Mi hitotsu to/ narite kunpū/ arishi kana

"Bereft of belongings
Yet blessed by the touch of the
Early summer breeze."


~Isao Sato

Early Spring is Here

Northern cardinal

#northerncardinal #cardinal #cardinaliscardinalis #naturalwisconsin #driftlessarea #danecounty #wisconsin #wisconsinlife #discoverwisconsin #madisonwisconsin #madsionwi #midwestisbest #midwestliving #travelwi #wisconsinphotographer #travelwisconsin #earlyspring #birdwatching #bird #birds #birdstagram #birding #birdlover #birdlovers #birdsofinstagram #birdwatcher #birdextreme #birdfreaks #birdphotography

Serendipitous Sandhills

Before leaving to go train in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu I had a feeling I'd need to carry my zoom lens that I use for wildlife. I'd just gotten off the phone with Flavia Zortea, and our conversations about life, and what I've been experiencing at the Temple had me feeling like I'm on the right path. One of the subjects we spoke about was how I always go to the Temple to walk around the Stupa to meditate. Over the winter I'd rarely see anyone out and about on the grounds. I mentioned how some of the teachings were a bit over my head. She suggested that eventually I'd meet a "down to earth" monk and it would go from there. It would just work it self out. So, on my way to BJJ, as is my habit I stopped to walk and contemplate things at Deer Park. I'd no sooner parked when I heard these Sandhill Cranes flying overhead. Taking their photo was easy as I'd prepared my camera for the manual shot before leaving the house. The exposure just happened to be set correctly. As I approached the path to the Stupa the head monk of the monastery, Sherab, was standing there. We spoke for a brief moment, and after talking about what I do, namely walk around the Stupa in meditation, he invited me to use the smaller, older temple near the Stupa for my meditations. Serendipity.

Baxter's Hollow (No. 82)

From the DNR Site, "Baxter's Hollow features a scenic gorge cut through Baraboo quartzite by Otter Creek, a fast, clear, nearly undisturbed stream flowing over the large quartzite boulders. Although it supports trout, Otter Creek is better known for its diverse and unique aquatic insect fauna including at least 78 species of caddisfly. Cold air drainage has permitted a white pine dominated forest to persist near the stream. Understory species on the boulder-strewn slopes are large-leaved aster, marginal wood fern, partridgeberry, sweet cicely, witch hazel, and squawroot. Most of the site, though, contains a significant portion of the Big Woods, the largest intact contiguous southern dry-mesic forest in Wisconsin with red and white oak, hickory, and basswood. In spring, the forest floor is blanketed with a wide variety of colorful flowers including spring-beauty, Jacob's-ladder, trillium, hepatica, shooting-star, dog-tooth violet, and marsh marigold. The large expanse of woods provides critical habitat for many rare bird species that require large forested tracts. The combined effects of microclimate and different communities have allowed a wide diversity of species to flourish here: 39 mammals, 92 breeding birds, 13 amphibians, and 18 reptile species. Baxter's Hollow is owned by The Nature Conservancy and was designated a State Natural Area in 1970."

A Night on the Town

My wife & I made plans to go out separately last evening. I wanted to go to a local Chamber of Commerce social event, and she wanted to go with another woman to an art raffle/fundraiser. It turned out they were in the SAME place, the pizzeria at the Grumpy Troll! Even when we try to be apart fate draws us together, which is awesome. I had a few Bloody Maries (olives & pickles included) with little 4oz beer chasers and ate an ENTIRE pizza. This morning my weight was up 6.8 pounds! Oh the sodium... I feel bloated... belch...

Sutras of the Past

As I walked in circles around the Stupa allowing my thoughts to percolate an icy winter wind fluttered the colorful prayer flags draped on lines around it. As memories of my past, both good & bad, rose up in my head the little flags of prayer reached out, caressing my arm just as old friends would when comforting me. Such peace from so simple an act from an in animate object. Have I truly gone so long without feeling such affections that simple, colorful bits of fabric bring me solace or have I become blind to the affections I receive daily from those close to me, making this sensation seem unique? A bit of both perhaps?

Prairie Moraine County Park

It was a perfect wintry day to go for a quick walk along the trails of the prairie. While there was a bit of a blizzard going on, the temperature wasn't overly too cold.

