Unnecessary Objects

I did it again.  This is what happens when I go through an entire day unsupervised.  I buy things.  Sometimes I trade for things. But mostly I buy them.  I can't stop.  It's just too much fun browsing all of those antique stores, second hand shops and flea markets.  I always find something I need.  Maybe "need" is not the right word.  "Want" might be more like it.  But, at least everything I find has some meaning or value to me.  Well, almost everything.  I'm still not sure what the motivation was to buy those miniature fat cat bobbleheads.  I guess you could say they're small works of art.  Art.  Yeah, that's it.  You know how I feel about any kind of art.

So there is a reason to my many and varied purchases.  As evidence I will submit this next photo featuring some of my important finds that I happened to have close at hand, and offer some explanation as to their significance.

The long out of print Richard Brautigan book was discovered in a used book store.  I like it because it reminds me of when I was seventeen.  It was a very good year.  The other book came from a general consignment store.  It's one of the most exquisitely written books I've ever read.  And I've read it several times.  The tiny painting on canvas was one of several being offered at a yard sale just outside Spearfish City Park during the summer festival.  The artist is Lisa Howard.  Similar works by this artist were being sold at one time in the store at the Dahl Fine Arts Center in Rapid City.  They may still be available there.  The campaign button has a very special meaning to me.  I found it in a display case at an antique consignment store.  Even though I was still in high school,  I worked very hard for Senator McGovern during that campaign but for some reason I didn't save any souvenirs.  I still believe him to be the most decent and sincere man ever involved in politics in this country.  The camera is my latest acquisition.  It was buried on a bottom shelf in a cluttered corner of another consignment antique gallery.  Didn't even see it at first.  I noticed it after picking up an old radio that was sitting in front of it blocking the view.  It's a Kodak Instamatic from 1976.  Still in the original box, complete with flash bar attachment and user guide.  The original price sticker from Sturgis Drug is still on the box!  $23.50.  That was a lot in 1976.  I paid $4.50 for it.  I know!  Right?  Can't wait to find some film and see if it works.  So, that's it for...oh wait...the camel.  I don't know why I bought that stupid camel.  It was just sitting there on the shelf, away from anything else.  It's very unusual.  And it was only two bucks.  Other than that I can't come up with any reason.  So I really don't know why I bought it.  I just did. 
I truly do enjoy these little treasure hunts that have become a part of my usual activities, especially during the doldrums of winter.  And these things collected along the way are really not unnecessary objects.  They are all important and meaningful in their own unique way.  Except that camel. I still can't explain the camel.

      Roger O'Dea      1/22/2014

2014 - The Honest Truth

This will not be your typical Year In Review or New Year Resolutions essay.  I made a few resolutions last year, and actually kept the majority of them, even though it was mostly by accident rather than some well thought out plan of action.  My heart wasn't in it then and I'm not especially motivated this year, either.  I don't even have a bucket list.  I figure if there's something I really want to do I'll find a way to do it as soon as I can, without the added stress of death looming as a deadline.  So I'm not making any promises, pledges or commitments.  I will, however, offer up some expectations about what will happen in 2014. What qualifies me to express these things with high probability is nearly 60 years of living.  One gains a lot of insight and experience in that amount of time. 
1.   More and more people around the world will work harder and make extra effort to be helpful, positive, caring, tolerant and supportive of each other.  They will make things better for many others.
2.   Unfortunately, there will also be more fanatics and lunatics who don't tolerate any lifestyle or belief system that isn't the same as theirs.  They will cause big problems for many others.
3.   The two-party political system will suffer huge losses.  Too many people are fed up with this whole Democrat and Republican thing.  Independent and common sense candidates will experience big gains in popularity.
4.   Haters will hate.
5.   Lovers will love.
6.   More people will be willing to intervene and act if they see rude, mean or bad things happening.
7.   Unfortunately more people will act out in rude, mean or bad ways. 
8.   The internet, social media and technology will rage on.
9.   Young people will be smarter and more aware. (But, thankfully, kids will still be kids.)
10. The sun will rise and set.  Every day.  Wherever you are.

Now here are my predictions for...me.

I will go to work every day, and come home every night.  Except when I don't go to work.  Those days I will make every effort to find some new (or repeat a favorite) adventure.  I will make more art, take more pictures, and go a little deeper into the woods.  And spend more time cultivating friendships with some very awesome and amazing people who I happen to know.
This is how my year looks so far -

Pretty much a clean slate. It will be fun and interesting to see what develops, is framed, or put on canvas this year.  As, Mr. Petty put it, "the future is wide open."

