The Saturday Morning Post: Use All Of The Tools You Have To Create

I sincerely hope that someone looks at this self-portrait and thinks - shouts - "I could do better than that." You probably can and you will only ever know if you try. 

Come paint with me. I will show you how I did this one. 

It started as an attempt to print out a selfie I had taken with my phone. Everything went wrong, it printed on plain paper instead of photo paper, and a couple of ink cartridges had dried up or gone empty, so the print was washed out, more of an outline than a photo. The essential elements of shape. 

I have never taken the time, to develop what little drawing skill I have. I am likely to say, I can't draw, but I also have never worked at developing what skill I might have. 

With this print, I had a start. Lingering on the floor behind my desk chair is a light-box, it was used as a slide sorter back in the day of 35mm slides. I just couldn't bring myself to toss it when we stopped using slides. I plugged it in, put the attempted print on it, put a piece of paper on top, took a dark fine point marker and created a sketch, an outline of my face. 

My original thought was that this would be a good linocut image. And I have started to explore linocut for the first time in about 45 years, but the image was complex and the wrong size. Hmm what to do? 

I painted a base color on a 12 by 12 canvas. Used tracing paper, basically carbon paper (who knew they still sell that?) and traced over the line drawing transferring the outline onto the canvas. I filled in a few lines here and there, then started painting. 

A few days later my Sweetie Bear looked at it and said, "it's you!" 

Can you do better, probably, a few of you I know for sure that you can. But it is me, trying. Using all of the tools I can to create something I don't know how to do. I am happy with it, it is in the community Arts Show of Portraits and Self-Portraits that opens today. 

Funky Friday: When I Wore A Younger Man's Shoes

I went out last Friday to run errands and take a walk. It was just above freezing, so I wanted to walk indoors as much as possible.  I went to the art supply store, then walking through a dozen local shops, to get my daily hour of walking in, while spending as little time outside as possible.  

One of the shops was a massive shoe store, Designer Shoe Warehouse or DSW, my readers in the USA will likely recognize the brand. 

Strolling the aisles, I was reminded of my early 20's, I was working full time, and I had a steady if very modest income, and I discovered the joy of shopping for shoes. Not just one or two pairs of shoes, the necessities, but being able to buy shoes for style, sometimes shoes for special occasions. There was a discount shoe store on the south side of Colonial Drive just west of Semoran Boulevard in Orlando that had great prices and often unique styles.  At first it was boat shoes, this was the early 1980's and leather boat shoes were the peak of Yuppy Fashion. Then it was nice dress shoes. I have fond memories of a pair of crocodile slip ons that I bought at an outlet mall out near Wet and Wild for about $100. I loved Cole Haan Driving Mocs, at one time I had at least 6 pairs of them in different colors and finishes. 

And starting in my late 20's running shoes. For a long time almost always Nike's top of the line running shoes. Avia gym shoes. Later Asics running shoes - I have probably half a dozen pairs of them in the closet today. 

Then in my 40's my feet started hurting.  I picked up some weight, I had spent a decade running a lot. I had a couple of jobs where I spent a lot of time on my feet. My days of stylish shoes were over by my early 50's. Shoes need to be comfortable, provide plenty of support and cushioning. 

Today I wear mostly running shoes. I have a couple of pairs that are all black, that I wear with suits. Have a couple of pairs of nearly waterproof hiking shoes or boots. And a few pairs of fancy dress shoes that I only wear when needed, and then limit the amount of time I am on my feet. But mostly it is one of the many pairs of running shoes in the closet that I wear each day. 

In DSW last week, there was this pair of sparkly black velvet formal shoes, I looked at them, picken them up, coveted them, and remembered the days, when I wore a younger man's shoes, and I could / would have bought the lovelies. Maybe I miss those days. 

