799. where are fred and ginger when you need them?

what a flashy pair

gliding… sliding on the floor

fred and ginger dance  🦊❤️

I was wandering around a local thrift store over the weekend. I was feeling a sense of nostalgia looking at the memorabilia that decorated the walls.  So much of what I saw reflected that “simpler time” that everyone seems to yearn for. I thought of the old Fred Astaire and Ginger Roger movies when I saw these two pairs of flashy shoes. Then I thought, “Were they simpler times or just times with a different type of complications?”   🦊❤️

 

798. master of disguise

that’s poison ivy

be it green or red or gold

master of disguise  🦊❤️

Fall is the time to get to enjoy all of the many faces of  Poison Ivy. It’s even going Trick or Treating this year!  Be careful not to touch it as you give out its treats!!! Lol 🦊❤️

 

797. “can you dig it?”

rush hour friday night

the “friends of distinction” sing

“grazin’ in the grass”  🦊❤️

As I was driving through a local farmstead during rush hour on a Friday night I found myself crawling through a traffic signal due to the cars clogging the otherwise peaceful intersection. I looked to my right and watched three beautiful black steers grazing. I thought of the 1968 song “Grazin’ In The Grass” by The Friends of Distinction. A great song! “Can you dig it??” 🦊❤️

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=T_tffjrItC4

 

796. art from overhead

fresh off the easel

equisite like no other

work of the master

The woods are carpeted with uncountable masterpieces of  unique colors and patterns according to their particulars artist’s style. Out of the gazillions I was in the midst of, one special one caught my eye… imagine that… 🦊❤️

 

795. “just tree”

those autumn colors 

with foggy skies behind them

a diorama  🦊❤️ 

In rare moments of “thoughtlessness”, that which has been seen many times takes on a new way of being seen. That which is real becomes unreal and unique. It’s as if it is being seen for the first time ever by your eyes. There is a Buddhist expression that sums up these types of moments… “just tree”. I wish you “just tree” moments today.  🦊❤️ 

  

 

794. campfire cozy

ember by ember

the campfire of a tree cools

jack frost is nipping  🦊❤️

Day by day I watch the gloriously glowing Maple tree outside of my apartment cool down like a campfire approaching the dawn. Next year’s campfire will be here soon enough. 🦊❤️

 

793. still standing

“you still hangin’ on?”

 heavy winds  and driving rains

you weather it all  🦊❤️

What is it about those special leaves and fruits that allows them to hang on when all of the others have fallen to the ground? I love these obscure tales of strength and courage that are around us everyday… all day.  Look for some today and celebrate them and be inspired.  🦊❤️

 

792. was the phillies in five

 

with clouds in the sky

phillie’s fans flocked to the park

where tears of joy fell  🦊❤️

While I’ve lost my taste for professional sports, I become a diehard fan if the home team is on a roll to infamy.  Yesterday’s Phillie’s game was an amazing spectacle to watch from the dryness of my apartment. Congratulations Phillies as you march on in your magical quest to be World Series champs!!! 🦊❤️

791. “no pie for you!”

my mouth watering

what a treat that pie will be

first they need a cook  🦊❤️

“Help Wanted” signs have replaced “SALE” signs as the number one most posted sign at businesses.  BTW there was Pumpkin Pie available. I had a sticky bun.  🦊❤️ 

 

790. candyland 🍭

under watchful eyes

lollipops arranged with care

his sweet tooth smiling  🦊❤️

Yesterday morning I sat quietly in a Farmer’s Market nearby and enjoyed my coffee. I watched the owner of a tiny handmade chocolate store in her “stall” arranging her chocolate lollipop creations. A pumpkin overhead was watching too. We both smiled. 🦊❤️

 

789. making something from nothing

“tabla rasa” mind

a white canvas… unpainted

“make the most of it” 🦊❤️

Today my mind is blank, uninspired and searching for something of “significance” to post. Sometimes nothing is everything there is.  Make the most of it and value it for what it is… nothing.  🦊❤️

 

788. seeing red

outside my green door

a stunning red leaf hailing

“christmas is coming!”  🦊❤️

As the store shelves are filling with Christmas decorations, my breezeway is filling with red leaves. It can only mean, Christmas is on its way. 🦊❤️

 

787. four alarm fire

it’s that time of year

the tree burns furiously

“please don’t put it out!” 🦊❤️

I love Autumn in the woods. But I love Autumn even more in my apartment.  I am fortunate to live in an apartment that has a Maple tree at window level that is ignited by the Sun every day in Autumn.  The blazing tree fills my living space with a glow that warms every part of me inside and out. I wish it could burn forever… 🦊❤️

 

786. wackolanterns

such fancy pumpkins

lots of colors, lumps and bumps

no carving needed  🦊❤️

Aren’t we all… such fancy pumpkins? 🦊❤️

 

785. “making a wish on a complimentary birthday cannoli”

he said, “it’s on me!”

“happy birthday - make a wish!”

