Brave Helios, Wake Up Your Steeds

One of my favorite shots: (Taken near Augusta, MO, in Klondike County Park)

To get this shot, I stood on the banks of the lake that was created by reclaiming land that was once a quarry used for mining silica to make glass in a factory just across the river from the park.  

When I bicycled down the KATY Trail, I would stay at Klondike on both, my trip going down the length of the entire trail, and on my return home.  

I have camped in the park in a tent, and I have also stayed in the wonderful 'little cabins on the hill' - Cabin B is my favorite.  

When I took this picture, I got up well before sunrise on this particular morning.  The lake isn't far from my cabin, so I took my camera and my tripod, and I waited for this shot.  I took several other pictures while I was waiting for this one moment.

In the perceived stillness that is Nature, you can hear the dew dripping off the leaves of the surrounding trees.  A Skink that climbed onto the nearby wooden fence to bask in the morning sun takes time out of his schedule to satisfy his curiosity.  He came over to the last post on the fence to get a better look, and watched me set up this shot.

The air was still, and I waited until the sun had reached the right angle in the sky to create it's reflection in the water, but before it burned off the fog on the lake.

This shot reminds me of a passage from a well known poem.  In Greek mythology, Helios is the Sun God:

Cold hearted orb that rules the night,
removes the colours from our sight.
Red is grey, and yellow, white,
but we decide which is right,
and which is an illusion.
Brave Helios, wake up your steeds.
Bring the warmth the countryside needs.

- Michael

To B or not to B3?

‎(This is a beautifully detailed miniature! I want one of these for my doll house! :)

In light of the fact that Hammond B3 organs have been recently brought to the fore-front of the band on shows such as "American Idol" and "Duets", a part of my tiny, wretched soul is perplexed.

The conundrum is thusly:

The pros:
1) The recent flourish of exposure of this endangered species - the Hammond organ - will keep it in the heart of musical American's minds. This guarantees longevity, at least to some extent.

2) The recent exposure keeps the "supply / demand" cycle tight, keeping their value and prices up!

The cons:
1) Could this recent exposure be too good to be true? How can a smart phone / iPad society possibly appreciate vintage quality - musical instrument royalty, if you will.

2) The same fast paced society tends to have a 'disposable' mind set. (Take, for example, the rate that historic buildings and other national treasures are being destroyed.)

Even though the Hammond organ is still being produced, they are, at best, a good facsimile of the original. I have played the new Hammond B3, and I absolutely love it. I want one!

HOWEVER....their sound is digitally produced, and their amplifiers are solid state, rather than built with tubes. The originals are no longer being manufactured.

Do we really want vintage, irreplaceable heirloom musical treasures finding their way into the hands of a non-appreciative, disposable society?

That, my friends, is the quandrum at hand! :)

- Michael

Just waiting for it....

Several years ago, I was riding the St. Louis city bus system, and an elderly black woman was sitting in a seat directly across from me.

A black man, in his 50's got on the bus, and sat down beside her. We continued our journey for a few blocks, and I could see the elderly woman eyeing this man out of the corner of her eye.

When her curiosity finally reached it's threshold, she looked directly into his eyes, and asked him, "What do you do?"

He answered her, "Ma'am, I don't do anything."

She responded, "So, you're just sitting around, 'waiting for it', huh?"
(By saying 'Waiting for it', she was implying that he was sitting around, doing nothing, and waiting to die.)

He looked a bit disturbed, and answered, "Ma'am, I'm not waiting for ANYTHING!"

She said, "Oh, I think you are! I am 83 years old, and I go to work every day. I volunteer at a homeless shelter, feeding the homeless. I think YOU can do something more useful with your time than just sitting around 'waiting for it'!"

A couple blocks later, the man got off the bus in somewhat of a huff and a flurry.

After his exit, I jumped up, stepped across the aisle, and gave this woman a huge hug!

I told her how much I loved her, and how inspiring she was!

I know this woman was sent to me from a Higher Power.

Without my saying a word about my condition(s) or my situation, she looked at me and said, "Oh, honey, I'm not talking about YOU!"
She looked at my right arm, and my right leg, and she continued:
"I can see that you have your share of challenges, too, but I can also see that you are going places, and you are doing things. You look VERY busy, and you are making good use of your time spent on this Earth. When judgment day comes, you can answer proudly because you didn't waste the time that was given to you. Pointing out the widow at the man that just got off the bus, she said, "That fella, uh.... his story will probably end differently!"

Angels do, indeed, come in all shapes and sizes.

I have never felt so proud of myself, laughed AND had a bad case of the chills at the same time!

- Michael

"OK. These two are about the same whore!"

Somebody is going to have to explain this one to me.

Two of our dogs (Denver and Sherman) walked past Conrad's cage, and very as-a-matter-of-factly, he exclaimed with great proclamation:
"OK.  These two are about the same whore!"


