with John W. Howell
Tempeste wishes she could pose under the Christmas tree, but we don’t have one this year because she is obsessed with pulling off the ornaments.
Twiggy is glad we removed the tree since the constant “Tempeste no!” drove her crazy.
A warm wish for a Merry Christmas and Happy Hanukkah from our house to yours.
I have closed comments and will be offline until Thursday.
“Twiggy. What are you doing?”
“Checking out the backyard to see if 2019 has changed anything.”
“It is all the same out there. Twigster. In fact, everything’s the same.”
“Well, that is good to know.”
“Wait. What’s that thing on the wall?”
“It’s been there long before you got here, Little One.”
“It is an artistic dolphin.”
“I swear, Lucy. I’ve never seen it before.”
“I think you are so low to the road you miss a lot. Trust me, nothing’s changed.”
Hard to believe another year has flown by. Our wish for you is the happiest possible year in 2019. Maybe a tad more kindness wouldn’t hurt either.
Santa brought me a new lens for Christmas. This is the kind that I can clip on my iPhone and be available whenever I want to take a picture. Some of my animal shots were subject to me getting close enough to capture the image. Now I have the opportunity to take a shot without disturbing the subject. Here are some examples.
This is a shot of Peggy taken yesterday from the back porch.
I know you can hardly see her. This next photo is from the same spot.
Here is our Christmas tree.
Here are some ornaments from the same spot.
Well, you get the idea. Here are Bailey and Lucy being completely natural.
So I think I may be able to catch some good shots. Here is hoping so. Keith Channing is on vacation, so Kreative Kue will be back in three weeks.
While traveling to Detroit for a memorial service I touched down in Indiana to visit with my eldest daughter, son-in-law and two of the three grandchildren (The third is in Germany). Many years ago I lived in the northern part of Indiana, but this trip was to Nashville which is south of Indianapolis. The area is gorgeous and to these Western eyes so green you have to squint. There are some impressions that I will share. Also, there are way too many pictures, so I’ll confine my discussion to one historical part of the town.
Here is a photo of the Brown County Historical Society old location. (The new is up the street in a new building) It is a community building built around the 1830’s.
One other building built around the same time is the jail. Seems that whenever people congregate there are some that can’t follow the rules.
This next photo is of the interior of the jail. The walls are almost a foot thick, and there are two cells. One on the main floor (pictured) and one on the top floor.
This next photo demonstrates two things about this part of the country. 1. How modest the people are in requesting funds. A twenty-five cent donation? 2. How un-politically correct the curators are in warning you about the buildings condition. The sign warns that the buildings are not up to code and never will be.
Here is the blacksmith’s shop. A view outside and inside.
The stool is not a period piece. I think the smithy has a tender butt.
No town would be complete without the doctor’s office and apothecary. Given the building’s architecture, one could argue the doc was from back East.
This next photo also tells a little about the mindset of the people of Indiana. They have an incredible level of honesty, and it is reflected in the trust of others to be the same.
The final photo is of the covered Bean Blossom Bridge. It was built in the 1880’s and is still functional.
The area around the bridge is so quiet and serene it would be a perfect place to contemplate the next novel. Looking down the slow-moving creek played idly against the banks and the small trout could be seen darting from one flat rock to another. Time could stand still. Next stop Willoughby.
Normally I would have a Kreative Kue prompt on this day but Keith Channing is off on holiday, so I’m on my own. I was in the yard on Sunday doing some shrub trimming and took a look around. The flowering plants have decided to give one last bloom. I thought you might enjoy checking them out.
This photo is of the Birds of Paradise. These are near the stairway in the front yard. This particular plant does not have a lot of blooms due to the lack of sunshine at times during the day. This year they have been quite active, though.
On the other side of the stair in the front is a Hummingbird bush. As the name implies, it is a place where the Hummingbirds like to visit. Since it is a fall bloomer, it is just in time for the Hummingbird migration which is taking place now.
The photo above is of the Jatropha. This plant has been with us for a few years and has remained the same size. It is quite susceptible to insect damage so must be cared for in the spring before blooms appear.
Here is the Laurel in bloom
My favorite is the Hibiscus. It blooms most of the year with beautiful flowers. Severe cold will stop it from blooming. How severe? Low forties.
Our Bougainvillea has been under attack this year. There is a little green worm that plays havoc with the leaves and blooms. I have been spraying, but the critter seems to enjoy the shower.
This last photo is of our giant Bird of Paradise. These blooms are white and located near the bottom of the stem.
As you may know, I have become enamored by the talent of Keith Channing. He has a weekly prompt named Kreative Kue, which runs on Mondays. Here are the instructions from Keith for the prompt. “Using this photo as inspiration, write a short story, flash fiction, scene, poem; anything, really; and either put it (or a link to it) in a comment or email it to me at keithkreates@channing.fr before 6pm on Sunday (if you aren’t sure what the time is where I live, this link will tell you). If you post it on your blog or site, a link to this page would be appreciated.”
