frankstown vegetation and a little story

Here are just a few images of the vegetation along 20-Mile Creek on Saturday. My wife, [t]ae kwon mom, and I took a group from our community to 20-Mile Creek on a fossil dig Saturday. You can read about it in yesterday's post. After looking at these pictures, I've included a little story from our fossil-hunting adventure.




[T]ae kwon mom gets into her hobbies with a passion. Saturday was no different. She digs for fossils with a vengence. If there are none to be found, she will not give up until she finds some. That was the case Saturday. Normally the best finds at Frankstown are located a quarter to a half mile down stream, so that's where [tae kwon mama] headed as soon as she climbed down the embankment and set foot in the creek. The water was low, the beaver dam that normally serves as a trap for fossils was gone, and she and the crew were not finding a lot. [T]ae kwon mom retreated back to the area near the highway overpass, and just fifty yards or so from there she starting finding sharks teeth. Over the course of the day, everyone who stuck with her found some very nice treasures.

The fun part came after the dig was over. About 2:30 Saturday afternoon we all decided to call it a day. I had already made it back to the parking area and a friend and I were sitting in the shade talking when I saw [t]ae kwon mom walking very quickly towards us yelling "Get the first aid kit." "I need the first aid kit." She was not limping, not bleeding, and she was laughing, so I was a bit confused. Of course her way of dealing with trauma is to laugh [much like my brother dealt with pain when we were growing up . . . he didn't scream or cry, he ran. We would have to chase him down to see what was wrong.] Anyway . . . as [t]ae kwon mom was leaving the creek, she stopped to rinse the sand out of her watershoes, then she headed up the trail to the parking area. As she was walking along she saw a flat leaf on her leg. Another step and she thought, "That doesn't look a leaf." The next step . . . "That doesn't feel like a leaf." The next step . . . "Oh pooh, that's not a leaf, that's a leach! A LEACH!?! Get the first aid kit!" Outwardly, she looked rushed, but not panicked. Inwardly, she was silently screaming, "Oh my gosh, oh my gosh, uuuh, get it off, get it off . . . NOW!" In the end all is well. The leach did attach to her leg, but he came off easily, she applied a bit of first aid cream and all that remains is a little red spot. She's fine, but I think she will remember this trip longer than some of the others we have taken.
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Song 377: Are You Receiving Me?
Artist: Golden Earring
Album: Moontan
Year: 1973
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frankstown fossil dig

At least once a year my wife [who BTW will be tagged as tae kwon mom henceforth] and I take a short road trip to the Browning Cretaceous Fossil Park. Most of the time we go with our geology club, but yesterday [t]ae kwon mom and I took a group from our community to the park to do a little fossil digging. There were almost thirty of us in all.

The creek was a very low this time. In some areas the water was only two or three inches deep. In the section of the creek near the entrance to the park the water was two to three feet deep in the pools. I love the huge concretions scattered along the creekbed in this section. Some of these round boulders are six to ten feet in diameter. The kids like scrambling on these boulders, jumping from one to the other, and occasionally sliding into the water. [I like scrambling on these boulders too.] Water shoes are a must in this part of the creek because it is just beneath a highway overpass and you don't know what may have been tossed from a car passing overhead.

This father and son team searched all day. Some folks came in the morning and left at lunchtime. By then the temperature was around 88. Not bad but it was a little warm to be bent over, shoveling out clay, searching for fossils all day.

The water provided a bit of relief from the summer heat. This digger, about six years old, finally settled in this part of the creek, and the very first shovel full of clay he pulled from the creekbed had three sharks' teeth in it. He was thrilled. These teeth aren't just teeth . . . their fossilized teeth. That means that the actual tooth has been replaced by minerals over the past 75 million years. That's right . . . 75 million years. This part of Mississippi was part of a shallow sea 75 million years ago. Think of it as ancient Gulf Coast beach-front property.

The find of the day was this Enchodus tooth. The Enchodus was a predatory fish, not unlike the modern pirana. The tooth, found by one of the girls in our group, looks a lot like a sharks tooth, except that it is round rather than flat. This is the first Enchodus tooth I have seen collected from Frankstown, although I know there have been many found . . . I just don't know any of the finders.

This is a typical screen full of material from the creek. The procedure is: [1] scoop two or three shovels full of clay from the creek bed into the screen box; [02] place the screen box in the creek until the water just covers the bottom of the box and sift; [03] sort through all the rocks, sticks and fossils remaining after the clay has been washed through the screen and back into the creek; [04] collect your treasures and put them in a ziplock bag. The two-inch tooth pictured here is one that [t]ae kwon mom found yesterday. It's sitting on the bottom valve of an oyster fossil.
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Song 376: Angie
Artist: Rolling Stones
Album: Goats Head Soup
Year: 1973
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lily pad

I saw this pond on my way back to work at lunchtime. It appeared to be about a half acre or so and it was just full of lily pads. If you look closely at the seed pods, they look like showerheads. I took almost three dozen pictures of these plants.

