One afternoon, I was watching as the lineman opened the side of a ground level transformer cabinet (the electric was all underground.) I watched as he put on his gloves, grounded himself, and reached in to attach the power cables to a live feed. I stood there and realized that a part of his job was being a glove's thickness from high voltage and certain death.
The lineman made more money than I did, and he earned every penny of it, doing a job that most of us either couldn't do or wouldn't do.
"Holding every rule as breakable is a healthy way to live as an artist. It loosens constraints that promote a predictable sameness in our working methods."
What made me think this week? On Monday as I was headed to the gym, I passed a neighbor that I hadn't seen since BC (before COVID). We used to commute to the city at the same time, and we would talk on the shuttle bus to the subway station. One afternoon coming home, she was sitting a couple of rows ahead of me on the train, and seemed to be struggling, at the Pentagon Metro station she got off the train, stood on the platform and started shouting, "Go Away! Leave me Alone! You are not welcome in my head!" A couple of days later we were on the shuttle together and I asked how she was doing and she said, "about the other day, I had been feeling well and went off my meds for a few days, sorry about that, I need to be better about taking my meds." Monday morning, she appeared to be off her meds again. A part of the human condition, a part of her life. I hope she is feeling better by the time this posts.
My father died 8 years ago today, in Titusville Florida. When I was in High School my parents rented a condo in Titusville a couple of winters, then bought a house. They retired six years after they bought the house and moved to Florida. I lived there for a couple of years after high school, then moved to Orlando.
Titusville is across the Indian River, a wide intercoastal waterway, from the barrier islands that the Kennedy Space Center is on. The city had experienced booming growth with the space program, and total bust when the Apollo program ended, NASA ended the employment of 10,000 people one Friday afternoon. The city leaders, where wary of any growth of development for decades after that fateful Friday.
After I moved to DC, I would drive down at holiday time, and fly down at least one other time each year. The year my parents died, I flew down 11 times in 10 months. (My parents died five-months apart, at home, with incredible care by my dear sister and Hospice.)
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| I was thrilled when we started spending winters in Titusville, there were two shopping malls between home and school. Miracle City Mall had two major anchor stores and probably 40 shops in-between. I stopped almost every afternoon to walk through the mall and visit my friends in the camera and coin stores. Sadly, as this photo shows, it was demolished a few years ago. |
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| Yup, the bolts were added to help hold the bridge together. |
I have finished presenting what I swear is the last national webinar. I really need to learn to say no to those. I finished a complete outline for a little workshop I am going to do, on publishing photo books for the local arts group. I need to take my laptop over to the community center and make sure the WiFi works well enough to do a live demo.
There are a couple of Arts things happening this week, that will give me quality time with fun and creative people.
I glimpse the news, most of it being nasty politics. Politics as usual. I really don't need to see the Epstein files to know about his character, his own words, "just grab them by the _ussy!" told me all I need to know. The voters knew this when they elected him. And even if there is proof in the files, that he committed a crime, he would still serve out the end of his term. It won't change a thing. We already know what kind of a human being he is, I don't need more evidence.
There is actually very little meaningful news, in the news. Most of it is a constant stream of noise and distraction.
There has been a huge hue and cry over the cut in Federal Funding for PBS (public television) and NPR (public radio.) A little research shows that the cuts over all are about 15% of the budgets. For some local stations, the impact is greater, up to 40%, for most it is a painful but survivable cut. Many stations have experienced an increase in donations that will more than replace the cuts. And it frees them from any limitations or concerns about insulting a funder. If HWSNBN though they were nasty before, now they can say what they really think. Bad news sells, good news snoozes.
All in all, I am holding it all together. Doing well. Making plans for the future. Ticking daily items off the list. Acknowledging the noise, for just what it is. Looking forward to Toronto in a couple of weeks.
2: What blog made you think this week?
3: What have you read this week?
4: What was the best thing you have eaten this week?
5: What was most relaxing for you this week?
My Answers:
1: What blog made you laugh this week? Oddball Observations, and She who Seeks
2: What blog made you think this week? Angus at Bob and Sophie.
3: What have you read this week? License to Travel, the history of the passport.
4: What was the best thing you have eaten this week? Tuna steaks and veggies.
