There is a Reason They are called “Knock-out” Roses

 

Aww Mondays

I Need Somebody to Love Me

Monday’s Music Moves Me

The high school seniors have just graduated this week-end and the rest of the students are headed into their final week of school. That means that summer is about to kick into high gear with families planning vacations, kids going to some kind of camp, and everyone trying their best to unwind from their normal routines and enjoy something special. We have already taken a road trip into Texas Hill Country to see the Bluebonnets and visit some great small Texas towns. Later this summer there will be a gathering of some of the cousins at the lake for a few days. The theme for this week is “Your Choice” so I think I will choose summer. The first song is from the Broadway musical Porgy & Bess. The song just drips with the long, hot, dog days of summer. I don’t believe it was done any better than by these two jazz/blues greats Louis Armstrong and Ella Fitzgerald.

Eddie Cochran was a first generation rock ‘n roller of the fifties and early sixties. His biggest hit was Summertime Blues.

Along came the sixties, long hair, outrageous costumes and heavily amplified music. The Who took Summertime Blues to a whole new level.

One group originated in 1969 and stayed popular through the 70’s as Sha Na Na. They were part doo-wop throwback, part tribute, and part boy band parody. Sha Na Na, may not have been the best group of their era, but they were fun and entertaining.

Of course the ultimate graduation anthem of seniors everywhere is none other that Alice Cooper and School Is Out Forever!!!

Have a blessed week.

Building Detail – Boerne (Burnie), Texas

Aww Mondays

Monday’s Music Moves Me

Well the theme for this week is body parts. I did this theme once before and chose the mind. I know there are songs about arms, legs, ears, toes, hands, and feet, but I am going to return to internal organs. It seems that the heart is the seat of our emotions. It is the heart where we first feel something stirring inside of us that sends a message to the brain to do something and drive us into action. The heart is the symbol of love. The heart can be hot, cold, soft, hard, happy, sad and in love all at the same time, so here are a few of my favorite heart songs.

From the country music of the 90’s, one of my favorite artists was Hal Ketchum. Hal was a singer/songwriter and enjoyed fame as both during this period. Sadly Hal is now suffering from Alzhiemer’s/dementia. Here is a song that he wrote that most dads can relate to when their daughter blossoms out of childhood and into a beautiful young lady. You know that boys are gonna start hanging around and hearts are gonna roll.

At some point in our dating experience all of us have had that break-up event. Sometimes we can even see it coming and we try to prepare for it. Still, we know that there’s gonna be a heartache tonight…maybe two.

There are many causes for these heartaches of love, but the most common reason for a broken heart that turns into a lyric and then is set to music seems to be, your cheatin’ heart.

Certainly, it would seem that only love can break a heart and only love can mend it again. Have a blessed week.

Encore

Saturday my wife and I celebrated our 45th wedding anniversary, so in honor of that occasion I believe I will play a song from our wedding. It was probably the most popular song of the day for this special occasion. I give you Paul Stookey and The Wedding Song.

 

 

So, What’s The Secret – Written for our 35th anniversary May 11, 2009

So what’s the secret to being married for thirty-five years and looking forward to celebrating number fifty one day? All I can tell you is that our marriage is centered around our faith and that the message from God’s Word is critical to the happiness that each of us enjoys.

First of all, God loves us and everything He does for us is for our benefit. He created the institution of marriage to be enjoyed by a man and a woman and to bring each of them happiness. The Bible tells us that God loved us so much that He gave His Son to die on a cross for us so that we might, through faith, have eternal live. Christ tells the husband that he is to love his wife with the same love that Christ loves the church and gave himself for that church (Ephesians 5:25). If I love my wife with that kind of love, then everything I do, I do because I love her and I want her to be happy. I want her to be pleased with this relationship. I want my Lord to be pleased with me as a man who loves his wife and realizes that his wife is a gift from God created especially for me and for my happiness.
Secondly, marriage is a partnership. Like any relationship, it takes work to maintain that relationship in peak condition. A happy marriage doesn’t “just happen”. Both of us are committed to the relationship and to each other because we love one another and it is our desire that our partner be happy in this relationship. No major decision in this relationship is made without prayer and conversation. God is not the author of confusion, therefore He will not give my wife a different answer to an issue than the one that He gives me. Again, God created the institution of marriage for our benefit, not for our demise.
Finally, I married a woman far better than I deserve. I thank my Lord and Savior for her every day. My wife is the most thoughtful, caring and giving person that I know. Proverbs 31:10-12 says, “An excellent wife, who can find? For her worth is far above jewels. The heart of her husband trusts in her, and he will have no lack of gain. She does him good and not evil all the days of her life.” I have found that woman. Proverbs 31:25-30 further states, Strength and dignity are her clothing, and she smiles at the future. She opens her mouth in wisdom, and teaching of kindness is on her toungue. She looks well to the ways of her houselold, and does not eat the bread of idleness. Her children rise up and bless her; her husband also, and he praises her, saying: Many daughters have done nobly, but you excel them all. Charm is deceitful and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the Lord, she shall be praised.” I “married such a woman.
So, back to the original question, “What’s the Secret?” The answer is, you have to give yourself to the marriage. You have to give yourself to your spouse. Whatever you have within you, you have to “Give it Away.”

