Many Things
“Hello.â€
“Mike?â€
“Hi Flo, what’s up?â€
“There is a pianist playing today.â€
“Oh no…ah, that’s great but I have a birthday brunch to go to.â€
“I know. But I knew you would want to know, and that I was thinking of you.â€
It wasn’t so much her words but the voice. Strong, clear and direct. An aunt Rose without the high tones. Diane, and Susan before she left, told me how busy Flo is : tea in the country kitchen, a root beer float social with trivia contest, a “tame†version of bingo, a walk to the local supermarket with Kitty, a visit from Kitty’s daughter Kitty, spa appointments, and of course those frequent visits to the hair salon. Busy, yes, for me it was the voice.
This link was left by Hil in the Dispensable comments. Images of Esteli, Egdalina, and the forests around Esteli. Beautiful.
The Art of War , from the op-ed section of the NYT.
Searing poems about the war – thanks to Adam for the link.
From that birthday brunch – Adam’s 44th.
View larger image
rakkity checking in with this image from Moab, Utah. The people in the foreground give scale to the double arch.
The back side of Dwight’s house. Not so high, the footing firmer, this time the windows are plumb and the siding level…I have no after pics so you’ll have to trust me.
Visit this site for the best Quicktime panoramas. After the wedding, if you follow the link to Nyberg’s site, you’ll not return for days. There is: this and links to both the French and Italian Riveria, and panos of the Piazza San Pietro with accompanying music, others with operas, and it goes on and on. Virtural tours that will save you thousands of dollars. Link sent by shinydome.
SPECTACULAR pano site! Thanks to both shinydome and Mike for the heads up! The “this” link is to the Chapel Bridge across the Vierwaldst‰ttersee (Lake Lucerne) in Lucerne, Switzerland. Took me right back, almost to smells. Thankfully, it doesn’t show what I remember best — the literally tens of thousands of spiders who make their webs in the rafters along its entire, considerable length. Some of the biggest, fattest, roundest spiders I’ve ever seen. I’m no arachnophobe, but it quite gave me the creeps. As it does just about everyone — notice there is no one leaning on the bridge’s railings gazing out across the waters……..
And the Piazza pano is delicious, that cool music throbbing away………. Must’ve been 4 a.m. to be so empty. Looks ethereal.
And rakkity’s enviable journey, a peek at the birthday party……. Rich post, Mikey, thanks.
Comment by transported — June 12, 2004 @ 11:26 am
i’ll do my best to come back with dreads. matt might need to make ME take the rope swing. and trust me… my pictures WILL be amazing. isnt that site awesome though? makes ya’ll jealous, huh? HAH.
Comment by friendHil — June 12, 2004 @ 12:28 pm
also, my dad is threatening to never let me go to another foreign country again if i get dreads. we’ll see.
Comment by friendHil — June 12, 2004 @ 1:23 pm
Remember, Hil, a teenager’s duty is to test limits. Unless your dad reads the blog, in which case, you must do whatever he says.
Adam, we had the same experience with the pano of St. Tropez. There was the exact spot Diane sat, dressed like a young woman from Dayton, while the stylishly attired locals passed by at a safe distance.
In yours, I liked the ghost images of the bicycle riders
Comment by michael — June 12, 2004 @ 5:31 pm
I love Nica. When do I get to go?
Comment by jealous — June 12, 2004 @ 7:41 pm
rakkkity, that is a stunning shot. And a stunning place to be. Utah, Nicaragua, not Massachusetts- the place to be.
Comment by stunned — June 12, 2004 @ 7:48 pm
Yes, it was a stunning place! And for a week we wandered around the high desert, oblivious to the political expostulations we’re normally immersed in.
But near the end of our trip, we saw the headlines about Reagan’s death in some Utah newspapers. The Utahans are Reagan worshippers, and the editorials of their papers expounded on the “earth-shaking” things he did. But if you ask anyone in Esteli what they thought and think of Reagan, you will get a different answer: http://www.democracynow.org/static/descoto.shtml
After returning here, I was stunned at the differences of opinion in the DC area. While thousands mourned their hero in the parade on the Mall, many others shook their heads and wondered whether America has changed at all since the 80’s
(or the 50’s). William Raspberry, writing in the Post today, pointed out how Reagan had given tax exemptions to the racist Bob Jones university. This afternoon, a caller from So. Africa to NPR’s Kojo Nambe show recalled Reagan’s inability to reject the fascist government that jailed Mandela. Others quoted the polls of Reagan’s last year in office: his popularity was lower than Clinton’s immediately after the votes for impeachment.
I’m heading for the mountains again Thursday. It’s time to abandon what serves for civilization.
Comment by rakitty — June 14, 2004 @ 4:50 pm