Time Keeps On Ticking, Ticking, Ticking, Into The Future

And just like that, the sun sets on 2014.  And we look forward to 2015...

(image from 2003)

But first a look back at my resolutions for 2014.  Last year I made 3:

1) More Photography.   I took a lot more photos, posted a LOT more, experimented with a couple new venues....  Overall, I'm satisfied.

2) More Walking.  Well, my goal (+20%) was dramatically over-optimistic. My actual increase was just under +5%.  BUT, I did improve, and was a lot more consistent.

3) Lose weight.  Sigh.  Down, but hardly enough to matter. 

Overall?  Well, I'm not on the honor roll, but I think I met continuation requirements.  And beyond those trivialities, it was a good year. Not without stresses, but with way more good than bad.  And I hope everyone reading this can say (at least) the same.

Looking forward?  Well, I may post some resolutions once it is actually 2015.  But they'll probably look a lot like 2014's, at least in the macro sense.

Thanks all for checking in occasionally, and HAPPY NEW YEAR to you all! And let's be careful out there.

December 1974

A little late this month, but continuing the series, (Jan, Feb, Mar ,Apr, June, July, Aug, Sep, Oct, Nov):

December 1974... 40 years ago this month.  The last episode of Monty Python's Flying Circus...  Catfish Hunter granted free agency...  The Man With The Golden Gun released...

Meanwhile....  What was happening in music?

Albums released in December include:

• Relayer - Yes
• Dark Horse - George Harrison
• So What - Joe Walsh

A remarkably quiet month to close out a pretty impressive year......


As for singles, 3 songs topped the charts in (the 4 weeks) of December 1974:

• King Fu Fighting - Carl Douglas (12/07/74 and 12/14/74)
• Cat's In The Cradle - Harry Chapin (12/21/74)
• Angie Baby - Hellen Reddy (12/28/74)

A few really good songs made their Top 40 chart debuts.  Notables (IMHO) include:

• Best Of My Love - Eagles (peaked at #1)
• Fire - Ohio Players (peaked at #1)
• Some Kind Of Wonderful - Grand Funk Railroad (peaked at #3)
• Dark Horse - George Harrison (peaked at #15)

Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame - Class Of 2015

Well, the RRHOF has announced their latest slate of inductees.... 

image from 2013

Here they are, with a note of how many times they appear on my iPod

• Stevie Ray Vaughan (22)
• Bill Withers (10)
• Lou Reed - (8)
• Green Day (7)
• Paul Butterfield (1)
• Joan Jett and The Blackhearts (3)

As early influences:  The  5 Royales (0)
And the Award for Musical Excellence - Ringo Starr (10)

Not positive, but this is probably the inductee class with the least representation in my collection ever.  I can be solidly behind Stevie Ray and Green Day.  But the others??  I just don't know.

Maybe I'm just old, but it seems to me that the picking get slimmer each year.

Abstracted... Or distracted... Or perhaps compacted...

also on Instagram

Just a little something that attracted my attention.  I was really impacted by the way the light diffracted. 

I'll stop now.

Wade Chapel, Wake Forest

The 3rd in a series of NC college landmarks, this is the chapel at Wake Forest University.  Wake's a beautiful campus, and was my son's favorite (slightly edging Duke).  He still has a couple of years before he needs to start making firm decisions.  If we start playing the lottery now, we might be able to afford it!

Carolina Calling...

As noted in yesterday's post, My son is starting to think about college.  He's got a couple of years before he has to make a decision, but it is never too soon to start getting educated about the options.  So, while we were in North Carolina, and running over to Duke, we dropped by UNC.  

Now, way back when I was a student at Duke, I never went to the heart of Carolina's campus.  I was around campus a lot there was a great record store, and a couple of clubs.  And I did see the B-52s over there (in 1981).  But that was just the fringes.  So this trip was my first time "really" seeing the campus.  Verdict?  Eh....   It seemed pretty random and disorganized, and we had a heck of a time finding our way around.  We did (finally) find the admissions office, and checked in.  

Overall, my son was unimpressed, and ranked it 0 out of 10.

Duke Chapel

During our recent trip to North Carolina, we made a run by Duke.  Where my wife and I met.  Where we both graduated.  Where we were married.  Good stuff.  It had been quite a while since we had been back, certainly more than a decade.  Now my son is at the age to be thinking towards college (he's a freshman in high school), it was fun showing him around.  We even managed to catch part of an Organ recital at the Chapel!

