Beyond Day Six

2008-07-13T17:49:00.005-05:00

Ten Cents Per Week
I made 10 cents per week per customer delivering daily newspapers for the Kokomo Tribune. The customers paid 40 cents per week for newspapers Monday through Friday and I could keep a dime plus any tips. I was glad to have this work for newspaper routes were hard to get because kids held on to these jobs and they often got passed down to younger siblings. And you had to be at least 11 years old to work for the newspaper. My dad had somehow got acquainted with a man named Glen who was the circulation manager for the newspaper and dad must have put the word in for me because in 1960 when I was 12 years old I got a route which included my home address. It was basically two streets and had, I think, 60 customers, which meant I could make $6 per week. Every afternoon after school I would pick up my bundle of newspapers that had been dropped off on a street corner about a block from my house. I would take them to the front porch of my house and roll them into tubes and wrap a rubber band around them and stuff them into a canvas bag furnished by the newspaper. Two things that stick in my mind were how black my hands would get from handling the freshly inked newspapers and the smell of the rubber bands. Initially, I would fold the newspapers into squares, but it seems like the preferred method became the rolled version with the rubber bands. I would buy a big white box of green rubber bands from the newspaper. I hooked the strap of the bag around each handlebar grip of my bike and the bag would rest on the front fender. Some days it was tricky balancing the weight of the newspapers and the bike and me. I remember the sense of pride I had as I rode down the street with "The Kokomo Tribune" emblazoned on the front of the bag. I felt like I was doing something important in delivering the news.

Every Saturday morning I would take what I had collected from my customers down to the newspaper office to pay for the newspapers. I remember passing the Colonial Bakery with the aroma of baking bread. There were several buildings grouped together near the center of town that I knew well and visited often. The Kokomo Tribune was just north of the Carnegie Library where I would spend hours in during the summer and voraciously read books during the summer reading program. Just south of the Library was the YMCA where I learned to swim (although it was little more than floating and kicking at the time) when I was eight years old. And south down Union Street from the "Y" was the Victory Cycle Shop. So after I paid my bill at the Tribune I would often drop in Victory Cycle because the store was a hobby extravaganza. It was a bicycle shop that carried more than bikes for large wooden airplanes hung from the ceiling and there were shelves along the wall that were filled with plastic model kits and paint and glue, so it smelled of rubber tires and balsa wood.

I had bought my first model car in 1959 at the drug store across the street from Columbia Grade School where I attended fourth through sixth grade. It was a 1959 Ford convertible. But the greatest variety and the newest kits were at the Victory Cycle Shop. I suspect that the newspaper boys were the shop’s best customers. We had just paid our bill at the Tribune up the street and we had money in our pockets. If it wasn’t the lure of the newest model car or plane, it was replacement parts for our bikes that took part of the week’s profits. I remember the man that ran the store as being especially patient with us kids as we pondered what model car we were going to purchase.

I didn’t spend all that I made because I saved $1.00 per week or more at the savings and loan. I think it was through the encouragement of the newspaper that I had a savings account. The newspaper may have taken it out automatically as part of my bill but it was kept at the nearby savings and loan. I guess it was the beginning of a college fund or something else important. I know it had grown to over $400 when my family was having difficulties and I "loaned" it to my father with his promise of paying me back. He didn’t. It would have taken a long time and much effort to save $400.

That first Christmas, I had money of my own to buy gifts for my family. I bought a bottle of perfume for mom, a play rifle for my brother (I recall it was a replica of the Rifleman with the circle shaped cocking lever. "The Rifleman" was a popular TV Western at the time). I admit I don’t remember the specific gifts for my sister and dad, but I know I bought something for everyone because I was so proud I had money to purchase Christmas gifts.

I hated collecting money each week however. People weren’t home and I would have to come back or they would say they didn’t owe me for the week. I had a book with a page for each customer that had perforated receipt tabs for each week. When they paid me forty cents I would tear out the tab in exchange. Some folks got so far behind that I would simply tear out the tab rather than deal with the fact that they owed me as much as $2.00 Occasionally folks were convinced that they owed more than I would ask for and the considerate ones would pay what they owed. Once in a while I had customers who would protest that they didn’t owe me for previous weeks. I learned that some people would cheat a kid out of 40 cents. Fortunately there were very few. I think it interesting that so few people colored my perception when I doubt that I had trouble with most people. Some of my customers were fun though. I recall a delightful couple who loved to joke with me. The fellow taught me how to bend a nail around my finger and wrap it with gauze so that my finger looked like I had a nail piercing through my bandaged finger. A great April Fools joke!

