Funny (not ha ha) that the Sunday comics are still a part of every Sunday for me. I suppose it started with my mom's influence when I was 8 or 9 years old . Never mind that I will be 66 this June Sunday is  just are not the same without them.

 

Early Jazz Greats Continued

Takes you far away to an exotic place!

Hawaii post cards

Third in a series of Post cards taken from
Hawaii The Big Island: Land Of Fire & Ice
Photographs by Franco Salmoiraghi

Years ago I did this drawing as a project  for a graphic design class .
The assignment was to break a design into distinct areas of
contrast. The location is a pathway in the Portmeirion village hotel
(one of my favorite places anywhere) and I tried to present a view of both ends of the path in one drawing. I started to obsess on that ide during one of our many visits to this enchanting place. Portmeirion
is in north wales which  is a very mystical place.
Maybe some of it rubbed off on me

Although I have this book for years, I have yet to master its principles and
continue my struggle . Mindfulness is based on  Buddhist practices that say
through meditation you can wake up and fully be in touch with reality.
I have learned enough to understand that diminished awareness of the present
moment leads to automatic actions and behavior based in fear and insecurities. Over the years I have found just how ingrained and deep
those are and have not been able to make much progress. Maybe I should just  change the blog name to Notso mindful and be done with it.

Coletrane + Bliss

From the archives Dolt 2009

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 astonished 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!

Curb Appeal

Curb appeal project is complete. Painted gate, inserts, replaced old gate lights and planted new impatiens

Roots

After viewing Henry Louis Gates Jr. excellent series Finding your roots http://www.pbs.org/wnet/finding-your-roots/
I am trying to find mine .This is what I have so far. 

Tropics

My Dad

My dad , was not your ordinary dad

Fun Stuff

My last post got me remembering other fun stuff that has happened to me.  I spent 3 years in an Army band stationed at Fort Harrison. For some reason musicians have off beat (so to speak) senses of humor . This surfaced many times in those 3 years For example . We used to have to play monthly  outdoor ceremonies that marked changes in command or retirements.They were held in a large field and involved  several units of men. The band was the first unit and when the command was given we would  lead the entire group to pass in review . Once past the reviewing stand we would make a left turn , a counter march  , stop and play as the rest of the units  passed. On one occasion our Drum Major
(who every one though was a pain) gave a wrong command to turn right in stead of left at that point.
 You can probably guess what happened. The right side of of  band took him at his word (knowing it was wrong ) and we  split right in half.. We all laughed hysterically (except the Drum Major) Needless to say it did not go over so well  and we never did it again.

One Night

One night in a cottage at the Portmeirion Hotel(after a few drinks) we discovered that all of the furniture was on wheels . Needless to say much zooming around and copious amounts of Laughter then ensued!

They're Back!

This photo from 2009 makes me realize how much worse the pig damage is now.I patched it up again today and if they return tomorrow I will update

What's for Dinner?

It has been a while but I fixed dinned today. As I have said before I like to cook . Today I
prepared a recipe from Mark Bitterman's Food Matters book. It is full of healthy dishes
that are easy. I suppose that is why I can manage to do them. This one is a chili, He has
meat in it but It is just as good without it. It is a snap as it only takes a total of an hour to do it.

Cathedrals & Minsters #1

First in a series from  the Cathedrals & Minsters of England and Wales Fax Pax Card set

Things I've seen # 3

Hadrian's  wall in Northern England

Portfolio # 2

Second in a series of Post cards taken from
Hawaii The Big Island: Land Of Fire & Ice
Photographs by Franco Salmoiraghi

