Around the age of 3 we we begin to draw. Whether you were born in Stuttgart, Paris, Hooversville, Drummond Island, or even New Jersey(HaHa) you begin to tell your story with crayon and paper using the universal language of art images.
One of my early images told how much I would rather be out the door with bike, trees to climb and the flowers than practicing the piano. .
As we become more global I think art will play a bigger role in signage.
I selected a few here to show you my sense of humor relative to signs, and to show you that sometimes you still need a specific language knowledge to understand the sign because it has words on it.
I know it is wheelchair accessible, its number is 2750, and it has a NY Metro Authority license plate. But the red sign in the middle requires a NYC language knowledge I do not have.If you had a bad day, join the family at cocktail time for a few drinks – Actually the sign is to invite you to apply for a job at their company. But, it struck me as a funny sign.Now here is a food wagon near Central Park. I have no idea what the message on the lower left panel is saying? (The fingers and the grapes and the big “A” above the hand) – Maybe to understand it you need a young New Yorker’s language knowledge that I do not have.Here in NYC where folks from around the world gather these food wagons are universal – But, wait! – What is HALAL FOOD ? and there is that “A” again – I am sure it is only my lack of knowledge of young New Yorker’s that made it a mystery to me? I did look up Halal, so now I know what it is.If you mouth is big enough to fit around these sandwiches the menu is clear – Can you imagine eating any of them – especially that upper right runny-egg sandwich. They need a picture of the bib you should wear. Anyway, even if I did not know english I could order by pointing.My favorite spot on the Island -The TeePee Ice Cream hut. – Sitting in my truck eating an Ice Cream cone, I see in the window under the “ORDER HERE” sign, a sign that says “Speak up, its loud in here”. – Made me laugh even if it did not use art.it made me laughThis store is a speciality store! How in the world did they pick only those three items to sell – made me laugh.What is a finely tuned residents? On second thought, I do live in a finely tuned residence. How about your residence – Is it finely tuned?This is one frame from a video I took to show how incomplete this sign is. “NO PARKING” worked but where is the sign that says “NO DUMPING GARBAGE”? It made me laugh. Oh, I got caught taking the video. YIPES, notice (on the next frame) the clear message sent by the one that caught me.When she/he caught me photographing, they gave me first a middle finger then a moon! – a clear message to get the h… out of there and quit photographing – I did just that! But, take notice, the person walking by ignored the whole thing – they were busy on the phone sending messages about something else.This Jewish Deli has a sense of humor but you need to know the language. CHALLAH=HOLLER (Well sort of)I laughed a lot at this – It has several attention getting messages – I really like the one that says “Free Lunch tomorrow” Yep, Somebody got the message – I did not.Back to my Island, I assume this marks Blain Bailey’s sugar camp. I looked it up in the dictionary. BALIWICK is a person’s area of skill, authority, or work. (Can also be spelled Baileywick) – Local folks have the knowledge that Blaine is one of the Bailey family members.I found these on the wall of a NYC art college – Art pictures are a universal language used in the many many advertisements you see sandwiched between segments of the evening news on TV. The students are studying how to use art to send their messages. In this case her message is “Guns are bad.” In a future evening news programs, her art message may be that Buick Sedans are good or she may be promoting a Lawyer’s office that can help you sue the insurance company over an accident you had with the Buick. All told with art pictures flashed on the screen.AS YOU SWING THROUGH LIFE -always go sign shopping. It is a great pass time. And, when you see an advertisement remember an artist studied a long time to learn to send you a message using the universal language of art in the sign.
I have been traveling for a month and a half. In the old days, I would invite you over for a drink, pull out the slide projector, take the pictures off the wall, and make you sit for a couple hours watching my slides.
In these new days, I will use this blog and I will not know if you doze off and snore. But, I do plan to post often. Here is the first posting:
A bike trip on Drummond Island took me past this tourist spot with 2 very large chairs.At a tourist spot you can always find someone to take a photograph of you being a tourist.As I bike I always look for mushrooms – don’t you?And, even when traveling, I have to play with PhotoShop.This has no PhotoShop – I included it here because that little reddish mushroom pushing up in the middle caught my attention. In previous posts you saw I was watching the other mushrooms mature each day.I like watching flowers mature also.Today, this flower got me to thinkin’ Ice Cream – so, I had to bike on over to theTasteFreeze store in Madison NJ and purchase a cone of vanilla soft twist.But back in Southern Michigan at a beautiful campground sort of like TGO, near Lake Michigan, my son, Jim, and I enjoyed biking the rail trails for many miles..In NYC the biking is interesting as you pass “Old Men” playing checkers in the park – their view though is of neighbors homes – on an acre I estimate there are the home’s of at least 2,000 people.On Northern Michigan I bike past my home that I sold 2 years ago – I estimate on those 3 acres there are 2 people and one horse in the corral.I do not always bike – I do have a four wheel vehicle.I find one Islander’s bailiwick. You do know what a bailiwick is – if not sure – look it up.In that bailiwick I find an old sugar mill – ? or was it moonshine?Wonder why the Jeep was left behind? Do you think the revenuers had anything to do with it?AS YOU SWING THROUGH LIFE – Fear not – In this new world, you do not have to doze through my trip phots – just go to another HTTP
Dave wrote: Hi Jim, What’s new in your world ? Summer is flying by as it always does. Here are some pictures of Ruby throated Hummingbirds for the blog. Hummers are fun to shoot as they can be very active coming to the feeder. They are very aggressive and fight non stop. Dave
I replyed: Hey Dave, I am still on the road, so to speak. After a circle rout from Florida, to NYC, to Southern Appalachian Mountian’s in PA, to Drummond Island Mich, to South Haven to bike and spend time with Jim and Sue at their campground, to Morristown NJ to spend a time in Morristown with my Daughter. Here we hike, bike, and I play on my computer with my photos and the stories I want them to tell. I posted a dozen or so of my photos below your Humming bird photos – Oh, what did I mean by “Patterns on the road”? You will have to look at the photos I posted to get that answer.