Roger O'Dea     1/1/2014



What Happens in Vegas ...

What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas.  Well, not really.  It usually ends up on You Tube, Facebook and other places on the internet.  In some cases it might even end up on a reality show.  Or in a blog, like this one.  I enjoy visiting Las Vegas.  We have fun.  This time was even better because we met up with our son, his friend and her family.  Awesome people.  And it was great spending time with them all.  It was also fun for the same reasons that it's always fun - the diversity, amazing entertainment options, incredible food, nice weather, unusual cultural experiences...there's even good art to be found.  One of the major hotels is featuring an exhibit called Warhol Out West, which we visited on our previous trip. Included are some of Andy Warhol's most famous original paintings and prints, as well as a very cool display of his Polaroid instant photographs.  Those of you who know me are familiar with my more than casual interest in film photography, and I was fascinated by Warhol's Polaroid portraits.  Attempting to put myself in that exact moment when a picture was taken is a stimulating exercise. That's what I do with art, my own or other's, try to make it interactive and personal.

I also try to find art in unusual places. Each time we visit I'm drawn to a location overlooking a particular section of Las Vegas Boulevard, better known as "the Strip." There's something about this view that appeals to me in a curious sort of way. 

The symmetry of the traffic. The glow of neon lights in various shapes on either side of the street. And what about the people in all the cars?  Where are they going to, or coming from?  My imagination races...until a familiar voice snaps me out of it with a "Come on! What are you looking at anyway?"  I usually don't try to explain due to the fact that I actually don't know what I'm looking at.  I guess I'm looking at...everything.   But I can never quite take it all in.  The scale confounds me.

This was the first time we've been there in December, so things seemed even more festive. Even the chorus girls were all decked out in a holiday theme.

And the decorations at the Bellagio Conservatory were incredible.

I think the main reason I enjoy traveling to Vegas has to do with the fact that it's such a treat for the senses. All of them.  Even feel.  Most days everything is warm, dry and crisp to the touch.  Nights are often cool and the air is fresh and a little sweet.  Then there is the sound of the casinos.  I won't deny that it is alluring.  The music is loud, the machines are bright, shiny and lit up like the Strip itself.  Add the frequent "WOOHOO!" or high fives at a card table close by and you've got the full effect.

It's funny how I like solitary places so much but still enjoy visiting a hot spot like Sin City where there is very little solitude.  What there is, however, is a lot of excitement and potential for what might happen.  Maybe it's that potential for a new adventure that keeps drawing me in.  In any case, I'll be back.  And maybe next time I'll bring back a story or two that may have stayed there in the past.  Because sometimes there's a story that is just too good not to tell. 

                                                                          -0-

Baby It's Cold Outside

It's 5:30 a.m. as I begin to write this.  The temperature is minus 4.  That's 79 degrees below my preferred number.  I've said this before - I don't like winter.  Never have.  The snow has it's benefits so I can tolerate that, in moderation.  But I especially don't like the coldness of winter.  And after my heart attacked me several years ago, very cold air actually makes it hard for me to breathe.  Doctors can't tell me why, but I never had a issue before so it must be related some how.  Shorter days are also a problem because I love the sun.  You've heard of Seasonal Affective Disorder.  Yeah, well, I have that.  I can manage it just fine, though.  Whenever I start feeling depressed I just think positive thoughts like, "only 7 months until May!"  That one's a bit of a stretch but, hey, I'm willing to settle for pretty much any positive thought on a dark morning in a December deep freeze.
Meditation helps.  I have discovered a source for guided meditations that are as short as 10 minutes, and can do wonders for whatever disorder or malady may be affecting you.  You should check it out. There are meditations for gratitude, nature attunement, grounding, breath and body awareness, enhancing creativity, even one for morning energy (that one comes in handy on occasion), and a dozen or so others.  Your guide is Mary Maddox, and she is awesome.  Check out her site at www.meditationoasis.com .   Also available as podcasts on iTunes. 
I can also find some respite in reviewing my photography files.  Or by forcing myself to go out and find a visually pleasing wintery scene. I will often be rewarded for the effort.  Even a reluctant resident of this frozen intermission between fall and spring can still occasionally find artistry in a desolate landscape.