Learn something new every day

What is it with us and Grey cats? Our first was named Earl Grey(aka smartest cat in the world) He was with us for almost 17 years. Then along came Harlech(who just left us) and his look alike sister Criccieth . As if that were not odd enough, today on our neighborhood watch run we had the misfortune of discovering not one but two grey kittens. I say misfortune because they had both been hit and killed.
Is there anything more upsetting than that? We would happily have adopted them had the dullards
that left them next to a county highway had asked.As for the dolts that hit them; I can not understand how they  could do that and  continue blithely on their way . We collected them, took them home and buried them. I suppose you might say we  did adopt them after a fashion.
.

absolutely smitten

upsandowns

The dread and anxiousness are over now,ended by our trip to the vet Saturday.
What a bittersweet experience
Standing there stroking Harlech as he slowly faded away.
Intensely sorrowful yet somehow powerfully meaningful.
It is maddeningly frustrating that instantly your living breathing cat
is but a cherished memory.

Early Jazz Greats continued

no words necessary

Heart breaking

Why does this not get easier? This heart breaking process of loosing an animal that has been with you for 16 years.  Almost 16 years ago we took Harlech ( named after a castle in wales) in after he and his sister were abandoned.  Until about one year ago he has had  a healthy life . It was then that we noticed he was loosing weight and took him for a check up.
 After about a thousand dollars the only thing we learned was that he had a high Calcium level . Since then he has been stable. Until now. A few days ago he  just stopped eating as much and has become much less active and responsive . At this point  all we can do is realize he will not get better and try to make things easier for him.
 As I said ,why does this process  not get easier

from the Archives

Lady Rizo - If I Was Your Woman

Things I have seen #2

The Tower of London and Tower Bridge                         

Things I miss in Indianapolis

Reforesting update

Here are the latest additions to our reforestation project.  These
 native Hawaiian Palapalai ferns(center) are used  to make lei for Hula dancers.

Peaks of Otter Lodge

41 years ago Sharon and I were married at this wonderful place in Virginia

Postcards #1

Lets start a new series. This time it is cut out postcards from the book
Hawaii The Big Island : Land of Fire and Ice photographs by Franco Salmoiraghi
# 1 Eruption of Pu'u O' o (1983)

Beautiful Downtown Hilo

Things I have seen # 1

Number one in my new series of " Things I have seen " The Vatican.

Some of the pleasant memories that remain after many trips to Britain
are that of Pub visits. Although it has been a few years since my last trip
I have recently come up with a way to simulate that experience
For a number of years I have been a member of CAMRA . This is a
consumer group (100,000 strong) that is in essence a watch dog
that tries to maintain the integrity of the brewing business and the
institution of the British Pub(Public House) Of the many activities of the group
one is to publish the Good Beer Guide with descriptions of thousands of Pubs
In the Country.
Over the past few months I have discovered that sitting down and reading the
descriptions while having a beer is a substitute for not being there in person.
It may not be perfect but It is as close as I get until I return. Cheers!

Freefall

The way it feels sometimes

Coltrane Fix for today

# 58

From Esquire magazines Feature 79 things we can all agree on .
# 58 Most people really shouldn't be allowed anywhere near a handgun.

British County/Town/ Pub name #8

Well. the reading vacation is over . Now that I have finished the most enjoyable Travels with Charley I am returning to my usual fare. This time a world History book so large I had to return to weight training so I could lift it. I don't know why I torture myself like this. Hopefully I can finish this (probably sometime next year at my speed) before I forget where It began. If not , remind later that it was it was Mesopotamia .

The joy of good writing

I went into a state of flight ,running to get away from the
unearthly landscape. And then the late afternoon changed everything. As the sun angled,the buttes and coulees,the cliffs and sculptured hills and ravines lost there burned and dreadful look and glowed
with yellow and rich browns and a hundred variations of red and silver gray, all picked out by streaks of coal black.

Reforestation continues

Even though I haven't mentioned it in a while our reforestation project continues. Many years of
weeding, planting ,pruning, replacing etc, etc are slowly progressing. I suppose because it is a living thing it is never really done. Here is a view of the latest segment we are working on. The area to the left is cleared and the right is not completed.