PRISTINE THERAPY

RESURGENCE

     They are an elixir, these spring blooms, a tonic for the soul. Begging a closer look they absorb our attention.

    In brief moments wonder, beauty and fascination beguile us.

   Gentle antidotes to the maddening slurry of public affairs.

  It is akin to a default resetting of our psyche. Pristine therapy.

ANOTHER DAY, ANOTHER BOX

   No, it doesn't matter the box is entirely too small or that they are smashed. By whatever logic or reason that compels them, Joy and Hemingway have taken to a type of yin and yang bunking in a tiny box. This will last for a couple of nights and they will wonder to yet another unpredictable berth. We'd love to know the "logic" to their ways.

NEWS SCRAPS FROM THE FUTURE

    An obscure note from a meeting in Geneva foreshadows an intersection that could alter the fate of humankind. Harvard Law School and Human Rights Watch has issued a call to stop "killer robots."

    At the Convention on Conventional Weapons in Switzerland Human Rights Watch has expanded its case for the concept of "meaningful human control."   Put simply they make the good case that no robot should be programmed to kill nor should a tank or a weapons system be programmed to fire without human involvement. 

     This is not a sci-fi flight of fantasy, rather it is one of the profound ethical issues of our age.Do yourself and future generations a service by linking here for background.

THIRST

    There is also the study that reports 80% of China's well water across the plains is contaminated and unfit for human consumption. That is a time bomb!

YOU PROBABLY NEED THIS NOW

      See you down the trail.

DEW WOP DOO DOO

PRISTINE

   Lana and daughter Katherine, taking a break from nursing school, came in the other morning after making a round of the garden and flower bed. Better get your camera they said.

   The dew and pollen combined to create some nice scenes. It is, apparently, appetizing as well.

    THE KID COULD HAVE PLAYED IN INDIANA

   All season I've been reading about the local high school basketball team and a kid I remember serving us clam chowder on a day the blood drive unit parked in front of the restaurant his father manages. That was 8 years ago and Gehrig not only has grown up he's become a great ball player.

   I may assume knowledge in a lot of topics, but I know basketball. I grew up in Indiana and started playing team ball in the third grade. I continued to play until we moved 8 years ago. Those are my bona fides.

    Gehrig has a great work ethic, a terrific sense of the court and flow of the game, is a smart ball handler, great playmaker and selfless.  His father Steve is a friend and a dedicated community volunteer and activist. His favorite game is baseball but he said he realized years ago Gehrig liked the larger ball that bounced and that you threw through a hoop instead of the hard little ball you threw past a batter. Dad says son would hit the school yard court for self motivated shooting practice every day for years. A kid from Indiana used to that. In fact a lot of Indiana kids did that but one in particular was Larry Bird.

     Gehrig passes like I saw Bird pass. He can drive, draw the defense and create an open player to whom he can make clean passes and scoring opportunities.

     A tennis partner and I were talking about Gehrig and his teammates when Steve, who works with the Soccer team, passed the court and we chatted.  He said his son has gotten into scoring "only to help out" because his favorite thing to do is to assist. He is that kind of player. He's the kind of kid who should have the ball when things get tight.

     He's a senior, but he's not a big kid and as his dad says he's playing for one of the smallest schools in California, in the smallest league in the state. Life is full of trade offs. Had he been raised in Indiana he would have played bigger kids, tougher conferences, more demanding coaches and would have gotten more looks. But, he's been raised in an almost storybook community, environment and climate and most importantly he's had fun. But despite missing the hybrid climate of basketball in Indiana, this kid is the real deal.   

     Village life has its special charms.

      See you down the trail.

THE WEEKENDER-PRINCELY WORK & SHADOW PLAY

TIS APPRECIATED

     Well, I didn't expect it.  Thanks to those of you have responded publicly, or by email or like my friend and fellow tennis warrior Janos, in person.

      I noted that my old pal Griff, chided me about the number of flowers captured in these posts.  It was nice to hear that you have taken the time to look at my snaps.  I'm simply dazzled by the beauty and as the old saying goes

"can't help myself!"  So, more pics of floral color still to come. Sorry Griff!

A PRINCE OF A FORECAST

     The Weekender fun video comes from YouTube and is an unusual take on a local weather report.  

      Having hired, coached and managed television "talent" I think the Prince is a natural! Apparently I'm not alone. Here's a quick behind the scenes evaluation of his royalness in tv land.

