"Travelogue: Crazy Woman Canyon, Wyoming"

(click on pics to enlarge)

I had planned a long weekend to traipse through the Bighorn Mountains in Wyoming, and chose to enter through a neat place called Crazy Woman Canyon...the name was enough to entice me, with variations on the legend aplenty (found this interesting excerpt link from a book titled "Crazy Woman Creek"). As I approached the eastern ramparts, it was getting late in the day, hence the angled light on the front range that greeted me to the Bighorn complex...

The first bit of the road had the right/north side in full sun, showing the sedimentary ledges nicely with the specular lighting...

...and soon enough the canyon walls closed in on me...the road crossed this simple wooden bridge, and from there on out it was a narrow coursing that even my wide-angle lens had a hard time encompassing...
(note the golden 'glow' around the bend...)

I can only imagine how waters rage through here after storms or serious snow melt...at this time the lower reaches had only trickles, echoing against the massive canyon walls...

As you know from recent posts, I love to go in close when I have the chance. Since lenses didn't really help tell the story of the canyon, I figured closer-framed scenes would give you a sense of the beauty I ran into that afternoon and evening...

It was clearly fall, of course, mid September there...the colors while muted in the shade did have a saturation that was very warming...while I don't know the plant shown below, here in the Southeast is a plant called Dolls Eyes, for obvious reasons: previous generations would use these late-season berries for the eyes of homemade dolls.

Water is magical almost any way you look at it. Below, I focused on the ripples reflecting the strong west light on the east rim wall, bouncing the reflections in the cerulean-based waters, whose azure tones are accentuated in the shadows...

Too, the mix of golden leaves, with gnarled exposed roots, up against a Grandfather rock...a scene that really grounds me with the 'elements' all coming together for a family portrait...

'Twas late in the day when I got to the top of the canyon, which opened up to the upper plateau of the Bighorns...and I snapped this serene scene while stopped on a simple bridge...

I realize most of us don't have the opportunity to get into such places...the healing and peaceful enveloping is indescribable, as you may well imagine...which is why I hope in some way even but one of you finds some solace in these pics, even if it makes you wistful. You won't be alone, I can assure you...

"Daisy Follow-up, and Other Stuff..."

Couldn't help but to pass on a few more photos from the daisy patch...since the post two days ago dealt with the denizens of said daisies, these are just some interesting 'side' shots, sans insects.

Late Monday there was a hard but brief rain, with the sun quickly returning to create a veritable steam bath outside...and I got the pic below immediately after the sun came out (remember to click pics to enlarge...even neater bigger!)

In just looking through the daisies, I noticed that this one below was fused, a true double-daisy with one forlorn petal coming through the center of the head...

On a nearby tree I saw a butterly of sorts land after flying right by my face...for obvious reasons, it took me a minute to figure out just where it landed...camouflage is alive and well in the insect world, in case you ever wondered...

And because I was keeping the former post purely about the daisies, I didn't include these pics from the few day lilies nearby that this big ol' bumblebee found appealing..."Bobbing For Pollen" I call this one below...


And so a little more small talk on small sights that are anything but small when you stop and muse over Nature's perfection...
...the natural balance struck even with ebbs and flows...
...how all of Life interrelates cooperatively...
...how seemingly very different organisms help each other prosper...
...how things are supposed to work in this beautiful world...

Humankind has most definitely done a bang up job of screwing all that to Hades in a handbasket. We've got a lot of repair work to do, friends...

"And now for a little humor...."

Ah, to be a practitioner of Zen...the attainment of "Awakening", the "individual experience of one's own nature." Life offers many maxims; here are but a few of the many 'variations' on a particular Zen-istic theme that came my way from the world of forwarded emails (with a few personal adjustments thrown in!)

"ZEN SARCASM"

Do not walk behind me, for I may not lead. Do not walk ahead of me, for I may not follow. Do not walk beside me, either...just pretty much leave me the hell alone.

The journey of a thousand miles
begins with a "check engine" light
and a dead A/C compressor.

It's always darkest before dawn.
So if you're dog is going to poop
on a neighbor's lawn, that's
the time to let them do it.

Don't be irreplaceable. If you can't
be replaced, you can't be promoted.

Always remember that you're
unique... just like everybody else.

Never test the depth of
the water with both feet.

If you think nobody cares if you're
alive, try missing a couple of car payments.

Before you criticize someone,
you should walk a mile in their
shoes. That way, when you criticize
them, you're a mile away
and you have their shoes.

If at first you don't succeed,
don't try skydiving.

Give a man a fish and he will
eat for a day. Teach a man how
to fish, and he will sit in a boat
and drink beer all day long.

If you lend someone $20 and
never see that person again,
it was probably worth it.

If you tell the truth, you don't
have to remember anything.

Some days you're the bug;
some days you're the windshield.

Everyone seems normal
until you get to know them.

The quickest way to double your
money is to fold it in half and
put it back in your pocket.

