial, because the galaxies in 3C321 are extremely close at a distance of only about 20,000 light years apart. They lie approximately the same distance as Earth is from the center of the Milky Way galaxy.

The jet and galactic assault were discovered through the combined efforts of both space and ground-based telescopes. NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory, Hubble Space Telescope, and Spitzer Space Telescope were part of the effort. Two sophisticated radio telescopes--the Very Large Array (VLA) in Socorro, New Mexico, and the Multi-Element Radio Linked Interferometer Network (MERLIN) in the United Kingdom--were also needed for the finding.

A unique aspect of the discovery in 3C321 is how relatively short-lived this event is on a cosmic time scale. Features seen in the VLA and Chandra images indicate that the jet began impacting the galaxy about one million years ago, a small fraction of the system's lifetime.

It's possible that the event is not all bad news for the beleaguered galaxy. The massive influx of energy and radiation from the jet could spark the formation of large numbers of stars and planets after its initial wake of destruction is complete. In the distant future, say researchers, whole new star systems may have the lethal jet to thank for their very existence.

This information is courtesy of NASA.
--------------------------------------------------
Song 242: Where Do The Children Play?
Artist: Cat Stevens
Album: Tea For The Tillerman
Year: 1970
--------------------------------------------------

Well I think it's fine, building jumbo planes.
Or taking a ride on a cosmic train.
Switch on summer from a slot machine.
Yes, get what you want to if you want, 'cause you can get anything.

I know we've come a long way,
We're changing day to day,
But tell me, where do the children play?

Well you roll on roads over fresh green grass.
For your lorry loads pumping petrol gas.
And you make them long, and you make them tough.
But they just go on and on, and it seems that you can't get off.

Oh, I know we've come a long way,
We're changing day to day,
But tell me, where do the children play?

Well you've cracked the sky, scrapers fill the air.
But will you keep on building higher
'til there's no more room up there?
Will you make us laugh, will you make us cry?
Will you tell us when to live, will you tell us when to die?

I know we've come a long way,
We're changing day to day,
But tell me, where do the children play?

Christmas just around the bend

I'm having a hard time catching the Christmas spirit this year. It's been so fast-paced, I haven't had time to stop and enjoy the sights and sounds of Christmas. I just sat back for a time this evening staring into the lights on the tree, thinking about the ornaments. Where they came from. What each one represents. Thinking about the girls. They're not kids anymore. They have grown into very nice young women. I'm proud of both of them. So talented and pretty. I thought about my wife. How funny and cool she is. I love being around her. So witty and beautiful. She's always on the go. Always busy. Making things. Drawing. Preparing for her art classes. Coming home from her Tae kwon do classes. She's the absolute best.

Christmas is just around the bend. A time to think about why we celebrate Christmas in the first place. The world has changed so much over the past forty years. When I was a child, I knew why we celebrated Christmas. And there didn't seem to be a problem with it. No one got upset when I said the word Christmas. Although Christ was probably born sometime other than in December, we have established December 25 as the day we celebrate His birth. For two thousand years Christians have celebrated His birth. And this year is no different. Happy birthday Christ . . . the reason we celebrate!
--------------------------------------------------
Song 241: Up Around the Bend
Artist: Creedence Clearwater Revival
Album: Cosmo's Factory
Year: 1970
--------------------------------------------------

There's a place up ahead and I'm goin' just as fast as my feet can fly
Come away, come away if you're goin', leave the sinkin' ship behind.

CHORUS:
Come on the risin' wind, we're goin' up around the bend.

Ooh!
Bring a song and a smile for the banjo, better get while the gettin's good,
Hitch a ride to the end of the highway where the neons turn to wood.

CHORUS

Oooh!
You can ponder perpetual motion, fix your mind on a crystal day,
Always time for a good conversation, there's an ear for what you say.

CHORUS
Yeah!

Oooh!
Catch a ride to the end of the highway and we'll meet by the big red tree,
There's a place up ahead and I'm goin', come along, come along with me.