Of course, I also have my books.  A great escape from the dreariness of these gray days can always be found within the pages of a good story.  It's funny how I have grown to prefer non-fiction and books about history during the warmer more truthful summer months, but by the time those insincere months of January and February roll around every year I find myself reaching for a classic novel by Vonnegut or Brautigan.  I can re-read these authors over and over and discover something new every time.  Lost Horizon by James Hilton never fails to reveal the promise that spring is not all that far away.
Then there is my record collection.  Nothing like a good classic album to lighten up an otherwise dark and cold night. Or day.  Music on vinyl is different than what you get with a cd or from an ipod.  It's a richer, deeper, more accurate sound.  It's real.  How can you listen to John Denver or Harry Nilsson (in any format) and not feel better? One of the smartest things I've done is hang on to so many albums from high school and my days as a radio disc jockey.  And the term was accurate back then because we actually played those wonderful round vinyl discs.

I'm still adding to my collection on a regular basis.  Right now I'm on the hunt for a clean reasonably priced copy of Astral Weeks by Van Morrison.  Finding it will go a long way toward the healing of my winter blues.  That might be a tall order, but if you hear of one let me know.  Think of yourself as my doctor and that's the prescription.  "Listen to this record and call me in the morning."

   -0-

Sunday Drive

It was one of those Sundays with no plans.  The possibilities were endless, as always, but there was nothing that absolutely needed to be done right now.  I cleared the driveway and sidewalk of snow from a light dusting the night before, replaced a burned out light bulb, read a few chapters from a book that I'm struggling to finish (it's pretty good, the subject just doesn't grab me), then turned on the TV and watched a bit of Naked Vegas.  If you're not familiar with this show, let me just tell you that it's not what you think.  In fact, I was not familiar with this show either but it caught my attention as I was flipping through the channels and sort of sucked me in.  I awoke from my television trance after about twenty minutes and was able to walk away.  Good thing, too, as I had a feeling this episode was not going to end well.  Then I surfed the web for a while, checking out a few of my favorite sites.  First stop was onbeing.org.  I was a little disappointed in some of the latest content, though.  I'm a big fan of Krista Tippett.  But I am not a blind follower of anybody and really don't care much at all for Whoopi Goldberg,  so when I saw her being featured I moved on.  My next stop was http://www.incrediblethings.com.  There's always something interesting here.  This time, under the Art & Design tab, there was a feature about how someone had taken historic photos and colorized them.  Big mistake.  I really didn't like any of them. The originals in black and white are exactly as they should be.  Colorization added nothing in my opinion.  Actually made them less interesting to me.  Take a look and see what you think:

The original

              Colorized

I can't see where adding color did anything at all for this picture.

Or, look at this iconic photo and tell me which version you think is more...well...real?

I don't know about you, but I have to go with the black and white. You can decide for yourself if you go to the site and take a look.  Lots of other things to see there, too.  I recommend it.

Okay.  Let's see. Where was I? Oh, yeah, a Sunday with no plans...but endless possibilities.  I watched football for a while, then decided to take a little drive and see if I could discover any photo opportunities.  I'm always looking for photo opportunities.  Lately, I've been wanting to find an old bus to photograph.  Not sure what the attraction is, I just thought an old broken down bus might be a cool subject.  Well, as fate would have it, about twelve miles into my trip I found myself near the little town of St. Onge.  I saw it almost immediately after pulling off the highway onto the dirt and gravel road (but mostly dirt) that served as the main street.  An old bus.  But not just any old bus.  It was a blue bus.  And green. But mostly blue.  

 I don't think it's the blue bus that the Doors sang about.  Or the one the Merry Pranksters named "Further" and had such strange and psychedelic adventures in way back then.  Or even the Magic Bus the Who sang about.  But, still, it's a pretty cool bus.  What happened next, though, really put an exclamation point on the day.  I was getting back into my car when all of sudden I heard music blasting out of the top floor windows in the old abandoned sandstone building I was parked next to.  Live music.  Like a band practicing.  Except, if this was practice, it was serious practice.  Because someone up there was belting out a song like it was the last day of the Fillmore and they were the headliner.  It was awesome!  And totally unexpected.  That's what made it so great.  I'm still not sure if it was a local band getting ready for their next gig or a few musicians getting together for a jam session.  Doesn't matter.  I was just glad I was in the right place at the right time.  That happens to me.  Being in the right place at the right time.  Maybe because I'm always willing and open to putting myself in the right place at the right time. Anyone can do it.  But it might take a little effort.  Sometimes as little as simply deciding to pick up your camera (everybody has one) and go for a Sunday drive.

      -0-

 





A Best Seller?