Patio Blooms

Aww Mondays…Cocker Soccer

Monday’s Music Moves Me

It’s free choice week at 4M so I am going to relive part of my 60’s experience. When I came home from Vietnam the Hippie Movement was in full swing here in the U.S. There was a genre of rock music that came to be known as psychedelic or acid rock. It was influenced by a drug known as LSD. Bands that came out of this time period were Steppenwolf, Jefferson Airplane, Janis Joplin, Led Zeppelin, Emerson/Lake&Palmer, Cream, Grateful Dead, Blue Oyster Cult, and a host of others. I took a portion of the money that I had saved while in the service, actually almost all of it, and bought a component stereo system. A component stereo was a system in which each piece was purchased separately and could be from different manufacturers. I had a tuntable (for playing vinyls), an amplifier/tuner, a pair of speakers with tweeters, mid-range and 12″ air suspension bass, and last but far from least, a reel to reel tape deck. The sound from my system could rattle the walls and make the earth move. So what was I listening to? First up was Steppenwolf. Their most famous song, “Born to be Wild” was an anthem for the counter culture and was featured in the movie “Easy Rider”, starring Peter Fonda, Dennis Hopper, and the guy wearing the gold football helmet is none other than Jack Nicholson. Easy Rider was his break-out role.

Nearly all of us listened to Led Zeppelin and their first major hit was “Whole Lotta Love”.

Another group that spawned a rock icon was the group Cream. Jack Bruce on bass guitar, Ginger Baker on drums and none other than Eric Clapton playing lead guitar and singing lead vocals. Their first and biggest hit was Sunshine of Your Love. Internal squabbles, drugs and alcohol, contributed to the demise of this group and they each went their separate ways to form their own careers.

The hardest rockin’ female of the day was Janis Joplin. She was the epitome of the “Hippie Chick”. Her life was cut short by bad decisions with drugs and alcohol, but her talent was undeniable.

Probably the second most famous female vocalist of the day was Grace Slick of Jefferson Airplane. This group came out of San Francisco, which was ground zero for the whole hippie counter culture movement of the day.

One thing you will notice about these groups, nearly everyone of them made an appearance at the greatest rock concert of all time, Woodstock. Well, there you have it, the hippie side of my music tastes from the 60’s. Have a blessed week.

Texas Hill Country – Part II

Last week I shared photographs from a road trip my wife and I took into Texas Hill Country to see the wildflowers in bloom. The adventure took us into a number of smaller towns and cities in the central part of the state. A few of these municipalities were county seats, that is, the place of the county government. Besides wildflowers, these Texas towns are famous for their courthouses. Most are built out of Texas limestone and are beautiful pieces of architecture set in the rugged landscape.

Llano, TX

Marble Falls, TX

Johnson City, TX

 

Waco, TX

Of course, if there is a county courthouse, there must be one of the original Texas “bed & breakfast” places that is by invitation only…the county jail.

These structures were built with the same flair for design as their courthouse counterpart. All  of these structures were built between 1875 & 1899. It is not unusual for the daytime temperature in hill country to reach 100 degrees in the summer and there is no shade, so these little architectural jewels were not some place you would want to spend time for violation of the law. Have a blessed week.