A closed mouth gathers no foot.

Duct tape is like "The Force":
it has a light side and a dark side,
and it holds the Universe together.

There are two theories to arguing
with women. Neither one works.

Generally speaking, you aren't
learning much when
your lips are moving

Experience is something you don't
get until just after you need it.

Never miss a good chance
to shut up.

Never under any circumstances
take a sleeping pill and a laxative
on the same night.

"Denizens of the Daisies"

It's just a nice little patch of daisies beside the driveway. With a little watering help, they've been blooming for a couple of weeks, now, providing a constant display as new blooms replace the old.

And upon closer inspection before getting in the car one day, I noticed the wide variety of winged-ones that fed on the nectar...and with the great macro capability in my oft-praised Canon S2, I set out to get interesting close-ups of the Feeders of the Fields...or as I labeled this post, the Denizens of the Daisies. Enjoy the pics, and remember you can click on the pics to enlarge them.










(The End)

"Just call me Uncle Bob!"

...and a PROUD one, at that!

Massachusetts grew by 2 last Tuesday morning, July 3rd! My brother and his wife brought twins into this world that day, and let's just say it was a slow train a-comin'...

The ecstatic new family in the delivery room...
(Domino's ain't got nothin' on THAT place!)

"Ladies and Gentlemen, I now present to you...."

Ellen Grace and William George

They tipped the scales at 4lb. 8oz. and 5lb. 11oz., respectively. The babies arrived safe and sound, and rumor has it they were overheard already arguing about who was going to be the favorite...

Too, it's a very special time for our little branch of the family tree, as these twins are the only twigs in in the "next generation" department.

I'm already wondering what they'd like on their first flutes...

Peace.

"Travelogue: Badlands National Park, loop road"

(click pics to enlarge)

I remember a particular tourist on one of my many excursions into the Badlands...he wasn't talking to me directly, but speaking loudly to a couple of other people with him...and he said "This place is boring! There's nothing to see or do!"
What a pity his life must be.

In fact, at every turn, the scenery changes. At every angle of the sun the scenery and colors change. There is so much "Life" to be seen that I can't fathom why someone couldn't see it. *sigh*. Welcome to a day's journey along the loop road through Badlands National Park in southwest South Dakota (once again)...

It is an eerie landscape, to be sure...half canyon, half moonscape...and the music I wrote to the video postcard I made 2 years ago befits the mysterious beauty (link at the bottom). And yet, one need only search for info on Chief Big Foot...The Ghost Dance...Wounded Knee...and realize the painful and deeply saddening history that took place right here, and not all that long ago....

When it's warm and dry, it's a veritable wonderland to explore...the summers can get painfully hot, and the winters bitterly cold...but that Badlands soil is something to behold when it gets wet, and travel can easily become impossible...

Creatures like the baby Bighorn above adapt well to the harsh landscape, finding plenty of food to graze on, their sure-footed hooves helping them traverse the landscape with ease...

Too, there are numerous dinosaur fossils that emerge in the silty landscape after heavy rains, and are fully protected and monitored...the likes of T-Rex and Triceratops...I can only imagine what indigenous peoples thought of these huge bones when they saw them many moons ago...

While there is basically the one giant paved loop through this incredible national park, there are many spurs and trails to hike...and within yards you'll be out of sight of roads and traffic, and immediately immerse yourself in a strange but wonderful world.

"Spring Day In The Badlands"
video link

"Happy Birthday, America!"

I have fond childhood memories of July 4th...it always seemed to be one of those fun-filled holidays with picnics and cookouts, and then going out on some large lawn area and watching those fireworks we 'ooooooh!' and 'aaahhhhhh!' over. Even though I must have been close to 5 years old at the time, I can still remember being at my grandparent's home in Enid, Oklahoma, and lighting the little black cylinders that would *poof* and expand into snakes...and dancing around with sparklers and writing stuff in that Okie dusk air...

Of course, I also have more recent memories of all my wonderful past canine companions that were terrified of the night's noises, who would shivver and pace and hide and pant with each loud boom and rat-a-tat-tat from strings of firecrackers. Needless to say with my work shift of needing to be asleep by 7pm, it's not the most restful of nights for me!

While July 4th was the day of the actual signing of the Declaration of Independence back in 1776, the celebration of Independence Day that year took place 4 days later on the 8th. And it wasn't until 1941 that Independence Day was declared a legal federal holiday (I don't mind working it, either, as I get a comp day for doing so!). In 1805 Boston had its first fireworks display. In 1844 the Statue of Liberty was formally presented at the Paris workshop. In 1960 Hawaii was granted statehood. In looking at odds and ends, I also read where "under God" wasn't added to the Pledge of Allegiance until 1954, thanks to the Knights of Columbus. Interesting tidbit, that last one.

Here is a fun link (click photo below) to make your own fireworks display...you get to be the FireMaster as you control "the show" through placement and speed of clicks with your mouse button:
Have a safe and enjoyable holiday!