#wisconsin #wisconsinlife #midwest #travelwi #travelwisconsin #midwestliving #midwestmoment #themidwestival #discoverwisconsin #madisonwi #midwestisbest #goplayoutside #greatnorthcollective #wildernessculture #letsgosomewhere #keepitwild #wildlife #wildlifelover #naturelover #prairie #prairieland #driftlessarea #naturalarea #natural #oaksavannah #grassland

King of Tokyo

Sunday morning we broke out King of Tokyo. It's been months since we've played. The kid is getting pretty good at playing a strategy instead of just bashing us around. Her card choices where really good, and I have to admit she won fare and square. This game is so fun!

#kingofnewyork #iello #boardgame #famlygamenight #kidslife #kaiju #giantmonster #giantmonsters #dice #dicegame #game #play #playing #smashthecity #destroyallmonsters

Me - 1990

Channeling my inner sea captain phase I guess? All I can really tell you is that it was my first year after art school. I'd been working a variety of jobs and had recently begun full time at a set construction shop, which we created for television, movies, stage and trade-shows. I'd just bought my first Jeep and my girlfriend was overseas, teaching in Japan for the year. The personal theme song for the year was The Ramblin' Rover, Andy M. Stewart & Silly Wizard. Everything was an adventure!

"If you're bent wi' arth-i-ritis
Your bowels have got colitis
You've gallopin' with bollockitis
And you're thinkin' it's time you died
If you been a man of action
Though you're lying there in traction
You will get some satisfaction
Thinkin', "Jesus, at least I tried!"

"Steelhead" by John Pahlas

Bourbon steelhead

tempered steelheads migrating through the
shallows, their metallic scales lubricated
with penzoil two stroke motor oil.


moving over sand and rocks
some gray, some brown,
some smooth, some jagged and torn.


with alloys glistening in the summer heat
they brush up against the rivers stones to break
off the fishermens disappointment.


all those scarred gums whose fishhooked
lines caused thier lead bellies to rust.


in the muddy waters they stir,
drink to much whiskey and sink to the
river bars sandy bottom.


their rigid frames drifting through the sediment,
with heads lowered swaying
slowly like submariner zeppelins, trying to
navigate against the turbulent waters.


now these mechanical nomadic sailors keep for
themselves a tin compass in the sky filled with
memories of home.


but still they are mellow preachers
rolling and tumbling in their hardened
elements trying to find their way.

Poem by Nathan Martin

Teri in 1982

My wife in 1982. I found this quote that sums her up perfectly, even decades later.

“I'd never been a good damsel in distress. I was a "hands-on" damsel.”
― Jenny Trout, Possession

Strife

"My anxiety's clawing
Out from deep within me
It burns within as my throat begins to cauterize


This negativity's leeching
Any shred of composure
Rationale has decayed and left me bound in madness


I reach for calm
I starve for a balance unknown
This burden tortures me deep in my soul


I've found that strife won't make the bleeding stop
Nor will it take away the pain
I feel like this search is all in vain
And I struggle to find my way


How I yearn for the silence
For an end to the voices
The calamity grows and the deafness leads to disarray


Guilt buries me alive
In a coffin criticized
I shouldered the blame and dug this hole for me to lay in
" ~ Trivium, 'Strife'

Misty Morning

In for Repairs with John Pahlas

“I, on the other hand, am a finished product. I absorb electrical energy directly and utilize it with an almost one hundred percent efficiency. I am composed of strong metal, am continuously conscious, and can stand extremes of environment easily. These are facts which, with the self-evident proposition that no being can create another being superior to itself, smashes your silly hypothesis to nothing.”
― Isaac Asimov,' I, Robot'

#isaacasimov #asimov #irobot #centergroundstudios​ ​#driftlessregion​ ​#driftless #wisconsin #wisconsinar​​t​ #wisconsinlife #discoverwisconsin​ ​#fineart #sculpture​ ​#finaeartphotography #contemporaryart​ ​#art #modernart #ig_mood #featuredpalette #artlovers #artlover #installationart #steelsculpture

The First One of the Season

I've now seen my very first American robin, (Turdus migratorius) of the 2017 Spring season! It's silly I know, but I always feel so relieved when I see the first one.

