Thanksgiving Eve

Most people don't really use the word 'eve' before many things, do they? I know we do for Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve, but when else? Vacation Eve? Saturday Eve? July the Fourth Eve? Anyway, today is Thanksgiving Eve, whether we say it or not. So, I used that as the title for both today's post and today's Clarity of Vision.

Of course, I don't actually eat turkey, but I imagine most of you do. So, I want to share some recipes from the 19th century on ways to prepare the bird. And in a departure from my usual fare, how about a little poem?
Turkey boiled is turkey spoiled;
And turkey roast is turkey lost;
But for turkey braised, the Lord be praised.

I just read that the FCC is looking to require people who want to fly drones to have a airplane pilot's license. Is that odd? Do I need to know about using flaps on a plan to use a remote control while standing on the ground to fly a drone?

Have y'all ever heard of a singer named M. Ward? Is he related to EX-NZ Niece or her hubby? Not that I know of, but it is possible. He is sort of a folkish-type singer. I have the Transfiguration of Vincent CD thanks to SS, but now, I want more. And he is in a singing group with Zooey Deschanel. Crazy, right?

Who was the first president of the nation? I'm sorry, who did you say? George Washington? Well, kind of. Actually, John Hanson was the first president of the Continental Congress under the Articles of Confederation, the precursor to the Constitution. You can read a little more here.

Who was Troy Aikman? That may sound like a Jeopardy answer, but it is really setting up the Dallas Cowboys former quarterback for the question asked of him. Who was the greatest quarterback ever? Did he name himself? No, you can guess he did not, but who DID he pick? You can read about it and listen to it in this article.

Who remembers when the US had a space program? I do, and that is why this photo series of forgotten launch sites is so compelling.

Do you ever play with Google Earth? Me, not so much, but these images could make me curious enough to at least seek them out. How many of them have heard about before? A giant pink rabbit, larger than a house? Weird.

I just found out that Leon Russell released a new album this year. And that he joined Elton John on his Unions album. I think he still sounds pretty good, especially for a 72-year-old singer. Listen to Down in Dixieland from this new album, Life Journey.

Nope, no photos. As you know, this often happens on Wednesdays after having Chorale practice on Tuesday night.

Listen, y'all. Have a great and restful Thanksgiving and we will meet again next Monday. Be truly thankful for your many blessings. I know that I am.

Turkey day Minus Two

It is almost that day that we celebrate by "stuffing" ourselves and getting so full that we waddle like a "turkey". Today, you should reach out to everyone who is contributing to that meal to confirm they are all clear on what they should bring. However, I do not recommend that anyone try to eat over 9lbs. of turkey in 10 minutes like Joey Chestnut did.

Yesterday, I was asked how I was doing and I stated, "OK for a Monday." We then traded comments until I knew what today's Clarity of Vision was going to be.

Do you like to parallel park? How large of a space do you need? Could you do it if you only had 3.1" of clearance...on both sides (that's only 1.5 inches on each end)? Watch this guy do it in 10 seconds.

The blog is still buzzing about the catch made by Odell Beckham against the Cowboys on Sunday. In fact, it seems to have already become an internet meme. Take a look at this.

And there are stories wondering if this was perhaps the greatest NFL catch ever. Here is a story documenting many of those catches and making the call that, no, the Beckham catch is NOT the greatest ever. The Helmet Catch wins.

This is a cool video where a guy catches a tree exploding with hundreds of starlings taking off at the same time.

What? No Budweiser Clydesdale commercial at this year's Super Bowl? This is madness. Craziness. Ludicrosity.

Don't you hate it when you are in a bathroom at the airport and a naked man falls through the ceiling? I know that I do. I don't even want a naked woman falling through the ceiling. Speaking of bathroom usage, there is a bus in the UK that actually uses human waste for fuel. Ah yes, the sweet smell of success, right?

Someone has created the Game of Phones. It sounds like you would need to really know your phone to win, including selfies, emojis, etc. I cannot even type one-handed on it, although TD says she does so almost exclusively.