The newspaper encouraged the carriers to get new customers. Two spring campaigns I got enough new customers that I could take a trip on a charter bus to the Indianapolis 500 Time Trials. I was there at the 2 ½ mile oval "brickyard" when one driver was the first to make it around the track in one minute flat which was the average speed of 150 miles per hour, a record at the time. Another time I got enough points to get an Xacto hobby knife kit with three knives in an hinged wooden box, which I have to this day. I cut my finger many times with those razor sharp blades. Another time I received a packet from the newspaper which included a wallet, tie clasp, cufflinks, mechanical pencil, ball point pen and letter opener with an image of a newspaper carrier on them. I still have the tie clasp and the letter opener.

Part of my money went for Boy Scout equipment because at the time I belonged to Boy Scout Troop 61. Our scoutmaster was George Lee, a local architect. But it was "Mr. Lee" until you earned your tenderfoot badge and then you had his permission to call him "George". Just a block east of the Tribune was a store that sold Boy Scout uniforms and equipment. Included among my purchases that I remember were a pocket knife, salt/pepper shaker, flashlight, canteen, backpack, and neckerchief slides to be carved from balsa wood.

After about a year I got a larger route of more than 100 customers. There was a produce store halfway around the loop where I would buy chunk chocolate. The chunks, as big as my palm, were wrapped in cellophane and piled in a small barrel. They probably had a million calories in them, but I rode my bike so much that there was little danger of gaining weight. It was on this route that I got so very cold one winter night that I was unable to finish my delivery. The road was covered with ice and I slipped trying to get traction on the brick road and fell frequently on my bike. The newspapers would scatter each time and I would have to pick them up and put them back in the bag. I remember that my toes and fingers were numb when I finally got home. I don’t recall ever being as cold again as that night. Some customers called the newspaper office wondering where their papers were. I delivered them the next day however. But it was still cold!
I only recall getting bit by a dog once in the three years that I carried newspapers. It was a German Shepherd that only barked once and then he bit me on the calf as I tried to ride past him. After that I carried rocks in the canvas bag in addition to newspapers.

But of course, what really slowed me down on my daily delivery trip were the girls who lived in the neighborhood and who needed the benefit of my adolescent flirting. What an adventure for ten cents!

Saved the best for last!

2008-03-24T21:29:00.002-05:00

This morning we headed south to check out Ahihi Preserve. Denise kept encouraging us to find this spot for my snorkeling adventure (more about that later) and yesterday, our neighbor, Don, encouraged us to check out the massive lava flow down the same road. First we explored several tide pools just before entering the reserve. I have always wanted to see a tide pool. The ones we found were full of sea urchins and brightly colored fish, sea cucumbers and I even spotted an eel which really surprised me. There were lots of crabs and snails and beautiful living coral formations. WOW!

Then we headed on down to the preserve which turned out to be in easy walking distance from the tide pools. With admonitions of the beach naturalist in my ears about staying 15 to 20 feet away from the reef, I was overwhelmed to realize the cove was all reef and the only way to get in and out of it was ON THE REEF. The fish were everywhere - big fish, not the little ones in the tide pools. We don't have fish like this in Illinois. The biggest adventure turned out to be getting out of the water since I was poorly equipped and a wave caught me and tossed me against some coral. I have three or four minor cuts but I would do it again.

The lava flow further down the road was immense and unearthly. You can look up on to the slope of Haleakala and see how the lava flowed down the side into the sea. I think that the last eruption of Haleakala was in the late 1700's.

We stopped at Big Beach and I think it is the most beautiful beach I have ever seen in my life with sand as soft and fine as sugar. It is a rich tan color with water the color of turquoise and Molokini lying off shore as an accent shape in the water. It looked just like you think a beach in paradise should look. Incredible.

One would think that this would be enough, but with our time here drawing to a close, we only have food on hand in the condo for one more meal at "Hartleroad's Hide-Away" so we walked down to the Kihei Cafe for their Cheeseburger special. It certainly was - special that is. This is the same place that we bought home made sticky buns topped with Macadamia nuts for breakfast earlier in the week. Oh, My!

