into the light

"... as I stepped onto the trail, flooded from the downpour of the previous three days, I could sense the presence of someone else. I scanned from side to side, stopping often to peer behind me. I quickened my pace, wanting to turn back but finding myself too deep into the forest to do so. Only a few more minutes and I would emerge on the other side, away from the forest. Water stood inches deep as I quickly splashed my way along the bottomland trail. And then I saw it. A light. Dim at first. Then quickly growing more brilliant. As the light grew, a hum filled my head. I panicked. I ran. Looking back I lost my footing and careened, shoulder first, into the muddy water. I stared up... into the light... captivated... stunned..."

argon[one]
--------------------------------------------------
Song 556: Gimme Back My Bullets
Artist: Lynyrd Skynyrd
Alum: Gimme Back My Bullets
Year: 1976
--------------------------------------------------

Life is so strange when its changin, yes indeed
Well Ive seen the hard times and the pressures been on me
But I keep on workin like the workin man do
And Ive got my act together, gonna walk all over you

reflections after the rain

One of the best times to explore the trails of the Lucius Burch Natural Area is after a rain... and we have had two days of very good rain [about four inches all together]. This picture is one of several taken on the trails. If you like, please check out more in the series on my Flickr photostream.
--------------------------------------------------
Song 555: Fly Like An Eagle
Artist: The Steve Miller Band
Album: Fly Like An Eagle
Year: 1976
--------------------------------------------------

Time keeps on slippin, slippin, slippin
Into the future
Time keeps on slippin, slippin, slippin
Into the future

I want to fly like an eagle
To the sea
Fly like an eagle
Let my spirit carry me
I want to fly like an eagle
Till Im free
Oh, lord, through the revolution

Feed the babies
Who dont have enough to eat
Shoe the children
With no shoes on their feet
House the people
Livin in the street
Oh, oh, theres a solution

I want to fly like an eagle
To the sea
Fly like an eagle
Let my spirit carry me
I want to fly like an eagle
Till Im free
Fly through the revolution

Time keeps on slippin, slippin, slippin
Into the future
Time keeps on slippin, slippin, slippin
Into the future
Time keeps on slippin, slippin, slippin
Into the future
Time keeps on slippin, slippin, slippin
Into the future

I want to fly like an eagle
To the sea
Fly like an eagle
Let my spirit carry me
I want to fly like an eagle
Till Im free
Fly through the revolution

Time keeps on slippin, slippin, slippin
Into the future
Time keeps on slippin, slippin, slippin
Into the future

red and white

I love springtime. Today was just great. The temperature was around 73. Nice breeze blowing. A few clouds whisping by. I wish we had a hotspot in the courtyard at work. I would have worked from there today for sure. A snapped these pictures as I walked through the courtyard this afternoon. You can see more on the Argon[one] photostream.
-------------------------------------------------
Song 554: The Fez
Artist: Steely Dan
Album: The Royal Scam
Year: 1976
-------------------------------------------------

No Im never gonna do it without the fez on
Oh no
No Im never gonna do it without the fez on
Oh no
Thats what I am
Please understand
I wanna be your holy man
No Im never gonna do it without the fez on
Oh no
Aint never gonna do it without the fez on
Oh no
Thats what I am
Please understand
I wanna be your holy man

No Im never gonna do it without the fez on
Oh no
Dont make me do it without the fez on
Oh no
Thats what I am please understand

red bud blooming

Our yard is coming alive with spring. The Bradford Pears white blossoms are out. The Tulip Poplar buds are bursting forth and the Red Bud is in bloom. To see more Red Bud blooms, visit my new photostream on Flickr.
------------------------------------------------
Song 553: Don't Take Me Alive
Artist: Steely Dan
Album: Katy Lied
Year: 1976
------------------------------------------------

spring arrives

Spring has arrived. The flowers are showing. The trails are greening. The temperature is rising. I'm glad winter is finally over.
--------------------------------------------------
Song 552: Changes in Latitudes, Changes in Attitudes
Artist: Jimmy Buffet
Album: Changes in Latitudes, Changes in Attitudes
Year: 1976
--------------------------------------------------

Its these changes in latitudes, changes in attitudes
Nothing remains quite the same
With all of our running and all of our cunning
If we couldnt laugh we would all go insane

out of the fog

From out of the foggy morning rise the glass towers. Standing tall. Keeping watch over the misty garden. A stroll through the garden evoked a surreal feeling. It seemed as though a white horse should come breaking through the thick air, bound [with its knightly rider] for some mystical place miles beyond.

