Driving on the Sidewalk

Paint With Light

2012-02-10T08:39:00.000-08:00

I'm taking another photography class. The first project was paint with light. I had fun with it and learned a few things. I can now successfully combine images in photoshop. The rear window in the corvette shot was from a different photo. :-)

Feel free to comment on which ones you like.

kalmari and grunge courage

2012-01-30T12:17:00.000-08:00

"This is a tub for washing your courage," Lye said...

"I didn't know one's courage needed washing!" gasped September...

Lye poured a bucket of golden water over September's head. "When you are born," the golem said softly, "your courage is new and clean You are brave enough for anything: crawling off of staircases, saying your first words without fearing that someone will think you are foolish, putting strange things in your mouth. But as you get older, your courage attracts gunk and crusty things and dirt and fear and knowing how bad things can get and what pain feels like. By the time you're half-grown, your courage barely moves at all, it's so grunged up with living. So every once in a while, you have to scrub it up and get the works going or else you'll never be brave again. Unfortunately, there are not so many facilities in your world that provide the kind of services we do. So most people go around with grimy machinery, when all it would take is a bit of spit and polish to make them paladins once more, bold knights and true." ~from The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland In A Ship Of Her Own Making by Catherynne M. Valente

Lye is made of soap and has "truth" carved (in nice schoolteacher writing) into her forehead.
September is from Omaha and is a traveller in fairyland. After her bath, September wonders if her courage has shined up at all. She examines herself but isn't sure. Maybe that's in the next chapter.

I can so relate to courage that's grunged up with living. Thankful (sometimes only in hindsight) for the spit and polish of truth, from friends, even when it involves putting strange things in my mouth.

We all had kalmari with dinner out last saturday. The two girls loved it. Young Adventurer swallowed his piece whole, but came away suspicious that it might have actually tasted good, had he dared taste it. He's so my son.

A Sweet Short

2012-01-27T12:01:00.000-08:00

The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore from Moonbot Studios on Vimeo.

This little film has been nominated for an Academy Award. That, in and of itself, doesn't make it any good...

but I really liked it.

:-)

Leaving A Mark

2012-01-19T13:06:00.000-08:00

God was here

Wallace and Gromit were here

Wireless!

2012-01-18T16:01:00.001-08:00

Walls, and a Roof over their heads

2012-01-15T20:27:00.000-08:00

Wall #1

The Roofers

Ezequiel, Maria, and Margarita enjoyed being photographed

Smoothing the stucco turned out to be a "shocking" experience for one team member

The view across the street

"The Minors"

Another family has a home and hears the good news of God's love for them

Building A House

2012-01-14T19:42:00.000-08:00

Just a few images from Day One Half Done:

Ezequeil and his daughter Margarita. His wife Maria was at work.
Margarita is a kindergarten teacher.

Neighborhood children

The Road to El Paso

2012-01-13T20:07:00.000-08:00

A few last pictures from 2011

2011-12-31T18:14:00.000-08:00

[Untitled]
Acrylic on Cardboard over carpet without spilling a drop
Venom and friend, who can paint things other than sets, it appears

"Cow-Tipping Dinosaur"
Colored Pencil on Paper
Young Adventurer

"Caterpillar on the Barn Roof" or "Porcupine Visits the Farm"
Colored Pencil on Paper
Young Adventurer

"Opress"
Gel Pen on Paper
Stormageddon, Dark Lord of All

"Green Blob Attacks A City"
Graphite on Paper
Young Adventurer

"Unexpected"
Folded Sheets in Dryer
The Dryer

Baby Komodo Dragon,
preparing to free-fall fearlessly and daringly from the branch to the ground, only to climb back up and do it again.
Crazy lizard.

We've thrown all the 2011 leftovers out from the fridge.

We're watching a blue caterpillar smoke on TV.

I've made sure these pictures are not all center justified...
That makes them unjustified, I guess.

Tomorrow is a new year.

That Explains It.

2011-12-23T21:01:00.000-08:00

this "advent" story brought to you by Stormageddon, Dark Lord of All,

(the princess formerly known as Adventurer Two)

A couple of local birds.

2011-12-22T21:18:00.000-08:00

Adventures in Particle Physics

2011-12-14T10:09:00.000-08:00

I've been following the news from the thing that was supposed to generate black holes over in Europe with much anticipation. Sadly, there's been no black holes, and no evidence that there will be black holes.
But still, there's been all this talk of the Higgs Boson. Some people call it the God Particle. If they find it, the Standard Model of particle physics continues to find support. If they can't find it, then all the other theories of particle physics are still in the ring. They don't know exactly what they're looking for, so it's like looking for a needle in a haystack, when no one's ever seen a needle, they just "know" it's not as big as a tree or squirmy like a snake. So all these scientist people are very excited because there's a little blip in the data coming out of the black hole generator that suggests that maybe there is such a thing as the Higgs Boson. It might be just a blip though, because it's statistical significance isn't significant. Cool, yeah?

If it doesn't make sense, there's this cool little tutorial on particle physics that I found. It has quizzes and pictures and everything. Be sure and click on the "unsolved mysteries" link. That's where all the fun stuff is.

Anyway, the long and short of it is, that if they find the Higgs the physicists will be excited, but it will be kind of a letdown, after all the fun of hunting for it--smashing atoms and all. If they don't find it, the exciting hunt will continue, but apparently without black holes.

Also, there's a lot the Standard Model doesn't explain, even with the Higgs boson. Like gravity. Or why there is so much matter and not so much antimatter, as far as we can tell, when they're supposed to be equal (?). Or anything about dark matter. Basically, the Standard Model accounts for the behavior of about 4% of the universe. So the Higgs Boson, if they find it, will make them more sure than they were before of approximately 4% of the way things work.

According to BBC, "the discovery or non-discovery of the Higgs boson will mark the end of only the beginning of a new chapter in physics." (I want a job where I get paid to write sentences like that.)

I think the Higgs boson is kind of a disappointment, as a god particle anyway. Black holes popping up in France and Switzerland would be so much more dramatic.