CHORUS

Yeah!
Do do doo do...

tulip poplar

When we landscaped our yard for the first time, many years ago, there were no trees on the property at all. We decided to add a bit of diversity to the yard by planting several different kinds of trees. Red maple. Birch. Purple leaf plum. Red bud. Pin oak. Sugar maple. Cherry. Apple. Oak. And this tulip poplar. The tulip polar is one of the most interesting trees in the yard. It's always the first to shed its leaves in the fall and first to bud in the spring. It could be the most photogenic of our trees as well.
--------------------------------------------------
Song 240: Travelin Band
Artist: Creedence Clearwater Revival
Album: Cosmo's Factory
Year: 1970
--------------------------------------------------

Seven thirty seven comin out of the sky.
Oh! wont you take me down to memphis on a midnight ride,
I wanna move.

Chorus:
Playin in a travelin band. yeah!
Well, Im flyin cross the land, tryin to get a hand,
Playin in a travelin band.

Take me to the hotel, baggage gone, oh, well.
Come on, come on, wont you get me to my room,
I wanna move.

Chorus

Listen to the radio, talkin bout the last show.
Someone got excited, had to call the state militia,
Wanna move.

Chorus

Oh! wow!

Here we come again on a saturday night
Oh with your fussin and a fightin
Wont you get me to the rhyme,
I wanna move.

Chorus

Oh! wow!

Oh! Im playin in a travelin band;
Playin in a travelin band.
Wont you get me, take me hand
Well, Im playin in a travelin band,
Well, Im flyin cross the land.
Tryin to get a hand,
Playin in a travelin band, oh! wow!

useful things

The trees in our backyard look so nice today. The temperature is around 40. It's raining lightly. The drips on the branches form slowly, fill and fall to the ground. Armed with a camera and an umbrella I roamed around the backyard for a while earlier today. This is one of my favorite shots.

Useful things I can do.
01 listen
02 take pictures
03 cook (kitchen, grill, campfire, and backpack stove cooking)
04 draw
05 create websites
06 troubleshoot a mac
07 survive in the wilderness
08 plan a backpack trip
09 start a campfire with one match
10 moderate digital camera workshops

Useful things I wish I could do.
01 major plumbing work
02 roof a house
03 rewire a house
04 tile the floor
05 plan a budget that really works
06 play a guitar
07 rebuild an engine
08 chop a tree down and make lumber from it
09 sew
10 ski (water and snow)
--------------------------------------------------
Song 239: Tend My Garden
Artist: James Gang
Album: Rides Again
Year: 1970
--------------------------------------------------

Would you like to come home with me?
I can think of things to show ya
Thinkin' that I'd like to know ya, uh
Mornin' milkman's comin'
Get up, greet my day
Evenin' brings the sun in
Still I find my way

Change of plans, makin' a landin' to see ya
And I do wanna be your man, oh, yeah
Sunday, highway drivin'
It all looks about the same
Nowhere, just arrivin'
Still I play the game

I'm home grown, growin' my own and I need ya
Need ya to beg my pardon, to tend my garden
Flowers, she's sittin' for poses
She wants me to sing my song
Hours, she's like a stoned Moses
Guess I'll sing along

light your world

I can listen to (r)ouge play piano or guitar for hours. I can listen to (t)onks play piano or flute for hours. I can listen to them sing. Watch them draw. Talk with them. Take them to dinner. Listen to their woes. Offer suggestions. Worry about them. Take care of them. They light my world. I can hold my wife's hand as we stroll through the mall. Tell her my work stories. Listen to hers. Fix her dinner. Massage her shoulders. Hold her. Watch a movie with her. Watch her sleep. She lights my world.

But there are people all around us who have no one to light their world. Old age brings loneliness with it. I feel sad when I see an elderly man or woman sitting all alone, knowing they have no one to talk to. No one to laugh with them. Care for them. I think about my mother. It's been more than fifteen years since my dad passed away and I know she still misses him tremendously. There's a void there. It must be lonely to be married for over fifty years and then loose your spouse. I can only wonder.

