Homer's Travels: November 2016

Wednesday, November 30, 2016

The Passing Of A Camino Angel

I met Geneviève five and a half years ago. I passed her going down the hill into Roncesvalles on my very first day but we didn't introduce ourselves until the end of the second day in Zubiri.  We started planning our walking days together somewhere around Torres del Rio.

My Camino Angel.
Over the next three to four weeks, except when separated due to health issues, we walked the Camino together.  By the time we reached Santiago de Compostela we'd grown quite close.  After I got home I friended her on Facebook and we talked about our Camino.  Soon afterward she told me she was doing it again in two years.  I asked if I could tag along.  We started planning our second Camino.  We were never apart the almost seven weeks of the second Camino.  Over the two Caminos, a combined total of sixty-six days walking together, Gen developed feelings for me.  I have to admit that I too had some feelings for her but mine were tempered by my love for the Wife and our marriage.  Gen knew how I felt, respected my feelings, and, I'm certain, was disappointed.  She wanted to meet someone to love and take care of.  She wanted children.  She got me instead and I couldn't give her what she wanted.

After we returned home I realized that continuing our communication would be hard on Gen.  Some of her Facebook posts were full of melancholy and depression.  I chose to distance myself.  I kept any communication between us brief.  We still 'liked' each other's posts and we left comments at times but you could feel the distance grow.  I found out recently that she too had consciously decided to distance herself from me at nearly the same time wanting her image of me to be unchanged from what she had on the Camino.

Over the last three years we often went months without exchanging more than a 'like'.  I lost myself in the infernal game and preparation for the Appalachian Trail (AT).  Gen made new friends centered around Big Brother fandom on Twitter.  We both distracted ourselves.  Even so, she was always on the periphery of my life and I imagine I was there on hers.

This summer we started talking a little bit more.  She would leave comments about the South American trip.  Early in September, as she prepared for a trip to Germany and Iceland, we talked about the AT.  We always had planned to meet up somewhere along the trail.  We settled on a preliminary plan for her meeting me in Maine.  She would hike the last ten days with me.  Four weeks later, only a few days after returning from Iceland, she went to the hospital.

Five days later, Gen was diagnosed with aggressive liver cancer.  She was given a 10% chance of survival.  A few days later I flew to Montreal and visited with her at the hospital.  During the two days I was there most of the news went from bad to worse.  She was told, on average, she should expect to live another three to four months.  The cancer was aggressive.  A few days before Thanksgiving Gen was told that she had two ... maybe four weeks tops.  I'd planned to visit her again in early December - I had the plane tickets - but this bad news sped things up for me.  The day after Thanksgiving she moved out of her parents home into hospice.

On Tuesday morning, the day before I was planning to fly to Montreal, I received the dreaded email.  The hospice nurses did not expect Gen to survive the day.  Gen's father gave me his phone number and I was able, between tears, to say my goodbyes to her.  She was too weak to speak but they said you could see in her eyes that she heard me.  She passed away late Tuesday night.  ðŸ˜¢

Gen and her parents - she was an only child - did not deserve this.  She was only forty years old.  She had so many years ahead of her.  There were so many places she had to visit, so many people to meet, and so many things to experience.  Not a day has gone by since all this started that I haven't thought about her.  Every little thing reminds me of her.  Anything remotely Camino related - walking, sunrises, sunsets - takes my thoughts to Geneviève.  Everytime I see something of beauty my only thoughts are: "Gen will never see this.  Gen will never experience this."  She deserved so much more.


Geneviève
January 9, 1976 - November 29, 2016
(Turn on sound)

 I once thought the Camino had changed me but I was only half right.  Geneviève was my Camino.  Meeting her made me better.  I miss her, I always will, and I will never forget her.  Goodnight Gen.  Pleasant dreams.

Tuesday, November 29, 2016

Book: Hugh Howey's "Shift"

Hugh Howey's "Shift" is the second book of his Silo series.  I read the first book, "Wool", earlier this year.