No photos today. I've been trying and trying to get a photo of the Higgs boson, but no luck so far. I'm not entirely sure what it would look like anyway.

But there's a camera that takes photos really fast. Those are cool pictures, if you'd like to look at pictures. And little videos.

advent [ˈædvɛnt -vənt]

2011-12-03T21:42:00.001-08:00

an arrival or coming, esp one which is awaited

[from Latin adventus, from advenīre, from ad- to + venīre to come]

Heard around the house

2011-11-30T13:06:00.001-08:00

"Are we there yet?"

"But we'll get 50,000 bonus miles on the west to Bethlehem route if we use the frankincense card"

"I'm pretty sure there's not going to be room in this inn."

"Stupid sheep. It's probably hiding.
Hope the House of Israel isn't too mad when I come back without it."

"This is not how I imagined my first turkey hunt."

(Ahh!)

Thanksgiving Things

2011-11-24T19:31:00.001-08:00

Hand Art

Not Art.
Not gravy either.
Once this is stuck inside the body cavity of the turkey,
it should no longer be legal to sell the packaged item as
a turkey

Fruit Art

Thankful For Art

The Colonial Museum

2011-11-23T20:56:00.001-08:00

Young Adventurer has been working on his project for his school's colonial "museum" for many weeks. Today his class and the others in the 5th grade had an open house to show off their project. He made a saltbox style house from the New England colonies. He did all the painting (but not all the sawing and gluing) himself.

There were many other excellent projects as well. This may have been my second favorite...at least it's the only other one I photographed...

"the time had come, so Marvin went."

2011-11-16T10:25:00.001-08:00

Grrr!

2011-11-14T19:00:00.001-08:00

Hello, Seattle!

2011-11-10T20:48:00.001-08:00

Sunset from a moving plane, two wings, sufficient fuel.

Just the thing you want to see when you peek out the window in the morning to see what's out there

Cutest dog in the tri-state area

Fall! Fall! No, don't fall!

(liar. you know who you are.)

Look up! Gullible isn't written on the ceiling! It's the Chihuly Bridge, after all.

My slant on Occupy Tacoma.
It's the Taken-out-the-back-window-of-a-moving-vehicle slant, in case you were wondering.

Seattle

Three girls in Seattle

Purple Carrots. I'd rather eat than be one.

The incredible (bearded) hula hooping, guitar playing, harmonica wielding, shaker on the shoe, singing guy.

The deadest fish in Seattle....
What would it say if it could speak?
...
uh oh...
must find one more photo...
can't end post like this...
...
...

There. How about a glass cherub. That should do it...

Smiles and Glares and Steely Stares

2011-11-09T11:05:00.000-08:00

Steely negotiator disguised as...Cindy Lou Who?

The Grape of Wrath

Before

After

Post Halloween, or the Post of Halloween, or The Halloween Post

2011-11-01T17:28:00.000-07:00

Stormageddon herself carved this pumpkin on Saturday at a friend's house (keep in mind that it was Saturday, when you view the photo from monday later on this page). She said it was a lovesick pumpkin when she showed up with it on Sunday. Dusty the dog was very alarmed to find it sitting unexpectedly by the front door. Much barking and investigating resulted.

Speaking of friends, they are gifts. :-)

and make cute kittens, sometimes.

Venom has seen the Silence.

I don't think this is a headless monk. The gloves seem out of place.

Young Adventurer decided to be a blueberry. His stem is not visible in the photo, but he had one.

Now the lovesick pumpkin is just sick.

Young Adventurer went with an aquatic theme for his jackolantern. Not sure where he came up with the idea. (Hmm??) He did the carving himself but refused to gut the pumpkin. I had to do that.

Also we met our neighbors again, and gave out lots of candy and enjoyed hanging out with the people who are and are not represented in these photographs.

Ch O Co La Te (as seen on a sticker for sale at the Scholastic book fair at Young Adventurer's school)

2011-10-26T23:17:00.000-07:00

First off, the tile is DONE!! There's a few new photos in the album here.

Next, I was right about the sunset. It was pretty. It was also raining when I took the photo, which made it more awesome.

In other news, Young Adventurer thought it was very funny when I, while attempting to drive my car, and think about something else, and listen and respond appropriately to the story he was telling me, called him by only the first three letters of his full name. The rest of the way to our destination involved naming objects and stores, "ga sta, clou, tre, gro sto,..." You get the idea.

Also, the girls were having a discussion about forms of government. (this follows other discussions amongst the kids mostly revolving around chemical equations and types of mixtures). The forms of government discussion was precipitated by Stormageddon, Dark Lord of ALL (formerly known as Adventurer Two) having to read Animal Farm for her english class. Previously there was a social studies assignment involving whether one agrees more with the political philosophies of A. Hamilton the elitist or T. Jefferson the flag-waver for the common man (or something like that--answer was NO). Anyway, the girls were arguing the merits of a representative government, as well as whether the federal government has the constitutional authority to prevent states from legalizing marijuana. At least they are paying attention in school. In math, Venom is studying matrices. I never understood the point of those. She doesn't either. I feel vindicated, but if any of you understand what they are for, feel free to explain in the comments.

In yet other news, I started a new book today. It claims that it will convey to me the "sheer power and excitement of the modern discipline" ...of statistics.

Yeah.

"Modern statistics enables us to see through the mists and confusion of the world about us, to grasp the underlying reality."

If only I had known this sooner, it could have saved me a lot of trouble.
Or...if I keep reading there might be a real live monster at the end of the book. As soon as I can see through the mists and confusion and grasp the underlying reality, I will know one way or the other...

Finally, but most significantly, with the completion of the tile project, the TV is plugged in again. I would have missed it more if I had realized how very much Phineas and Ferb I could have been watching (well, that and the rugby world series). Phineas and Ferb is on at 10pm, people! Loading the dishwasher is so much better with Perry the Platypus and co.

Home Improvement Day 2

2011-10-20T11:10:00.000-07:00

The very first tile going in

The cracks all repaired. It's like the TARDIS was here and left tracks

Intersection

More pictures added to album if this isn't enough to satisfy your curiosity.