We should take care of our seniors. They need someone to love them. Talk to them. Smile at them. Share cake and ice cream with them. I love listening to their stories of life. (r)ouge wants to take a digital recorder with her next time we visit my mother. She wants to record history as told by her grandmother. And I'm sure my mom will be more than happy to oblige.
--------------------------------------------------
Song 238: Light Your World
Artist: New Song
Album: The Christmas Shoes
Year: 2001
--------------------------------------------------

Two doors down one rocking chair is rocking
She sits there all alone, her husband dead and gone
The best years of her life they spent together
He was always strong, but now she's on her own
And the telephone never rings
No one laughs, no one sings
It's quiet there
Does anyone care?

CHORUS:
Light your world
Let the love of God shine through
In the little things you do
Light your world
And though your light may be
Reaching only two or three
Light your world

A knocking at her door breaks the silence
She looks out to see a little boy from down the street
She cracks the door, surprised that he came over
Flowers in his hand like a little gentleman
He said, "I picked these just for you
I hope you like the color blue
Could I stay a while
I love to see you smile."

CHORUS

It only takes a little time
To show someone how much you care
It only takes a little time
To answer someone's biggest prayer

CHORUS

crazy weather

While the folks just to the north of us have been dealing with inches of ice, downed trees, loss of electricity and all the trials of a winter storm, we have been having unseasonably warm weather. Today was 75 degrees. Of course tomorrow is supposed to be only 58 and it will get progressively colder until the weekend when the high will be around 45. This is crazy weather. I had to take advantage of the warm weather today, so I hit the trail for an hour or so. We have had quite a bit of rain over the past few days, so the trails were still pretty soggy, but it was a nice day for a hike. I spent a lot of time just looking at the wonders of nature. The fallen tree above, covered in moss caught my eye. All the world around me seemed to be brown today, except for this tree with its bright green moss.
--------------------------------------------------
Song 237: Teach Your Children
Artist: Crosby Stills Nash and Young
Album: Deja Vu
Year: 1970
--------------------------------------------------

You who are on the road
Must have a code that you can live by
And so become yourself
Because the past is just a good bye.

Teach your children well,
Their father's hell did slowly go by,
And feed them on your dreams
The one they picked, the one you'll know by.

Don't you ever ask them why, if they told you, you would cry,
So just look at them and sigh and know they love you.

And you, of tender years,
Can't know the fears that your elders grew by,
And so please help them with your youth,
They seek the truth before they can die.

Teach your parents well,
Their children's hell will slowly go by,
And feed them on your dreams
The one they picked, the one you'll know by.

Don't you ever ask them why, if they told you, you would cry,
So just look at them and sigh and know they love you.

cast shadows

This is one of (r)ouge's pictures. Her concentration in art this semester is masks. She has been making masks, decorating them, enlisting her friends as models, photographing them, manipulating the photographs, and using them as a reference for her drawings and paintings. There are paints, brushes, water containers, pencils, pastels, canvases, boards, papers, photographs, paint pallets, cutting boards, and various other art supplies occupying a major part of our house at the moment. This is crunch week. She has projects due any day now. I know there's a lot of pressure on her right now, but I am rather enjoying watching her perform her magic. I love her art. Her talent. Her enthusiasm and passion. I hope she will remember her parents when she is rich and famous and toss a few coins our way once in a while.
--------------------------------------------------
Song 236: Tea for the Tillerman
Artist: Cat Stevens
Album: Tea for the Tillerman
Year: 1970
--------------------------------------------------

Bring tea for the tillerman
Steak for the sun
Wine for the women who made the rain come
Seagulls sing your hearts away
cause while the sinners sin, the children play

Oh lord how they play and play
For that happy day, for that happy day

busy saturday

After dropping (r)ouge off at a local high school this morning to take her ACT test one more time (looking for scholarship opportunities) I headed over to the trail. I had time for a nice 8.5 mile walk and a little bit of Christmas shopping before time to go back and pick her up from the test. She could have driven herself to the test, but she said she would rather me drive her. No driving pressure. Just relax and get ready to do her best.

