we all succumb to
the new and novel like so
many leaves that fall

peek-a-boo

my littlest guy joined the realm of shutterbugs this past week. well, sort of. we were down at the golfland on father's day and he won himself a bundle of tickets at the deal or no deal game. when we went to cash out this little beauty caught his eye. it's the old squirt-o-matic camera water gun. it was warming up outside and we all had no problem posing for him, as a splendid time was had by all. say cheese.

we look for signs to
guide our way toward life which
cannot be destroyed

as long as it is today

one day and soon, i am really going to miss stepping out the door and seeing this greet me as i head off to work...

who keeps watchin out
for all the ones too busy
to watch out themselves

transformation

today at work i discovered a little treasure trove of vinyl in the giveaway area next to the break room. there were like 20 of these and i was a little surprised too. usually it's pretty slim pickens over there, but david crowder band on vinyl? cool. anyway, i went back later and they were all still there. doesn't anybody own a record player anymore?
so i decided to do a little art project while i made a fresh pot of coffee. i grabbed another one and put it in the oven in our break room and let it cook while the coffee brewed. after several minutes it was malleable (and probably quite toxic) and i was able to form it into a little crumpled box. the dcb wax is now my new key tray. and something tells me that this would make mr. crowder smile as well.

sun heats a thirst for
solar powered beverage
to cool a cool dry mouth

spirited

an unfinished testament to the technicator's great thirst and history of libations...

draw the diagram
of all lives lived here as we
go around again

the longest day

and why is today the day whereby we officially turn the page on spring and say welcome summer? and what amazes me more is that we have done it for a very long time.
"i applied my mind to study and to explore by wisdom all that is done under the heavens. what a heavy burden God has laid on mankind! i have seen all the things that are done under the sun; all of them are meaningless, a chasing after the wind."

ecc. 1:13-14

the earth feeds us all
as we dig down deeply to find
who cares and feeds it

hairyed

yeah, so i'd been working on this illustration from an idea i had for a wrench with hair on it, like a manly arm tool. i even made the first version flesh colored. but when i took a second look it really looked like a penis. still kind of does. oh well. hairy father's day!

so...contest today.

the trip continues
along this slender rail as
good friends wave us down

(photo courtesy ride the machine)

reflection

as i ride past bugformance a type 3 variant notchback pulls out in front of me. it's a nice mostly stock model, white with venetian blinds in the rear window. we both ride over the freeway on the overpass and slowly loop onto the on-ramp. it's slightly overcast and nearly midday and everything is clearly focused. i'm still riding behind the notchback and staring at the badge on the rear deck. volkswagen. 1500. and i'm thinking about that engine inside. 4 cylinders on 4 wheels. 1500cc. and i'm following behind on 2 wheels. black and 750 cc. half. and we're both german. and we're both air cooled. and as i pass him by the driver looks over and gives me a hang loose. i nod and ride on by.

we cry for our former
lives left naked despite
attempts to cover

the observation of long forgotten traditions with origins in suffering continues today...

the dial turns and
a voice bids me welcome my
friend to the machine

geek snobbery

saw this bloke sitting near a seaside wall with this contraption on our last visit down to sf. i watched him pull all the bits out of his beater chevy astro van that had been given a rattle-can black paint job. inside it looked like a film camera grip's car with all kinds of shelves and cubbies to store things. he then proceeded to set up his odd rig when this shot was taken. i have to admit i was a bit curious as to how it all was going to work.
and as i stood there quietly watching him work, he stops what he's doing, turns to me and says "this takes a lot of concentration and i really don't want anybody staring at me while i work. so can you please leave?" now i'm generally obliging but for some reason this really ticked me off. i thought to myself "are you kidding me? you drive up in your burning man van and start pulling out all kinds of equipment to set up your sun powered whatsit in the middle of one of the most lively places in san francisco like some street performer, and then you've got the nerve to ask me to LEAVE?!"
i had to really contain myself for all the vitriol that was building up inside. i mean it's not like he was in his backyard and i lived next door to young mr. edison and popped my head over for a peek before getting shooed off. he was outdoors in a public space! but i smiled and slowly turned away begrudgingly as if i had been kicked out of the public park by another citizen, which in a sense i had. ah well, i could have stayed and just said "no, i don't think so. i was here first. but i didn't want to be that guy. so if you ever see this delicate genius, be forewarned.

sun rises and falls
a great circle over our
head marking the days

station to station

yesterday as i walked to work the sky seemed strangely well lit. and even though i could not see the sun yet the day was obviously begun. as i hit the parking lot i could see the sun break the horizon and then realized we are fast approaching the longest day.
later at home as i played ball with my boys i looked again to see the same sun setting on the opposite horizon and realized how fortunate i was to see it come and go once again.

we are the ship and
all else is the rough sea
beneath our weary craft

it's finally starting to feel like spring again. summer is 2 weeks away...

the lines of our lives
run endlessly on over
and over through time

the quiet solitude of life today, high in the mountains of the golden state.

the oath between us
stands like a great stone wall
a hundred years making

on my honor

my wife's grandfather who turned 95 this year has really lived quite the life. a child in the 1920's, a teenager during the great depression, and a young man through world war 2. he worked the same job and was married to the same woman for most of his life.
and when he was still a teenager he was a boy scout, earning enough merit badges to make the rank of "eagle". he attended the first all scout jamboree in washington d.c., and even got to take president roosevelt's chair for a spin on a trip to the white house. my wife wrote more about him here.
one of our little treasures is this coin which he gave to me once to pass around to my boys. it's a coin the scouts were given to keep in their pocket, and upon completing their good deed for the day, transfer to the other pocket. i like this idea very much, the idea of this coin sitting there and reminding you consciously to stay alert and be on the lookout for opportunities to do a good turn. and the creed on the front that reminds me that i must continually strive for excellence, and that this exchange is between me and my conscience. "on my honor". although i don't carry this coin every day, it's something i think on when the deed is done.
"good deeds are obvious, and even those that are not obvious cannot remain hidden forever."
- 1 timothy 5:25

we whittle down the
work a little more each day
still so much to do

to serve man

i've been running into a wall of late creatively. a lot of other things seem to be dominating my attention and i have not felt as strongly some of the past inspiration. and i've wondered if i may be running out of gas. i don't yet have any plans to turn off the toastrobot, but i may begin to miss a day or two now and again. i still value the outlet of this blog and will continue to park my musings and meanderings here. i'm just a little pre-occupied right now. going away to the mountains this weekend may help shake things up a bit.