Last Light at Cemetery Hill

This is a picture taken by Giann of me taking a picture trying to capture the last light of day at Cemetery Hill. I am facing East with the setting sun about 150 degrees behind my left side.

This may be the picture I was taking. Trying to get the light to play off the gun. In this picture I managed to compose everything, but missed the lighting by about 2 or 3 F-stops high. So the sky is washed out a bit. The sky had no color or character, I do remember noting that. But still, a filter would have helped. As would my tripod which was still in the car.

A thought to leave with you:

Jedediah Miller was a man that left a legacy when he died. As a very young man, about the age of 8, Jedediah asked his granddad what was the secret to living a long life.

Granddad was a fun loving man, and said in jest to Jedediah, “Son, the secret to living a long time is a spoonful of gunpowder on your oatmeal every morning.

Jedediah did as his granddad suggested, and whether because of or in spite of, he did live to be 98. He missed his 99th birthday by 17 days.

He was known as the most generous man who had ever lived in Mecklenburg County KY. He left 7 children, 22 grandchildren, 57 great grandchildren, ...

...and a 30 foot crater where a crematorium used to stand.

Jedediah Miller went out with a bang.

Thanks to Roger Dove for the story line if not the exact wording.

Transition Notice

I hesitate to write too much here on my blog because I believe most people are not very interested in what other people think. Most of what I write is short segments of threads of thought that run through my head. And no one cares about them other than me. Mostly I wonder why certain thought patterns and threads seem to be constant in my mind. I find myself gravitating back to certain thought processes that are the puzzling questions I have in life.

I guess because of my early formative years coupled with some discoveries in school, both secondary and college, my thought processes tend to run along spiritual and spirituality paths. I am a theist. But I may be in a theological group of one. And in trying on a new ethic I am endeavoring to keep most of my thoughts internal.

Part of the closure is the lack of a close friend with whom I can discuss my thought patterns. And I understand that very well. I have not been privy to anyone else’s thought processes, and no one has been privy to mine. I think I would find myself not able to equip another person to step into the flow of my thought processes without muddying the stream. No, actually I KNOW it would muddy the stream. Since it is impossible for anyone to bring themselves without bringing their experiences along.

All of that to say I am transitioning from this forum to a private one for posting my thoughts. Fewer words here but more pictures, hopefully.

I have some thought processes I want to pursue, but only with a couple of soul mates. One is Asian and knows who she is. Others may as well. There are a few more, but I will invite them and see if they are interested.

So hopefully this blog is going to be more about family, work and home and none about my personal metamorphous.

But thanks for coming along so far!

On a brighter note, our dear friend, Barb, is coming to see us in October if plans stay together and she doesn’t find a compelling reason to stay in the Middle East. Also, Todd and Diana’s little one is due here very shortly. Days away I think. I am very excited about that. I’ll certainly have pictures as soon as possible. If you ever get to meet my daughter-in-laws Diana and Lesa you’d love them. I really think of them more as daughters just like our own Jill.

Cheers.

Faces behind the music

Only Time, Enya

Hands, Jewel

In the saddle

Things at work are slowly beginning to take shape. I do have some details and issues to deal with, but when you are interacting with people that is expected I guess. Tomorrow the new Team Leader of the department is to be announced. I think I know who it is, and I have to swallow hard every time I think about it. Hopefully we will mesh and compliment each other's talents and overshadow each others short comings.


I am still not over my vacation bug. Last night I had a pretty difficult night. Had a decent day today, but hurt a lot. My knee is just not healing because I can't give it extended rest.


Madison brought her mom and dad by last evening for a while. She is walking so good now and is such a pretty girl. Mari is pretty as well. There are rumblings within the family that most are betting on Diana having a boy. We will see shortly.


More exciting news around here is that Barb will be visiting us in October. That will be such a treat. I don't believe we have seen her here since about 97 or 98. Todd and I did see her in Peru in 99. An amazing trip. Sure would like to go back there some day as well. Don't know about the altitude up around Cusco or Pisac, the two places I'd want to most to see.


Of course I still want to go back to Kima, Kenya and spend some time in Pilar, Argentina if ever possible.


May spend the rest of my life right here in the USA. And be happy all the same.



We spent a while at Chocolate World at Hersey on vacation. We took a tour that simulate the making of chocolate. You can't tour the actual factory anymore. They gave us chocolate at the end of our tour!! Free!! Two, insy, bitsy, teeny, tiny foil wrapped pieces of chocolate that you could ALMOST taste. Of course you could BUY train car full if you wanted to.

Anniversary Trip

Well, we are home after 4 days of travel, eating, shows and tourism. We were in and around the Lancaster, PA area, and there is WAY TOO MUCH traffic for me. Yankees not only are aggressive, they are rude and in many cases apparently stupid. Waitresses in restaurants were mostly barely there. One I had special issues with. One was so pleasant I wonder if she's a southern transplant. Drivers are awful. Of course, one has to remember how close that region is to Jersey and "da City" as they say. Enough about that.

I had a couple of bad days to begin the trip, so much so that Giann was afraid to stay. She begged me to bring her home on Monday, but I convinced her we would see how things were going before deciding. I began to feel better on Monday, and today woke up feeling very good, but still no energy. Just not sure why I have no energy. Well, except I AM reaching for 60. Today, or this afternoon, more specifically, I ache all over and it feels like I have a very low grade fever. I was not able to get enough fluids in me this weekend. I was constantly looking for drinks. Mostly iced drinks like smoothies and Icees. My favorite one was a strawberry smoothie from a little ice cream shop on Baltimore street in Gettysburg. I enjoyed that one. That drink is duplicated almost perfectly at Sonic. I've had it there before.

Been drinking OJ today. I love OJ.

Just thought you might want to see a few picks from the trip:

These devices are rifles. I do not know what their official designations are, but they have rifling in their barrels. The were used by the Confederate troops to shoot at the Union troops all the way down to the Chambersburg Pike, which must be a couple of miles away.









This picture was taken from Seminary Ridge.



A fence to divide. Divide what from what? To keep in, or to keep out? I realize it's current use as a boundary for the Park Service for tourism, and maybe it is only a prop. No historical significance or authenticity at all. But the monuments are real. And the names of men, boys, companies and armies are as real as we are. In fact, many of those names belong to us who gaze upon them now, 145 years and a month later. I am always viscerally grabbed when I visit a monument of war. Because while more died here at Gettysburg than I can comprehend, Gettysburg is but a single battle ground among hundreds of thousands around the war, in hundreds of international, national and civil conflicts. Does the killing end? Can it end?



Yep, going out straight up means you might be coming back straight down. Is that someones lunch I see floating up there just above the left rail???
















Some wood, some tubular, some old, some new, some abandoned, some in daily use, all meant to scare your outer garments off.