I want to also include a word about Easter worship yesterday with the Ala Lani United Methodists. The church actually houses three congregations: English speaking, Korean, and Tongan. They all met together yesterday and the Tongan choir, which filled the front quarter of the church, sang the traditional "Hallelujah Chorus" in Tongan, by memory and without accompaniment. The entire service was very moving but this choir filled the sanctuary with their voices.

It is time to begin thinking about getting packed up to come home. See you all soon. Oh, would someone please turn the temp up in Illinois? We are used to around 80 with a light breeze everyday.

Finally, thank you so much, Steve and Denise. Your island home has been a wonderful gift to us. Your Hawaii friends and neighbors have been wonderful to us as well. And thanks to Mom for encouraging us to come over here and enjoy it.

Steve's Sidewalk

2008-03-23T01:55:00.002-05:00

There is a new gallery up on John's site tonight called "Steve's Sidewalk". Steve has talked about going for walks along the sidewalk for a long time and when we first arrived here we thought he was nuts. First we walked toward Kihei city center and that was just little shops and a park and, well, town. So then we walked the other way and it was condos and little shops and kept getting further away from the ocean. What was Steve thinking ? Surely anyone would prefer walking along the beautiful beaches.

Then we drove down to Ulua Beach and, low and behold, there was this wide sidewalk that ran between all of the resort hotels and the beaches. It is beautifully landscaped with flowers and trees and it looks out over the shore all along the way. Tonight we walked south along it and John took snapshots of things we saw. We did this especially for Mom so she could see all of the beautiful flowers. Enjoy!

Haleakala

2008-03-21T19:44:00.002-05:00

After waiting for two weeks to head up to the "crater" on Haleakala, we decided to follow Bob's and Gloria's advice and trust that you drove through the clouds out into the bright sunshine above them. So yesterday after some swimming and sunning at the pool we headed out and up. As predicted, the temperature dropped from 80 degrees at Shores of Maui to 54 degrees at the rim of the valley-crater. We drove through dense fog on the way up the mountain and kept promising ourselves that if it didn't improve in a little bit we would turn around. It did improve and although we didn't see the whole crater by any stretch of the imagination, what we saw was amazing. And as with the Road to Hana - the trip was part of the fun.

On the way back home we stopped and bought a Protea bouquet which I hope to take back to Illinois with us on Tuesday. We saw Protea growing on the mountain side along with a field of Lavender and the most gorgeous trees and vines. We also saw lots of Silversword growing up on top and John got one cooperative chukar to pose in front of a Silversword for a portrait. unfortunately we didn't see any Nene which is too bad because John and I are both big fans of geese.

The moon was full this week and John has been up early two mornings trying to capture the moon as it sets over the ocean to the west. This is not as easy as it might sound since there is such a huge light difference between the moon and the night sky and ocean.

I went snorkeling again this morning for a little while and was brave enough to go out further. Have loved seeing all of the brilliant colored fishes but do not have anything exotic to report. I did see a turtle the other night while John was shooting a sunset photo and I was standing on the beach. I kept seeing this head pop up out of the surf, fairly close to shore. At first I thought it must just be a piece of drift wood or something being tossed around in the surf and then it popped up, looked around, and disappeared when the sea was calm.

I'm not sure which day it was that we went to see the Iao Needle, maybe on Wednesday. The gorges of Hawaii are incredibly beautiful with deeply carved water channels cutting through the cliffs. We could clearly see water channels for waterfalls up on the mountains, but again, no water.

On the way up to the needle we stopped at this little county park next to the nature center. I believe it is called the Maui Heritage Park. There are several distinct areas dedicated to all of the different groups that settled in Hawaii - Polynesians, Japanese, Chinese, Koreans, Portuguese, and New England missionaries and traders. Each group is represented by a small building and garden that represents their cultural contributions. There were several banyan trees, formal Japanese gardens and water features, and the ubiquitous rooster, although this one wasn't wild. Someone had tied him by the leg to keep him near the Portuguese exhibit.

