Archive for July 2010
New Craft
I have a new wood sculpture project in the works!
It was commissioned by Cyndie. She wants a new bangle bracelet made of wood. I’m happy to oblige! This is a slice from an oak branch that we scavenged from the woods a year ago. We saved it all this time to allow it to dry out in the rafters of the garage under cabin 3 up at the lake. During the 4th of July weekend I sawed this section from the branch and this weekend I am working on the opening. I have traced the inside of one of her metal bracelets to guide me on sizing the inner diameter.
Some of the pattern visible is a feature of burl wood. We were specifically out collecting just such specimens last year in the woods just north of our place near Hayward, WI. I have no specific design in mind for this bracelet, so I’m hoping when I get the inside sizing accomplished, I can explore how some of the grain patterns begin to stand out as I remove material and then let that inspire how the rest of the project unfolds. I have no idea yet if Cyndie even wants something near this wide, so I’ll also let her have a say on how much to reduce the width.
I was working on that opening this morning when nephew, Trygve, wandered over to investigate what I was up to. Later in the day, I brought it to the beach to work on while visiting with others. Shortly after I arrived, Tryg showed up with a block of his own wood that his dad cut for him and he sat next to me, sanding away like a mini-me. I think he will make a fine artist. Even at his young age, he demonstrates an amazing tenacity and voices a willingness to linger long on the task, even if it takes months to accomplish. Who said this younger generation are all suffering from attention deficit disorder?
Whatever Happens
.
whatever happens
don’t look down
past the unintended consequences
of all those forgone conclusions
left undone
time and again
while the evil genius villain
wraps his ultimate plan
around our world
despite our best intentions
for good to dispatch evil
once and for all
.
Tight Corners
There is something right around the corner and you can just sense that it will influence your otherwise uneventful experience of late. But there is no corner. Why do we say things like, “The corner of my mind?” Metaphoric corners are rolling around us all the time. The word “corner” looks just fine until you focus on the word “corn” and then you get that strange feeling that it doesn’t look like a correctly spelled word at all. How is it that our mind can suddenly see a group of characters of the alphabet in such a way that the word formed looks totally nonsensical? I have found myself pausing in disbelief at the word, “then” as if there were no way it could possibly be a word, even though logic led me to carry on as if it must be legitimate. This might explain why I have neglected to master a second language all these years. I can hardly maintain order in my head with the words of the language I grew up speaking.
Any credit for understanding the English language should go to my ears and the blessing of having parents who spoke properly. When rules of grammar were being taught in grade school, I quickly discovered that the correct answer was simply the one that sounded right to me. Unfortunately, that means I didn’t ever really memorize the actual rules of grammar. That will be visible in my writing style, where I often opt for choosing to lay out a sentence in a manner that reflects how it sounds to me when spoken, which sometimes turns out to be grammatically incorrect.
I still find myself occasionally choosing to follow a few grammar rules that result in written sentences sounding different than the way I would actually say things, but it is because there are times when doing so just reads better. I credit that to the reading I do and how I ‘hear’ the words written by professional journalists. I don’t know if everyone ‘listens’ to the words and sentences they read in their mind to the same extent that I do. (I think it makes me a slower reader.) I have a tendency to mimic what I see and hear, for better or worse. My writing will tend to reflect the writing of others that appeal to me.
When I edit, I don’t always know what is correct for a given sentence, but I usually sense when it just doesn’t sound right. I credit my parents for the way they spoke and also for their habit of having a radio or television on where I heard broadcasts of WCCO and dialects that most closely matched what I found to read in published works. I have no idea what led me to start thinking about things like corners of a mind or why I see things from a somewhat skewed vantage point at times. I guess it’s just a relative point of view. Relative to something.
Time Marches On
In a vivid depiction of a moment in time, these blossoms shout, “Here today, gone tomorrow!”
