foggy night at the square

My wife and I met our best friends for dinner last night at Boo Yah's, a new restaurant in town. While we were there the fog rolled in and I wanted to go out and take pictures so bad, but alas, we were enjoying our dinner. I knew (r)ouge would be out taking pictures. She and I are that much alike. [BTW: from today onward, (r)ouge's blog nickname will be (r)ojo, which is Spanish for red. She has a streak of red in her hair and that became the way her Mexican friends called for her on her recent visit to Mexico.]

When we returned home from dinner around 9:30 last night (r)ojo was not home. About twenty minutes later she came in and she had been to the town square taking pictures of the fog. I suggested that she and I go back to the square so I could shoot some. We did. We spent about an hour and a half walking around the square, taking pictures and talking.

(r)ojo took the picture above. It's a view from the center of the town square looking toward an historic train depot which dates back to the mid-eighteen hundreds. I took the two pictures below.

This old 1950s telephone booth sits vacant and unused near the train depot.

The passenger train cars permanently parked on the tracks near the depot date back to the 1950s as well. They have been transformed into a first class restaurant. Our town square is quite unique. (r)ojo and I enjoy our photography field trips to the square. Christmastime, springtime, snowy days, foggy days, just about any time is a good time to take pictures at the square.
--------------------------------------------------
Song 317: Do It Again
Artist: Steely Dan
Album: Can't Buy A Thrill
Year: 1972
--------------------------------------------------

In the mornin you go gunnin
For the man who stole your water
And you fire till he is done in
But they catch you at the border
And the mourners are all singin
As they drag you by your feet
But the hangman isnt hangin
And they put you on the street

Chorus:
You go back jack do it again
Wheel turnin round and round
You go back jack do it again

When you know shes no high climber
Then you find your only friend
In a room with your two timer
And youre sure youre near the end
Then you love a little wild one
And she brings you only sorrow
All the time you know shes smilin
Youll be on your knees tomorrow

Chorus

Now you swear and kick and beg us
That youre not a gamblin man
Then you find youre back in vegas
With a handle in your hand
Your black cards can make you money
So you hide them when youre able
In the land of milk and honey
You must put them on the table

seventh day slumber

Every week an email arrives in my inbox announcing a new coupon at our local book store. Most of the time the coupon is for a specific item . . . a certain book or DVD . . . but this week's coupon was for 40% off any CD in stock. No quantity limit. So my wife and I spent two hours listening to CDs last night. I came home with three new ones.

[01] Seventh Day Slumber: Finally Awake
Seventh Day Slumber is a Christian hard rock band fronted by vocalist Joseph Rojas on guitar with Joshua Schwartz on bass, Jeremy Holderfield on guitar and Ray Fryoux on drums. They have been around since 1996. This album came out in 2007 and I have listened to cuts from it several times, but just had not purchased it until last night. These guys rock! I've been listening to them all morning. I've already got a couple of favorites: Missing Pages and Breaking Away. Lyrics for Breaking Away are listed at the end of this post.

[02] Todd Agnew: Grace Like Rain
This was the first album released by Todd Agnew. It came out in 2003. I can't believe it has taken me four and a half years to add this one to my collection. His style is a blend of Christian, rock and indie. Smooth. My favorite from the album [and my favorite Todd Agnew song in general] is Grace Like Rain. Todd records for Ardent Records, right here in my home town.

[03] Ry Cooder: Crossroads
This is actually a soundtrack from the movie, Crossroads, which came out in 1986. I love the work of legendary blues harmonica player Sonny Terry on this album. My favorite cut from the album is Down In Mississippi.
----------------------------------------------------
Song 316: Breaking Away
Artist: Seventh Day Slumber
Album: Finally Awake
Year: 2007
----------------------------------------------------

I've finally realized that all my dreams lost
were lost because of me
But tonight I am changing the way things used to be
And all these memories will be erased

Breaking away
From everything that's hopeless
The road ahead looks wonderful
Breaking away
From everything that's hopeless
The road ahead looks wonderful today

Another day of life
One more chance to live for more than me
I'm reaching out to take the hand of someone I can't see
And all these memories will be erased

Tonight will be the night
No more waiting I've spent life waiting
Take this heart of mine
No more waiting. I give myself to you

initials

Looking for little details today along the river trail. Things like fallen trees that look like animals, boundary markers, identifying different types of birch trees, matching brown fallen leaves with new growth leaves, comparing types of soil along the trail. Today was a great of day for exploring. One of the neatest discoveries was the initials pictured above. These initials must have been carved into this tree years ago and over the years the bark around the initials has fallen away but the initials remained. Now rather than being inset into the tree, they stick out away from the tree about three-sixteenths of an inch. I have never seen this happen before. Pretty cool.
--------------------------------------------------
Song 315: Dirty Work
Artist: Steely Dan
Album: Can't Buy A Thrill
Year: 1972
--------------------------------------------------

. . .
Im a fool to do your dirty work
Oh yeah
I dont wanna do your dirty work
No more
Im a fool to do your dirty work
Oh yeah
. . .

night time landing for endeavour

Space shuttle Endeavour lands at Kennedy Space Center, Florida, capping the STS-123 mission. Credit: NASA/Tom Joseph

Space shuttle Endeavour made a rare night time landing at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, marking the end of a flawless 16-day space mission. During this mission, the Kibo laboratory module was installed aboard the International Space Station [ISS] . . . a first for the Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency [JAXA].

The STS-123 crew began its mission March 11 and arrived at the International Space Station March 12. The astronauts delivered the Japanese Logistics Module - Pressurized Section (JLP), the first pressurized component of the Kibo laboratory to the station. The crew of Endeavour also delivered the final element of the station's Mobile Servicing System, the Canadian-built Dextre, also known as the Special Purpose Dextrous Manipulator.

Astronaut Garrett Reisman officially joined the Expedition 16 crew, trading places with European Space Agency astronaut Léopold Eyharts, who returned to Earth aboard Endeavour after almost 50 days in space.

STS-123 is the 122nd shuttle mission and the 25th station assembly mission. The next mission, STS-124, is slated to launch in May.

Information for this post was provided by NASA.
--------------------------------------------------
Song 314: Close to the Edge
Artist: Yes
Album: Close to the Edge
Year: 1972
--------------------------------------------------

I. The Solid Time Of Change
(Anderson/Howe)

A seasoned witch could call you from the depths of your disgrace,
And rearrange your liver to the solid mental grace,
And achieve it all with music that came quickly from afar,
Then taste the fruit of man recorded losing all against the hour.
And assessing points to nowhere, leading ev'ry single one.
A dewdrop can exalt us like the music of the sun,
And take away the plain in which we move,
And choose the course you're running.