On the way back from the Needle (by the way, we really liked the Iao Needle but the sky was very overcast so there aren't any great images of it) we stopped at the Bailey Museum which was something that I really wanted to do. This is the only remaining building of a girls' boarding school founded by missionaries. It was filled with artifacts of Hawaii previous to contact with the outside world and with the artifacts of the mission years. Here the woman running the gift shop gave me a Plumeria flower to pin in my hair - she gave me the hairpin, too - and the young woman who staffed the ticket table advised me how a married woman should wear it.

Maui Sunsets

2008-03-18T17:45:00.003-05:00

Every evening around 5:30 PM we head for the ocean front to catch the sunset. John sets up his camera equipment on a promising site and I check out the tide pools and look for coral fragments. We have had cloudless sunsets and seen the green flash that sometimes occurs as the sun dips below the horizon and we have had cloud draped sunsets that are pretty dark and quick. And then we have had some glorious, glorious sunsets with cloud masses over the west end of the island turning pink and orange.

John has posted a handful of sunset images. Ask if you want to see the other 500 or so.

One guest in a condominium down the way has taken on the duty of blowing a conch shell each night as the sun dips below the horizon. I don't know if this has any real significance in the Hawaiian culture or if it is just some kid with a conch shell. Anyway, it makes us smile. We are having a wonderful time.

Snorkeling, who?

2008-03-17T22:14:00.003-05:00

This morning John and I hit the beach at Ulua Beach Park equipped with our newly purchased masks and snorkels. I gotta tell you that I was more than a little apprehensive but I had practiced with the snorkel tube and mask in the pool yesterday and had done all right. I no more than stuck my face in the water when I spotted a school of yellow and black soldier fish. I was still standing up and hadn't even started to float out over the coral formation yet.

Well, since this was my first time to view a reef, I saw lots of things although some of the more experienced snorkelers said it wasn't a great day for sightings. We weren't at it long because it was COLD in the water but we intend to go back lots more. We took a long walk on the beach sidewalk to warm up after our adventure.

Yesterday we attended church at the Ala Lani (Path to Heaven) United Methodist Church in Kahului. All visitors were given a ribbon lei that was woven like a friendship bracelet from two different colors of ribbon. It was a moderately sized congregation that has English, Korean, and Tonga language services. The pastor had a great sermon and we enjoyed the whole experience.

On Saturday we drove to Lahaina for the morning. The whole town is a national historic landmark which is pretty cool. It is also a cruise ship port so there were lots of high end jewelry stores and art galleries. The art was really breath taking. We walked into one photo studio and the very first image we saw was a mill in the Smoky Mountains that we have visited several times. That was kind of funny.

We have also made a stop at Maui Giclee which is an art printing firm here on the island. They had an exhibit of local artists whose work they print, both photos and paintings. That was great fun, too. Throw in some shopping (who knew that I needed a sarong?), watching the whales off of the lanai and catching "I Robot" on TV and you know what we have been up to.

Resting in Paradise

2008-03-14T15:55:00.003-05:00

Having had two previous days of sight-seeing and sun we thought it might be prudent today to enjoy some time sitting on the lanai enjoing the view and the cool breeze.

We drove to Hana on Wednesday and it was spectacular. Unfortunately, there hasn't been much rain lately so the streams and pools were very meager. Some places there was no water at all but you could tell that at times it is breath taking with well over 50 stream crossings as the road hugs the cliffs and switches back and forth to get up into the back country.

What really blew us away was the coastline and the surf on the windward side of the island. The waves were crashing against the shore at Ho'okipa Beach and they looked to me like they were mountains. We were assured later by someone who should know that the surf can be two or three times greater than it was that day.

We visited Kahanu Garden, one of the gardens of the National Tropical Botanical Garden. It is located on a cliff overlooking the sea just outside of Hana. The young man who took our ticket money and shared fresh, fire-roasted breadfruit with us turned out to be the director of the garden. There are three main features of the garden: an area in which all of the plants brought in the canoes of the original Polynesian settlers are planted, an ancient stone temple built in 1200 BC called Pi'ilanihale, and an incredible shoreline that can be viewed from the lanai of an old fishing shack built back in the 40's. We had such a great time there that we stayed an hour past closing. The director came looking for us but never once hurried us and suggested that it was time to close. He just sat on the lanai with us and visited about this wonderful spot.