5: What was most relaxing for you this week? The pool.
Please share your answers in the comments.
Most of my contact with New Jersey has been passing through on trains, to and from New York, or Connecticut, or Massachusetts. The image above was taken while passing through a Newark, a train station trapped in time, other than the electronic signage, unchanged, parts of maybe even uncleaned since World War II.
It is a state I should give more attention to. It is in the heart of the northeastern United States. The major population centers are bedroom communities for New York City and Philadelphia. The state also has vast agricultural zones, and a famed Atlantic beachfront.
The winters are cold, and the statewide politics lean conservative, despite being sandwiched between NYC and Philly.
My first visit to France as in January 1991. A few days in Paris. I have one vivid memory from that trip. Being turned away at the sidewalk in front of Maxim's based on what I was wearing. It was winter, I was wearing jeans, hiking boots, a wool sweater and a leather jacket, the doorman literally stuffed me back in the taxi. Their loss, we went around the corner, up a narrow street and had an incredible lunch in a tiny restaurant.
A few years later we had Christmas dinner on the Eiffel Tower. We didn't reservations and I out pouted the Maitre D. He didn't say no, and I just stood there until one of the servers said, "this way."
My Sweet Bear and I spent a week in a Gite in Normandy. We went to see the Abbey de Hambye, the ruins of an abbey nearby. We had parked just around the corner from a restaurant, and it was lunch time when we were ready to leave, so we thought, why not give it a try. Oh my were we in for a treat at Auberge de l'Abbaye. The food and service were pure artistry, someplace I have photos of the food, I don't often take photos of what we are served, this was really special. When you get a chance, go there, it is worth the effort.
To really understand French food culture get off of the beaten path. Nearly every village has a small local restaurant. Go with the Plat de Jour, the daily special. This is what the chef or cook, selected as fresh, seasonal, and most likely local. It is the best food, and often the best value. I did a solo trip to Normandy, one lunch I stopped in a small town, there were several trucks from EDF, the electric company parked out front. Always a good idea to try where the locals flock to. I was a little unsure, my French is very basic, and this was very rural. I was made welcome, ordered the special of the day, and it was so wonderful. The pear tart at the end was heavenly.
On another trip we were driving along the coast on our way to St Malo and stopped in a small village, along the coast with vast shellfish beds along the harbour. Order the seafood tower, at least once in your life, I'd like to do that again.
A couple of times in France we have rented Gites, these are country vacation rentals, most of them are on farms. One was a converted barn, the second one was an apartment in a massive stone farmhouse. Gites have a kitchen, and that made it possible to shop local and cook.
I could go on and on about food in France, but I would sooner go back.
Travel and seeing places around parts of the world, creates a connection, a familiarity when I see, hear, or read about those places. It adds a depth of understanding, a curiosity, often, but not always, a yearning to return. Travel broadens horizons, helps us to better understand different places and people. It brings me a connection to the world that I wouldn't have if I hadn't been there, seen that, done that.
There are thousands of excuses not to travel. Ignore them and go. Even if it is to a place that leaves you saying say, "never again" you will have a connection and understanding of that place and the people who live there that you can't have any other way.
I am planning next springs Grand Adventure, a trip that will take us places we have not been. I was talking with one of the summer lifeguards last Friday. He commented about "where he is from" and I asked where he is from. Slovakia - and he showed me photos of the alpine mountain lakes in his corner of the country. Hmm? Pretty place.
Who did I reach out to this week? One of my former colleagues, she is doing okay, everything considered. My successor to wish her a happy birthday.
Who have a talked with this week? The water aerobics gang, Ana and Susan, it has been a quiet week.
What have I been watching? The Tour de France, it will finish in Paris next weekend, about 2,200 miles of riding over 21 days. YouTube, I am always amazed by the talented content producers.
What have I been up to in the kitchen? Roast Pork Tenderloin, Swiss Steak - that yields a wonderful tomato sauce, meatballs, focaccia topped with goat cheese, onions and mushrooms - that was wonderful but not well received. Dill pickles.
What have I been reading? I finished IMAGINE by Jonah Lehrer a very good book on the science of creativity, and have started into a book on creative aging.
What do I need more of? Laughter.