During our recent Texas road trip, my wife and I spent a day in Waco. Waco, TX has become famous as the home of HGTV “Fixer Upper” stars Chip and Joanna Gains. One of their projects was a retail complex called “The Silos”. It is an interesting tourist destination, but honestly, there is much more to see and do in Waco, TX. There are beautiful buildings everywhere in the downtown area just waiting to be photographed and, if you know me by now, you know that I was more than happy to pick up the camera and snap a few images.

Okay, here is the obligatory ” Magnolia Silos” photo. There is a store with home decor, a bakery, and a multitude of food trucks on site. There is also a central gathering area for sitting and relaxing. Even though we visited on a Tuesday around noon, the place was very busy. I cannot imagine the week-end crowds. Okay, let’s move on.

Usually it’s proper to save the best for last, but I fell in love with this restored service station. It was built in 1929 and behind the gas pumps and office are five service bays. Two brothers bought the property in the 80’s and restored it so they could just hang out and work on their own cars.

There was a time when a church looked like a church. This is First Baptist Church Waco, TX. It sits on a corner lot and the entrance is flanked by two walls of stained glass. I would love to go inside and photograph all of the stained glass in this place of worship.

Just a few blocks away from the Baptist Church is this Methodist place of worship. Along with stained glass, cast stone was a featured material in church architecture at one time.

This is a small courtyard entry into another church. You can see the craftsmanship and attention to detail in every aspect of the construction. Stepping away from religious architecture, Waco has some marvelous homes.

This incredible residence has been a temporary dorm for Baylor University, a bed and breakfast, and a wome’s drug rehabilitation dorm. It was built in 1910 and is 10,000 sq. ft. of living space plus a three car garage with quarters above. Just across the street…

stands this amazing residence. This home was completed in 1891 and is an example of Shingle Style architecture which was rarely seen in the south at the time. The exterior wood and brick were locally produced products. Stunning is the only word that comes to mind when you see this home.

We spent most of the day in Waco and, as you can see, there is plenty to see besides “The Silos”.  It was a Happy Tuesday behind the camera for me. Have a blessed week.

 

 

Aww Monday

Naps are always better with a buddy.

Monday’s Music Motivates Me

Let’s face it some music just motivates us to dance, even if the results are not pretty. Some music invites and motivates us to sing along, even though we can’t carry a tune. Many of us prefer some sort of music in the background of our lives when we are doing things we enjoy. I like to draw, even though I don’t do it much anymore. As an architect, I used to draw for a living, but much of that drawing was technical and precise images that guided contractors how parts of a building should go together. Occasionally I would sit down and just sketch something for my own amusement. I have always had music playing when I am drawing. The music may come from any number of genres, but lately I have been drawn to the blues and some of the classic country tunes.

Not long after retirement I took an interest in Zentangles. I had no idea what a Zentangle was until I saw them posted on Pinterest. I spent a few days working on them and I still do one from time to time. They are relaxing and help clear the mind.

Zentangles can be as simple or as complicated as the artist chooses. They can be random, symmetrical, or completely non geometric. They can be color or black and white. Personally I prefer B&W.

I still like to vignette sketch and I am going to start doing more of that later this year. I have a major (for me) landscape project to do very soon so, plants have been on my mind.

I use a combination of ink pens, color markers and color pencils for these types of sketches. I guess that makes them mixed media. They take anywhere from ten to twenty minutes to produce.

 

What about the music you ask! Well I do like blues and country for these moments. First up is possibly the best blues guitarist working today. Joe Bonamassa has been playing since he was four years old and he is a genius with strings.

Bonnie Raitt combines the best of everything I like about music. She’s a little bit country, blues, rock, and folk. She has a sound all of her own and she can tell a story with the lyrics.

When legends get together on stage, magic happens. If I could only draw the way these guys can make music. Have a blessed week.

The past couple of weeks you have been viewing pre-scheduled posts while my wife and I took a ten day road trip to the hill country of central Texas.  The purpose of the trip was to view the wild blue bonnets in bloom this time of year and photograph other interesting things. Spoiler alert, there will be more than one post about this trip. We left our home in Northwest Arkansas on a Monday morning and traveled 417 miles to Hillsboro, Texas. The next morning our adventure began as we drove through  Killene, Kerrville, Lampasas, Burnet, Marble Falls, Johnson City and back to Marble Falls to spend the night. Each of these towns are small, unique, and a treat to visit. While in Johnson City we visited a part that provided the best display and easiest to photograph blue bonnets that we would encounter on the entire trip. Here are a few of the images.