Odd Shot--Swinging

Did you ever

take a picture

 of a kid

on a swing?

That didn't work,

did it?

Let's try a different angle.

Hmm,

maybe next time.

I post an odd shot for every Monday.

 If you have one, too, leave a comment and we'll come visit.

Drammens fjord | Hurum | A grey day

Sunday's Psalm--Fourth Sunday of Ordinary Time

 I will sing of your salvation.

In you, O LORD, I take refuge;

let me never be put to shame.

In your justice rescue me, and deliver me;

incline your ear to me, and save me.

I will sing of your salvation.

Be my rock of refuge,

a stronghold to give me safety,

for you are my rock and my fortress.

O my God, rescue me from the hand of the wicked.

I will sing of your salvation.

For you are my hope, O Lord;

my trust, O God, from my youth.

On you I depend from birth;

from my mother’s womb you are my strength.

I will sing of your salvation.

My mouth shall declare your justice,
day by day your salvation.
O God, you have taught me from my youth,
and till the present I proclaim your wondrous deeds.

I will sing of your salvation.

From Psalm 71
Photos--marina nOympia WA, trail at Ohanapecosh WA, Mayfield Lake WA, cross at a church in Tri-Cities WA

Monochrom Weekly | Drammen

This Monochrome concept came from Aileni at The Monochrome Weekly

Dog for Sale

This Monochrome concept came from Aileni at Monochrome Weekend.

Weekend Reflection--St. Ignatius again

I posted another version of this view when things were frozen a couple of weeks ago.

But the weather has turned warmer, and St. Ignatious looks out on the scene right side up and up side down now.

James hosts Weekend Reflectiosn at Newtown Daily Photo.

Toyota Fix
Toyota has announced a quick fix for the gas pedal defect that affects 4.2 million cars. It will be available to the dealers as soon as all the Toyota executives commit ritual suicide.



Huge Budget
President Obama is about to unveil the biggest budget in U.S. history. To pay for it, the president plans to boost taxes, kill the space program, and do some photo shoots he won't exactly be proud of.




Missile Failure
A U.S. missile defense test failed Sunday when a long-range missile missed its target because of radar problems... and because the missile techs were too busy trying to get their Toyota's fixed at the dealership.



Haitian Food Aid
The U.N. is starting a special food voucher program for victims of the Haitian earthquake. Food will be distributed first to women, children, and anyone who had to listen to Anderson Cooper.



Gay Super Bowl Ad
One of the commercials during the Super Bowl will be for a gay men's dating site... not surprising since the entire game features one man grasping under another man's ass on every play.





February 1st


1662: The Chinese general Koxinga seizes the island of Taiwan in a crass attempt to corner the crappy figurine market.


1790: In New York City, the Supreme Court of the United States attempts to convene for the first time... but it's forced to break every 15 minutes so the justices can go out and feed the parking meters.


1960: Four black students in demand of racial equality stage the first of the Greensboro sit-ins at a lunch counter in Greensboro, North Carolina. The first sit-in staged by Jewish students on the same day in demand of a decent Pastrami on Rye south of Brooklyn is largely ignored.


THANKS!!! Year over year, the number of hits on this site for January was UP a whopping 90.2%!!!!

January 31st


1876: The United States orders all Native Americans to move into reservations... or cheesy casinos, whichever's closer.


1958: James Van Allen discovers the Van Allen radiation belt. It was right on the Van Allen Radiation Pants and just below the Van Allen Radiation Shirt.


1995: President Bill Clinton authorizes a $20 billion loan to Mexico to stabilize its economy... and to keep everyone there quiet about what he did in Tijuana with that 15-year-old hooker.

Savoir Faire

Jane Douglas grew up in Virginia, I in Atlanta. We both went to college in Virginia. At some point when you live in Virginia, the "Virginia sensibility” becomes a part of you. Virginians have a natural elegance, a certain savoir faire. In Virginia the landscape itself is breathtaking. I remember driving out to the Blue Ridge Parkway just to watch the sun set.

Jane Douglas and I both lived in Richmond ages ago when we were in our twenties. The city of Richmond itself is full of beautiful architecture and lovely neighborhoods. In fact, we are all drawn to beautiful things – whether it's a house, a piece of furniture, the leaves in the fall, fabric, a sunset, a poem or a painting.

We went on the Cathedral Tour of Homes last week and both of us were struck by one house in particular, which has a stunning living room. It is fun and beautiful and graceful all at the same time. I would say that is the style that we both are drawn too – a tamer version of Miles Redd and Kelly Wearstler. Traditional interiors with a twist, that aren't too serious. After all, we want to be able to live easily in our houses, even with children and dogs!





First two images courtesy of Elle Decor, third image courtesy of Southern Accents. First room is Miles Redd, second image is Elizabeth Martin, third is Barry Dixon.

January 30th


1649: King Charles I of England is beheaded. He continues to rule for 15 more years.


1911: The Canadian Naval Service becomes the Royal Canadian Navy. Molson becomes its official sponsor.


1945: Adolf Hitler gives his last ever radio address. It is interrupted 18 times for "weather on the ones."


1989: The American embassy in Kabul, Afghanistan closes. All official U.S. business is now held in the backroom at Amir's Falafel on alternate Wednesdays.

The season for Reflections

Laid up for the season.

James at Newtown Area Photo has a meme called Weekend Reflections. Post a reflection during the week-end, log on to MckLinky via his site - and you're on.

You find a SkyWatch in the most unusual places.

http://skyley.blogspot.com/

Look for sky images from the imagination and real skies around the world.

You'll find them here.

A stool - not a Bench?

