self portrait

visiting

It has been a visiting month.

We have been company at two daughters houses and we have had company. We enjoyed it all.

Today my brother and his wife (along with two very picky eater grandkids) leave heading back to Georgia, but going the long way, via Glacier national park.

Tomorrow it will be grandma and grandpa at the old ranch -- alone, just the two of them,

But that is OK too.

the B word

There was one word that was forbidden in our house when my kids were growing up. That was the infamous B word.

Should some one say the word they were reminded that it was not allowed.

Now i find myself deep into the space where that word applies.

For the most part I am bored out of my head. I take care of the garden, I write in my journal, I sit.

Of course I should follow my own rule: “Find something to do so you are not bored.” At this age that is not as easy as it once was. I should and could be making art, but there is no fire about it. I might be writing a book, but for sure there is no fire there.

Maybe it is not about fire or fun. In art, particularly sculpture, the idea, the real creative part is the fun and quick part. The rest of the piece, up to the point you put your name on it, is just plain discipline and hard work.

So, get back to work little davy. Churn out something or other.

Just do it.

We are back home again. The garden is watered (good neighbor) but the grass and weeds are high.
Still home is the most wonderful to be.
For a while, at least.

tools

When Daughter 1 asked/told me we were going to her house, I asked her what she might want me to do while I was there.

Few things are worse than wanting to do something useful and not having the right tools, even though I own the right tools. So I asked.

“A simple trellis over the trumpet vine, would be great.”

I am not sure she used the word “simple” and if she did i choose not to hear it! A good trellis does not touch the wall, but sits out a foot of so. It also is hinged in such a way that it can be lowered, in case the wall needs to be painted or such.

As you can see this is getting more complex. I brought most of the right tools, and son in law had the rest, so that was OK.

But it was hot and I do not do well working very long in high heat, so it was done in bursts. By the time it was finished it was a couple hundred pounds of wood, but once in place it worked and looked just as I had envisioned.

These vines are on the west side of the kitchen. The summer sun beats against the wall raising the kitchen temp. Even an empty trellis will help cool the house.

We are going camping for a couple of days. No phone, no internet, lots of quiet.

fair?

Life is not fair said the preacher.

He knows of what he speaks. I have known him since we were in college together a very long time ago. His wife was editor of the college year book and i was the photographer.

It was a summer sermon at the college, now university church. The regular pastor was on vacation as were the students. My friend had been pastor, but years ago he gave that up to be a chaplain and a professor. He is in the navy reserves as chaplain and is very high rank. He is a really good guy.

He and his wife had to daughters. After one of them graduated from college she got a summer job in Washington DC and there she was tragically and brutally murdered. She was about 22.

Not too many marriages survive that kind of thing but theirs did, and yet when he spoke about all of this he was sympathizing with his audience and if I did not know his history I would not be at all aware.

But he was right. Those who deserve to die young of horrible diseases do not, and the good go way too soon. The bright do not always inherit the kingdom, nor the good the large pension.

But what do we do? We can feel superior or we can feel neglected, but neither is really best. In spite of it all, there is a great deal of randomness in our universe. We, the good guys, do not always win.

analog

While visiting/working (my fingers past the bony parts -- haha), I have become inspired to break out my Nikons and Leicas. I cannot begin to afford digital cameras that come close to those old workhorses, at least in my tired old hands.

What got me thinking about all of this was looking at sites that show really good “analog” photography, and realizing that I used to do things with my film cameras that I simply cannot with the digital cameras I have. (Better cameras are available, but are "over budget").

I found a lab that will sell me print film at a decent price, process the film, post digital copies on their website that I can download as well as send me the prints.

Not a free system, but it deserves some consideration.

One of my favorite portrait photographers uses roll film in his Hasselblad, then has that digitized and, after being photoshopped, is digitally printed. Best of both worlds? Hard to know.

But when we get home next week, I’ll break out the trusty Leica M2, exercise the shutter a few hundred times and shoot a roll of film.

You just never know.

We are going camping here again next week, this time with Josh!

clearing out

Old Hank• once talked about keeping life to manageable size.

He used three words: Simplify, Simplify, Simplify.

I used to tell my art students to simplify their design every chance they had because life (and designs) get more complex, all by themselves.

Just read about a quite well to do lady who began giving things away early in her “old age” and by the time she died she had reduced her belongings to two boxes worth.

Daughter once bought a house with a 30 year collection of “stuff”. Now, 5 or 6 years later they are still finding new “treasures.” Friend’s in laws both passed and they inherited the same thing, a house with a 30 year collection of “stuff.”

He says they are making great progress clearing it out.

The lesson is easy to write and talk about and really tough to follow.

*Old Hank: Henry David Thoreau

Dea's "music fence" phase 2.

family

A man who had accomplished a lot, was asked about his favorite activity.

Without too much stopping he said: “Being a dad.” I would echo that one but add that it also includes being a granddad. This weekend we had a pile of grandkids here. Mostly teen agers.

They were supposed to be annoying and fight a lot, but they were neither.

Truthfully I do not know why they are so fond of each other. (Griffy, as soon as he got home wrote on his Facebook page: “I miss my cousins.” They said about the same thing.

We had some fireworks, lots of bang and flash for not too much money. One budding chemist grandson made some fireworks, even.

Our family are not too big into spending a lot of money on fireworks. This year’s budget was very modest too, but the kids had a blast.

With the fireworks we had a double birthday. Griffy is 14 now and Amy, the youngest of the grands, is 13.

Wow.

Doesn't seem to be a whole lot of "yes" activities.
I "borrowed the picture from some where.