Tuesday, July 31, 2012

Not a good week for pets - plus and entire Garbage Concert

With Milo being distraught over not knowing where his friend Blake is Sierra decided to take matters into her own hands and has, I assume run away looking for him. She really loved Blake. Sierra has has been gone for 2 days now.

At this rate we will have to reload pets. A home without a lot of pets is not a home at all.  Maybe chickens or a rooster for the back yard  LOL   

She has never ever been away for more then a few hours so this is rather unlike her totally.  Or she has been lived trapped and taken to the country.

So I'm trying to figure out the closets humane society to Columbus to give a call.

If you happen to see a tiny kitten like creature (although she is around 8) that is very sweet (the brown one below) please let us know.  She has no front claws and is harmless. Without cats the mice population will run rampant.



She seems to have changed color with age.




-------------------------------

Madison's Own Garbage 

On a side note we watched Garbage Live from New York Saturday night and WOW - their new album ROCKS!!  They had one song that I thought was outstanding and very very powerful, not the quasi angst you normally get with garbage but in your face fist pumping rock and roll.  

Here is the entire concert  1 hour and 44 minutes   The song I love is at the 53 minute mark.  One thing I have always noticed from Shirley - she always starts concerts almost shy but as each song gets under her belt she really loosens up.

The concert at Warner Park is going to ROCK!!!!  

http://youtu.be/rguzvJ70F5w

Monday, July 30, 2012

Railroad Museum and cows

Hydro Street Brewing - Sunday Aug 5th will have live bands in the boulevard next to City Hall from 9:00 to 9:00.  Beer tent with Hydro brew and , Craft and Art Fair,  and all sorts of fun.


----------------------------------------------------

I took a trip to Paoli Thursday to cement details for the Paoli Art Fair and as I was starting my drive back there was a field of Holsteins.  Cows normally do not excite me that much but the clouds were awesome ( you KNOW I love clouds) the lighting great so I stopped.

Inquisitive, yet guarded
-------------------------------------------------

BTW - ever hear the word "Giclée"?  I had a woman ask me if my canvas prints were  "Giclée".  I said yes knowing that she actually had no clue what "Giclée" actually meant.

So here is what Giclée is.  They are prints on canvas.  That's all.  The word started to make the rounds in 1991 when 

I'm working on some images for The Research Institute.  Their vision was to have images Jack Duganne started making prints on canvas with an inkjet printer. He needed to a word that did not have the negative connotations of "inkjet" or "computer generated". SO - he started using Giclée.

Giclée based on the French word gicleur, which means "nozzle" (the verb form gicler means "to squirt").

ANYWAY - I'm actually doing less Giclée currently and printing on Metallic paper which is really nice in on somethings.  I think with HDR it adds another later of  . . . otherness.

Back to the Research people.  Their vision is to have images flow from the Industrial revolution to present day when we reach there conference room which has so name like the imagination room or something.   While they were spitting out ideas they mentioned things like close up of typewriters or printing presses and so forth (bit not typewriters or printing presses).   Luckily the CEO who has a large Giclée of mine said "Just do what you do and get back to me".

So DJ and I took a ride to the Mid Continent Railroad Museum.   This is my 2nd image I produced.  I have to figure out a name for it.

Iron Wheel
   Maybe my brother a railway nut will have a good name for this.  It's the front wheel of three from this behemoth.

 Maybe my brother a railway nut will have a good name for this.  It's the front wheel of three. 

I'll have more from the Museum when I get to them.  
   

Friday, July 27, 2012

In the last nine days Columbus has received 3.59 inches of rain! 
-----------------------------------------

Did you know that every new user of Facebook is worth $3.20 to the Facebook Corporation?
---------------------------------------------------

So what have I been up to lately you ask?  It's been a tough week but I'm getting things back under control now.  I won't speak of my golf exploits  - ah hell why not.  Wednesday I had low Net in golf league which has now happened 2 of the last 3 weeks.  Then I won a flag event for longest putt AND had a par on a par 5 where I actually WHIFFED on my 3rd shot.  I ALMOST won the card game that same night but balderdash GRABBED the money out of my hands with JJ when I had 88.
-------------------------------

There is an unadvertised big event happening at Hydro Street Brewery next weekend in the boulevard next to City Hall.  You know me, I'm a huge advocate on advertising to get people to actually know things but . . . . . . seems they feel there is no need to get the word out.  Just sayin' my point of view.  They ARE doing a pretty darn good job otherwise.   OH - Ale and Arts - Sunday August 5th.  Bands on the Boulevard, some sort of art fair thingy but not a clue what it actually is yet - I guess I'll be there but again, the people actually IN it don't know anything about the logistics.  