"Shift" is a prequel in a sense.  It tells the story of the creation of the Silos described in "Wool" and takes you through the few hundred year history of them.  The book ends once the history catches up with the end of the events described in "Wool".

I liked "Wool" better than "Shift".  By its very nature the story hops around through several parallel timelines and perspectives.  This made it a little hard to get into the story as much as I did in the first book.

Despite the issues I had, "Shift" is a worthy contribution to the story and I gave it four stars on Goodreads, the same score I gave "Wool".  I am interested in the third, and last book I believe, of the series and where Howey takes us next.

Monday, November 28, 2016

They're Everywhere!

This morning I had to pick up and rehang fifteen (*15*) large ornaments out of our front yard.  Three of these had made it across the street and down to the corner.  I guess I didn't do such a great job hanging them and the wind was a bit more skilled at detaching the ornaments than I expected.

I wonder how many I'll have to rehang tomorrow?

P.S.  Aren't you all proud I didn't say big balls?

Sunday, November 27, 2016

Photograph: "Refraction"

Saw this on my walk the other day.  It was tucked into an alleyway.  For once I actually took note of the name of the artist.

"Refraction"
by Bruce H.
(Original artist: Sedra D'Mente)

Saturday, November 26, 2016

Yep ... The Holiday Season Has Begun

I've said before that the holiday season begins with Thanksgiving.  We usually start our holiday decorating after Thanksgiving though, if you've been reading Homer's Travels you know we started a few days early this year.  This year, we need all the holiday cheer we can muster.

Some of the smaller of the big balls in our oak tree.
This morning I put the big balls in the oak tree out front.  This has been an annual tradition for several years now.  It's not as easy as it once was as the oak tree is growing taller every year.  Here is a link to the original "Charlie Brown Tree" post and here is it today:

The Charlie Brown Tree all grown up.
The afternoon was dedicated to putting up the Christmas Tree in our family room.  We may only put lights on it this year - no guests or festivities planned at our house this year.

The tree with lights.
I have to say, I like the simplicity of just the lights and the star topper.

Friday, November 25, 2016

Black Friday Wandering

I am not one to shop on Black Friday.  I don't like the crowds and the craziness.  So today I decided to walk off the delicious food I partook in yesterday at the Wife's niece's home.

I am predisposed to follow the Yellow Arrow.
The Missouri River with the
South Omaha Bridge Shadow.
The path I took is a loop starting and ending at the Bob Kerrey pedestrian bridge.  Part of the loop is a marked bike trail used by some bike club or group.  The path is marked by yellow arrows reminiscent of the yellow arrows of the Camino.

I followed the arrows south then back west across the South Omaha bridge.  The day was perfect for a long walk with just a little breeze, lots of sun, and temperatures around 50℉ (10℃).  I took pictures of street art that will someday be posted about, I'm sure.  I deviated from the arrows to lengthen the loop that took me back to the car.  I ended up doing 14.6 miles (23.5 km).

I have had trouble getting out to walk lately.  When I walk I think.  While I often like this walking meditation, I'm finding myself thinking too much.  The last couple months, months of unwanted change in different parts of my life, my thoughts have wandered melancholy spaces.

Someday I will leave these spaces and return to good mental places.  It will take time, soul searching, and effort on my part.  When I manage this, walking will once again become a wonderful, life affirming thing in my life.

Thursday, November 24, 2016

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

In the United States, today is Thanksgiving.  It is a day to remember and celebrate what we are thankful for.  While I am thankful for the Wife, my family, and my friends who make me smile and laugh, I sometimes wonder if there is more to be thankful for this year.

I am thankful for the beauty in our world - sunsets and sunrises - flowers and ladybugs - colorful art and whimsical drawings - traveling and experiencing other cultures.  All these things help me forget the gray nature that was 2016, or at least they make it fade into the background for a brief period of time.  I think that is what I'm most thankful for ... the things that distract me from the world and cocoon me in warmth and happiness.