About the song: Alexis was the very first song that Tommy Bolin ever sang on an album, and it is one of my favorites. The lyrics are so smooth and the guitar solo at the end of the song is incredible. I was a bit sad when Tommy left James Gang for a solo career, but his first solo album, Teaser, was fantastic. Alexis was recorded when he was with James Gang.
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Song 375: Alexis
Artist: James Gang
Album: Bang
Year: 1973
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Alexis, thank you for a pleasant southern day
Spent on the levy throwin' pennies in the bay
And talkin 'bout the rich folks
On the big boats that pass that way
You were just a young girl
I just could not stay

Alexis, I can't remember how we met back then
Was on my way to Atlanta, now I'm on that road again
Not really poor, had money just not to spend
You were just a young girl, and I was in need of a friend

Alexis, you always used to talk about
Leavin your hometown, headin on south
Maybe down to New Orleans
And you wanted me to help you out
But you were just a young girl
And I was just a hobo... that had my doubts

Alexis, I did not want to... want to leave you there
Sometimes this life we lead is so unfair
I wanted to take you with me
But I did not dare
You were just a young girl and I could not pay your fare

Alexis, you always used to talk about
Leavin your hometown, headin on south
Maybe down to New Orleans
And you wanted me to help you out
But you were just a young girl
And I was just a hobo... that had my doubts

I had my doubts

future fuel

kudzu

Could there actually be some good in kudzu? Canadian researchers have determined that this invasive plant could be used as a source for biofuel, yielding about 270 gallons of gallon per acre. That compares to about the same yeild as corn. The secret is the carbohydrates found in the leaves, vine and root of this plant.

Down here in the south, kudzu is everywhere. Once it starts growing, it takes over, smothering out other vegetation and crops. Even a little bit of root left in the ground sprouts new vine the following year. I hate this stuff, but if it can help supplement our fuel, perhaps that's its saving grace.
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Song 374: Ain't Got Nobody
Artist: Grand Funk Railroad
Album: We're An American Band
Year: 1973
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high adventure in the workplace

As I rushed to the freight elevator this morning I noticed all these little figurines hanging on desks, rapeling from cabinets, scaling cubicle walls and performing other acts of daring do. It's a good thing I always carry a camera with me. I stopped just long enough to snap a few pictures of all these little guys engaged in high adventure in the workplace. The eraser swinger was suspended from the high ledge of a cubicle divider. The truck rider sat atop a cabinet. I don't know what maneuvers these guys were doing, but they seemed to be having a good time, although the truck rider appeared to have his hands tied. Huh!
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Song 373: Abandoned Luncheonette
Artist: Daryl Hall and John Oates
Album: Abandoned Luncheonette
Year: 1973
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They sat in an Abandoned Luncheonette
sipping imaginary cola and drawing faces in the tabletop dust
His voice was rusty from years as a sergeant on "this man's army"
they were old and crusty

She was twenty when the diner was a baby
He was the dishwasher, busy in the back, his hands covered with
gravy
Hair black and wavy
Brilliantine slick, a pot - cleaning dandy,
He was young and randy

Day to day, to day... today
then they were old, their lives wasted away
Month to month, year to year
they all run together
time measured by the peeling of paint on the luncheonette wall

They sat together in the empty diner
filled with cracked china
Old news was blowing across the filthy floor
and the sign on the door read "this way out", that's all it read
that's all it said

bargain hunting katydid

This little Fork-tailed Bush Katydid came visiting yesterday during our garage sale. I took the day off from work so I could help with our spring garage sale. It is incredible how much stuff gathers over the years, and since both our daughters are now grown, it is time to get rid of [I mean sell] some of the things that take up space [but are no longer needed] in our house. [Girl with many dresses and only one closet] has decided that she wants to transform her bedroom into an art studio. One of the items on the sell block yesterday was her waterbed. What a job emptying, breaking down, and transporting this queen-size four-poster. We sold it though and it is gone. The purchaser came by last night with a trailer to pick it up. The heaviest part [and most awkward to maneuver] was the mattress. It has baffles in it to stop some of the wave action of the water. Those baffles are foam so they swell with water inside the mattress. It is impossible to drain all the water from the baffles, therefore the mattress weighs a ton.