(see link from yesterday)

The guys got here today just before I had to leave for a while. I came down the stairs to an upside down tile propped on the stairs with some upside down writing on it's bumpy upside down surface. I stood a minute staring and doing the upside down brain translation of upside down bumpy writing thing, and finally figured out it said "wet tile." They had laid one more already and marked it for me with a friendly reminder. :-)

Demolition!

2011-10-19T11:13:00.000-07:00

Getting tile installed has been interesting so far.

There's been the striking of the floor with sledgehammers...

The exposure of cracks in the foundation (cracks that require chipping and leveling so that the tile will not crack later to match the foundation)...

The signs of previous work (note the parallel lines--where the builder stained the baseboards, the works "RAISED HEARTH" near the fireplace, where we have never had a raised hearth)..

The vast open spaces formed by the removal of all our junk, and the echo in our family room...

I love vast open spaces. If you come visit and there's no furniture, you will know why.

AND it's been noisy and messy!!

I find I must borrow yet another parable from George MacDonald. Imagine yourself as a living house. God comes in to rebuild that house. At first, perhaps, you can understand what He is doing. He is getting the drains right and stopping the leaks in the roof and so on: you knew that those jobs needed doing and so you are not surprised. But presently he starts knocking the house about in a way that hurts abominably and does not seem to make sense. What on earth is he up to? The explanation is that HE is building quite a different house from the one you thought of-throwing out a new wing here, putting on an extra floor there, running up towers, making courtyards. You thought you were going to be made into a decent little cottage; but He is building a palace. He intends to come and live in it Himself. ~C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity

I will add that sometimes, even when you can see what He's building, the work is more than you anticipated. Bigger cracks.

But one of the installer guys explained to me what is wrong with the pump on the fish tank as well. Getting more than you paid for is nice. Oscar is especially thankful. :)

More photos here

North Rim of the Canyon

2011-10-11T17:56:00.000-07:00

Here's the link to more photos from our trip.

We ran up to the Canyon for the weekend. We headed to the north rim at the request of Young Adventurer, who thought it might be cool to take the road less travelled (even if it's a lot farther). We stayed in a cabin at Grand Canyon Lodge North Rim and had a lot of fun in the short time we had. There were nice sunrises, BEAUTIFUL sunsets, a snow-woman and fall colors in the aspens, some squirrels, a little bit of hiking (we took the Cliff Springs trail for an easy down-into-the-canyon experience), and generally a good time. I think it would be a disappointment to go in the summer after visiting in the fall. Unless there were more wildflowers...

Bugs, Birds, Bushes, and a Bunny

2011-10-06T15:58:00.000-07:00

The weather is cooler again, and I remembered yesterday morning that I can grab my camera on the way out the door and detour to my favorite place after dropping the Adventurers at school. The dragonflies have never been so cooperative, the geese were grazing, the birds were active, there was a freak saguaro that thought it was spring, and there was even a bunny (two bunnies)! And I chatted for a moment with another woman who had just watched a raccoon walk across the road in front of her. Woulda liked to see that...

A surprise bug (for Sharon)

Stealth dragonfly

Really awesome dragonfly

Cute dragonfly

Geese, for theydarenotlinger

hummer!

Morning light is just so nice!

This heron looked like a speed skater to me

Cool tail!

Waiting for a flood. I guess they'll run water back into this spot soon.

:-)

Poetry Reading

2011-10-03T08:10:00.000-07:00

Memory Aid

2011-09-20T07:13:00.001-07:00

VanGogh-ish

2011-09-12T10:07:00.000-07:00

Summer Storm

2011-09-09T21:07:00.000-07:00

Limited Curiosity

2011-08-30T22:00:00.000-07:00

I thought I was reading this harmless little article about coral that makes it's own sunscreen. I chose it because all the news was so horrible--Jack the Ripper, natural disasters, war--I just wanted something interesting and mildly scientific.

Oh well.

Nerd Genius

2011-08-25T20:36:00.000-07:00

Some of you may remember these, if you hung around with the right people this past June. Note the most background shoe:

Well, that pair of shoes has been transformed, and let me tell you, you're going to be very jealous that they don't belong to you. The very gifted artist is a good friend of Venom's...

Running Short on Ingredients

2011-08-22T11:00:00.000-07:00

The task:

Make Banana Bread with just two bananas (why? You ask? Those two bananas were very very ripe, and the others were not ripe at all. Waiting for the unripe ones to ripen was impractical--basically, I have time to bake now, and not later, and I forgot to put one in Danjo's car to ripen while he's at work. Also, the ripe bananas won't wait another day. Their clear intention was to rot without being baked into something edible--I think they are not humble bananas, preferring decay over improvement by fiery furnace because bananas are dumb...wait...O.o).

...Anyway...

The problem: Two eggs and 1-1/4 cups of flour and 1 tsp baking soda and 1/2 tsp of salt are not easily reduced by 1/3 outside of a chemistry lab.

Baking soda: The 1 tsp baking soda doesn't SOUND so bad, but no measuring spoons have thirds marked on them. Also, they are shaped like spoons, so visualizing 2/3 full is difficult.

Salt? See baking soda.

Eggs:Big dilemma here, determining the quantity of egg required when you need 2/3 of two large eggs and all you have is 2 extra large eggs. In case you're wondering, failing the calculation, I tossed the egg yolks and just used the whites. Now the banana bread will be heart healthy (except for the 2/3 cube of butter--at least that was easy to eyeball--there's lines on the butter wrapper that correspond to the measurements I need).

Then there's the flour:

5/4c x 2/3 = 10/12c = 5/6c

Wonderful.

Just search your measuring cups for the line that says 5/6.

In short, this required more uncertainty than makes me happy, but the estimated 2/3 scale banana bread is in the oven, in a loaf pan that may or may not be 2/3 the size of a standard loaf pan. At least "stab with a toothpick to check for doneness" should still be operative in this 2/3 parallel baking universe. Sigh...

