“I am not bound for any public place, but for ground of my own where I have planted vines and orchard trees, and in the heat of the day climbed up into the healing shadow of the woods.†~ Wendell Berry This time of year is probably the most beautiful in the Central Valley – many…
Even more fun
Engineers like to solve problems. If there are no problems handily available, they will create their own problems. ~ Scott Adams My Uncle Bob was here this weekend (in photo enjoying my cat), and he seemed to enjoy lending a hand putting together a new track configuration for my boy. His contribution to our…
Trains are fun
“When I was a kid, I went to the store and asked the guy, Do you have any toy train schedules?†~ Comedian Stephen Wright The best toy my boy has ever gotten was a Thomas the Train set. He can spend hours playing by himself, singing the Thomas theme song, and trying to crash his…
Slow down
“Political correctness is simply a speed bump in the traffic of truth, free thought and speech.†~ Anonymous Speed bumps are one of the banes our existence. But they are absolutely necessary. Some people, like myself, don't slow down that much over them, preferring to get it over with in one bigger jolt than to…
My Ordination
I am about to hit one of the first really big milestones of my new career as an author and pastor, that of being ordained, or as I like to say, ‘Revved.’ The double meaning of the term ‘rev’ is that it not only means ‘Reverend,’ but in the software industry (my current career), it…
Kids in a tree
You can learn many things from children. How much patience you have, for instance. ~Franklin P. Jones Here are my kids with two of their cousins, in a tree, obviously. But what intrigues me about this picture is the way the bright light coming through the trees made vertical streaks on the picture. Any of…
Las Palmas and Clone Brushes
Photoshop is useful in many ways but must NEVER be used for the altering of photographs. My assistants and my agency do whatever Photoshop work for me that may be required as it is too complicated for my brain. – Elliott Erwitt, Documentary Photographer One of the most unusual and pretty roads in my area…
Intelligent cause, or random chance?
“Biology is the study of complicated things that give the appearance of having been designed for a purpose.” ~ Atheist Richard Dawkins in The Blind Watchmaker Look at this picture. Are those curvy lines in the clouds a natural phenomenon, or created by an intelligence? How could you know? This question is what drives the…
What’s in a name?
“Did you have a good world when you died? Enough to base a movie on?” ~ Jim Morrison This past weekend, I went to a birthday party in Kennedy Park in Hayward, California. It’s quite a nice little place, with a miniature train that you can ride around the perimiter of the park, a huge…
I lov you Papa no madr wat
To a father growing old nothing is dearer than a daughter. ~ Euripides Today, my daughter gave me a Valentine’s gift, and asked me if I would be her Valentine. How sweet it is to have daughters. “Of course,” I told her, picking her up and hugging her. “I will always be your Valentine”…
That strange corner
“Strange is our situation here upon Earth.†~ Albert Einstein I pass this corner every morning – you may remember it from the Water Tower photo. This little windmill is easy to miss in light of the big water tower, but it stands out in nice relief when the negative of the photo is viewed. …
The fog is lifting
Everything is just better in California – the wine, the food, fruits and vegetables, the comforts of living. Even the instrumentalists are generous and curious. Everything is wonderful. ~ Beth Anderson, American Composer This has been a long and dreary winter here in Northern California. Not cold, but cloudy. Thankfully, the Tule Fog is leaving…
Pastoral Scenes 3
“Cultivators of the earth are the most valuable citizens. They are the most vigorous, the most independant, the most virtuous, and they are tied to their country and wedded to it’s liberty and interests by the most lasting bands.” ~ Thomas Jefferson This is a common sight in our area – newly planted orchards of…
Pastoral Scenes 2
“Only he can understand what a farm is, what a country is, who shall have sacrificed part of himself to his farm or country, fought to save it, struggled to make it beautiful. Only then will the love of farm or country fill his heart.†~ Antoine de Saint-Exupery Just another pastoral scene out here…
Still not spring
God made the country, and man made the town. ~ William Cowper, The Task Today I got to drive across the Central Valley along Highway J17, a trip we take often to eat and shop in civilization, since we live about 20 miles out into the countryside. The winter clouds, rain, and blustery wind are…
I’z on ur screen, wastin ur time
Everything I know I learned from my cat: When you’re hungry, eat. When you’re tired, nap in a sunbeam. I can’t help it, I am becoming addicted to creating LOLs. Here’s my cat Mocha, with a buddy, catching some z’s. I now have an account on the cheezburger network, and will start posting my LOLs…
Evil Cat gives me some karate
You will always be lucky if you know how to make friends with strange cats. ~Proverb My wife is not crazy about cats – partly because she didn’t grow up with them, but also, because she is Mexican. Allow me to talk frankly about cultural differences for a moment, will you? Americans treat their domestic…
Petstores are free petting zoos
“Ideas are like rabbits. You get a couple and learn how to handle them, and pretty soon you have a dozen.†~ John Steinbeck Me and the kids had a great time Saturday at the pet store – petting puppies, lizards, cats, hamsters, and bunnies. My kids did not want to let go of the…
Hard times for owners and renters
Many a man who pays rent all his life owns his own home; and many a family has successfully saved for a home only to find itself at last with nothing but a house. ~ Bruce Barton Two of my neighbors have to move because their landlords are being foreclosed on. The guy across the…