Here is a sculpture at the Mall – Professional artists put feeling in their product – study the girl on the left leaning back giving the feeling of trust to be held up by the other two – the the feeling of youthful vigor in the boy, the feeling of the girl on the right looking at the face of the girl in the left – remarkable!A closer look at the youthful boyish vigor.The emotion of running against the wind – the foot in the air, in motion – ready to send the kite skyward – the face is focused on the feeling of hope – hope the wind will lift the kite!See determination – If you have ever played with a dog you know. The artist captured the wrinkled brow and the cocked head on a muscled neck of a dog determined to make the stick his – the dog wins – the human looses. The artist conveyed that feeling of victory in the dogs face.Why on the turtle? – But the feeling of focus is obvious – is she focused on an adult near by or on her own daydream? We do not know – But, the emotion of deep focus, deep thought, deep attention is made obvious by the sculptor. Heather was the cell phone photo-artist that took this shot – there is emotion here. I know Dyna just had a bathe – So,I think the feeling that Dyna is emoting is frustration: “I want to tell my human that I never want another bath – I hate baths – but humans are just too thick to understand my language!”We are all artists – Some are public about it – some enjoy art in solitude. Some do both. To each, art is a great enjoyment with feeling.
Where do you think I found this flower?- and the photos in the last post? In a modern sewage processing facility.- a nature haven for plants and wildlife. Did you know, Dolly Madison lost a brother, a son, her first husband (John Todd), and his parents to disease brought on by raw sewage in the then capital city of Philadelphia. President Washington and Martha escaped by retreating to Mount Vernon. That was in 1793 after heavy spring rains. We have done a pretty good job in the USA to fix that problem. Do you know most large cities have discovered that their waste facilities are big tourist attractions – Folks pay many dollars to be able to hike,bike, run, photograph, go birding in sewage processing facilities – A national Birding and Wildlife Festival is being held here in Titusville next week -Already every Field Trip to City “Wet Lands” – and there are many – is overflowing with on-line pre-registrations.
Today, Titusville, FL wet lands are a bird and wildlife haven. In 1898, delegates from across the glob gathered in New York City for the world’s first international urban planning conference. One topic dominated the discussion. It was not housing, land use, economic development, or infrastructure. The delegates were driven to desperation by sewage – mainly horse manure. The situation seemed dire. In 1894, the Times of London estimated that by 1950 every street in the city would be buried nine feet deep in horse manure. One New York prognosticator of the 1890s concluded that by 1930 the horse droppings would rise to Manhattan’s third-story windows. A public health and sanitation crisis of almost unimaginable dimensions loomed. And no possible solution could be devised. After all, the horse had been the dominant mode of transportation for thousands of years. Horses were absolutely essential for the functioning of the nineteenth-century city—for personal transportation, freight haulage, and even mechanical power. Without horses, cities would quite literally starve.But in a short time the car fixed the horse poop problem – Look at those gas guzzlers in this parking lot – Is the Mayor of NY thinking in the past – if we do not get the horses out of Central park, does he think the 1898 predictions may return – I do not know, but, let us not have a political fight over it – We have evolved to a better way to resolve political differences. We would not challenge the Mayor to a shooting duel. But, on July 11, 1804, Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr met on the dueling grounds at Weehawken, New Jersey, to fight the final skirmish of a long-lived political battle. When the duel was over, Hamilton would be mortally wounded. In the early 1800’s our politically intelligent future President Andrew Jackson, in a duel, kills a man who accused him of cheating on a horse race and then insulted his wife. I wonder if we have changed enough? Consider that NYC is on high alert, Paris is in a disastrous state. It seems time has taught us a lot about having safe pleasant sewage facilities, and it seems dueling is not a favorite way to settle an argument – but time has not taught us a lot about how to have a safe pleasant world political fighting environment.Some day I may be wise enough to offer answers – but for now, I hope I am wise enough to have fun writing some observations.