I was having lunch Wednesday at HSB and had that B17 photo.  I had printed it on metallic paper and dry mounted it.  I brought it with me just as a show and tell thing.  As I waited in the heat at the counter a couple comes up and want to look at it.

We start talking and they are from West Virginia and were renting an RV and just traveling around. They were at New Glarus Brewing and said they might travel up to EAA.  People next to them said "You MUST stop at Hydro Street Brewing in Columbus".

So, they stopped and we were talking and the next thing I know the piece I was going to take to Lovely Days Gallery in Paoli was sold!

  
The first weekend of August I'm doing the Antique and Wooden Boat Show on Lake Waubesa.  Here is the official poster (see, real advertising).  Of course I created this so I'm pumping it up a little. 


The awesome cool thing is that all day Friday I'll be on the Lakes (I think all of them) taking photos and then Saturday I'll have a booth up at Christy's Landing.  This is a new genre' for me so I'm not sure what boat people actually like.  A learning experience.


I seem to be creating more Man Cave Art of late.

Another image I did.  I was looking online to see what other people were doing when it came to Chris Craft boats.  Not a LOT out there there is super outstanding.


OH - adubya pointed me to this video - it's only 30 seconds.


How to Catch a Kangaroo



AND - I'm working on a a large conference room image for Wisconsin Broadcasters and had a meeting with a research institute that is looking to decorate their offices with my work.  That one is still in the beginning stages as we just had the meeting Wednesday. Geez - I'm freakishly busy.

Off to North Freedom tomorrow for photos for hopefully the above!  They told me their vision and now I have to produce  - PRESSURE!!!  

Have a great weekend.

Rod

 

Tuesday, July 24, 2012

RIP Buddy

From my moms book "Snapshots Along the Way"


She wrapped the small furred body in a blanket
as if to keep it warm, though it was cold
already. Clenching jaws against the grief,
she laid it in the earth where he had dug
a grave (so small) beside the greening poppies.
Together then, in silence, they returned
The disturbed earth, each gripping back the tears
(as best they could) to keep from further wounding
The other. Over it he placed a rock.
"in case the dogs should dig…." he turned away.

"I'd better go to work," her face was stiff,
"The day's half over. They'll be needing me."
"Me too." They went each to their separate ways.
She spent the day…the week…the month…not crying.

E.V.Melotte

 ---------------------------------------

Blake  Day One






Stuck on Lamby












See ya over the Rainbow Bridge Blake my friend.

Monday, July 23, 2012

Bringing home the Bling

Read a huge article in the newspaper yesterday about the  Emerald Ash Borer.

When I first heard about the Emerald Ash Borer five years ago everybody was predicting Ash trees were an endangered species I just figured science would find a way to eradicate the evil bug and didn't think much about it.   But now I've read that it's reached Janesville and that Madison, in response is deciding that it will undoubtedly lose all  21,000 Ash trees and they are deciding what to plant in place of them.

I remember Dutch Elm Disease in the 70s and how it basically wiped out Elm trees.  Rockford was the Ash capitol of the world and lost 90% of all their Elms.  Same thing it seems. (BTW - we have a HUGE Elm tree on the other side of the fairway - biggest Ash I have ever seen.  I wonder how old it is.) 

A friend of mine when we moved to Columbus told us, "do not plant Ash trees" and I pretty much thought she was nuts.  We can send a man to the moon but cant stop a bug?

It does seem you can try to fight the critter but it means diligence, chemicals and everybody else doing the same thing.   I believe this has to be a community effort and I wonder if the City Council has thought about forming a task force to look into a community wide program.  Someone should look into this before it's too late. 

------------------------------------------ 

Hey - I brought home some bling from the the Lake Mills Art Fair.  I received a 3rd place in Best of Show - Artwork.  Plus a Purchasers Award from The Blue Moon.  For Columbus residents The Blue Moon is alive and well in Lake Mills!  They were a fixture in Columbus and so many people have told me they had the best pizza EVER . . . until floods and fires forced them to relocate.

Now I can call myself The AWARD WINNING ARTIST   LOL.

Oddly the ribbon has print on it  "LMAF"  Which stands for Lake Mills Art Fair but to me it looks more like Laughing My Ass Off but that is LMAO. . . . still  . . .you know what I mean.  

Next up the Antique and Wooden Boat Show.


------------------------------------------

30 Rock - the Building.  I was looking into that building in New York and this is just the many wonders of the internet - so so much information.

#0 Rock is actually the GE Building and is an Art Deco skyscraper and is the centerpiece of Rockefeller Center.    Build in 1933 and was the first building constructed with the elevators grouped in the central core.

This famous image was taken during construction.

