Guitar Boy, sick

Still trying to learn--combining programs on iPad.  Kid was sick.  I'll be away about 3 weeks.

Sent from my iPad

insomnia

If's after 2 Am and I haven't slept a wink yet. :-(

Did this SP on iPad with Colorpad HD.

Wicked on iPad

I was at the Doctor's today for hours and attempted to do "Wicked."
I've just gotten the iPad and am not very good yet (I may never
be--it's clumsy and awkward.)

Two more poems being translated into French

Marie de Montpellier (in France) is translating two more of my poems into French.  She's already done two others.  Her current choices are one from Desire ("Forgetting You") and one from Counting Fingers, Smelting Light ("Remembering Ricky").  I am very excited, pleased and honored.  YAY!  :-D  Woohoo!

The Tortured Killdeer

Back when school was in session and it was cooler and quieter at the
marina, a killeer built its nest under a tree. Then one hot Saturday
when all the kiddies were out of school and picnics were in full
swing, someone occupied the cooker next to the bird's nest and the
people coming and going kept scaring the Mom off the nest. She'd run
back and try to get settled and get scared away again. I yelled at
one guy for scaring her. But we had to leave--I coudln't guard the
nest--I hope the nest, the eggs, the babies, the parents all survive.

Drawing #4 on iPad

I drew this with my FINGER at dinner.  If you check out how hard it was for me to sign my name, it may give you an idea how hard drawing on the thing is.  Sent from my iPad

First IPad Poem

If

 

What if, instead of dying flowers, perfume

smelled like mountaintops, like granite

 

and fir-filtered wind?  Breezes lift our feet

from the rock and fragrance-scented air

 

buoys us up over golden rows of mountains.

You laugh like a child taking his first step

 

out onto the taut surface of water

and instead of sinking, we skate

 

on that tensile surface that quivers

like my heart when you reach

 

the long pin freathers of your wings

and wrap them all light and tickle

 

and remember around me.

 

 

 

Mary Stebbins Taitt

first poem on Ipad,

1000618-1557-2b(3), 100617

Barbed

A quick IPAD sketch with Omnisketch.  Sent from my iPad

Second drawing on Ipad

I made this one with Omnisketch, my first on OmniSketch.  I am very tired.  Learning curve gets steeper and steeper the tireder I get.  Sent from my iPad

humph

woggle

Say what? (new toy)

June 17, 2010  I am on the brand new IPad siting out in the backyard.  I am trying out Notes.  I haven't downloaded any apps yet.  I wonder how long a note you can write on Notes and whether you can copy and paste it.  I can't believe this thing does not seem to have any arrows for scrolling around and the finger touches aren't always accurate. I can't figure out how to select or copy what I've written.  Sent from my iPad  This is my first post from the IPAD--I'll do better when I get the hang of it.

2800-mile Bike Trip from Detroit starting soon!

Several days ago, I had the delightful experience of meeting another blogger, Lord Keiella of Rode to Me - 2800 miles. 7 weeks. One Bicycle. We met because he is planning a 2800-mile round trip bicycle ride to Florida to have a man to man talk with his 97-year-old foster
father. During the trip, he hopes to lose weight, shape up, and make personal growth discoveries, a noble cause indeed. As a person who has set off on somewhat similar adventures, I'm rooting for him every inch of the way.

Lord Keiella posted to Freecycle, an organization to which I belong and support, a list of items he needs in order to make the trip. They included a one-man tent. I didn't have a one-man tent, but I did a lightweight 1 ½ man backpacking tent. (Please don't ask me to explain what half a man is!) It's a comfortable size for a person hiking or biking alone, with room for gear if it rains, or a very cozy size for two who don't mind being very close. BUT, I didn't know for sure where all the parts of it were. I took a chance that I'd be able to locate them and emailed Lord Keiella. He said he was interested, I found the missing parts, and he came over yesterday.