Today is day two [and the final day] of our spring/summer sale. Yesterday was spring. Today is summer. It's funny. Yesterday was cool, overcast, a little breezy, very comfortable spring day. Today is ten degrees hotter, no breeze, no clouds, a very typical summer day.
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Song 372: You Wear It Well
Artist: Rod Stewart
Album: Never A Dull Moment
Year: 1972
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I had nothing to do on this hot afternoon
But to settle down and write you a line
Ive been meaning to phone you but from minnesota
Its been a very long time
You wear it well
A little old fashioned but thats all right

Well I suppose youre thinking I bet hes sinking
Or he wouldnt get in touch with me
Oh I aint begging or losing my head
I sure do want you to know that you wear it well
There aint a lady in the land so fine

Remember them basement parties, your brothers karate
The all day rock and roll shows
Them homesick blues and radical views
Havent left a mark on you, you wear it well
A little out of time but I dont mind

But I aint forgetting that you were once mine
But I blew it without even tryin
Now Im eatin my heart out
Tryin to get a letter through

Since youve been gone its hard to carry on
Im gonna write about the birthday gown that I bought in town
When you sat down and cried on the stairs
You knew it did not cost the earth, but for what its worth
You made me feel a millionaire and you wear it well
Madame onassis got nothing on you

Anyway, my coffees cold and Im getting told
That I gotta get back to work
So when the sun goes low and youre home all alone
Think of me and try not to laugh and I wear it well
I dont object if you call collect
cos I aint forgetting that you were once mine
But I blew it without even tryin
Now Im eatin my heart out tryin to get back to you

After all the years I hope its the same address
Since youve been gone its hard to carry on

zing!

zing! five steps and 101 tips for creativity on command by Sam Harrison is one of my favorite browse books. You don't have to read the whole thing like a novel. It's a brainstorming tool. I like to thumb through it and stop on random pages. To give you an idea of what's inside, I'll thumb through right now and choose a couple of stops to share with you.

Stop No. 1 -- page 120

Chip Away

Great ideas often surge from the mind like Csikszentmihalyi's cork. When that happens, gratefully embrace those ideas and go forward.

But times also come when corks don't pop to the surface. When that happens, we must consciously edit down thoughts and insights.

Remember what Michelangelo said when asked how he was able to carve something as astonishingly beautiful as his statue of David: "The statue's shape already exists in the marble. I simply chip away the excess stone."

Stop No. 2 -- page 119

"Creativity is allowing yourself to make mistakes. Art is knowing which ones to keep."
--Scot Adams, creator of Dilbert comic strip

If you want a copy of this book, here are the vitals:

Zing! five steps and 101 tips for creativity on command
by Sam Harrison
2004
ISBN 0-9744996-3-3
MacHillock Publishing
Highlands, North Carolina

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Song 371: The World Is A Ghetto
Artist: War
Album: The World Is A Ghetto
Year: 1972
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Walkin' down the street, smoggy-eyed
Looking at the sky, starry-eyed
Searchin' for the place, weary-eyed
Crying in the night, teary-eyed

Don't you know that it's true
That for me and for you
The world is a ghetto

Don't you know that it's true
That for me and for you
The world is a ghetto

Wonder when I'll find paradise
Somewhere there's a home sweet and nice
Wonder if I'll find happiness
Never give it up now I guess

Don't you know that it's true
That for me and for you
The world is a ghetto

Don't you know that it's true
That for me and for you
The world is a ghetto

There's no need to search anywhere
Happiness is here, have your share
If you know you're loved, be secure
Paradise is love to be sure

Don't you know that it's true
That for me and for you
The world is a ghetto

Don't you know that it's true
That for me and for you
The world is a ghetto

Don't you know that it's true
That for me and for you
The world is a ghetto

Don't you know that it's true
That for me and for you
The world is a ghetto

(The world is a ghetto)
{21 times and fade}

caffeine for the creative mind

Sometimes I need coffee to get me started in the morning and sometimes I need a boost in the middle of the day to get creative ideas flowing. I found a book at the HOW Design Conference a year ago that gives me that boost. It's Caffeine For The Creative Mind: 250 Exercises To Wake Up Your Brain by Stefan Mumaw and Wendy Lee Oldfield. Just to give you an idea of what's in this book, here's an excerpt.

Life in the Fast Lane!

Often, finding a creative solution simply means looking at what we see every day in a slightly different way. From our work environments to our computer desktops, altering our perspective can lead to creative results. While we spend countless hours in these environments, there's another place many of us spend countless hours observing our surroundings...our cars. Many of us have taken steps to "customize" the interior of our cars to "brighten the view" of somethign we stare at everyday... the driver's seat. We have pinned up photos of loved ones, created places for our phones and sunglasses to reside, even flower vases! Your task today is to "redesign" or decorate the dashboard and surrounding area of a car's interior. But not for you... Choose one of these occupational audiences:
cowboy
doctor
park ranger
kindergarten teacher
mortician
actor or actress
creative director
circus clown
pilot
Consider what "things" these occupations might need and how traveling from one place to the other can be enhanced with your new design. Keep in mind they still need to be able to steer somehow, but the rest is up to you.

If you need this book, here's the skinny:
Caffeine for the Creative Mind
by Stefan Mumaw and Wendy Lee Oldfield
2006
ISBN-13:978-1-58180-867-4
Published by HOW Books, 4700 East Galbraith Road, Cincinnati, OH 45236
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Song 370: Ventura Highway
Artist: America
Album: Homecoming
Year: 1972
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Chewin' on a piece of grass walkin' down the road
Tell me, how long you gonna stay here Joe
Some people say this town don't look good in snow
You don't care, I know

Ventura Highway, in the sunshine
Where the days are longer, the nights are stronger than moonshine
You're gonna go I know
'Cause the free wind is blowin' through your hair
And the days surround your daylight there
Seasons cryin' no despair
Alligator lizards in the air, in the air
Do-do-do-do-do...

Wishin' on a fallin' star, waitin' for the early train
Sorry boy, but I've been hit by purple rain
Aw, come on Joe, you can always change your name
Thanks a lot son, just the same

boardwalking

[Girl with many dresses and only one closet] went out for ice cream with a friend after dinner this evening. [Tonks] was out running at the local track. My wife went out for an evening of tae kwon do, and I had a bit of plumbing to do. It just so happens that Johnson Park is on the way to the hardware store [or close enough to on the way], so I stopped by there for a short hike on the boardwalk. The trail at Johnson Park is all on boards [one mile to the river]. I got to the park just before sunset and the light was streaming through the trees, illuminating the boardwalk and the trees. This picture is one of several dozen from this evening.

I wound up hiking all the way to the river, along with the dozens of other people on the boardwalk. There were young couples, old couples, families with little kids and dogs, families with teens and tweens, runners, bikers, boys on BMX bikes, girls skipping and listening to iPods, and one obnoxiously loud dude on his cell phone. There were intermittent periods of quiet solitude along the way, but they were few and far between. I still enjoyed my hike, watching the sunset, watching the people, taking pictures, standing on the banks of the river at the end of the trail. The picture above is one of three boys on bikes. Can you spot them in the blur?

I did make it to the hardware store. Picked up parts. Mission accomplished.
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Song 369: Use Me
Artist: Bill Withers
Album: Still Bill
Year: 1972
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My friends feel it's their appointed duty
They keep trying to tell me all you want to do is use me
But my answer yeah to all that use me stuff
Is I wanna spread the news that if it feels this good getting used
Oh you just keep on using me until you use me up
Until you use me up

My brother sit me right down and he talked to me
He told me that I ought not to let you just walk on me
And I'm sure he meant well yeah but when our talk was through
I said brother if you only knew you'd wish that you were in my shoes
You just keep on using me until you use me up
Until you use me up

Oh sometimes yeah it's true you really do abuse me
You get in a crowd of high class people and then you act real rude to me
But oh baby baby baby baby when you love me I can't get enough
I and I wanna spread the news that if it feels this good getting used
Oh you just keep on using me until you use me up
Until you use me up

Talking about you using me but it all depends on what you do
It ain't too bad the way you're using me
Cause I sure am using you to do the things you do
Ah ha to do the things you do

speed pass

The Speed Pass hanging on my key chain this morning. Speed Pass allows quick access to the gas pump, without keying in numbers or using cards.

I dread pulling into the service station these days. [Actually service station is not the correct term for modern gas stations. They don't offer ANY service like they used to . . . pump your gas, check the oil, clean your windshield, air the tires . . . but I digress.] As I turned into the gas station, I was listening to a story on NPR about gas prices, oil reserves, antique service stations and the woes of filling up your tank. I don't fill my tank anymore. I fill it to $30.00 and stop. It's a psychological thing. $30.00 used to fill my tank just a few months ago. I don't even know how much it would cost to fill it now. I have changed the way I drive. I always drive the speed limit or below. I still see people zooming past me in their huge SUVs, which probably hold $75.00 worth of gas and which probably use $75.00 worth of gas in the same amount of time that I use $30. These zooming drivers look at me with disdain, as if I am some sort of cretin for driving the speed limit. Rarely do I see blue lights strobbing while a policeman gives them a ticket. Their radar detectors signal them to slow down, just long enough to get past the police car, and then they zoom off again. But when I do see one pulled over, I almost laugh. OK I do laugh. Why should I conserve gas and get scowled at while they race on down the road, using up precious gasoline like it doesn't matter. It does matter. It matters a lot.