On Thursday we began by taking a long beach walk at Wailea. (I put these names in for Steve and Denise. For everyone else, we drove a couple of miles south of where we are staying.) There were naturalists on the beach providing info to people about snorkeling. They assured me that with a swimming noodle and a mask, snorkle tube and fins I, too, could enjoy snorkeling the coral reef just off the beach. We plan to rent some equipment for next week, spend a couple of days learning to use it in the pool here and then heading out to the beach with it.

We went to Buzz's Wharf restaurant for seafood late lunch and then toured the Maui Ocean Center. The Ocean Center was quite well done and we had a great time learning about what we might see at the reef - if we are lucky.

We have had some trouble wrapping our minds around the fact that the stock market closes at around 10:00 AM here in the islands. But I was delighted to discover that the Daily Show comes on at 8:00 PM here. I can watch it and be in bed by 9:00. Whoo-hoo!

Aloha!

Tuesday Afternoon

2008-03-11T20:10:00.003-05:00

This must be paradise. Everyday dawns with bright skies and a cool breeze off of the water. We are told that there isn't much wind right now and that until the trade winds begin to blow, there will be some clouds and haze. Therefore we are waiting to go to Hana and to the volcano. (I am still having trouble writing Hawaiian place names.)

As you can see from the pictures that John has posted on his website, we enjoyed our whale watch tour very much. We saw more whales than you could count. Mothers and babies and escorts - the naturalist explained to the children on board that baby whales don't really have Daddies, the Mom's just have boyfriends. Sad to say, the kids probably understood just what she meant. And let me tell you, these whales are HUGE! One surfaced very close to the boat giving us a great view of the big thing. You can hear the noise of their breathing when they come to the surface to exhale. As all good whaling tours do, our crew lowered a microphone into the water so that we could hear them sing. We couldn't see a whale anywhere but there was constant whale song. We were told that it was probably from four different whales. One of the other passengers was a scuba diver and he reported that he had heard them when he was diving.

We walked south on the beach today and enjoyed going from one beach to another. There are long stretches of sandy beach interupted by volcanic rock formations. There are paths that you can take across the rocks to get to the next beach. The waves are quite large today and there are a lot of surfers across the street at Cove Park.
Just another day in paradise.

Judy Shares Maui Moments Sunday, March 9

2008-03-09T19:41:00.005-05:00

Saturday was an amazing day. We were up early - still on Illinois time and crept around hoping not to disturb downstairs neighbors at the condo. We had arrived too late to see "the view" from the lanai or porch so I was very surprised to realize that you look out southwest to another island, Kahoolawe. We were also surprised to see several 40 ton whales swimming around all morning between us and the horizon. One really energetic guy way out at the horizon breached several times, leaping straight up out of the water.

John had read in a tourism calendar that a Hawaiian United Church of Christ was holding a Lu'au to culminate it's 175th anniversary so we decided to take that in. Turns out that the Lu'au is an annual event and EVERYBODY goes. We had a great, great time. After lunch (kulua pig smoked in a earth covered pit - tastes like Memphis pulled pork-, macaroni salad and several other more exotic dishes I can't begin to name but were all very good) we were entertained by several dance groups from a traditional hula school. When I say classes don't think children. All of the dancers except two were adults with many "aunties" involved in each class. The music was provided by a three piece group of ukele and two guitars and M.C.'d by the founder of the school who was also the lead singer.

The icing on the cake (or the poi on the pork, if you like) was that the centerpieces were given away to participants and I was given one to bring back to the condo. It is made of a huge varigated leaf that looks like a philadendron with 18' long, bright red ginger blooms and yellow hybiscus laying on top of it. Finally a bannana palm leaf forms the vase for more ginger blossoms. I have it on the table on the lanai. John posted photos of the flowers in the Maui gallery.

Today has been a slow day. Jet lag seems to have caught up with me. I can't keep track of the time. We swam in the pool and plan a walk on the beach later. We enjoyed watching more whales and seeing all of the families teaching their little kids to surf at our little park. One man was out surfing with his dog, a golden retriever, on the board!

John took an official 60th birthday picture of me in my swim suit by the pool wearing the orchid lei that Elke had arranged for us when we arrived. If you have to turn 60, then I recommend doing it in Maui.

Happy 2008

2008-01-01T20:31:00.000-06:00

A time of review and a time of looking ahead: it looks like a year of travel--Liberia in February, Maui in March, Fort Worth in April and possibly Nova Scotia in the summer.

