1823. locked in love

 

locks declaring love

hanging on a chainlink fence

keys kept just in case 🦊❤️

I walked by a long chainlink fence that had many locks with initials on them signifying people in love.  I wondered how many are still locked in love. I wondered how many of the lovers kept the keys just in case.  🦊❤️

1822. a second look

 

less than half an inch

maybe was a katydid

thought it was a leaf 🦊❤️

It was the smallest Katydid I’ve ever seen. At first I thought it was a leaf.  Glad I took a second look. 🦊❤️

1821. leon’s morning ritual

“old glory” in sight

leon sits at attention

his “mouth organ” sings 🦊❤️

 Leon was sitting outside of his senior residence in his wheelchair playing “God Bless America” on his harmonica (mouth organ).  I stood nearby until he was done. He looked at me and said, “Every morning at 9:00 I come outside and play that song as I look at the flag. I am a veteran and I love America and am proud of that.” It was such a refreshing experience. Thank you Leon. 🦊❤️ 

1820. far out there

 

some will scratch their head

“what’s this have to do with art?”

for others -“far out!!!” 🦊❤️

I have just put the finishing touches on my art show “Remembering Tommy the Cat and Other Wissahickon Wonders”. The “Tommyhawk” rocket that bears Tommy’s name and image will be a very unique and  off the beaten path addition to the show. 🦊❤️

1819. up against the wall….

 

rumbling in my head

plotted and planned on paper

next… here come the walls 🦊❤️

Yulan and I started to hang my upcoming exhibit at the gallery space today. We have a couple more days of work to do to finish the set-up.  It’s exciting (and exhausting) to watch it all come together.  🦊❤️

1818. mikey the alien

 

up in the window

looking like an alien

it’s mikey the cat 🦊❤️

As I drove past Yulan’s place I looked at her window and I thought I saw an alien.  Lol it was only Mikey the cat!!! 🦊❤️

1817. oh lonesome me

 

all by my lonesome

high and dry this rainy day

“won’t you take me home?” 🦊❤️

I have a big soft spot in my heart for abandoned  stuffed animals. 🦊❤️ 

1816. rainy day rest reigns

 

raindrops cloud the world

it all becomes much softer

peacefulness sets in 🦊❤️

There is nothing like a rainy day to slow down life and let peace and restfulness set in. 🦊❤️

1815. time to sleep

 

beautiful orchid

now your white petals falling

time to sleep… then bloom 🦊❤️

The beautiful orchid that we received as a wedding gift from our “Elder’s Group” is losing its petals and getting ready for a long, long night’s sleep to hopefully bloom again.  How cool it would be if it re-bloomed on our first wedding anniversary on February 18, 2026. 🦊❤️

Rocket

 

1814. bamboozle

 

no matter the task

everything is an excuse

for art to rise up 🦊❤️

Bamboo and building larger scale model rockets to launch  are the two current shiny objects that have caught my eye. I just completed building my latest rocket “Bamboozle” which is the combining of the two current obsessions into one. No matter what the current rage in my mind, it all ends up being an exercise in making art. It has been that way forever for me. Didn’t matter if it was building fences, building decks, striping parking lots, creating adaptive devices for folks with disabilities, creating spreadsheets, etc - it was all an expression of art for me.  Bamboozle will be launched in early September in NY and if it survives the launch it will be retired like my first rocket “Tommyhawk” was and become just a piece of art. 🦊❤️

1813. next?

i stare at my walls

a cacophony of stuff

i wonder what’s next? 🦊❤️  

 I sometimes wonder why I jump from one thing to another, to another and to yet again another when it comes to art, wacky ideas and new shiny objects to run after.  Am I looking for me - or is that just who I am? Regardless it is an interesting journey.  🦊❤️

1812. afghan on its way

 

it’s hook - pull - hook - pull

not knit - pearl - knit - pearl - knit

crocheting away 🦊❤️ 

I wish I had the patience to sit quietly and hook - pull - hook - pull - hook - pull - hook… smiling contentedly as I did.   🦊❤️

1811. clouds, clouds and more clouds

it’s the week for clouds

the skies are jam packed with them

every day’s a show 🦊❤️

This week is producing a bumper crop of clouds. Enormous billowing clouds hovering above.  It makes me wonder what the first people eons ago thought they were. I’m sure they were mystified and amazed.  I still am mystified  and amazed today. 🦊❤️