His advice. “Go on. You know you want to. Let your creativity and imagination soar. I shall display the entries, with links to your blog or website, next Monday.” Here is the photo.
The Gang by John W. Howell © 2015
“See those guys over there?”
“What guys?”
“The ones with the black jackets.”
“Quit staring. They’re going to know you’re looking at them.”
“Seriously they look like trouble.”
“I still don’t see who you are talking about Jerry.”
“There’s one with a bald head just like yours Antoine.”
“Please, no one has a head like mine. I still don’t see ’em.”
“Don’t turn around Shirley but trust me they look badass.”
“So what if they are? Mind your own business and you’ll be okay. Close your mouth for god’s sake.”
“I’m hunching down and still don’t see who you are talking about.”
“Francine, they are right across the court over there. There is one with blond hair like yours.”
“This is driving me mad. I don’t see them, Jerry.”
“Hold on Jerry. I think I see them.”
“Ah ha at last Gladys. Someone knows I’m not nuts.”
“Oh, Jerry I would not be too quick to assume that yet.”
“Why not Gladys?”
“That is a mirror over there. You see our reflection.”
“Erm. Anyone want coffee? Told you they were badass.”
I have often mentioned the fact that the city grooms the beach so that the poor tourists do not get stuck. Although to the casual observer this looks like a good idea there are other problems connected with grading the beach. Among those are the burying of trash and firewood, disturbing the eco-system and making the beach a passable road. (more cars ). Here are a few pictures.
This is the grader at work. Yes, it is a full-size piece of equipment.
This will give you an idea of how the beach looks after the monster passes a few times. He will work the sand to the water’s edge. Guess how hard it is to ride a bike on groomed sand.
As most of the regulars know I have this annoying habit of taking pictures as I ride my bike and then writing little stories about what I see. The story is usually a piece of flash fiction inspired by the photo. Today is no exception. I saw this little car on the beach and couldn’t help myself. Hope you like it.
The Trip by John W. Howell © 2015
“Okay. Where are we?”
“I’m not sure.”
“It was your idea to leave the movie and go on a trip.”
“Did I know the real world was not the same as the film world?”
“I think you could have made a guess it would be different.”
“Sure I thought it would be a little different.”
“But what?”
“Never counted on riding along on a sandy highway.”
“And not hitting a crab.”
“Well, that too.”
“So what do we do now?”
“Do you have your phone?”
“Yes.”
“Give it to me.”
“Please?”
“Please give it to me.”
“Here.”
“Hello. Triple-A? Is this the Disney Pixar Cars Triple A? Oh good. I need a tow. We hit a crab, and the front tire is messed up. Yeah, a crab. How big? I would say as big as the car. Hello. Triple-A? Hello.”
“They hung up?”
“Not sure. I still hear laughing.”
This weekend produced some fine photos of what I like to call Stupid First Class. I was going to run some of them on Thursday but decided to run them when we all might need a laugh. It seems the holidays produce some unique examples of Stupid First Class. I was on my bike on the Fourth of July and came upon this sight a few minutes before the photo.
So what we have here is a pickup in the surf. I didn’t see it drive in, but I can imagine these two were launching that wave runner and instead of backing in they decided to go forward. The truck died when it hit the water. I did not stay around after I saw the one on the right jump in the vehicle and when he got it restarted he floored it and the result you see here (rear end totally buried). This truck will now be part of a new reef ecosystem. I took this picture and one of them yelled, “Instead of pictures you could help.” I yelled back, “there is no interrupting Stupid First Class when it is fully engaged.” He flipped me the bird that I thought was well-played. (Oh I forgot to mention the tide is on the way in.)
Now that the sun has returned I thought I would give you a view of the sea facing side (West) of the Dune and point out the beautiful purple morning glories that grow there. My purpose is to give you an idea of how much dune there is.
As you can see, the dune is made of sand (duh) but is covered with a number of vines. These vines are a good thing since when the Gulf decides to move in during times of storm the vegetation keeps the sand somewhat in place.
Here is another view looking off toward the south. This is back behind the dune again but gives you an idea that the dune does provide a first line of defense in case of water surge. The bird sitting on the beach pole 41 is a Heron.
Notice also the lack of development on the land between the Gulf and where this photo was taken. (Those buildings are about a quarter-mile away and are set back from the Dune as well). This is on purpose and keeps the area free of houses and condos so that the defense against rising tide is kept intact. The last storm which caused a significant surge was Hurricane Ike in 2008. About twenty feet of dune was washed away in a manner of hours. The twenty feet have been replaced by the natural action of the Gulf and movement of the sand.
