Tradition

On Christmas morning a couple of years ago when all of the presents were unwrapped I put all of the paper in an empty box. Little did I know that was the beginning of a small tradition. My cat Harlich decided he liked to lie in it so I left it there. Every time I thought about discarding it he was in it. So each time I left it again. This went on long after the tree and decorations were gone and before I knew it Christmas had rolled around again. At that point I simply removed the old paper and replaced it with that years wrappings. This year I replaced the paper and gave him a new box . As you can see he is pleased!

An all time favorite of mine!

Christmas theme

Continuing my Christmas theme here is a photo of a little village I got from my grandmother years ago. As a kid I used to help her set it up every year. I made such a fuss over it that she eventually gave it to me. I have been married for 38years and we have set it up every Christmas. It has to be 60 years old now but I still get a kick out of seeing it each year. I suppose that is one of the little things Christmas is all about.

Ornaments

Now that our Christmas tree is up again I though it might be interesting to compare it to last years . Although the trees vary in size and shape they basically are the same every year. It is the ornaments that do this. Take a look ! This years tree is on the right.

Recovery

We put up our Christmas tree up today and for me it was a real kick. I spent an hour or so putting the lights on. When I was finally finished and was fine tuning , trying to make all of them well spaced and visible, I accidentally cut one of the strands in two with my pruners. Of course the lights were plugged in at the time and with a dramatic pop and flash all 75 of them went off. I was not hurt (except my pride) but sat down stunned. In all of my years doing this I have never done anything like that .Thank goodness it wasn't a total disaster . After I recovered (emotionally) ,I removed the damaged set, replaced the fuses in the other two and put another set in. As always the tree turned out great ! I have always said it is all in the recovery!

58 Chevy

Another car I wish I still had. This 58 Chevy was my Christmas present in the mid 1960s. When I bought a 61 Corvette my mom got this car. Eventually she got a 63 Chevy and I don't really remember what happened to the 58. By that time I had a 67 GTO and The 58 was just a memory.

Portmeirion

Portmeirion's piazza was at one time a tennis court. This pond and fountain makes much more sense. Most of the buildings directly behind it are self catering cottages or hotel rooms . Others to the left side are various village shops. The round pink building at the far left is the unit used for The Prisoners home in the TV series . It now houses a shop selling material related to the series. As I have said before this is one of my favorite places in the world!

Laughed till I cried

More Changes

Big Island Hawaii

There is a reason it's called the Big Island!

Around The World

Today Sharon started a new book. She has been on a David Nobbs kick lately reading many of his books.He is a British humorist who has written many quirky and funny books that have been adapted to British Situation comedies. Among them are The two Ronnies and The fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin. Getting back to today, she just started Nobb's A Bit Of A Do. It was eventually a British comedy drama series starring David Jason and was aired on ITV in 1989. As is the case some of the time, the books I order through Amazon come from the UK. This one did for sure,as when Sharon opened it, this theater ticket stub fell out of it. It provided an interesting glimpse and connection into an unknown life half way around the world.

Today I heard a Freddy Cole recording on the Dish Jazz channel . It reminded me that a few years ago I had never heard of him. Although he was born in October of 1931 and began playing piano at age 6, he had three elder brothers, Eddie, Ike and Nat (twelve years older) who were all musicians. Because of Nat's success he was probably always in his brothers shadow. After Nat died Natalie seemed to eventually move into the spotlight. Or maybe I am the only one who had never heard of him . For more information visit http://www.freddycole.com/overview.html

Pineapples, Season 5

After much sweaty work, our pineapples are ready for another season. This year we consumed 40 and gave sixty away . We planted 42 new starters, and gave away at least that many after deciding to try and keep the number of plants down . New this season are a new planting area and palm mulch chips.The mulch will hopefully retain moisture , keep weeds down and make things easier and neater. We shall see !

The way it feels sometimes

Mood music

I spend a bit of time at Utube . It amazes me how much creative material can be found. I regularly find something wonderful. Something not so wonderful however are the countless crude comments made. I constantly find myself amazed . Some are sexist ,racist, abusive and or mean spirited. Many have nothing to do with the videos content. Is this on the level or is it some kind of tasteless joke. I just don't understand

Sunday we had a few palms removed in the front yard. All of them had grown too tall to keep pruned and one was occasionally getting caught in our power lines. Across the front of the lot we had 5 clumps of Areca palms removed. They were also too tall and created a visual barrier . The effect of all of this work is making the whole front yard and house look great.

