First World Problem

— Posted inEclectic — 1 min read

I took this photo because I thought it is funny how the extension cord typically used to power the icicle lights hanging from the gutters at at Christmas time gets wrapped around the downspout in order to keep it in place. The problem comes when it is time to take the lights down and it is necessary to untangle the mess. Looking at my images to select one for todays post I realized this may be a problem in some countries/cultures it is incomprehensible to much of the world. To quote the Scottish poet Robert Burns “Oh would some power the giftie gie us, To see ourselves as others see us.”

Remembering Times Past

— Posted inEclectic, Food, Other — 1 min read

There are many ways to say it, one being: “If you never knew about it you can’t miss it.” Unfortunately for much of our life there was a Trader Joe’s just a few minutes away from where we lived. With our homes of the past decade and a half having wheels and home being where we park for the night, Trader Joe’s have been few and far between. In two days time we will be traveling again and the Trader Joe’s a few miles from our daughter’s house will soon be a distant memory.

While there may not have been a tear in my wife’s eye, and the chocolate covered expresso beans she bought (along with a number of other goodies) not withstanding, she and I both will miss our all time favorite grocery store.

Cell Phone Photos

— Posted inPhotography — 1 min read

I use a Samsung A50 cell for many of my photos, but there are times when it just doesn’t cut it . This “zoom” image of a heron is a case in point. There are times when one of my “real cameras” has to be used to get a decent image. There is a saying that the best camera is the one you have with you when you take the photo. Maybe so, but when the image turns out like this, maybe it was just better to have deleted it.

Rocks and More Rocks

— Posted inEclectic — 1 min read

We have been traveling in our RV (Caravan) for the last 9 months visiting Texas, Oklahoma, Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, Arizona and Mexico where the non-writer of these posts occasionally collects rocks, minerals and fossils. While the writer also does some collecting, his main task during these forays is play pack mule carrying all her finds back to where our vehicle is parked. Today made all that hard work more than worthwhile as she shared some of her finds and knowledge with our daughter and granddaughters.

More Than Basketball

— Posted inFamily, Inspiration — 1 min read

Our special needs grandson having fun with the basketball backboard the new year brought. He is so very special to all of us. Watching him throw the ball at the basket and then seeing and sharing his unbridled joy on the occasions when it goes in makes me realize what we miss out in life. Instead of wasting time bemoaning what we can’t do, we need to be celebrating what we can and moving on to more challenges in our lives. Thank you Justin for being such a inspiration to others.