Dave's Journal, July 2015
Breakfast mmmmmm
Today's breakfast was yogurt, banana, grapes and 2 oatmeal cookies. It looks pretty good right there, but after 20 seconds in that blender, it looks like someone already ate it .
Cars of Summer . . . this is a good time, and always a big turnout. Cars come and go over the three days, so you go back later on and see a lot of new faces.
Today was overcast and warm . . . perfect. Here are my pictures:
CoS.2015.
I just love these old designs.
Well, we did pop in shortly to Erynn's graduation party. Very nice.
I am sick of eating yogurt, bananas, blendered soup, and today we found ourselves at FiveGuys Burger joint with Andrew and Rachel. I couldn't resist the temptation for a cheese dog . . . .
(It was every bit as bad as you imagined it would be, but I did eat it.)
Well, Rachel and Andrew flew home today, and I have a sad lonely feeling that I hope will pass quickly. I think we had a wonderful 10 days, even with me being deaf and us all getting used to each others' just hanging around habits.
Andrew has quite a brain for details, observing his surroundings, remembering details, sense of direction and I swear that he memorizes a map in 15 seconds.
Rachel is ever so shy and I think that grumpy me scares her sometimes, but isn't that what grandpas do best --- scare people ?
Well . . . now we have the memories.
And, the pictures: Summer2015
Miscellaneous Ramblings
Yesterday, I went to the Fitchburg Art Museum to see the "local artists" exhibit, and take my time about it. Again, I am really impressed by what items they selected for the show, and am glad to say that my two pictures hold up pretty well in the crowd.
Some of the stuff was beyond "impressive"; some of it was inspirational, really. People seeing (and creating) pictures (photos, painting, mixed media) that I would never think of. At each of these pictures, I'd say "I have to try something like this". I said that about 15 times, and it dawned on me that (even if I live to a ripe old age) I'm not going to live long enough to make all the pictures that I want to make. So . . . I resigned myself to the idea that my work will never be finished . . . I guess that's good, isn't it ?
"Scenic views in every direction" is what they said on the website for the top of Brown Hill, and so I set my day's task to hike up there, despite the predicted 90F (32C) temperature.
"If my car is still in the parking lot when you lock up tonight, send the medics up the trail and carry my body down", is what I told the nice lady at the Audubon office. "Oh, you'll be fine" is what the nice lady said back. She was right, I am fine.
It was a pleasant one mile trail, made a little bit hard by the temperature and humidity (not to mention the 70 years behind me). I can't agree with the "scenic views all around" advertisement, but it was nice at the top.
A few pictures are in the next box.
I was looking out the porch window about 6AM this morning and here's what I saw . . .
Not terribly captivating, as far as scenes go, but it triggered a memory of my childhood. Specifically of summer mornings, living on 18th street in Brooklyn (in GrandMa Leo's house).
Mom would not let me go outside until there were other kids out there. So, I would go downstairs and stand at the front door (glass pane in the door) and wait ever so patiently for some friend to spring out of his house. Usually this was "Little Al" from across the street. He was my cousin Ron's cousin (on the "other side" of his family). His younger sister (Marilyn) called him "Lolly" which he hated, and I never called him that. Anyway, he was usually the first kid to hit the sidewalk in the morning, and I'd yell up to my mother "Little Al is outside. Can I go out", and she set me free for the morning.
What triggered that memory is the early morning light in my picture (above). It's the same kind of light I'd see in the morning, looking out the front door, waiting for a friend to show up. That was about 60 years ago, and I remember it . . . . but don't ask me to remember if I took my vitamins this morning !
The lawnmower is still in the shop, I am momentarily ahead of the weeds, Deb is working, the weather is perfect, I don't feel like a woods hiker today, so I went to Boston to walk down along the Charles River & back up along Commonwealth Avenue. It was as nice a day as I could ask for.
Sail boats, windsails and kayaks were on the river. Joggers (the lunchtime joggers go a lot faster than the vacation joggers and the retired joggers) were out in force.
Well, obviously someone along Commonwealth Ave in Boston's Back Bay neighborhood does not like Monet, because there it is, sitting by the public trash can, Monet's famous "Women in the Garden". Can't imagine why it's out with the public trash (organic vegy-wrap bags, empty Perrier bottles and smoked salmon tins from the lunch break workers), except that someone needed to make an artistic public statement ... "I REALLY don't like this picture".
Whatever, I suppose.
Then ....
As I was cutting left to the train station, I see a huge crowd in the Boston Common. Looked like a flea market ...... I love flea markets. "Dave, you're right here. Check it out", and I crossed the street.
Not a flea market. It was the 25th year celebration of the American Disabilities Act. Honestly I am totally ignorant of what the ADA is, but here I am.
It took me a few minutes (literally) to understand what I was into here. Many many people totally helpless in sci-fi looking wheelchairs and people in almost robotic body suits, and people I couldn't imagine being outside of a hospital. All moving, or being moved, around. I kind of went into shock a bit. To be honest I don't even know what to write here.
I forbid myself to photograph disadvantaged and disabled people. I just won't do it, so I don't have much to show here in terms of pictures. But I walked about for maybe 15 minutes, and I will tell you .... it was pretty f#^&*@% emotional.
I don't think that we care enough about each other in this life.
Russ (Deb's cousin) and Fran sold their woodsy-modern house to (daughter) Natalie and Dave, and this weekend was the annual summer party there. Always a good time with way too much food and alcohol (do you know how nicely lemonade, lime slices and vodka compliment each other? ..... or were those cucumber slices?).
At 70 and retired, you sometimes think way too much about the years behind you. Not so much the life that you actually had, but sometimes you think of the live(s) that you didn't have. Why do we do this? Well . . . why shouldn't we do this? It's kind of impossible to shut your brain down, thoughts keep flooding in there and new and crazy thoughts always get priority over old boring thoughts, so why not ask yourself . . . "Should I have .....?"
So let me wonder, should I have ....
Any one of those decisions would have diverted my life dramatically, and they were all real possibilities at some point in time.
I wonder, I wonder.
I have been sitting on this picture for a while. Cannot decide what do do with it (the original untouched version, I mean). Today I got this artsy inspiration and for better or for worse it now resides in CafePhotos/Gallery7