 

The Thursday Ramble: Phones

I was ten years old before we had a phone in the house. My grandparents lived around the corner, and they had a phone, They had had phone service since the 1930's, but my parents decided a phone was a luxury, and didn't have one. That winter, my father went out of state to a a beekeepers convention in Little Rock Arkansas. Around the time he was to fly home, we had a massive snow storm. My mother trudged through knee deep snow to my the old farmhouse to use the phone. The house was cold because my grandparents were sensibly in Florida that January. Eventually everything worked out, he flew into Detroit, took a taxi to an Uncle's house, and we picked him up a day or so later, barely making our way through the snow. My mother decreed that a phone was no longer a luxury. 

At first it was a party line. Two short rings was a call for us. One long ring was the Bader family, two long rings was the older couple across the street at the corner. When you picked up the phone, you had to check for a dial tone. Often you would pick up and one of the neighbors would be talking on the line, you had to wait for them to finish the call before you could make your call. Sometimes you just listened to hear the neighborhood gossip. A few years later everyone was converted to a private line. 

And they were all rotary dial phones. 

When I was in high school my parents bought a house in Florida, near the space center, a home I would live in for a couple of years after high school, and that they would retire to and live out the rest of their lives, they both died in that house. They had phones installed, and for the first time, they were touchpad dialing, not rotary. I had a phone in my bedroom for the first time. 

I bought my first cell or mobile phone in 1996. I had moved to Kentucky, and was commuting 82 miles in each direction everyday to and from law school. The phone was huge by today's standards, and I was paying $30 a month, for 30 minutes a month of calls in a limited geographic area. If I went over the number of minutes additional minutes were about 50-cents each, calls outside the calling area were about the same cost. 

I bought my first semi-smart phone when we were getting ready for a trip to England. I wanted a phone that would work across systems. The best option was a Blackberry. The salesman lied to me, he said in a week they wouldn't be able to pry it out of my hand, it only took about two days for me to feel that way. A couple of years after I moved to DC, I bought my first glass faced smartphone. 15 years later, I have had four of five of them.  I use it daily, but seldom, very seldom for phone calls. They are great email devices, but really lousy phones unless you plug in a headset. 

Last year, my phone broke just after we boarded the cruise ship for a month long adventure. I posted my daily selfie while having lunch on the ship, and the next time I pulled out my phone it was dead. I went a month without a phone, and guess what, I survived. My maternal grandmother, lived without a phone for the last 30 years of her life. I never talked with her over the phone, I was 4 or 5 years old when they sold the farm - and they never had a phone after that. 

I wonder how many people under the age of 50 could figure out how to dial a call on the phone above?  

    

My World of Wonders: February 18, 2026

Where have I been this week? Into DC to have lunch with a friend, to Belle Haven Exon for my annual car safety inspection (passed.) To the art supply store. The pool. The Library, Harris Teeter and Trader Joe's. Aldi. 

 

Who have I talked with this week? Erica, Marcel, Sweet Bear, Amy, Anna, Michelle, Eric, Amy (a different Amy), Giuseppe, Larry, Warren, the water aerobics ladies, and Mary.  

What have I been up to in the kitchen? Shredded pork quesadillas (drawing a comment "didn't you get enough Mexican food in San Antonio.) Steaks and gratin potatoes, fried potatoes and eggs, avocado toast with salsa. Chicken corn chowder. Beef stew. 

What have I been reading? I finished "The French Art of Living Well" it was okay, a little academic at points. Backstage, by Donna Leon. Well written, some chapters are literary criticism that means little unless you have or intend to read the book, other chapters are brilliant prose. 

What is on the easel? A 16 by 20 canvas with a deep red base coat, that is earning its stripes as it emerges from my mind.  

What other arty stuff am I doing? I am curating a show that goes up in late March, titled New Works and First Works.  New works are anything created in the past year, First Works can be your oldest work, the first work you ever showed, your first work in a new media, your first time showing with Arts in Montebello.  When we were brainstorming themes we talked about doing a show of all first time creators, and someone pointed out that excluded a lot of people, and we are trying to be inclusive, so we combined New and First works into one show theme.  Submissions are starting to come in.  I have two pieces for the show, one new and one I first showed in 1977. 

