Wires Crossed

Somewhere on the coast of New Brunswick
September 2011

A friend of mine and I went on a journey into New Brunswick from Maine and had it in our minds to find a lighthouse inspired by a little blue sign and an arrow.  As it turned out, we never found the lighthouse, but we had a really interesting drive along the coast and a lot of fun buying ice cream at a tiny gas station in a town whose name I can't remember.

Sometimes it's a good idea to bring a map.

Sometimes it's just good to have the ice cream.

Mockingbird Serenade

In a city four hours south of me, an 88 year old woman made an announcement that rattled the world. [Okay, so technically her publisher made the announcement through various media sources but it's much more romantic to imagine that it happened in Monroeville. Also, was it necessary for the news channels to mention her hearing and eyesight?  Is that really relevant?]   I scrolled through twenty pages of Google results on the book title and found the name Harper Lee on each one.  Set to be released July 14, 2015, I would imagine first day sales will rival a Ms. Rowling opener.  Amazon could do a little more work on it's book promotion with:

A wonderful new novel from one of America's bestselling authors. Exploring the tensions between a local culture and a changing national political agenda; family arguments and love: an instant classic.

but I suppose they have a little time.

I haven't yet read if she's taken the title from Isaiah 21:6 but I think it's also fitting:

For thus the Lord said to me:  "Go, set a watchman; let him announce what he sees."

Shiny Tree-ts

Sometimes life with no filter is extremely colorful and a little blurry.  Still it makes me smile.

O'Hare through the Windshield
Pre-Christmas 2014

Breaking the Chain

With the news of the day, I'd like to highlight No Fear For Freedom by Kimberly P. Johnson.  This children's book tells the story of the Friendship Nine who were arrested after a sit-in in 1961 in Rock Hill, South Carolina and left with the option to serve 30 days on a chain gang or pay a $100 fine.  Today (nearly 54 years later), the story gets a happier ending.

“We cannot rewrite history, but we can right history,” said the judge, John C. Hayes III, the chief administrative judge for South Carolina’s 16th Judicial Circuit. “Now, as to the Friendship Nine, is the time and opportunity to do so. Now is the time to recognize that justice is not temporal, but is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow.”

- Richard Fausset, New York Times, January 28, 2015