I don't have any photos for you today, but I did take a look at one of the site selling photos and art. Take a look at this screenshot. Which one do you like and why? Could you say? Do you prefer Ocean views? Mountains? B&W or color? Bright colors or muted? A scene leading you into the unknown or a homey, welcoming destination? For me, I would say either Adam's classic Tetons photo (a personal favorite after which I patterned my Zion photo) or the Grist Mill surrounded by fall's beauty.

Sorry. I rambled on too long. Let's meet again one more time before Thanksgiving, OK. If you don't make it back, though, have a nice holiday and enjoy your family time.

Quinoa Day Is Around the Corner

We are coming up on Turkey Day, but for vegans, it is more likely quinoa day, or lentils day, or something. The family is planning dishes for each family to bring, but I will be carrying in my own scrumptious feast. Maybe just brown rice, quinoa, and Indian-style lentils, or maybe the Costco Quinoa Salad. I have not decided yet.

Have you wondered why rivers curve? That puzzler is so yesterday, but in case you do not know the answer, you can watch it here.

I did not look for any photos of my own to share, but I do have a link to National Park Photos and Products, some of which are pretty nice. Of course, Ansel Adams is represented. And here are a couple of the non-Adams shots (the third is there for ambience). I have captured almost those exact photos in UT and CA.

Calendar entry from 11/17/14
Assistant DA (questioning potential jurors): Could you return a verdict of guilty on the testimony of only one eyewitness?
Prospective Juror: No, I could not give a guilty verdict. The witness would have to have two eyes.

This article on beliefnet.com is entitled 'Funny Church Signs', but they are more clever or cute than funny. So, if it is a belly laugh you want, go search youtube.com for bloopers videos. I think a lot of those are funny.

At lunch yesterday (Chilis. It was just OK for my black bean burger), we were talking about the new look/feel of Facebook and how we are seeing a LOT more ads and that they are targeted to our online searches, etc. Anyway, this morning, I came across this article talking about ads posing as editorial content. I actually clicked on one earlier, then noticed the fine print saying it was sponsored content. Anyway, you can be sure it will get worse before it (maybe) gets better.

I did not find anything else captivating enough to share today, so let's call it a day (well, as far as reading this blog post. Most of us still have a whole workday pending). See you soon.

Obama, Batman, Venkman, and the Eiffel Tower

I've mentioned before that I will sometimes take a picture of other photos or posters or concepts that help me think of what photos to take or how I can display one I have already taken. Oftentimes, I sneakily capture a shot inside of a store (easier nowadays thanks to cameras in smartphones). Here are a couple of inspiration photos I captured in Silverton. I am not sure I like the typeface in the Devil's Tower, but it and the Slverton poster give me ideas.

And what about the bright colors in the Rockies poster below? Too bright?

Here is one I took in a restaurant in Ouray. However, since it is a snow photo, I am not sure what ideas it might give me. What do you think?

I do have a shot that might could work, taken looking at the Amphitheater behind downtown Ouray on a snowy day. I might want to lighten the trees in the foreground.

I woke up with 'Thank You, Lord' in my head. You know the old song. "Thank you, Lord, for saving my soul, Thank you, Lord, for making me whole; Thank you, Lord, for giving to me. Thy great salvation so rich and free." I would think that is better than waking up thinking of the Rolling Stones song 'Sympathy For the Devil."

Speaking of songs, my current song count in iTunes is 10,501. And speaking of totals, the current photo count in iPhoto is 13,050. And it looks like this will be Blogger post #1,709 since the blog started in 2005. I do not have a current count of how many Clarity of Vision comics I have written, although I think the count of funny ones is 17.

Paper towels or air hand dryers. Which do you prefer after washing your hands? Be careful which you choose because air drying may spread MORE germs. Is nothing safe anymore?

Did you listen to Obama's immigration speech last night? I confess that I did not. However, that does not mean I won't make fun of it.