Next time I'll remember to leave the under-ripe bananas in Danjo's car

Untitled, With Subtitles

2011-08-21T21:46:00.000-07:00

No Capes Necessary

Don't Blink

Still Life With Sunscreen and Pomegranate and Half an Onion, Among Other Things

Reflection on a Spoon

Something New and Unusual

2011-08-16T14:30:00.000-07:00

&amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://joshgarrels.bandcamp.com/album/love-war-the-sea-in-between"&amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;Love &amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp; War &amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp; The Sea In Between by Josh Garrels&amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;

Very Cool Website too...

Gulp

2011-08-13T21:41:00.001-07:00

I just loved this! Thanks to my friend who posted it on Facebook and who also mentioned that the "making of" bit at the end is very much worth watching. FUN!! (and it's made by the Wallace and Grommit people, which makes it even better)

Semi-Urban Oddities

2011-08-12T12:57:00.000-07:00

I was stopped at a major intersection today, car dealership on one side, community college on another, waiting for the light to change, when I saw the gopher crossing the road. He seemed somewhat out of place there, and not entirely comfortable. I waited as the light changed, for the little fellow to crawl under my car and out into the empty field on the other side. And I laughed, because it was so bizarre on so many levels.

And I wondered, as I continued on my way, Why DID the gopher cross the road?

It must have been important...or he'd had a little too much dandelion wine... I think it was important though. I'm pretty sure he was looking for Mrs. Frisbee, to warn her about the plow.

First Day of School

2011-08-10T21:33:00.000-07:00

Owl

2011-08-04T22:04:00.000-07:00

It may be shark week on Discovery Channel, but it's bird of prey week here, as the only sharks at the beach were the ones I drew in a picture. Believe me, I was looking for the real thing...

Anyway, I think the hawk got fed up with me and my camera and left, but last night, the sky looked cool, so I borrowed Dad's tripod and set up to get the twilight and the moon and the dead tree. Then a kind owl landed in the tree to made it that much better. Actually, now that I think about it, "kind" may not be the best word to describe the owl. Earlier in the evening, before the sky started looking cool, we found owl pellets under that same tree. The (masked and gloved) kids tore them apart and found a skull, and some other bones of smaller animals. Maybe ribs, or feet, definitely teeth.

In fact, after model owl was done posing for photos, he flew out of the tree and landed on the ground. Just guessing more pellets are on the way.

Balboa Park

2011-08-02T21:08:00.000-07:00

We crossed Normal Street on our way to Balboa Park today. We visited a couple of museums--the Art Museum, and the Natural History Museum.

We saw lots of interesting things at the art museum (I didn't take photos) and one of them was this painting. Give your best guess as to the time period and title, and then click here for a bit more information.

Then, after an incredibly long wait for food, in a short line, we moved on to the natural history museum. We found getting in to be a bit confusing...
There was a gem and mineral exhibit.

I've always hated my birthstone--an ugly green thing called a peridot. Fortunately having it as one's birthstone does not mandate liking it. But today I learned that it is often found in meteorites. Still ugly and green, but now AWESOME!! If anyone ever buys me one, it had better be from a meteorite.
Young Adventurer thought this piece of jade was impressive in size and actually ASKED to have his photo taken alongside it.

Another personal favorite: Faberge ham...

Young Adventurer's favorites were the things hanging from the ceiling...

Beach Yesterday

2011-07-31T18:54:00.000-07:00

Yellow Flag with big black spot--looks so pirate. >.-)

Happy as a clam (or whatever)

RIP TIDES!! YES!!!

We didn't build this castle--some guys were working on it. Much bigger than what you see here, and really cool--inspiring, actually.

A "burial and resurrection" procession:

(she also drew him six pack abs in the sand.)

Tonight Shark Week begins on the Discovery Channel. We watched an episode of great big great white sharks swimming in shallow water by the beach and also breaching while attacking seals. It was called "Air Jaws" and the title was apt. Tomorrow we're going to the beach again!! Yay!!

California Birds

2011-07-31T18:42:00.000-07:00

These guys hang out in the tree in mom and dad's yard. I took these from the front patio.

The hawk on the right is swearing at me because I didn't leave when he glared.

Mr. Oriole. His Mrs. was nearby.

Worship Through a Child's Eyes | Out of Ur | Conversations for Ministry Leaders

2011-07-28T10:03:00.000-07:00

Worship Through a Child's Eyes | Out of Ur | Conversations for Ministry Leaders

Just a really thought-provoking perspective on what we do in worship. I'm glad I read it.

Snapshots

2011-07-23T19:07:00.001-07:00

Fetched Venom from the mountains

Watched Young Adventurer catch a ladybug.

Finished the sewing project with Adventurer Two

Made modifications to a time machine.

Kept Camera Handy

:-)

Miscellany...letters, basilisks, footsteps in the treetops, magnification

2011-07-21T22:29:00.000-07:00

As Blogger is not complaining about the way I spelled "miscellany", I'll move ahead...

Since I blogged last, Young Adventurer has returned (alive and well) from camp, and Venom has been left there as a jr. counselor. Whereas we received one letter from YA, begging to come home, written on his first day, we have received one letter from Venom, three full pages long, telling us of all her adventures, as of the close of the day Monday. Sounds like she's having fun, aside from a bit of a sore throat.

Back home, we're having adventures, of sorts, of our own. Young Adventurer has made use of one of the items I inherited from Grandpa Joe. Yes, it has grandpa's name securely affixed to it, in case you were wondering. I don't have photos of Young Adventurer burning bugs, but I have heard the full report. Apparently scorpions explode. I prefer the making of patterns in the sink, as long as we don't accidentally start a fire in the house. The Great Glass of Reflectiveness has also been used to burn a hole in a practice golf ball--one of many knocked into our yard by a neighbor who possibly needs yet more work on his swing.

Adventurer Two and I have also been working on an apron. No photos of that just yet. I ran out of patience with the pattern at about 9pm and I'll take it up again tomorrow.

Also, using the Follow All Rabbit Trails Bible Study Method, I came upon an interesting verse. I maybe should have spent more time finding out what the point was, but I didn't. I just enjoyed the translation. It's always good to have an entertaining translation...