We must all do our part to conserve, while we wait on the advent of a new fuel source [hydrogen would be my choice] to fuel our cars. I watch my speed. I park in the first available pull-through parking spot at work, at church and in all other parking lots. If I pull through and park so I don't have to back up to get out of the parking spot, I am saving gas. Coast on downhill stretches of highway. Use your air conditioner sparingly. Don't drive interstate highways unless necessary. Check the tire pressure and keep it at the proper level. Use oil and gas additives to keep the engine clean. Combine errands into as few as possible and shop closer to home. Walk, skate or ride a bike whenever possible. Park the big cars and SUVs and get smaller, more fuel-efficient ones.
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Song 368: Trying to Get Away
Artist: Grand Funk Railroad
Album: Phoenix
Year: 1972
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moon illusion

The full moon rising over Manchester, Maryland. Credit: Edmund E. Kasaitis. Courtesy of NASA.

The sun sets in Memphis, TN at 8:17pm on Wednesday, June 18. The moon rises at 8:43pm that night. Step outside at moonrise on Wednesday for a real treat. Have you ever seen the full moon rising in the east and thought that it looked soooo big? The moon will be full on Wednesday, just two days before the summer solstice begins. There will be no better time to see the moon than Wednesday when the sun and the full moon will be like kids on a see-saw; when one is high, the other will be low. This week's high solstice sun gives us a low, horizon-hugging moon and a strong moon Illusion.

For thousands of years sky watchers have known that horizon moons look unnaturally big. At first, astronomers thought the atmosphere must be magnifying the moon near the horizon, but cameras showed that is not the case. Images of the moon are the same size regardless of whether the moon is on the horizon or high in the sky. Apparently, only human beings see giant moons.

Are we crazy?

After all these years, scientists still aren't sure what causes this phenomenon. When you look at the moon, rays of moonlight converge and form an image about 0.15 mm wide on the retina in the back of your eye. High moons and low moons make the same sized spot, yet the brain insists one is bigger than the other. Go figure.

Thanks to Dr. Tony Phillips and Science@NASA for this interesting bit of information.

If you would like to find out when moonrise will be in your part of the world, click this link.

Note about the band: Today's song, Trouble Trouble is by Foghat, one of the premier rock and roll bands of the seventies. I saw these guys 7 times in concert between 1972 and 1976. What high-energy rock and roll. They are right at the top of my list of favorite rock and roll bands.
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Song 367: Trouble Trouble
Artist: Foghat
Album: Foghat
Year: 1972
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rain hanging on branches

One of my favorite times to hike is just after a rain. Friday night and Saturday morning were accompanied by heavy rains in our area [and lots of other areas across the south and midwest]. I hit the trail early Saturday morning, equipped with my digital SLR. Raindrops hanging on tree limbs and leaves with huge drops of water cradled in their crevasses were the subject matter for the morning. I got about sixty good ones. Fun time!
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Song 366: Trouble No More
Artist: Allman Brothers Band
Album: Eat A Peach
Year: 1972
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Dont care how long you go,
I dont care how long you stay,
Its good kind treatment,
Bring you home someday.
Someday baby, you aint gonna trouble,
Poor me, anymore.
Now you keep on bettin,
That the dice wont pass.
Well I know, and I know,
Whoa, oh youre livin too fast.
Someday baby, you aint gonna trouble,
Poor me, anymore.
Yeah, Ill tell everybody,
In my neighborhood.
Youre a kind little woman,
But you dont do me no good.
But someday baby, you aint gonna trouble,
Poor me, anymore.
I know youre leaving,
If you call thats gone.
Oh without my lovin yeah,
Oh, you cant stay long.
Someday baby, you aint gonna trouble,
Poor me, anymore.
Well good bye baby,
Yeah well take my hand.
I dont want no woman no,
Who cant have no man.
But someday baby, you aint gonna trouble,
Poor me, anymore. trouble no more.
Oh yeah... yeah babe.

carving soap

Just a reminder . . . I am the youth program director for our local geology club. I have a different speaker scheduled for each month, rather than me trying to plan an interesting and educational program for them every month. Last night DD, one my good friends and a great stone carver and sculptor, presented the youth program. For the first few minutes, he introduced the kids to stone carving and a little history of sculpture. He showed them a few sketches, some of which are shown in the picture above. Then he gave them each pieces of paper and pencils and asked them to draw a design or two that they might enjoy carving in soap.