Do you remember the drill sergeant in Full Metal Jacket. He had such great lines. Who wrote them? Well, the actor sort of had the part rewritten for him because the quotes were his and Stanley Kubric like them. Here is a quote from an interview with his right-hand man, Leon Vitali. "It’s no secret that former Marine Corps drill instructor R. Lee Ermey, who played the vicious Gunnery Sgt. Hartmann in Full Metal Jacket, started out on the film as a consultant. After wowing Kubrick and Vitali with his verbal vitriol directed at the movie’s young actors, Ermey got a field promotion to the breakout role. What you may not know is that Kubrick reworked the script, using Ermey’s own words. (Hartmann, you'll recall, had such indelible lines as 'Did your parents have any children that lived?' and 'You’re so ugly you could be a modern art masterpiece!') “What we did was we took 800 pages of transcribed video [of Ermey],” recalls Vitali. 'Then we went through the script line by line and picked out all the best lines that R. Lee Ermey had uttered. We strung his role together like that. It was a fantastic sort of genesis. I’ve never come across anything like it before or since.'"

How many times have you asked yourself, "What if superheroes were the subjects of classic Flemish portraiture?" Come on, you know you have been curious about that. Who wouldn't? Anyway, wonder no longer. Here we go. I think I like Batman's outfit the best.

And speaking of things that you never knew that you wanted, how about iconic world landmarks painted using a bicycle tire? Yeah, right? You can read a little more in this story.

Have you ever heard of Honest Trailers on youtube? Here, watch this one about Ghostbusters and you may want to see what other movies they have covered.

Did you say it is Friday and time to get going? OK, I will let you go and see you back here soon for blog post #1,710.

Zooming, Driving, and Flying

For today's photo review, let's zoom out. I will start with a close-up of what turned out to be an old boarding house for the American Nettie Mine in the late 1800s. I will then show two more photos, each one zoomed out a little bit more. When I took them, I actually started zoomed out and then went a little closer each time. So, when I was looking at them, I wondered why I took the first one. What could I have been looking at? Then, when I saw the closest shot, I remembered. He actually saw it from our cabin porch first and let the investigation which involved a bookstore owner and a local mine expert.

Can you find the first shot within the second? Look in the upper left.

Again, look near the top left to find the boundaries of both the previous photos.

Ready for a Stupidest Things calendar page?
11/15/14 General Tso's double delight: chunks of chicken and jumbo shrimp urinated and fried until crispy. Then sauteed w. our chef's special sauce.
I think I am glad they did not describe the 'special sauce'.

Comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko is currently about 300 million miles away from the Earth, whizzing around the sun at a speed of 84,000 miles an hour. The Rosetta spacecraft was launched in 2004, and has spent the past decade traveling over 4 billion miles in order to match the comet’s orbit. To get in sync with the ancient, misshapen hunk of ice and rock, Rosetta swung around the Earth three times to pick up speed, and spent nearly three years in hibernation due to its distance from the sun. Finally, in August, it fell into stride with the comet, which is less than 3 miles across. I think that is truly amazing. So, I covered it in a Clarity of Vision comic.

We had our team event yesterday and went to a driving range-ish place. We had a really good time. You hit the ball into one of the big circle nets and get points. I won the first game and Richard won the second. here is a view similar to the one we had. The big arrow in the shot wasn't really there, but if you swing in that direction, you are almost assured to land in a scoring circle, even if it is because the ball was rolling.

Would you women readers be willing to go makeup-free for any length of time? What about stopping shaving your armpits or your legs? This Australian woman has done it for over a year and has no plans to start back. MBH, please don't do this.

Is a Billy Graham commentary from 1955 still relevant? I say yes. A lot of TV programs and music seem very antiquated, but this seems worthwhile and appropriate. Do you agree?

Do you know which burger establishment holds sway in your neck of the woods? Analysis of 40 million Foursquare users shows what they have chosen. Is the one for your area the one you primarily choose? Notice they did not analyze veggie burgers. What's up with that?

"Alexa, I want to hear some Pentatonix". I might say something like if I had the new Amazon Echo in my house. Yahoo! really likes it and talks about its features here. The list several 'pro's and zero 'con's. However, at $199, it is still a pricey gadget that I would not actually purchase.

