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Margy, Dylan, Robin and I joined him at his apartment for a nice supper with take-out Chinese food and a Margy made chocolate cake.
Sunday, August 30, 2009
Dan's 94th
Margy's Dad celebrated his 94th birthday tonight. Born August 31st, 1915. Another year blows by in a puff of smoke!!
Margy, Dylan, Robin and I joined him at his apartment for a nice supper with take-out Chinese food and a Margy made chocolate cake.
Margy, Dylan, Robin and I joined him at his apartment for a nice supper with take-out Chinese food and a Margy made chocolate cake.
Friday, August 7, 2009
Blind Driving
It started as simply one of those morbid thought streams imagining going blind and what would be given up. Like driving. But I got stuck there and started playing with it a bit, just a little at first. I'd be driving a nice straight section of deserted road and I'd close my eyes and count to 3; then 6; then 10; my eyes popping open as I hit the shoulder and veered back to my lane all senses lit like a torch ablaze.
And then I started to include oncoming cars; only a split second the first time. But I got bolder and the times longer and I waited for a honking horn before the correction and blur of an angry frightened face.
The last time was a large truck and I willed myself to keep them closed. I anticipated the nano second sound of smashing steel: would it be perceived? I waited through the screaming horn and whoosh of vacuum sucking shudder of the pass before white knuckled swerve from mid road back thumping braking stone-spitting skidding on the shoulder come to rest. Sweating, trembling, forehead on clenched wheel, "I'M ALIVE! DEAR POUNDING HEART I'M ALIVE!" Who knows how close the miss, how far off the road he'd had to go. "I could have killed him. I'm so sorry. Jesus I'm fucking crazy. I have to stop. I can not do this again."
But there are still times, certain places, you know, where the gravity is stronger and pulls you down more, and I'm tempted like an ex-smoker for another fix.
And then I started to include oncoming cars; only a split second the first time. But I got bolder and the times longer and I waited for a honking horn before the correction and blur of an angry frightened face.
The last time was a large truck and I willed myself to keep them closed. I anticipated the nano second sound of smashing steel: would it be perceived? I waited through the screaming horn and whoosh of vacuum sucking shudder of the pass before white knuckled swerve from mid road back thumping braking stone-spitting skidding on the shoulder come to rest. Sweating, trembling, forehead on clenched wheel, "I'M ALIVE! DEAR POUNDING HEART I'M ALIVE!" Who knows how close the miss, how far off the road he'd had to go. "I could have killed him. I'm so sorry. Jesus I'm fucking crazy. I have to stop. I can not do this again."
But there are still times, certain places, you know, where the gravity is stronger and pulls you down more, and I'm tempted like an ex-smoker for another fix.
Tuesday, August 4, 2009
Dog Walk Pics
This time, just like the dog, I kept my eyes and nose(for what it's worth) to the ground.
It's been raining a lot lately - the mushrooms and fungi are thriving. I never noticed purple ones before. I didn't need a book to tell me not to eat these but looked 'em up and they are probably "Cortinarius cyanites" which are indeed not edible.
It's been raining a lot lately - the mushrooms and fungi are thriving. I never noticed purple ones before. I didn't need a book to tell me not to eat these but looked 'em up and they are probably "Cortinarius cyanites" which are indeed not edible.
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Thursday, July 30, 2009
A Small Bowl
When you gotta make something you gotta make something. It's a blessing and a curse, the fairly constant stream of ideas and images and possibilities. It's been cultivated over a lifetime I suppose. I go for a while and then there is this pull to try to make one of them; to try to make something beautiful. But working full time and weekend chores doesn't leave a lot of time for it so this time I picked something small, something I thought I might finish with just an hour here and there.
Small Bowl
Walnut 12" x 5" x 4"
This piece went a little differently than my usual pattern. I usually have a well defined idea, maybe drawings and templates that I have done before I start. But this time there was just a rough idea and the piece of wood determined much of what I could do and generated ideas as I went.
Bark beetles bore into trees just beneath the bark leaving tunnel trails in the sapwood. Sometimes a chunk of wood looks fine until you remove some material to reveal these voids. So it was with this piece and with embellishment they became the hieroglyphics on the side - the undecipherable message from another species.
Small BowlWalnut 12" x 5" x 4"
This piece went a little differently than my usual pattern. I usually have a well defined idea, maybe drawings and templates that I have done before I start. But this time there was just a rough idea and the piece of wood determined much of what I could do and generated ideas as I went.
Bark beetles bore into trees just beneath the bark leaving tunnel trails in the sapwood. Sometimes a chunk of wood looks fine until you remove some material to reveal these voids. So it was with this piece and with embellishment they became the hieroglyphics on the side - the undecipherable message from another species.
Monday, July 20, 2009
Sunday, July 19, 2009
Poison Ivy
It's not really fair. Some bloke from the city comes out here to get a little fresh air and goes home with this. It looks like every other green leafy thing for chrissake. No thorns or warning signs at all. It doesn't look like something that will make you feel this bad and ugly to boot.
I know some people who swear they can get it by looking at it, or maybe a neighbor was burning it and they got it from the smoke, or it was just in the air that day. But apparently you do have to touch it. Actually any part of it; leaves, stem or roots. Dead or alive. Or if your dog was romping in it you can get it by petting him. That works too. I always thought it spread on the skin by scratching it but not so. It appears to spread but it's just different timing in the allergic reaction.
Urushiol is the bad ass chemical in the sap and about 85% of people are allergic. Most of us have heard the one about the person who was sure they weren't allergic. Or the one about the poor kid who couldn't walk away from the double triple dare ya.
It grows all over North America except Alaska and the southwest. It doesn't grow in deserts or above 5000'. Along the eastern seaboard if you stop by the side of the road to take a leak you're probably wading into it. So if you like to hike around outside it's a good idea to know what it looks like.
I've always liked this song: The Coasters Poison Ivy, 1959
I know some people who swear they can get it by looking at it, or maybe a neighbor was burning it and they got it from the smoke, or it was just in the air that day. But apparently you do have to touch it. Actually any part of it; leaves, stem or roots. Dead or alive. Or if your dog was romping in it you can get it by petting him. That works too. I always thought it spread on the skin by scratching it but not so. It appears to spread but it's just different timing in the allergic reaction.
Urushiol is the bad ass chemical in the sap and about 85% of people are allergic. Most of us have heard the one about the person who was sure they weren't allergic. Or the one about the poor kid who couldn't walk away from the double triple dare ya.
It grows all over North America except Alaska and the southwest. It doesn't grow in deserts or above 5000'. Along the eastern seaboard if you stop by the side of the road to take a leak you're probably wading into it. So if you like to hike around outside it's a good idea to know what it looks like.
 a healthy patch |  "leaflets three, let it be" |
I've always liked this song: The Coasters Poison Ivy, 1959
Friday, July 17, 2009
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