Institutionalized

Every time I see a large, institutional hospital like this I get that sinking feeling of what it must be like to be a long-term patient there.  It makes me grateful for the good health I enjoy (well, for an old guy anyway...) and appreciate life a bit more.

Stay away from these places.  They are deadly--between the infection risk, the medical malpractice risk, the medical error and medicine error rates they have a bad rap.  After all, you don't go there unless your sick in some way anyway...think about that!  Whoops, a little Freudian slip there.....

What a miracle that we have places that can help us when we are sick and need special medical help.  How I appreciate those that dedicate their lives working in places like these to care for and help those of us, and our loved ones, that do need to visit occasionally.   

Institutionalized

Brick Wall Art

Walking through the downtown section of a small rural town that time forgot.  The local barbershop, yep the one with the red and white striped pole outside, had some business advertising painted on its outside brick wall.  This image is part of the wall painting.  Old fashioned advertising?  Or commercial graffiti?  Well, it does bring back the sense of a past era....

Brick Wall Art

Tire Whiskers

Looks like my tire has not shaved for a few days.  Its going "mountain man" on me....  Should I pull out my Bic blades or my Braun electric shaver?  This job may even call for the ol' straight edge razor.  Now, what kind of shaving cream am I going to need?

Tire Whiskers

Road Trip

Road trip on tap.  GPS fired up and leading the way.  Traveling with today's fantastic technology is vastly different than the trips of yesteryear.  No more sense of the unknown, spirit of adventure or mystery map reading.  Just tell it what you want and it leads you right to the doorstep....  Most of the time that's great.  Sometimes I miss the old ways....  Oh wait, I can just turn it all off, unplug and enjoy the highways and byways as they come..... Bon voyage!

Road Trip

Toll Tag

One of the great inventions--the toll tag.  Not that I like tolls mind you.  But not having to stop, wait in line, dig out the correct change, toss it in the bucket, wait for the arm to rise and then go again is the greatest part of the reality of having to pay tolls in life.  Stick this on the windshield and drive right through without slowing down.  Of course, where I live there are no toll collecting gates, this pass just lets me drive in the carpool lane when only one person is in the car.  With my long commute each day this comes in really handy many times.  Does it rank right up there with the greatest inventions of all time--like indoor plumbing?  No, but it is somewhere in the top portion of the list for commuters....

Toll Tag

Long day... Still shining...

Long day at the office.  The aging body does not hold up as well as the shine on the shoes.  But if you look closely you can find several sparkling moments in every day.  The beauty of the day is in the eye of the beholder...

Long day... Still shining...

Nothing like a Stihl

There is something about felling a large tree that makes a man feel good.  And there is nothing like a Stihl chainsaw for the job.  I love my Stihl.  Those who have used a Stihl know what I am talking about.  And those who have used both a Stihl and other brands know even more what I am talking about.

Timber.....

Nothing like a Stihl

Movie Time

Lunch and a movie.  Perfect afternoon for an aging father and his son.  Provides a much needed break for the caregiver mother and a lot of good times and laughter as the boys re-live their childhood cartoon days as they eat with their fingers and then watch The Croods together.

Movie Time

Pizza Oven Fuel

Ahhh, plenty of pizzas to be baked with this pile of wood-burning pizza oven fuel.  And there is not a better pizza than one cooked inside a wood burning pizza oven.  The smell, the taste, the crust, the heat, all combine with the topping choices to produce just the right combination for some great pizzas.  I am getting spoiled, pizzas not baked inside a wood-burning pizza oven are just not the same.....

Pizza Oven Fuel

Rubber Ducky

Rubber ducky--well plastic ducky in this case but rubber ducky sounds better.  Perfect bath toy for the grandkids.  Brings back good childhood memories, doesn't it?

Rubber Ducky

Urban Waterfall

This urban waterfall runs through the middle of the downtown mall.  Did not have to hike much to see this waterfall.  The new Microsoft store is right next door.  

Urban Waterfall

Bed of Daisies

Life may not always be on a bed of roses.  Sometimes a bed of daisies will just have to do.  Joe doesn't complain.  He finds his bed of daisies to actually be a little more comfortable than his bed of roses.  But then again, Joe can be a bit of a rebel.....

Bed of Daisies

Front yard spring time tulips

The quandary this year was how to save the tulip buds.  Deer that wander through the neighborhood often eat the buds for breakfast.  This has been a big issue in the neighborhood.

So the local nursery tried to sell us some bottled coyote urine as a sure cure.  Hmmmm, did not have to think long about that cure.  Our own boy is grown, married and has moved away so no more little boy urine in the front yard either.

The internet came to our rescue next.  Somewhere we discovered another natural, home remedy for deer repellent.  Human hair.  So my wife convinced her hair dresser to sweep up a pile of human hair at the salon and bag it.  The hair was spread throughout the sprouting tulips.  No one notices the hair, the air does not smell like urine from any creature and the tulip buds survived the normal deer eating stage.  Coincidence?  Maybe.  But we get to enjoy the blooms this year..... 