Stone Wall & Shadow

Yeah, I notice these things.  Old Salem, NC.

Starry Night

Moravian Stars, on the bridge between Old Salem grounds and the Visitor Center.  With reflections....

Title is from the Chris August song, btw.


Larger version here

God's Acre

The Salem Moravian Graveyard, Winston Salem, NC.  This is the final resting place of several of my relatives including my maternal Grandparents, some of my mother's siblings, and three of my cousins.  We spent a while wandering the grounds last week, looking up all of them.  It seemed rather appropriate for Thanksgiving week, as I'm thankful for each of these family members, event the couple whom I never knew.

Larger version here.

This Is A Room With A View...

Looking east from the Rondthaler-Gramley House at Salem College.  That's the May Dell amphitheater across the way.

The title is from the Let's Active song.  Let's Active, of course, is an 80's band from Winston-Salem

Single Sisters House, Old Salem, NC

Posted larger over at Happenstance Photography.  The main building here is the Single Sisters House (ca 1785).  Behind the streetlight is the South Residence Hall (ca 1805).  Taken on a misty evening walk during our visit to North Carolina last week.

Pop Music - December 1974

Wordle from lyrics of Fire

Looking at American Top 40 charts for December, 1974... 40 years ago this month: What songs made their Top 40 debut? What was new and trending?

Well, there were 20 songs entering the Top 40 during December 1974 (4 weeks).  Including a whopping six (6) eventual #1s!  Here they are, ranked by eventual peak:

•  Best Of My Love  - Eagles - #1
• Please Mr. Postman  - Carpenters - #1
• Fire  - Ohio Players - #1
• Pick Up The Pieces  - Average White Band - #1
• Mandy  - Barry Manilow - #1
• Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds  - Elton John - #1
• Some Kind Of Wonderful  - Grand Funk Railroad - #3
• Morning Side Of The Mountain  - Donny Osmond - #8
• Never Can Say Goodbye  - Gloria Gaynor - #9
• Get Dancin'  - Disco Tex and The Sex-O-Lettes - #10
• Doctor's Orders  - Carol Douglas - #11
• Rock 'N' Roll (I Gave You The Best Years Of My Life)  - Mac Davis - #15
• Dark Horse  - George Harrison - #15
• Ride 'Em Cowboy  - Paul Davis - #23
• Dancin' Fool  - Guess Who - #28
• From His Woman To You  - Barbara Mason - #28
• Dream On  - Righteous Brothers - #32
• Ruby, Baby  - Billy "Crash" Craddock - #33
• The Entertainer  - Billy Joel - #34
• The Heartbreak Kid  - Bo Donaldson and The Heywoods - #39

I was able to find 17 of these 20 songs on Spotify.  And added to a playlist covering all of 1974.  It includes 228 of the 251 songs which entered the Top 40 in the entirety of 1974. I'm pretty impressed that they have over 90% of these songs...

Check it out: http://open.spotify.com/user/lsqrd42/playlist/23G0cY9o6mflTaGwievQ9z

Spiral Architect

During our recent visit to North Carolina, we were able to stay at the Rondthaler-Gramley House on campus.  This ca. 1888 house was more than large enough to hold both the Illinois Lawheads and the Pittsburgh Lawheads.

The post title is rather random, form the song.

Of all the things I value most in life, I see my memories and feel their warmth

And know that they are good

Spam Commenting

The majority of the (few) comments I get here are spam.  Sometimes there's amusing, but other times just odd.  Over the weekend I received an odd one from my Thanksgiving post:

"Anything that appeared such as the functions of a massive organization, Phacil and Payne's material"

here's my homepage; businessman Louis Lagasse" [link not included here]

I would think that the average phishing scheme would try to actually entice a target to click the link.  Really, they should at least try to be creative.

/rant

Home Moravian Church, Old Salem, NC

Home Moravian is on the grounds of Old Salem, and was constructed in 1800. The Moravian Church is the oldest Protestant demoniation, founded in 1457.  The Moravian Church is not well know in USA, with about 140 congregations in 17 states (Over 1/3 of which are in North Carolina).   But my mother's family was (and is) Moravian, and my associations with the church were a notable part of my own faith journey.  I especially relate to their motto:  "In essentials, unity; in nonessentials, liberty; and in all things, love".

Meanwhile, The guest house where we stayed last week is directly behind this building.