Down at the edge, round by the corner,
Not right away, not right away.
Close to the edge, down by a river,
Not right away, not right away.

Crossed the line around the changes of the summer,
Reaching out to call the color of the sky.
Passed around a moment clothed in mornings faster than we see.
Getting over all the time I had to worry,
Leaving all the changes far from far behind.
We relieve the tension only to find out the master's name.

Down at the end, round by the corner.
Close to the edge, just by a river.
Seasons will pass you by.
I get up, I get down.
Now that it's all over and done,
Now that you find, now that you're whole.

II. Total Mass Retain
(Anderson/Squire)

My eyes convinced, eclipsed with the younger moon attained with love.
It changed as almost strained amidst clear manna from above.
I crucified my hate and held the word within my hand.
There's you, the time, the logic, or the reasons we don't understand.

Sad courage claimed the victims standing still for all to see,
As armoured movers took approached to overlook the sea.
There since the cord, the license, or the reasons we understood will be.

Down at the edge, close by a river.
Close to the edge, round by the corner.
Close to the end, down by the corner.
Down at the edge, round by the river.

Sudden problems shouldn't take away the startled memory.
All in all, the journey takes you all the way.
As apart from any reality that you've ever seen and known.
Guessing problems only to deceive the mention,
Passing paths that climb halfway into the void.
As we cross from side to side, we hear the total mass retain.

Down at the edge, round by the corner.
Close to the end, down by a river.
Seasons will pass you by.
I get up, I get down.

III. I Get Up, I Get Down
(Anderson/Howe)

In her white lace, you could clearly see the lady sadly looking.
Saying that she'd take the blame
For the crucifixion of her own domain. I get up,
I get down,
I get up,
I get down.

Two million people barely satisfy.
Two hundred women watch one woman cry, too late.
The eyes of honesty can achieve.
How many millions do we deceive each day?
I get up, I get down.
I get up, I get down.

In charge of who is there in charge of me.
Do I look on blindly and say I see the way?
The truth is written all along the page.
How old will I be before I come of age for you?
I get up, I get down.
I get up, I get down.
I get up, I get down.

IV. Seasons Of Man
(Anderson/Howe)

The time between the notes relates the color to the scenes.
A constant vogue of triumphs dislocate man, it seems.
And space between the focus shape ascend knowledge of love.
As song and chance develop time, lost social temp'rance rules above.
Ah, ah.

Then according to the man who showed his outstretched arm to space,
He turned around and pointed, revealing all the human race.
I shook my head and smiled a whisper, knowing all about the place.
On the hill we viewed the silence of the valley,
Called to witness cycles only of the past.
And we reach all this with movements in between the said remark.

Close to the edge, down by the river.
Down at the end, round by the corner.
Seasons will pass you by,
Now that it's all over and done,
Called to the seed, right to the sun.
Now that you find, now that you're whole.
Seasons will pass you by,
I get up, I get down.
I get up, I get down.
I get up, I get down.
I get up.

micro fossil

I saw a friend a few days ago and the first thing she said was . . . "I've got something I want you to take a picture of." Then she showed me a thin slice of gray slate. It was so fragile that the edges were beginning to crumble. She and her husband got the piece of rock at a gem and mineral show in St. Louis earlier this month. As we looked at the rock she pointed to an interesting area. There was a small, white spec on the rock, about a 64th of an inch long [if that].

I took the rock home with me and put it under a binocular microscope and saw this neat, little jawbone. I have no idea what animal it came from but I have another friend who can tell me. Before I hand the fossiliferous rock back to its owner I hope to be able to tell her what it is.
-------------------------------------------------
Song 313: City of New Orleans
Artist: Arlo Guthrie
Album: Hobo's Lullaby
Year: 1972
-------------------------------------------------

Ridin' on the City of New Orleans
Illinois Central, Monday mornin' rail
15 cars & 15 restless riders
Three conductors, 25 sacks of mail

All along the southbound odyssey the train pulls out of Kankakee
Rolls along past houses, farms & fields
Passin' graves that have no name, freight yards full of old black men
And the graveyards of rusted automobiles

Good mornin' America, how are you?
Don't you know me? I'm your native son!
I'm the train they call the City of New Orleans
I'll be gone 500 miles when the day is done

Dealin' cards with the old men in the club car
Penny a point, ain't no one keepin' score
Pass the paper bag that holds the bottle
And feel the wheels rumblin' neath the floor

And the sons of Pullman porters & the sons of engineers
Ride their fathers' magic carpets made of steel
Mothers with their babes asleep, rockin' to the gentle beat
And the rhythm of the rails is all they feel

Good mornin' America, how are you?
Say don't you know me? I'm your native son!
I'm the train they call the City of New Orleans.
I'll be gone 500 miles when the day is done.

Night time on the City of New Orleans
Changin' cars in Memphis, Tennessee
Halfway home, we'll be there by mornin'
Thru the Mississippi darkness rollin' down to the sea

But all the towns and people seem to fade into a bad dream
And the steel rail still ain't heard the news
The conductor sings his songs again
"The passengers will please refrain:
This train got the disappea rin' railroad blues

Good night America, how are you?
Say don't you know me? I'm your native son!
I'm the train they call the City of New Orleans.
I'll be gone 500 miles when the day is done.

scenes from the backyard

Budding tulip poplar
------------------------------------------------
Song 312: The Cisco Kid
Artist: War
Album: The World Is A Ghetto
Year: 1972
------------------------------------------------

The Cisco Kid was a friend of mine
The Cisco Kid was a friend of mine
He drink whiskey, Poncho drink the wine
He drink whiskey, Poncho drink the wine

We met down on the fort of Rio Grande
We met down on the fort of Rio Grande
Eat the salted peanuts out of can
Eat the salted peanuts out the can

The outlaws had us pinned down at the fort
The outlaws had us pinned down at the fort
Cisco came in blastin', drinkin' port
Cisco came in blastin', drinkin' port

They rode the sunset, horse was made of steel
They rode the sunset, horse was made of steel
Chased a gringo last night through a field
Chased a gringo last night through a field

