The Flow

... moves us all whether we want it to or not. We do have some control, but sometimes it seems as if that might be very limited and the flow around us is pulling, moving, adjusting and guiding us in the direction that is the master plan. If only I could believe in "the master plan". Even the little plans in the everyday workings of a family or of a school seem full of miscues and mistakes as well as injustices and inconsistencies... where is the "master plan" in that. Oh, well, I'll hang on to my pragmatic self for a while longer and just look at it as the "plan". I can handle that because it's obscure enough to be almost ambiguous which would render it meaningless and therefore useless, so I guess I'll just go with the flow!

Words Cannot Express...

... but they are all I have tonight. It has been a long day for many reasons, starting at 4:30 as they mostly do, but very productive. I managed to get a great deal done today and the whole day zipped by in what seemed like record time. I have been working steadily since I got home... website for MAEA, website for school, work on project sheets for classes and checking out proposed schedules for RSU # 48 (or whatevah numbah that is). One little thing after another with little or no time for my spirit. The left side of my brain loves these days, all the things that are accomplished to add to the old resume of life, but my spirit hates them, little time for the love and joy of being, the expansive pleasure of the moment. I'll look for an archived photo that has nothing to do with this post.... or does it?

Red at Night & The Serpent and The Dove

Ahhh... why was today so nice? Well, I think the old nautical phrase "Red at night, sailors delight" applied to today as the sunset last night was extremely red-orange (close enough). I crept around the shore to the east a bit and found a number of very nice shots. The light from the low sun was very intense, even in an indirect sense. I got the apple tree bathed in it and several other subjects such as beach rocks along the shore. The sun is so powerful and gives so much to us, that being in the midst of it is very uplifting and expanding, but I may have lost some of that feeling because I was trying so hard to find a photo (left-brain function?). Who cares? Today more than made up for it by the nature of the day... the breeze, the sun, the feel of the sky above all contributed to the overall beauty of the day. Cleaning the yards around the Acadia National Park Headquarters with my freshman advisory group was the activity of the day, and it was awesome!

















The serpent has often been a symbol (from the
Garden of Eden) of an evil force that induced the embodiment of womanhood (through Eve) to partake of the fruit of the tree of life and therefore unveil death. The dove as a symbol of peace (I don't know about the Mourning Dove, but a dove is a dove, right?) has been with us for generations, my first recollection being the symbol of Woodstock, and a political symbol as well. My thoughts are wrapped around the juxtaposition of these two elements and how they might connect to one another. They are both kind of minor, but they are around my house and I'm curious. Hitting the hay early tonight as I got too much sun today and I'm "bushed" (kind of a pun as we were picking up "bushes" today).

Calm Morning

In fact, what we always used to call "flat ass calm", although I have no idea of the origins of that particular expression. It was so inviting as to perhaps going out in the kayak, but that was short lived as the wind came up as soon as everyone got up around the house, and we all gradually made it to the garden, where the girls planted all the early stuff we had seeds for. The garden is still amazingly wet (muddy in places) and we managed to till up what could be done under the circumstances.

We got some brush off the burn pile to use for the peas to climb and hooked up a water supply from the house so that the seeds will germinate (or drown trying) and hopefully we'll have a bit more manageable garden this year We always did raised beds in our gardens, but haven't been doing that here in Sullivan. I convinced the "bosses" that we might try it and get a better handle on weeding and harvesting, so we'll try it out. We are spreading out a bit and looking at planting in a couple of other places as well, maybe potatoes. It's been a beautiful, although overcast a lot, day!

The New Replaces the Old

I suppose that it's inevitable that as things become more modern, perhaps more efficient, they are supplanting the previous versions. Common lawn grass can be no exception, as we look at the beauty of the greening of the earth (at least our neck of it) and the bursting forth of new shoots coming right up through the laid down and old and browned blades. These cycles are very strong around us and something that we can learn from, not only for our own understanding of how life treats us but also how our relationships to others are affected by circumstance and change. I'm not sure it is all just cyclic, but it seems the longer the experience the more deja vu is present.


I'm looking at the last post of how the hugeness and beauty of the planet puts me in my place and realize that point of view can express that, so that's where the second photo comes from. The mountain and bay out of focus in the background makes "place" important with the grasses more immediate and locating the viewer.