#robin #americanrobin #Turdusmigratorius #firstrobinofspring #wisconsin #wisconsinlife #midwest #travelwi #travelwisconsin #stewartlake #stewartcountypark #hiking #hikingtrail #midwestliving #oakforest #danecountyparks #naturalarea #natural #oaksavannah #grassland #midwestmoment #themidwestival #discoverwisconsin #conquer_wi #midwestisbest #goplayoutside #greatnorthcollective #wildernessculture #letsgosomewhere #keepitwild

Healthy Hoedown @ Folklore Village

Tonight the girls & I hit a barn dance at nearby Folklore Village. My wife really enjoys learning the dances, and they seem to give great instructions on how to do each dance. She's in the lower right of this traditional circle dance. As for me, I just don't dance...

Tonight's music was provided by 'Rare Privilege' (Amy McFarland and Maria Terres), with Martha Tyner, caller
Sponsored by Upland Hills Health

#Folklorevillage #folklore #folkdance #folkmusic #circledance # folkdancers #tradionalamericandance #traditionalamerica #USA #americans #rareprivilege folklife #midwestisbest #midwestliving #wi #travelwi #discoverwisconsin #wisconsin #wisco #onwisconsin #madisonwi #madisonwisconsin #wisconsinphotographer #travelwisconsin #explorewisconsin #driftlessarea #midwestmoment #conquer_wi #themidwestival

Rough Couple of Days

On Thursday the kid came home green with a stomach bug. After a day of taking care of her she seemed to bounce back by Friday. That was most fortunate because I really caught the bug on Friday. I couldn't keep anything, including water, down. The kid did an AMAZING job taking care of not just herself, but me as well. She'd periodically check on me and was so lovingly caring. I couldn't prouder of her! By the time my wife got back into town in the early evening I was beginning to recover. It was a 24 illness that I am so glad she missed out on.

My Best Friend - April 1988

I've been going through old negatives tonight. So many memories. Then I found one from 1988 of my best friend through art school, I know it's going to sound like a porn star's name but this is Andrew Hung, my best friend all through my two years at the Art Institute. One day he came up to me and in broken "bro-english" told me, "You're more 'Oriental' than I am. We're going to be friends." As a child he'd been sent to the USA by his parents, who didn't seem to know what to do with him. He landed in Youngstown, Ohio of ALL places. It was the late 70's, just google "Youngstown Tune Up." That'll explain the culture he found himself. Having grown up in the martial arts, he naturally found his way to the gym. Only it was full of "made" jabronis. His indomitable spirit, akin to my own, turned what could have been a very bad time into a stranger trans-formative one. By the time I met him he was a honed fighter, truly ripped, and spoke with a totally old-school, mobster style, Italian accent.The only time my (then) girlfriend & could find "alone" time was when we literally hid under our window sill while he called out our names, his face pressed against the glass. Oh the stories from those days I could tell. And those crazy fights we got into together! I miss him so.

Alley Off Moravian Way

Over the past nearly 30 years I've occasionally told stories of when I lived on an alley off of another alley of the North Side of Pittsburgh. In 1988. Coming from the forested hills of rural PA well to the north of the city, it was bracing like one of those "polar plunges" people seem fond of. Only this wasn't a quick in/out within minutes sort of test. Nope. I only tell those stories to close friends though...

I shot this 03/1988 using a Canon t50 + FDn 50mm f/1.8 + 400iso film.

A Kid & A Camera

My first camera was a Canon T50 and I had one FDn 50mm f/1.8 lens. Naturally I shot a ton of photos of my friends. As I followed a few of them on an adventure into the late 1980's hardcore punk scene I learned how to photograph in low light, with fast action. Just like my own teenage rampage that I was on, it was a learning process fraught with a lot of trial and error. I can honestly say I fell in love with photography, but by the time I went to art school in 1987 I felt it was a form of expression I simply couldn't afford. Thankfully I found that passion again years later.



Half Life smashing out a grinding set at The Electric Banana.



Members of Corrosion of Conformity in 1986 outside of a club in Kent State.



Henry Rollins with Black Flag at some location I can't recall in Penn Hills, just outside of Pittsburgh.

#punksnotdead #punk #punkrock #oioioi #punx #blackflag #henryrollins #hardcore #coc #corrosionofconformity #halflife #PGHPunk #electricbanana #80spunk #pittsburgh #hardcorepunk #pghpunkrock #oldschoolpunk #oldschoolpunkrock #hardcorepunk #pghpunkrock #pittsburghpunkrock #pittsburghpunk #slamdance #pit #pitt #theelectricbanana #punkscene #canont50 #fdn50mmf18