When I am old enough to date...

...boys had better not bring dead flowers.

A song for magical rainy days

Come climb the hill with me

Come and be still with me

Come watch the sun sink away

If you will with me

Come watch the garden grow

Down by the gravel road

Come warm your hands in the gold

Of the afterglow

Into the peace of these wild things,

Into the wild of this grace,

Into the grace of this blessing,

Speak in the peace of this place

Come walk the cedar stand

Over the broken dam

Sit on the bench at the bend in the trail again

Look how the children laugh

Out in the tumble grass

Bright as a fire and as fine as a photograph

Here at the magic hour

Time and eternity

Mingle a moment in chorus

Here at the magic hour

Bright is the mystery

Plain is the beauty before us

Could this beauty be for us?

What is this voice that sings

Holy and hovering

Over this hill in the still of the evening?

(Son of God, speak)

~Andrew Peterson, "The Magic Hour"

What you've been waiting for and then some

First, and then some...

Venom, we don't worry about you when you cough on crumbs because you are Venom and have superpowers. (this is the part of the photography project where we practice image editing in photoshop. Also had to convert images to black and white, duotone, make edits that look natural, and then do a couple that are practicing other techniques of our own choice. In case you were wondering, this is not the black and white image, and I learned from it that photoshop has many layers.)

And now on to the ones you've been waiting for.

Oak Creek Canyon didn't have much in the way of fall colors yet, but there was a little bit...
Along with some bendy trunks of trees that are fun for boys to bounce around on....
and some nice reflections...

Images that aren't shapeless

I know mom is hoping for photos of last Saturday's hike, but they're on the other computer. Maybe tomorrow.

These are from the latest photography assignment, which had something to do with using shape to enhance composition. I was beginning to get the hang of it toward the end. Don't know if these are what I'll turn in. There's some others that might be better, but I liked these pretty well. We have to turn one in as a black and white print. The first is my favorite though, and it's most fun in color.

>:-|\

I like the dragonfly too. I followed him for a while when I should have been going for a drink of water. It was hot. It probably won't make the final cut, but chasing bugs is fun.

Changed this to sepia. It was concrete though.

Boo!

Things to do

Busy Tonight. If tomorrow I'm not really myself, it's because there was singing.

The Beatles

Tomorrow would have been John Lennon's 70th birthday. Google's logo was cute and squiggly and I clicked on it and apparently it was in honor (or whatever) of John Lennon. There was a nice picture of him in the little round glasses. I know more about his glasses than his music, I think. I don't own any music by the Beatles. John Lennon died before I was old enough to be aware of or appreciate (or not) his music, and I've never gone back and tried to appreciate it. Same with Elvis. That's all.

(I just re-read that, and maybe I should go cook dinner now...)

...

You know...I think this is a result of my upbringing. If mom and dad had listened to the Beatles when I was a little kid, I might have an opinion about them now. Instead I have an opinion about the Hugo and Luigi Chorus...

...I suspect the Cascading Voices don't sound much like the Beatles...

Planting Seeds

What shall I cry?

A voice says, "Cry out!"

And I said, "What shall I cry? All men are like grass, and all their glory is like the flowers of the field. The grass withers and the flowers fall because the breath of the Lord blows on them. Surely the people are grass. The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God stands forever."

"You who bring good tidings to Zion, go up on a high mountain. You, who bring good tidings to Jerusalem, lift your voice with a shout, lift it up, do not be afraid; say to the towns of Judah, 'Here is your God!'"

(Isaiah 40:6-9)

The Gospel Brings Tidings

Taken from the Gadsby Hymnal #524

Words: William Gadsby, 1773-1844

Music: Brian T. Murphy and Clint Wells, 2005

The gospel brings tidings, glad tidings indeed,

To mourners in Zion, who want to be freed,

From sin and Satan, and Mount Sinai's flame,

Good news of Salvation, through Jesus the Lamb

What sweet invitations, the gospel contains,

To men heavy laden, with bondage and chains;

It welcomes the weary, to come and be blessed,

With ease from their burdens, in Jesus to rest.

For every poor mourner, who thirsts for the Lord,

A fountain is opened, in Jesus the Word;

Their poor parched conscience, to cool and to wash,

From guilt and pollution, from dead works and dross.

A robe is provided, their shame now to hide,

In which none are clothed, but Jesus is bride;

Though it be costly, yet is the robe free,

And all Zion's mourners, shall decked with it be.

(Red Mountain Music, Help My Unbelief)

"Quick! Bring the best robe!..."

...But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the Town of David a Savior has been born to you..."

I think she's changed clothes three times today

but she's changed expressions more.

She wants me to say that she's really amazing and needs to join a drama club.

She also killed a fly today. With a pencil. Ask her about it and you might see some of those expressions in person, along with a few more...

Some Maui Photos

Favorite Maui Landscapes

Friday Night and Saturday Night

Last night I watched TV. I honestly can't remember the last time I did this. Might have been Doctor Who...

Anyway, today it was Survivorman in the Amazon, and Man Woman and Wild (or something like that) in the rainforest of Dominica and later in Botswana. Survivorman seemed to have a harder time in the jungles of the Amazon than we did in the jungles of Maui. I think it's because he was trying to catch fish and we had brought along bagels and cream cheese.

I sat outside for a while this evening, armed with additional camera knowledge, and caught lightning in the backyard: