If you looked at this blog at all, you know I urge you to look up and see things in the clouds that others may not see.  And,I urge you to look at people’s feet to see where the folks are from, the kind of uniform they wear,  are they indoor people, outdoor people, golfers

….. – you can tell by their sun tamed ankles if they are golfers — etc.

I love the outdoors and love to go into the woods and study the signs left there in the snow the night before. Usually a whole story of survival, food searching, body temperature control, — life and death  many stories unfold. Hope to see some of that on Drummond soon.

So, the purpose of this blog posting — is just to let me talk— that is not what I wanted to say — it just came out of my brain!

The real purpose is to help you to see more of what has always been there.  I hope to pique your interest in getting outside more, and appreciating our open spaces and fresh air — try to get outside and learn about signs in the sky, the feet, and the good earth available to us — even in city parks and waters edges. See things that you may not have noticed before.

NEW SUBJECT – Grandma just called me to come see a TV story in FOODTOGRAPHY  – It is becoming a fad to use social media to share your meal with others via a photograph — when Grandma travels, I often shoot (no, not as a hunter)  my food and send a text to her  – I share my meal with my friend just like my Grandpa did in 1900 — but I do not have to travel  thru woods and over streams on horse back in bitter cold — I love this new social media!

Hey, I am with it – I am a FAD follower, — I am.  I know, you had to wade through photos of my Thanksgiving Dinner of color

— So, get even with me — go outdoors and photo the signs left last night, think about the colors you see in the outdoors, and then text me of your adventure and send me a colorful FOODOGRAPH of the meal you prepare this evening!

NOV 29 – Are you married to an artist? – One moment ago I was asked to see a new study in shades and movement from cool to warm (In color of courseAn artist’s life is made up of colors – nary a day goes by (today it has been nary an hour) that I am not asked to see the color effect on a painting that Grandma is working on — Honest some times I do not see the difference —–

but you know, I fee the difference. Do you feel the difference in this example — it is there!  — Which is more pleasing to you?

So, say I, color creates my emotions – maybe as much as music, pretty girls, or Grandma! Don’t tell her I said that! Hope you are not having a grey day — only bright days the color of the sun, or the green forest, the blue ocean, food, or what every gives you emotion —1.  R U a writer? — Your cover is for selling your book and the more eye catching and simple the design the quicker a potential reader is going to be to consider reading it—consideration leads to selling a book.

2.  R U a driver? — A red traffic light is a simple circle illuminated in bright red.  The single message is STOP—quick and easy to understand.  If a cop catches you running a red light you’ll get busted and that will cost you green bucks!!!

3.  R U selling a horse? — “Advertise in the Horse Gazette Newspaper and online and reach MORE horse buyers… Color reproduction is “pleasing color” – we cannot guarantee a perfect color match.”  — I found this advertisement on the web for an advertisement.

4.  R U an artist? —  Many artists are confused. The marketing name for a paint, such as “indian yellow” or “emerald green”, is often only a poetic color evocation. More popular color names are “viridian hue” and ” chinese white”To remedy this confusion, in 1990 the art materials industry voluntarily began listing pigment ingredients on the paint packaging, using the common pigment name PB28 for cobalt blue, PR108 for cadmium red.    WOW, now I got it. Grandma will study shades of green for an hour — then show me her work for comments – like this morning’s project.  Grandma told me she started with Quin gold — How many of you know what Quin Gold is?

5.  A car in Y’R family? – Do you like the color of your car? Did you pick the car for it’s color. What color is it?  My car is Cuv’ee Silver. U all know what cuv’ee is — right?  Hey, you like my modern art? — I just had to show you my car color — but a plain color swatch seemed boring — Maybe I should get this “work of art” painted on the doors of my car? Do you go for that idea?

I looked curv’ee up on the web. Cuvée  is a French wine term derived from cuve, meaning vat or tank.  The term cuvée is used with several different meanings, more or less based on the concept of a tank of wine put to some purpose.  So I guess I drive a tank! It has no top sometimes –  It is a convertible cuv’ee – I drive a convertible wine vat.

Then I found this advertisement for a Bistro — See the color of food –

Cuvée Wine & Bistro … the ULTIMATE in fine dining

Now, to see if I can make you really hungry – Yesterday, I was fascinated by the colors of our Thanksgiving dinner – I was not the chef – Walt and Mike are outstanding hosts and chefs – Here is some of what they presented our palate  – I present to you dinner thru the emotion of color — because taste is too hard to present to you here on the web:

The other day I was looking through photos sent to me of Grandkids doing things at home, school, and sports.  WOW, they are busy. Mom driving them to school, little league games, school plays, to play with friends,  to One Direction concerts, to Broadway plays, and helping with homework. – computers, cell phone, video games ……

Then, I encountered a web site called – “Images of farm chores.”  WOW did they bring back memories – – They documented the life of our family and me growing up in the 1940’s!  How the world has advanced.

I thought I would download a couple of “Images of farm chores” photos – hope they do not mind. You will see why I have to run hard just to keep up with the new way.