Why am I stressing? The VW is due for a visit to the repair shop, I hate car repairs.
What made me smirk this week? Apparently a CEO took his HR director, not his wife, to a concert and ended up being shown on the jumbotron. Don't do anything in pubic, that you feel the need to hide from the cameras.
The Cruise Line provided a shuttle bus into town, sadly it dropped us in the middle of a modern shopping center. I was surprised at people who were excited about going shopping. We wandered around, stopped in a pharmacy for a couple of things, and Sweet Bear took the bus back to the ship. I walked back to the ship. It was 2-3 miles along the harbour. The walk allowed me to see Southampton. To take photos of places that have been there for hundreds of years, things my great-grandparents and my grandmother may have seen on their way to the ships.
Emptying your mind, think about nothing, is difficult or impossible for most of us, but we can focus what we are thinking about. Think about things that went well, that you did well, things that bring pleasure, that bring you happiness. Fall asleep thinking about things that bring joy to your life, the things you are grateful for.
I smear paint on canvas, you can call it painting if you want, for the most part I call it playing. There is a saying that we don't stop playing because we have grown old, we have grown old because we stopped playing. Feed your creative outlet, play with the paint, or pencils, or cameras, or words. Escape into playing.
I play in the kitchen. I have spent my adult life reading about cooking, technique, ingredients, the alchemy of saucing. And I play. I am often surprised at what inspires me in the kitchen. A particular ingredient, a meal out, something I have read, something I have seen. Recipes are guides, not blueprints or chemistry formulas. Julia Child emphasized one correct way to do things, very much a French approach. Martha Stewart emphasized the best ingredients. Glen of Glen and Friends, encourages good ingredients, solid technique, and breaking the rules. His style is very much playing in the kitchen. I like it. I work clean, something I learned from watching and reading, and the kitchen is a playground not a workspace.
From a technical standpoint the canvass above is flawed, the focal point, the horizon is centered, it should be above or below the center. I was playing when I made this, and the golden sun is at the center of that play. Time for me to go float in the pool.
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| A hen do, in the train station in Glasgow, Scotland |
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| A Supermarket in Grindavik. |
Our second trip to Iceland we stayed in Reykjavik, and rented a car for about half of the time we were there. At a small restaurant across from the hotel, lamb tenderloin was on the menu. I had never heard of this cut. I regularly cook pork tenderloin, once a year or so I buy a whole beef tenderloin. It is one of the most flavorful and tender cuts. Lamb tenderloins are tiny, less than an inch around, about 8 or 9 inches long, and are wonderful. The Wegmans Supermarket near where we live carries this cut. Icelandic lamb is much milder than American lamb because the animals are butchered at a much younger age.
Iceland also makes great local beer. The country has tried prohibition, unsuccessfully. Craft distilling is flourishing, with gin, vodka, and single malt whisky being made. The grain is mostly imported, so none of this will be cheap.
Iceland has a very active fishery, Icelandic fish soup is hearty and warming and a must try when you visit.
I was pleased to learn that most of the soft vegetables, tomatoes, cucumbers, and lettuce consumed in Iceland are grown there. Sitting on top of active volcanic fields, Iceland uses geothermal steam to heat vast greenhouses, and to produce electricity to light them. Vegetables are grown year round. Though the cows are wintered indoors (in heated barns) Iceland produces many of the dairy products it uses.
Near the hotel was a foodhall, a large pavilion with a collection of restaurants, snack bars, food counters and bars. I had a delightful grilled fish, prepared as we sat at the counter watching, by a young local with a Texas accent. I asked, he perfected his spoken English watching reruns of Dallas on television.
On our third trip, we discovered that the locals love Pizza. At the hotel Geysir, - well I could go on and on, but I would sooner go back to Iceland, there is so much to learn.
Pheasants played a role in my childhood. My grandfather was raised in poverty. Hunting was something he learned to do as a teen, and was very good at it. Ammunition cost money, and he was the a good shot, and the family relied on him to help put food on the table. Interestingly he stumbled upon his first honeybees while hunting, a swarm in a hollow tree. A neighbor showed him how to harvest the honey and a lifelong relationship with bees was formed.