Wishing all my family and friends a happy, peaceful, and stomach expanding Thanksgiving!

Wednesday, November 23, 2016

Preparing For Tomorrow's Feast

The house is clean and ready for the Mother in Law.  She will be spending the night with us and going with us to Thanksgiving dinner at her granddaughter's house.

The Wife's family always have wonderful holiday dinner spreads.  You never leave hungry and often have extra food to take home with you - a very nice thing when the Wife's nieces and nephew were still in college.

We are all adults now.  No kiddy table anymore.  Another sign that time marches on.  I'm sure we will have lots to talk about and I'm sure it will remain civil.  I don't remember ever having an argument during Thanksgiving.  It has always centered around family and food, and on Thanksgiving, does anything else matter?  I think not.

Tuesday, November 22, 2016

Photograph: "mmm Toast"

Continuing my graffiti theme this month, and the lack of creative writing on my part, I give you a toaster stencil:

"mmm Toast"
by Bruce H.
(Original artist unknown)

Monday, November 21, 2016

Photograph: "Street Art Angel"

I am a fan of some graffiti and street art.  I photographed this example over three years ago.

"Street Art Angel"
by Bruce H.
(Original artist unknown)

Sunday, November 20, 2016

Photograph: "Purple Elephant"

I was going to post about how our internet, cable, and telephone went down this afternoon and how the recording from our service provider said it would take nearly four hours to fix but, since it all came back up after only fifteen minutes, I'll just drop this here:

"Purple Elephant"
by Bruce H.
(Original artist unknown)

Saturday, November 19, 2016

It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like ... You Know ... A Bit Early

This is a bit early for us but we've already decorated the exterior of the house for Christmas.  We changed it up a bit this year using the laser lights instead of the icicle lights as we've always done.  This was a heck of alot easier ... no climbing on the roof!

Our home ... Bedazzled for Christmas
I think after what's happened this year so far, an early Christmas light display is required.

Friday, November 18, 2016

It's About Time

It seems Winter decided to make an appearance here finally.  It showed up with a drop in temperatures and a stiff wind from the north-west.

The weatherman promised snowflakes and, while I walked Iago this afternoon, a few flakes did blow by.  Nothing to get excited about but some stuck to my coat and Iago's fur.  I would not call it the first snow yet - no accumulation - but it was a start.

It was nice to bundle up in layers, gloves, and stocking cap for the first time this season.  I know a lot of people are not fond of the cold and snow but I get a little energized by them.  It's always nice to hike without getting all sticky ands sweaty.  I would agree though that driving in the snow is not one of my favorite things.

Bring on the snow!

Thursday, November 17, 2016

Photograph: "Not A Match"

When I traveled for work I used to keep all the matchbooks from the hotel rooms I stayed in.  Naturally this was before the existence of non-smoking rooms.  I still have a rubbermaid tub full of them in the basement but none of them looked like the one I saw during my walk today.

"Not a match"
by Bruce H.
I did have a collection of three or four humorous and slightly racy hillbilly matchbooks when I was a kid.  I really didn't know what racy meant as I was only eight years old at the time.  Not sure if they survived the multitude of moves I made since 1972.

Wednesday, November 16, 2016

2018 Travel Plans ... Yes I Said 2018

I mentioned in this post that we had started planning our next trip with the Best Man (BM) and Matron of Honour (MoH).  The trip is going to be pretty epic.  Along with a couple of their friends, we will be going to Russia and Mongolia with a dash of China thrown in if our initial plans hold together.

The trip will be centered around the Trans-Siberian Railroad (TSR).  Our preliminary plans have us visiting St Petersburg and Moscow before getting on the train and heading east.  The train route eventually splits with one way going to Vladivostok, another going into Manchuria, and yet another going into Mongolia and on to Beijing.  We will probably take the branch into Mongolia and end the trip in Beijing.  The train trip is roughly six days but we plan to get off the train along the way if we can.  The trains run every two days so if we get off we have a couple days (or a multiple of two days) to view the sights.