 
I'm not sure OSHA would be to please with this photo if it was taken today.   I think those dudes on the left side are smoking a doobie!

In case you are wondering where shows are filmed.

The Today Show - 1st floor
MSNBC - 2nd floor
Rock Center with Brian Williams and the NCB News - 3rd Floor
The Ed Show - 3rd floor - former studio of The Howdy Doody Show 
Dr. Oz - 6th Floor
30 Rock - 6th floor
Football Night in American - 8th floor
Saturday Night Live - 8th floor.
 -----------------------------------------

Ever take CDs in to a store hoping to get some cash.  This is a list from one of those stores to NEVER buy!!!   Man at Work?   Jethro Tull?

-------------------------------

Ever have one of those bad trips?



Have a nice day!!

Rod


Thursday, July 19, 2012

RAW Madison was a hoot!!!

In case you are wondering, Columbus officially received 1.46 inches of rain last night.  Madison a little more.
----------------------------------------

I attended or rather "showed" at an event called RAW Madison MIXOLOGY  and wow, that was totally different then I have ever done before and it was pretty darn fun.

I had been wondering if this was some sort of sneaky art scam thing where the the RAW people just made money making artists buy in.  This was felt by a few artists but by the end of the night we were all in agreement that it was a blast and worth all the begging.  This is going to grow into a major monthly event.  I heard a lot of people that were talked into coming say they would definitely come to the next show next month.  Music, fashion, outstanding art, makeup art (didn't see it but . . ).

------------------------------------------------------
Small rant section -

Many people that I sold tickets to came but what sort of ticked me off a little were the organizations that sort of ignored my plea for $10.  I donate a LOT of artwork to the city and  local organizations and not one wanted to help ME out in a time of need.   sigh!  sad.
-------------------------------------------------------

ANYWAY - If you did not come you missed out. The crowd was all ages, everybody dressed to the almost max in cocktail attire, some ties and suits, lots of short short skirts and cocktail dresses. There was better artwork there then at many Arts and Craft Fairs. Some truly outstanding stuff  and a few duds but . . . . The bands were eclectic and interesting.  One rapper guy that preformed wrote that Green Bay Packer anthem a few years ago for the Super Bowl.  He was awesome.



The place was hopping and super friendly - it was like going to a glitzy nightclub but everybody there knows you and is friendly.

This is early - perhaps 8:30ish.


The funny thing was I met a lot of people that I never expected to see.  A couple woman from Jungs Garden Center,  a few from local galleries, friends of friends and so forth.

This guy had the whole balcony area and the photo does not do it justice.  Outsnatding work.


The event was a meet and greet - not a selling event but lots of names were taken and contacts were made.  I'll be real surprised if I don't sell a few things down the road from this show.

Now - I think I'll take a nap.  The show got over about 11:00 - I was all packed by 12:00 and got to bet about 1:00.   I'm blurry and the words are just not flowing at all.

So yea - RAW Madison is certainly something you want to go to for a different kind of entertainment for all ages.   

REMEMBER - Lake Mills Saturday - North side of the "square".

OH - one more thing - did you know that HyVee will give you a tour of their store?  If you have nutritional needs they will personally walk your through the store.  Also I guess every food item has some sort of healthy rating on the labels.  I love that store. Probably the friendliest place I have ever shopped.  I remember Mary saying that they shopped there and left a bag by accident.  She called and they had it and even though it was during a huge snow storm they would deliver it TO FALL RIVER (Lost Lake actually but no one knows where that is . . . . IT'S LOST!!).

THAT is one store that is doing it right.

See ya!



 

Tuesday, July 17, 2012

Exploding Tables and stomachs

Thanks all for helping out with the RAW Madison event - it's going to be fun.
----------------------------------------------

We got home from work yesterday and I looked onto the deck and - HOLY COW what happened.    Having the AC on for what I believe is a record ninth day this year you lose track of what is happening outside and it seemed we left the deck umbrella out.

The wind caught it and it sort of tipped over and bent.  But that was the least of our problems.  The glass table that it was"inside" exploded!  Not just break as I assumed glass tables would but exploded into thousands and thousands and thousands of tiny pieces.  The biggest  being perhaps the size of my thumb but 95% were as shown in the photo. It was the opposite of car glass. 
 

  
And being on a wood deck you could not just sweep them up as they were glass and sharp and did not just "sweep" but caught the wood.  Well, DJ is starting on the deck and I have to go let Blake out who now just walks out and goes straight for the road.  Wherever there is cement he will walk and being 90% blind he just walks where it's hard.  If there is no wall to follow he'll get lost so in the past month he has become pretty much hands on whenever we let him out.

He USED to have boundaries but . . . no more.   