Black Friday is coming up next week. Will you be shopping that day? What about Thanksgiving evening for the Pre-Friday sales? I will not, and it seems I am in the majority. According to a recent survey, 86% of us do not shop on Thanksgiving, and 72% don't do so on the next day, either.

Do you ever look at art sites for ideas on either photos to take or ways to present your own art? I do, as I have shared before. So, this morning, I was searching the sites for 'triptych' and thought I would share a screenshot with you. Which type of multi-picture arrangement is most pleasing to your eyes? Do you like a single scene across the panels like most of these are, or a related grouping like Poppy Nine Patch? My favorite of the groupings shown below is the last one, Another Kekua Sunrise. The Venice one is OK, but I prefer the more traditional layout of three tall panels.

Listen, we both need to get Thursday out of the way, so let's start now. Go have a Thrilling Thursday and check back on Friday.

Down Below from Up Above

Which of you has ever heard of Movember? Their site says they are "The leading global organization committed to changing the face of men’s health."

Do you remember this photo from a couple of years ago when we hiked up to an old suspension bridge just east of Ironton?

From up on the hill by the bridge, you could look down and see some of the old township buildings, like this one.

Up close, the house looks like this.

And from down here, the bridge looks like this.

Let me share another of the funny sayings from the Stupidest Things calendar.
11/13/14 - The Young America Library has scheduled Michael Hennessy, a mime who studied with Marcel Marceau, to perform Friday at 3pm at the Young America City Hall. There will be an interpreter for the hearing impaired.

Speaking of funny savings, our Chorale director always has stories or jokes that he shares between songs in concerts. This is one he often shares that gets a good laugh from the audience.
I was shocked, confused, bewildered As I entered Heaven's door,
Not by the beauty of it all, Nor the lights or its decor.

But it was the folks in Heaven Who made me sputter and gasp--
The thieves, the liars, the sinners, The alcoholics and the trash.

There stood the kid from seventh grade Who swiped my lunch money! Twice.
Next to him was my old neighbor Who never said anything nice.

Jerry, who I always thought Was rotting away in hell,
Was sitting pretty on cloud nine, Looking incredibly well.

I nudged Jesus, 'What's the deal? I would love to hear Your take.
How'd all these sinners get up here? God must've made a mistake!

'And why's everyone so quiet, So somber? - Please give me a clue.'
'Hush, child,' He said, 'it's because they're all in shock. No one thought they'd be seeing you.'

Something got me thinking about Jerry Colonna yesterday. While I will admit that I am no spring chicken anymore, neither am I quite old enough to remember this actor in his heyday. He was apparently most active in the 40s and 50s with Bob Hope. As for me, I remember him from the Road to .... movies with Bob Hope, as the voice of the March Hare in Disney's Alice in Wonderland, and, primarily, from some of the Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck cartoons. In one of the cartoons, I remember his caricature saying "Greetings, gate. Let's osculate." No, I do not remember what made me think of him.

How would you read this next headline?

Does it say a restaurant server meat FROM an endangered whale, or served meat TO an endangered whale? Either way, it is not your common day at work, right?

Interested in a new Peanuts story? It seems there is a new computer-animated, 3D movie coming out next year. There is a trailer here, and it is OK, but I am hesitant. In fact, the final line of the article says that some of us may not like it as much simply due to the CGI vs old-style animation. They may be right.

Who has time to turn their child's meal into works of art? One woman does, apparently. While I would not want to spend the time, nor do I have the skills, they are truly amazing. Check out a bunch of them, including the hot dogs in a boat and Speedy Gonzalez, at this link.

Need a clever parody of "All About That Bass"? Then I will share "All About That Baste" with you, just in time for Thanksgiving. SS, maybe you should quit your job and start making family videos for a living. This Holderness dude did it, although it may be a bit premature to say they will make it. Plus, his wife works, so they still have some money flowing in.

Today is our team outing and we are going to a driving range. Luckily, I've been driving for years, so there should be no prob.... What? That's driving golf balls, not cars. OK, not my area of expertise. Well, it's better than sitting at a desk, right?

Do you like Family Feud? Listen to Steve Harvey talk to Jimmy Fallon about some of the moments edited out.

