Canoeist

 

Ghost Gator

The flip side to the CANOEIST painting on the For Sale Sign. Acrylic. Took about two hours.
Trying to get back to painting. The next step is to get some masonite boards and paint on them instead of yard signs and such. I plan a series based on night scenes, then the cane grinding, Vebenadale.
Jayne says place them on Etsy. I am not too sure of that. Cannot hurt though.

Not in NC

Started today, this Monday, working on the backside of the yard for sale sign. This time, painting an  albino Alligator upon a black background. Bless her self Suzanne posted one of her barn photographs on my timeline on Facebook, thinking of me, but in reality, everyone is thinking of her, as they are liking her photograph. Anyhow...I am always on FB yet I am not as the itouch is usually always with me.
Tonight is Dancing with the Stars and mamma turned down going to Delta Kappa Gamma in order to stay here and watch. She greatly looks forward to being with us, especially Melanie, as Melanie is about the only person who does not use her for her retirement check or make comment to her on her slowness, or her memory.
Jordon is communicating with Landon and hopefully that will develop into communicating with us as well.
I am busy applying for jobs and getting promptly turned down. Age? Looks? Experience?
Another Monday in paradise.

A boy and his bike

It was such a fine November afternoon, it was the first day of falling back into time, the boy knew that as his old friend Roger used to say, he should be burning daylight. So the boy put on his bicycle clothes and set out on his Italian Basso bicycle, but the back tire was flat. So the boy returned and got his Canadian Miele bicycle and aired up the two tires, and set out. But the seat was too low so the boy returned home to find an Allen wrench to raise the seat. The boy started out again but his Cateye Astrale 8 distant and speed computer would not work. So he got off the bike and tried to make it work. It would not work, no matter what the boy did. So the boy said, I do not care about the speed and the distance, I shall just ride until I decide to turn around. So the boy set out and he rode. He rode past the Pounds Hammock where the yellow flowers were in the wet ditches from the previous nights rain. He rode past the Gateway College and the new library and out toward US90 on the newly paved college entrance curving road around the municipal airport. It was a smooth ride on the 23c continental tires aired to about 90psi. The boy said to himself, what a foolish boy I am! I packed a pump and a tire wrench, but I did not pack a tube! What good would a pump and tire lever do the boy if he had a flat? Well, the boy had the Apple IPhone4 and he determined he would call his mommy if he had a flat.
She would come and bring him home if he got tired or had a flat. But the boy did not have a flat and as he turned off the four-lane divided US90 by the big cold storage plant and ambled down Still Road , he crossed the still warm railroad tracks from the train that had just passed. He rode and rode in the pine wood forest of the Osceola and thought of the huge Canebrake rattlesnake he once saw crossing the road, and how he stopped and the Canebrake let him take his picture. The boy liked Canebrakes, even if no one else did and tried to run them over. Well, the boy came to the place he thought would be a good turning around place. It was the crooked pine tree with the placard way up high out of reach around its trunk that said, "Judy's Tree". The boy several years ago came with his friend Steve and they placed the placard on the tree in memory of their friend Judy, who they used to ride around in the woods with in her old Chevy pickup truck and her little mutt dog. Judy died of cancer and the boy was very sad every time he rode by Judy's tree. There was one little yellow flower growing beside the tree and he took a picture, thinking, Judy probably would appreciate that.
The ride back was less tiresome as the wind was to his back and he was able to speed along, though speeding to the boy was around 13 miles per hour. He promised he would not tell his playmate Rick who liked to speed along over 20 miles per hour.
It was a good ride and it was over all too soon. And it was only four and the burning daylight was already winding down. The boy did not like the new time, but he had no say in the matter, so he just accepted it.
He put the bike back in the shed next to the Basso and took the Astrale inside with him to put a new 2032 battery in it so next time he rode, he would know exactly how far sixteen miles were and how fast twelve miles per hour was, but it really did not matter to the boy. The boy was just glad to ride his bicycle.

Ava and Carson

 

Nikki

With Nikki Kistler tonight, Saturday in White Springs. The tattoo on her arm is in honor of Billy, her foster brother who recently died.

Ava

Tonight we all, except Melanie, who went to Outback with her mom and Gerald in Gainesville, traveled over to White Springs for the Community Holiness Church festival at the ball field.
The purpose was to see Nikki and Ava, kin to us through Lewis my brother being Nikki's father.
Nikki is in the Air Force, stationed in Washington State, soon to be stationed in Ft Walton.
I was most interested in seeing Ava for Nathaniel is just a few months older and I wanted to gauge where Nathaniel would be in his development. Ava was able to talk much more than when she and Nathaniel were last together with Jordon and I back in February.
The sad thing to me was from that one day being with Ava back then, upon leaving, she called me pappa and cried to stay. This time, she gave me no attention or recognition. That pained me in that the longer I stay out of Nathaniels life, the dimmer grows his young memory.
I am most thankful again, as mentioned earlier, for the connection Jordon has re-established with Landon. I trust it shall soon be a full communication.