What is the quote of the week? "She is taking a one week cruise in the caribbean, she doesn't care where the ship is going, as long as it is warm." I need to remember to do this each winter. 

Who deserves a slap this week? The Spam Commenters, I have been fighting off a major spam attack over the past week.  Spam is being posted to old posts, and neglected secondary blogs, a sure sign that a business is paying a "marketer" to spread the word about their services, probably a pittance per placement. I slap them by reporting them as spam and deleting them. About 20 slaps in the last week, and as many as needed in the weeks to come. Blogger needs to shut them down, lock them out. Redirect them to Adsense where they can buy legitimate adds. 

Travel Tuesday: High School Art at the Briscoe Museum of Western Art

The Briscoe Museum of Western Art in San Antonio Texas has a special exhibit of western themed art by high school students in Texas. Below are some of my favorites from probably 50 pieces on display.

Monday Mood: Changes in Latitude, Changes in Attitude

It has been a cold winter in the DC area, the last ten days before we went to San Antonio were especially cold. Oh my, how a few days in warm weather improved how we are feeling. Both of us were rejuvenated by getting away, and spending a few days in a much warmer sunnier climate. 

The people in San Antonio were especially nice. Kind, welcoming, they seemed genuinely to welcome us and want to be helpful.  Sweet Bear asked the hotel staff several questions and they went out of their way to answer the questions. This helped us enjoy the time. 

The food was great, and not all Tex-Mex.  I did get my fill of enchiladas, but also nice seafood, and a nice pasta with wild boar. 

I was among my fellow wizards for a few days. We have a common experience, we speak a common language. That helps. 

The winter Meeting is in Chicago next year.  I need to balance that with a week someplace warmer next winter.  A change in latitude does change the attitude at this time of the year.  

The Sunday Five: Booze

1: Do you drink alcohol? 

2: Did you participate in "Dry January?" 

3: A martini, Gin or Vodka, Shaken or Stirred? 

4: Is there a place you would consider your local pub or bar? 

5: What is your favorite drink to order? 

My Answers: 

1: Do you drink alcohol? Yes, in moderation. 

2: Did you participate in "Dry January?" No. No reason to. 

3: A martini, Gin or Vodka, Shaken or Stirred? Gin, extra dry, shaken. 

4: Is there a place you would consider your local pub or bar? For most of my life the answer was no, there was never anyplace close by, or within walking distance. Here at the condo, we have a bar in the community center, a two minute walk across the back drive. 

5: What is your favorite drink to order? I am most likely to ask for water, if I order a cocktail away from home, a gin martini, or a Manhattan. 

Please share your answers in the comments. 

The Saturday Morning Post: Love and Creativity

 

Happy Valentines Day, 

May and Yours be surrounded with Love today. 

What to post about creativity on Valentines Day? 

How does creativity relate to love?

Love requires being creative. Thinking about what the other person likes, and how to provide it. Finding the things that bring both persons joy. When love is challenged, and it happens, we need to dig deep into our creative process to find the common ground, to create an atmosphere that allows healing and love. To fill the senses of both parties with pleasure, hope, acceptance, forgiveness. 

    I better be careful or this will start to sound like a Monday post.

Some art is created to illustrate love. Portraits, art of passion, art of beauty, tenderness, and sacrifice are symbols of love we often create. For writers and filmmakers, romance is a best selling creative fiction category. I sold a house to a couple that wrote pornographic fiction for a living, they were passionately in love with one another.

Many of us love creating art, love cooking, love writing, love photography, love filmmaking. This is not romantic love, or is it? We have all know someone who seemed to be married to their work.  And as much fun as creating can be, it is also work. It maybe our life's work, or it may be the work that fills our "free time." 

Find time today, to express your love in creative ways, your love of another person, your love of creating, your love of life. 

The First Step is always to Begin Anyway, thank you Dianne for the post of the week. 

 

Freestyle Friday: What I get, what don't I get

This very large installation that has been in the inner core of the upper level of the Hirshorn for over a year. It was made for the space, there are few other places on the face of the earth that it would fit. When it comes down, it will probably spend years sitting the vault someplace. 