Back to the pheasants. He enjoyed hunting game birds, pheasant and partridge. He had stopped hunting rabbits and squirrels by the time I was born (the season was later in the fall, and they were a lot of effort.) My father hunted a little, but didn't really enjoy it. My oldest brother enjoyed hunting, but his undiagnosed ADHD made it a challenge. My grandfather lived for the October small game season each year.
Pheasants have very distinctive tail feather. My grandfather would save the best of the tail feathers for the grandkids.
Even through World War II, the opening of the small game hunting season was the one day of the year, that he took off. He told his boss at Ford that he would be taking that day off, the boss said, "You can't do that!" He said, "watch me!" When he returned to work the job was still there.
He died in the fall of 1976. His health had been declining for two or three years. He had vascular dementia. The last year or so at home was a challenge. He was easily disoriented, couldn't be left alone and when he slept he had recurring bad dreams of being abandoned naked in a wheat field. My grandmother and I cared for him at home. He had prostate surgery in the late summer, and only returned home for one night, spending his last couple of months in skilled nursing care. He died of a heart attack, in the middle of lunch one fall day.
His funeral was a bright clear and cool October day. The kind of a day he loved. As we stood by the graveside, I could hear hunting dogs and shotguns in the distance. I checked the date, it was the opening day of the pheasant hunting season.
What made me sad this week? A call from my successor as director of the ABA Commission on Law and Aging. Because of funding cuts, she had to terminate two long time staff members, Sonia had been there over 25 years, Trisha nearly 25 years. It was nothing they did, nothing that the director did, she has been working her fingers to the bone trying to find alternative funding. Federal budget cuts have devastated human services funding, and the ABA was specifically targeted.
Where have I been this week? Out to lunch, grocery shopping, the library, the pool, and the treadmill. It has been hot, we have been staying close to home.
Who have a talked with this week? Sweet Bear, Ana and Susan, Giuseppe and Larry, Ruth, the gang at water aerobics, Erica from my old office.
What have I been reading? I finished, Happy This Year - ehh nothing I hadn't figured out already. And started Imagine, a book on creativity.
What have I been watching? The Tour de France - there are five or six hours of live coverage most days. I love the countryside and the villages that the tour passes through. I could see myself living there.
What didn't I watch this year? The Belmont, the final of the three races in the triple crown of horse racing. The horse that won the Kentucky Derby skipped the Preakness, meaning there was no triple crown contender. They really need to do something about the rules, that allow the horse that winds the Derby to skip out on the series, allowing that only if there is a medical reason. Or drop the triple crown hype.
When is the next grand adventure? I started the planning this week, April 20 - May 4th - Ft. Lauderdale to Rome.
What artsy thing have I done this week? I am been adding layers onto a painting, I am starting to see and understand what it will be.
Where did I find peace and relaxation this week? I have a pool "hammock" this is a simple pool float consisting of two inflated tubes that are round about 6 inches in diameter, and about 2 feet wide, between the two is about 3 feet of soft mesh. One tube goes under your neck, one goes under your knees, and the mesh gently supports you as you lay back in the sun. The water in the outdoor pool is in the low 80's (f). Put on sunglasses and watch the clouds and airplanes - listen to my breathing - and forget the world.
What have I been up to in the kitchen? Last Thursday we went out to lunch, so I didn't cook. Saturday I made chicken baked in tomato, and redwine and a flatbread topped with italian cheese and thinly sliced red onion. Sunday I did a duck egg and mushroom ravioli in a parmesan cream sauce. Tuesday I made Swiss Steak. I have made guacamole a couple times.
How was Wordle this week? A couple of strange words, at least one total miss. "Undid" I was not even sure it was a word. Still it is a puzzle, and mind game each day.
What artsy thing am I up to this week? I continue to add lines of metallic paints to a painting, that seems to be leading me, rather than me leading it. I do find abstract painting relaxing.
What did I learn this week? Two keys to creative thinking, 1: sometimes you have to forget what you know to find what you don't know, 2: finding connections between seemingly unrelated ideas, often leads to innovation (I am good at this).
A few weeks ago, I posted about visiting Montana, and promised in the comments to post photos from that part of the country. Wyoming is directly south of Montana, a very similar landscape. I drove across Wyoming, spending a couple of nights back in August of 2023.
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