So I corral him back into the house and go help DJ with the piles if glass.  I get the hose and am washing the shards off the deck and DJ goes inside and sees that Blake has now pooped all over the dining room!   sigh!    And that is how our night began.

BUT wait.

Finally we get the world back in order and I take out some leftover little cruller donut things and munch on one and an hour later I feel my stomach about to explode.  WTF!!!   I felt horrable all night but at least the Brewers were going to win 2-0. 

BUT WAIT!

John Axford enters the game to get the SAVE and . . . . oh know!!  He walks the first batter and the announcers, with dread,  say "that's never a good sign".    Five batters later the Brewers are losing 3-2 and I'm sitting on the couch holding my exploding stomach.

Feeling horrible I don't get to bed until 12:01 and at 3:00 Blake wakes up and has to go pee.  I take him for his 3:00am walk and go back to bed until it's time to wake up at 5:45.

FEELING GOOD!!!!

Remember when "we" got KRod last year for insurance for Axford, just in case the Axeman became ineffective?  I think it's time to install KRod as the closer.  At least we know he is effectively wild as opposed to ineffectively wild.
-----------------------------------------------------

Did you know that Wisconsin and the MidWest is setting weather records as 2012 is having the calmest weather conditions ever?  In Wisconsin there has only been 41 sever weather alerts so far compared to the typical 100s.  So the argument that global warming is bringing more and more dangerous extreme weather is sort of falling by the wayside. In fact 3 of the last 4 years has seen a mammoth drop in sever weather.  Well, there is this heat grass killing thing going on.

El Nino is starting to show it's head which means less hurricanes and sever weather.   OH - I believe there is global warming but I do not believe it is all man made.  I believe a lot of it is natural.  MAN has done a fantastic job in the last 40 years - remember the mammoth smog problems in LA?  
-------------------------------------------------------
 Lastly - another shot of Aluminum Overcast (sort of a dumb name I think).  I was looking up other B17 names and found a list.

Ain’t Miss Behaven
Cow Town Boogie
Grusom’ Crewsom
Kickapoo Joy
Juice Mon Tete Rouge and so forth.

Aluminum Overcast sounds so . . . . generic.

ANYWAY.


Lake Mills Art Fair is this Saturday.  Look for me on the north side under a big shady Oak Tree.

BTW - anybody Electric City by Tom Hanks?  It's a animated show on the net.  5 minute episodes - sort of interactive and very interesting. 

Electric City

Also - I have purchased my very last lens for my camera.   The 3rd generation cameras are starting to come out making all current digital cameras obsolete.  No more shutters, mirrors and so forth. These cameras are just as good as our old clunky Nikon's and Canon's.  The Sony NEX-7 is already on the market.    

Cheers
Rod

Monday, July 16, 2012

Pain in the ass Monday

WOW - I get to work and I have a totally new computer - thing is they took our old ones and reformatted the hard drives so all of my work stuff for the State - GONE.  All my bookmarks for SAS are gone.

OH - I finally got into my email an I had a day warning asking me to make sure I should tell them what I needed saved.  TOO LATE   grrrrrr

What's funny is we now have all 2010 programs which hare way way different then the 2003 WORD, Excel and so forth.  So my stuff from home is now compatible.  BUT - anybody that did not have a new machine at home is floundering with totally different software.  
---------------------------------------------------------------------

On the way to work I had to take my cocktail pants to the cleaners - LAST CALL FOR MIXOLOGY!!    Buy your tickets at http://www.rawartists.org/madison/mixology   -  I'll have seven to eight of my images up on a 30 foot wall - HOWEVER - I won't have time to get my newest ones up of the B17 that came to Madison.

The B17 was nicknamed Aluminum Overcast and was delivered to the U.S. Army Air Corps on May 18, 1945 and is one of 12 Flying Fortresses still able to fly. It caries the colors of the 398 bomber group.

I went to Wisconsin Aviation Friday and took a lot of photos but with the crowds I was unable to get any great clear shots so I waited around and talked to EAA people asking about better times.  I was told that if I waited until the very end while they were shoeing people away I might get some clear shots!   



I think I'm going to make this into a large canvas piece.

DJ and I went to Art Fair on the Square and I did not see anybody with "my" subjects.  A TON of great great photographers and my buddy Cassius Callander's canopy was packed.  But no one had a B17.  :-)





Here is one with people and is totally different.


I'm trying to make art and art fairs accessible to males!  It's surprising how mane people liked my submarines photos! 
-----------------------------------------------------------------------

 Have a great Monday - keep cool - I have an amazingly busy week ahead - two art fairs in the next 6 days.

Rod

Friday, July 13, 2012

The Godless Particle and why you need to water your grass.