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NOW FOR PATTERNS ON THE ROAD:
As I was leaving Florida, the sky did it to me – It ingrained “pattern” into my brain.Right off the bat, NYC, showed me patterns of their sky, and of course the pattern of cars traveling down the road, and the pattern of utility poles lining the way.I soon traded all that traffic for the bicycle path near Heather’s home – Oh my, my brain sees patterns every where – the signs actually form a pattern – BUT, I sure hope TGO does not need to put up so many signs at the entrance to their nature trail.The trail is beautiful, lots of wildlife, ponds, big trees, smooth road surface, enough hills to add exercise to my daily trips – I just peddle past the signs. Northern woods foliage always makes a pattern as you ride by.Lily Pads form a pattern in a pond – I see a FROG – Heather loves toads and frogs.Not really a pattern photo but, can you find the frog – I brightened his eyes to help you locate him/her/they?Back on the bike/nature trail – mushrooms are a pattern.Oh my, look what happened to the mushrooms a couple days later.Snow Balls – What a pretty patternAt the end of the trail the neighbor put a pretty pattern around the mailboxAnd in the NJ nature, these little guys build their home making a beautiful pattern – no paint needed.As I said Heather loves toads and frogs – and this one seems to match the pavement.Oh my – made this mystery pattern up just for you – can you guess what it is – is it a bug, poop, nature of some sort? – it is – I will show you on the next photo.Lots of deer on the NJ bike trail with a pattern on their nose.AS YOU SWING THROUGH LIFE – take your cell phone with you, snap a dozen shots, and show us the story they tell – hope you enjoyed my photo “Pattern” story.
DAVE WROTE: Hi Jim, We are having a hot summer here in upstate NY. The Peregrine Falcons that nest in the city of Utica had another successful year. They fledged two young this season. Here are a few pictures. I’m especially pleased with the shot of one of the young falcons on the church steeple cross. The church is across the street from the bank building where the nest box is located on the 15th floor. Dave
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JIM WROTE : Since July 1, I have been traveling with Siris on the radio – singing, out-loud with Willy, Whalon, and me – such songs as “I’ve Been Everywhere”. Yep, I slept in Titusville & Orlando, the Washington auto-train, Morristown N.J., Manhattan NY, Brooklyn NY, Lancaster Pa., Hooversville Pa, Lima Ohio, and Drummond Island Mich. Plus, I have slept daily naps in numerous other states, McDonalds parking lots, and roadside rest areas along the way!
I Loved it all. I have seen things and experienced things I never did before in all of my 87 years! Here are a few snapshots to show you some of the fun I have had:
Waking to a view like this is not something I do every day! Manhattan just south of Central Park.But then i went down and found a familiar friend.And I learned to rent a NYC bikeI took it for an $18 ride.saw new ways to have lunchEven found a Grandson selling lunch from a “wagon”sat to listen to Gospel music in Central ParkFound an interesting shot of the young and the old communicating.Returned the bike to see a man attack a women- OOPS! I was mistaken.They were enjoyning the street – practicing and/or performing.I think the folks visiting the MET (Metropolitian Museum of Art) love the color red/Inside I found lots of waiting lines.We babysat an appartment in this row of appartments – it came with a dog to babysit too!My daughter lives in a subburb with an acre of trees – She loves animals and holds and feeds this guy every day.One morning we awoke to find the fox stuck in the fence around her property – She said that is what happens when you eat too many chipmonks – you won’t fit throuth the fence – we called the local police for help.Within 10 minutes we had the moment of freedom. He ran off into the woods unhurt but a smarter fox.AS YOU SWING THROUGH LIFE – Enjoy the trip – and come back to this blog – I have tons more photos and I am now shooting more on an Island in the northern Great Lakes just across from Canada .