It is complex, textiles, mixed media, glue, paint, dyes, weaving. It has incredible texture, and as much as I like modern art, I just don't get it. I don't understand the message, and the artists contends that there is a message. The meaning is lost on me. I have seen this half a dozen times, and it really does not speak to me. 

So what do I get from it? An understanding of texture.  A strong use of blending of colors. The use of recycled materials. 

I don't get the message, but I do get the way this was created, the work that went into it, the way the materials are worked to create a flowing texture. 

The Thursday Ramble: The Vastness and Diversity of the World

 Last week we flew a little over half way across the country. Looking out the window, I was reminded how vast the country is, three hours in a 737, only covers about half way across the country.  Looking out the window there was fields of snow, small towns, large cities, expressways, railroads, country roads, forests, fields, pastures and waterways. There is an amazing mix of small towns, villages, settlements, small cities and huge cities. I am always surprised by how much open country there is. Miles and miles of fields, grasslands, and forests.  

Day to day, we see the world as it is, where we are. Our little corner of the world. It is easy to fall into the trap of thinking that everyplace, is like where we are. Flying over the country, I see the vastness and diversity of the land, of the world.  

It has been about six months, since my last airline flight. Long enough, maybe too long. 

This is not my best Ramble, it is a replacement for a political rant that I just can't bring myself to suffer through. 

My World of Wonders: February 11, 2026

 

Where have I been this week? The Hilton on the Riverwalk in San Antonio Texas. 

What have I been up to in the kitchen? I made small pizzas last Wednesday, then we left town for the rest of the week.  I miss cooking when I travel. 

So what have I eaten away from home? A nice crispy chicken sandwich with German potato salad in the airport in Charlotte, A Mexican sampler platter on the River Walk in San Antonio. An omelet, steak and shrimp, sliders. Scrambled eggs, enchiladas, seared scallops. A breakfast buffet the highlight of which was scrambled eggs with cream cheese, Mexican street corn, and enchiladas Verde. Eggs Benedict, and a wild boar pasta. A meatball parm sandwich with fried in the airport. 

What is in the photo above?  A couple of weeks ago Doc Spo mentioned lapel pins in his blog and showed a box he has filled with them. For decades I have collected pins, hat pins, lapel pins, collectible pins when I travel. At one time they were all on a hat, with the pins the hat was too heavy to wear. I have them five drawers filled with them, in a wood tool chest. And I will keep adding to the collection.

What was the weather like? Cold and windy in DC, sunny and 80's in San Antonio. It was nice, really nice, to have a few days away from the cold. 

Who have I talked to this week? About a dozen aging lawyer colleagues,  Lorraine, Jack, Al, Bob, Karen, Robert. I had lunch with Amy, my former boss. My sweet bear, who went with me on this trip. 

What did we see in San Antonio? The Briscoe Museum of Western Art. In a converted stone library building it is a compact and amazing collection, there will be a couple of Travel Tuesday posts when we get home. The highlight was an exhibit of the best high school art by students in Texas. The talent in that show, reassures me that the future of art is in brilliant hands.

 

Travel Tuesday: A brief stop in Iceland May 2025

 

Monday Mood: Be Kind to be Remembered

There I am, looking every minute of my age, bearded because shaving is too much bother, grey because that is what happens if we live long enough, fat, a bit flabby, far from a model, more of a bad example of an aging man, and I think to myself, "who cares" as the short video from the young and beautiful guy, says, nobody cares.  

Few people will notice, those that do will think what they want to think. They may think, does he know he is fat? Yes I do. Does he know he would look better with a better haircut and beard trim? Yes I do.  But for the most part they will not notice or remember me. I am a person they see in passing. 

If I am kind, if I say please and thank you, if I hold the door, and let the other person go first, helping in ways I can, they may remember that, but probably not me, not what I look like, or who I am or who I was. People remember the kindness, more than the person who was kind. 