(i wish not to wish) 🦊❤️

•••

a candle burning

on my birthday cannoli

“can you guess my wish?” 🦊❤️

I went to dinner for my birthday at my favorite restaurant and sat in the same seat at the bar where I always sit and drank the same seltzer and cranberry I always drink and saw the same staff I always see but this time I got a complimentary cannoli with a candle in it to make a wish on. What do I wish for when I have it all? (at least today?) 🦊❤️

784. the mushrooms sing to me

on my special day

a herd of tender mushrooms

sing happy birthday 🦊❤️

•••

‘nother year older

i lose friends… i gather friends

love those mushrooms too 🦊❤️

All these years of living have taught me to hear the mushrooms sing happy birthday to me. “Happy Birthday dear Dan!” 🦊❤️

 

783. black walnut gauntlet

don’t be distracted

by all the pretty colors

walnuts high… and low  🦊❤️

I have just finished my latest landscape painting of the Wissahickon trails. I really let myself go in terms of color and detail. I wish that I could send you all a full size copy to stand in front of and just look at. I think it would make you feel happy. It is 20”x48” and is painted across (3) 20”x16” canvases. 🦊❤️

 

782. walkin’ the plank

the leaves be fallin’

the rain she keep comin’ down

slip slidin’ away  🦊❤️

Although I still consider myself pretty agile at “this age”, I have a very healthy respect for the deadly synergy of mossy wood, rain and leaves - especially when walking Ruffer the dog! Be careful all! 🦊❤️

 

781. blame it on the sun

just after daybreak

the moon sets the tree afire

blame it on the sun  🦊❤️

There is no end to the unfolding of the magic of the sun… 🦊❤️ 

 

780. when dreams come true

just walking along

came a feeling just not right

look to my right, “yikes!” 🦊❤️

just like in my dream

there appeared that weird creature

this time… on my street  🦊❤️

I recently had a very weird dream that involved very strange four legged creatures. While the dream wasn’t a nightmare, it wasn’t what I would call a fun dream. Well… as I was walking down my street toward the trails, I felt something looming above me from a house. I looked to the right and there it was… one on the animals. Whoa….. 🦊❤️

 

779. “the kiss” by gustav klimt

rising to the sky

contours so close as if one

ending in a kiss  🦊❤️

As I walked through the trails I was stopped by the sight of two trees huddling beside each other as if they were embracing. I thought of the beautiful painting by Gustav Klimt, “The Kiss”. 🦊❤️

 

778. art

had an arty night

in a local artsy town

art was all around  🦊❤️

Art inspires art.  Art inspires people. People make art. People are art. Art… 🦊❤️

 

777. “location, location, location!”

in obscurity

guarded by the gas meter

yet more beautiful  ❤️🦊

I visited some open artist’s studios last evening. The best of show (in my opinion) was tucked away in a side window, pretty much out of the view of most onlookers. Her humility made her even more beautiful. “Location, location, location!” 🦊❤️ 

 

776. seeing red

from his perch up high

just watching my every move

red in a blue house 🦊❤️

The orange tabby cat is not actually its own separate breed of cat. Whether you call them orange, red, ginger or marmalade tabbies, orange tabby cats are not a specific breed of cat, rather it is referring to their fur color. 🦊❤️

 

775. tommy and a 50 mile run

2 o’clock a.m.

40 miles done… 10 to go

tommy cheers him on  🦊❤️

My son Kevin ran a 50 mile, over night training run as part of his rehab effort last night.  It was a long night of running for him and a long night of hiking and crewing for me. And through the entire night, Tommy kept watch and gave emotional support each and every loop of the run. You can count on Tommy!!  🦊❤️

 

774. 3…2…1… blastoff

the most earthly things

can launch the opened up mind

into outer space  🦊❤️

I watched the launch of a Spacex rocket yesterday. It was carrying a crew to the International Space Station. I vividly remember when the launch of any rocket was an occasion that caused the world to stand still and turn on the TV to watch Cape Canaveral personnel in white shirts and ties monitoring the countdown to blast off. When I walked outside the parking lot was dotted with brilliant fallen leaves. For a brief moment I stood and looked… I was really in outer space.  🦊❤️

 

773. prayers answered

over 3-1-9

prayer flags chanting in the wind

birds chirp from afar 🦊❤️

There is a community garden that I walk by multiple times daily. I love looking at the individual character cultivated in the planning and execution of each of the individual plots. A real cast of characters in the “farmers” who till the soil too. Tibetian Prayer Flags are used quite frequently to decorate, sanctify and keep the birds and deer away. Based on this year’s harvests I’ve seen, the prayer flags have really done a great job of doing their intended work.  Soon the birds and deer kept at bay will enjoy the remnants as the flags come down for another year. 🦊❤️

 

772. overhead

weightlessly lurking

the red tailed hawk takes it in

creatures below still  🦊❤️

I am loving the fourth day in a row of rainy weather.  The rain slows the pace of life for me… it justifies and allows me to “lay low” and meander in my apartment, sip tea, do this and that leisurely, paint, not paint and nap. But as I was walking in the rain I looked into the raindrops and gray sky and saw the Red Tailed Hawk doing what it always does overhead - hunting. And I imagined the creatures in the weeds doing what they always do when he’s overhead. I felt their stillness. 🦊❤️

 

771. waiting for that special somebody

waiting endlessly

this coat of many colors

hopes today’s the day  🦊❤️

This one of a kind creation has been putting itself out there for months waiting for that special someone to stroll by to catch their eye. While I don’t care for it’s look… its persistence caught my eye!  🦊❤️

 

770. like a rorschach test

the ten commandments

popsicle sticks and “say ahhh!”

it’s just what i see

A silly little post about an old wooden fence that caught my eye. I wanted to compose something profound, but it just wouldn’t take shape. So I asked myself that simple question I find myself asking myself often,  “What do I see?” 🦊❤️

 

769. new view of an old friend

like asparagus

shooting straight out of the ground

this mighty old oak  🦊❤️

 I had walked past this tree a thousand times… but it wasn’t until my friend Diane pointed it out to me that I actually “saw” it!  Then I stood in awe looking at how powerfully the  giant, old oak tree left the earth and climbed into the sky. Like a rocket rising off the launching pad.  Like a geyser shooting steamy water straight upward. Like a stalk of asparagus breaking the earth in the garden. 🦊❤️