Wait a minute. It's just fog. Back to work....

Fog is like a cloud at ground level, although the way fog is formed differs from the formation of a cloud. Fog and clouds are both made up of condensed water droplets which are cooled to the point they can no longer hold all the water vapor they contain. This cooling can take place when rain cools the surface of the ground and moisture fills the air until fog forms. Radiation fog can occur when the warm, wet ground cools down with the night air and evaporating moisture escapes into the air as fog. Fog can also form when warm air blows over a cold surface such as snow or ice. This fog is called advection fog. Whatever way the fog formed around our city, it was dense and yet very nice.
--------------------------------------------------
Song 551: Carry On My Wayward Son
Artist: Kansas
Album: Leftoverture
Year: 1976
--------------------------------------------------

{Refrain
Carry on my wayward son
There'll be peace when you are done
Lay your weary head to rest
Don't you cry no more

Once I rose above the noise and confusion
Just to get a glimpse beyond this illusion
I was soaring ever higher
But I flew too high

Though my eyes could see I still was a blind man
Though my mind could think I still was a mad man
I hear the voices when I'm dreaming
I can hear them say

{Refrain

Masquerading as a man with a reason
My charade is the event of the season
And if I claim to be a wise man, well
It surely means that I don't know

On a stormy sea of moving emotion
Tossed about I'm like a ship on the ocean
I set a course for winds of fortune
But I hear the voices say

{Refrain
No!

Carry on, you will always remember
Carry on, nothing equals the splendor
The center lights around your vanity
But surely heaven waits for you

Carry on my wayward son
There'll be peace when you are done
Lay your weary head to rest
Don't you cry (don't you cry no more)

snowbells

Snowbells beside the trail.

Spring arrives in all its glory this Friday. As I walked along the trail today, I could see definite signs of spring. The grass is beginning to green. The trees are budding. The birds are singing. Even the snakes are beginning to crawl about. A saw two garder snakes today. And the snowbells pictured above were just one cluster of hundreds dotting the landscape. I am looking forward to springtime and spending time on the trails in our area.
--------------------------------------------------
Song 550: Car Wash
Artist: Rose Royce
Album: Car Wash
Year: 1976
--------------------------------------------------

Ooh, ooh
You might not ever get rich
But let me tell ya
It's better than diggin' a ditch
There ain't no tellin' who you might meet
A movie star or maybe even a Indian Chief

(Workin')
At the car wash
Workin' at the car wash, girl
Come on and sing it with me
(Car wash)
Sing it with the feelin' ya'll
(Car wash, girl)

Some of the work gets kinda hard
This ain't no place to be
If you planned on bein' a star
Let me tell you it's always cool
And the boss don't mind sometimes
If ya act the fool

At the car wash
Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa
Talkin' about the car wash, girl
Come on, ya'll and sing it for me
(Car wash)
Oooh, oooh, oooh
(Car wash, girl)

(Work and work)
Well, those cars never seem to stop coming
(Work and work)
Keep those rags and machines humming
(Work and work)
My fingers to the bone
(Work)
Can't wait till it's time to go home

(Hey, get your car washed today)
Fill up and you don't have to pay
Come on and give us a play
(Do the wash, right away)

(Car wash)
Talkin' 'bout the car wash
Car wash, girl
Come on, ya'll, let's sing it with me
(Car wash)
Sing it with feelin', ya'll
(Car wash, girl)

Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa
(Car wash)
Never seem to stop comin'
What'd I say
Keep those rags and machines hummin'

foggy trees reflecting in the pool

The fog was so thick this morning on the way into work that I could hardly see two car lengths in front of me. When I got to work, the courtyard was shrouded in fog. The trees were quite ghostly looking. This is shot of those trees reflected in the courtyard pool. This is unretouched.

This is the same original picture with the diffused glow filter applied in Photoshop. Graininess set at 6. Glow amount set at 8. Clear amount set at 16.

This is the same original picture with the cutout filter applied in Photoshop. Levels set at 6. Edge simplicity set at 4. Edge fidelity set at 3. Click on this picture to see it larger. I really like the cut-paper effect this filter gave the picture.
------------------------------------------------
Song 549: Born To Die
Artist: Grand Funk
Album: Born To Die
Year: 1976
------------------------------------------------

Life is too short now, to live it half way.
I'm cryin' for my cousin, who died yesterday.
He never had a chance, no, not to express his views.
I swear that he�s leaving it, to the rest of you.