Dave Wrote: HI Jim, I haven’t sent you any pictures in a while. It is full summer here in Rome, NY. 85 degrees F. and very humid today. Here are some shots of a male Chestnut-sided Warbler I took last week. Things have slowed way down both birding and bird photography. The Peregrine Falcons in the city of Utica had another successful nesting again. I have been shooting them and will send you some pictures of them. Dave
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JIM WROTE: I went with Gloria to numerous art galleries and art museums in New York City during the last 7 days. We saw all forms of art from line drawings to portraits to art of the great masters to abstract art to……. whatever. Gloria arranged for a 2 hour class at the Metropolitan Museum of Art – it was called Plein Air Painting. They told me Plein Air painting is when an artist leaves their studio and goes outside to draw/paint the landscape they see. Well, I am not an artist but I got invited anyway and I went on the Plein Air event in Central Park for two hours and here is a photograph of what I painted – Yikes – I did better when I was in first grade but it was a fun challenge:
My Plein Air result
Then I took the above photo of my Pein Air painting to PhotoShop!!! – I gave each result a name:
“Light thru the tree”“The Escapee”“The Eye”“Together”“Oh MY”As you swing through life, and you do not know what you are doing – enjoy it – like I did at the Plein Air experience.
Dave wrote: Hi Jim, Here are some pictures for the blog. It has been a slow season here in the Rome, NY area due to the decline in the overall bird population. Here are a few warbler pictures. A male Common Yellowthroat and a male and female Yellow Warbler. Dave
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Tones of yellow but without that splash of red, that God put there, he is boring.
I photoed this hopper yesterday and I saw yellow BUT why did God put that splash of red there? – I was prompted to scan my photo library looking for red – Oh my, shades of red are everywhere – I’ll show you just a few:
In an Orlando art storeTGO Christmas paradeMy Drummond Island rose gardenSomewhere in TGOTGO light pole base – I think it was anyway.TGO dogHilton hotel lobby paintingDreary winter day in Windber, PennsypvaniaOne of two barns on the Brubaker family compound of my youthThe other barn of my youthBack to TGO – A gator loving red flowers
Finally – Have you ever had breakfast at “The Shore”? That is a New Jersey thing to do – See the waiter’s pony-tail even has a red tie.As you swing through life, remember the emotion triggered by a view is influenced by light and color – maybe that is what made you smile or cry or long for the past when you were digging thru your old photos.
The blur of his tail feathers shows this birds rudder control – I took us humans a long time to figure out the science of flight control.Big rain drops and plants frame the birdThe nose. See the science of digging for food. You can tell how deep he digs.The Camera sawI sawThe camera sawI sawThe camera sawI sawThe camera sawI sawAs you swing through life, enjoy nature as the camera sees it – then allow yourself the time to daydream and see what you can see – it is fun to do that!
Nature as I saw it in the last day or two here in TGO – well all but the first photo – my Granddaughter took it in NYC.
Smoke from wildfires in Canada. Are they talking about keeping off the grass in the lawn?A storm out my back door.Same storm – just a close-up to see the big drops.Hardy tree on Plantation Drive growing horizontally. I think it was pushed over in a past hurricane.Mom says “Come on. Stay up with me – You have seen people before.”Beauty of the pattern of this moth on my chair’s arm?I think he is evaluating my golf practice swing.As you swing through life, enjoy nature and stop to take a photo so that you can look at it again – from you evening chair.
For some reason God gave me the beautiful ability to see things others might not catch. Every scene in nature I wonder- why the tree has bark like that, why the bird has red eyes, why, why. Then sometimes the things I see only pass through my mind as walk or ride on reflecting – Like a strange dream the image might make no sense – but like a dream I enjoy the images. I will show you a few examples just for fun:
The Great Outdoors
The Great OutdoorsThe Great Outdoors – Now we know why he/she crossed the road!The Great OutdoorsThe Great OutdoorsAs you swing through life smile at the things of nature.
Dave Wrote: Hi Jim, Here are some pictures for the blog. The warbler family is my favorite family of birds. The Canada Warbler is one of my favorites in the warbler family. Here are some pictures of a Canada Warbler I took yesterday.A beautiful bird. Dave
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You know I see many many things of life that for some reason I just have to grab my camera and snap it. Then in my quiet time, days later, I bring those snapshots up on my computer and enjoy what I saw.
See if you enjoy these. Now the deer is not PhotoShopped into the bed of that truck – it was really there, maybe the deer just needed a ride. The rainbow colors, the reflected sky, the floatation, the alligator were all in the view I saw from the bridge. “Loving thyself rocks” was just an interesting name for a business – so I had to snap it. I adjusted my eyes correctly and I saw the car in front of the motor home as being painted with a pattern. Anyway, each of these are what I call loving life photographs – I see many each day – I think my phone has 20,000 such images.
05 21 2023 Jim Brubaker05 21 2023 Jim Brubaker05 21 2023 Jim Brubaker05 21 2023 Jim Brubaker05 21 2023 Jim Brubaker05 21 2023 Jim Brubaker05 21 2023 Jim BrubakerAs you swing through life smile at the things of life – maybe even laugh out loud. Then, grab your phone and snap a view for your own enjoyment during one of your quiet times in the future.
