A week in a nutshell

WOW hectic 6 days.

Started last Wednesday morning when I had a photo shoot for some senior photos for a friend.  

Then I golfed in league Wednesday night and Thursday morning I was up at 5:00 and on my way to Naga-Waukee War Memorial Golf Course for 18 holes and then the Brewer game that afternoon.

Here is my buddy Network after a drive.   MY drive came to a rest 260 yards away way way down there.  WHOO HOO!!  balderdash's ended up in those black trees on the right!  

Then the Brewer game was a 3:55 minute affair that ended 10-8 but the Brewers were never REALLY in the game.

Good seats though.

Friday I had part one of my 40th class reunion in Fort Atkinson.  I've only been to one other reunion and DJ has never even known if her Madison East Class HAD a reunion.

My job Friday was to host going into the Water Tower that was next to the old high school.  The Water Tower was where everybody would go smoke cigs (not me) and hang out while missing classes.

I took a bunch of shots INSIDE the water which was built by the same people that built the Columbus Water Tower.  There are only 2 such towers in Wisconsin (we think) and Fort Atkinson Historical people raised money to fix the tower up.  

The view from the top is breathtaking.

 
THEN - Saturday was the real Reunion at Koshkonong Mounds and DJ was inducted as an honorary member of our class because they felt sorry for her.  She was one of the first 2 people on the dance floor and was the main instigator for getting MORE people dancing. 

Sunday we went to Truax Field to take photos of all the Warbirds and I don't have those shots processed yet.

YESTERDAY I golfed 36 hols (disc golf) and then picked up a large canvas and will return it today as there is a speck of dust in the worst place so . . . . . . . That was my week in a nutshell. 

 rod
  

Portrait day!

Well, we nixed the "Save the Boobs, Cure the Assholes" benefit for something more appropriate! SADLY!!

Just some photos today - I have some senior portraits to take this morning in Madison so I'm rishing about.

Here is a new iteration of an old shot - this is underwhelming on the computer but as a LARGE vertical Pano  (16x48) it'll look sweet.

We have been getting wake up calls fro this couple the last few weeks.  Talk about LOUD!!! 

Heard the coyotes a few nights ago.  Milo is terrified of them!! 

I'm feeling boxed in! Took this yesterday.

 Here is a painterly Capitol.

 OH - at the Art Fair last weekend we were next to this old guy selling bird houses.  They were AWESOME!!   I really wanted one but I knew they were probably $150 or some other price I could not justify!

His name is Mel Tesmer and by noon it was like sharks in a frenzy in his booth.   I went over th look at prices and  OMG  $50?? 

 Last year he said he brought 75 and left with 5.  They are SO well made and OK for outside with a little care.  You can take the bottoms off to clean and so forth.

Just thought I would spread they word.

Gotta run 

Save the Boobs, Cure the Assholes benefit!

A Columbus tradition -

Save the Boobs, Cure the Assholes benefit! 

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

Pretty cool weather show last night.  Bright red sky in the north and a huge full moon followed with a lightning show to the south.  No rain in Cbus, Madison received a little less then 1/2 inch.

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

Some members of the city council (my opponent for one) was not that concerned with safety in Columbus when it came to the Library Parking lot.  Screw safety when we can save some money and MAYBE not even have to build a parking lot next year.  I can understand if it's not in the budget but this is citizen safety, not a new truck. (Don't get me started with the lack of sidewalks in Columbus - AGAIN - Columbus has to compensate for no sidewalks)  Then I find out the new blacktop on W James street is making vehicles speed more (no natural speed bump).

Well thanks to Dr. James A. and Lorna Will the library will be getting their parking lot as they have donated $10,000 to the project.  Also in the works for the library Columbus's first  Wi-Fi garden. An outdoor park with seating (with the help of Sandye at Hydro Street Brewing)  that will allow people to have internet access outside without needing to enter the library. 

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

And then there is Ryan Braun.  I don't know why but I'm not effected that much.  First of all let's clear some media errors.  Braun has NEVER admitted to using PEDs and MLB did not suspend him FOR using PEDs.  He was suspended for non-cooperation in the investigation and Braun has only said he made mistakes (well . . . . yea, like getting caught).

I would be MORE mad if Braun was suspended NEXT year.  This year I kept thinking that he should just fess up, get this behind him, lose games THIS yeas as opposed to next year.  His REAL crime would be to let this go further.

Of course the REAL crime was Braun trying to cover up THE ROYAL BABY!!  

Call me daffy but I love all things Royal.   It all started back in 927 with Æþelstan, Son of Edward the Elder and Ecgwynn and King of the West Saxons. Æthelstan's conquest in 927 of the last remaining Viking kingdom, York, made him the first ruler to control the whole of England, and he is regarded by historians as the first king of England.

COOL!
-----------------------------------

Working on new panos for the canopy - comments?  Ideas? 

Cave Point - Door County

Cana Island Lighthouse - Door County

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

Thursday is The Andy Winn (adubya) Memorial Tournament.  OH, hes not dead or anything just moved to the East Coast so on that day he is dead to us!   Tee-Time is a 6:15 IN THE MORNING (or something like that) at The Nag and a Brewer game afterwords!  I'm suppose to have a Home Brew Club meeting after that but . . . . . .

All Royal Family Channel

I was getting worried that 2009/10 was going to catch us this year in rain total but yesterday Columbus received 1.97 inches of rain in a pretty short period of time. WHEW!! 

We are still 0.37 above 4 years ago but that will be made up today so in order for 12/13 to stay ahead we need some thunderstorms today/tonight!  Gonna be close! 

Whitewater had 2.63 inches yesterday.

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

Lake Mills Art Fair was EXCELLENT  in more "ways" then one (+44% more sales then the average Lake Mills Fair).  One extra "way" was that I met one of the best Winston Churchill impersonators AskWinston.net.   Also I sold a large piece that I'm retiring from large canvas showing for the time being.
around, Randy Otto, and we're planing a project together. I would LOVE to get him to Columbus for some reason!!  Maybe a night at Hydro Street!  Churchill night with English bitters?  Check him out at

The problem has always been the scaffolding. Some people like it as it shows it really is a photograph and dates it, makes it real, and others say "too bad about the scaffolding".  Anyway I sold my big one.   I'm considering numbering my canvas offerings but . . . . . 

 . . . . I'm also considering applying for Art Fair on the Square or Off the Square.  It cost about $500 and the jury fee is $50 and you don't get that back.

Another problem is OFF the Square is a huge headache setting up and down but then there are sales . . . . yummy!  My good friend Cassius Callendar who is a year ahead of me is talking me into applying and says I would do well.  I am totally intimidated with his work.  It's nice because we do not sell the same style so we're not in competition as some other photographers seem to be. 

So you wondering how much can be sold at Art Fair on the Square?  Let's just say that two years ago he made less then $18,000 . . . . . . . on Saturday.   So . . . . .yea - it does have my attention.

Expermenting with different crops, what do you think.

Rainbow Bridge

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

We open the paper Saturday after getting all set up and see these headlines.

  
Not bad - I have no problems.  But then we see . . . .

WAIT.  WHAT?  They are shooting children?  This is worse then the Chicken Shoot which was one of the first things I read in the paper when I moved here!  

What concerned me was that at the last Council meeting last week I heard that they were going to put down one of the deer that broke his/her leg and castrate another one at the same time.  WHAT?  AT THE SAME TIME?   One bullet?  I know we are trying to save money but that is one a tricky shot!!

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

We are all waiting for the Royal birth. I know people at work are all tuned in and not getting ANY work done today so I'll log off so you can back to the All Royal Family Channel on your computers.

Rod  

Tuesday Blog

As-salam alaykum everyone!   That is what my new best friend who's father owns a diamond mine who seems to have just passed away in a freak accident says.
---------------------------------------------------------

HOT - yea baby!!!   Bring it!!   Won't last long, just a few more days.  We're actually lucky, because we have had so much rain and the ground is so moist a lot of the energy that WOULD be making us REALLY hot is going towards evaporation. 

Of course that is why our dew points are in the mid 70s.  So we could be 97 with a dew point of 60 or 90 and a dew point of 75.  We should be getting relief by the weekend which is good because I have my 1st art fair of the year Saturday.  Lake Mills, I'll be on Madison Street, the shady side across from the library.  Sweet spot. 

As far as rain, 2009/10 is catching up to us!   Notice how 2011/12 has leveled off!

  
Mosquitoes are starting to show their ugly head.  Not so bad in Columbus yet but I was in Waterloo at their disc golf course and it was horrific!  DEEP WOODS stopped the biting but it was literally a cloud buzzing around my head.  The kind where you start to panic a little.

From the forums it's pretty bad all around the country except for a few places but Minnesota seems to be the epic center.  One guy wrote  "The mosquitoes attacked me in squadrons and the ticks were out in full force, but it was the horse flies that killed me."  

That would be awesome fun!

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

Did you hear about that couple that were going to a Dave Matthews concert, picked up a hitch hiker AND IT WAS DAVE MATTHEWS.  Seems his bike broke down. 

Not many people hitch anymore.  I hitched out west in the 70's. twice.  Camping where I could.  My goal was California but I never made it past the mountains.  One time two guys picked me up heading to CA to sell drugs.  The problem was they had no drugs OR money and the only thing getting them high was big sticks of incense.   I'm sitting in the back seat watching these two stooges snorting smoke from incense.

I ditched them.   Also was picked up by a servicemen who was AWOL, speeding across the country at 100mph.  I ditched him when he was picked up and taken to jail, but he gave me a case of K-Rations.

Hitching was awesome fun and an adventure.  I loved it (I had a pretty large knife handy at all times). I only had my hand near in once, on the 2nd to last day of a 2 week trip near Madison. 

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

I collaborated with a fellow disc golfer/photographer and we created this shot.

I'm looking to get into a disc tournament next year - I would be in the "Advanced Senior Grand Master  Division".  I mean, how many Advanced Senior Grand Master's can there be!!!   I'm worried that there might not be any of those divisions! 

I've really improved (rating of 733 at the moment which is probably like a 26 handicap golfer) but I won't bore you - I have another blog for that! Of course a 26 handicap golfer is still way better then most hackers on courses.
-----------------------------------------

Milo was outside near the from porch and I saw he had a baby bunny gently in his mouth. (rabbits are the cows of the animal kingdom, they are basically a food source for almost every other animal). So I grab Milo and make him drop the baby bunny who hides in our front plants and lock Milo inside for a few hours.

I let him out and an hour later I see him standing on the sidewalk with baby bunny in his mouth again, like a kitten.

I get him to drop, lock him in and bunny hides in the plants again.   sigh!  So I decide to remove bunny to a different place.  I'm on my knees and trying to catch bunny and Milo is in the window watching me (stupid pinky can't catch a bunny) and FINALLY I get bunny to run away.

2 hours later I let Milo out (who is not feeling great with some pain meds in his system) and he spends the next few hours watching the plants for bunny movement which never happened.

BTW - It's Rabbit Awareness Week.  I talked to a friend that works at the Animal Shelter and they hate it when people bring in injured Rabbits.  It's like bringing in an injured mouse.
-----------------------------

And if you have read the blog this far.

Josh saved his first life this past weekend as an EMT.  Well, his team did.  I am FREAKING proud.  It was close.  27 minutes of CPR and 3000 compressions and the phone was out to "call it in".  Josh had just finished the final set of 200 compressions and they looked one last time at the screen and he said "just like on TV, the very last possible moment".   BLIP!  

I said this 10 years ago before Josh became a firefighter / EMT that he was the one person I would trust my life with.

Keep cool!

Rod            

Tonto

FINALLY - the Brewers are starting their pennant run.  It was almost getting too late.

I HAVE to share this - I don't share many "funny" things because everybody "funny" is different but this.

Jennifer is a Party Pooper??  

http://youtu.be/gjwofYhUJEM

------------------------------
 DJ and I went to The Loan Ranger this weekend.

The odd thing was half the audience wanted to clap at the ending but the other half didn't.

DO NOT read critics reviews which are horrible.  According to Flixster who poll people that went to the movie if they liked it 68% said YES.   Not GREAT numbers got good.

I think people were expecting another Pirate movie but this is Johnnie Depp.  Not a fan of blockbusters normally.   This is what Box Office Mojo had to say about the opening week. 

Remember - Public Enemies was panned and people said it had disappointing numbers. But STILL - it was the highest rated "R" gangster movie ever. 

The Lone Ranger took in $48.7 million in its first five days. Among other expensive Westerns, that start is a bit above Cowboys & Aliens ($45 million) and Wild Wild West ($41 million), though Cowboys didn't have the Fourth of July boost and Wild Wild West opened 14 years ago.

The Lone Ranger was billed as "from the team that brought you Pirates of the Caribbean," but its opening doesn't compare favorably: the original Pirates movie also opened on a Wednesday and had taken in over $70 million through Sunday.  Adjusted for ten years of ticket price inflation, that debut translates to around $93 million. 

For the Western genre, The Lone Ranger did have a good opening; unfortunately, that's a very, very low bar. With a budget over $200 million, Disney surely hoped The Lone Ranger would transcend its genre limitations, which is what Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl managed to do back in 2003.  However, when Pirates opened, Johnny Depp's portrayal of Captain Jack Sparrow seemed fresh and exciting; after a decade of playing similarly wacky characters, his portrayal of Tonto in The Lone Ranger just felt like more of the same.

While the original Pirates movie opened well, its ultimate success came from fantastic word-of-mouth. Unfortunately, it doesn't look like The Lone Ranger will experience a similar bump: its "B+" CinemaScore and awful 25 percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes suggests that it will perform similar to other major Summer movies (as in, fall off quickly from opening weekend).

In the long term, a total over $100 million is likely, though it won't go too much higher than that. One slight positive for The Lone Ranger: its audience skewed older (68 percent over the age of 25) and male (57 percent), which is a group that usually doesn't rush out to movie theaters.

We loved it. Watching Johnny always feeding his dead head bird was great.  It was NOT a movie for children.  Big body count.   An adult whacky 2.5 hour roller coaster thrill ride with comedy and drama mixed and sometimes at the same time.    

OH - I have a thingy about the SRO meeting last night in Columbus.

Tuesday Stuff

Check out this hail storm north of Calgary. 

Hail - about 20 km north of Calgary.

This is a new iteration of the B17 Aluminum Overcast. 

I'm hoping to get shots of the B-29 Superfortress and the B-24 Liberator that are flying into Madison on July 25th - SADLY I'll be on a ball golf/brewer game extravaganza on the Media Day so I'll have to get in maybe Sunday late.  

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

I really think the mountain they are building south of my house will change weather patterns a tad.  Not exactly how though.  I would think wind would be compressed at the top of the hill and tumble onto the golf course.  Speeding up BUT spreading our so I don't know what would take precedence.  

There will be less sound from the south I suppose and maybe the Power and Light lights will be hidden to give our area a darker night.   

All I know is that every day that hill gets 3 or  4 feet taller.  It's becoming massive. 

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

I'm not sure I will ever walk upright again.

   
I think some people are going a little overboard with discs.  Well, I have 7 now all different characteristics.

 Yea - take those carts to Hiestand Park in Madison.  It would be like me taking my cart to the Irish Course at Whistling Straits!  Just not going to fit on some paths!  

OH - I disc golfed in Waterloo at their Firemans Park.  What an outstanding park that is.  Only problem is that I got out of the car and I was bit 4 times, as I was putting on bug spray.  It was CRAZY.

DEEP WOODS protected me but there was a constant cloud in front of my eyes all 9 holes!  Very annoying.  

Had my farthest toss ever last night in my "back yard".  I would say between 200-210 feet. Ol' noodle arm is getting better.  Every bone hurts in my body though. Almost a good feeling . . but not quite. 
 ----------------------------

BIG BROTHER!  OMG - two woman have been fired from their REAL jobs already but they won't know it until they get booted out of the BB house.  My God, two racist homophobic woman. As one contestant commented "Does she know we’re on TV and you shouldn’t say stuff like that?”
  
Once word got out what these two were saying on the closed feeds (that people pay for) the net lit up screaming at CBS to reveal the two to the non-pay public.     

Sorry Aaryn - the modeling agency has dumped your ass.  Mocking Asian people, referring to a gay contestant as a "queer" ... and making fun of a black person for good measure will not make you a roll model. 

DJ and I love that show.  It's so sad. 
 

Flowers are blooming!

HA - this is what happens when you try a little too hard for get extra distance on a disc and a little too much practice.   It did help my ball golf game in a weird way though.   I've had a horrible year at ball golf but last week, THIS happened 5 hours before league.

Lots of ice and Ibu and the 1st 4 holes was a little sore.  But then I realized that if I extended my arm on my drive a little more, not only did it not hurts so much - I was CRUSHING the ball!  A guy I was playing with is a big driver and I was always a few feet behind him in the 250 range. 

OAT - Off-Axis Torque injury

I'll make sure I hurt myself every Wednesday morning now  LOL 

DJ and I went out to Crystal Lake in Beaver Dam for a round and I had my first pain free round throwing the disc sidearm on my drives.  Worked out well (well, maybe pulled a groin a little but at my age if something is not hurting you are not doing enough) .  FREAKING hot though.  Didn't expect the sun to come out.  Holy crap the 10th hole was guarded by trees and we felt we were in a toaster.

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

I've been slowly getting ready for art fair season with Lake Mills, July 20th, being my first of the year.  Oddly I seem relaxed - I have my spreadsheets with the canopy layout all planned with two new sizes, 16x48 vertical panos.  Had a practice run at putting up the canopy and just getting more matting done.
--------------------------------------------

Elwood was over Saturday and we did basically nothing but drink IPA.  WTF!!  For years he never liked anything but dark beer.  I turned him on to Scurvy by Tyranena and all of a sudden he OLVES Pale Ales and IPA.

I took a few photos of the yard while we were doing nothing.