A good number of years ago (before I had my spine repaired and rebuilt) I fell in a subway station, a very kind person helped me to my feet, not an easy task, and walked with me to my car that was parked in the garage. I remember the kindness, but not the person. (I send out into the cosmos a very heartfelt THANK YOU to him.) I also remember that the station manager, 50 feet away sitting in a glass cubicle, didn't do anything to help. He hardly looked up, didn't ask if I needed help, didn't offer to call for help. 

Don't worry about what you look like, or sound like. Be kind, people will remember your kindness. 

The Sunday Five: Seeing ourselves

Happy Blogiversary to Doc Spo 

1: Do you see yourself as your age, younger, older? 

2: How do you feel about fashion? 

3: How much time do you spend on your appearance most days? 

4: What would you tell your younger self about appearances? 

5: How do you really feel about tattoos?

My Answers: 

1: Do you see yourself as your age, younger, older? I have a hard to understanding that I am getting older, in my mind I am 30, in my knees I am 95.

2: How do you feel about fashion? The older I get, the less I care. 

3: How much time do you spend on your appearance most days? I don't always bother to run a brush through what is left of my hair. 

4: What would you tell your younger self about appearances? Those that judge you based on your appearance, don't really like you anyway. 

5: How do you really feel about tattoos? I understand the desire to do something taboo, something forbidden, but I have never wanted anything that permanent. Tattoos on the face, or neck, I find unattractive. 

Please share your answers in the comments. 

 

The Saturday Morning Post: Be Fearless

A couple of months ago someone asked Ken in France how he became so creative in the kitchen, and he responded that he thought of himself as being more fearless in the kitchen than creative, and he is. He is always willing to try something. He is always looking for new ideas, new inspiration, reading about different ways to make great food. Being fearless, makes him very creative. 

I thought about this, and it applies to creativity in all forms. To create art in any form, we must first be fearless.  Willing to try new ways of doing things. Part of practicing is trying new ways of doing the same thing. In painting, try pure colors, try blending colors, use a brush, use a palette knife, finger paint, use paint that flows. When you see or hear something, be fearless and try it. I watched an interview with James Cameron, who will forever be the mastermind that brought the movie Titanic to the big screen. He said when he is "80 years old, with an oxygen tube in his nose", he wants to be "trying do things that he does not know how to do." That is fearlessness, that is a root of creativity. 

In your art, try creating something this week that you don't know how to do, be fearless. 

Foodie Friday: Roll Ups

While the snow was falling, I had a couple of days at home to play in the kitchen. These were inspired by something I read in a cookbook. 

Buy or make a basic pizza dough. 

Pizza dough is easy enough to make. 

Start with one cup of warm water (105f +/-) a sprinkle of sugar, and a tablespoon of dry active yeast. Mix and set aside for 5 minutes, it will start to smell yeasty and bubble a little. 

In the bowl of a stand mixer stir together two cups of flour (bread flour if you have it on hand) a large pinch of salt and a drizzle of olive oil. Stir in the yeast mixture and stir together to form a ball. Knead, by machine for about five minutes on low or medium low, by hand about the same.  Adjust as needed, I added a couple of tablespoons of water. 

Cover and set aside to rise for an hour or two. 

Divide the dough in half, 

Roll out in a rectangle. 

Top with fillings. One of these was tomato sauce, cured Italian ham and shredded mixed Italian cheese (Pizza cheese mix.) The other was softened butter, sugar and cinnamon, then sprinkled with chocolate chips. 

The filling can be whatever you like, what you have handy, or what you want to use up today. 

Roll up, slice into rounds, and bake in a 350-375 (F) oven for 20-30 minutes.  

Store in the refrigerator, reheat in the microwave for 30-45 seconds. 

The Thursday Ramble: Media - Media Everywhere

Growing up in an era and place before cable television, our options were ABC (American Broadcasting Corporation,) CBS (Columbia Broadcasting System,) and NBC (National Broadcasting Corporation.) All of these were air-wave broadcasts, received on a large antenna. All of them had genuine news programs, with real verify the facts journalists.  PBS (Public Broadcasting) came late to the countryside and reception was spotty. I recall the family switching between the NBC and CBS for the evening news. NBC had the funny weatherman. CBS had Walter Cronkite. 