Last night there was an awesome sunset. Filled with multi-colored clouds, it just commanded attention. It bathed the rooms of our house in a luminescent golden glow. It was sheer luck that I wandered to that side of the house to notice. It brought a couple of thoughts to my mind. Whenever I enjoy the opportunity to witness something like a fabulous sunset or spectacular rainbow, I find myself wondering how often, when nature’s dramatic visual events occur, I entirely fail to notice. Nature certainly doesn’t pause for one moment to allow us extra time to enjoy.
When a tree falls in the forest, if no one is there to hear, it’s as if it made no sound.
I am not one to fret too much over being unable to be outside on a spectacular sunny day; I came to that awareness in direct contrast to others around me who tend to make a big fuss about not missing out on a ‘great’ day. I may be severely neglecting the moment of time that is ‘a nice day,’ but as much as I appreciate the wonders of nature, I am disinclined to become enslaved to weather, good or bad.
If I fail to notice a nice day, it has no bearing on what kind of weather will actually emerge. I’m more inclined to take whatever weather I get, when I am able to be out in it, and to enjoy the moment, regardless.
Limiting Losses
Yesterday was a day for Lance to try simply limiting his losses after he flatted in the pavé (cobblestone) late in the stage. I can relate. There are a lot of days where I am definitely not on top of my game. When it happens, I can choose to accept the situation and adjust my focus to a more modest target. This week is turning out to be a classic opportunity to do just that.
Meanwhile, in the other noteworthy sport occurring right now, the Dutch are feeling out of their minds with glee as their heroes dispatched team Uruguay in the first semi-final of this World Cup. Is the championship their destiny? Time will tell.
I’m going to conserve my resources and limit my losses while I dream of someday scoring a goal as beautiful as either the first or the third shots by the boys in orange yesterday. If you haven’t seen them yet, look ’em up. It’s something worth seeing.
C’est Incroyable!
I didn’t really anticipate that the Tour de France would be able to pick up the excitement where the World Cup of football is leaving off, but with the latter not even over yet, and the former just in its 3rd day, le Tour is grabbing all the attention today. Yesterday was some serious carnage for the superstar contenders for the overall ‘General Classification’ as pretty much all of them crashed on one of the rain slicked descents, a few of them more than one time. Some of those guys have suffered some very painful injuries. If they want to stay in the race, they are going to need to survive today’s Stage 3, which may be the most brutal of the non-mountain days, encompassing those dreaded cobble stones. If it is raining again, it will be wicked.
Word being reported in explanation for the large number of experienced riders hitting the pavement in the same spot is that there was oil mixed with that water on the road. It was a spectacle. If you didn’t see any of it, be sure to check out video feeds on versus.com. And whatever else you do, make sure at least one of your eyes is checking out today’s stage on either the television broadcast or the online feed. They often say that the Tour can’t be won in this first week, but it can definitely be lost. Whatever happens, the eventual GC winner will need to have some good luck today to allow them to be in the best position, and best health, to attack the rest of the group when they eventually reach the mountain stages.
Given all of that, which is truly more than enough for any sports fan, the first World Cup semi-final of 2010 is also happening today. The Netherlands vs. Uruguay at 1:30 CDT. If ever there was a day for me to call in sick…
Detached Observance
Last night, at about dusk, fireworks of all sizes began to pop and boom around the lake. Having already engaged in all of our celebratory competitions on Saturday, I forgot that yesterday was actually our Independence Day. It caused me to realize how unattached I am to fireworks on the 4th. Granted, it has always been one of the quaint highlights of our celebration up here –and I am, indeed, a big fan of firework shows– but once the reality that we wouldn’t be having any fireworks this year became obvious, I moved on to other diversions.
It’s certainly not due to any lack of interest in a fireworks show. I really do love them. I just don’t feel any strong need to experience them in relation to the 4th of July. Fireworks now seem to occur in a variety of other places at other times of the year for any number of events. If I am lucky enough to be around at the time, wonderful! If not, no big deal.
I suppose I am missing something by being apathetic about observance of the anniversary of our independence, and more specifically my lack of need for the exploding of fireworks as tribute. I believe part of my reasoning for not taking any action myself, relates to money. I certainly am not inclined to shell out the cost of purchasing the fireworks myself for a night of dangerous effort of making noisy sparkling spectacles. It sounded last night like I was one of only a few who aren’t so inclined.