My good friend caught me studying – on a very cold field trip in Florida – 50 degrees.I will ponder Nature and change at sewage facilities in a future posting! but for now – smile
The story is – it is cold. as we get ready to car-pool to Blue Springs.The story: We retired folks get to travel in Guided Tour Groups – together with a common interest in Photography and natural surroundings.The story is – we are here to see and photograph the manatee.The story – Manatee float under the surface and come up from time to time for a breath of air. See the one near the surface and the scaring on his/her side! More info: There are only five living species of sirenians, known collectively as “sea-cows,” including the dugong and the manatees. Manatees are born underwater. Mothers must help their calves to the surface so that they can take their first breath, but the infants can typically swim on their own only an hour later. Manatee calves drink their mothers’ milk, but adults are voracious grazers. They eat water grasses, weeds, and algae—and lots of them. A manatee can eat a tenth of its own massive weight in just 24 hours.The story – I was testing my new camera – to see if a hand held camera could capture the nose hair in the nose of a “Cow” that came up for a breathe of air. at quite a distance.The story, I see an owl, do you? – Maybe you’ve seen the proverbial bunny in a patch of clouds, or a clown’s face in a mud splatter on the side of your car? Seeing recognizable objects or patterns in otherwise random or unrelated objects or patterns is called pareidolia. It’s a form of apophenia, which is a more general term for the human tendency to seek patterns in random information. Everyone experiences it from time to time. Seeing the famous man in the moon is a classic example from astronomy. The ability to experience pareidolia is more developed in some people and less in others.I see the buzzard on the left telling the buzzard on the right to be patient – “Wait until our dinner passes away!”The story – Notice the green vegetation is floating with the wave action (boats wake wave) – I do not know if it is attached to the river bottom or is just getting it’s nutrition from the water it floats on – Look it up on the internet – then tell me! Oh, I see a sea monster’s face on the third wave.Bye – Of course I see the lighthouse sticking it’s tongue out at me -!
This pondering bird got me to pondering about our Constitution – What if we really had to start over – the constitution got destroyed. – The US was made into an empty frontier again, our population was held constant but 95 of every 100 of us was replaced by folks from other ways of thinking (from other countries) – Would we be generous, hardworking,and smart enough to create a constitution as great as those guys did 230 years ago? Would we have the basic rights that you have today in your neighborhood?This is doggy world in our little community – a dog party every day at 4 o’clock – we decided to build it and have a daily doggie party – it is our basic right to do that – the Constitution said local folks could decide to do that – it is our Basic Right to decide ourselves how to smile and have fun. Thanks to those hardworking founders of our Constitution – “That is what I say! Ben Franklin said “The Constitution only gives people the right to pursue happiness. You have to catch it yourself.” Not all countries allow that pursuit.A segment of Christian community folks decided to build this church. If the wanted to, they could , allow other religious groups to use it for their services, work with the total community to help maintain services such as sewage, water, and landscaping – How could they do this – The Constitution gave them the Basic Right to do this. How many of the other 95% of the worlds population could do what this church membership did?If we decide to preserve and maintain conservation areas like this, we can pursue that – We can work with local donations, local government, State government, and the Federal government – The Constitution gave us that Basic Right.230 years ago those guys did pretty good – Don’t you think? – Hope you catch some happiness today!
Beautiful sunrise on the Space Coast where Titusville is located – Why do we sometimes get a trail of every jet – and sometime only some, and sometimes none? —Below, are a few photos taken on my mystery hunt this morning. “I like this place and could willingly waste my time in it.” ― William Shakespeare “The most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious.” Albert EinsteinDid the ants mean to build their hill around this brown blade of vegetation? – or did it just happen?What is this? I know it is a honey comb – but I do not know how it got to be laying on the ground near the water with not a single bee trees near by?But the mysteries of nature get even greater – there was an egg laying beside the honey comb – Now, I asked myself – did a human put them there? an animal? what kind of egg is it? was the egg empty? WOW, I sure do not know much? We better assign more detectives to work on it – I appoint you into the position of “Nature Detective”.Why does this bird appear to have a head growing out of his/her back?Why do I love to see the early morning dew on the grass?Or why do I love to search out a a flower hidden beneath the brush – fully hidden from the sun – I think all day long – yet it blooms into this beauty.Or, why do I love to search out a blade of grass that will soon loose it’s grand place in the beauty contest – just as soon as it becomes naked of the “Water-Droplet” suit it is wearing in the early morning sun.And I do often go indoors to read. About my next outdoor adventure , how to operate my new camera, or how to make a better blog for you all.
