On July 3, after the completion of the 2010 PDGA Amateur World Championships, I sauntered down to Columbus to see Cindy’s new show. Here’s some pictures.
Images of the latest incarnation of the art studio of Cindy Morefield.
These images were made during a trip with Ted in October of 2009. You can view the full gallery here.
Create your own video slideshow at animoto.com.
After a week or so of showing a plumber’s backside, I figure folks might like something edifying when they visit the site.
Also, I’ve been reminded of the fact that I know a fair number of rather interesting people doing some amazing things.
So, in the spirit of sharing the wealth, here’s some links to some neat people and what they do.
1MoreFilm Blog
Jane Beal
Brent Bill
Conversations Journal
Cynthia Morefield
Rich Murray
Tara Owens
Jeffrey Overstreet
Len Peralta
Susanna Widman
Sara Zarr
On Monday, February 15, our beloved Esther the Escort, the first (and only) new car that Sherry and I ever purchased met her final demise. The Teenager was driving the vehicle in downtown Lima, OH. The roads were icy, and when she went around a turn, the car kept going somewhat straight. She ran right into a police cruiser.
No one was injured.
On Friday, we received the news that the insurance company declared the vehicle a total loss. Today, I drove out to Lima to retrieve our personal effects and snap these last photos of dear Esther.
Some interesting facts:
*The final odometer reading is 152911. Yes, the mileage ends in “911.”
*This is the fifth crash for the car. One in Chicago, one in Toccoa, one about 7 months ago in Bellvue, one about 2 months ago, and now this.
*Esther went out in style: new tires, one new wheel, and a full tank of gas. It’s possible that I had just refilled with windshield washer fluid.
Esther was a fine, dependable automobile. The only problem that we ever had with her was when we moved to GA and the horn stuck. Other than that, the only issues were created by people smashing into her.
R.I.P.
In her last years with us, Granny used talk about the Sweet By and By. Today, I was listening to a collection of old American gospel tunes when I caught the phrase. I looked up the whole song to see the context. Here are comforting words:
There’s a land that is fairer than day,
And by faith we can see it afar;
For the Father waits over the way
To prepare us a dwelling place there.
Refrain:
In the sweet by and by,
We shall meet on that beautiful shore;
In the sweet by and by,
We shall meet on that beautiful shore.
We shall sing on that beautiful shore
The melodious songs of the blessed;
And our spirits shall sorrow no more,
Not a sigh for the blessing of rest.
To our bountiful Father above,
We will offer our tribute of praise
For the glorious gift of His love
And the blessings that hallow our days.
Batykefer, Erinn. Allegheny, Monongahela. Los Angeles, CA: Red Hen Press, 2009.
Erinn Batykefer’s Allegheny, Monongahela may be her first collection of poetry, but it displays a mastery of form and content that underscores the awards and publications listed in the book’s acknowledgements. “Dog Poem” begins the collection with an image of what it means to be a poet: “I’ve been known to drag old bones with me for miles./If I bury them, the only question is how long/ till I’m clawing the ground to feel them under my teeth again.” From there Batykefer launches into explorations of death, love, and identity. While the collection features some more open poetry, Batykefer’s talents shine brightest when working in the formal modes. The sonnets “Red Hills with White Cloud,” “Pittsburgh as Self-Portrait I & II,” and “Haute Couture” demonstrate that the poet is comfortable working within the strictures of the form but also feeling the freedom to stretch the edges of the form to meet the poetic needs of the material. “Allegheny Love Letter” teems with earthy anthropomorphic imagery that sketches not only the many moods of the mighty river but also provides a chilling profile of the kind of love that cannot help but destroy the beloved. The most successful of the free verse works dwells on an extended anatomical metaphor to describe the speaker’s experience with opera—“The palate lifts like a curtain; the skull a dome for resonance.” This is not the only poem to dwell on what is going on under the skin of the body. “X-Ray” describes the portrait produced by the medical device, while “Horizontal Horse’s or Mule’s Skull with Feather” evisions a future “When my face is scoured clean, sun-whitened, / when my vulgar skin has been stripped / from my body.” “Egyptology” outlines the mummification process “because grief requires compartmentalization.” Lest you think that Batyfefer’s collection is nothing but dark tropes, “Heirloom Recipe” provides a touching—not sentimental—tribute to the power of a peach cake to remind us of our history. While Allegheny, Monongahela does have its weak spots, the delights far outweigh them.
Today’s Daily Office includes reading Psalm 72. It’s only 19 verses, but the repetition of a certain theme in 5 of those verses is unmistakeable:
1 Give the King your justice, O God, *
and your righteousness to the King’s son;
2 That he may rule your people righteously *
and the poor with justice.
3 That the mountains may bring prosperity to the people, *
and the little hills bring righteousness.
4 He shall defend the needy among the people; *
he shall rescue the poor and crush the oppressor.
5 He shall live as long as the sun and moon endure, *
from one generation to another.
6 He shall come down like rain upon the mown field, *
like showers that water the earth.
7 In his time shall the righteous flourish; *
there shall be abundance of peace till the moon shall be no more.
8 He shall rule from sea to sea, *
and from the River to the ends of the earth.
9 His foes shall bow down before him, *
and his enemies lick the dust.
10 The kings of Tarshish and of the isles shall pay tribute, *
and the kings of Arabia and Saba offer gifts.
11 All kings shall bow down before him, *
and all the nations do him service.
12 For he shall deliver the poor who cries out in distress, *
and the oppressed who has no helper.
13 He shall have pity on the lowly and poor; *
he shall preserve the lives of the needy.
14 He shall redeem their lives from oppression and violence, *
and dear shall their blood be in his sight.
15 Long may he live!
and may there be given to him gold from Arabia; *
may prayer be made for him always,
and may they bless him all the day long.
16 May there be abundance of grain on the earth,
growing thick even on the hilltops; *
may its fruit flourish like Lebanon,
and its grain like grass upon the earth.
17 May his Name remain for ever
and be established as long as the sun endures; *
may all the nations bless themselves in him and call him blessed.
18 Blessed be the Lord GOD, the God of Israel, *
who alone does wondrous deeds!
19 And blessed be his glorious Name for ever! *
and may all the earth be filled with his glory.
Quite possibly a new series of creations to appear on truffin.com. Superheroes acting out song lyrics. Here’s the first attempt: Sam Phillips’s “Taking Pictures” from the Fan Dance album.
Enjoy.