Short day. Gotta go. Thanks for reading.

Excuse Me While I Sneeze, Cough, Sniff, ....

I have a CoV today that will DWARF all previous ones.

I might have misled you as far as the Clarity of Vision. I meant it was more about dwarves than any previous ones.

Here is a recent entry from my 365 Stupidest Things Ever Said calendar:
11/11/14 Spoken dialogue in English: Kim is a Vietnam vet, on-screen subtitle in Danish: Jim is a veterinarian from Vietnam.

Have you been cogitating on who you first cousin twice-removed is? Cogitate no more. You can use this chart to find it out.

How much is 80GB of photos? I don't know, either, but luckily NASA took these photos from astronauts and made it into a video less than 3 min long. I enjoyed it.

Did you ever fly back in the 1980s? If so, you probably remember the smoking section, meeting people at the gates, etc. Take a puddle jumper back through time and read about other things that have changed since then.

Chocolate hoarding could soon be a real thing. I'm sure you have heard the story, but, if not, read it right now.

My photos of the remaining Ouray calendar pages that you have not seen. First up are some wildflowers near Imogene Pass.

Next is one of the lakes along the Blue Lake trail.

And we will wind up our viewing party with a view of the gondola station in Mountain Village, just over the hill from Telluride.

Haven't you ever wondered why there's no convenient place for you to carry a guitar pick with you when you travel. You wouldn't want it in your luggage in case that gets lost. Hey, what about in your wallet? Yep, you can now rest assured....

I am not finding much to share today, so let's shut 'er down. Tomorrow is a new day with new opportunities for curious facts. Maybe I will tell you about tonight's choir concert for GRAND #1, if I remember. Go and have a Terrific Tuesday.

These Are NOT Leftovers

Last week, I shared one of the photos from my calendar of the Yankee Girl Mine headframe. Here is one of my own shots from almost the same direction.

And now, let's look at a few additional shots from my 2014 office calendar. First up is the locomotive from the Durango-Silverton Narrow Gauge line. If you have never taken that ride, you should.

Next is a shot of Mt. Abrams from north of Ouray. This is very similar to the view we have from the cabin in Whispering Pines.

And last is a view I have never seen of Box Canyon falls. I have never gone up there in the winter. I would like to see the ice climbing and this view, though. I would not want to get iced or snowed in.

And next, today's Clarity of Vision which was actually created for last Thursday, but I was out sick. So, I changed the date and am sharing it now (do NOT consider this leftovers. We'll get plenty of those on Thanksgiving).

The following short quiz consists of 4 questions and tells whether you are qualified to be a “manager.” The questions are not that difficult.

1. How do you put a giraffe into a refrigerator?
The correct answer is: Open the refrigerator, put in the giraffe and close the door.
This question tests whether you tend to do simple things in an overly complicated way.
2. How do you put an elephant into a refrigerator?
Wrong Answer: Open the refrigerator, put in the elephant and close the refrigerator.
Correct Answer: Open the refrigerator, take out the giraffe, put in the elephant and close the door. This tests your ability to think through the repercussions of your actions.
3. The Lion King is hosting an animal conference, all the animals attend except one. Which animal does not attend?
Correct Answer: The Elephant. The Elephant is in the refrigerator.
This tests your memory. Okay, even if you did not answer the first three questions correctly, you still have one more chance to show your abilities.
4. There is a river you must cross. But it is inhabited by crocodiles. How do you manage it?
Correct Answer: You swim across. All the Crocodiles are attending the Animal Meeting!
This tests whether you learn quickly from your mistakes.

According to Andersen Consulting, around 90% of the professionals they tested got all questions wrong. But many little pre-schoolers got several correct answers. Andersen Consulting says this conclusively disproves the theory that most management consultants have the brains of a four year old.

Maybe that quiz reminds you that you are ready to pursue becoming a manager? What if you could choose from thousand of classes that are only 45 seconds long? Enrolling is easy because they already have your credit card info. Curious? Watch this video for For-Profit Online University.

Do you have your own personal list of the Top 10 albums from the 60s and 70s? Huffington Post does, and you can see them here. I only owned 4 of them myself.