After a quick lunch, my wife, (r)ouge and I did a bit more shopping, before (r)ouge left for her babysitting assignment for the evening and my wife and I left for an adventure in Christmas caroling. About one hundred of us (couples, children and few extra friends from our Fellowship Class) gathered for an evening of fun. We visited about a dozen shut-ins, talked with them and sang songs for them. Following the caroling adventure most of the hundred gathered at a local Jumpin Jax for a surprise birthday party. Jumpin Jax is a kid-focused establishment with huge inflatable slides, jumping rooms and indoor playgrounds. The fun part is, the party was for one of the adults and I think she really had a nice time.

In the meantime, our oldest daughter had an adventure of her own. She called me in the middle of the birthday party to tell about her experience with the police. She got pulled over on the interstate and she was confused because she knew she was going under the speed limit and couldn't figure out why she got stopped. She asked the policeman and he informed her that her tag number did not match the car. We thought someone had switched tags on her but in reality the Department of Motor Vehicles has her car registered wrong. I told her I would take care of the details on Monday.

Fun day. I'm exhausted.
--------------------------------------------------
Song 235: Sweet Baby James
Artist: James Taylor
Album: Sweet Baby James
Year: 1970
--------------------------------------------------

There is a young cowboy he lives on the range
His horse and his cattle are his only companions
He works in the saddle and he sleeps in the canyons
Waiting for summer, his pastures to change

And as the moon rises he sits by his fire
Thinking about women and glasses of beer
And closing his eyes as the doggies retire
He sings out a song which is soft but its clear
As if maybe someone could hear

(chorus)
Goodnight you moonlight ladies
Rockabye sweet baby james
Deep greens and blues are the colors I choose
Wont you let me go down in my dreams
And rockabye sweet baby james

Now the first of december was covered with snow
And so was the turnpike from stockbridge to boston
Lord, the berkshires seemed dream-like on account of that frosting
With ten miles behind me and ten thousand more to go

Theres a song that they sing when they take to the highway
A song that they sing when they take to the sea
A song that they sing of their home in the sky
Maybe you can believe it if it helps you to sleep
But singing works just fine for me

3.1 quake hits north carolina today

My niece emailed me this morning with news that they had just experienced an earthquake in Western North Carolina. She assured me that it was not a big one. More noise that damage. I immediately went online to the Center for Earthquake Research website at the University of Memphis. They have up to the minute reporting on all earthquakes in the eastern half of t he United States on their home page and reporting on all earthquakes worldwide through links. The image above is a screenshot of information page about this morning’s earthquake in North Carolina. I grew up in that part of the country so I am always interested in news that affects my family and friends. For more information about earthquakes recorded at the University of Memphis Center for Earthquake Research, click on this post headline.
--------------------------------------------------
Song 234: Spill the Wine
Artist: War
Album: Eric Burdon Declares War
Year: 1970
--------------------------------------------------

Spill the wine and take that pearl, Spill the wine and take that pearl
Spill the wine and take that pearl, Spill the wine and take that pearl

I was once out strolling one very hot summer's day
When I thought I'd lay myself down to rest
in a big field of tall grass
I lay there in the sun and felt it caressing my face

And I fell asleep and dreamed
I dreamed I was in a Hollywood movie
And that I was the star of the movie
This really blew my mind, the fact that me,
an overfed, long-haired leaping gnome
should be the star of a Hollywood movie

But there I was, I was taken to a place, the hall of the mountain kings
I stood high upon a mountain top, naked to the world
In front of every kind of girl, there was
black ones, round ones, big ones, crazy ones...

Out of the middle came a lady
She whispered in my ear something crazy
She said:

Spill the wine and take that pearl, Spill the wine and take that pearl
Spill the wine and take that pearl, Spill the wine and take that pearl

[spoken:]

I thought to myself what could that mean
Am I going crazy or is this just a dream
Now, wait a minute
I know I'm lying in a field of grass somewhere
so it's all in my head
and then.. I heard her say one more time:

[sung:]

Spill the wine and take that pearl, Spill the wine and take that pearl
Spill the wine and take that pearl, Spill the wine and take that pearl

[spoken:]
I could feel hot flames of fire roaring at my back
As she disappeared, but soon she returned
In her hand was a bottle of wine, in the other, a glass
She poured some of the wine from the bottle into the glass
And raised it to her lips
And just before she drank it, she said:

[sung:]
Spill the wine and take that pearl, Spill the wine and take that pearl
Spill the wine and take that pearl, Spill the wine and take that pearl

vacation in florida

A Minneapolis couple decided to go to Florida to thaw out during a particularly cold winter. They planned to stay at he same hotel where they spent their honeymoon forty years earlier. Now, because of their very hectic schedule, it was difficult to coordinate their travel plans. So the husband left Minneapolis and flew to Florida on Friday, and his wife was going to fly there the following day. The husband checked into the hotel, but unlike when they were there the first time forty years earlier, there was a computer in the room and he decided to send an email to his wife. As he typed out the address, however, he accidentally made a one-letter mistake in the email address.

Meanwhile, in Houston, Texas, a Baptist pastor had just had a heart attack and died. His wife returned home from the funeral and decided to check her email, thinking that there might be messages from relatives and so on. After reading the first message, she screamed and fainted dead away. The widow's son rushed into the room and found
his mother on the floor. He then saw the computer screen, and here is what it said:

"To my darling wife, I know that you are surprised to hear from me. They have computers here now and you're allowed to send emails to your loved ones. I've just arrived and checked in. I see that every thing's been prepared for your arrival tomorrow, and I look forward to seeing you then. I hope your journey is as uneventful as mine was. P.S. It sure is hot down here!"

There's a new blog just waiting for you to visit
My nephew has a new blog all about bluegrass music and banjos. Check it out. It's listed under my favorite web spots.

A note about the song
I listened to Guess Who all the time in 1970. I loved Share the Land. I don't know if I interpreted it correctly back then, but it sounded like a utopian society the band was singing about. That was a dream a lot of young people had in the late sixties and early seventies. A few people followed through on their dreams, but most just thought about it and kept doing the same ole things they always did. I often wondered what it would be like to live that nomadic life, but then I just kept doing the same ole things I always did.
--------------------------------------------------
Song 233: Share the Land
Artist: Guess Who
Album: Share the Land
Year: 1970
--------------------------------------------------

Have you been around
Have you done your share of coming down
On different things that people do
Have you been aware
You got brothers and sisters who care
About what's gonna happen to you
In a year from now...

Maybe I'll be there to shake your hand
Maybe I'll be there to share the land
That they'll be giving away
When we all live together.

Did you pay your dues
Did you read the news
This morning when the paper landed in your yard
Do you know their names
Can you play their games
And coming down a bit too hard...

Shake your hand, share the land
Shake your hand, share the land
You know I'll be standing by
To help you if you worry....
[trailing off]
No more sadness, no more sorrow, no more bad times
every day coming sunshine, everyday everybody laughing
walking together by the river, walking together and
laughing, everybody singing together, everybody singing and
laughing, good times good times, everybody walking by the
river now, walking singing talking smiling laughing loving
each other.

light through yonder window

Sunlight streaming across the floor in the middle tower caught my attention this afternoon and I just had to stop an snap a shot or two. In the business of the season I don't suppose too many people stopped to contemplate the play of light on the lobby floor today. People rushed by outside, shielding themselves from the wind as a cold front moved in. Others scurried past me, anxious to catch a ride in the elevator to another meeting. Still others pushed past me, taking a short cut through the middle tower to the tower next door. Not one stopped to ask what I found interesting. No one seemed to notice I was even standing there. Take a look around you occasionally. You will be surprised just how much you are missing.
--------------------------------------------------
Song 232: Run Through The Jungle
Artist: Creedence Clearwater Revival
Album: Cosmo's Factory
Year: 1970
--------------------------------------------------

Whoa, thought it was a nightmare,
Lo, its all so true,
They told me, dont go walkin slow
cause devils on the loose.

Chorus:
Better run through the jungle,
Better run through the jungle,
Better run through the jungle,
Woa, dont look back to see.

Thought I heard a rumblin
Callin to my name,
Two hundred million guns are loaded
Satan cries, take aim!