Do not rejoice, whole country of Philistia,

because the rod that beat you has broken,

since the serpent's stock can still produce a basilisk

and the offspring of that will be a flying dragon.

Isaiah 14:29

The flying dragon word seems to be the same as the seraph word in Isaiah 6, and the serpents in Numbers 21. Weirdness. I just like finding a basilisk in my Bible, not to mention a flying dragon. So dramatic.

There's also a verse in 2 Samuel 5--when you hear the footsteps in the tops of the trees, get moving because that means God is coming to rout your enemies.

Listening for the footsteps in the treetops...

Depth of Field

2011-07-10T21:02:00.000-07:00

Dropped Young Adventurer off up at camp today. Thought you'd enjoy this photo of his freckles on his bunk. Got a weird smile out of him. He was excited, but possibly a tiny bit nervous.

...but basically, if you go deep enough out in the field, up there at camp (which you do if you follow Those Who Dare Not Linger), you will find many critters, and now my son will be one of them.

"Epic" Dust Storm

2011-07-06T17:23:00.000-07:00

Kids said they couldn't see the house behind ours across the backyard.

Car got kinda dirty.

Leaving footprints in the dust on the front porch.

Still breathing all the dust today.

Oh, I was kinda wondering if, after the sermon Sunday on Psalm 18, someone nearby had asked God for help, because this was kinda dramatic...

Happy Independence Day. :-)

2011-07-04T19:44:00.000-07:00

Funny I found this today, of all days, as I was browsing the images on my phone.

As I said, Happy Independence Day...

If you have any encouragement from being united in Christ,

if any comfort from His love,

if any fellowship with the Spirit,

if any tenderness and compassion,

then make my joy complete by being like-minded,

having the same love,

being one in spirit and purpose...

Philippians 2:1-2

Recent Sightings

2011-06-28T20:29:00.001-07:00

a. not a fez; b. how I know I live in Neverland; c. changing up the plant shelf (since the A-1 has found it's Forever Home) and liking the new look; d. 115 degree sunset; e. stop, turn around, take a picture for wife's blog; f. indeed.

Reminders

2011-06-25T08:16:00.001-07:00

Freedom

2011-06-20T20:54:00.000-07:00

Danjo gets some Mexican food for Father's Day

2011-06-18T21:28:00.000-07:00

Danjo's daughter took the photo with her phone, which does not have a multimegapixely camera. The rest of us had ditched our phones and their more megapixely cameras at home, charging. Our vacation to no-phone-land made us more accustomed to that phoneless feeling.

There was A LOT of food on this plate. It wasn't actually a plate. It was a platter. My plate was a platter too, and I brought most of the food on it home in a box. Danjo's plate was an even bigger platter.

Vacation Photos

2011-06-15T18:13:00.000-07:00

A link to a few of our vacation photos. I still haven't sorted through the rest of them.

Choir Camp 2011: Cast List Posted

2011-06-15T11:36:00.000-07:00

Can't wait even one more second to see the list...

Did I get a part??????

I DID get a part!!!!

Congratulations, Sir. :-)

Is your town prepared?

2011-06-10T11:19:00.000-07:00

for Zombies???

Should you believe everything you see on the internet about that vacation rental?

2011-06-05T21:48:00.000-07:00

Tehachapi Loop

2011-05-29T21:38:00.000-07:00

Video of the Tehachapi Loop. In Tehachapi. This is from four years ago. Kids are bigger now.

I remember visiting when I was a kid. My family climbed a hill to get a better view, but in the process crossed a fence with a "no trespassing" sign. I didn't enjoy watching the train because I was so sure we would be arrested.

We'll be out that way again soon. Contemplating a stop. Might be fun to see a train going uphill instead of down this time. And I think the hills will be greener. Better for pictures.

Sightings

2011-05-26T22:10:00.000-07:00

Sightings of these things that haunt the backyard expected to become more frequent, now that school's out for the summer....

Some smiles

2011-05-26T12:53:00.000-07:00

(did they bite off the corner of the image?)

Smiles and tears get kind of mixed up in the living of life in the present tense.

Tears because not everything is okay, smiles because some things are.

RAWrrrr!

2011-05-25T13:16:00.000-07:00

I tried shooting in RAW today. I told the camera to save each image in both RAW and JPG so I could compare.

1. the JPG image (the camera processes the raw image data itself):

2. The RAW image, no changes made with the conversion software (adobe camera raw):
3. The RAW image, with a couple of little adjustments made using the conversion software:
Conclusions from this little experiment (after walking outside to take another look at these flowers--what do they really look like, anyway?):

1. My camera doesn't process purple very well on it's own

2. I have A LOT to learn about processing images

3. If I'm going to shoot in RAW, I need a new and more spacious memory card (arriving Friday from Amazon), and then I'll need another more spacious hard drive, and another, and another...and I need to learn to delete bad pictures.

I also figured out what the different metering and auto-focus settings are on my camera, and how to use the auto-bracketing setting. Probably should have done that sooner, as this stuff would have come in handy many times, but before a big photo-op vacation is good.

Last night, after the family "football" game in the backyard, I also played with long exposures and kids that move. Maybe I'll post those next, as long as no one is afraid of ghosts.

Rain of the Death Glasses

2011-05-23T22:04:00.000-07:00

Adventurer Two is on an illustration tear. She originally texted me a photo of this. It was very small on my "stupidphone" and I couldn't make out the object in the lower right corner. Turns out it's a corpse. A warning to us all. Living by faith results in seeing in living color. Living by sight results in blindness and death by spectacle. Insightful.

(note to self: you often get this backwards. Faith. Not sight. Keep it straight. It's somewhat important...and the first few steps from A to Z are b and c (you keep forgetting that too))

Family Portrait of the future

2011-05-19T14:55:00.000-07:00

Adventurer Two has been working on this. I like how my head has turned into a camera, and Danjo seems so happy, and nearly bald (or sporting a pretty funky hairstyle, and how we match.

Researching our trip to Yosemite...

2011-05-19T14:32:00.000-07:00

"There are no guardrails to protect you from the 2,000 foot (600 meter) dropoff at Panorama Point, so don't venture here alone with political rivals or unreliable henchmen."