The Cisco Kid was a friend of mine
The Cisco Kid he was a friend of mine
The Cisco Kid was a friend of mine
The Cisco Kid was a friend of mine

The Cisco Kid was a friend of mine
The Cisco Kid he was a friend of mine
The Cisco Kid was a friend of mine
The Cisco Kid was a friend of mine

The Cisco Kid he was a friend of mine
The Cisco Kid he was a friend of mine
The Cisco Kid he was a friend of mine

scenes from the frontyard

The Bradford Pear in bloom.
--------------------------------------------------
Song 311: Brand New Key
Artist: Melanie
Album: Gather Me
Year: 1972
--------------------------------------------------

I rode my bicycle past your window last night
I roller-skated to your door at daylight
It almost seems like you're avoiding me
I'm okay alone, but you got something I need

Well, I got a brand new pair of roller skates
You got a brand new key
I think that we should get together
And try them out to see
I been looking around awhile
You got something for me
Oh, I got a brand new pair of roller skates
You got a brand new key

I ride my bike, I roller skate don't drive no car
Don't go too fast, but I go pretty far
For somebody who don't drive
I been all around the world
Some people say, I done all right for a girl

Oh, yes yea, ok
Oh, yea, yea, yea
Oh, yea, yea, yea
Oh, yea, yea, yea

I asked your mother if you were at home
She said yes but you weren't alone
Oh, sometimes I think that you're avoiding me
I'm okay alone, but you got something I need

Well, I got a brand new pair of roller skates
You got a brand new key
I think that we should get together
And try them out to see
La, la, la, la, la, la
La, la, la, la, la
Oh, I got a brand new pair of roller skates
You got a brand new key

a spring story

In celebration of spring, I looked back through my archives and found this picture from the mid-eighties. This group of teenagers was part of an Appalachian Trail expedition that year that took us through some of my favorite sections of the Smokies . . . Davenport Gap, Newfound Gap, Clingman's Dome, Charlie's Bunion, Sawteeth. Icewater Springs Shelter is one of the old-style shelters on the Appalachian Trail [The AT]. It is enclosed on three sides by river rock and the front is open, except for the ceiling-to-floor chain-link fencing that separates hikers from bear at night. As I recall, the night we stayed in the shelter, we had company. Several mice scurried around inside the shelter all night. This is the perfect place for pesky little rodents. It's dark, damp, cool and full of leftover remnants of food from the thousands of backpackers [and locals looking for a place to party] that use this shelter.

The shelter itself is not one of my favorite memories [although it does stand out as a lasting memory]. What I did enjoy about the shelter was the spring . . . Icewater Spring. We had to hike a couple hundred yards down a mountainside trail to get to the spring to fill our water bottles and cooking pots. If you look closely, you can see in the picture that the crew is using a couple of different filtering systems to fill their containers. Most of us used a pump [like a Púr] and some of us used a cup with a filtering cap. There was one young man on the trip who was new to backpacking and not a very good listener. At one shelter along the trail, he volunteered to fill our water bottles and when he returned without a water filter in hand, I asked him if he had left it by the stream. He told me he didn't take one with him. After boiling the water he had collected and washing all the water bottles with it, he and I returned to the stream, and I gave him a refresher course in water purification and the dangers of not purifying. I didn't let him fill water bottles by himself the rest of the trip, but I did make sure that he was on every water-filling excursion. I think that young man learned a lot during those two weeks. I also think he enjoyed his experience.
--------------------------------------------------
Song 310: Black and White
Artist: Three Dog Night
Album: Seven Separate Fools
Year: 1972
--------------------------------------------------

The ink is black
The page is white
Together we learn to read and write
The child is black
The child is white
The whole world looks upon the sight
The beautiful sight

And now a child can understand
That this is the law of all the land
All the land

The world is black
The world is white
It turns by day and then by night
The child is black
The child is white
Together they grow to see the light
To see the light

And now at last we plainly see
We'll have a dance of liberty
The world is black
The world is white
It turns by day and then by night
The child is black
The child is white
The whole world looks upon the sight
The beautiful sight

The world is black
The world is white
Tt turns by day and the by night
The child id black
The child is white
Together they grow to see the light
To see the light

(repeat last two verses)

spring is officially here

The courtyard on the first day of spring 2008.

At 12:48am this morning spring officially arrived. Of course at 12:48am this morning the temperature was 36 degrees at my house. That's not a springtime temperature, so I've decided that spring will officially arrive at 12:48pm this afternoon [for me at least]. The temperature at that time should be around 64 degrees. That sounds more springlike to me.

It's sunny. The wind is blowing gently from the south. All is well. Welcome spring! And as a tribute to spring, my song today is Blue Sky. One of the best Allman Brothers songs ever.
--------------------------------------------------
Song 309: Blue Sky
Artist: Allman Brothers Band
Album: Eat A Peach
Year: 1972
--------------------------------------------------

Walk along the river, sweet lullaby, it just keeps on flowing,
It don't worry 'bout where it's going, no, no.
Don't fly, mister blue bird, I'm just walking down the road,
Early morning sunshine tell me all I need to know

You're my blue sky, you're my sunny day.
Lord, you know it makes me high when you turn your love my way,
Turn your love my way, yeah.

Good old sunday morning, bells are ringing everywhere.
Goin to Carolina, it won't be long and I'll be there

springtime

Just a couple of images from today's lunchtime hike. Green is beginning to pop up everywhere. Spring is just around the corner.
--------------------------------------------------
Song 308: Baby I’m-a Want You
Artist: Bread
Album: Baby I'm-a Want You
Year: 1972
--------------------------------------------------

Baby, im-a want you
Baby, im-a need you
You the only one I care enough to hurt about
Maybe im-a crazy
But I just cant live without...

Your lovin and affection
Givin me direction
Like a guiding light to help me through a darkest hour
Lately Im a-prayin
That youll always be a-stayin beside me

Used to be my life was just emotions passing by
Feeling all the while and never really knowing why...

Lately Im a-prayin
That youll always be a-stayin beside me.

Used to be my life was just emotions passing by
Then you came along and made me laugh
And made me cry...
You taught me why...