We had about ten kids at the meeting last night, and every one of them enjoyed the program greatly. There were several really good sculpture ideas [dogs, cats, elephants, flowers, a camera]. One of the kids worked like she had been sculpting bars of Ivory soap her entire life. That's her flower in the picture above. The kids were asked to finish their sculptures and bring them back next month. DD will give each of them a new bar of soap next month, so they can carve another masterpiece.
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Song 365: Thirty Days In The Hole
Artist: Humble Pie
Album: Smokin'
Year: 1972
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water droplets

It didn't rain last night but the heavy dew this morning left huge water droplets on the plants and flowers in the courtyard at work.
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Song 364: Taxi
Artist: Harry Chapin
Album: Heads and Tales
Year: 1972
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It was raining hard in 'Frisco
I needed one more fare to make my night
A lady up ahead waved to flag me down
She got in at the light

Oh, where you going to, my lady blue
It's a shame you ruined your gown in the rain
She just looked out the window
She said, Sixteen Parkside Lane

Something about her was familiar
I could swear I'd seen her face before
But she said, I'm sure you're mistaken
And she didn't say anything more

It took a while, but she looked in the mirror
And she glanced at the license for my name
A smile seemed to come to her slowly
It was a sad smile, just the same

And she said, How are you Harry
I said, How are you Sue
Through the too many miles
And the too little smiles
I still remember you

It was somewhere in a fairy tale
I used to take her home in my car
We learned about love in the back of a Dodge
The lesson hadn't gone too far

You see, she was gonna be an actress
And I was gonna learn to fly
She took off to find the footlights
And I took off to find the sky

Oh, I've got something inside me
To drive a princess blind
There's a wild man, wizard
He's hiding in me, illuminating my mind
Oh, I've got something inside me
Not what my life's about
'Cause I've been letting my outside tide me
Over 'til my time, runs out

(Yes, she's flying, afraid to fall)
(I'll tell you why baby's crying)
('Cause she's dying, aren't we all)

There was not much more for us to talk about
Whatever we had once was gone
So I turned my cab into the driveway
Past the gate and the fine trimmed lawns

And she said, we must get together
But I knew it'd never be arranged
And she handed me twenty dollars
For a two fifty fare
She said, Harry, keep the change

Well, another man might have been angry
And another man might have been hurt
But another man never would've let her go
I stashed the bill in my shirt

And she walked away in silence
It's strange, how you never know
But we'd both gotten what we'd asked for
Such a long, long time ago

You see, she was gonna be an actress
And I was gonna learn to fly
She took off to find the footlights
And I took off for the sky

And here, she's acting happy
Inside her handsome home
And me, I'm flying in my taxi
Taking tips, and getting stoned
I go flying so high, when I'm stoned

art in nature

I enjoy hiking the day after a rain. We got a pretty nice rain last night and the patterns and shapes left in the sand of the trail today were great. They look a lot like the patterns in a Petoski stone or the lichen on the side of tree. My hikes take a lot longer to complete on days like today. I tend to stop a lot . . . I mean a whole lot! Checking out the reflections in water puddles. Observing water droplets on flowers and leaves. Enjoying the fresh smell of the forest after its bath.
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Song 363: Sweet Surrender
Artist: Bread
Album: Guitar Man
Year: 1972
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Who draws the crowd and plays so loud,
Baby its the guitar man.
Whos gonna steal the show, you know
Baby its the guitar man,

He can make you love, he can make you cry
He will bring you down, then hell get you high
Somethin keeps him goin, miles and miles a day
To find another place to play.

Night after night who treats you right,
Baby its the guitar man
Whos on the radio, you go listen
To the guitar man

Then he comes to town, and you see his face,
And you think you might like to take his place
Somethin keeps him driftin miles and miles away
Searchin for the songs to play.

Then you listen to the music and you like to sing along,
You want to get the meaning out of each and evry song
Then you find yourself a message and some words to call your own
And take them home.

He can make you love, he can get you high
He will bring you down, then hell make you cry
Somethin keeps him movin, but no one seems to know
What it is that makes him go.