I have an idea for a book. It's sort of a biography.  But not about me.  It would be about you.  A collection of stories from everyday people about their work, adventures or interesting experiences. Maybe a theme would develop if the stories are similar in mood or subject, or it could contain a wide variety of unrelated events in the lives of unrelated people.  We could call it "Extraordinary Tales From Ordinary People."

Okay, we can work on the title.  But, here's why I think this just might be a good idea.  I was in the Books-A-Million store the other day looking for a good read.  I was in the non-fiction/biography section and began to notice the large number of books about seemingly uninteresting subjects written by unknown authors.  Uninteresting and unknown to me anyway.  There were also quite a few titles written by or about famous people who are famous for no reason I can think of.  The phrase "famous for being famous" comes to mind. Kendra Wilkenson, for example.  Former Playboy Playmate and reality TV star.  That's pretty much it.  But she has at least two books in print. Not bad.  Another one I noticed was by a guy named Jacob Tomsky. The book is called "Heads in Beds," and is about his experiences in the hotel and hospitality business.  Really?  That's a book? Sounds kind of dumb. I must admit, though, the title did catch my attention.  And the sub-title reeled me in further - "A Reckless Memoir."   I'm sure he has some good stories to tell, but doesn't everybody? 
The stories in our book don't have to be about wild times or outlandish behavior.  They could be about memorable events that changed a life forever.  Maybe yours.  They could be about things that are funny enough to give anyone a good laugh.  They could be about things that are embarrassing, enlightening, frightening, mystical, magical or just plain weird.  Like the time when we were in high school and us guys took the girls to a cemetary out in the country in hopes of scaring them right into our arms. Turned out that it was us guys who got the scare.  Something happened that night....but you'll have to wait for the book to find out what it was. 
So what do you think? You in?  It will be a lot of work.  But it will be fun.  Who knows, it could be quite successful.  Because, remember that dumb book I mentioned earlier?  I bought it.  Turns out it's pretty good so far.  Which goes to show....well it goes to show that I'm a sucker for a good title.  But it also shows that anything is possible when it involves a good story.  Everybody loves a good story.
                                                                                     -0-

Road Closed

The snow has stopped here.  Looks like the biggest snowstorm in years is over.  It just doesn't seem right that it's October 5th and we have well over two feet of snow surrounding us.  When this all started the other night, a couple of friends mentioned snow, rain, thunder and lightning all at the same time.  I remember years ago living in Wyoming when this happened.  There was rain mixed with snow, loud thunder, and brilliant flashes of lightning all going on simultaneously.  I remember thinking, "strange days are here,"  and wondering if this is what the end of the world would be like.  But the world didn't end.  It continued on.  Just like now.  We'll be back to normal in a few days, and many years from now we'll be talking about the "storm of '13,"  and recalling scenes like this -

This is my back yard, where normally at this time of year we would be enjoying morning coffee, admiring the deep red leaves on our fledgling maple trees, and hoping for a hummingbird to stop by our feeder for a quick snack on the way to wherever it is they are on their way to this time of year.

Instead we're trapped inside.  I guess that's not such a bad thing.  We have power.  Some people are still sitting in the dark with blankets pulled all the way up around their neck.  Maybe they should make a fort with cushions and chairs.  That always seemed to help when we were kids and needed some kind of escape from whatever troubles, real or imagined, we may have been experiencing at the time.  

But we are warm and rested.  So I decided to go out first thing and begin the task of cleaning up the mess of deep snow and fallen branches.  I started the job with great enthusiasm, but hadn't gotten very far when it hit me ... I was the only one outside doing this.  I looked up and down the block.  Nope. Not another soul in sight.  No sounds of snowblowers, or shovels scraping driveways.  No sound of snow plows off in the distance clearing the roads.  Just the sound of the wind in the trees, and of my heavy breathing.  What was I thinking?  Even if I dug us out, we weren't going anywhere.  There was still no travel advised.  Some roads even remained closed.  So I stopped.  This is how far I got -

 

Not that far.  But it was enough for now.  Maybe I'll try again later after it warms up a bit and the wind dies down some. Or, I'll just stay in today.  All day.  Cook up a batch of my most excellent chili (complete with my home grown red bell peppers, saved from the storm and ready for harvest), catch up on some reading, watch old movies on TCM ... or ... all of that. 

Wait! What's that noise?  Sounds like kids laughing and shouting. They are out sledding on the big hill behind our house.  Now that's what to do on a snow day!  I wonder if my old Flexible Flyer is still around here somewhere?  Or maybe I can round up an inner tube.  I guess the business of cleaning up will just have to wait.  There are other things to do.  More important things.

         -0-