Interesting Study Over Time (1977 - 2010)

Those are the Brown sisters in 1977.  In 1975, photographer Nicholas Nixon took a picture of his wife, Bebe, with her sisters.  They decided to make it an annual occasion until 2010. They were always in the same order, left to right: Heather, Mimi, Bebe and Laurie. Besides being a documentation of their growth, it is really a lovely artistic example of composition and light which - to me - communicates the complexities and dynamics of family relationships.  Even their expressions over time are quite painterly. You can see the photos here, (at least until his agent pulls it off the web) and purchase the book here. Fascinating.

Hear This (Nostalgic)

So many hours listening to this...recorded in 1969 with Fairport Convention (written in 1967?), 'though Judy Collins first recorded it as a cover in 1968. Sandy Denny was troubled: a user, a "bad mom".

According to Wikipedia:  in late March 1978, while Denny's husband Trevor Lucas was on one of his "disappearing acts", on holiday with her parents and baby Georgia in Cornwall, Denny was injured when she fell down a staircase and hit her head on concrete. Following the incident, Denny suffered from intense headaches; a doctor prescribed her the painkiller Distalgesic, a drug known to have fatal side effects when mixed with alcohol. On 1 April, several days after the fall, Denny performed a charity concert at Byfield. On 13 April, concerned with his wife's erratic behavior and fearing for his daughter's safety, Trevor Lucas left the UK and returned to his native Australia with their child, leaving Sandy without telling her.  On 17 April, Denny collapsed and fell into a coma while at friend Miranda Ward's home. Four days later, she died. Her death was ruled to be the result of a traumatic mid-brain haemorrhage and blunt force trauma to her head.

Gave me goosebumps then; gives me goosebumps now.

Now This Is Clever!

I'm game for this picnic!

Imagine a bar on a bike!  Let's ride!! Found it here.

I Wonder What They Were Thinking

Here is a picture of Helen Keller and Charlie Chaplin.  I wondered what they were really thinking.  I did find this when researching the photo:  Charlie Chaplin historian JeTamme Derouet reported that they had this encounter in Hollywood while she was on a speaking tour.
"They spent most of the day off alone together and they smiled and laughed a lot like they had their own private world, just walking the studio lot and talking privately together. (The picture seen here) is of her holding her hand to his mouth to feel what he is saying as he speaks to her."
"Chaplin had worked with several deaf people throughout his career in an effort to improve his own pantomime communication skills and traveled with deaf artist Granville Redmond, who taught Charlie sign language and finger-spelling. He was also a great supporter of the deaf during a time when most people in America were trying to abolish sign language all together."

Interesting, yes?

Washington DC from a Satellite

Now, isn't this cool? NASA releases these great satellite images from all over the world, including this one of Washington (DC). What is interesting to me is that our very linear NE / E boundaries - the man made ones - are so clearly defined by the lights.  The river boundaries (SW / S) are a little less so. Want to see more?

Check it out!

Best Laid Plans. Period.

“The best laid plans of mice and men oft go astray”; or In the original Scots-English: the best-laid schemes o' mice an' men, gang aft agley. This, from a poem by Robert Burns, “To a Mouse”. Well that about sums up my spring break.  Straightening closets, cleaning out drawers, culling old files, going through old clothes, hanging pictures, you name it: all fell by the wayside [ed. note., and not to be too biblical: this comes from an allusion in Matthew 13:4 because Jesus talks about a sower losing valuable seeds as they fell to the wayside.]

Mother requires more attention and time due to her short term memory loss. John fell four weeks ago, fracturing bones in his lower back and remains in rehab for both the physical and behavioral (alcohol); and my dear Molly has had two surgeries in two weeks.The first surgery seemed OK, but there is a learning curve in caring for a post-op pup to be sure.  Luckily the tumor in her belly was benign. But the mass in her mouth is not. I understand there is a canine melanoma vaccine which - of course - we will pursue.

As HRM, the Queen once said:
"1992 is not a year on which I shall look back with undiluted pleasure. In the words of one of my more sympathetic correspondents, it has turned out to be an Annus Horribilis."
Am I permitted to feel empathetic - with of all people - the Queen of England?! I sure feel like it.