Baby, im-a want you
Baby, im-a need you

Oh, it took so long to find you, baby

Baby, im-a want you
Baby, im-a need you

walk along the river

I stopped by the river after work today for a few minutes of hiking. I must say I really enjoyed my time on the trail. The afternoon temperature was around 72 with a very slight breeze. This trail is only about a mile long so it didn't take very long at all to complete. As usual, the river was brown. I don't think I have ever seen this river any color other than brown. As a matter of fact, the entire landscape along the river was brown today. I am so looking forward to springtime. Green. I want to see some green. Winter is such a dreary season around here. If it's not going to be snowy, I would rather it be warm. Come on springtime.
--------------------------------------------------
Song 307: Aubrey
Artist: Bread
Album: Guitar Man
Year: 1972
--------------------------------------------------

And aubrey was her name,
A not so very ordinary girl or name.
But whos to blame?
For a love that wouldnt bloom
For the hearts that never played in tune.
Like a lovely melody that everyone can sing,
Take away the words that rhyme it doesnt mean a thing.

And aubrey was her name.
We triped the light and danced together to the moon,
But where was june.
No it never came around.
If it did it never made a sound,
Maybe I was absent or was listening to fast,
Catching all the words, but then the meaning going past,

But God I miss the girl,
And Id go a thousand times around the world just to be
Closer to her than to me.

And aubrey was her name,
I never knew her, but I loved her just the same,
I loved her name.
Wish that I had found the way
And the reasons that would make her stay.
I have learned to lead a life apart from all the rest.
If I cant have the one I want, Ill do without the best.

But how I miss the girl
And Id go a million times around the world just to say
She had been mine for a day.

bouquet of color

The next issue of the bi-monthly newsletter I design will feature a full image of flowers on the front cover. A UV coating will give the flowers a wet look. Yesterday was photo shoot time for the flowers. The images above are from that shoot. I actually used three cameras for the shoot . . . a Canon Digital Rebel, a Sony Cybershot compact digital, and a 5-year-old Olympus E-10 4.0 megapixel camera. The top image was shot with the Olympus with two lightbox studio lights and a tripod. The bottom image was shot using the Sony, handheld, no studio lights, no tripod, fluorescent overhead lights, close-up setting.

The task now is to choose one image from the 85 or so that I shot yesterday. Fun.
-------------------------------------------------
Song 306: If
Artist: Bread
Album: Manna
Year: 1971
-------------------------------------------------

If a picture paints a thousand words,
Then why can't I paint you?
The words will never show the you I've come to know.
If a face could launch a thousand ships,
Then where am I to go?
There's no one home but you,
You're all that's left me too.
And when my love for life is running dry,
You come and pour yourself on me.

If a man could be two places at one time,
I'd be with you.
Tomorrow and today, beside you all the way.
If the world should stop revolving spinning slowly down to die,
I'd spend the end with you.
And when the world was through,
Then one by one the stars would all go out,
Then you and I would simply fly away

barbed wire

This barbed wire fence separates two distinctly different landscapes, two mindsets, two environments. The trails that I hike three or four times a week are in a park that represents two worlds and this little fence keeps us in one or the other. On my side of the fence is the forest with all of its trees and trails and wildlife. Deer walk about the forest with such frequency that it is routine. I see deer almost every time I hike these trails, but it has become so commonplace that I'm becoming comfortable with them being there . . . and they are comfortable with me being there as well. We leave eachother alone. I walk silently along the trail. They walk silently through the forest. We coexist. It's that way on this side of the fence. Birds sing, chipmunks scurry around, snakes cross the footpath. I watch for them and when I see one on the path, I wait for it to pass. It's cool on this side of the fence. The canopy of trees shade my walks. They shield me from the sun. They provide music as the wind gently blows through the leaves.

On the other side of fence is a completely different world. There are corn fields and cotton fields lying ready to be worked. Soon these fields will bustle with activity as they come alive and I can watch them grow from my side. I can see the new growth mature into a yielding crop. Sometimes I cross the fence so I can walk along the rows, being cautious not to disturb their fragile environment. On the other side of the fence there is very little wildlife to be seen. Occasionally I spot a deer or two, but not often. On the other side of the fence the sun shines brilliantly during the summer, and at times I can even see ripples of heat as it radiates up from the ground. Beyond the fields I can see buildings and machinery and vehicles, so far away from my side of the fence that I can't see the people moving about, but I know they're there.

I think I like it better on my side of the fence.
--------------------------------------------
Song 305: Coconut
Artist: Nilsson
Album: Nilsson Schmilsson
Year: 1971
--------------------------------------------

Brother bought a coconut, he bought it for a dime
His sister had another one, she paid it for the lime

She put the lime in the coconut, she drank 'em both up (3x)
Put the lime in the coconut, she called the doctor, woke him up, and said

Doctor, ain't there nothin' I can take, I said
Doctor, to relieve this bellyache, I said
Doctor, ain't there nothin' I can take, I said
Doctor, to relieve this bellyache

Now let me get this straight
Put the lime in the coconut, you drank 'em both up (3x)
Put the lime in the coconut, you called your doctor, woke him up, and said

Doctor, ain't there nothin' I can take, I said
Doctor, to relieve this bellyache, I said
Doctor, ain't there nothin' I can take, I said
Doctor, to relieve this bellyache

You put the lime in the coconut, you drink 'em both together
Put the lime in the coconut, then you feel better
Put the lime in the coconut, drink 'em both up
Put the lime in the coconut, and call me in the morning

Brother bought a coconut, he bought it for a dime
His sister had another one, she paid it for the lime
She put the lime in the coconut, she drank 'em both up
Put the lime in the coconut, she called the doctor, woke him up, and said

Doctor, ain't there nothin' I can take, I said
Doctor, to relieve this bellyache, I said
Doctor, ain't there nothin' I can take, I said
Now let me get this straight

You put the lime in the coconut, you drink 'em both up (3x)
Put the lime in the coconut, you're such a silly woman

Put the lime in the coconut, you drink 'em both together
Put the lime in the coconut, then you feel better
Put the lime in the coconut, drink 'em both down
Put the lime in the coconut, and call me in the morning

Woo-oo, ain't there nothin' you can take, I said
Woo-oo, to relieve your bellyache, you said
Woo-oo, ain't there nothin' I can take, I said
Woo-oo, to relieve your bellyache, you say

Yeah-ah, ain't there nothing I can take, I say
Wow-ow, to relieve this bellyache, I said
Doctor, ain't there nothin' I can take, I said (3x)
Doctor, you're such a silly woman

Put the lime in the coconut, you drink 'em both together
Put the lime in the coconut, then you feel better
Put the lime in the coconut, drink 'em both up
Put the lime in the coconut, and call me in the mo-o-ornin'

Yes, you call me in the morning
If you call me in the morning I'll tell you what to do {repeat to fade}

charlie's bunion

I took this picture in 1994 during a two-week 135-mile backpacking expedition through the Smokies in North Carolina. This is one of my favorite places in the world . . . Charlie's Bunion. 14 of us took part in the expedition that year. The days were grueling at times, but the view from the top was spectacular. The trail by Charlie's Bunion was an experience in itself. You can see in the picture that the trail was confined between the rock wall on the right and the drop-off on the left. That was no small drop off either. It is almost shear cliff for hundreds of feet.

You see the three guys standing on the bunion? The day after this picture was taken a doctor and his son were on the bunion. His son was sitting on the jut that you see below and to the left of our crew. The rock gave way and the doctor's 12-year-old son fell to his death. These mountains are beautiful but incredibly dangerous. Places like Charlie's Bunion, Sawteeth, and Lover's Leap all require caution and skill to navigate. A turned ankle can result in a massive tumble. No horseplay allowed. No night hiking allowed.

When I think back on those years and the thousands of miles logged on these backpacking expeditions, we all learned invaluable lessons in the art of backpacking. Things like tying and using knots. Cooking on backpack stoves and how altitude can affect fuel usage and flame temperature. Meal planning, portion sizes, packaging, cooking equipment and clean-up. Choosing and using different types of backpacks, tents, sleeping bags, hiking boots, weather gear, and lightweight clothing. Use of a map and compass, orienteering, land navigation. Low-impact, no-trace, environmentally-conscious camping. Team building and crew structure.

After an expedition like the 94 Appalachian Trail adventure, I am always sore, aching, exhausted, but exhilarated and ready to go again. It's the challenge. The challenge is the real adventure.
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Song 304: Make It With You
Artist: Bread
Album: On The Waters
Year: 1970
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Hey have you ever tried,
Really reaching out for the other side?
I may be climbing on rainbows
But, baby here goes.

Dreams they're for those who sleep,
Life is for us to keep,
And if you're wond'ring
What this song is leading to

I want to make it with you
I really think that we can make it girl.

No, you don't know me well,
In ev'ry little thing only time will tell,
If you believe the things that I do.
And we'll see it through.

Life can be short or long,
Love can be right or wrong,
And if I choose the one
I'd like to help me through,

I'd like to make it with you
I really think that we can make it girl.

Baby you know that
Dreams they're for those who sleep,
Life is for us to keep
And if I choose the one
I'd like to help me through,

I'd like to make it with you
I really think that we can make it girl.

flashback to devil's courthouse

This is "the nose" . . . one of three rappelling faces at Devil's Courthouse in Western North Carolina. I took this picture in June of 1987 while on a 50-mile expedition in the Smokies. There were about 25 members of the expedition team and 6 or so of them were with me. We traveled to a Camp near Waynesville and backpacked from there into the mountains. On the third day we stopped at Devil's Courthouse for an afternoon of rappelling. I think the scariest part of the whole day was tying our own harnesses. I was so afraid that I had not tied mine right . . . but as you can tell because I am blogging right now, I tied the harness just fine.

Devil's Courthouse has three faces. One is called "the tourist" and it is not exactly straight down. There are a few juts, but overall I remember "the tourist" being about 80 degrees with a ledge here and there and about 600 feet top to bottom. The second face is called "the nose". Once you go over the top, it's about 60 feet down before you touch the face again. Free falling . . . and then it's about 800 feet to the bottom. The last face is a 1000-foot shear face . . . 90 degrees straight down. That's the one I did. What a trip.

The little guy in the picture is Phip. He was the smallest one on the expedition team, but he was probably the most determined one in the bunch. He did all three faces at Devil's Courthouse. One of the guys in our group went over "the nose" and froze. When he put the brakes on the back rope, he didn't brake the front rope and he flipped upsidedown. That must have been a strange feeling. Glad it wasn't me.
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Song 303: Alone Again [Naturally]
Artist: Gilbert O'Sullivan
Album: released as a single
Year: 1972
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spring aurora season

This photograph of an aurora was taken in Wisconsin. Credit: Jeffrey R. Hapeman of Lac du Flambeau, Wisconsin.

What are the signs of spring? They are as familiar as a blooming daffodil, a songbird at dawn, a surprising shaft of warmth from the afternoon sun. And, oh yes, don’t forget the aurora borealis. Spring is aurora season. For reasons not fully understood by scientists, the weeks around the vernal equinox are prone to Northern Lights. Canadians walking their dogs after dinner, Scandinavians popping out to the sauna, Alaskan Huskies on the Iditarod trail -- all they have to do is look up and behold, green curtains of light dancing across the night sky. Spring has arrived!

This is a bit of a puzzle. Auroras are caused by solar activity, but the sun doesn’t know what season it is on Earth. So how could one season yield more auroras than another?

Auroras sometimes erupt with little warning and surprising intensity. We call these events ‘sub-storms,' and they are a big mystery. What triggers the eruptions? Where is sub-storm energy stored? (It has to gather somewhere waiting to power the outburst.)

And, of course, why springtime?

To answer these questions and others, NASA has deployed a fleet of five spacecraft named THEMIS (short for “Time History of Events and Macroscale Interactions during Substorms”) specially instrumented to study auroras.

Auroras are much more than just pretty lights in the sky. Underlying each display is a potent geomagnetic storm with possible side-effects ranging from satellite malfunctions in orbit to power outages on earth. Telecommunications, air traffic, power grids and GPS systems are all vulnerable. In a society that relies increasingly on space technology, understanding these storms is vital.

Launched in February 2007, THEMIS has already observed one geomagnetic storm with a total energy of five hundred thousand billion (5 x 10^14) Joules. That's approximately equivalent to the energy of a magnitude 5.5 earthquake. This storm moved twice as fast as anyone thought possible, crossing an entire polar time zone in 60 seconds flat!

THEMIS may have found the storm’s power supply:

The satellites have detected magnetic ‘ropes’ connecting Earth's upper atmosphere directly to the sun. Solar wind particles flow in along these ropes, providing energy for geomagnetic storms and auroras. The magnetic fields in question are organized much like the twisted hemp of a mariner’s rope. Solar wind particles flow along the ropes in whirligig trajectories leading from the sun to Earth.