Salem College - Founded 1772

We're just back from a Thanksgiving trip to North Carolina.  My younger daughter works at Salem College.  My mother was from Winston-Salem, and we still have lots of relatives in and around the area.  And my brother and his family came down from Pittsburgh.  It was a great week!  More pictures to come!

Larger Version

Thanksgiving Sunset

Hope everybdody had a great Thanksgiving!   Take the time to remember the important things, the blessings we often overlook.  We had a beautiful sunset to close a super day, hanging out with family.

Genius Playlist #41,961 - Bare Trees

On my iPod yesterday, getting me through the work day!

• Bare Trees - Fleetwood Mac (pre Buckingham Nicks)  SEED SONG
• Shouldn't Have Took More Than You Gave - Dave Mason (post-Traffic)
• Questions 67 ad 68 - Chicago
• Be Free - Loggins and Messina
• Roads To Moscow - Al Stewart
• The Royal Scam - Steely Dan
• Illinois - Dan Fogelberg
• Pre-Road Downs - Crosby Stills and Nash
• Living Ain't Living - Firefall
• Chicago - Grahan Nash
• Heroes Are Hard To Find - Fleetwood Mac
• Carry Me - Crosby and Nash
• Feeling Alright- Dave Mason
• One Fine Morning - Lighthouse
• Angry Eyes - Loggins and Messina
• Monkey In Your Soul - Steely Dan
• Nostradamus - Al Stewart
• Child Of Mine - Fleetwood Mac
• Holding On To Yesterday - Ambrosia
• I'm Not Gonna Let It Bother Me Tonight - Atlanta Rhythm Section
• Only You Know And I Know - Dave Mason
• Morning Sky - Don Fogelberg
• Blue Money - Van Morrison
• 49 Bye-Byes - Crosy Stills and Nash
• Turn That Heartbeat Over Again - Steely Dan

I'll rate that pretty highly.Good job ITunes!  I was going to make a spotify playlist....  but they didn't have the 1st song, so I punted. 

I was so satisfied, I started a new playlist with song "Dream Of The Archer" by Heart.  I guess that was asking too much, because that playlist didn't last more than 5-6 songs before I gave up.  Hit and Miss.

Hanging On

I was amused by these few leaves, who haven't realized the futility of it all...

OK, amused is too strong.  And the whole anthropomorphized leaves is a bit overblown, I suppose.  Call it poetic license, even though this isn't poetry.

Late Afternoon, Late Autumn...

Another from yesterday's visit to Watershed Nature Center.  There were more bare trees than color, but that's OK.

Larger version:

Seasonal Transitions

Eleven days (11) before thanksgiving, and it is snowing in the heartland.  I guess it makes sense, since most of the stores .are in full Christmas mode, and several radio stations have started playing Christmas music. I'll wait until after Thanksgiving, Thanks you...

The title is an homage to a post from John R. over at My Viewfinder 2.  Which sports a much better photograph than this one. Hopefully John agrees with the homage title, rather than "Blatant Rip Off"!

A Little Wildlife

I made a late afternoon visit to Watershed Nature Center.  As I walked the loop, several deer crossed my the path.  And then stopped to pose.  A very cool encounter...

The first photo here is actually the last one I took.

- - - - -

First image...  One of the deer is off screen to the left.  The one on the left wandered off, but the other just stood and stared.

- - - - -

I was able to walk quite close, I got within 30 or 40 ft.  And was able to snape 3 or 4 images.

- - - - -

Eventually, the deer trotted off.

- - - - -

Afterwards, I turned around and saw another deer behind me!  

- - - - -

November 1974

A little late this month, but continuing the series, (Jan, Feb, Mar ,Apr, June, July, Aug, Sep, Oct):

November 1974... 40 years ago this month. 

Meanwhile....  What was happening in music?

Albums released in November include:

• Heart Like A Wheel - Linda Ronstadt (#164 on Top 500 Albums)
• Cantamos - Poco
• Autobahn - Kraftwerk
• The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway - Genesis
• Fire On The Mountain - Charlie Daniels Band

I've had all of these since they were current.....


As for singles, 4 songs topped the charts in (the 5 weeks) of November 1974:

• I Can Help - Billy Swan (10/23/74 and 10/30/74)
• You Haven't Done Nothing - Stevie Wonder (11/2/74)
• You Ain't Seen Nothing Yet - Bachman Turner Overdrive (11/9/74)
• Whatever Gets You Through The Night - John lennon (11/16/74)

A few really good songs made their Top 40 chart debuts.  Notables (IMHO) include:

• Junior's Farm - Paul McCartney (peaked at #3)
• Bungle In the Jungle (peaked at #12)
• Ain't Too Proud To Beg - Rolling Stones (peaked at #17)
• Willie And The Hand Jive - Eric Clapton (peaked at #26)

Pop Music - November 1974

Wordle from lyrics of Kung Fu Fighting

October, 1974...   US files anti-trust suit to break up AT&T...  And the UN General Assembly granted  "Observer Status" to the PLO...