Does Conrad come from a universe what we know not of?  How can two different individuals be one - the same?  One good explanation was that he was simply making me aware that even though they are very different breeds, he knows that both Denver and Sherman are dogs, and in good Conrad-fashion, instead of saying, "These 2 are dogs!", he had to make his labels a bit more interesting by jazzing it up a bit.


Such comparisons aren't that unusual.  I have a friend that has 2 African Greys, "Buzzy" and "Bear".  He also had a dog named "Joe".  Buzzy and Bear's cage was sitting by a window in the living room, and when it starts to  rain at a nice rate, Buzzy would say, "Come here, Joe! It's raining dogs!"


(Minimally, these are just a few of the advanced cognitive functions that are occuring during that small exchange between Buzzy and Joe:
1) the fact that Buzzy knows to call Joe
2) the fact that he knows Joe will come to the cage
3) the fact that he knows Joe is a dog, 
4) the fact that he know how to identify rain by name
5)  the fact that he has heard the phrase, "It's raining cats and dogs!" in the past, and
5)  the fact that he remembered the phrase, and individualized the phrase to match the current relevant situation. 


The summary of this assorted saga is this:
"OK.  These two are about the same whore!"


he he

- Michael

The Emperor's New Clothes, Part II, and Taliesen East and West: 'Shining Brow'

A recent comment that I made re: the Chinese Lantern Festival at the Missouri Botanical Gardens (2012):

The background story:
A *lot* of large, silk Chinese lanterns and sculptures have been placed throughout the Botanical Gardens in preparation for this event. However, in doing so, they have removed or replace a large number of water lilies, rose bushes, and otherwise invaded areas that plantings originally occupied.

My memo to them is such:

"Where can I see beautiful water lillies in the Gardens this year?

(Hint: The back of the Japanese Lake, in that one little corner of the lake, and the smaller pond located in the grassy area just a few feet from the Climatron reflection pools doesn't count!)

My original question:
Where can I see beautiful water lillies in the Gardens this year?

Spoiler:

The world's most famous architect, Frank Lloyd Wright built both Taliesin's, East and West. "Taliesen means "shining brow" or "radiant brow', and for good reason. He built both Taliesens on the side of a hill - on the brow of the hill - rather than on top of the hill. Why would he do this? (Listen closely! The man was a genius, and it would behoove most folk to listen to the voice of genius, rather than to fight it!) Frank Lloyd Wright built both these famous buildings 'on the brow' of the hill, rather than on TOP of the hill for one reason: If you build on top of the hill, you LOSE THE HILL. You lose the beauty of the hill. His buildings were built to work with the natural beauty, and not to fight it or destroy it. (Many of these silk structures replaced iconic water lilies.)

I can see that whoever had the idea of replacing beautiful, natural iconic water lilies with silk, man-made structures were obviously not tuned into the wisdom of such genius, eh?

Please don't misunderstand the intent of this post.

I shop at Global International Food Market and Jay's International Foods more than I do the local Schnuck's and Dierberg's grocery stores.
I attend every cultural festival that I can possibly can. Over half of the furnishings in my entire home are the Chinese antiques from SuttonWood Antiques (the same vendor who supplied the Chinese antiques to the Botanical Garden's Gift Shop). I have had these antiques for 7 years, and I know the people that own SuttonWood Antiques on a personal level. Another example would be that I can cook Indian food better than many Indian people that I know on a personal level.

It's not the Lantern display that I have an issue with. It is the fact that, in many cases, they are replacing or disrupting live plantings that have been, at least seasonally, in their places for many years. That, my friends, is just bad decorum, bad taste, and probably - bad karma!

(I, for one, do not suffer from a bad case of "The Emperor's New Clothes", and I am not afraid to speak up, and go against the grain, the general "Oh, it's ALL BEAUTIFUL!" group-think that people exhibit soley because that is the way people are programmed to react, rather than to buck the system and express their true feelings. When, in fact, if these people were not afraid of the reaction that they would receive, they, too, would speak up, and they agree that these sculptures would serve a better function if they were placed in areas of the Garden that disrupt the plantings! In fact, in a round-about way, a couple people have been brave enough - but not forceful enough - to already do so.)"

- Michael

About Birthdays:

About Birthdays:


Is this a 'good thing' or a 'bad thing'?


Today, I have been brainstorming, thinking, "What can I do today that would be 'special' for my birthday?"


Several years ago, I came to the conclusion that, with realistic limitations ($$ and time), generally speaking, I do "What I want", and whenever I want to do it.  With that taken into consideration, EVERY DAY is a birthday for me!  The 'good thing' about the deal is that, thankfully, the actual number of years will only increase one every 365 days.


We go to 'special' restaurants whenever we feel the urge, and not just on select days.  I go see all that St. Louis has to offer whenever I leave the house, and those visits are not reserved for a specific date.  I go to the Missouri Botanical Gardens weekly, the Zoo often, the St. Louis Art Museum, the History Museum, Malls, antique malls and stores, unique shops, and I go to wonderful venues and events at a frantic rate throughout the season. 