It turns out that magnetic connections between the sun and Earth are favored in springtime. It’s a matter of geometry: As Earth goes around in its orbit, Earth’s magnetic poles wobble back and forth. (The poles don’t really wobble, but the combination of Earth’s 23-degree polar tilt plus orbital motion makes the poles seem to wobble from the solar point of view.) Around the time of the equinox, Earth’s magnetic field is best oriented for “connecting-up” with the sun, opening the door for solar wind energy to flow in and spark Northern Lights.

But wait, there are two equinoxes, spring and fall, with similar magnetic geometry. Indeed, autumn is aurora season, too. Geomagnetic disturbances are almost twice as likely in spring-fall versus winter-summer, according to historical records.

THEMIS is just getting started. The five spacecraft are on a two-year mission to explore Earth’s magnetic field and they are only now settling into their optimum science orbits. The five satellites can map the complex ebb and flow of energy during geomagnetic storms better than any single satellite ever could. There’s no telling what we might learn.

The information for this post courtesy of NASA. Tony Phillips. NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center
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Song 302: Ain’t Wastin’ Time No More
Artist: Allman Brothers Band
Album: Eat A Peach
Year: 1972
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Last Sunday mornin’ … the sunshine felt like rain
Week before … they all … seemed the same
With the help of God and true friends … I come to realize
I still had two strong legs … and even wings to fly

And oh I … ain't-a wastin’ time no more
'Cause time goes by like … hurricanes … and faster things . . .

snow day

That's right. Snow DAY! One day of snow. Yesterday was an incredibly good day. Snow came screaming into our area. Around noon precipitation began to fall in the form of sleet and freezing rain, but it quickly turned to snow. By mid-afternoon the snow was sticking to the grass and by four o'clock or so the flakes were huge and sticking to the roadways. You have to realize that we hardly ever get snow around here so it is really a treat when we do. I walked around our neighborhood in the snow when I got home yesterday, taking pictures of fence posts, trees, streets, houses, anything I could target with my camera.

(r)ouge joined her friends for an evening of snowball fights, snowman building, and general chill-to-the-bone fun in the snow. My wife and I called our best friends and the four of us walked to a local Italian restaurant for dinner. The 15-minute walk to the restaurant was very pleasant, with the wind at our backs and the snow continuing to fall in huge, fluffy flakes. We stopped at the town square to take a few pictures, then on to a fantastic meal. Although everything on the menu looked incredible, we settled on thin-crust pizzas . . . one blue crab and one alfredo bacon gorganzola. With the wind in our faces on the way home, our faces were almost numb and little icicles hung from the scarf around my neck. But a nice cup of hot tea quickly thawed us out as we settled in for the night.

Today the snow is almost all gone . . . all five inches of it. We picked (t)onks up at the airport this afternoon as she and her group of college friends returned from a week in Europe. She had an incredible time but she was so disappointed that she missed the snow. She loves snow. There was just enough left to make a few snowballs. And they were all right on target. Welcome home (t)onks!
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Song 301: You've Got A Friend
Artist: James Taylor
Album: Mud Slide Slim and The Blue Horizon
Year: 1971
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When you're down and troubled
And you need a helping hand
And nothing, whoa nothing is going right.
Close your eyes and think of me
And soon I will be there
To brighten up even your darkest nights.

You just call out my name,
And you know where ever I am
I'll come running, oh yeah baby
To see you again.
Winter, spring, summer, or fall,
All you have to do is call
And I'll be there, yeah, yeah, yeah.
You've got a friend.

If the sky above you
Should turn dark and full of clouds
And that old north wind should begin to blow
Keep your head together and call my name out loud
And soon I will be knocking upon your door.
You just call out my name and you know where ever I am
I'll come running to see you again.
Winter, spring, summer or fall
All you got to do is call
And I'll be there, yeah, yeah, yeah.

Hey, ain't it good to know that youve got a friend?
People can be so cold.
They'll hurt you and desert you.
Well they'll take your soul if you let them.
Oh yeah, but don't you let them.

You just call out my name and you know wherever I am
I'll come running to see you again.
Oh babe, don't you know that,
Winter spring summer or fall,
Hey now, all you've got to do is call.
Lord, I'll be there, yes I will.
You've got a friend.
You've got a friend.
Ain't it good to know you've got a friend.
Ain't it good to know you've got a friend.
You've got a friend.

new radar maps of the moon

NASA has obtained new high-resolution radar maps of the Moon's south pole . . . a region the space agency is considering as a landing site when astronauts return to the Moon in the years ahead.

"We now know the south pole has peaks as high as Mt. McKinley and crater floors four times deeper than the Grand Canyon," says Doug Cooke, deputy associate administrator for the Exploration Systems Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters. "These data will be an invaluable tool for advance planning of lunar missions."

Scientists at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory collected the data using the Goldstone Solar System Radar located in California's Mojave Desert. Three times in 2006, JPL scientists targeted the moon's south polar region using Goldstone's 70-meter radar dish. The antenna, three-quarters the size of a football field, sent a 500-kilowatt strong, 90-minute long radar stream 231,800 miles to the Moon. The radar illuminated the rough-hewn lunar surface over an area measuring about 400 by 250 miles. Signals were reflected back to two of Goldstone's 34-meter antennas on Earth. Scientists have been analyzing the echoes ever since, and the data were released by NASA for the first time this week.

"I have not been to the Moon, but this imagery is the next best thing," says Scott Hensley, a scientist at JPL and lead investigator for the study. "With these data we can see terrain features as small as a house without even leaving the office."

NASA is eying the Moon's south polar region as a possible site for future outposts. The location has many advantages; for one thing, there is evidence of water frozen in deep dark south polar craters. Water can be split into oxygen to breathe and hydrogen to burn as rocket fuel--or astronauts could simply drink it. Planners are also looking for "peaks of eternal light." Tall polar mountains where the sun never sets might be a good place for a solar power station.

In recent years, Earth-based radars have done a good job of mapping the south polar regions of the Moon. In 1997, Goldstone antennas scanned the area and produced maps with 75 meter resolution. In 2005, a team led by Don Campbell of Cornell University improved that figure to 20 meters using the giant Arecibo radar in Puerto Rico and the Green Bank Telescope in West Virginia (D. B. Campbell et al, Nature, 443, 835-837, 2006). The JPL survey reported in this story also achieved 20 meter resolution.

As wonderful as they are, however, these radar images will pale in comparison to next-generation photos from NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter. The spacecraft is scheduled to launch in late 2008 and its camera will beam back pictures of the Moon with details as small as 1 meter.