The birds are a never-ending example of the variety of life around us and watching them helps me to understand the term "bird-watcher", which I always used to think was a sort of silly waste of time. I shouldn't be wasting time at all as I am on the end side of the life cycle, but I don't think it is really about the time you waste, it's about the quality of the time you waste (knowing that the definition of a waste of time is subjective and varies from person to person).

I am going to Bangor with my oldest son today to celebrate his birthday... he'll be 35!

Time & Light Lords...

... that's what my Photography II students are! As we critiqued their recent series of photos today and covered points of composition, technical skill, point of view and subject matter they were focused, sharing and perceptive. Even though some of the seniors have issues with time management at this time of year, they pitched in with appropriate comments and interpretations of their peers work. We had talked about what might be involved in making a "series" of photographs and the variety of their approaches and subjects was amazing. I love this stuff and what my students are able to do with it, finding creative expression in so many different ways, starting to use their eyes to really notice what there is around them. Photography I is just starting to load and use their cameras and it's all about picking up the intricacies of light, aperture and shutter speed as well as planning ahead for the type of film they will use for shooting conditions. Good stuff.


I didn't miss the sunset tonight as it came glaring in through the windows and my perceptions seem to be working well enough to notice the natural beauty around me. One of the things I like best in the beauty of nature is how it diminishes me... makes me feel like a part of the earth instead of an object wandering aimlessly on its surface.

The Sun Went Down? I Missed It!

Busy day. Much going on at every front. Matt to doctor's, stress after. Family with headaches. Focus was narrow, depth of field even more so. My energy good, but feeling "heavy". Made art of several types today. More tomorrow! I didn't even take the time to notice the sun go down. I wonder if it was an aesthetic sunset? Posting a picture of yesterday's "downing of the sun", I took the time for that one.

Foggy Morning Tuneup

Actually, the fog was from yesterday morning and today has a beautiful sunrise shining on the greening fairways of the Blink Bonnie Golf Course across the bay (sorry, no picture, but I'll get to that in a moment) but it is meaningful today. I forgot to set my alarm. I've had a few nights of sleep deprivation and last night my body was in sleep mode before my head even hit the pillow. No time for workout this morning and this will be brief, but the coffee does no where near as well clearing my head as a good cardiovascular session.

As I said, a bit pressed for time this morning, and am working on project sheet for multiple self portraits for my digital class. So, I'm a bit foggy to start the day today. Wind was roaring late yesterday!

One Wave at a Time

Wow! Things come at us in sequence of sorts, they are like waves of attention, waves of tasks, or waves of emotion to name only a very few of the total possible. Today was a good day. After a slow start a calming and sequential approach took over my thinking, and the blog post this morning got me aligned toward accomplishment. It seemed to me (and that's what's important isn't it - the perception) that I got so much accomplished today, from my first arrival at school to the last few minutes as I shut down the computer lab. I know it is all about attitude and how one develops an attitude, but there is an intangible or two involved, and recognizing them is important.
Connections to others can also come in waves, when you "click" and feel like your communication techniques really work and people understand and respond. This happens in waves (cycles). and it seemed to me today that as a teacher it works with colleagues and students alike. I guess it is important to treasure these kinds of days, but the discoveries of how and why and watching for the "good waves" is like learning to fish to feed yourself.

4:30 a.m. ...

... and the day begins. I wish there were about 4 more hours in each day, then I could easily pack in the "should do's" and not have anything hanging. Of course the fact is that any paper work, old mail (I never got to), or anything else in those general categories gets swept into the circular file on the last day of school. How many professions are there where you can finish up, take a couple of months vacation, and then start over again with a relatively new slate? I really am lucky that I still enjoy teaching as much as I do and the kids still enjoy me (most of them, anyway).
I am so behind in getting assessments back to students (a lot of students used the break and some family vacation time as an excuse to be late, but it is after all, family), but I do have a fairly open schedule after school this week, so hopefully will catch up before Wednesday (personal goal!). Time is my master, and I have yet to master time or its perfect use, but I am for some reason sure that it has perfect uses. I wish I could be in two places at once!