SS, I have found a race that you might consider participating in. It involves KK and 6K.

Want to use Wi-Fi in your next flight? Read the fine print. This dude was charged over $1,100 for his 5-hour flight.

While these may not be leftovers, I think you MUST be full by now. I will save some stuff for tomorrow. Have a Marvelous Monday.

Time Keeps on Slipping Into the Future

Oftentimes, I do not get around to loading photos on the night of Chorale practice, and that was true last night. So, I do not have any photos from any trips, and I did not yet create a Clarity of Vision. Even so, I do have some photos to share. One is a snap I captured of a photo for sale in one of Ouray's shops. I took it as an inspiration of a way I could package and sell my own (maybe)(someday).

And the other three are pages from the 2014 Ouray calendar. First up is November and the Black Canyon of the Gunnison.

The second is from June. It is a shot of Yankee Boy Basin from high up on the southern face.

And the last is from the March calendar page of Yankee Girl Mine headframe.

I woke up with Share the Land by the Guess Who in my head. No, I do not remember hearing it recently, especially since I listen to talk radio in the car. Weird, right?

I also woke up with an idea for a CoV in my head. However, on my commute this morning, I heard a story about Alan Gross being held in Cuba and negotiations underway to free him. So, that changed the topic of today's Clarity of Vision.

I learned a tidbit from this week's CBS Sunday Morning program. Do you know where the phrase 'in the limelight' comes from? I has to do with the intensity of the light coming from burning lime. Read about it here.

How many times have we heard the old argument that a peanut butter and jelly sandwich is racist? Never? Me, either. However, a Portland, OR, school district might disagree with you. Read this article to hear all the details, but here is a quote from the story. "What is racist about a child’s lunch, one might ask? Peanut butter and jelly, of course! You racists probably even use black currant jelly sometimes. On white bread...." That is out there, even for me.

By now, I am sure you have heard the (apparently true) story that Mountain Dew is coming out with a Doritos-flavored version? I know that even Stephen Colbert has reported it. Anyway, you can see a little more about it here.

It is almost movie-esque that we are trying to place a landing craft on a comet traveling through the solar system at 41,000mph. It is scheduled to land at 11:02EST today and right now, things are looking positive. I hope it lands safely.

Wow, Taylor Swift looks so young (at least, to me) in this new photo shoot.

And in another photo shoot, this article tells us 14 things about Krispy Kreme doughnuts and shows a single box containing 2,400 of them. That would definitely be for the young. Maybe Taylor would eat one? Or maybe some of you want to run in the Raleigh Krispy Kreme Challenge?

Have you heard about the renewal effort by Pizza Hut, including new flavors and crusts and a new logo? Well, by Nov 19, they expect to roll it out to all their sites. Consumerist has tried all the flavors, though, so you can read about it...TODAY!

How long would it take you to eat at Olive Garden 115 times? If you are like me, it would more than two years. For this guy, though, it took seven weeks.

It's Hump Day. Let's get it started.

A Peek At Some Peaks

What? Another project-themed CoV? Isn't that, like, three days in a row? Yes. Yes, it is.

Sometimes, maybe more often than not, we see the gorgeous peaks in southwestern Colorado and do not know which is which. Let's see if we can correct that a little bit. First, looking south on Last Dollar Road, we see Mt. Sneffels (14,150 ft high).

And next, looking south from just north of Ouray, we find Mt. Abrams on the right of the photo (12,801 ft).

Let's check out Chimney Rock (you have to guess which one that is) and Courthouse Mountain (10,335 ft) on the right. These peaks are just east of Ridgway.

Just north of Silverton (and to the right in this photo) is Kendall Mountain (9,540 ft).

Are you happy that political ads are over? Are you feeling some withdrawal? Wouldn't you like to have seen some honest ads? Check out this one for "Gil Fulbright".

Did you know that a spacecraft, Rosetta, is scheduled to land on a comet tomorrow? You can read a little about it and check out a selfie that the spacecraft took of itself and the comet at this link.