A horse never runs so fast as when he has other horses to catch and outpace. I think that is Perla after Asdis – or the other way around – Icelandics love the snow! Wonder why?Did not have to hunt very far – I always can find one outside my window (In the North or the South) but gee-wiz this guy was fun to watch. You can see he has dinner waiting in his web. Hey, did you ever wonder how they build a web across a walkway! – Usually the walkway I take in the morning. Look it up on the web (no pun intended).Found this “V” formation off my dock this fall – jumped into my canoe – followed them half way around the Bay – I wanted to see who stayed in the lead position – I think the females tell the males what to do? I understand that, maybe I am a duck?Some day visit a horse farm (Folks often stop along the road to watch and photograph these guys on Drummond Island) or go to Central Park . – This quote is the title of Alice Walkers’s collected poems, “Horses make a landscape look more beautiful”. If you go to the Park – talk to the carriage drivers and their horses – they (the drivers) love their horses – I have always found that they will tell you about their family’s generations of carriage horses in NYC!Not sure what you might study up north – maybe a cricket – anyway, this guy was fun to study as I sat down on my rocking chair in Florida, with my laptop, to create a blog for you!Most wild animals, that I run into, to will stand and stare – as if to ask me “What are you doing?” This “Wild” calf was found near a hiking trail in the St John’s River Conservation Area near Titusville Florida just last month.“WHAT ARE YOU DOING?” says my Drummond Island “Bucky”
Maybe you have a mouse in the garage, or the woodshed – Hey, what is a “WOODSHED?” Look it up on the web! Anyway – go out with camera to hunt a mouse!
Icelandic friends – Say MERRY CHRISTMAS – Hey – go on Google and look for famous people and their animals. You may be surprised at how many you can find.Shanain Twain loved being with her horse so much that she took the horse on tour with her.Pets in high places. The White House dogs.
Pets in the White House – Need I say more?Tabby – Tabby was the first white house cat but for sure not the last – but so that I do not offend any of you with specific political leanings – I will let you look up on Google who else had White House cats.Look at this add for the Airline – would you believe that it uses a horse not an airplane to get you to fly!
You can dress up your pet to look like you.You could put your pet under the Christmas tree!You can sit on your pet.You can hug your petYou can take your pet for a ride — kayakingYou can take your pet for a ride — bikingIf it is not convenient to be owned by a pet – How about have a pet for a few moments then let him return to his search for foodIf it is not convenient to owned by an animal, , Maybe you can visit a farm once a week – help on the farm once a week – you can find a way to be with animals.Wonderful Christmas and Happy Holidays this whole December 2014 and all of 2015 and more to you!!!
Having, caring for, loving, watching your pet is a great addition to your daily life
I added 5 or so photos here that I think tell you “Be Happy” – and Make you “Feel Good” – These are real Smiley Faces on Real People – They each make me feel good!
So, my furniture store visit gave me the idea to tell you how important I think it is to be with happy people. I know you are one of the smiley people we all want to be with!
Abe” Lemons (November 21, 1922 – September 2, 2002) was an American college basketball player and coach. As a coach at Oklahoma City University, Texas-Pan American University and the University of Texas, he compiled a record of 599 wins and 343 losses in 34 seasons. Abe Lemons was known for his wit as well as his wisdom. As one of Oklahoma’s most successful basketball coaches in history, the former Oklahoma City University coach made a lasting impression on his peers, players and family. HE ALSO SAID “The trouble with retirement is that you never get a day off. “
Don’t get me wrong – I love retirement – but some of retirees must work very hard to make sure we do not get a day off. For example, we have no snow to shovel and no kids around to help build a snow man – what do we do? we work hours making ourselves into a snow man. I think it is a woman – at any rate you may call it silly – Just try going to school looking like that and you could not get away with it – Down here in retirement land we call it normal – so, we must try other things to be silly.
What do you think of this silly thing – turn you whole golf cart into a snow man. and get other retirees to take your picture.You could dress up like a toy soldier and proceed to eat the “Snow Ladies” carrot nose – just for the camera man — Me. Are you ready for the silly folks in retirement?You could always make your dog look silly. You see, this all takes time – That is why we never get a day off!Go ahead and try this – When you are getting a serious lecture from your Mom or Dad. Better yet Mom, do it when you are giving that serious lecture – the resultant laughter will give you and your lecture the best results!