Hmm...

No worries about political rivals, but my henchmen are another matter...can they be trusted?

Here today, gone tomorrow

2011-05-18T13:00:00.000-07:00

Daylilies.

There's the one from yesterday on the right,

and all the blossoms of today,

and the ones waiting for tomorrow.

They really are "here today and tomorrow thrown into the fire"

(well, except that WE don't actually burn OUR dead ones)

I love these flowers when they bloom.

So beautiful.

New and different every day, literally.

That's how God clothes the grass of the field...

so no worries.

“And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own."~Matthew 6:28-34

Pinewood Derby Day

2011-05-11T21:58:00.000-07:00

Young Adventurer and Danjo's hard work over the last couple of weeks---designing, carving a block of wood, polishing little plastic wheels, painting, graphiting, running to the post office to use the "official" scale--it all culminated today at the Pinewood Derby. Young Adventurer designed a beast of a car-simple, sophisticated, powerful lines, with a cheerful smile-the WHALE. At the first official weigh in, it was .03 oz over, after modifications, it was within the limit by the same .03 oz, which is pretty good when weight is so important. Don't want to be running the skinny car here!

I told him to look ready to fight and this is what I got.

Just imagine a youthful, carefree Moby Dick.

Each car got one heat in each lane and their times were added. The top 12 of 25 advanced to the semifinals. The pink car on the right ended up winning the champion's trophy. The blue car on the left is a Wii remote.

Young Adventurer didn't win any heats in the first round, but he advanced to the semifinals in 8th place. Quite respectable!

In the semifinals he won one of his heats.

(I snapped this just before the finish--his face broke out in a huge grin immediately after. :-D )

That race was also Whale's fastest, finishing in just under 3 seconds.

Young Adventurer found the experience somewhat trying, for a perfectionist. Understandable.

I think whales are cool,

and so did a couple of random kids chanting,

"Go Whale! Go Whale!"

during one of the heats.

You don't have to win to be cool.

Making all those trips to borrow the post office scale with Dad is more valuable than a trophy.

When you look at the whole picture, the pinewood derby experience can't be measured by a trophy or a speed in MPH, but Young Adventurer had a headache and no trophy, and needs some time to develop perspective.

Public Service Post

2011-05-09T07:51:00.000-07:00

Internet medical advice is sketchy, dear friends. When you are stung by a scorpion, it's best to skip the google search and just call poison control. The poison control people are very nice and helpful and specific and detail oriented and friendly. Google provides an abundance of conflicting and inaccurate information, and takes longer.

Intense pain lasting 6-24 hours, numbness and tingling of the limbs and face and tongue and throat as if the dentist went a little nuts with the novacaine, weird twitchy stuff, difficulty speaking (becuth thuh thung ith numm), crazy vision, all lasting 2-5 days (or up to 10 days if the initial symptoms are more widespread)---all normal (in spite of the fact that many websites recommend rushing to the emergency room if they occur). DON'T use ice--just makes the pain worse. Taking pain medication generally doesn't help. Basically you just have to suffer till it goes away. Death is extremely rare (you only think you're going to die), destruction of a good night's sleep for yourself and your loved ones is more common.

Oh yeah.

[also, when the poison control people call back, I think I'll ask them if medical marijuana would help with the pain--if so, I plan to make my fortune selling scorpions-retire early-buy a villa in the south of France, you know...]

Oh.

2011-05-08T22:16:00.000-07:00

Many Many Trains!

2011-05-07T21:26:00.000-07:00

Today is National Train Day (invented by Amtrak (seriously), possibly in the hopes of capitalizing on rampant consumerism in the same way that Hallmark capitalized on Valentine's Day).

We celebrated by visiting the local train museum because they had all their volunteers there at once, and were also not charging admission.

There were more train cars than we expected, and so there are more photographs than expected.

Something with a crane. Liked the colors, didn't get the name.

Young Adventurer and friend blowing the whistle on a steam engine. They also blew the horn on a diesel engine. Loud and long. Too loud, too long.

This is the car that carried a couple of presidents (Taft and Wilson).

This one used as the set for "Terror Train"

Young Adventurer and friend trying to break into a locked door.

Docent lecture (quite effective) describing the horrors of electrocution followed.

This one is smiling. :-)

;-) Tee hee!

Indiana Jones moment--dash across the coupling, or proceed down the stairs as directed?

Yahoo!!

Young Adventurer commented on the symmetry of this arrangement.

Someone left a camera on the bunk. Maybe too late to claim it, could be tough to buy film for that one anyway.

Steam engine has very big brakes!!

The End.

Today's oddities

2011-05-06T21:39:00.000-07:00

"Grinch Weed"

"Havanese Dog Cactus"

"Spy"ke

"Blooming Swordsman"

"You shall not pass!"

(Names have been changed for no particular reason)

We Approve of This Disapproving Rabbit

2011-05-06T07:48:00.000-07:00

http://www.disapprovingrabbits.com/2011/05/robbie.html

Online Voting Opportunity

2011-05-03T14:29:00.000-07:00

No, I haven't suddenly gotten more technologically advanced on this little blog. I just thought you might like to participate in this delightful little competition, put together by the Smithsonian...

Who Had the Best Civil War Facial Hair?

It's Adelbert Ames all the way for me.

Violin Recital Day

2011-04-30T20:35:00.000-07:00

(I LOVE this shot. The shirt he is wearing is one she got for him for Christmas)

Australian Bottle Tree

2011-04-29T21:31:00.000-07:00

After standing around under this tree experimenting with the settings on my camera and trying to focus on the flowers when the wind kept blowing, I discovered one thing...

I'm allergic to it.

Hungry Birds

2011-04-28T21:32:00.000-07:00

Right now our yard is inundated with fledgling birds. They spend their days learning to fly, and learning to take care of themselves...and squawking for their parents.