Then the lights begin to flicker and the sound is getting dim
The voice begins to falter and the crowds are getting thin
But he never seems to notice hes just got to find
Another place to play,
Anyway got to play, anyway got to play.

reflections

These are the final images that I will share with you from the digital photography workshop for kids that I conducted last week. The top shot is from the digital field trip focusing on shadows and the bottom one is from the reflections field trip. It's a reflection of my daughter, [Girl with many dresses and only one closet].
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Song 362: Sweet Hitch-hiker
Artist: Creedence Clearwater Revival
Album: Mardi Gras
Year: 1972
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Was Ridin' along side the highway rollin' up the country side.
Thinkin' I'm the devil's heatwave what you burn in your crazy mind?
Saw a slight distraction standin' by the road;
She was smilin' there yellow in her hair;
Do you wanna I was thinkin' would you care.
CHORUS:
Sweet Hitch a Hiker
We could make music at the Greasy King.
Sweet Hitch a Hiker
Won't you ride on my fast machine?
Cruisin' on thru the junction, I'm flyin' 'bout the speed of sound,
Noticin' peculiar function, I ain't no roller coaster show me down.
I turned away to see her, Woa! she caught my eye,
But I was rollin' down, movin' too fast;
Do you wanna, She was thinkin' can it last.
CHORUS
Was busted up along the highway, I'm the saddest ridin' fool alive.
Wond'ring if you're goin' in my way, won't you give a poor boy a ride?
Here she comes a ridin', Lord, She's flyin' high.
But she was rollin' down, movin' too fast;
Do you wanna, She was thinkin' can I last.
CHORUS
CHORUS
CHORUS

future photographer

Here are couple more images from the digital photography workshop for kids. The top picture was from a digital field trip focusing on zoom shots. The bottom picture is from the digital field trip on ground-level shots. The boy in the this picture took some great shots. He is destined to be a great photographer.
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Song 361: Sure Got Cold After The Rain Fell
Artist: ZZ Top
Album: Rio Grande Mud
Year: 1972
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Rain fell this mornin, make me feel so bad
On account of my baby walked off with another man.
Like takin eyesight from the blind man and money from the poor
That woman took my lovin and walked on out that door.
And it sure got cold after the rain fell,
Not from the sky, from my eye.

Somebody, can you tell me just what make a man feel this way?
Like river without its water, like night without a day.
And it sure nuff got cold after the rain fell,
Not from the sky but from my eye.

If youre home early in the mornin you hear that rain to fall,
With thunderbolts and lightning the wind begins to call.
Your worrys superficial cause you slept on through the night
But stormy weather keep you wondrin if evrythings all right.
And it sure nuff got cold after the rain fell,
Not from the sky but from my eye,
Not from the sky, from my eye.

shaken and twisted

Yesterday was a great day! I conducted a digital photography workshop just for kids. I've done several photography workshops for adults, but we did this one without a classroom. I would explain a setting on the camera [i.e. macro or close-up] and then we would take a digital field trip so the kids could take pictures and experiment with their cameras. There were 15 kids in the workshop so we broke them up into three small groups, one led by me and the other two led by my assistants. After each field trip we would form our large group and look at a few of the pictures. I took these two pictures during the first digital field trip. The premise was . . . experiment with macro, blurs, camera shakes and twists.
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Song 360: Space Truckin
Artist: Deep Purple
Album: Machine Head
Year: 1972
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We had a lot of luck on Venus
We always had a ball on Mars
Meeting all the groovey people
We've rocked the Milky Way so far
We danced around with Borealice
We're space truckin' round the the stars
Come on let's go Space Truckin'

Remember when we did the moonshot
And Pony Trekker led the way
We'd move to the Canaveral moonstop
And everynaut would dance and sway
We got music in our solar system
We're space truckin' round the stars
Come on let's go Space Truckin'

The fireball that we rode was moving
But now we've got a new machine
Yeah Yeah Yeah Yeah the freaks said
Man those cats can really swing
They got music in their solar system
They've rocked around the Milky Way
They dance around the Borealice
They're Space Truckin' everyday
Come on

the boulevard

I call the connecting trail to the Wolf River Trail System the boulevard because it is so straight, clean, well-kept and smooth. This short section of trail [about a quarter of a mile] connects the white, yellow and blue trails. From this connector I can chose a route that will take me on three, five, or eight miles of hiking [or more if I combine trails]. Today I chose a five-mile hike. It didn't feel 92, but that's exactly how hot it was. This summer is going to be very hot!
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Song 359: Song Sung Blue
Artist: Neil Diamond
Album: Moods
Year: 1972
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Song sung blue
Everybody knows one
Song sung blue
Every garden grows one

Me and you are subject to the blues now and then
But when you take the blues and make a song
You sing them out again
Sing them out again

Song sung blue
Weeping like a willow
Song sung blue
Sleeping on my pillow

Funny thing, but you can sing it with a cry in your voice
And before you know it, start to feeling good
You simply got no choice

Song sung blue
Everybody knows one
Song sung blue
Every garden grows one

a walk in the park

There's a little city park on my way home from work called Cameron Brown. The focal point of this park is the lake [pond actually] stocked with fish. On most days there are several people fishing from the banks of the pond and today was no exception. There were about six fishermen scattered around the pond, but it didn't look like any of them were having much luck. When I visit this park, I always begin and end my walk around the pond at this short pier.

