My Son and I have a “Facebook” site and we occasionally communicate through it. But mostly I go to see any new pictures he’s posted from his life in Leeds’s, England. It is interesting having an offspring studying overseas. It is a point of pride, true, but more interesting is he was raised to not be afraid of searching out his hearts desire. The same can be said of my Daughter who is attending Auburn University. It is even more so since as a male of my species I have a built in protection response that tends to be overly protective of the females in my charge. LOL Now that’s a laugh. Missy is anything but under my “Charge”.

Here is a picture of them taken this month when Missy went over to England to visit her brother. (Now how cool is that!?!) All I can say is I love these kids and I love the way they explore life.

Morning Thoughts

This morning is one of those “hard to get moving” mornings which I’ve been having a lot of lately. When I got to work I took a moment to check out my Google Reader service and stumbled onto a photograph of a person holding buttercups titled “Likes Butter”. I got to thinking I really never paid that much attention to butter. The color or the texture or the smell are not all that familiar to me. Could it be that a lifetime exposed to butter want-a-be’s in the form of margarine have hidden real butter from my experiences? Has the chemically altered state of normal foods dulled my senses to good old wholesome foods? I’ve long healed a believe that chemistry as wonderful a tool as it is has been misused by the commercial world and is the underlining cause of many of today’s illnesses. If you want to challenge me on this then I recommend you look at the tremendous increase of lead in our air which can be clearly linked to 1923 when it was added to gasoline to make cars run smoother. Note when you check that out that the nature of such lead is to hang around a long time so that even though we have outlawed it in gasoline the parts per million in our air is still unnaturally high. The consequences of our indulgences are long lasting and will effect generations to come.

Another thought that hit me this morning while riding the elevator up to the third floor (I said I was dragging this morning), is how sad it seemed to me for people who work in the big cities who work in buildings that are so tall they need two or more elevator changes to get to their place of employment. If they are happy so be it. I’m not passing judgment on their choices, but I would find that sad if I found myself in that situation. Of course this comes with the whole city life style of commuting, crowds, noise and smells. I know there is lots to offer people in that life style but I guess it is not for me. Especially as I age. Reminds me of the Simon and Garfunkle song “Old Friends”.

Such are my thoughts today.

Photographer??? Me????

I've been putting a lot of effort into my photography lately. I think it is about time I start my own photo site and stop using the free sites I've played with over the last decade. At the same time, I want to express my views on photography as an art form as well as a historical tool for institutions and individuals alike. I might even want to look at its use in marketing seeing as I'm an old advertising major from YSU.

Since I surf the web looking at works of other photographers, I'm thinking of having a section showing my favorites and giving the creator full credit and exposure.

So to you few viewers I have, I solicite your opinion on this proposed venture. What ya think?

A Camping We Will Go, A Camping We Will Go, High, Ho the Dairy O . . .

I’m finally going to buy myself a camper. I’ve wanted one for a long time. I’ve camped with tents and vans and pup-ups myself and my Mom and Dad made it all the way up to an Air Stream. The 1999 Mallard I’m buying is a training vehicle for Emily and if she should find it not to her liking (and believe me, you want her to like something if you are going to get her to do it with you) then I’ll not have invested too much into it.

I’m looking forward to spending some time this Fall and maybe even a Winter weekend at Cade’s Cove as well as attending the many local festivals we have through out the year here in Middle Tennessee. I’m thinking of checking out the Naches Trace from top to bottom and there are enough State Parks here and in Northern Alabama to keep us busy for a couple of years.

Of course this plays into my photographic interest extremely well. This will end a lot of excuses use to not head out on picture taking ventures. It also will allow me the time to take pictures at the right time of day for the location. I can’t wait to get up at the crack of dawn and shoot, shoot, shoot then nap during the heat of the day then head out to shoot some more. The smell of bacon in the crisp morning air and the crackling of a fire after dark, all just make my spirit dance with anticipation.

I MUST HAVE TAKEN TOO MUCH THYROID MEDICINE

I have been accused of being bi-polar (that's a laugh), having a head with too many ideas bouncing around in it (that's factual) and being so disorganized that I walk myself silly and as such, wasting a lot of time and energy (that from an "OC" personality who accepts no other solution but her own).

I like harmony in my life and drama in other's for its entertainment value. Hey, just being honest. I'm a far better audience than an artist. You need someone out there to appreciate your efforts, as crazy as you are. So I though of a few ideas for you creative types to work on.

Ideas for you creative folks.

A shelf made from a tree branch
a) should hold books or boxes
b) hangers can be hung from it
c) must have three points of contact that make it steady and secure.

Pipes that function but do not just go from point A to B in a straight line or only make standard angles.
a) pipes that look like tied knots
b) pipes that make walls decorative and have energy functions
c) pipes that function and make musical tones.

Door knobs (this includes cabinet doors) that full fill all needed functions but suit any appendage that is used to use them.

Trash cans that actually look attractive while functioning well.
a) they should seal to keep stink in and varmints out, but don't demand a Gold's Gym regular to open and close.
b) they should be able to be pulled to the street easily no matter how tall or short the puller is and no matter how much the trash we stuff into them weighs .
c) color and shape must not be gaudy unless of course that suits the home it will be sitting out side of.

More to come latter.