You see, when I got off the bus I grabbed a bowl of cereal and headed out to the barn or field to participate in farm chores until supper time — maybe 7:00pm. –No computers, no cell phones (or any phone for that matter), no video games ……No little league games, no sport practice, no special lessons, no school plays (did have church plays at Christmas), no One Direction concerts, no Broadway plays, and the best thing — not once did we do home work – well maybe twice – but not often.

Today,  I was thinking young — Had some photos e-mailed to me —  They were taken — with a phone camera that was not working well — but I think they are great –  I did a little Photoshop on them.

Today’s youth!!!! I love it now– I loved it when I was Youth.

COMMENT 1.   My very good friend and fellow business traveler wrote to me:

The head doorman at the Intercontinental Hotel in Paris once told me that he could, with 90 percent accuracy, tell what country you were from by looking at your shoes. I realized that my 12 pound black wingtips were a dead giveaway.

Walt

****BREAKING NEWS *** I got a photo, via email, warning all men! See it at the bottom of this blog

What is a 12 pound black wingtip??? I bet you grandkids have many pair in you closet.  Ha, Ha!  Before I give you the official definition of a wingtip and show you a photo, I went to the web to try and find the uniform a wingtip goes with. Here are some typical wingtip uniforms:

Oh, you say what is a wingtip?    -First a photo from Johnson Murphy – The shoe source of presidents!:

Women’s wingtip

See the difference? Ha, Ha. We are identical and identifiable through our one style shoe – men/women – It don’t matter?

Well, when I see Perla again you will know, by my boots, that I am different! But still one style.

In my opinion, though,  women executives or no-executives should appreciate  having many shoes styles to choose from – why do I think that? – cause it makes them look nice! So, I went to more shoe stores, on the web, to see if fashion folk thought women needed many wingtip styles to choose from –

Now, for the beauty and the creativity of women.  I found that they are not afraid to sing “I Did It My Way” and choose shoes their way. They can have the stogie old style of the men some days (see above) and on other days they can wear these!

COMMENT # 2.   “Shoes are a girl’s best friend. Great shots and very observant.” —I was hoping that I might be her best friend — it is hard loosing out to a shoe (boot), you Know!  But, I really support the idea of using beauty over function some of the time — Then say I, “Sometimes beauty = function”, see:

COMMENT # 3.  “I bought a pair of over-shoes to wade/fish with my son. they are made out of a synthetic material now and still leak after a year or so of casual use. What in heaven did they make over-shoes out of in 1900?” —

 I went to the working man’s web site and found a company called, Tingley Rubber –– I extract a quote from their site: “The Tingley Company isn’t named after your expected response when you wear their apparel. It’s actually named after it’s founder, Charles O. Tingley, who got his start selling tire plugs for bicycles. And he did it ON his bicycle, going from city to city. With that kind of determination, he got a rubber company going with his two sons. In the early 1900’s, he designed the first compression-molded stretchable unlined rubber overshoe.”

So, now you know a answer to a question I had no idea about until the web — Come to think of it this whole story was created from the web with information I knew very little about WOW What the rest of you 70+ year old friends think of that?

Oh how do some dictionaries define a wingtip shoe:  it is ‘characterised by multiple-piece, sturdy leather uppers with decorative perforations (or “broguing”) and serration along the pieces’ visible edges.^[1] Modern brogues trace their roots to a rudimentary shoe originating in Scotland and Ireland that was constructed using untanned hide with perforations, allowing water to drain when crossing wet terrain such as a bog

This photo arrived in my e-mail “Words” are mine.

Yesterday I got to thinking international and the effect that international marketing has had on our lives. Fifty years ago – Fifty years ago! can’t believe it — I know where I was when Kennedy was shot.  I watched a documentary on it until almost mid-night last night — —-well between naps I watched it!

Anyway, fifty years ago things were different — today we have more global communications, global transportation, global financing and WalMart – we can buy buy many different shoe styles — My friends in Stonewall Texas did not offer a 1,000 different styles in their General Store – so all our feet looked pretty much the same back then!

How about food – Today, we have 1,000 of choices. When I traveled, I enjoyed the local food of the country I happened to be spending the night in. I did that because, back home in those days,  we all ate a limited selection of food  — what ever the local market offered.

So last night – to study the impact of the globalizing, — I decided to see if I could travel vicariously through food purchased right here in Florida — purchased at a normal old local chain store – so off I went —  and – cooked my international meal — Here is what I purchased  – and prepared. – Say I to me — “This vicarious experience must keep portions small or I won’t be” – So I did.

MAIN COURSE – (Lots to eat – but keep portions small!!)