A Poor Substitute for the Real Thing

2007-11-08T10:28:00.000-06:00

Yesterday, we made a side trip to Galtlinburg. Apparently for a lot of folks, it is the main destination for those who go to the Smokies. It mystifies me that at the edge of one of the most beautiful spots in the country is this monstrosity of touristy consumerism. I hadn't been there in about ten years and it has only gotten worse. It may be more expensive and slicker but it is just as offensive as it was ten years ago. The on-street parking is gone as now the streets are four-lane thoroughfares, although traffic moves agonizingly slow. We paid $5 to park in an off-street lot and stayed less than an hour. We had ventured to Gatlinburg to return to an outdoor gear store and visit some galleries. But I was disappointed in the photography gallery. The photos were disappointing in their quality. The mats were gorgeous, must have been computer designed and cut. But too many of the photos could have been composed differently and printed better. It is possible that the original exposures were deficient but in these days of digital enhancement there are many adjustments that can be made to less than perfect exposures. No, it was disappointing prints. It took me a little while to gather my thoughts about the experience. I have been to several photographers' galleries, notably Tom Mangelson and others. To visit their galleries is a mystical, spiritual, renewing experience. Each photo is carefully exhibited and well-lit like a museum. Just to stroll through the gallery is a joy. I would never be bored revisiting either of their galleries. But the Gatlinburg gallery was overwhelming with hundreds of images, as if one could make up for the lack of quality with a quantity of work. I found it boring, stifling, and enbarassing for those photographers who insist on quality in the presentation of their work. The other thing was that it was such an injustice to the beauty of nature that was just a few miles away.

Good Day

2007-11-06T18:42:00.000-06:00

My grandaughter is beginning to develop a vocabulary which sometimes is dependent upon one's imagination or generous interpretation. I do believe that after the fun of a Sunday outing in the park she proclaimed it to be a "Good Day!" I could say the same for this day of being in the Smokies. We are staying in Townsend which we like much better than Gatlinburg because there is not the emphasis on all the tourist gaudiness and clutter. Although development is certainly more pronounced here than it was ten years ago by the evidence of banks, gas stations, and grocery stores. But the beauty of the mountains is still obvious. The lack of rain has significantly affected the autumn color and the warmth of October has delayed its peak. We went up the road past Tremont this morning and the air is crisp and the color is deeper and the on the Parkway this evening for sunset. I have enjoyed the opportunity to take some photos and learn more about my camera. And it has been delightful to spend this day with Judy. Madeline is right, it's been a good day!

A Poem for the end of October

2007-10-31T21:07:00.000-05:00

Poem: "The Invention of Fractions" by Jessica Goodfellow, from A Pilgrim's Guide to Chaos in the Heartland. © Concrete Wolf Chapbook Series.

The Invention of Fractions
God himself made the whole numbers: everything else
is the work of man.—Leopold Kronnecker
God created the whole numbers:
the first born, the seventh seal,
Ten Commandments etched in stone,
the Twelve Tribes of Israel —
Ten we've already lost —
forty days and forty nights,
Saul's ten thousand and David's ten thousand.
'Be of one heart and one mind' —
the whole numbers, the counting numbers.
It took humankind to need less than this;
to invent fractions, percentages, decimals.
Only humankind could need the concepts
of splintering and dividing,
of things lost or broken,
of settling for the part instead of the whole.
Only humankind could find the whole numbers,
infinite as they are, to be wanting;
though given a limitless supply,
we still had no way
to measure what we keep
in our many-chambered hearts.

Taking Superior Home

2007-10-09T21:21:00.001-05:00

Judy loves the rocks on the shore of Lake Superior. She is not the only one as there are books written about the variety of rocks and where to go to find particular ones. This is Paradise Beach, about 50 miles south of the Canadian border, where an abundance of agate can be found. You probably can't tell it but it is pouring rain in this picture and in the center far right there is a young eagle feasting on a fish. Several other eagles were in the nearby trees and occasionally swooped over the tree tops. The wind was blowing strongly from the northeast and the temperature was dropping. But the rock gatherer was undeterred. She picked up enough amazing agate rocks to fill a disposable Subway salad bowl. The variety is stunning. How does such a mixture of stones find its way to this beach? From where along this enormous lake did they originate and how long has it taken to get here, driven by wind and ice and water? But it is not just this one spot where rock gatherers bend at the waist but all around the shoreline are treasures of color and shape and texture, all polished by nature. It is a rock pickers' dream.