Maybe one day I will understand these videos

Somehwere Louis Armstrong is smiling!

The way it feels sometimes

So---- we are driving home from the grocery(as we do every Monday)when the Beach Boys Good Vibrations comes on the radio. Suddenly it is 1966. I am listening to WLS on my transistor radio (with earphone in,) just before falling as sleep in my bunk bed in the barrics . I am back at basic training at Fort Leonard Wood in Missouri.
Why does some music trigger these vivid memories? Any number of recordings do this to me. Each connected to different times and places. Ever thought about this?

This just in!

fascinating

Dolt

This morning we were a little stressed out because one of our cats was going to the vet to have his teeth cleaned. He does not like the carrying case(you can't blame him as he was confined to one when we flew here from San Francisco while moving ) After I put him in the box and rushed to put on my shoes I felt as if my right foot was being crammed into shoe 2 sizes too small. After a short struggle I got it on , grabbed the box and limped out the door feeling as if my foot was going to break in half.I kept thinking something is not right here and after we had finished talking to the vet I sat down in the waiting room to see if my foot had indeed been broken. When I got the shoe off, and looked inside I was astonishment to find a shoe horn in there. It was cheap and made of plastic so it is interesting that it didn't break. It was so funny that I didn't even care that I am such dolt!

MOM

Returning my Niceley topic, here is another shot of My Mom, Probably taken in the late 70s in Indianapolis. She died in 1983. She never smiled while having a picture taken because she was self conscious of her teeth . How silly that seems now!

Classic stuff

Classic stuff from Not the Nine Oclock News

Trails

Over the years of living in San Francisco, I started to notice an increase of these con trails. There are also chem trails (who some think are being intentionally sprayed ) http://educate-yourself.org/ct/. I began to wonder my self one morning . I had arrived for work (as a trade show installer) at the Santa Clara convention center and was sitting in my car on the roof top level of the parking garage . It was then that I noticed a small white jet that was flying back and forth while it released white smoke trails over large parts of the sky. What a strange thing to do. Maybe they are right!
Anyway,to make a short story long (as Steve Allen used to say) In all the 7 years Here in Hawaii I have not seen one trail of any kind! Another little perk for living on the most isolated land mass on earth!. I

Scriabin, Prelude, Opus 16 #1, B Major (piano solo)

Scriabin was an interesting Russian composer who's music was way ahead of its time. Over the years it became increasingly atonal and presaged 12 tone composition. He once said it should sometimes be accompanied by colored lights. That was in the 19th Century !

Spoiled Cats

Am I the only one with spoiled cats?

Trains

Here is another excellent photo from this months Trains magazine !

Continuing my Niceley quest

I have received some Niceley responses (ha ha) about my joke idea

Christopher Niceley of Washington DC said:
"I am not so much against the "oh isn't that a nice name or "are you? " . It would be worse to be named Christopher Badley ... They get old.

Adam Niceley of Tulsa Oklahoma said:
"While I was stationed in Kuwait I worked as an RTO (radio telephone operator) and I always had people tell me that I answered the phone" very Niceley"

I have just begun to contact them so will try a few more

Niceley Done

Early morning fun

Couldn't resist these light spots . I guess I have too much time on my hands

While going to my cousin Marks facebook page page I discovered 75 Niceley's entered. I don't know why but this astounds me!

More San Francisco

This is from a series of note cards I did in San Francisco in the 80s. I sold them as a Street Artist at Fisherman's Warf .

Alec Stern

One of Alec Sterns excellent San Francisco drawings

All Right !

Last night we went to our monthly neighborhood watch meeting. As usual our community police officer came to give his report. On our way in we had noticed his car parked in the lot because it was a new white Dodge
Challenger with a big Hemi v8 in it ( Some Police cars used here are privately owned) . Talking to him later he said he used to have a Mustang. This reminded me of something that happened several weeks ago.
Driving home from the grocery we were passed(on the right) by someone who must have been doing 70 in a 45 zone. As he roared around us I shouted where is a cop when you need one! Shortly after that we passed our officer in his mustang pulling that jerk over!! It was a really great fist pumping ALL RIGHT !!moment.
It was just as enjoyable relating the story to him last night !