And boy can they squawk! Danjo and I remember this well from our days as lovebird owners. We had a pair of lovebirds (aptly named) and their five hungry babies in our tiny one bedroom apartment. Baby birds are always hungry. Seriously always. 24-7. No exaggeration. Their squawks are small when they are newly hatched, and gain in volume as they grow. Danjo took our little flock and sold them to the petstore when it got intolerable.

We've been watching all these baby starlings. They land in the yard, squawking, and pester the attending parent unrelentingly, squawking, only stopping briefly if they are actually swallowing something. When the parent gets fed up, or runs out of food, it flies off for a while (ever wish you had wings like that?).

When mom/dad is away, the kids shut up, and look around, and begin to fend for themselves. Not terribly successfully, but they try. This little fella hunted around in the grass and found...

Ta Da!! A leaf. Not filling, but maybe useful someday when it has to build a nest. It'll get there eventually, but the journey to maturity isn't quite over yet. :)

The parent birds are working hard in the meantime...

*****************************************

Photo of the day:

Her sister asked if she'd gotten a tattoo, and if so, why she hadn't been in on the party. I've been assured it's washable marker.

Edited to add: The photo of the feet is now "famous"--BBC published it in a series of reader photos of the theme "FLORAL"

Steak and Nitrogen

2011-04-27T21:33:00.000-07:00

Today I had a conversation with one friend in which we laughed about the need to take things one day at a time--thinking beyond today gets too overwhelming, after all.

So what's just today?

A scooter crash, a bandaid-ed knee, a quarter of a tank of gas, an orientation for a computer class that should be taught by the history dept, a basketball game (and a basket, nearly 3 points but we'll take 2), a missing violin teacher (her day was crazier than mine), waited for a train, AWANA, the quadratic formula (you know, a x squared plus b x plus c equals y--- I reviewed, you should too--never know when you'll need to graph bungee jumpers and fit pizza in a box), parabolas, proof of the formula for the line of symmetry (just for fun, and because it was going to make a certain someone other than me or the owner of the homework insane to use it and not know how it works), steak and nitrogen with a side of rhizobuim (because one of my kids is absolutely hilarious and is paying attention in science), the use of caricatures in the great depression, spelling words (none of which is the opposite of "a solid") and Paul Bunyan, an application for student council, dinner in the car, dinner from leftovers, popcorn, dueling Fiocco and Dancla in the living room (lesser known than Mozart and Salieri, but entertaining--the recital is saturday and I can't wait!!), allergies, curlers, dishes, laundry, a discussion about dissecting frogs, the attempted rescue of a baby bird, and I fed the dogs. Not necessarily in that order.

That's just since 3pm. In addition to leaving out the entire morning and part of the afternoon in this accounting of our day, I "may" have (intentionally or unintentionally, as the case may be) left out several relevant details and significant people (and overused parentheses), and I forgot to check the mail.

Earlier, before breakfast, during coffee #1, was highlighted eyelashes, and a backlit ear that were worth looking at.

And we made it through today. And we laughed a bit. And I like popcorn.

Tomorrow sounds daunting, now that I think about it, now that I think of the to-do list, and the to-think-about list, and the can't-do list, and the unexpected list, and the didn't plan-for-it potential, but it's not tomorrow yet.

At least I don't have to worry about the paparazzi.

They seem to leave me alone.

And for that, I am truly thankful. And it's good to be thankful.

Hebrews 12:18-29

Odds and...Odds

2011-04-25T21:20:00.000-07:00

The Livingstones have given birth. One of them had twins.

:-)

Oh, they die after they give birth and the young'uns feed off the dying leaves.

And...

One of these things is not like the others...

Reflections on Thorns

2011-04-22T17:59:00.000-07:00

Jesus then came out,

wearing

the crown of thorns

and

the purple robe.

Pilate said to them,

"Behold, the Man!"

John 19:5

How could something so painful turn out so beautiful?

Act of God?

Just in case your mirror is too dull, or "don't ask why"

2011-04-09T20:27:00.000-07:00

The nanogenes missed one...

2011-04-09T20:01:00.000-07:00

...or maybe this one escaped, only to be captured, shoved in a box for 67 years, sold for "B" trade credit, and placed on display at a used bookstore.

Young Adventurer in a rare photo shoot

2011-04-02T19:01:00.000-07:00

The occasion? A piano competition. Hence the very snazzy bow tie (the kind you--well, I--actually have to tie) which he chose himself. Why wear an ordinary tie, anyway?

The result? A winner! Congratulations to this piano Adventurer, who put in a lot of hard work, and to his teacher, who is a saint in the making.

The winners' recital is in a couple of weeks. I think he'll wear the bow tie again, and to the wedding.

(dare I change his name to Cyclops?)

"L'Arabesque", by Burgmuller, "Clowns", by Kabalevsky

This last photo is strikingly similar to a marvelous one taken when he was two, by Futile Ohm.

Same kid, still likes bright colors, but now with, longer hair, more roll-ey-eyed expression.

good reminder...

2011-03-29T20:34:00.000-07:00

(she makes me want to cry...)

even the desert is often beautiful.

...say to those with fearful hearts,

"be strong, do not fear..."

"he devises ways..."

2011-03-28T09:54:00.000-07:00

A wise woman said this to David, to convince him to bring back his son, Absalom, who had murdered his half-brother for raping his sister.

Like water spilled on the ground, which cannot be recovered, we must die. But God does not take away life; instead he devises ways so that a banished person may not remain estranged from him. ~2 Samuel 14:14

God is crazy.

For Christ's love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died. And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again. So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation... ~2 Corintians 5:14-19

We must die, yet he died.

God, who reconciled us, has given us the ministry of reconciliation.

He devises ways...

A Few Spring Break Photos

2011-03-20T20:55:00.000-07:00

These are a few photos from our recent trip. I couldn't get any more to load after two attempts, so it's an unbalanced selection...

I'll try and put some up on picasa, and add a link later, and maybe I'll make a separate post, just for baby elephants. :-)

This is Young Adventurer sizing himself up in comparison to grandma and grandpa's dog.

The dog wins, sizewise. :-)

The kids doing karate kid/jedi moves with Urban Ranger

Urban Ranger and I took time to visit an old hangout. It hasn't changed a bit.