World Communion Sunday

2007-10-07T20:39:00.000-05:00

We have retreated to Eau Claire for a few days to escape the weather and the abyssmal photo opportunities. The summer has been too dry and the autumn too quick to provide photogenic color. The wind nor the pouring rain provide any assistance in that matter. Cloudy skies are no problem as one can photograph water and detail, but that has not been the case the last few days. We have attended church in Eau Claire and one of the pastors is a good friend of my bishop. The sermon is prophetic, delivered by a pastor from South Africa which gives real meaning to the day. The communion bread is the first bread I have had in more than two weeks due to this new diet and the small cup of juice is the first fruit juice in as long a time. True soul nourishment and connection to fellow Christians when we are far from home. We are not strangers at this table.

The Winds of November Came Early

2007-10-06T20:23:00.000-05:00

Gordon Lightfoot sang about the sinking of the Edmund Fizgerald with the words of the opening verse:
"The legend lives on from the Chippewa on down
Of the big lake they called 'Gitche Gumee'
The lake, it is said, never gives up her dead
When the skies of November turn gloomy
With a load of iron ore twenty-six thousand tons more
Than the Edmund Fitzgerald weighed empty.
That good ship and crew was a bone to be chewed
When the gales of November came early."
Lat night it felt every bit of November as thunder and lightning and strong winds howled outside the motel door. We have retreated to Wisconsin.

Ya Shudda Been Here Last Week

2007-10-05T14:51:00.002-05:00

How many times have I heard this? The weather was purrrfect last week! The sunsets were spectacular last week. Conditions were so much better last week.

Duluth Dawn

2007-10-04T20:10:00.000-05:00

Judy and I left our hotel room in Superior WI in the predawn darkness to drive to Canal Park in Duluth. We had scouted out the area the afternoon before and knew exactly where to go. The sky was rosy with the promise of dawn. I set up quickly and began to try different compostions and combinations. It was a beautiful sight as the pictures can testify.

New Volunteer at the Gallery

2007-09-22T20:51:00.001-05:00

Gallery sitting this evening (doing my volunteer thing) with quite a crowd going through before the performance of Pirates of Penzance. Reminded me of Billy Hester from Savannah, GA and his story of how he and Cheri met. He told how he first saw this vivacious blonde across the room at a church meeting, and he admitted that he wanted to meet her but didn't have the courage. Weeks later as he was preparing to go to rehearsals in upper New York, the director called and asked Billy (since he had a car) if he would be willing to pick up the female lead. Billie found the address and parked the car and knocked on the door. And who should open the door---but the girl that he had seen across the church weeks before. He was speechless, but not for long for they starred in the musical, dated, and married. And now they have an amazing, art-filled, and gracious ministry at Asbury Memorial in Savannah. I told all this because of the mixture of gratification and awe I had this evening as I watched people go through the gallery and stop to admire different pieces of art work. I noticed one person who paused at my photographs. Rather humbling to have a stranger appreciate one of your photographs. It is a blessing. Wow!

River Dance, Step One

2007-09-16T09:22:00.000-05:00

Last week, Judy and I made a quick tour of the east side of the state to photograph the remaining three rivers. I suspect I will find other opportunities to photograph all ten rivers in the future during different seasons, but I completed the first step so that the web site can display banners of each of the district rivers. The challenge is to be able to drop them at a 5 to 1 ratio for the web banner. That aspect has required a change in the way I compose a photograph. As a slide photographer for many years, I was aware of the entire frame. Consequently, all of my photos filled the 24mmx36mm frame. I became conscious of elements that either needed to be included in the frame or excluded. But these web banners suggested an entirely different approach of filling the width of the frame so that it could be cropped to fit. However, I found that within the picture, there were several crop possibilities each of which could be an image with impact. Digital unleashes the imagination. There is no one right composition or one right possibility. Some of my friends would not be surprised that I end here with a wealth of possibilities. Sounds like life!