WOW - if you want to see a beautiful site, get up about 3:30 in the morning and look east.  Saturn, Venus and the moon are outstanding.  I have never ever seen Venus so bright. It's brighter then the moon.

Yea - I was walking Blake at 3:30am, he got up a half hour early.  Then as I'm back in bed about 4:00 he's rooting around the house following the walls (he stays close to all the walls now) and  AH WOOF!! What?  He barked? he never barks.  AH WOOF  AH WOOF!!   hmmmm  I get up and there he is wedged between the  bathtub and toilet.  Can't go right, can't go left and I guess backing up's not an option.  sigh

Anyway - get up tomorrow morning for two reason - the above Saturn, Venus, Moon trifecta (maybe I'll take photos) and the coming aurora borealis.  Sun had a HUGE explosion and it's coming our way. Hide your children, vaporization is imminent. 

--------------------------------------------

I'm surprised there is not a lot of talk about one of the biggest discovery's ever.  Scientists have been working on this for 50 years.  The Large Hadron Collider has uncovered new evidence of a new elementary particle, the Higgs particle.  Fundamental physics has all of a sudden changed.  Space is NOT a vast void of nothing.  It's actually SOMETHING.  The forces that govern our existence actually interact with what we thought was empty space.

All of a sudden we find out that empty space contains the seed or our existence and empty space actually contains . . . .something.

The problem (as I understand it) was that we all knew that there was a big bang. Heck, scientists have actually been able to HEAR it but the thing was that how could this happen if there was nothing BEFORE the BIG BANG. You can't have an explosion out of nothing right?   Well, what we thought was nothing is actually something.

The Large Hadron Collider reinforces a couple of uncomfortable possibilities.  The first is that everything we know, the universe, us, earth  . . .everything is an accident.  We are the ultimate silly puddy.

The 2nd is that creating something out of nothing is not that hard.  There seems to be a lot more to nothing then we thought.  Space is not void.  Before the big bang there was nothing but space, an endless void of nothing.  But out of nothing BANG, everything.

"The Higgs particle is now arguably more relevant then God".   OH - don't ask me what the heck it is or even how "we" as in humans, found it. 
-----------------------------------------

Water your grass.  YUP, better water it. Not to make it green but to save it.  You see the crown is dehydrating and will soon die.  Grass does become dormant but there is a limit. If the crown dies as the ground temp gets near 80 you will be faced with a few hundred dollars in bills next year reseeding and watering your dead lawns. No rain is one thing but add in extreme heat - it's death to lawns.

The crown needs on average about 1/2 an inch of rain every 2 weeks.  We have had 1/2 inch of rain in a little over 6 weeks and are constantly in the 90s.  Going to be a lot of dead lawns next year.  And don't give me this BS about how expensive water is. it's a myth.  Good grief.   Water is not expensive at all.  Only because we get billed once a month do we THINK it's expensive.
---------------------------------------

Did you know the average teenager texts 3,7000 texts a month?  And they 1/3 of all smartphone users get online before getting out of bed?

That's it - gotta get to work.

Cheers
Rod  

Thursday, July 12, 2012

I almost shot an Eagle, on purpose + insane fireworks

Ever wonder what would happenat Rythem and Booms if ALL the fireworks went off at the same time?  That5 is what happened in San Diego this year.  $148,000 in fireworks ALL AT ONCE - OOPS!!!!  Software glitch!!

Watch

http://youtu.be/ndVhgq1yH

Look at the people wiggling with glee!   it's like a giant firework orgasm.








A funny thing happened the last few weeks about my golf swing.  All of a sudden no one was telling me I was falling backwards on the tee. This could be a result of two things.  Either I had corrected my golf swing and was now perfect . . . . . . OR . . . . I had gotten SO bad that all my normal friends just gave up.

I think they just gave up.

You see my swing is always evolving from one monster to the next.  Whatever is working at the time, I just go with it.  Hey - if I'm hitting 230 yard drives and falling on my ass - I'll go with it and take the abuse.  Well - I WAS doing that but as what normally happens my perfectly ludicrous looking swing degenerates and goes away so I must invent another.  All of a sudden I feel like a helicopter with all my pieces moving in the wrong direction AND getting poor results.

So last night I reeled it in again with a new improved swing and was ripping the ball.

ANYWAY - hole #15 at Door Creek is a par five and I ripped the ball down the middle for 220 yards.  Then ripped the next shot down the middle for 200 and I had about 60 to go.

One of my lessons I took many years ago said when you have a clear path to the green and you are a typical 20ish handicap golfer, bump and run.  Reasoning is that you will make less hideous bone headed mistakes.  Course management.

I bumped and ran up to about 2 1/2 feet of the pin.