I felt a moment of being detached from the collection of people I could hear across the water who were making quite a ruckus in honor of the occasion. With no interest in creating my own show, and no drive to seek out any one else’s, I felt alone; even though there were others in the house who were actually in the very same situation as me. I guess we were alone, together, if that makes any sense.
By about 11:00 p.m. the noise was becoming less frequent, and thankfully, more distant. I imagined that it very well could be an accurate representation of the distant battle sounds of our fledgling country at war with the British. That thought brings to mind my favorite depiction of that time period in the movie, “The Last of the Mohicans,” the 1992 movie version of the James Fenimore Cooper novel set in the time of the French and Indian war of the 18th century. Maybe I should seek out that film again, for it moves me much more than fireworks do.
I guess I relate much more to the Mohican characters in the story, for their being caught between the conflict of the British and the French over control of the land and of the colonists and natives who live there. I am grateful for the freedom achieved by this country of which I am a citizen, but more often than not, I feel caught between the injustices our country is associated with from the past, and the political shenanigans our government continues to practice going forward.
One thing I will not overlook in observing this anniversary of our independence is the day off from work today. I am fully behind that practice.
Celebratory Games
Our clan of families up at the lake picked yesterday as the day of games. It was a good choice. The weather was ideal. Today, we get clouds and a chance of rain. Yesterday was all hot sunshine and southerly wind. We tossed balloons, kicked shoes, raced to eat watermelon (no hands), and splashed through a bucket brigade of sponging water from one bucket to another. The whole clan is issued a blue or red tee-shirt, the mice or bats team, respectively. Through all the competition, intense as it gets sometimes, the score is never recorded and the prizes awarded liberally. None of the prizes had been purchased at a health-food store.
The evening was topped off by a luxurious dinner prepared by one of the families and augmented with appetizers, salad and dessert from the rest of our group. The main course was pulled-pork and salmon ‘burgers’ that would have qualified for the menu of a high-end restaurant. There is no roughing it in these woods.
The only thing missing from the day’s celebration turned out to be our quaint fireworks display due to the wind that never abated. At least the constant breeze reduced the number of mosquitoes encroaching on our fun. It was a beautiful day of celebration from beginning to end.
A Rich Life
.
what did I do
on my day off
that started this holiday
weekend early
other than waking up
at the crack of dawn
to drive to the lake
with a stop at the bakery
arriving in time
to catch the second half
of a World Cup win
that shook things up
when a favorite fell
then head into town
to find out who owns
all those acres of woods
north of our place
where I love to roam
and have for years
but that now are posted
with “No Trespassing” signs
and while in town
stopping for a pizza
at the best place around
returning in time
imagine this
to see more World Cup
while playing guitar
and a game-ending drama
too wild to believe
so we took all that energy
down to the lodge
for games of our own
of classic ping-pong
then we fiddled about
nieces and nephews around
bringing full belly laughs
while the summer wind blew
floating sounds of the loon
such evocative tunes
and the table was set
as the grill charcoal primed
then a dinner feast next
more divine every time
it’s hard to conceive
how the same food again
tastes more fine every time
but that’s indeed how it goes
every day at the lake
where paradise glows
and divine defines life
yes that’s how it goes
richness of life
blessedly flows
.
.
Wordless Image
I have no words to put on this image today, but I just felt like posting it, so here you go:
.
I seem to be on a picture theme these days. I’ll admit to being a little pressed for time to write. We’re busy preparing to head to the lake place for the Independence Day weekend. I was able to get the lawn mowed at the last minute and we expect to be an hour into our road trip by the time this post is published. I am truly hoping to arrive at our destination early enough to catch the World Cup match between the Netherlands and Brazil. Then on Saturday, the Tour de France cycle race begins! So much sports entertainment that I thoroughly enjoy. It’s a very happy time for me! Why, I’m practically speechless over it!
Relative Something 