In an era of air wave broadcast, television required a federal license, permission to use a specific radio frequency. The bandwidth licensed was quite wide, limiting the number of licenses available in a given area. This same system is still in place. With improvements in technology the bandwidth is narrower, allowing more licenses hence Fox and others have joined the fray. When the administration threatens the media, the strongest power is the authority to revoke a broadcast license. YouTube does not have a broadcast license. With online access does the broadcast license really mean that much today? 

There are still areas in the country that do not have cable television, and where high speed internet is difficult or expensive to access (The United States and Canada are immense land masses.) The majority of the population in both countries live in area where high speed data is widely available by cable, fiber or phone networks. 

For the majority of us, if NBC, ABC, and CBS left the broadcast world and went to streaming video only, we would hardly notice the difference. I am not sure why they don't just shrug their shoulders, tell the news the way they want to, and say "see you on CBS-Tube, NBC-Tube, and ABC-Tube."  The advertising model is slowly changing to support this move, if the broadcasters all moved - the money would move with them. 

My World of Wonders February 4, 2026 edition

What surprisingly made me smile this week?  We went grocery shopping last Thursday, and unintentionally ended up on Senior Discount Day, an extra 10% off.  It was the first time I had been in the grocery store on Senior Discount Day. I don't know why it made me smile, once a stingy b@st@rd, always one? 

What have I been up to in the kitchen?  Roast Salmon with noodles, slow cooked pulled pork, chicken and tortellini soup with corn bread. Lamb stew.

Where have I been this week? Close to home. We did a grocery store run last Thursday. Beyond that the gym, the pool, a reception at the Grill. 

Who have I talked with this week? Giuseppe, Ruth, Mary, Marcel, Warren, Paul, my sweet bear, and Zack.  

What was on the easel? I finished a 24 by 24 inch color block, and have primed in a deep red an 18 by 24. I have an idea for this, if I can make it work.  

What have I been reading? The extreme cold weather has made this complicated, I ran out of library books, took a couple of days off, then went to the bookcase in the building library. I locked up a history of Emma Lazarus, the wrote the poem that is featured at the Statute of Liberty.  The book had a hidden history, the bookplate shows it was a gift to a young woman, in 1967. It was a history book, that is a history of itself. 

What brought a sense of relief this week? It took over a week, but my Mac rebuilt my photo archive - messed up by a recent operating system upgrade. There are over 101,000 images in the file. 

Where am I headed? San Antonio Texas for an American Bar Association Senior Lawyers Division meeting. 

 

Travel Tuesday: Smithsonian Museum of Natural History

A couple of weeks ago, I wanted to get out of the house for a few hours while some maintenance was being done. I hopped the subway into the city, and spent a couple of hours in the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History. I was there when the museum first opened for the day, and had an hour or so, before the children descended with the accompanying cacophony of noise. I would pay to have a couple of hours of silence in a couple of the museums. 

 

Monday Moods: Free yourself from Regrets

If you are reading this you woke up still alive this morning. I sincerely hope that you see that as a good thing. Human life is surprising robust and at the same time shockingly fragile. Someday, we will not see the sunrise again.

What can we do today to reduce the regrets when that morning arrives? 

Reach out and tell others you love them. Leave a kind comment on a blog, stop and visit, make a phone call, send a text, send an email, send a "just thinking about you" greeting card.  I regret not reaching out to my grandmother in the last few months of her life. 

Take a moment to savor your meals today. Slow down, smell the coffee, let the chocolate slowly melt in your mouth. You will never regret the enjoyment of even the simplest of meals. 

Step outside, even if only for a couple of minutes and breathe.  Even if cold, or hot, or wet. You will never regret a moment to just breathe. 

Take a moment to forgive. Forgive others, not for them, but to free your mind from the burden of holding onto past transgressions. 

Take a moment to forgive yourself. We all make mistakes, the burden of which is regret. Forgive yourself, say you are sorry, free yourself from the burden of regret.