"Just a little drive..."

(click pics to enlarge)

Got a chance this past weekend to do one of my favorite things: slowly drive backroads. These pics happened to have come from a Forest Service road off the north flank of the Black Mountains, near Craggy Gardens. Being the weekend before July 4th, there were more than enough humanoids on the Blue Ridge Parkway...but you can almost always beat the crowds by having a good set of maps and a solid sense of direction.

The solitude is well worth it...and while it seems like everyone wants the million mile view, there are plenty of gorgeous, soothing sights right in front of you, especially in these deep woods.

While I had my camera with me, I only brought my little Canon S2 and did not intend to stop and take pictures all the time, if at all. Been to this area plenty through the years, and just wanted to get away from the "concrete jungle" many of us call home...

From the daisies to the fleabanes to the Goatsbeard (above), the color of the day went to the white flowers at this particular bend in the road. Elsewhere some of the rhododendron were blooming their pale blossoms as well, and large leaves reached out into the filtered sunlight to do their thing...

And what would a stop be without access to a little bit of fresh, cold mountain water for Mercy to dabble in? The little blur of her slinging that good tasting water says it all. It was in the low 80s even there, but luckily a nice veil of clouds had formed making the woods even deeper and darker. I chose to handhold the shots and not use a flash...au naturale seemed to fit the bill well enough.

Must go back and stay longer...'letting the world go by' is quite salubrious.

-------------------------------------------------

A note of passage...

Beverly Sills passed away Monday evening after losing her battle with inoperable lung cancer. Coming from a family steeped in operatic training and performance (Mom!), I grew up with Beverly Sills as one of those household names mentioned at times...just a wonderful soprano overflowing with personality. In tribute, below I have a link to a YouTube video of her singing at the ripe age of 7. You'll think it's Shirley Temple at first. Just 7, barely in elementary school...

You GO, Girl!

Peace.

New flutes and 'stuff'...

Nice to step outside and feel some cooler and much less humid air, here, as a s-l-o-w moving cold took it's sweet time moving through a couple of days behind schedule...finally taking the strong afternoon storms with it.

Equally as slow moving has been 'yours truly' getting a few new flutes photographed. Recent hot, humid weather has made putting on finishes problematic with my set-up, but at least these three are finally done.
(click pics to enlarge, as always)

First up is my first flute in Papua New Guinea Walnut, a very light tan wood that in this case has some very nice figuring in it. Fairly light in weight, as well, even as a larger-sized key of low E-flat. The block came from an end section of a piece of Manzanita burl I used for the Mourning Dove flute block at the end of this post...as I looked at it's odd tall-ish shape, it took on the appearance of a whale breaching backwards out of the (natural Manzanita) water, which they commonly do (from the water, not the Manzanita!).

The head had some significant chunks of wood missing, so I used Malachite and Chrysacolla to fill in those voids, which fit in nicely with the design.

Everyone has their own opinion on how a flute should 'look'...I have never been one to add leather wraps, as the ultimate owner can add those if he/she wishes...and in the case of these woods, they are so beautiful unadorned I left them 'plain'...adding other designs or inlay might have taken away from the wood's beauty, and raised the cost even more,
2 things I was trying to avoid.

My top priority has been and will continue to always be about the most beautiful, clear tuned sound possible...all else being secondary or tertiary. Each of these three sounds rate at the top, and I'm very pleased with the quality and workability of this walnut.


I posted pictures of the next two flute blocks about a week ago, and have finally mated them with their flute bodies. The Mourning Dove flute is made from Yellowheart (aka Pau amarello, Yellow Boxwood), this piece having a stunning, swirling grain pattern.

Yellowheart is a very dense wood, which makes for a nice bright , hollow sound...and a tad more hefty. That also means taking twice as long to sand to a mirror-like finish given its hardness...but well worth the extra effort!

Speaking of hard to sand, the Dove itself took me far longer to smooth down than I had anticipated, especially given the numerous almost-impossible places to fully reach with my big fingers and even small sanding tools.

Lastly for today is the heaviest of the 3 new flutes, Bloodwood. It was especially hard to accurately record the deep reddish color tinged with orange, but I got close enough. The spacers in the flute are Ebony, and such items add a good bit to construction time. For whatever reason I had this idea to do a Black Widow design somehow, and at first thought of an inlay...long story short, I opted to nestle a large female black widow (made in Ebony) into a 'nest' made from a tip of an Ironwood log...

The other part to the story is that after I did the hourglass inlay in red coral, that ended up definitely pink, I decided not to paint a bright red over it...and for the record, this former Biology teacher knows that the hourglass should be on the underside of the abdomen, not on the top...I just wanted the effect, so I tell people to simple 'deal with it'!

With the change in our weather, I should be able to get back to the business of more flute making, which has been greatly slowed of late for various reasons. After a nice long weekend up in the NC mountains, I picked up some of that needed inspiration that heretofore has waned a wee bit.