More funny business signs:
Outside a Muffler Shop: No appointment necessary. We heard you coming.
Sign on the back of another septic tank truck: CAUTION - This Truck is FULL of Political Promises

More patient hospital charts:
Patient had waffles for breakfast and anorexia for lunch.
On the second day, the knee was better, and on the third day, it disappeared.

I get a daily email from scrapgirls.com that I signed up for after seeing a cool way to present a photograph one time. It is a digital scrapbooking site that sells tools to build the layout. Anyway, I saw one today that i thought was cool enough to share. I tried to find it on the site, but maybe it is not posted yet. So, I pulled some explanatory verbiage and the layout from the daily sales email.

The designer explains: "The steel support beams in this abandoned workshop create an interesting pattern against all the horizontal lines of the scaffolding and the artsy randomness of the graffiti. I opted for a layout that allowed me to really highlight the photo with the beams, using Blending modes to portray the colors as they appeared on a sunny day as well as capture the grunge of this neglected industrial space. By using the frame, the sideways title, and the elongated text box, I reinforced the use of lines in my layout, which in turn draws the eye back to the photo and those eye-pleasing beams."

It's all well and good to understand what she was trying to do. The question is, do you like it and why? For me, I like the explanatory remarks inside the layout that become part of the image. I like the straight lines of the building that are suddenly covered by the watercolor image of outdoors and greenery and sunlight, and yet, it bugs me that I cannot see more of the interior space. So, that juxtaposition really intrigues me. So, why don't I do this type of scrapbooking on my images? I should, but I haven't built up a toolset, and I don't usually spend this much time on one. It takes imagination to have a concept on which to build. If I did one, it would be like on the Mt. Sneffels photo above. I would put the mountain name and its elevation in fall colors across the bottom, but then what? Do you have any ideas? What type of scrap pages do you like?

What would say the predominant color is in the scrapbook layout above? Green? Blue-gray? Something else? NPR has an interesting article that shows just how subjective our perception and definition of color really is.

Here is an interesting look at how John Lennon documented his life through a number of his songs. How many of them are familiar to you?

You think you know Frozen? Here are 15 facts you may not have heard before. I know there were some new ones that I didn't know.

And with that, my friends, we will call it a day. Well, let's actually call it a morning and get the rest of the day started now. Thanks for making it this far in the post.

Only xxx Days Until Christmas

I don't really know how many and it seems too early to figure it out, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't start getting your gifts (or at least your gift list) in order.

Let's start with today's CoV right up front. I don't normally do this, so let's mess with tradition. I channeled my inner Neo PM.

Do you ever try to take 'macro' photos? You know. Those kind of shots that focus in on small objects? Here is one taken for MBH, who always likes the golden aspen leaves that have fallen onto evergreen branches.

Another macro shot taken that same afternoon is the rain drops clinging to an aspen leaf right outside our patio door.

Here are some golden leaves still hanging on the aspen tree.

And here is another flower from the same day as one I posted on Oct 27.

I saw this clever article in an AITS newsletter and thought a couple of points in it were clever. It will be most fun for those of you who have toiled, or are currently toiling, in a large company.
The heaviest element known to science was recently discovered by materials researchers. The new element, tentatively named Administratium, has no protons or electrons, and thus has an atomic weight of 0. However, it does have one neutron, 125 assistant neutrons, 75 vice neutrons, and 111 assistant vice neutrons. This gives it an atomic mass of 312. These 312 particles are held together in a nucleus by a force that involves the continuous exchange of particles called morons.
Since it has no electrons, Administratium is totally inert. However, it can be detected chemically, since it impedes every reaction with which it comes into contact. According to its founders, a tiny amount of Administratium caused one reaction to take over four days to complete; the normal reaction time is less than one second.
Administratium has a normal half-life of approximately three years, at which time it does not actually decay, but instead undergoes a reorganization in which neutrons, vice neutrons, and assistant vice neutrons exchange places. Studies have shown that the atomic mass usually increases after each reorganization.
Research at other laboratories indicates that Administratium occurs naturally in the atmosphere. It tends to concentrate at certain points, such as governmental agencies, large corporations, and universities. Scientists point out that Administratium is known to be toxic at any level of concentration and can easily destroy any productive reactions where it is allowed to accumulate. Attempts are being made to determine how Administratium can be controlled to prevent irreversible damage, but results to date are not promising.