Chorus

Over on the mountain
Thunder magic spoke,
Let the people know my wisdom,
Fill the land with smoke.

artreach

I visited Artreach for the first time this evening. What a great place. It's an art gallery and a studio. The owner was painting when I went in. That's her in the picture above. I love the smell of oil paints and the oil smell of the studio was intense. The owner was very gracious to let me take pictures in her studio. Not many artists are so obliging. We talked about her art. The art of local artists. My daughters and their artistic abilities. She opens her studio to working artists three days a week. It's only a few miles from my house, so I feel certain that my family and I are going to be big fans of artreach. If you would like to see her work, click on the headline for this post to visit her website. Or click on the artreach link in the right navigation.
--------------------------------------------------
Song 231: Revolution
Artist: The Beatles
Album: Hey Jude
Year: 1970
--------------------------------------------------

You say you want a revolution
Well, you know
We all want to change the world
You tell me that it's evolution
Well, you know
We all want to change the world
But when you talk about destruction
Don't you know that you can count me out
Don't you know it's gonna be all right
all right, all right

You say you got a real solution
Well, you know
We'd all love to see the plan
You ask me for a contribution
Well, you know
We're doing what we can
But when you want money
for people with minds that hate
All I can tell is brother you have to wait
Don't you know it's gonna be all right
all right, all right
Ah

ah, ah, ah, ah, ah...

You say you'll change the constitution
Well, you know
We all want to change your head
You tell me it's the institution
Well, you know
You better free you mind instead
But if you go carrying pictures of chairman Mao
You ain't going to make it with anyone anyhow
Don't you know it's gonna be all right
all right, all right
all right, all right, all right
all right, all right, all right

best meteor shower of 2007 coming up

The best meteor shower of 2007 peaks on Friday, December 14th. It's the Geminid meteor shower and you should start watching on Thursday evening, December 13th, around 9 pm local time. At first you might not see very many meteors—but be patient. The show really heats up after midnight and by dawn on Friday, December 14th, there could be dozens of bright meteors per hour streaking across the sky."

The Geminids are not ordinary meteors. While most meteor showers come from comets, Geminids come from an asteroid—a near-Earth object named 3200 Phaethon.

How does an asteroid make a meteor shower?
Comets do it by evaporating. When a comet flies close to the sun, intense heat vaporizes the comet’s "dirty ice" resulting in high-speed jets of comet dust that spew into interplanetary space. When a speck of this comet dust hits Earth's atmosphere traveling ~100,000 mph, it disintegrates in a bright flash of light—a meteor!

Asteroids, on the other hand, don't normally spew dust into space—and therein lies the mystery. Where did Phaethon's meteoroids come from?

One possibility is a collision. Maybe it bumped against another asteroid. A collision could have created a cloud of dust and rock that follows Phaethon around in its orbit. Such collisions, however, are not very likely.

Phaethon could have been a comet. Phaeton's orbit is highly elliptical, like the orbit of a typical comet, and brings it extremely close to the sun, twice as close as Mercury itself. Every 1.4 years, Phaethon swoops through the inner solar system where repeated blasts of solar heat could easily reduce a flamboyant comet to the rocky skeleton we see today.

If this scenario is correct, Phaethon-the-comet may have produced many rich streams of dust that spent hundreds or thousands of years drifting toward Earth until the first Geminid meteors appeared during the US Civil War. Since then, Geminids have been a regular shower peaking every year in mid-December.

Reference and illustration, courtesy of NASA.
------------------------------------------------
Song 230: Paperback Writer
Artist: The Beatles
Album: Hey Jude
Year: 1970
------------------------------------------------

Paperback writer

Dear Sir or Madam, will you read my book?
It took me years to write, will you take a look?
Based on a novel by a man named Lear
And I need a job, so I want to be a paperback writer,
Paperback writer.

It's the dirty story of a dirty man
And his clinging wife doesn't understand.
His son is working for the Daily Mail,
It's a steady job but he wants to be a paperback writer,
Paperback writer.

Paperback writer

It's a thousand pages, give or take a few,
I'll be writing more in a week or two.
I can make it longer if you like the style,
I can change it round and I want to be a paperback writer,
Paperback writer.