Oh he ...
Chorus
Lived his life of freedom, exactly the way that he wanted to.
But there's always that one thing, we never do count on.
You was born for it to happen to you ...

... oooo-oooo, oooo-oooo
Oooo-oooo

He was on a motorcycle, in a side car.
They was just outside of town, they hadn't ridden far.
Out to have a good time, on a bike they built.
How was they to know it, that night that he'd be killed.

sweet returns

Edmund Pevensie, the youngest brother in The Chronicles of Narnia, is not the only one who loves Turkish Delight. [B]iomedical daughter brought home lots of Turkish Delight [along with the sampling of other sweets pictured above] when she returned yesterday from her spring break adventures in eastern Europe and western Asia. I have spent the last ten days tracking airplane flights and listening for the phone to ring as she made her way to Amsterdam and points beyond. She's home safety and I am a happy father today. No matter how old she and [f]ine arts daughter are and how independent they become, I will never give up my right as a father to worry about them when they are traveling and smother them with hugs when they return.

My daughter is busy right now cropping and sizing photos from her adventure and, with her permission, I will share some with you in a few days. But for now, I'm going to publish this post and go have some Turkish Delight. Mmmmm!
--------------------------------------------------
Song 548: Blinded by the Light
Artist: Manfred Mann's Earth Band
Album: The Roaring Silence
Year: 1976
--------------------------------------------------

Blinded by the light,
revved up like a deuce,
another runner in the night
Blinded by the light,
revved up like a deuce,
another runner in the night
Blinded by the light,
revved up like a deuce,
another runner in the night
Madman drummers bummers,
Indians in the summer with a teenage diplomat
In the dumps with the mumps as the adolescent pumps his way into his hat
With a boulder on my shoulder, feelin' kinda older,
I tripped the merry-go-round
With this very unpleasin', sneezin' and wheezin,
the calliope crashed to the ground
The calliope crashed to the ground
But she was...
Blinded by the light,
revved up like a deuce,
runner in the night
Blinded by the light,
revved up like a deuce,
another runner in the night
Blinded by the light,
revved up like a deuce,
another runner in the night
Blinded by the light,
revved up like a deuce,
another runner in the night
Some silicone sister with a manager mister told me I go what it takes
She said "I'll turn you on sonny to something strong,
play the song with the funky break"
And go-cart Mozart was checkin' out the weather chart to see if it was safe outside
And little Early-Pearly came by in his curly-wurly and asked me if I needed a ride
Asked me if I needed a ride
But she was...
Blinded by the light,
revved up like a deuce,
another runner in the night
Blinded by the light
She got down but she never got tired
She's gonna make it through the night
She's gonna make it through the night
But mama, that's where the fun is
But mama, that's where the fun is
Mama always told me not to look into the eye's of the sun
But mama, that's where the fun is
Some brimstone baritone anticyclone rolling stone preacher from the east
Says, "Dethrone the dictaphone, hit it in it's funny bone,
that's where they expect it least"
And some new-mown chaperone was standin' in the corner,
watching the young girls dance
And some fresh-sown moonstone was messin' with his frozen zone, reminding him of romance
The calliope crashed to the ground
But she was...
Blinded by the light,
revved up like a deuce,
another runner in the night
Blinded by the light,
revved up like a deuce,
another runner in the night
Blinded by the light,
revved up like a deuce,
another runner in the night
Blinded by the light,
revved up like a deuce,
another runner in the night
Blinded by the light,
revved up like a deuce,
another runner in the night
Blinded by the light,
revved up like a deuce,
another runner in the night
Blinded by the light,
revved up like a deuce,
another runner in the night
Blinded by the light,
revved up like a deuce,
another runner in the night
Blinded by the light,
revved up like a deuce,
another runner in the night
Blinded by the light
Madman drummers bummers, Indians in the summer with a teenage diplomat
In the dumps with the mumps as the adolescent pumps his way into his hat
With a boulder on my shoulder, feelin' kinda older,
I tripped the merry-go-round
With this very unpleasin', sneezin' and wheezin,
the calliope crashed to the ground
Now Scott with a slingshot finally found a tender spot and throws his lover in the sand
And some bloodshot forget-me-not said daddy's within earshot save the buckshot, turn up the band
Some silicone sister with a manager mister told me I go what it takes
She said "I'll turn you on sonny to something strong"

reflections

The reflections in the courtyard today were very dramatic. I can see some spring colors coming through, even though it was only a chilly 40 degrees outside.
--------------------------------------------------
Song 547: You're My Best Friend
Artist: Queen
Album: Night At The Opera
Year: 1975
--------------------------------------------------