Taken with my new iPhone 4G
 
That's the closest I've ever come to an eagle.  I did make the putt for a birdie.  My last two rounds have been a 45 and a 46 now.

Maybe I'll get my buddies to start telling me my swing his horrible again and I can be comfortable. 
--------------------------------------------------------------

The great drought of 2012.  This is turning into a pretty record breaking year isn't it.   Remember back in March with that awesome weather and we all kidded about "what if this continues into summer"?


IT IS!!   Lake Michigan is 15 degrees warmer then last year at this time.  Wisconsin has had only 41 severe weather alerts so far compared to 119 last year.

The grass?  Everyone says it's dormant - warning - maybe not.  Experts are now saying it's a wait and see.  Yea - grass becomes dormant and can last maybe 60 days before the crown dies . . . . .well . . . . .we are teetering on the edge here.  Dry winter, dry spring, dry summer . . . . we all could be looking at reseeding our lawns at some point.

I'm making two  postcards for Lake Mills and one for Columbus. Sort in in a old postcard look - I even had script for lettering which they all seemed to have in the 70s.


 
And this one - I have not thought about what to pot on this one.


and I just got this one yesterday and will distrubute this week.   You know me - I get in these moods and go with it for a while - sort of like my golf swing.  This was actually taken the last time Columbus had rain, about six weeks ago.


Have a great Thursday - more EXTREME heat heading our way next week.  upper 90s again!

Cheers
Rod

Wednesday, July 11, 2012

RAW photos

-------------------------------------------------------

On a brighter note - the RAW Madison Walkthrough

Had a meeting at The Majestic last night to go over where everyone will set up and so forth.    

I had not been in The Majestic for probably 15 years and had forgotten about it's odd shape. How the balcony sort of veers to one side.  Weird.



Majestic Theater

Anyway, if you are coming and are curious here is the production schedule which for some reason I found fascinating as I've never been part of a production before . . . at least not one like this.



Notice how the balcony veers to the right

Hair & Make-up call time 3:00
Visual Artists to arrive 4:00
Musicians to arrive 5:00
Models to do runway walk through 6:00
Sound check for musicians 6:15
Ayce to arrive 6:30
DJ to arrive 6:45
Doors open 8:00
Marimba Performance 8:05
Film Screening 8:40
First Music Set 8:50
DokianG Fashion Show 9:25
Second Music Set 9:40
Hoop Performance 10:10
Third Music Set 10:25
Fourth Musci Set 11:00
Tear-down begins after crowd filters out. 

I'll have an entire wall, about 27 feet with my artwork hanging from fish line.  I have to figure out a good knot to fish line. hmmmm 

As for the show?  It's going to be interesting for sure.  This whole RAW Artist thing is still evolving.  I know I can go anywhere in the world and show my work at any other RAW event Ilet's go to Australia) and there is a contest for RAW Artists with the big price being asked to show your work in Hollywood with the other world wide winners.

---------------------------------------------------

In other news I'm doing a large piece for the Wisconsin Broadcasters Association conference room. They are looking for a big panoramic from the CEOs office.  So I was up there yesterday just to see what sort of problems I was going to have. AND FOUND THEM.

Lots of reflections I'll have to deal with when I take the real photos.  And as you can tell I have so serious work to do.   Lots of reflections and weird angles that happen with ultra lens.  Maybe I;ll go with a different lens and stitch photos together.  

This is a quick and dirty image just to see what all I could get and problems involved.  This is just one of six windows that look out over Madison.  How would you like to have this view from your office.  I've been in the Attorney Generals office over looking the square - this is better.



 Have a great Wednesday
Rod


Tuesday, July 10, 2012

Fort Atkinson begins construction on this date

So you have all probably noticed I've been begging for $10 for this RAW Madison MIXOLOGY event that I got "mixed" up in.  I need about five more donations to reach my limit.

A friend said she would not go because she did not have cocktail attire.  I said I only had one cocktail  outfit I could wear and I hope it's good enough. 


So if you have yet to sign up for the event it really will be a good time and if you don't want a good time it's only $10 to sit home on your butt like a slug.  I have my walk-through tonight where we will wrestle for the best spot to show our work and I'll take some photos of the inside of beautiful Majestic Theater.

Go to RAW Madison Click on buy ticket, click on my name and you will go to PAYPAL and then enter your CC information.  Easy as pie.

 
I also have plans to take photos of the B17 that is in Madison this weekend so stay tuned for those.
----------------------------

Having problems with my SIRIUS Radio - I think I have to "refresh" my radio.  oh bother.

-------------------------------

I know a lot of you have seen this but HOLY MOLY!!!  THAT WAS CLOSE!!!  Even I wanted to run!!  

 


On this day in history construction of my hometown  Fort Atkinson, then called Fort Koshkonong began.   It was 1832 General Henry Atkinson and his troops started to build the fort after being forced backwards from the bog area of the "trembling lands" in their pursuit of Black Hawk. It was described as "a stockade work flanked by four block houses for the security of our supplies and the accommodation of the sick." It was also on this date that Atkinson discharged a large number of Volunteers from his army in order to decrease stress on a dwindling food supply and to make his force less cumbersome. One of the dismissed volunteers was future president, Abraham Lincoln, whose horse was stolen in Cold Spring, Wisconsin, and was forced to return to New Salem, Illinois by foot and canoe.

I THINK there is a plaque somewhere around Cold Spring that has this.

Also on this date in 1897 the temperature in Ashland WI hit 115.   This temperature was recorded outside Harrison's Drug Store, around 2:00 p.m.

and lastly - John H. Bradley Born in 1923. 19 years later he would become famous as one of the men in the famous picture/statue of the flag raising on Iwo-Jima.

Monday, July 9, 2012

Japenese Beetles and Imidacloprid

OK - seems that in the last week we had THE Japanese Beetle hatch and wow are they hungry. Every day I go out and kill the little fornicators in a number of ways and I find it quite enjoyable.

What I do not like is that they are going after my Autumn Blaze Maple. SO - game on.

I purchased some systemic spray for my trees and shrubs and feel I should warn you. What I'm using is called Systemic Insect Spray made by Bonide. The main killer is a chemical called Imidacloprid. This does a great great on on Jap Beetles but also is very very bad for bees. In fact Imidacloprid seems to be the leading cause of colony collapse disorder.

SO if you use it do not used it on flower.  Use it on anything that bees do not like, like trees and so forth. It's toxic to birds but really only if they are surrounded  and ingest it.  Not by touching it.  Ducks, who will eat beetles can have egg problems

Interesting stuff.  When you spray it the temp MUST be below 80 degrees. What it does is paralyze the insect and thus causes death.  I don't like using chemicals at all but for surgical strikes to save trees and non flowering shrubs I'll do it.

I'll continue to put Milky Spore on my lawn every fall as a long term solution.

Just thought I would let you know.
------------------------------

Check out this map - map generated by highlighting tweets mentioning "beer" by county vs, those that mention Church.  It shows how much cultural beliefs also drive voting behavior ultimately.




Talk to ya later. 


Friday, July 6, 2012

Another cell phone bites the dust

Another cell phone bites the dust. It's getting so that the reasons for the phones to leaving my possession are now repeating themselves.  At least this one was not mulched.  This time it was stolen from my pocket by a pick pocket. The last time one was stolen was from the garage of the Dept of Justice. The police recovered the phone but needed it as evidence . . . .then they lost it.

 I am 100%  sure I was picked and can play back the entire episode. I could even pick out the guy in a line-up.  Sadly I did not understand fully the tap on the shoulder, gentle bump and apology when it was happening.

It actually WAS just like in the movies or TV shows.  Exactly in fact.

It made an end to a rather incredible night that Mel, DJs dad and I had at the Mallards game last night (Badger Honor Flight Military Appreciation Night.)  Mel and a few others were honored for their service in WWII with a standing ovation of the 4,400 people that were out in a tepid 103 game time temp.



While he was getting applause I was trying to figure out were I had seen one of the organizers before, you know that feeling.



About the 4th inning a Navy vet starts to talk to Mel.  He was on an ammo ship at the time the USS Indy was suppose to arrive and he remembers talking to people and asking why the Indy had not arrived yet and why no one had heard from the Flag Ship of the US Fleet.  While sailors were concerned the brass just said it's a ship of war and not to worry (meanwhile 880 soles were floating in the ocean getting eaten by sharks).

For the entire and FASCINATING story read In Harm's Way: The Sinking of the U.S.S. Indianapolis and the Extraordinary Story of Its Survivors  if you, do Mel was in one of the small floating life-vest groups.  

For those uninformed - the USS Indy was the Flag Ship of the Pac Fleet, on July 30 at 12:14am a Japanese sub hit the Indy with a torpedo taking off the bow of the ship, which sank in like 15 minutes.  Of the 1,197 on board 880 survived the sinking and 317 survived 5 days in shark infested waters while the Navy ignored the SOS calls through incompetence and thinking it was a Japanese trick .  The book is seriously good. 

ANYWAY - The Navy guy was talking and mentioned he had a boat that could not get onto the Madison lakes because the water is too low, the (I believe the water no longer reaches the shore  :-).  I asked what kind of boat and he said it was an old wooden boat.  I mentioned I do the poster for the Wooden Boat show and he calls down to the guy I have been wondering about.  YUP - He is one of the top guys for the show!!!!  I KNEW I knew him from somewhere.

BUT WAIT - it's gets stranger!! 

About the 6th inning the father of the family in the row ahead of us turns around and says "you look familiar, did you grow up in Fort Atkinson?" Surprised I said yes and he says "Rod Melotte?".   WHAT???     I look at him and he tells me his name.  WOW - I went to school with him and BARELY knew him 40 years ago.  And he recognized me???  Is that good or bad.

Well - the game ends and we had a great time.  We're walking out of the park and we go down some steps.  My Nikon is slung over my left shoulder which means I'm right handed and since I have a Nikon I probably have a good phone or billfold or some other important rip offable things.  This also means that said important things, are on my right side. 

I have cargo shorts on which means I probably have all of the above stored in either my back pocket OR the big side Caption Kangaroo pocket.

We're clear of the big crowd and  as we walk a mustachioed  guy with a barrel chest, gray tee shirt,  short curly hair about 5'8" taps my shoulder and apologizes for bumping into me.

I can remember a large "?" appearing above my head as I thought it was odd but with drunks and so forth just stored the memory.

On any other night I would have known immediately.  I know the weight of my phone in my shorts and would have noticed.  But we were given all sorts of bling and rubber ducks, programs, pens and "stuff" so I felt rather bulky.

We get to the car and I empty out all my pockets on the floor of Mels car and we drive off.   We're perhaps 2 minutes out and a warning light appears in my brain.  Wait a minute . . . . . I did not feel my cell phone exit my pocket.

I'm groping around on the floor and I don't want to bring this to Mels attention as we had a great time ( it was my dads birthday** and I was like celebrating it with Mel).   

** more on this later

For the next 15 minutes Mel is talking blah blah blah and I'm replaying the entire game in my head while groping on the dark floor  and just as I get to the bumping incident my head spins - THAT was it.  I am 100% sure.   sigh  DAMN IT.

The GOOD news is that this was an iPhone 3 (not even a 3G) with busted glass and so many scrapes and nicks no one in their right mind will buy it and it's probably in the garbage.  It's an old beater.  Plus I was due for a major upgrade so now I'm forced to buy an iPhone 4 which is so much better then my 3.

I mentioned my dads birthday who passed away about 25 year ago from lung cancer.  One thing I will always remember is that he used to make bacon and then popcorn and pour the bacon grease on the popcorn instead of butter.   It was AWESOME!!!! 

So once a hear I have bacon grease popcorn on his birthday.

and that is my story. 

Keep cool
Rod
   

Monday, July 2, 2012

The Clay Garden don't need no rain. BAAA!

Ever have a cup of coffee that is just outstanding, so much better then the last coffee you had?  I'm having an outstanding cup today.

HEY - still hoping I can get some people to come OR donate a measly $10 to my RAW Madison event.  I forgot that all my friends go to bed at 7:00. So I'm scrambling for $10 donations.  Pretend I'm selling paper thin pizza and am wearing a cub scout uniform.

Remember - you get $20 off your next purchase for each $10 donation OR ticket purchased .

Better yet - come join the fun.

RAW Madison Link

--------------------------------------------------------

Well - Columbus actually had more rain then Madison but even with one extra storm we only had 0.50 inches of rain in June.  WHICH, still would be an all-time record low.

However - you know what this drought is helping?  My gardens.  Why you ask?  Because I'm actually watering them.  EXCEPT - for my clay garden which is drought tolerant.   The Clay Garden was made with  . . .clay.  None of this great soil like The Butterfly Garden.  This is hard sun baked clay.  All the flowers were planted with this is mind.  You tell me if it's working.

  

The thing that is surprising me are the Shasta Daisy's.  WHOA - they have never ever done THIS before!!   The last few years they have been more like the right side daisy's.  Not the huge clumps forming.  


I don't know what happened to those red Daylilies.  The yellow ones right next to them are fine and the ones in the front of the house are fine.   hmmmmmm


White in sunlight really blows things out sometimes! 


This is our Dogwood which is becoming one of my favorite shub/tree's  They are awesome.  The leaves are really cool to look at AND cool the house.



The Butterfly Garden is still 2 or 3 weeks away as it seems those perennials are getting their timing right.   Plants in the other gardens are still 1 to 2 weeks ahead of schedule.  I know the clay garden is ahead of schedule.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Have a great warm week.  Remember to feed the birds and put water out. Birds have problems in hot weather just like humans. One thing you can do is put a piece of plastic out like a garbage bag.  Birds like to take bathes in small puddles and so forth.

Cheers
 Rod