The Sea

Having grown up in Indiana for 25 years , I never imagined that I would become so attached to the sea. I suppose it is understandable however , considering that I have lived at the edge of it for longer than that.

Sunrise , Sunset?

From Hawaii The Big Island of Fire and Ice

This excellent shot from Trains Magazine was taken by Joel Jensen . It records a Union Pacific Challenger steam engine as it pops into view between two covered hoppers on a passing train. What timing!

The real Kenny G (Kenny Garret)

Long way off

Hurricane season started here on June 1. Since then more that one storm has formed in the waters off Mexico and made their way towards us . Fortunately most have not made it this far for various reasons . During the past week one did get here but was so weakened it did not amount to much. The storm in the chart above is the latest and should be here the middle of next week. It is interesting following them on the NOAA Hurricane center (the source of the chart) but when they officially reach the central Pacific sector
that changes. Then its just nerve racking. Seems as if November 1 (end of hurricane season) is a long way off!

Portmeirion whimsy

There are little whimsical sights every where you look in the Portmeirion village. http://www.virtualportmeirion.com/

Simon knows cats very well!

From my scrapbook

Going through a folder of "stuff " I ran across this vinyl lp dust cover (or want is left of it). I have lost track of the artist's name but still have his wonderful work.

essence

Received this card years ago and have always loved the drawing. It really is the essence of a cat!

Edinburgh's Military Tatoo http://www.edinburgh-tattoo.co.uk/translations/index.html is a stirring performance held in the Castle's esplanade. The ceremony begins at dusk when the Castle's front gates open and Bagpipe bands begin to march out as as if right out of History. I get goose bumps just remembering it.

This country is going nuts!

from the common dreams page http://www.commondreams.org/

07.20.09 - 11:15 PM

Would You Like Cup Holders With Your Kalashnikov AK-47?

Fearful of crime, meth freaks, and President Obama, a Missouri car dealer is offering a gift certificate for an AK-47 assault rifle to anyone who buys a pick-up. Mark Muller, president of Max Motors, dismisses the notion "we are all cross-eyed rednecks down here," and says business is brisk.

"This is about the right of defending me and my family. I have a loaded gun in my pocket now and one in the glove locker of the car with a 12-round clip in it. My wife also carries a weapon."

fervor

Nottso Long ago

Absolutely Magnificant!

Fascinating to see how many times the main rhythmic motif is used throughout the movement

In the forest again. In our ongoing reforestation project we are trying to establish walking paths.
This is not easy in more than one way. There are many hidden soft spots in the ground.Plants develop a mat of roots over a hole that can give way sometimes causing to a horrible feeling that the next stop is china . There are lava tubes in this area so it is possible to fall into one. After finding a possible trail path it has to be weeded . Never the less it is rather satisfying.

And We live here!

Early morning view of glow from the vent in Halema`uma`u crater on Kilauea volcano on the Big Island of Hawaii. And we live here! The photo from USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory
website http://volcano.wr.usgs.gov/kilaueastatus.php

Letter #2

Here is thank you letter # 2. It just occurred to me, these letters were all written in 1974 . That would make the the "kids"over 30 now. Tempus fugits

Wanna Go !

Sharon and I at Portmeirion (just a few years ago) Can you guess what we were attending?

Thank you letter # 1

In College, I took a class in the psychology of music. One of the assignment projects during the semester was to take a small group to a local grade school and present a short program . I organized a small jazz ensemble, played different styles of tunes and then talked about what we had done. A few weeks after we played, the professor gave me a manila envelope . I did not realize it but the kids we had played for wrote notes about our presentation . Being the pack rat I am, I still have them. I ran across them again tonight and thought it might be interesting to post a few. Might as well use them for something!

Wake me when it's over!

Spent part my birthday today here at Volcano National park .
It has very spiritual qualities and is one of my favorite places . The column of steam is
rising from an opening which is 300 feet across (within Halema uma u crater) . The crater is 300 feet deep and 3,000 feet wide. There is Lava (magma) just 1oo or so feet below the floor of the crater . Another reason to love living here.

Fun Day at the beach in China

San Francisco porch

Sunrise in San Francisco 1994

My MOM the babe!