1. Australia – Lamb chops

2. France – Bagaette

3. California – Broccoli

4. Italy – Olive oil to toss raw broccoli

5. Israel – Salt to toss with olive oil and broccoli

4. Spain – A glass of red wine

APPETIZER WHILE COOKING

5. Mexico – Tortilla chip

6. Switzerland – Cheese

7. India – A glass of beer while cooking  (India Pale Ale – Actually Brewed in Atlanta Georgia)

DESERT

8. Wisconsin – Cottage cheese

9. Canada – Blue berries

10. Florida – Orange blossom honey

AFTER DESERT (While Watching documentary on Alaska fishing)

11. Colombia  – Coffee

12. U.K. – Dark Chocolate (I picked it up – but put it down — had too much to eat already)

WOW, In a couple of hours, last evening, I took one long and very enjoyable vicarious gourmet travel delight!  Grandpa would not understand!

From the HOMESTEAD 1900 AD

Jan 18: Weather same as before. Bought over-shoes at Harding’s for 75 cents.

Jan 19: Bought shoe repair tacks for 10 cents.

Feb 17: Bought 2 3/4 pound chuck – paid 28 cents.

Feb 24: Paid 50 cents for Baby a pair of shoes.

Feb 26: 15 cents for peanuts and candy.

March 8: Butchered hog. Made sausage. Went hunting in afternoon.

Now 1901

Jan 19: Bought cow for $42 ***he did not say if it was to eat or to provide milk

Jan31:  Ellen **(Grandma) finished making shoes for Paul.

Feb 1: Bought oil and cheese for 30 cents.

Feb 13: Baked Ginger snaps.

Some of this one makes sense to me but not all of it????

Feb 18: Was at Scalp in evening. Fire and powder explosion at Thirty. Great excitement. Citizens had meeting at school house. Paid 5 cents for candy and 4 cents for tobacco for **(??) to wash cow.

******

Scalp = Scalp Level – a small mining town in Pa.

Thirty = A mining town built by the Berwind White Coal Company at the enterence to their mine shaft #30.

Citizens = Noticed that there was an election the next day – maybe that is why they met.

Tobacco and wash cow ?? i did not get that?

Years ago, I traveled to Europe every other week — Sometimes I would nap in the airport while waiting for a connecting flight — awaking, I would at first, not be sure just what country I was in. Of course the language being spoken was a good clue — but I had another clue

— look at the shoes folks were wearing.

This week, I wanted to test if we in the USA could be identified by our shoes — Just in case I napped in the Orlando airport! — So, instead of taking my camera out and looking up to focus on birds or clouds — I looked down and focused on shoes.

The next six photos were taken as we six stood talking, in the parking lot, after our Photo Club gathering last Friday.

WOW — We are all alike, because we are different — at least in our selection of shoes — Hey, go out and check shoes as you go through your day — I will do the same!

Notice the new boots  purchased for 10 days of dancing! How many points do we give this pair?  Scroll down to see more photos of a typical morning in the state of Florida retirement and a Grandma that I hope will fill your week with lots of fun.  — Well, not exactly a typical morning, but I hope you enjoy the photo tour.

Well, that is our morning tour — and it is not even 10:30 at the TSA pre check in! And a New York City adventure is underway!

In the clouds I see things — often others do not see them — but be assured those things are there – you just have to imagine they are there and then they are there — does that all make sense — See if you can imagine what I saw in these following photos. (I did a little cropping, trimming, and enhancing with some of them)  — just to help you begin your journey into cloud imagination studies.

 

Just after posting yesterday – before going to the wood shop to create pens/pencils – I saw a friend of mine fishing out back in my yard — Decided to take the same shot — make it morning, early afternoon, and sunset   –  but I was shooting into a VERY bright Florida sun with lots of bright glare and lens flare — so I played around with photoshop — I like both – each for different reason  — Do you? Oh, the fisherman friend calls me “Warden”  — Do you know why?

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2. Grandma is always an artist, a student and a teacher. She has a painting selected by the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge to hang in their gallery to celebrate the 50th Anniversary  of the Refuge. We went to the opening and to the lecture series presented. Here is a short photo tour:

And so much more — Fifty or so pictures – too much to show — but you got the idea of our Refuge visit.

This morning I stepped outside just to see the world awaken. I looked up and saw a rainbow — not a rain drop was in the air — just a few clouds — What was happening was, the sun raising in the east stuck the clouds in the west and there it was – ………

a rainbow.  WOW!  Art in nature!

Out on my bike I saw another object of art.  The wind blew over the tree — The soil was moist and the roots were strong — and years later this is what the tree looked like. — WOW an art object in nature.

Somehow this made me wondered how many hours do we spend creating design art to promote a product or  to “enhance nature”

For each piece of art,  a human creatively thought, made a  made a sketch, gathered material, created an object, stood back and re-studied, ask friends what they thought, re-designed — Lot of hours.

Since I spent an hour on my bike thinking about art this morning, I bet I will notice it a lot more next time I go out and about.

So, hey Kids – give it a try, take an hour to be obsessed with the design of something from time to time, maybe front doors, or hood ornaments, or tee shirts, or holiday decorations, anything — then see if you notice more the next time you go out and about.  OK, you have my suggestion for the day.

Here are a few photos of “art” from my bike trip this morning:

I took almost 40 photos this morning — think about the effort it took to create each design and what the creator went through to build that which I saw. Hope they each had as much fun creating as I did looking!