The hard part about the planning is the train tickets.  We want to be comfortable and would prefer the two person cabins.  This would be no problem if we were getting on in Moscow and getting off in Beijing but, since we want to get off and on, the train ticket logistics become a bit more complicated.  I met with our AAA travel agent today and we went over a few details.  The train tickets would have to be point to point i.e. each segment would have to be purchased separately.  This will bump up the price a bit but we will not know the actual amount until we determine how many stops we want to make along the way.

We also talked about an option that we'd bounced around - taking the TSR all the way to Vladivostok, flying back to where the train routes split, then taking the train into Mongolia and Beijing.  This turns out to be a doable plan.  We would have to fly from Vladivostok to Irkutsk to catch the train again, so there would be some overlap of the train route, but the flights are only ten hours long (with layovers) and fly four or five times a week.  That way we could actually say we road the entire TSR.  The extra cost will probably determine if we do this or not.

We will have to have the final itinerary completed roughly ten months before we go.  I will still be on the Appalachian Trail but I trust the Wife, BM, and MoH to put an awesome itinerary together.  The train tickets will be bought three or four months before we go and our visa application has to be in ninety days before we go.  Our agent has experience with Russian visas and they are incredibly thorough - twelve pages long.  Hopefully my job working for the Navy doesn't cause problems.  But who knows, by then the President-elect will have improved the US-Russian relations bigly ... we'll have tremendous relations.  The biggest and best relations ever in the world.

I'll keep you updated as things develop over the next eighteen months.  Can't wait for this next adventure!

Tuesday, November 15, 2016

Photograph: "Not Yet Achieved"

When I go walking and take an interesting picture I add it to a folder to be used in future Homer's Travels' posts.  Many of the pictures don't fit most situations due to their darkness or negative vibes.  Sadly, after this election, many of them seem more appropriate.  Like this one:

"Not yet achieved"
by Bruce H.
(Original artist unknown.)
This picture, and its message, sadly fits too well:

We have not yet achieved a colorblind society. 
We have not yet achieved gender equality.
We have not yet achieved peaceful coexistence.
We have not yet achieved a fair income distribution.
We have not yet achieved the American Dream for everyone.

We have not yet achieved so much ...

Feel free to add more things that have we have not yet achieved in the comments here, on Facebook, or on Twitter.

Monday, November 14, 2016

Photograph: "99.1% Beaver Moon"

The current supermoon is known as the Beaver Moon.  Time to set out your beaver traps everyone!

"99.1% Beaver Moon"
by Bruce H.
Note:  This picture was taken on Sunday night when the moon was 99.1% full.

Sunday, November 13, 2016

Photograph: "Florence Steps Nov 14, 2014"

This picture was taken nearly two years ago to the day.  It was a cold November morning in the Florence area of Omaha, Nebraska.  As you could see, we'd already had our first snow of the season.

"Florence Steps Nov 14, 2014"
by Bruce H.
This year it is warm with temperatures in the 60s and we are still waiting for the first snow.  What an odd year.

Saturday, November 12, 2016

It Will Grow Back

Today, as I trimmed my beard, I forgot to check the setting on my trimmer and cut a swath through the right side of my beard.  Realizing my error I ended up trimming the whole thing short.

I went from looking like a pseudo Ernest Hemingway to looking like Wolf Blitzer.  Not a big fan of Wolf Blitzer.

I blame the President-Elect.

Friday, November 11, 2016

Veteran's Day

I wish the best for our veterans.  I just hope their efforts, the risking of their lives for ours, will not have been in vain.

My question too.
God Bless Our Veterans.
God Bless America.

We need all the help we can get to heal.

Thursday, November 10, 2016

Camp #12: Letting Off Steam At Indian Cave

As I mentioned in my last post, I was planning to go camping to celebrate the election.  I almost didn't do it after seeing the results of the election but, after encouragement from a few friends and the Wife, I changed my mind and went to Indian Cave State Park for the last camp of 2016.