Front yard spring time tulips

My new stainless mug

When I am not capturing images with my iPhone, I shoot using Canon equipment.  To my geeky surprise I recently discovered the perfect stainless mug for a Canon guy.  So, of course, I bought it.  So now my day job office is complete with new mug that reflects one of my inner passions.  Some might call me a geek....  I think it is pretty awesome!  Cheers.....

My new stainless mug

Today is a gift

Yesterday is history.  Tomorrow is a mystery.  Today is a gift. That's why we call it the present.

Today is a gift

Colorful Dishes

Recipe:  One white plate.  One white bowl.  Set of colorful permanent markers.  One artsy daughter.  Combine all the ingredients.  Bake the result at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.  Result: one truly creative and colorful place setting.

Colorful Dishes

Homemade Sweetness

There is nothing like the smell of homemade items fresh from the oven.  Bread, cookies, brownies, pies, etc. The aroma from each is indescribably enticing.  The best of all the homemade sweetness aromas though is that of my wife's homemade cinnamon rolls...  Now that is a smell that I like even more than the actual rolls themselves.  And these rolls...well if you can find better, you should grab them fast!

Homemade sweetness

Mixer bling

Sometimes I am just left wondering why.....  This certainly is one of those cases.  I don't get it.  Someone has more money than sense or too much time on their hands.  Of course I have no quirks....ha!  This is certainly not my mother's mixer...

Mixer bling

Mother's Day is sneaking up on us--just sayin'...

Now is the time to start thinking about it.  Mother's Day is sneaking up on us--just sayin'...

Mother's Day is sneaking up on us

Table top pears

Hungry for a snack?  Forget the junk, forget the sugary stuff, forget even the fruit rollup stuff.  Go for the natural stuff.  Doesn't you just begin to salivate as you see these table top pears?  Natural goodness and delicious to boot...!

Table top pears

Boy in the sun

Despite the wind and despite the snow that fell yesterday, spring really is here and the sun is coming full-time.  It is just around the corner....really. Soon we will be basking in the sun while it bakes new freckles in our faces.  Let the thought of the sun warming your bones carry you through the days and around the corner...

Boy in the sun

Antique Store

Antique stores dot the countryside throughout the East coast.  We found this one in Virginia.  And no...we did not get out unscathed.  Luckily for us the items we ended up with fit into our suitcases this time.

Antique Store

Midnight thirty flight

Midnight thirty flight, sleepless night, early morning connection gate. It all looks about like this after a long night of no sleep.  But hey, it's better than driving across the country.  A long nap upon arrival will go a long way in the recovery process.  

Midnight thirty flight

Has it really been a week already....?

Wow!  It has already been a week?  Once all the sugar, in its various forms, disappeared--and that took only about a day--I seem to be quickly forgotten.  Back to anonymity for another year...

Has it been a week already...?

Dirty Job

It's a dirty job but someone has to do it.  Yep, I went in the porta-John before the cleaning service showed up and then again after.  BIG difference and I am glad there are those who take this kind of job.  I could not do it.  I could hardly venture into the place before the cleaning service arrived.  Maybe its because I have been in too many drop holes shacks in campgrounds throughout the woods.  There certainly are many, many dirty jobs (Isn't there a TV show about that?) and this is one of them.

Dirty Job

Diversity

Each of us is unique right from the start.

Diversity

Bashful

Spring time has sprung all around.  Flowers are in bloom--the early bloomers anyway.  While it is only 29 degrees outside this morning, the rest of the week should warm up little by little.  This guy made it up before the cold snap came back although he seems a bit bashful about celebrating while many of his friends are still sleeping in waiting for some longer and warmer days....  :)

Bashful

Yep, worth the wait--DC Cupcakes

Worth the wait for a lousy cupcake?  Well, I wouldn't know because these at DC Cupcakes in Georgetown are not lousy....  And the Pink Velvet flavor is to die for!

I can't believe the popularity of this place.  But boy, are they ever good.  It reminds me of the craze when Mrs. Fields Cookies and Krispy Kreme Donuts first came out.  I wonder how long the craze will last.  And it is a craze.  The wait was over an hour for us to just get in the door and probably another 20 minutes before we had these babies in our hands ready to eat.

Hint--check out their Twitter feed for the day, discover the daily secret flavor and then be one of the first in line.  The first 100 people to tell the clerk the secret flavor of the day get a free cupcake of that flavor.

Second hint--stop by 7th Hill Pizza for the best pizza in the USA!  A dive looking place with killer pizza!

DC Cupcakes

Worth the wait?

What is worth the wait for you?  If you are with some in this family then you are enlisted in this particular cause.  Yep, standing around in the springtime weather getting to know all the people around us.  This line was only a block long but actually took us over one hour to get into the door and about another 15 minutes once we were inside until we got the "goods" in our hands.  Stay tuned..... Tomorrow I will reveal what it is that is worth the wait for this old man....
 

Worth the wait?

Which way is the wind blowing today?

Which way is the wind blowing today?  Where will it take you?  How will you use it?  Time to set your sails and go for a ride.....

Which way is the wind blowing today?