Existing In BFE

In moving from Shawshank to Bedlam I uncovered a painting that I did some 32 years ago.  I recall doing it at work at the Mary Davis Home on 3rd shift when the kids were asleep and the only things to do were to get the occasional bathroom call and the laundry.  We'd make periodic checks on the dorms to make sure all was well and then just work to stay awake.  We experimented with several schedules back in those days and one of them was a 7-3 (AM) for 4 days, then 3-11 (PM) and then up to 11-7 (PM).  This schedule didn't last long and was quickly abandoned.  When this painting was done we all did 3rd shift work once in a while to help out when people went on vacation or were sick.  Mr. Sutor has a better memory than I so perhaps he knows one of the schedules we had in 1982.    I was pretty much self-taught and the first few paintings were pretty rough.  This one, of our dog, Magic, was something I remember thinking came out OK.  Good enough to give to Marj for Christmas.

Another absolutely, positively comment-less post. Well, almost comment-less. Just pictures of various things around Mercer County on Day 2. Coming back to Aledo from Keithsburg after some night shots.  Haven't seen blacker skies in forever.    That fishing line is tangled from the above wire.  I suppose that will remain there for a while.   It isn't often you see stately lions outside a modest Midwest home near New Boston.  There were these guys on either side, and more over by a lilac bush to the side. So, is it artistry or laziness to post pics without much comment?  I don't know and I'm on vacation so I don't want to think.

This series of pictures are more bust than boon.  I only had my iPhone and we all know it either does really well, or really poor.  These are closer to poor.  I tagged along with the Wombie, aka Aquaman, to do his water check in Joy and Seaton and spotted these guys along the way at various junctures during my stay above the north 30th parallel, otherwise known as Northlandia. You would think that I, after preaching to all you, would take my camera on these trips.  The picture taking opportunities are omnipresent and here I am with an undersized, ill-focused Apple camera.  Disgraceful.  I have learned my lesson.  I swear.  Of course,  readers in Northlandia are always aware of these guys and probably uber-vigilent when driving, but I never tire of seeing their graceful ballet when their curiosities are sated and then scamper away.  It's a Northlandia thing.  You won't find them on Tybee Island or in the mega-burbs of the Dark C

1 .  The Japanese beetle is a scourge of the linden tree.  I'm not sure I have ever seen one of these beetles, but a quick trip to Wikipedia identified this as one: They feed on about 200 varieties of vegetation and trees including the birch, maple and linden trees.   My friend Pat has a couple lindens in her back yard and showed me a couple of leaves they had eaten.  I was intrigued by the dainty way they eat.  They look to be sloppy eaters, leaving some on the veins, but it does have a certain lacy quality to it. 2.  During one of my work trips to Henderson to work on the house, buddy Tim was working on some railing and rigged up this fulcrum.  Duct tape and a little engineering know-how can work miracles.      3.  Hmmmm.  At the Knoxville McDonald's, perhaps the less said the better on this one.  Let's just say there are at least two definitions of tea bag.  I hope there is a third otherwise this guy is skirtin

At some point whilst standing at the Seaton ball diamond serial photographing a small slice of sky hoping for a meteor I got the idea that catching one of the Mississippi workhorses at night might be fun. So, after awhile I loaded up the truck and took the 7 mile drive to Keithsburg and didn't have long to wait for a barge heading south.     These series of pictures document the slow churning of these barge-laden towboats along the river.  At night they depend on their lights to help their navigation and watching them swivel from bank to bank is awfully good sightseeing.  Add a camera and it becomes almost artful.                    Notice the small tow behind the front barge.  This would be the Bruce T., based out of Keithsburg and in the employ of the elevator.  It was bringing an empty barge, docked upriver,  into port, as you will see.                     And while it seems to take forever for a barge to arrive,

The following pics were taken on my travels in the summer of 2004. It was a heady summer off since school days after being nudged out the door at the Mary Davis Home for early retirement.  Naïve fearlessness would be the most apt phrase regarding my 7000 mile summer journeys.   I wrote at the time that my bike took better care of me than I did of her.  Barely checking important factors, and assuming that it would run forever, the don't-fix-what's-not-broken theory of motorcycle maintenance,  the old Kawi did a superb job of navigating the heat, mountains and height of the West.      These pictures are of South Dakota and the last ones are from Wounded Knee, just south of Rapid City.       My lasting regret of these trips was a lack of pictures, and I sometimes passed up things in order to conserve fuel.  I had not yet slipped into full photo-houndness mode and sadly neglected the opportunity to travel and snap pictures with a passion that one should

Bedlam is a lot closer to St. Petersburg-Clearwater airport so the usual early morning rush to the airport was missing this time.  In a first I walked in and saw an empty Allegiant ticket counter and not believing it could possibly be so lacking of people I asked where the ticket area for Peoria was.  The guy said right here, and in 45 seconds I had my boarding pass.  Wouldn't you know it, the security screening area was empty as well.  I wasn't unduly early as other flyers (or is it fliers?) had already gone through, it was just one of those crazy times when I was the only one around.  Won't happen again EVER!  But it was sure nice.         One of the pilots said there was a squall around Tallahassee but otherwise clear skies all the way up to Northlandia.  Sure enough, it wasn't too long after takeoff that the blue skies gave way to these clouds.  In seconds, they were gone and sunshine led the way.     While sitting in the best porch in