Ooo. you make me live
whatever this world can give to me
It's you, you're all I see
Ooo, you make me live now honey
Ooo, you make me live
You're the best friend
that I ever had
I've been with you such a long time
You're my sunshine
And I want you to know
That my feelings are true
I really love you
You're my best friend...

is it sacrilegious

My wife made an incredible statement as we were preparing dinner this evening. She was chopping the freshly boiled eggs. Shredded chicken sat in a bowl nearby, waiting to be mixed with the chopped egg to make chicken salad. As she finished her chopping, my wife looked at me seriously and asked, "do you think it's sacrilegious to mix these chopped eggs with the chicken?" That struck me as very thought-provoking... and funny.

Sac`ri*le"gious\, a. [From sacrilege: cf. L. sacrilegus.] Violating sacred things; polluted with sacrilege; involving sacrilege; profane; impious.

Sac"ri*lege\, n. [F. sacril[`e]ge, L. sacrilegium, from sacrilegus that steals, properly, gathers or picks up, sacred things; sacer sacred + legere to gather, pick up. See Sacred, and Legend.] The sin or crime of violating or profaning sacred things; the alienating to laymen, or to common purposes, what has been appropriated or consecrated to religious persons or uses.

Huh!?!
-----------------------------------------------
Song 546: Wild Dogs
Artist: Tommy Bolin
Album: Teaser
Year: 1975
-----------------------------------------------

Run down ghost town, no chance for love,
No sign of life - just wild dogs howlin' in the night.
That's what I like.
Hey porter come and cut me free,
I'm sick of my own company.
Sometimes I miss the gold,
Most times I miss my home.
That's where I'd go.
If I knew which way was home.
That's what I like

nautiloid looking fossil thingy

I took this picture yesterday on our Lost Creek adventure. It's a fossil from the Mississippian Period [350 million years ago], Bangor Formation, Franklin County, Alabama, but I'm not quite sure what it is. It is about four inches in diameter and is coiled similar to a nautiloid, but that's not what it is. It could be a gastropod. It almost looks like some kind of worm. If you stop by ArgonOne and know what this is, please send me a comment. I saw several more of these during the day, but this one is the biggest. [T]ae kwon mom actually saw it first and called the rest of our group over to take a look.

UPDATE [03.10.09] Howard, a good friend from Calgary, left a comment this morning and I want to share it with you here. Mystery solved. It'll be a big gastropod (snail) for sure. You're right about it not being a nautiloid or any other cephalopod shell, as there's no evidence of any septa (walls) dividing the shell into chambers. The critter was probably lying flat, parallel to bedding, and the upper half eroded away. I occasionally see similar critters in the Upper Devonian and Carboniferous (Mississippian) rocks here in the Rocky Mountains, but rarely do you see such a perfect spiral preserved like that.
--------------------------------------------------
Song 545: Why Can't We Be Friends
Artist: War
Album: Why Can't We Be Friends
Year: 1975
--------------------------------------------------

...Why can't we be friends?
Why can't we be friends?
Why can't we be friends?
Why can't we be friends?

I bring my money to the welfare line
I see you standing in it every time

Why can't we be friends?
Why can't we be friends?
Why can't we be friends?
Why can't we be friends?

The color of your skin don't matter to me
As long as we can live in harmony

Why can't we be friends?
Why can't we be friends?
Why can't we be friends?
Why can't we be friends?

I'd kinda like to be the President
so I can show you how your money's spent

Why can't we be friends?
Why can't we be friends?
Why can't we be friends?
Why can't we be friends?...

the lost creek adventure part 2

Photo by [f]ine arts daughter.

You may recall an ArgonOne entry several weeks ago about Lost Lake [I have since learned that it is Lost Creek Reservoir rather than Lost Lake]. Several friends joined [t]ae kwon mom, [f]ine arts daughter, and I on another adventure to Lost Creek today. We have fallen in love with this place. It's about two and a half hours from home. Almost a straight shot until you get just a few miles from Lost Creek. Once we parked at the boat launch, we were off exploring... for hours. There are fossils everywhere. Blastoids. Crinoids. Brachiopods. Coral. Horn coral. Archimedes. And on and on and on. These fossils are from the Mississippian Age [350 million years ago]. Almost the entire shoreline of this reservoir is an ancient coral reef. It is so cool to drive to the middle of a state and find yourself on the shore of an ancient sea.
--------------------------------------------------
Song 544: Who Loves You
Artist: The Four Seasons
Album: Who Loves You
Year: 1975
--------------------------------------------------

Who loves you pretty baby,
Who's gonna help you through the night?

