Scottish Tape

The assignment was to create a photograph with the theme "Tape Dispenser". This is an "almost, but not quite good" attempt. But I thought it was interesting enough to post here. Trying to capture the curve of the dispenser, with the plaid background to accentuate the "Scotch" in tape. We'll see if I can come up with something better by next week . My biggest problem is that my digital camera died, so this was shot with my 6 year old 1.3 MP camera. Which doesn't do close ups very well. This shot simply doesn't have the "oomph" to display at the size necessary for the task. Oh well....

See the Man With The Stage Fright.......

Born this day (12/9) in 1943, Rick Danko, bass player for The Band. Danko would've been 61 today, except he died in 1999..... Happy birthday anyway, to one of my favorite bass players.

Walking Down This Rocky Road.......

Short Mountain way, near Maryville, TN. At the home of the Tennesee family. Taken last year at Thanksgiving.

Starts and Stops

Today (12/8) has been a busy day in rock history.
Happy Birthday Jim Morrison (1943) of the Doors, and Gregg Allman (1947)!! These guys are both icons of 60's/70's rock. On the other hand, John Lennon (Beatles, in case you don't know) was killed on this day in 1980. Also, the Grateful Dead formally disbanded on this day in 1995 following the death of leader Jerry Garcia.

Cades Cove

One of my favorite places in the world, Cades Cove, on the North Carolina side of the Great Smokey Mountain National Park. This shot is from 7/02, when we took a family vacation down that way. This is from my old Kodak DC210, cleaned up in Photoshop Elements, Effects are Buzz Simplifier and Virtual Photographer-Mountain

You came and you gave without taking...

Thirty years ago today (12/7/74), Barry Manilow's first hit entered the Top 40. "Mandy" would go on to reach #1, and launch BM as a pop force. Manilow, of course did NOT write this song, despite his 1975 hit "I write the songs" (which he also didn't write).

Day Of Infamy

63 Years ago today (12/7/1941), Japan bombed the US military base in Peal Harbor, Hawaii, killing over 2,400 (and wounding another 1,200). As noted at TheHistoryChannel.com; we knew that a Japanese attack was probable, but did nothing to increase security. I had the opportunity to visit the Peal Harbor memorial several years ago, and the overriding message was the cost of not being prepared, and not taking the rising threat seriously enough. Today's photo is from a Pearl Harbor re-enactment at the Scott AFB air show, summer of 2003.

Rainy Day Mushroom Pillow

That's got to be one of my favorite song titles from the psychedellic era. This is from Strawberry Alarm Clock, on the same album as the hit Incense & Peppermints. I wonder what they meant, though? Not quite like "Rainy Day Crossroad Blues".....

Slice Of Life #8327

We were sitting at the dining room table, at the in-laws' house, during our Thanksgiving visit... My wife was talking to her mom, discussing their (the in-laws') pending move, and she (my wife) asked if they would be taking the ceiling piece above the light fixture (which is apparently an antique from someplace...). So I took a picture of it.

Don't want to discuss it

Don't want to discuss it, I think it's time for a change, You may get disgusted, And start thinkin' that I'm actin' strange. In that case I'll go underground, Get some heavy rest, Never have to worry, About what is worst and what is best . . . hit it: Oh, oh, Domino
Van Morrison's masterpiece Domino was released on this day (12/5) in 1970. This top 10 song (#9) was Van's best chart performer in through the 70's.

Winter On The Way...

Snow on pine needles... This shot is from last winter, and was actually taken just outside a hotel in metro Chicago where we'd been for a Sewing Machine sales meeting. I managed to not catch the paring lot or the building, looks like it could be in the middle of the wilderness!!

Cell Block Number Seven

31 years ago today (12/2/1973), members of the Who were arrested after trashing their hotel. A little wound up after a show at the Montreal Forum, I suppose... John Entwistle's song "Cell Block #7" immortalizes the incident...

Gotta Get Away....

"Gotta get away from this day to day running around...." This is the last shot from our Thanksgiving trip to Lake Arrowhead, GA. This is the hind of hillside that's (sadly) rather uncommon around home....

Radios Appear

Happy Birthday, Eric Bloom (12/1/1953)!!! As frontman for Blue Oyster Cult, E.B. is part of some of the fun-est rock music of the late 70's. I saw these guys a couple of times, but the best was at the old Stanley Theater in Pittsburgh, when their equipment truck had a problem, and they went on using the warm up band's stuff. We were in the 1st row of the balcony, and watched them building a new drum set while the (rather bad) warm up played. BOC was no-frills that night, but they really clicked. I enjoyed them much better this way than later, when they had their laser show, motorcycles on stage and all the other flash. "And don't forget my dog, fixed and consequent"

Lake Arrowhead

This is a view of Lake Arrowhead, from the road to my in-laws' place. A great place to spend Thaksgiving, along with my wife's family, and had a god time with the crew. It was a swan-song of sorts, as they moved back closer to Atlanta this week.