Someone just left...
From Rodos (Rhodos, Rhodes), Greece (2008)

What makes a house a home?

In thinking about starting our interior design firm, I have been pondering what makes a house a home and not a set from a magazine shoot. What is it that gives a house warmth and personality and soul? Think about the feeling that you have when you come home to a house you love - the house evokes an emotional reaction in us, it touches us somewhere inside and we feel safe and can be refreshed.

This is the house that I, my mother and grandmother grew up in:



Just looking at the photo gives me a feeling of "home." This house is why I built a white clapboard house - it just feels like home to me. Each one of us has different things that evoke that feeling of home. The job of an interior designer is to help the client figure out what those things are and how they translate into design of the house (inside and out).

A house tells the story of a person's life, and describes the journey that one has traveled. At the beginning the house is fresh and often fairly empty, as time goes by the house develops a patina, and becomes full of the artifacts and treasures collected along the way. If you look closely, you can learn a lot about a person from his or her house - you can see what is meaningful to the homeowners and what their passions are.

In the next few posts, we will explore the things that Jane Douglas and I love about houses and interior design and we will show you some of things that we love about our own houses.

Gates Vaccines
Bill Gates' foundation has just pledged $10 billion to create new vaccines. Most of them will be needed to kill the bugs in Windows 7.



Small Biz Plan
President Obama is proposing a $33 billion plan to help small businesses hire more people. Employers will get up to a $5,000 tax credit for each new hire, and $500,000 if they're willing to hire Martha Coakley.



Leno on Oprah
Jay Leno did an interview with Oprah Winfrey yesterday hoping to boost his image. But any chance of Leno getting her sympathy was dashed when he grabbed her lost donut in the green room.



Army Suicide
The U.S. army is reporting a spike in suicides. It's not clear if this is due to the hellish wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, or all the hellish Hollywood movies about the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.




Fast Food Calories
The good news is a new report shows that listing the calorie counts on fast-food menus has led to fewer kids eating the unhealthy food. The bad news is the real reason American kids are shying away is because they're afraid of anything that looks like math.





January 29th


904: Sergius III comes out of retirement to take over the papacy, much to the relief of his very tired wife.


1886: Karl Benz patents the first successful gasoline-driven automobile... making this a day of mourning for Ed Begley Jr.


1996: President Jacques Chirac announces a "definitive end" to French nuclear weapons testing. From then on, all French nuclear weapons classes have been been "pass/fail."

Molja Ålesund

Molja lighthouse is a 150 year-old lighthouse at the entrance to the harbour and Brosundet (the narrow stretch of water forming the inlet connecting the two wider areas of water north and south of Ålesund). Today the lighthouse also is part of Hotel Breisundet, and is known as Rom #47.
The interior of the lighthouse is completely round, only 3 meters in diameter, but through effective use of the available spaces, Molja now boasts a bedroom upstairs and a bathroom downstairs.
The interior design was carried out by Snøhetta, Norway's most well known architects (designers of Oslo Opera House and Ground Zero museum in New York City among many other landmark projects.) They have carefully achieved a wonderfully distinctive blend of modern facilities with historic and rustic interior.
The buildings of wood close to and behind the lighthouse was built before the city-fire in 1904. I have tried to make two expressions of this area through these paintings.

This is the way to go...

If you happen to be a squirrel.

You'll find This Way Thursday here.

...or a deer.

Rail Money
President Obama will announce $8 billion in high speed rail funding today. That's $1 billion for new projects, and $7 billion to clean the bathrooms on Amtrak.



Apple's Tablet
Apple has released its long-awaited tablet computer, calling it the iPad. It will also come in a larger size for women called the MAXiPad.




Toyota Shutdowns
Because of its massive recall, Toyota is idling plants all across the world. But despite the fact that its factories are completely shut down, Toyota workers are still 37% busier than anyone at the UAW.




GM Response
In reaction to the massive Toyota recall, General Motors is offering Toyota owners $1,000 to break their leases and go to GM. Toyota is countering with something more valuable to GM owners: the addresses and phone numbers of all mechanics in their area.



Nursing Home Problems
A new report shows that 20% of nursing homes get bad quality ratings. The other 80% have free cable.






January 28th


1573: Freedom of religion is granted in Poland... most of the Polish people hear the news and continue killing Jews.


1916: Louis D. Brandeis becomes the first Jew appointed to the United States Supreme Court... most of the Polish people hear the news and continue killing Jews.


1921: A symbolic Tomb of the Unknown Soldier is installed beneath the Arc de Triomphe in Paris. Millions of living French soldiers immediately rush to the tomb and surrender.


1965: The current design of the Flag of Canada is chosen by an act of Parliament after most of the ruling cabinet loses a drinking game.

ABC Wednesday--B is for...

The

beat

beat

beat

of

 the

drum.

As preschoolers learn about music in their own experience.

So what is your B today. See others at ABC Wednesday and stop by and give Denise a hello. She started it all and we are in the sixth round now (fifth for me.)

My World Tuesday with the Grandkids

For some of the last week and next my world has changed. A tiny new grandson has joined the family and I've spent time with them keeping tabs on his brother and sisters.

On one walk with big brother, we looked down from the hill to part of the city. This part of the South Hill area of Spokane has a flight of steps connecting the road at the middle of the hill to the top. Sometimes they are closed in the winter because they are treacherous when icy.


From another part of the hill, we could see Mt. Spokane, where we would spend part of Saturday on the snow.

I had some fun searching thorugh the trees for the spires of St. Aloysius Church on the Gonzaga University campus...

...which have a very different look from closer up at a different angle.

Visit My World Tuesday posts here.