Bridge Two

The trout and mullet were left to rot
Otis and Skeebo had to go
For Kelly they had forgot
to watch and the car didn't slow
as grill and boy met
upon the number two
and the shiners died in the gill net
its a long way holding you
in the back seat home
before cell phones
what will we tell Pearl
and Billy Earl
The day the trout and mullet died
upon Cedar Key bridge number two
The night no fish were fried
The skies were of crisp blue
and the presents were wrapped
Kelly my son will run
Pull the bait from the nets
Leave Kelly home please
Please little Kelly watch
but Skeebo forgot
the car did not slow
and Kelly set out in a trot
and to Williston Memorial
they did go
To pronounce him gone
and the Pelicans came along
to gulp the remaining fish
and Kelly Randolph
never opened presents
on his third
Christmas.

Oct 18, 1961-Dec 25, 1964

Of races won

From a column I wrote March 17, 1984...
With a record turn-out of nearly 175 entrants for the past 1984 Blue-Grey Fun Run, I often wonder what thoughts of heroism these kids entertain while they wait for the start.
One of my most memorable experiences while 'fun-running' came as a lonely third grader in Monticello, Florida.
Being a minister's son, our family had made the first move of many, this one from Sopchoppy, a quaint, "our town" sort of Big Bend community of 800 residents. Compared to Sopchoppy, Monticello was as grand as Washington,DC, with its Jeffersonian courthouse, historic homes and our rambling two-story parsonage.
Impressive as all this was, I was most impressed to know that the school in Monticello had four third-grades. I did not know that so many kids my age existed. Needless to say, the first weeks of school found me in a state of awe, fearful and searching for friends.
As young boys do anywhere, we were engaged in a constant struggle to see how far, how fast, how big, how good or how whatever, we could do better than the other fellow. P.E. and recess were our times for testing.
Being the new kid in school, I wanted very much to measure up. In third grade at Jefferson Elementary School, measuring up meant being friends with Jimmy Haines and his group of chums.
Jimmy was the best athlete and pack leader of Cub Scout Troop 864. He and his friends were the object of the girls' secret notes and they were the first ones picked for any game. If I could break into their circle, life in this new place would be complete, I reasoned.
My chance for "breaking-in" came unexpected one afternoon in P.E. when coach Cooksey announced that the upcoming field day, we were going to have a race to see who was the fastest runner in all of third grade.
I secretly dreamed of seeing myself falling across the finish line, exhausted, Deborah Daniels, who I secretly admired, who openly had "cooties", but inwardly I adored, bestowing kisses and congratulations on me.
Whatever my motivation, from the thought of being the fastest out of so many, to the girls, victory was my only dream and desire.
The big day arrived and coach Cooksey called for the final event of the day. He had us all line up across the playground and gave us our instructions: "At the sound of the whistle, run and touch the white rail fence, turn around and run past me. First one back is the winner," he bellowed.
Tense, our hearts beating in anticipation of the whistles shrill sound, we leaned forward with uncanny discipline. "Tweeeet!" Shrilled the whistle and off we tore in a tangle of tennis shoes, dungarees, pig tails and skirts.
Jimmy Haines, as expected, took an early lead. Everyone expected Jimmy to win, as usual. But not far behind Jimmy was the new kid no one had thought to consider.
As I pulled along side him, I got a look from Jimmy that would have made you thought a girl was about to pass him.
To make a short story of this 200yard marathon, with less than 20 yards to go, I put on a "Alberto Salazar like" surge, unequaled to this day, which propelled me past Jimmy and on to victory by three whole yards. By adult standards, not much, but in a child's estimation, a run-away.
How good victory felt. Jimmy and I were suddenly best buddies. His friends became my friends. They asked me to join their group. My new kid image was lost in 60 seconds of running. The girls didn't kiss and congratulate me(thank goodness) but I found without looking, the benefits of that one fleeting moment were never forgotten.
No ribbons, no plaques, trophies or medals.
Just the satisfaction that even a child feels when he has acceptance, recognition and a feeling of worth.
Today, I look at all those kids in area running events and see in their eyes, that same determination I felt so long ago.
To them, may it always be just what it is, "fun-running".

Musing

Going through the old computer and looking for a certain photo...coming upon photographs recalled and so many, so many....

Slow Thaw

Landon emailed Jordon again today with more information. They live on the base, right on the Pacific Ocean on the eighth floor of a tower apartment. They had a mild earthquake, which rocked the building recently. The surfing is good and in the winter it snows in the mountians north of them so they have already gotten snowboards. He told of the fellow he works with, mentioned sending some photographs. So the thaw slowly comes. I asked Jordon to have him send video of Nathaniel.
Thanking God for this break in the ice.