Looking at American Top 40 charts for November, 1974... 40 years ago this month: What songs made their Top 40 debut? What was new and trending?

Well, there were 29 songs entering the Top 40 during November(5 weeks).  Includinf four (4)eventual #1s!  Here they are, ranked by eventual peak:

• Laughter In The Rain  - Neil Sedaka - #1
• Cat's In The Cradle  - Harry Chapin - #1
• Kung Fu Fighting  - Carl Douglas - #1
• Angie Baby  - Helen Reddy - #1
• You're The First, The Last, My Everything  - Barry White - #2
• Boogie On Reggae Woman  - Stevie Wonder - #3
• Junior's Farm  - Paul McCartney - #3
• Only You  - Ringo Starr - #6
• Sha-La-La (Make Me Happy)  - Al Green - #7
• One Man Woman/One Woman Man  - Paul Anka - #7
• You Got The Love  - Rufus - #11
• Bungle In The Jungle  - Jethro Tull - #12
• Must Of Got Lost  - J. Geils Band - #12
• Fairytale  - Pointer Sisters - #13
• Promised Land  - Elvis Presley - #14
• Ain't Too Proud To Beg  - Rolling Stones - #17
• Touch Me  - Fancy - #19
• I Feel A Song (In My Heart)  - Gladys Knight & The Pips - #21
• Woman To Woman  - Shirley Brown - #22
• After The Goldrush  - Prelude - #22
• Willie And The Hand Jive  - Eric Clapton - #26
• Fire, Baby I'm On Fire  - Andy Kim - #28
• La La Peace Song  - Al Wilson - #30
• Let's Straighten It Out  - Latimore - #31
• Play Something Sweet (Brickyard Blues)  - Three Dog Night - #33
• You Can Have Her  - Sam Neely - #34
• Doraville  - Atlanta Rhythm Section - #35
• Three Ring Circus  - Blue Magic - #36
• Whatever You Got, I Want  - Jackson 5 - 38

I was actually able to find 25 of these 29 songs on Spotify.  And added to a playlist covering all of 1974.  It includes 228 of the 251 songs which entered the Top 40 in the entirety of 1974. I'm pretty impressed that they have over 90% of these songs...
Check it out: http://open.spotify.com/user/lsqrd42/playlist/23G0cY9o6mflTaGwievQ9z

Late Autumn, St. Ellen Mine Park

I suppose it is technically mid Autumn, but we' saw our first dusting of snow yesterday, so I'm sticking with "late" Autumn.  This was taken last Wednesday, a brisk but pretty day.

And I Need You More Than Want You...

 

 

Witchita Lineman.  written by Jimmy Webb, and a hit for Glen Campbell in 1968.  And covered by contless folk.  Campbell's version peaked at #1 on the Country Charts, and #3 on the Pop Charts.  More than 35 years later, it was ranked #192 on Rolling Stone's list of 500 Greatest Songs Of All Time.  (Revised down to #195 on the 2011 version).  It has been a favorite of mine since it was current. 

 

I am a lineman for the county, And I drive the main road
Searchin' in the sun for another overload

I hear you singin' in the wire, I can hear you through the whine
And the Wichita Lineman is still on the line

 

I know I need a small vacation, But it don't look like rain
And if it snows that stretch Down South won't ever stand the strain

And I need you more than want you, And I want you for all time
And the Wichita Lineman is still on the line

 

And I need you more than want you, And I want you for all time
And the Wichita Lineman is still on the line

 

 

Image is from fall 2012, I recropped and added the text.

Veterans Day 11/11/14

Another image from last Sunday's Veterans Day observance in Glen Carbon, IL.

THANKS AGAIN to all our vets!

Veterans Day 2014

Veterans Day is officially until Tuesday (11/11).  But our community does an observance on the closest Sunday.  Which was today.  My son's scout troop participated, and I managed a few images. here's one...

Thanks to all who have served, and are serving, or will serve!

Piano Recital 2014-11-08

My son at his recital today.  He played Waterfall (ENYA) and Take5 (Dave Brubek) during the recital.  And then played some "after music", mostly excerpts from Peer Gynt.  Try this video.