For example, this evening, I am going to do what I do during this time of the year, every other year that I have lived in the St. Louis area.  I am going to the opening of the first large outdoor art fair of the season, located at Laumeir Sculpture Park, just 7 miles from our home.  To me, this is a yearly event that I have never missed since I have lived in this area.  The skill, attention to detail, hard work, passion and finesse that these artists exhibit in their fine art and creativity will always inspire me to take the comforting, settling, deep breath that my heart craves, and one which will serve to center and soothe my soul.  


I love the first night, evening openings of these Art Fairs.  I usually go to Friday night openings by myself, without Mark, so I can browse at my leisure, without him getting bored, and hurrying me through the venue.    I can take my time and talk to the artists from all over the country that I have grown to know on a personal level over the 17 years that I have lived in the St. Louis area.  The lines at the wine tasting booth are long, and that area is crowded. No problem.  I will have a locally brewer oatmeal Schlafly Beer,  grab a Lobster Risotto Cake, Wild Mushroom Pesto Quesadilla, or a  Grilled Eggplant Goat Cheese Panini, and enjoy a Spring evening while listening to Jazz on the main stage.  It isn't uncommon for me to spend 3 hours or more on a Friday evening (or Saturday afternoon!) at an Art Fair.


Everyday is a birthday celebration for me.  If $$ flowed more freely, I would be traveling the entire world, sampling all the food, wearing all the clothes, listening to the different music that the people of the world has to offer, and taking in every custom that I can get my fat little fingers on.  


But reality sets in, and I realize that I have not - and probably will not - get a huge inheritance that will allow me to explore the entire world. In the meantime, I am thankful that I have the world that I DO have to explore, the music that I have taught myself how to play, my other abilities that I have fine tuned.  I know people who will not allow themselves such things in their lives, and the price they pay is much greater than the yearning that I experience on a daily basis because I can't experience the entire world.  Their pain is much greater than my own, because they don't know it's source.  The sad fact is that those individuals most likely have more of the resources available to them than those that are available to me, and that they could enrich their lives, but they have made the conscious choice to remain bitter, and to not do so.  That is an unfortunate fact.


With that being said, 


"HAPPY BIRTHDAY - every day - TO ME!"  


:)

- Michael

The Rogue Reverse Vandal Vegetation Vigilante

There has to be a support group for people like me!
Mark has known this for quite some time, but I think I finally reached the point that I have to admit that I have turned into a complete Rogue Reverse Vandal Vegetation Vigilante! 


I firmly believe that no matter where you live, you should take pride in your environment.  We live in Ladue, MO, which is known for lots of nice houses, lots of money and lots of snot.  Disclaimer:  We have a Ladue address, we do *not* have a Ladue house.  There is quite a difference between the 2.


Anywho, our neighbor is renting the house on the lot immediately adjacent to our house.  This fella is a true renter in the fact that he really doesn't care about the outward appearance of his home.  He piles trash from his Jeep in the yard beside the driveway.  During storms, some of this crap will blow all over the neighborhood.  This man also lets this irritating, invasive bush (Trees!) honey suckle grow up over the windows in a haphazard way in front of his house.  


(I will have to play Devil's advocate, and defend him in saying that the neighbor on the OTHER side of our property isn't much better.  This other neighbor doesn't keep invasive bushes trimmed from the front of his house, but he does usually keep his lawn cut.)


To make a long story just a bit longer and more painful.....


This morning, I took the trash to the curb, and I glanced over at the Hoosier neighbor's house.  A second later, I heard his Jeep start up.  I know that this young man doesn't cook at home, and eats all of his meals at restaurants, take-out, fast food, etc.  That is where most of the trash that he piles up in the front lawn comes from.  
I heard the Jeep start up, and I know the proverbial little light flickered on in my head.


The very second that he backed out of his driveway, and I saw his Jeep disappear down the lane, I ran into my garage and got my biggest pair of pruning shears.  I had to work fast because I didn't know if he was going to work, or if he was making a quick trip to a nearby Starbuck's or St. Louis Bread Company for breakfast. 


Like a good reverse vandal, I know that I shouldn't cut back ALL the bad vegetation.  That would be too obvious.   But then again, I am inclined to think that a person that will allow trash to pile up in his front yard isn't too concerned about overgrown vegetation disappearing at a fast rate!


I did wack back some huge chunks, but I reluctantly left a few decoys.  In a couple days, I will creep back over there when he leaves the house again, and I will remove more.  Like the Grinch That Stole the Bad Vegetation, I toted that crap as fast as I could to the huge pile that I started years ago in the far back corner of our yard.


I wonder if he will know the difference when he gets back home?  I wonder if he will even care?  I doubt it, but I DO know that I couldn't take it any more, and it had to go!


ONWARD, ROGUES!  :()

- Michael