Sometimes, change might be good, when the countertops are still that rust color.

Probably a spiritual metaphor here...

The girls with their Auntie.

They are my kids.

They just look like my sister.

:-)

Rest in Peace, Slinder

2011-03-19T21:42:00.000-07:00

Slinder the crab died this morning of unknown causes. He will be fondly remembered.

Young Adventurer asks for your prayers, as he is very sad.

Coming Soon To A State Near You

2011-03-14T21:33:00.000-07:00

There were seven full-color pages devoted to these advertisements in a well-known local free magazine.

"Medical"

Umm...yeah...

Boing!

2011-03-10T20:56:00.000-08:00

SPRING!

These are luring a hummingbird to my backyard, within range of my camera. I have seen her with my own eyes. Now to develop the requisite patience to capture her on film...

Denizen

2011-03-08T08:06:00.000-08:00

We have a new resident on the kitchen ceiling. As he is green, and in the kitchen, I have named him Emeril. He's just a little guy, with a wingspan of maybe an inch, and he has a white moustache.

He (or she) is an emerald moth--maybe a wavy-lined or a southern.

The way cool thing is that their caterpillars stick bits of stuff to their backs for camoflauge.

Little spies.

They're probably hiding all over my house and yard and I never see them...

Bad Hair Day

2011-03-07T20:49:00.000-08:00

It was breezy.

She is hairy.

Very hairy.

Nothing brings that out more than a breezy day,

or bath day (secretary, please clear my schedule for the morning. I have to wash the dog...).

The reason she's standing outside giving me this weird look?

She knew it was bath day. The other dog. The stupid one, who let herself be caught, was already sparkly clean. As soon as Dusty saw that I was done with Stupid, she asked to go outside. And stayed outside. For a very long time, considering she usually spends that part of the day asleep on the couch. She wanted no part of me. She didn't want treats, she didn't even want cheese. At least not as badly as usual.

It was the cheese that eventually got her back into the house.

I just wanted to manipulate her though--to prove she'd sell her soul for food.

She didn't get a bath after all.

Decided the schedule wasn't clear after all.

Tomorrow. When she's off-guard...

(heads I win, tails you lose!)

Dear God,

2011-03-06T15:42:00.001-08:00

Does the New Jerusalem have a playground?

Or big backyards?

Or basketballs?

Just wondering...

The Adventurers Three

2011-03-05T20:50:00.000-08:00

Adventurer Two gets Two photos, as it was just her birthday.

Does anyone else think he needs a haircut?

Nah, never mind.

Warning

2011-02-28T11:08:00.000-08:00

They've moved from your TV to your bookshelf to try to put you off your guard and make you believe they're on your side. Don't buy this book, and don't blink.

Three things I'm thankful for

2011-02-24T21:05:00.000-08:00

1. Live, lovable, loving dog

2. Adventurers (Happy 13th Birthday, #2!)
3. Beautiful things that can be bought at the store when needed

[untitled]

2011-02-15T14:17:00.000-08:00

Got all Valentine-y and made pink & chocolate cupcakes (from scratch--YUM!) and found irony in my favorite candies.

Shot at nature-y things. Kind of a quiet morning, but the light was nice.

Beware of Dog

2011-02-07T20:44:00.000-08:00

Yes, the mop dog with a ponytail chased a careless visiting cat up the tree.

The cat paused there to consider it's options...
Calculated tree-to-wall distance, listened to the bark, estimated hair/dog ratio...
Apparently it concluded that Dusty is mostly hair, climbed down the tree, and made a successful dash for the wall.
Dusty made sure it left in a hurry, and strutted proudly into the house, as only a dog with that much hair and a ponytail can do.

Indiana, on the other hand, feels it is beneath her dignity to chase cats and remained on the patio, watching Dusty with a bemused expression.

Another Blog

2011-02-02T16:06:00.001-08:00

Just wanted to share a link to a blog about bugs that I came across by accident. The photography is pretty cool (makes a girl want a really great macro lens), and from it I learned that next week has been declared Army Ant Week, and that the guy who invented Uncle Milton's Ant Farms has died.

The weather outside is freakin cold.

2011-02-02T14:10:00.001-08:00

While Urban Ranger is up at Lantern Waste enjoying the always winter and never Christmas freakishness in the midwest (watch the thundersnow video in her post of today--it's great!!)...

And baking for the awesome and enthusiastic students who came to bring CHRISTmas, just to spite the White Witch...
We're enjoying some freak weather of our own, desert-style. That's ICE on my front walk, at 3 in the afternoon. I think it's from the sprinklers rather than a storm, but it's still very weird, for here...
and pretty, since it's only in the shade and not on the roads, or the power lines...
I know it's ice because I've seen it before, just not here...

I'm thinking the daylily may have to start over. It's coming up a little too soon...
if it's this cold in the afternoon...

And it may be this cold here, but it's colder in Juarez (8 degrees this morning), where not enough people have enough house, or clothing, to keep out the cold.

Give an electric blanket or two here

Like It Was Outside My House

2011-02-02T08:38:00.000-08:00

Thundersnow!

Lampost through Screen Door

2011-02-01T19:39:00.000-08:00

Living Water

2011-01-28T20:31:00.000-08:00

QuikTrip Style

Expecting good things (looking forward to spring) in the middle of winter

2011-01-27T08:18:00.000-08:00

This is the itsy bitsy spider, building it's house on one of the first leaves of spring (because it's spring here already, pretty much). I know that looks like a fall colors leaf, but it's spring, for a pomegranate. Winter never lasts forever.

This is Indiana, who nearly died 6 months ago. I called her name, and she looked up so expectantly. Reminded me of the Jars of Clay song, "Call My Name."
This is another spring thing. It's a shoot on the new pear tree in the backyard (don't expect fruit--it's not filled with that spirit--it's an ornamental pear). But the shoot looked like a grouchy camel. Maybe it's not quite ready to be forced into spring just yet. Maybe it prefers hibernation. Some days, I can relate, but spring comes anyway, and that's probably, maybe, possibly, a good thing.