This is the view when sitting on out patio.  Problem is when there is no wind this area becomes a heat reservoir.  The cement and rocks just store all the heat. Great in winter, not so much in summer.   It'll be 10  degrees warmer then the surrounding area with less wind.

We have been working for a few years on getting the "under the deck" area to grow something.   Vinca didn't work out well and the few hostas were ravaged by wind.  BUT - Sweet Woodruff is LOVING the extra heat.   It's way bigger then it's suppose to be (not shown is the ground level Sweet Woodruff) .  We have Sweet Woodruff on steroids.

We're going to get a different trellis next year.  This one is not working out well for the (2nd year) clematis.   

OK - there is a problem, with so much foliage, it slows down the wind so mosquitoes can have an easier time eating you.

HOWEVER - when it gets really hot we can always put some chairs beside the house (also called the wind tunnel) and enjoy the greenery there

We're going to start on the front of the house next year (in theory).  Moving some things around and so forth.

BTW - if you are on Pintrest check out this ground cover page - great stuff.

 Rock Gardens & Ground Covers

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

Have a great start of the week.

Rod

Salt and lawyers.

OK - which one was written by a lawyer and which was written by a normal person.  #1 or #2

1. Convene to closed session to speak with a lawyer who will give advice about upcoming legal shit which might or might not happen.

2. Convene to close session to confer with legal counsel for the governmental body who is rendering oral or written advice concerning strategy to be adopted by the body with respect to litigation in which it is or is likely to become involved.

If you picked #2 was written by a lawyer you would be correct.   Does the sentence actually end?  or did it just stop.

I THINK they are talking about the Dopkins building, also known as the bulging building.  I think we should treat this like they would in The Dells.  Sell tickets to look inside of it.    
---------------------------------

I heard something on sports talk radio today - not sure it it is 100% accurate but even if it's not it's pretty awesome.

Only one other rookie in the history of MLB has had a better first half of year then the Brewers Jean  Segura, and that was Joe DiMaggio.  Although I'm not sure Segura is actually a rookie!

Seriously though - Segura has been amazing  .325 average, 8 doubles, 9 triples, 11 homeruns 16 stolen bases and caught only 3 times.

Will Segura and JJ Hardy be the All-Star Shortstops this year?

Then there are rumors of trading Gallardo, maybe for a first baseman?  WHAT?  We have Gamel for next year, what are they talking about!!   LOL - I made myself laugh.

----------------------------------
SALT!! 

NO NO NO - not that Salt.  TABLE SALT. 

I commented a few blogs ago that when I purchased an old LIFE magazine there were advertisements for salt which was odd because how many times do you see ad's nowadays for salt.

However - who knew Mortons Salt was so crappy for you.  It's basically processed food and you should stay away from it.  Reason  . . well, besides being SALT, it's not good salt.  It's sodium chloride, a highly refined, processed white substance that's devoid of nutrients with iodide added back in which can have trace amounts of sodium solo-co-aluminate, fluoride sodium bicarbonate, toxic amounts of potassium iodide, anti-caking agents and aluminium derivatives.

OK OK - I was doing some research after buying some Himalayan Pink Salt. I've been looking for different salts like Hawaiian Sea Salt, Sicilian Sea Salt, Indian black salt, Smoked sea salt, French sea salt, Fleur de Sel.   Seems Mortons salt is all ground with metal and so forth with all minerals taken out and then "iodine" added back in.

Himalayan Pink Salt has a full spectrum of 84 minerals and trace elements  "just like Mother Earth intended". It is an unrefined, unprocessed "raw" salt that's hand-mined from salt caves that were formed 250 million years ago.  It's the most pure salt in the world.  The pink comes from iron oxide.  It comes from the  Khewra Salt Mine in Pakistan.

ANYWAY - I just thought it was interesting.  I picked of a grinder of it at Costco.

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

I've started taking a disc with me where ever I go.  People ask me "how ya doin" and I say I've been disc golfing a lot, learning how to throw and so forth.  Most of the time they say something on the order of Frisbee golf. Well, that is like calling ball golf, pitch and putt.

What I'm finding is that disc golf is a LOT more exercise then ball golf as disc golf courses are pretty challenging.  Also disc golfers are as strict with rules as ball golfers.  Basically the same sport which relies on integrity.

I do know my Teres Major muscle is sore a lot these days but I think it's been dormant for 30 years since my Frisbee days 


It's an awesome real sport.    I saw on Youtube some guy just broke a record with a 950 foot throw!  WOW!!  I'm in the 200 foot range downhill.  BTW - throwing downhill is hard because you need to throw down the hill, not out.

That's all.