Song note: Smoke on the Water was one of my favorite songs in 1972 and I still listen to it today. It's on my iPod in a special playlist called Favorite Classic Rock Songs.
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Song 358: Smoke on the Water
Artist: Deep Purple
Album: Machine Head
Year: 1972
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We all came out to montreux
On the lake geneva shoreline
To make records with a mobile
We didnt have much time
Frank zappa and the mothers
Were at the best place around
But some stupid with a flare gun
Burned the place to the ground
Smoke on the water, fire in the sky

They burned down the gambling house
It died with an awful sound
Funky claude was running in and out
Pulling kids out the ground
When it all was over
We had to find another place
But swiss time was running out
It seemed that we would lose the race
Smoke on the water, fire in the sky

We ended up at the grand hotel
It was empty cold and bare
But with the rolling truck stones thing just outside
Making our music there
With a few red lights and a few old beds
We make a place to sweat
No matter what we get out of this
I know well never forget
Smoke on the water, fire in the sky

do not enter

I often take digital field trips. I determine the theme for the field trip before I go and I set the rules. The theme for today's digital field trip was circles. I could only take pictures of circles . . . 20 different pictures of circles. Each circle had to be framed in exactly the same spot, no matter how small or large the subject matter was. I took pictures of buttons, tires, signs, flower pots . . . This Do Not Enter sign was in front of the high school that [Girl with many dresses and only one closet] graduated from last month. It is so appropriate. She is our last high school graduate and to be perfectly honest with you, I am glad we will not have to be back in this school. The rules are silly . . . no logos on your shirt bigger than 2 inches wide [they actually measure] . . . every student must wear a belt, even if the pants do not have belt loops . . . all tops must be tucked in the pants, even if the top is a sweater How incredibly lame are these rules??? And what do they have to do with my child learning. The rules have been more of a distraction the past few years than anything. I am looking forward to the freedoms of campus life for my daughter, and so is she.
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Song 357: Saturday in the Park
Artist: Chicago
Album: Chicago V
Year: 1972
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Saturday in the park
I think it was the fourth of july
Saturday in the park
I think it was the fourth of july
People dancing, people laughing
A man selling ice cream
Singing italian songs
(fake italian lyric)
Can you dig it (yes, I can)
And Ive been waiting such a long time
For saturday

Saturday in the park
Youd think it was the fourth of july
Saturday in the park
Youd think it was the fourth of july
People talking, really smiling
A man playing guitar
Singing for us all
Will you help him change the world
Can you dig it (yes, I can)
And Ive been waiting such a long time
For today

Slow motion riders fly the colors of the day
A bronze man still can tell stories his own way
Listen children all is not lost
All is not lost

Funny days in the park
Every days the fourth of july
Funny days in the park
Every days the fourth of july
People reaching, people touching
A real celebration
Waiting for us all
If we want it, really want it
Can you dig it (yes, I can)
And Ive been waiting such a long time
For the day

where I work

The yellow circle on the left side of the image above shows where I work, five miles beyond the tree. I get away at lunchtime several times a week to hike the trail from which this picture was taken. It's a great trail. It's wide and clear, with varied terrain, so I get a workout while I'm hiking. I used to run a lot, but hiking is much less stressful on my shins and knees, so I enjoy hiking these days . . . at about four miles per hour. Not a bad pace. I can cover a lot of ground in an hour.
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Song 356: Roundabout
Artist: Yes
Album: Fragile
Year: 1972
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I’ll be the round about
the words will make you out ’n’ out
you change the day your way
call it morning driving thru the sound and in and out the valley

The music dance and sing
they make the children really ring
I spend the day your way
call it morning driving thru the sound and in and out the valley

In and around the lake
mountains come out of the sky and they stand there
one mile over we’ll be there and we’ll see you
ten true summers we’ll be there and laughing too
twenty four before my love you’ll see I’ll be there with you

I will remember you
your silhouette will charge the view
of distance atmosphere
call it morning driving thru the sound and even in the valley

Along the drifting cloud the eagle searching down on the land
catching the swirling wind the sailor sees the rim of the land
the eagles dancing wings create as weather spins out of hand
go closer hold the land feel partly no more than grains of sand
we stand to lose all time a thousand answers by in our hand
next *to* your deeper fears we stand
surrounded by a millions years