"The south pole of the Moon," says Cooke, is going to be "a beautiful place to explore."

Credit: Dr. Tony Phillips; Science@NASA
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Song 300: Won't Get Fooled Again
Artist: The Who
Album: Who's Next
Year: 1971
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We'll be fighting in the streets
With our children at our feet
And the morals that they worship will be gone
And the men who spurred us on
Sit in judgement of all wrong
They decide and the shotgun sings the song

I'll tip my hat to the new constitution
Take a bow for the new revolution
Smile and grin at the change all around me
Pick up my guitar and play
Just like yesterday
Then I'll get on my knees and pray
We don't get fooled again

The change, it had to come
We knew it all along
We were liberated from the foe, that' all
And the world looks just the same
And history ain't changed
'Cause the banners, they all flown in the last war

I'll tip my hat to the new constitution
Take a bow for the new revolution
Smile and grin at the change all around me
Pick up my guitar and play
Just like yesterday
Then I'll get on my knees and pray
We don't get fooled again
No, no!

I'll move myself and my family aside
If we happen to be left half alive
I'll get all my papers and smile at the sky
For I know that the hypnotized never lie

Do ya?

YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!

There's nothing in the street
Looks any different to me
And the slogans are replaced, by-the-bye
And the parting on the left
Is now the parting on the right
And the beards have all grown longer overnight

I'll tip my hat to the new constitution
Take a bow for the new revolution
Smile and grin at the change all around me
Pick up my guitar and play
Just like yesterday
Then I'll get on my knees and pray
We don't get fooled again
Don't get fooled again
No, no!

YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!

Meet the new boss
Same as the old boss

think backpacking

I took this picture in 1992. The pack belongs to JMc and he was the lead guide for our Appalachian Trail expedition that summer. For several years I lead a coed group of young adults on extended backpack trips. We did all the planning ourselves. We planned our menus. Bought and packed the food. Planned the trail itinerary and logistics. Conducted shakedown inspections to make sure everyone had the gear, water and food they needed. Conducted training in backpacking, first aid and wilderness survival. We had it going on. We even designed the t-shirts that became our souvenir for each expedition. Those were the best backpacking adventures I have ever had.

The particular trip represented by the picture above started at Springer Mountain, Georgia and took us into the Great Smoky Mountains of North Carolina on a two-week expedition. One week into the trip, our logistics person meet us at a road crossing with a resupply of food. We traveled 10 miles a day the first week and 20 miles a day the second week. The shelters along the Appalachian Trail are spaced at about 10 miles apart and tent camping is not permitted, so we were committed to doing either the 10 or 20 miles a day plan. After a week on the trail, 20 miles isn't that hard to accomplish though. In the lower elevations and along the ridges, we could average about 3 to 3.5 miles an hour. As we crossed ridges, descending into the gaps and valleys and climbed back out again our pace sometimes slowed to a mile an hour, so it usually took us from 8:00 am until about 1:00 pm to complete 10 miles. On the longer days we usually hiked from 7:00 until dinnertime, sometimes getting into the next shelter at dark or just after. Those were grueling days. My feet ached. My shoulders ached. My heart pounded. But I loved it . . . and so did the rest of the crew.
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Song 299: Wild Horses
Artist: The Rollling Stones
Album: Sticky Fingers
Year: 1971
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Childhood living is easy to do
The things you wanted I bought them for you
Graceless lady you know who I am
You know I cant let you slide through my hands

Wild horses couldnt drag me away
Wild, wild horses, couldnt drag me away

I watched you suffer a dull aching pain
Now you decided to show me the same
No sweeping exits or offstage lines
Could make me feel bitter or treat you unkind

Wild horses couldnt drag me away
Wild, wild horses, couldnt drag me away

I know I dreamed you a sin and a lie
I have my freedom but I dont have much time
Faith has been broken, tears must be cried
Lets do some living after we die

Wild horses couldnt drag me away
Wild, wild horses, well ride them some day

Wild horses couldnt drag me away
Wild, wild horses, well ride them some day

when the levee breaks

This little frog could have been sittin on the levee, but alas he is sittin on a potpourri bowl that resides at our house.

The blues song, When the Levee Breaks, was written and recorded originally by a husband and wife team, Kansas Joe McCoy and Memphis Minnie, in 1929. The song is about the Great Mississippi Flood of 1927.

And then Led Zeppelin caught hold of it, reworked it and released it on their fourth album. I love this song. Robert Plant had the original recording in his collection. He removed and rearranged lines, added lyrical parts, added a revamped melody. My favorite parts of the song are the harmonica and drum. When the drum parts were recorded back in December of 1970, two microphones were placed at the top a three story stairwell and Bonham's drumkit was placed at the bottom of the stairwell, which gave the final cut a slightly muffled, but very powerful sound.

Back in the days of my youth I would always crank this song up and I can't listen to it today unless I boost the volume just a bit. Of course today Levee has an even bigger impact on me when I hear it. It brings back memories of driving through New Orleans after Katrina and seeing all the houses destroyed when the levees broke.
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Song 298: When The Levee Breaks
Artist: Led Zeppelin
Album: Led Zeppelin Four [Zoso]
Year: 1971
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If it keeps on rainin', levee's goin' to break, [X2]
When The Levee Breaks I'll have no place to stay.

Mean old levee taught me to weep and moan, [X2]
Got what it takes to make a mountain man leave his home,
Oh, well, oh, well, oh, well.

Don't it make you feel bad
When you're tryin' to find your way home,
You don't know which way to go?
If you're goin' down South
They go no work to do,
If you don't know about Chicago.

Cryin' won't help you, prayin' won't do you no good,
Now, cryin' won't help you, prayin' won't do you no good,
When the levee breaks, mama, you got to move.