He's getting quite good...

Reflections #41,944

Just a little "something" taken yesterday morning, wandering the bike trails at SIUE...

Grave On The Prairie

On the campus of SIUE, surrounded by restored prairie, there's a small graveyard.  I've taken photos here before, but it has been several years.  But I had a chance to wander over there this morning, and nabbed a few images.  The dominant feature is a obelisk gravestone, the writing is worn and illegible.  I haven't been able to find information on the site...  I used to know, but it has been too long.

There are a couple of other small gravestones here, but mostly overgrown:

If anybody knows more, feel free to enlighten us in the comments!

Fading Fall...

Bright sunny day yesterday (Wednesday), but a touch of chilly and breezy.  Not warm "Indian Summer", like it looks.  But a nice day all the same.  This is from a lunch time excursion at St. Ellen Mine Park.

And, for giggles, here's a posting from 2 years ago, the same area.  I like the old ones better...

Waiting for the drawbridge, Crossing the Illinois River into Hardin, IL

Last image from last Saturday's excursion.  More of a snapshot, I suppose.  Headed across the Illinois River at Hardin, we had to wait for an upstream barge to pass the drawbridge.  Kind of hard to see, the raised part is about 1/4 mile ahead of us.

Calhoun County Panorama

Another from last weekend's excursion.  This is just a few yards from Saturday's post.   Larger version and location here.

Interesting, when I looked up the location, there's no lake on the satellite photos.  Neither Google-Maps nor Google-Earth.  That's a lot of water to not be there....

Fall Colors #41,937

Taken during yesterday's excursion.  This was at Pere Marquette State Park.  Pretty colors!

Saturday Drive, Calhoun County, IL

Beautiful Saturday today, we decided to take a drive and see some fall colors.  A really nice excursion: up the Great River Road from Alton to Grafton, and on up to Pere Marquette State Park.  Continuing north past I-72 to Jacksonville.  Then south along Rt.267 south to Godfrey.    And then home.  The whole loop was just over 200 miles.

This image is just a bit north of Pere Marquette, and just a bit off Rt. 100.  Larger version and "exact"location at Panoramio.

Sunset, MSP Airport

I was travelling last week: STL to ORD to MSP to STL...  Busy, busy.  No time for photos, except for at the airport.  This plane was at the gate next to my departure for home.  From the humble iPhone.

Genius #41,929

I have  alove/hate relationship with the genius function in Apple's iPod.  Right now we're leaning towards the "Love" side.  On my commute home last night, the playlist I was listening to ran out.  For simplicity, and as a test, I decided to just do a genius play list off the last song playing.  A test in that it was a less known song that I only recently purchased.  Sometimes Genuis chokes on that.

Anyway, it did create a playlist, and a really good one...  So I thought I'd share:

No Way Out – Firefall (seed song)

It Doesn’t Matter - Firefall

Visions - Eagles

Boulder Skies – Pure Prairie League

The Treasure – Stephen Stills And Manassas

Two Cents Worth - Kansas

Love me Tonight – Head East

Bound And Determined – Marshall Tucker Band

Go And Say Goodbye - Poco

Angel #9 – Pure Prairie League

Ukiah – Doobie Brothers

Special Care – Buffalo Springfield

Sold On You - Firefall

Border Town – Souther HillmanFuray

Prisoner In Disguise – Souther Hillman Furay

Widowmaker – Poco

Spaceship Orion – Ozark Mountain Daredevils

Keeps Me From All Wrong – Marshall Tucker Band

Pursuit On 53^rd Street – Doobie Brothers

Find Out In Time – Poco

Rain In Spain – Sea Level

Keep Prayin’ – Outlaws

Song In The Breeze – Outlaws

Mexico – Souther Hillman Furay

Love Me Somebody – Bad Company

Granted it's not perfect, but the only real "miss" (IMHO) is "Rain In Spain".  Which is a fine song, but not a good fit for this playlist. 

The image here is the album covers from the bands that have 3 songs in the list (Top Row), or 2 songs (bottom row).  That represents just over 2/3 of the playlist.

Abstract #41905

Field in the palouse, after harvest.  Taken ~2 weeks ago on take-off from the Pullman, WA, airport.  Effects in PSE.

larger version here:

Sunset, Pullman, WA

Another from last week's business trip to Pullman.  Pretty stunning sunset, captured w/ my humble iPhone.  As always, the best camera is the one you have with you!