If you really like it you can have the rights,
It could make a million for you overnight.
If you must return it, you can send it here
But I need a break and I want to be a paperback writer,
Paperback writer.

Paperback writer

Paperback writer - paperback writer
Paperback writer - paperback writer

kitchen table art studio

It is so relaxing to watch my wife and (r)ouge as they busy themselves with art projects. Our kitchen table looks like a table in an art studio. It’s covered with drop cloths and cutting boards. Drawing tablets. Paints and brushes. Scraps of paper trimmed from cut-paper designs. Blocks of wood. Sheets of colored foam. Pencils, Scissors. Butter tubs that have been magically transformed into water containers to use when cleaning acrylic paint from the brushes. A Mac laptop right in the middle of all this stuff with a quickly sketched concept shining brightly. Feathers. Masks. Sequines.

And that’s just for today’s projects. (r)ouge’s concentration in senior art this year is masks. Many of the art supplies on our kitchen table will find their way into her senior concentration pieces. She’s making Mardi Gras masks. Several of her friends have volunteered to be her models. The computer sketch shows the poses she wants them to be in when she sketches their portrait(s) later this week. And everything has to be just right. She wants to draw from life, so even the color of the sequines on the masks have to be just right.

My wife teaches art. She is preparing for three of her classes. Watercolor for adults. Beading. And Woodcuts for her Homeschool art students. She’s been busy all afternoon. Collecting materials. Finetuning her lesson plans. Testing techniques to make sure she has determined the correct approach to each class.

And while all this art has been happening around me, here I sit sorting through photographs from two shoots last week. The biggest task following a photo shoot is sorting through all the shots, picking the best ones, then color correcting and cropping them into shots worthy of being used in a brochure or a catalog, or appearing in a magazine ad or on a poster. I’m sure I can find 6 or 8 from each shoot that fit the bill. After all, I have hundreds to choose from.

(t)onks has already returned to campus for the week. Just two weeks to go before she and (r)ouge will both be out for winter break. We’re all looking forward to a little down time and spending time together at Christmas.
--------------------------------------------------
Song 229: oye como va
Artist: Santana
Album: Abraxas
Year: 1970
--------------------------------------------------

Oye como va mi ritmo
Bueno pa' gozar, mulata
Oye como va mi ritmo
Bueno pa' gozar mulata

changes in the trail

A temperature of about 50 degrees greeted me when I went outside for the first time today. My wife had plans to go to an exercise class this morning and I thought it would be nice to get in a little bit of hiking. I hadn't been on the trail that runs along the south side of the river in a while, so I figured today would be a good day to check it out. That particular trail has changed a lot over the past few months. Several huge trees have fallen on the trail. The bottom picture above is one of them. One tree that once crossed a small ravine had broken and fallen into the water below. I had crossed the ravine many times in the past by walking across this dead tree. I'm certainly glad it wasn't today that the tree decided to give way. I could have been on it. The small pond along the trail hasn't changed though. It was a welcome site to see the pond.
--------------------------------------------------
Song 228: One Less Bell To Answer
Artist: The Fifth Dimension
Album: Portrait
Year: 1970
--------------------------------------------------

One less bell to answer
One less egg to fry
One less man to pick up after
I should be happy

But all I do is cry (Cry, cry, no more laughter)
Oh, I should be happy (Oh, why did he go)
I only know that since he left my lifes so empty

Though I try to forget, it just cant be done
Each time the doorbell rings I still run (I still run)
I dont know how in the world to stop thinking of him
Cause I still love him so (Love him so)
I end each day the way I start out crying my heart out

Oh, one less man to pick up after
No more laughter, no more love
Since he went, oh, he went away (He went away)
(One less bell to answer) Why did he leave me
(Oh, why, why did he leave)

Now Ive got one less egg to fry (One less bell to answer)
One less egg to fry (Oh, why, why did he leave)
And all I do is cry
(One less bell to answer) Because a man told me goodbye
(Oh, why, why did he leave)

Somebody tell me please (One less bell to answer)
Where did he go, why did he go (Oh, why, why did he leave)
How could he leave me