Who loves you pretty mama,
Who's always there to make it right?

Who loves you pretty baby,
Who's gonna help you through the night?

Who loves you pretty mama,
Who's always there to make it right?

Who loves you,
Who loves you pretty baby?
Who's gonna love you mama?

Who loves you,
Who loves you pretty baby?

When tears are in your eyes,
And you can't find the way.

It's hard to make believe,
You're happy when you're gray.

Baby when you're feelin' like,
You'll never see the mornin' light.

Come to me,
Baby, you'll see.

Who loves you pretty baby,
Who's gonna help you through the night?

Who loves you pretty mama,
Who's always there to make it?

Who loves you,
Who loves you pretty baby?
Who's gonna love you mama?

Who loves you,
Who loves you pretty baby?

And when you think,
The whole wide world has passed you by.

You keep on tryin',
But you really don't know why.

Baby when you need a smile,
To help the shadows drift away.

Come to me,
Baby, you'll see.

Who loves you pretty baby,
Who's gonna help you through the night?

Who loves you pretty mama,
Who's always there to make it?

no line on the horizon

Just downloaded No Line On The Horizon by U2. This is the first studio album from them since 2004 and it is the best since Joshua Tree... in my humble opinion. I was born to sing for you... Bono sings in Magnificent. Truer words were never spoken. Bono is at his peak on this album. I think as I listen to it repeatedly, No Line On The Horizon will be my favorite U2 album thusfar. Check it out.
------------------------------------------------
Song 543: Magnificent
Artist: U2
Album: No Line On The Horizon
Year: 2009
------------------------------------------------

Magnificent
Oh, magnificent



I was born
I was born to be with you 

In this space and time

After that and ever after
I haven't had a clue


Only to break rhyme
This foolishness can leave a heart
Black and blue



Only love
Only love can leave such a mark

But only love
Only love can heal such a scar


I was born
I was born to sing for you 

I didn’t have a choice
But to lift you up
And sing whatever song you wanted me to
I give you back my voice
From the womb my first cry
It was a joyful noise
Oh, oh

Only love
Only love can leave such a mark

But only love
Only love can heal such a scar


Justified till we die
You and I will magnify

Oh, the magnificent

Magnificent

Only love
Only love can leave such a mark

But only love
Only love unites our hearts



Justified till we die
You and I will magnify
Oh, the magnificent

Magnificent

Magnificent

post-snow ice formations

The snow is melting fast around here, but as it melts from our rooftop, the dripping water has made some very nice formations in the shrubbery bordering our front porch.
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Song 542: TLC
Artist: Average White Band
Album: Put It Where You Want It
Year: 1975
--------------------------------------------------

snow buds

Typical southern snow. Our winter snow started yesterday afternoon and by midnight the snow had ended, leaving three and a half inches at our house. A foot in towns only thirty miles north of us. The sun has been out all day today, melting the snow faster than it fell, even though the temperature is only around freezing.

I went out for an hour or so on a digital field trip, taking pictures around the neighborhood. As I approached our neighbor's one-hundred-year-old tree, another neighbor was coming to take pictures of the tree as well. We struck up a conversation and discovered that we both work for the same company [different locations] and we both totally enjoy photography.
--------------------------------------------------
Song 541: That's The Way Of The World
Artist: Earth, Wind and Fire
Album: That's the Way of the World
Year: 1975
--------------------------------------------------

Hearts of fire creates love desire
Take you high and higher to the world you belong
Hearts of fire creates love desire
High and higher to your place on the throne
We’ve come together on this special day
To sing our message loud and clear
Looking back we’ve touched on sorrowful days
Future pass, they disappear
You will find peace of mind
If you look way down in your heart and soul
Don’t hesitate ‘cause the world seems cold
Stay young at heart ‘cause you’re never (never, never, ..) old at heart
That’s the way of the world
Plant your flower and you grow a pearl
A child is born with a heart of gold
The way of the world makes his heart grow cold