Pop Music - October 1974

Wordle from lyrics of You Ain't Seen Nothin Yet

October, 1974...  Racial strife in Boston, IRA Bombings in Guildford England. Unrest and turmoil

Looking at American Top 40 charts for October, 1974... 40 years ago this month: What songs made their Top 40 debut? What was new and trending?

Well, there were 27 songs entering the Top 40 during September (4 weeks).  And three (3) eventual #1s!  Here they are, ranked by eventual peak:

• I Can Help  - Billy Swan - #1
• You Ain't Seen Nothin' Yet  - Bachman-Turner Overdrive - #1
• Whatever Gets You Thru The Night  - John Lennon - #1
• Do It ('Til You're Satisfied)  - B.T. Express - #2
• When Will I See You Again  - Three Degrees - #2
• My Melody Of Love  - Bobby Vinton - #3
• Back Home Again  - John Denver - #5
• Longfellow Serenade  - Neil Diamond - #5
• Everlasting Love  - Little Carl Carlton - #6
• Carefree Highway  - Gordon Lightfoot - #10
• The Need To Be  - Jim Weatherly - #11
• Wishing You Were Here  - Chicago - #11
• I've Got The Music In Me  - Kiki Dee - #12
• Love Don't Love Nobody  - Spinners - #15
• Rockin' Soul  - Hues Corporation - #18
• Overnight Sensation (Hit Record)  - Raspberries - #18
• Give It To The People  - Righteous Brothers - #20
• So You Are A Star  - Hudson Brothers - #21
• People Gotta Move  - Gino Vannelli - #22
• Honey, Honey  - ABBA - #27
• Distant Lover  - Marvin Gaye - #28
• Straight Shootin' Woman  - Steppenwolf - #29
• Papa Don't Take No Mess  - James Brown - #31
• Kings Of The Party  - Brownsville Station - #31
• Devotion  - Earth, Wind & Fire - #33
• Second Avenue  - Art Garfunkel - #34
• Higher Plane  - Kool & The Gang - #37

I was actually able to find 20 of these 27 songs on Spotify.  And added to a playlist covering all of 1974.  It includes 228 of the 251 songs which entered the Top 40 in the entirety of 1974. I'm pretty impressed that they have over 90% of these songs...
Check it out: http://open.spotify.com/user/lsqrd42/playlist/23G0cY9o6mflTaGwievQ9z

Windmills On The Palouse

Along Rt. 195, just a bit north of Steptoe Butte, the windmills are taking over.  I suppose it makes sense through here, it's a rather windy area, solidly agricultural.  Somewhere around HERE.  Maybe not so good for the bats and birds, though...

Favorite Beatles Album?

The website Allmusic did a poll recently, asking folk to vote on their favorite Baetles album.  Over 1500 people (including me) responded:

1. Revolver                            26.6%
2. The White Album             17.3%
3. Rubber Soul                      16.6%
4. Abbey Road                      14.2%
5. Sgt. Peppers LHCB           10.4%
6. Magical Mystery Tour    4.4%
7. A Hard Days Night            3.6%
8. Help                                     2.5%
9. Beatles For Sale                2.1%
10. Please Please Me            1.4%
11. With The Beatles              0.6%
12. Yellow Submarine            0.1%
13. Let It Be                             0.1%

I largely agree with this, I did vote Revolver #1.  I'd probably bump "The White Album"down 2 (to #4), and maybe bring "Let It Be" up a few notches...

The Rolling Stone Magazine list of Top 500 Albums of all time ranked the top 5 thusly:

1. Sgt. Pepper (#1 overall)
2. Revolver (#3 overall)
3. Rubber Soul (#5 overall)
4. The White Album (#10 overall)
5. Abbey Road (#14 overall)

What's YOUR favorite Beatles album?

Looking At Myself...

Self portrait, sitting in a hotel room in Pullman, WA.  Using iPhone's timer.  Surprisingly "noisy" photo, cleaned up a bit  in PSE.  Of course, you'd think I'd've taken the time to move that lamp behind the chair, I know better than to have steel rods popping out of the top of my head!

Between the Rivers

Calhoun County, between the Illinois (left of image) and Mississippi (right of image) Rivers.  The island on the bottom left is "Hurricane Island". Loking south towards Pere Marquette State Park, which is at the top left.  It's about 20 miles from Hurrican Island to Pere Marquette.

Taken on the return flight from my trip to Pullman Washington.  Larger version of the photo is HERE.