Are you into graphs of interesting data? Well, even if you are not, this article presents a really fascinating look at how well professional basketball players shoot from various distances on the court.

More funny business signs:
In a Restaurant window: Don't stand there and be hungry; come on in and get fed up.
At a Car Dealership: The best way to get back on your feet: miss a car payment.

More patient hospital charts:
The patient has left white blood cells at another hospital.
The patient's medical record has been remarkably insignificant with only a 40-pound weight gain in the past three days.

I was reading a NY Times story about the Bono-iTunes mess a couple of months ago when they pushed their new album out to out accounts (for free), even if we didn't order it. There was an interesting tidbit that i thought you might like. "Almost exactly a decade ago, Steve Jobs was accompanied on stage by U2 when he introduced an odd-sounding device called the iPod and a marketplace for music called iTunes. Even now, every time a listener presses the artist button on iTunes, their thumb lands on a silhouette of Bono’s head." I did not know whose head that was in the launch icon. Did you?

We had a nice time with KLIK+JV and D-I-L's family this weekend up north in the cooler country. Everybody should take off a Friday as a mental health day and just relax. Go ahead, you have my permission.

Looks like I have reached my personal size limit for today's post. Anything else I might have shared can wait for another day. You, however, cannot wait, so go get Monday started. As John Wayne uttered in The Cowboys, "We're burning daylight." (Quick research on the interweb shows the phrase may have originated with Shakespeare in Act 1, Scene 4, of Romeo and Juliet)

Falling Apart, I Tell You

Oh, did you thin I was talking about myself? That may be true, but I was actually describing today's photo theme. Ruins returning to the earth. Memories of the mining days falling apart. I think this is the foundation of a stamp mill (Gold Prince Mill?). Does that sound right, Dad or Preacher Bro?

And this is a chute to load rocks on a truck or rail car to send to a stamp mill.

And the ruins from the town of Animas Forks (named for the three forks of the Animas River), including the Columbia Mill and the bunkhouse. The first of the cabins there was built in 1873, but it was a ghost town by the 1920s. In 1884, Animas Forks suffered a blizzard that lasted 23 days and dumped 25 feet of snow on the town. Residents dug tunnels to get from building to building.

Here is how it looked in the 1870s. Looks smaller, right? Get it. The photo is smaller, so I said that. As always, I am my best fan.

Did you ever play that Nintendo game Duck Hunt? I remember that we did.Well, all that fun and high quality graphics can be experienced again using an iPhone and a computer running Chrome. Go to this site and get started. Go on.

I was in a meeting yesterday where we were discussing how to report issues to management. It wasn't exactly like this, but it wasn't NOT like this, either.

Have you ever heard the song by David Bowie that talks about "Ground control to Major Tom...."? How about a version of that recorded in orbit around the Earth? Listen to a pretty good cover by Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield.

Astronaut Hadfield can not only sing, he can capture some pretty cool pictures (45,000 of them). You can see a sampling in this story.

More funny business signs:
At an Optometrist's Office: If you don't see what you're looking for, you've come to the right place.
In a Veterinarian's waiting room: Be back in 5 minutes. Sit! Stay!

More patient hospital charts:
The patient refused autopsy.
The patient has no previous history of suicides.

D.M.Murdock, a "freethought examiner", feels she has proved that John The Baptist is a "mythical archetype, not a historical person". I tried to read the whole article, but it is a mishmash of beliefs from many cultures and religions tied together with other characters and people to show JtB is pulled from each of them in some way. Oooo-kaaaay. I am sharing it with you because it is a little sad how far she reaches in some of the comparisons. The article also references a previous article proving Moses didn't exist, either. And she has a book that ties Jesus to the Egyptian god Annubis.

With that weirdness, I think I am done for the day. I am off tomorrow, so there may or may not be a blog post. I think you should come here and see, just in case. If not, there will be one again come Monday.