All last night sat on the levee and moaned, [X2]
Thinkin' about me baby and my happy home.
Going, going to Chicago... Going to Chicago... Sorry but I can't take you...
Going down... going down now... going down....

another spring-like day

Yes, this is another spring-like day in the neighborhood. Just kidding. The wind is blowing, the rain is falling and the temperatures are dropping. Of course the meteorologist says that it will snow tomorrow and be warm on Wednesday. Only one thing is certain here. If you don't like the weather, hang around for an hour or two and it is sure to change. I am ready for spring. We have not had a bad winter here, but there has been absolutely no snow. If it is going to be cold, I would like for it to be snowy. Not feet of snow, but a few inches would be nice.
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Song 297: Walk Away
Artist: James Gang
Album: Thirds
Year: 1971
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Takin' my time
Choosin' my lines
Try'n' to decide what to do
Looks like my stop
Don't wanna get off
Got myself hung up on you

Seems to me
You don't wanna talk about it
Seems to me
You just turn your pretty head and walk away

Places I've known
Things that I'm growin'
Don't taste the same without you
I got my self in
The worst mess I've been
And I find myself starvin' without you

Seems to me
Talk all night here comes the mornin'
Seems to me
You just forget what we said and greet the day

I've got to cool myself down
Stompin' around
Thinkin' some words I can't name ya
Meet you half way
Got nothing to say
Still I don't s'ppose I can blame ya

Seems to me
You don't wanna talk about it
Seems to me
You just turn your pretty head and walk away

(r)ouge and (t)onks

I took this picture yesterday of my daughters. They don't get to see eachother nearly enough. One is in college, living on campus and the other is a senior in high school. They can hardly wait until this fall when they will both be going to the same college, if only for a year. I love my girls . . . they are so sweet! That's (r)ougue on the left and (t)onks on the right. I took out the background clutter in PhotoShop, then added a diffused glow filter.
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Song 296: Vincent (Starry Starry Night)
Artist: Don McLean
Album: American Pie
Year: 1971
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Starry
starry night
paint your palette blue and grey

look out on a summer's day
with eyes that know the
darkness in my soul.
Shadows on the hills
sketch the trees and the daffodils

catch the breeze and the winter chills

in colors on the snowy linen land.
And now I understand what you tried to say to me

how you suffered for your sanity
how you tried to set them free.
They would not listen
they did not know how

perhaps they'll listen now.

Starry
starry night
flaming flo'rs that brightly blaze

swirling clouds in violet haze reflect in
Vincent's eyes of China blue.
Colors changing hue
morning fields of amber grain

weathered faces lined in pain
are soothed beneath the artist's
loving hand.
And now I understand what you tried to say to me

how you suffered for your sanity
how you tried to set them free.
perhaps they'll listen now.

For they could not love you
but still your love was true

and when no hope was left in sight on that starry
starry night.
You took your life
as lovers often do;
But I could have told you
Vincent
this world was never
meant for one
as beautiful as you.

Starry
starry night
portraits hung in empty halls

frameless heads on nameless walls
with eyes
that watch the world and can't forget.
Like the stranger that you've met

the ragged men in ragged clothes

the silver thorn of bloddy rose
lie crushed and broken
on the virgin snow.
And now I think I know what you tried to say to me

how you suffered for your sanity

how you tried to set them free.
They would not listen
they're not
list'ning still
perhaps they never will.

the blog drought is over

Edisto Beach, South Carolina

Wow, it seems like months since I have had time to blog. The blog drought should be over for a while though. My taxes are finished. College applications are finished. Three huge, major projects at work are finished. The Adobe Conference in Miami is finished. A flurry of earth science presentations to third through fifth grade classes at area schools are finished. So, I am taking this opportunity to sit down and blog.

All my photography work for my company is paying off these days. At one time in recent history all photography used in our publications would have been purchased stock photography, but that is simply not the case anymore. I am getting more and more opportunities to shoot those images and they are being used by businesses and staff groups all over the company. I'm loving it. Just a year ago, perhaps only 20 percent of my time was spent in photography. The remainder was graphic design. Now, my time is split almost evenly between graphic design and photography, and the real bonus is . . . I am getting the opportunity to do design jobs that traditionally have been farmed out to agencies. Our office was seen as the place to go for quick turn-around flyers, newsletters, brochures and other one-to-eight page pieces. Now we are doing campaigns that require multiple pieces with common themes and diverse imagery.

And the incredible thing is. We are doing all this work with one less person on staff. One of our key people left the company to go back to school full time several weeks ago. Now there's a hiring freeze, so we are working late, fast and furious to get it all done.

I took the image above during a family vacation last summer to South Carolina. As I was searching for a picture to be used in a series of design pieces recently, the image came to mind and it was chosen as the key image for the campaign. I'm very pleased. I manipulated the original image in PhotoShop by adjusting the colors and levels and applied the Accent Edges filter. The result has a painterly look.

conference in miami beach

The top image is a shot of Miami as seen from the Causeway between Miami and Miami Beach. The bottom image is from South Beach, the location of the conference I attended this past week.

Even in the midst of a busy business season, like we are experiencing right now, it is important to recharge, invigorate, be inspired, and learn. I try to get away from the office at least once or twice a year for training. I attended the Vector Conference this past week in Miami Beach. It was all about Adobe programs, and since I work almost exclusively in Adobe programs, this one was perfect for me. I attended four days of workshops and sessions with experts in the field of graphic design and digital photography. I attended sessions on InDesign, Illustrator, PhotoShop, Acrobat, LightRoom and several third-party vendor events. I took tons of notes and used my digital camera as a note-taker as well -- taking shots of the presentation screens as speakers passed their knowledge on to us.

One of the highlights for me was the Scavenger Hunt competition. Those of us who chose to participate were given a list of 25 items that we had to find representative images of, take pictures of, or create images of and then put it all together in a presentation [using Adobe software] to be judged and winners selected by our peers. We had two days to complete the project. I worked on my project until 2:00am Tuesday night and never went to sleep at all on Wednesday, but all that hard work was rewarded. I took second place. I feel really good about that second place award since the first place entry was created by a team of six.

a marine's view of the situation

While waiting to hear the results of the Scavenger Hunt competition, I struck up a conversation with another conference attendee. He's a photographer in the Marines. He's been to Iraq for three tours of duty and has seen a lot of action . . . both combat and community service. He told me that what we see on the media is not the true story of Iraq. He said he saw a lot of happy children, happy parents. The Marines are helping in the schools and in the communities and encouraging life to return to normal in that region. I've always felt that we only get the dramatic news from the Middle East, not the real picture. I want to see pictures and hear stories of all the things that have gone right since this all began. I want to see the whole picture. What about you?

By the way, the Marine took third place in the Scavenger Hunt competition. I loved his entry . . . a poster with a collage of images depicting all the items on the list. Mine was a 27-page interactive PDF with a combination of graphics, digital photography and type. This image is one of the pages from my presentation.

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Song 295: Upsetter
Artist: Grand Funk Railroad
Album: E Pluribus Funk
Year: 1971
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