I was interested and excited to meet him. I had no idea what to expect. It turned out he was friendly, interesting and thoughtful. I showed him how to set up the tent, even though he was an experienced camper, because the North Face Tadpole I gave him had a few quirks.

Lord Keiella is based in the Detroit area. He's planning to leave July 2, 2010 He will be stopping at Pensacola, FL on the way to his foster fathers, to see the oil spill and its effects on the birds, animals, beaches and habitats of the area. He hopes to make 100 miles a day. 60 under his own power, his "Meat Motor" and 40-ish using a small gasoline engine to assist, that he expects to get 125 mpg with. He expects to arrive in Florida, if everything goes well, around July 19th, stay and visit with his foster father, and then ride back, stopping at some yet-to-be-decided places up thru South Carolina, West Virginia and Pennsylvania. He hopes to make Myrtle Beach one of these stops.

You can see more details about Lord Keiella's trip at his blog. (He's a lot funnier than I am!) Be sure to check the list of items he needs to complete his trip here, in case you have anything lying around you could donate to him.

water plants

Now that it is summer, I have to remember to water my plants, inside and out at 2 locations, so I had written myself a reminder and left it on the counter

Water plants:

front porch

backyard

Rolandale

and next to that, K left a note that said:

Water plants:

(  ) duckweed

(  ) frogbit

(  ) lotus

(  ) Bladderwort

the love affair with email ends

I used to get so much email--and now I just mostly, with a few wonderful exceptions, get junk mail and forwards. The majority of people seemed to have tired of it and either moved on to texting (I don't get texting--so much effort for so little reward) and/or facebook and/or real lives. (the same can also be said for snail mail--I almost never get a real letter any more), telephone calls and blogging, which also seems to be dropping off, though not as quickly.)

Moving on to real life is wonderful--as long as it's a happy life and not one of overwhelming commitments and exhaustion.

Where have you gone off to? I hope all is well in your world. If you're actually online and have time--leave a comment and let me know what you're doing instead of emailing, writing, calling or blogging. Maybe you just don't love me any more. I guess I may have to learn to live with that possibility. Old folks like me seem to have fewer friends than we had when we were younger!

reading, so far today

so far today I have read parts of 5 books!

1. Unaccustomed Earth
2. Saving Cinnamon
3. Theodore Boone, Kid Lawyer (John Grisham)
4. The truth about Lord Stoneville
5. Creating Characters Kids will love (a nonfiction how to in creative writing for kids.)

A man named Keith who is setting out on a 2800-mile bike tour to visit his 96-year old grandfather in Florida is coming here in a little while.  I am going to give him my smallest back-packing tent for the trip.  I've never met him--he advertised on Freecycle for a tent.  Graham hasn't seemed interested in it, and I won't be backpacking and each of you has a partner and we have 4 other tents. (Though I think we will be also giving away the smallest of the remaining ones--to Rachel).

Our anniversary

Here's sample of pix from our anniversary yesterday, all by BB (the only camera
I've downloaded so far.

We rode our motorcycles 165-mile round trip up to the Black River above Port Huron near the Canadian border, and hiked around the bluff and river flats where sometimes, the nettles were neck high and poison ivy rampant.  The black river was lookingt mighty borwn from all the
rains. The trails up the bluff were steep and difficult.  We saw a heron, but no aniamls other than squirrels and a muskrat.  Lots of birds.  We came back via back roads, making several stops.  When we got home, I made Seafood Paella with real saffron, first time ever. It came out great.

first attempt

My first ever attempt at Mrdoobs.

Two Quick Sketches

A watercolor sketch at the Piner, where we spent a long Memorial Day
weekend, a marker sketch of BB at dinner last night.

wild mushrooms

Last year, we found morels at the Pinery.  This year, things were
farther along, and though we searched, we found none.  We did find
wild mushrooms though, and ate them.

A Swelling of Sound

A Swelling of Sound .This is a collaboration with Steve and his wife.
They did the string print and I fiddled with it.