The Cubs Are Going to Win the Series

Congratulations to the Chicago Cubs on their joyous win over the Indians. This writer holds a strong connection to the Indians from a player standpoint. But, that's another story for another day. And, one of those connections was playing short stop the day I was born. Since then, the tribe has had other connections with our family.

 But, Mom grew up with major league players sitting at their table for dinner and it was a special ball player that taught mom how to clean quail. Preacher Roe was a regular hanging out with my grandfather. He was one of the fabled "Boys of Summer" who pitched for the Brooklyn Dodgers. Mom was a life-long Dodgers fan. 

Now you know why that post of November 1 until today was just a blank. It was a tribute to Preacher Roe who died on November 9th, 2008 at the age of 93. He was born in Ash Flat, Arkansas and lived just across the Missouri line in a little town I'm still trying to understand. Mom, however, had related the story to me many times over the years. She understood it but I am still trying to piece it all together. Still, he was a loyal friend to the household that was my grandfathers. My grandfather had been a  US Marshall. He  respected Preacher enough to go quail hunting with him  many times.  Over the course of mom growing up as the baby of the family Preacher was a visitor for dinner many times over. So, baseball runs in deep in the heart of this family from the players that have visited with us.   

Check Out The Boat Cover

Oftentimes, I have mentioned that I enjoy the edit as much as securing the image. As in photography, light always plays a critical part of the image and sometimes that shift in light at the split second a shutter clicks shut will yield added bonus that give that image the same thing that gives an old piece of furniture that je nes se quois. One of the images presented me with one of those experiences on Saturday. It was rather small, but still, my eye caught it when I scanned at 100%. Nearly missing it then, also, it just struck me as one of nature's  wonderment. When putting that in perspective with life in general, we humans, are not as special among the animal kingdom as we would like to believe. I love finding those moments.When we are casually put in our place by nature. Some humans still don't get it, but for those who do, it is a humbling moment.  I'll point out the specifics of this on the following image so be sure to click on the image to enlarge so you can see what I writing about here.

See the Covered Rowing Crew Boat on the left? Look just left of center at what is sitting there. High, Dry and Very Happy Birds!

And of course, with the release of the coach's rankings for week 10 of college football, Michigan remains in No. 2. Would you look at this......it s Maze and Blue!! How ironic! Oh, it's a rowing crew boat on the top tier of a transport trailer. Top tier-- I could not make that up!

Spookie Halloween Wishes

Every one have a happy and sane Halloween. Don't forget, click on image to enlarge.

Happy Halloween, Ya'll

Birthday Wishes Posthumously

Happy 46th KP

18 years has passed already. There is not a day that goes by that I do not recall a memory of you. Tonight, I will light my annual candle in your memory and without doubt will shed a tear or two. You did everything right and you made me proud. 

(I long forgave you for being a Buckeye over a Wolverine. You see, your dream won out again.)

Continue to come and go as you will. For I still feel your presence when you visit. And, as I wrote to you in "I Must Release You", I had to release you to go and fulfill your better dreams for as any parent has dreams for their child, you had ones of your own that needed to materialize. I keep your letter from Put-In-Bay to remind me how awesome you were. Remember that day in October when I took you down onto the beach from the bluff above at Ogunquit to say good-bye to the ocean and a giant wave hit the rocks and drenched us both; Or the day at Belle Isle when were were standing on the arch bridge fishing and a alligator was inching toward us and we both began to inch out of there! And next to finally, when we were in the Blue Ridge mountains and Jim reminded you that if you got up in the morning before the rest of us did, you should not to go out on the deck. Quickly, I interjected that you should listen to Jim because the drop from the edge of the deck was a couple of hundred feet down the side of the mountain if you fell over. But Jim, quickly came back to his point, 'no, the deck if safe enough to keep him from falling, it's the couple of dozen of timber rattlers that curl up along side the house for warmth during the night". Finally, and I tell this story all the time at your expense. When driving home from Pawleys,  remember the license plate game we always played? But the one that really sticks was that day we were playing it and  you say," Dad, there sure is a lot of them Cuyahogas!."

So as you do come and go at times, for I know that you do, always know that I loved you so much.

Rest in Peace  

Happy Birthday, Dad.

Creative Hanging Worthy of a Mention

Sometimes, I find things that just blow me away. Usually, if I am going to have an old-of-focus image or some really bad creative imagery, it's going to be from one of these unexpected finds. While I have never liked doing work twice because it is interest paid twice, I will go back and re-shoot that image so that I can log as part of my portfolio. Case in point.
 
In this particular case, understanding how this find was done is making me curious. It will take some more investigating. Keeping sure footing was more important than any camera setting and one must remember that at this time of year, the snakes are beginning to crawl. But, there will be better times when it all comes together and I might even get a super shot out of this. If not, then, having seen it was enough. I'm pretty sure that most of my readers have never seen this. I will tell you that the height about the ground was at least 30 feet with another 20 feet to the top. Amazing at any height. Amazing for even finding it where it was.

A large wind chime hanging under a bridge overpass some 30 feet above the ground. The cable that bound it went upwards another 20 feet and came through crack in the roadway above.

This is difficult to explain who cavernous this really hangs over.

Sorry for the out of focus. I'm trying to keep myself from falling and watching for creepy crawlers and not worried about changing my usual settings.

A Surprise From the Sierra Navada

Fishing on the Rock again.

Ducking the main sail in low quarters!

Even since the Osprey flew the nest at the end of summer, I set out to find a new action web cam. There has been a previous post about this. Yes, one was found and it was mentioned "in part" in that same post.

Watching the daily dose of 2-mile-lone freight trains being pulled through town several times a day by Union Pacific locomotion has been a trill for a big kid. Me! On the other hand,  Amtrak is also amazing as their  daily consist has gone from the normal of 12-cars down to 11 after the holiday. Plus, three or four times, the old private cars are pulled from west to east or east back to the west. Either way, the freight trains are general freight and always one of straight containers. There has been some freights with as many as 8 engines. Some pulling. Some pushing. Yesterday, there was one that was made up of 10 locomotives. That is the most that I have ever seen in any trains consist. Ever! And I have watched trains ever since I was a kid walking home from school.

At the same while,  I have watched the weather systems move over the Sierra Nevada range and dip down arriving in North Texas a couple of days later, On Monday, it was raining with freezing rain on the web cam. The nights have been in the low 20s--even dipping to the upper teens a couple of time.

When I clicked on the cam this morning.....I gasp from the beauty of snow capped mountains that came over the night.  The gold of the Aspen trees leaves below the snow caps just sent chills of excitement and joy through my soul. I remember the old Lutheran and Methodist hymn: "For the Beauty of the Earth" by Conrad Kocher in 1838, and I give thanks.

Nature's Flying Stain Glass

Well, every year about this time, give or take a window's week, the Monarch butterfly reaches North Texas from its days of milkweed leaf chomping, it's lush silk-spun chrysalis they encased themselves into in Canada and the Great Lakes before they take flight to winter in Mexico.

I found one spot where there were as many as 7 Monarchs on one plant. The most that I have seen in one place outside of  hundreds in the air overhead.

Plant milkweed in your garden and start watching around Columbus Day for the arrival. First you will see one or two, then a dozen. Look up and you might catch a brief view of one of the waves.
These are the great-great grand children of last years arrivals.