WHO DO YOU THINK LIVES HERE?

WARM DAY SHADOW PLAY

    Enjoy your Weekend.  See you down the trail.

MAY DAY

REMEMBERING THE MAY POLE

     Our old elementary school sat at the edge of a large and heavily wooded city park, thick with wild flowers.  It was a custom to make a small construction paper basket, take it into the park to fill with wild flowers to take home.  My mother always expressed joy at the crudely made basket and wilting bouquet. I may never have really noticed the flowers, were it not for these annual May Day drills, which also included watching the girls dance around a May Pole while we boys were just waiting to be released to the baseball diamond for our game against the teachers. I was usually more focused on the diamond, or the basketball court than the flowers.  

      My buddy Griff has observed there are too many flower shots on my posts.  Well, I'm making up for all of those kid years of not taking the time to smell the......

      By High School, the old format of 30 days in May at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway began on May Day. Since the statute of limitation has run, I can confess there were some May days when we'd show up at home room for the roll call, skip out to the Speedway, and get back in time for journalism class or track team practice, and were hardly missed. 

      Happy May Day and pleasant childhood memories to you.

READY FOR YOUR CLOSE UP?

   See you down the trail.

THE WEEKENDER-HOW YOUR PHONE CAN KEEP YOU HEALTHY & EXOTICS

THIS IS CREATING THE FUTURE

     A story by NBC News has been getting a good pass along, deservedly so, because it is both hopeful and a bit mind-blowing. Creative thinking and development such as this is a reason for optimism.  This Weekender Video shows how your phone, could be even better for you.

YOUR WEEKENDER BOUQUET

from out front flower bed

a type of hyacinth

a mini ice plant bloom

    Even the blooms of the "bottle brush" tree strike me as exotic.

A REPURPOSED SCHOOL

a great gallery

    I was pleased to see Lana's modernist Aguacante, a biomorphic abstract, in such a place of prominence in the recent hanging at the Cambria Allied Arts Association Gallery. 

     Bruce Marchese's award winning Waterfall hangs on the left.

       The well lit space is part of the repurposing of the old Cambria Grammar school.

       Behind the door at the end of the hall is the auditorium now converted to a theatre and used by a superb local theater group.

    Halls that were once filled with the sound of children now  hear the reaction of art fans and patrons as they view the latest monthly offering of Cambria's distinguished art colony.

    See you down the trail.

THE WEEKENDER :) GIFTS FOR ALL

THE CONCEPT IS TO ENJOY

     On most Fridays the words of Tamar, a driver I hired in Israel come into mind, "no self respecting Israeli man would come home on Friday without flowers."

      Friday's and weekends are special, especially here at THE WEEKENDER:) where the point is fun.

     ALL YOU HAVE TO DO IS WATCH

But these may make you want to move

     A couple of special WEEKENDER :) videos this weekend and they've been highly suggested by friends and readers.

       The irony of the first video is part of the amusement-

(as always I suggest you watch on youtube in a larger format-just remember to come back to Light/Breezes)

     You don't need to be a basketball fan to enjoy this one.

You are in on the secret-the "old man, Uncle Drew" is really 

Kyrie Irving, the 2012 NBA Rookie of the year.  Make sure to 

watch the faces of the people who are looking on once 

"Uncle Drew get's going."

(as always I suggest you watch on youtube in a larger format-just remember to come back to Light/Breezes)

Have a great weekend.

See you down the trail.

PRETTY AS A PICTURE

CELEBRATING COLOR 
AT THE BELLAGIO

    There is a lot about Las Vegas that is, can we agree on
the word "excessive?" The Scot's blood in me can't help but
swirl about a bit. The place is a haven of money-spent. But
at the Bellagio it has purchased beauty, on a grand scale of course.  The garden is a marvel and so too is the Dale Chihuly glass art. They provided this blogger a chance to 
reprise some color for you.

The frame below is a tribute to the Monet exhibit on display at the Bellagio Fine Art Gallery, an affiliate of the Boston Museum of Fine Art.  BTW, seeing that show is money well
spent, according to this tightwad.  It is nicely curated and 
presented.

   And as you know, you can't go anywhere without going through the Casinos.  That's just the way they design and lay out the foot traffic. So, despite what is a prohibition from shooting in the gaming rooms, here's an accidental
snap.  While it is lacking in players, don't you think it looks
a bit anemic, by comparison?

See you down the trail.