it's been a while since i shared some faces so i thought i'd put a few more up today. the first one i call "bug eyed".
"angry time"
"what are you lookin' at?"
a good friend and i were talking recently. he was telling me he had started a daily workout routine of running and cycling alternating. he had just injured his ankle and was favoring more time on the bicycle. the day before our conversation it had been extremely windy and wet as he headed out on the bike and he cursed the elements as he pressed on through his ride, feeling underprotected while screaming at the skies. "you know, there's just something about having the right gear for whatever activity you're doing" he said. "i mean, you can do it without, but it just makes things so much easier"
when i was five my parents had this bright idea that they were sick of california, the high prices and the crowded neighborhoods. lured by the promise of a simpler life and being closer to my mom's relatives we packed up and moved across country to nashville. i remember the trip well as we caravaned an orange u-haul truck towing my dad's work truck, while following behind, my mom's yellow volvo. sometimes i got to ride in the u-haul cab with my dad as he worked the manual shifter on the highways and i'd sit up high and stare out at the world. and other times i'd be gazing out the front of the car looking at the ford truck with the added trailer lights.
i loved this little race car and it captured my imagination with its big red wheels and tires, dual exhaust, roll bar, checkered flag on the front and the driver's classic 3/4 open face helmet. and this wasn't a man driving, it was a kid! it was me.
the days have been a lot warmer around here this week and the break in winter storms makes it feel like an early spring. so yesterday i hauled all of the bikes out of the garage and began tuning them up. wrenches and screwdrivers, oil and grease. i'm no great mechanic, but i really enjoy doing this kind of work. i fired up the compressor to add air to the deflated tires and raised seats to accommodate growing legs. i added a water bottle holder to my wife's bike and straightened her handlebars. my kids even got out their paint brushes and stickers to further add to our tune up session and give their rides some added flair.
i was going through a box of pictures the other day and came across the one above. i have no idea who this kid is. then i remembered finding it on a warehouse floor one day. i don't know why i held on to it except there is something familiar about this kid. judging by his hairstyle and the butterfly collar i have to think it's mid 70's.
kokeshi are traditional japanese hand-painted wooden dolls whose origin goes back to the edo period. they are made with love and great care as each artist strives to bring their own unique style to these little representations. in fact in japan they sign the bottom of each one and they are usually handed down in families from father to son.
these little guys were recently produced by our little guys and were inspired by the joseph story in genesis. joseph had to suffer much before finally discovering God's ultimate purpose for his life. our little kokeshis aren't suffering too much though, and the little artists who produced them remind us that in true japanese sensibility the simplest joys are the richest.
after six months on the night shift i'm moving to days. i never used to be a day person, but i have missed it. when you live as the opposite piston to the rest of the world you start to feel disconnected, like you're breathing out as the rest of the world breathes in. i first noticed it going home one morning. the road crew was out. people everywhere on the streets in morning commute mode, coffee cups in hand. and i was just winding down. but there is tremendous solitude as you sit watch overnight while the world sleeps. a sense that you're all alone, that the entire earth is hibernating. and every once in a while you may cross paths with some other ghoul. at least i'm sleeping better, and in my new shift i'll still wake before the dawn, so i don't have to miss the sunrise. let's not miss it.
does anybody remember milkmen? i sure don't. by the time i was pouring my own milk it had already moved from a daily delivered item with butter, eggs and newspaper to a refrigerated commodity in our local supermarket. someday i'll have to go do some research on what led to the demise of the nation's milkmen.
so if you take about 9000 pictures, one will occasionally turn out alright. we were up over donner pass last weekend where i snapped this one. i was pleased with the result. it's actually two shots that i stitched vertically. see if you can spot the line...
it's rent day again and time for sharing some new music. actually i'm not sure how you'd categorize this one. it's more like spoken word poetry rantings from a true madman with jazz accompaniment. from 1958 dot records' jazz horizon series this is ken nordine "son of word jazz".