1810. the sea in the sky

 

the sky is a sea

with an armada of clouds

bringing in the storm 🦊❤️

The daylight became twilight in a flash and the sky portrayed itself as an angry sea. Below it all people rush home after a hard days work hoping to avoid the rain. I sit staring as I waited at a red light. An impatient motorist blares  their horn at me… and I drive on. 🦊❤️

1809. holidays queueing up

 

pumpkins are ripe-nin

scary things filling the shelves

christmas stuff up next 🦊❤️

This is the time of year for the procession of holidays and events that make shelf stockers crazy at big box stores.  No sooner are hobgoblins on the shelves when they are replaced by turkey stuff followed by Christmas and Hanukah  stuff then on to  New Year stuff.  Happy holidays. 🦊❤️

1808. good morning moon

woke up this morning

went outside to see the sun

the moon stole the show 🦊❤️

I love it when I look up into the sky and see the heavenly bodies hanging around in space.  It serves as a good reminder of how we fit in the grand scheme of things. Just on a ball, spinning around endless space… 🦊❤️  

 

1807. a child’s mandala

a picture in chalk

lasting until the rain comes

a child’s mandala 🦊❤️

I love children’s chalk drawings. They are free and easy. They are drawn with the understanding that when the rain, the broom or the hose come they will be no more. No attachment, just fun in the moment.  Reminds me of Tibetian monks doing intricate sand mandalas only to sweep them away when they are done. Nothing lasts forever. 🦊❤️

 

1806. bamboo battalion

 

lined up like soldiers

my army of bamboo sticks

ready to deploy 🦊❤️

A little while ago I developed a fun way to keep my shoulders mobile and my proprioceptive sense sharp. I came up with a series of simple maneuvers using a short length of bamboo that I cut and finished nicely.  I gave a couple to my acupuncturist to use as part of her morning Qigong practice.  Lo and behold a friend of hers just ordered 10 of them to use with her Qigong classes.  I love bamboo. I love pretending and fantasizing about mass producing a very simple product that people want to use! 🦊❤️   

1805. invisible forces

 

branches are bobbing

and leaves flutter back and forth

the unseen at work 🦊❤️

As I was sitting on my balcony enjoying the cool air, I took closer notice of the branches and leaves bobbing and swaying and fluttering in the breeze. It got me thinking about the many unseen forces that surround us that animate life as we “think” we know it.  We know so much but at the same time so little. 🦊❤️

1804. thank you for the sign

 

we chose to believe

that solitary flower

was a sign for us 🦊❤️

Tonight Yulan, Kevin, Hillary and I said our final goodbyes to Tommy as we visited his home area to spread his ashes and tell our Tommy stories.  We did some laughing and we did some crying.  As we were leaving, we saw a single solitary white flower on a bush beside the picnic table that Tommy could usually be found lounging on. We all agreed that it was Tommy saying thank you and goodbye. A final sign…. 🦊❤️

1803. garbage art

 

i love garbage trucks

they’re like jackson pollock art

huge abstracts on wheels 🦊❤️

As a little kid, I spent lots of time roaming around garbage dumps and junkyards. They were fascinating and a source of never ending adventure and interesting sights. The randomness of refuse really “flipped my switch”. It still does. 🦊❤️

1802. the math of an art show

 

add, subtract, divide

placing paintings on the wall

it’s all about math 🦊❤️

All of the paintings are done.  Now it’s time to figure out what goes where. I must say that this part of getting ready for an exhibit may be the most fun part of all. My next show, “Remembering Tommy the Cat & Other Wissahickon Wonders” will be at the gallery of Spring Mill Pointe in Lafayette Hill, Pa in September and October. More information to come. 🦊❤️

1801. early retirement

 

more than a rocket

foremost it is art to me

it will fly no more 🦊❤️

I am still in orbit over yesterday’s perfect maiden flight of  my rocket “Tommyhawk”.  The rocket was not a kit but rather it was made of a mailing tube and other fabricated parts.  Lots of work went into making it as precisely as possible. Additionally lots of effort went into making it look as nice as I possibly could. Then of course there is the “Tommy connection” to it.  I was totally grateful that the rocket was not damaged in the least as a result of its flight. A number of rockets exploded on ignition  or broke apart during flight or upon reentry. Above all I am an artist before a rocketeer. Therefore the Tommyhawk will fly no more. It will be part of my upcoming art exhibit in some form or fashion. I will build another one for future launches. 🦊❤️

1800. boys and their toys

5-4-3-2-1

soaring straight as an arrow

tommyhawk lifts off 🦊❤️

 Tommyhawk’s maiden voyage was a big success. A fun day of being a kid never hurt anyone! 🦊❤️