An Amazing Morning

2007-09-03T21:39:00.000-05:00

I admit that before I went to bed last night I thought about getting up early for a photo trip, but I didn't really think about it too intently and fell asleep without any substantial plans for Labor Day. But we awoke early. The house might have been too warm and we grew restless. For whatever reason, we awoke at 3:45 a.m. I wondered what time sunrise was and how far it might be to drive north and take photos of the Illinois and maybe the Spoon. You see, I have a project of getting photos of 10 rivers in Illinois for the Conference Web Site. I already have the Sangamon, Cache, Mississippi, and LaMoine. I have one as well of the Illinois at Peoria, but it was rather lackluster and could not be cropped well for a banner. So, in the dark, I pondered if this might be an opportunity to get some river pictures. So we loaded up the car and drove north in the early morning dark. While there are few cars at 4 am, it is still surprising that some folk are out on the road so early. After a Hardees stop in Havana, we crossed the bridge and drove along the western edge of the Illinois. It was surpising to see fog in the lowlands and I contemplated what a picture might look like. The sky was rather plain, no clouds, but a nice rosy color from the sun below the horizon. I took a few preliminary photos along the road of the intermittent fog, but I pushed on to the little town of Liverpool that I knew from the map sat right on the banks of the Illinois. We parked just as two fisherman came to launch their boats in the dawn mist. The sun was coming up just over the fog and turned the river golden and the fisherman started on his quest and I pushed the shutter. Actually, I took a lot of photos from that site and surely one will be appropriate for the web. I know I was glad I got out of bed.

A Quote for the Last Day of August

2007-08-31T19:27:00.000-05:00

"Any life, however long
is too short
if the mind is bereft of splendor,
the passions under worked,
the memories sparse,
and the imagination unlit by radiant musings."
Norman Cousins

On View at the Gallery!

2007-08-30T16:55:00.000-05:00

Saturday, the September-October show opens at the H. D. Smith Gallery at the Hoogland Art Center where I am a juried artist. This time I have five photographs on display including the one above. The whole process of photography takes on another dimension when one begins to make prints for display that are exhibited for public viewing. While I earned money with my photography years ago when I was a student in seminary and for a year after graduation, I was still surprised that some anonymous person paid a substantial sum for a print in the May-June show. I guess it is a measure, certainly not the only one, of one's skill as a photographer to have someone appreciate your work to such an extent that they are willing to purchase it. Not only was I surprised, but it encouraged me to be more diligent to make the art that I exhibited as high quality as I could make it. For a number of years, I have given away framed photographs as presents and I believe the recipients have appreciated the gifts. And I consider the relationship between giver and receiver enhances the value of the photograph. But to have an unknown stranger pay more than what I expected has increased my awareness of my skill. Being accepted as a juried artist into the Prairie Art Alliance which represents more than 100 truly gifted, diverse artists is wonderfully affirming. And then to sell a photo in the first show was amazing. Now I have carefully prepared five more and I admit I am pleased and proud of what they represent. Maybe they too will go home with someone who is attracted to what I saw and the way I captured that vision. Who knows? It has happened before.

Learn Something!

2007-08-28T21:15:00.000-05:00

It was just a personal send-off of encouragement that bid farewell to my children each morning as they left for school. It is pretty easy as a child to learn something new every day. It is absolutely amazing to watch how real that learning ability is with our granddaughter, Madeline. Not yet 15 months old, she is of course the brightest child in all of Tennessee. What a delight it is to witness the knowledge that grows exponentially every time we see her. It may be more stunning to learn something at an age much older than 15 months. But as someone else said, if you are not learning, you are probably dead. So here I am learning about blogging and hyperlinks and information management and tons of other stuff. It is not surprising to my children that Dad is learning something new. My son observed some years ago that Dad seems to always be picking up a new skill. What one is it this year? Well, just take a look. Ain't this a hoot!

Sunset Road 0399

2007-08-27T22:01:00.001-05:00

Sunset Road 0399
Originally uploaded by johnhrtlrd

Photographic opportunities are available when least expected. I took my camera with me to have dinner with friends and while we were dining in the restaurant, we had a rather torrential downspour. I suspected that there was a rainbow just outside the door and there was (although not a very attractive setting.) Later I drove to a highway overpass as the sun was setting to take some pictures of the retreating storm clouds and noticed how the sun reflected off the wet pavement, much as it appears on the beach. It was a fun evening.