Of the three places that have backcountry camping in my area, Indian Cave is the most remote both from my home and from civilization.  Civilization around the park consists of small towns of less than two hundred people.  This meant a nice and quiet night for camping.  Owls and coyotes were the only sound I heard.

A few remaining fall colors at Indian Cave.
I arrived about an hour before sunset and, starting at trailhead 10, hiked up East Ridge trail to the first campsite.  Hike is a strong word since it was only a half mile (805 m) but it was a climb - sometimes steep - up 480 feet (146 m).  At the top of the ridge is a campsite I'd passed several times during my hikes here.

The campsite has changed quite a bit over the years.  The first time I passed it there was an adirondack shelter, a fire ring, and a bench that faced the setting sun.  The bench is now gone (it had been pulled out of the ground by vandals a few years ago) and the shelter apparently had been vandalised and no longer provided safe shelter.  The fire ring was still intact though and I set up my tent where the bench once stood.

The hills and trees of Indian Cave.
From the campsite the views are majestic.  To the west is a large expanse of forest.  Some of the late fall colors remained.  To the north-west there are views of the Missouri River.  The skies were clear blue and everything was tinged with the orange of the setting sun.

The Missouri River.
I collected firewood and built a fire just as the sun was dropping under the horizon.  I sat on the edge of the shelter and boiled water for my evening meal: Beef Stroganoff.  For dessert I had a bag of homemade trail mix.  The first star made it's appearance.  It was actually Venus but I wasn't picky ... I made a wish on it anyway.  It was joined by the Moon.  The Moon would be blotting out some of the stars tonight but I didn't mind too much.  The Moon is on its way to becoming a supermoon on Monday - the largest since 1948.  It won't be this large again until 2034.

The last of the day's light, my tent, and the first star of the night.
Then I let off steam.  I asked the Moon "What the heck is going on?"  I pleaded with the stars to tell me what I should do.  Yes, I did this out loud - I do talk to myself often.  I ranted and raved about how crappy 2016 was turning out to be and the Universe didn't care.  But I did feel better after talking my way through a few things.  That was why I'd gone camping.

Despite the bright moon, there were still stars to witness my rantings.
The fire burned quicker than I expected and I was out of wood and fire by 7:30pm but all this soul searching wore me out so I climbed into my tent and fell asleep.  It was a cold night with temperatures near 37°F (2.8°C).  I was in my long underwear bottoms, long sleeve t-shirt, socks, balaclava, stocking cap, sleeping bag liner, and sleeping bag.  Around 3:00am I woke up and I was cold so I put on my fleece jacket and snuggled deeper into my sleeping bag.  The fleece did the trick and I was able to fight off the chill the rest of the night.

I woke up around 5:00am to the sound of wind.  Lots of wind.  I spent the next hour dozing in and out and thinking how I would stow the tent in such a high wind.  I packed my backpack and crawled out of the tent.  As soon as my weight was out of the tent it took off.  I grabbed it before it could fly off the ridge and ran for the groundsheet that took off as well.  I stuffed the groundsheet under my pack to hold it in place while I walked around the remains of the shelter to find a place out of the wind.  I managed to find such a spot and I stuffed the tent back into its bag.

The Sun's first light over the path forward ... but I went the other way back to the car.
I poured the remainder of my water on the still hot coals of the fire and headed down the trail back to the car.  After a stop at McDonalds for my customary hot cakes and large OJ, I headed home back to the real world.  I think the camp probably did me some good.

This will probably be the last camp for the year and probably the last until I start the Appalachian Trail.  This may change if we have weird warm weather this winter but I'm not expecting that to happen.

Pictures were added to the end of my 2014-2016 Camping in Iowa and Nebraska Google Photos album.

Wednesday, November 09, 2016

I Don't Know What To Say ...

Today I was going to write a cheerful post about a stressor finally gone from our lives and how I hoped for a good four years.   I picked out a happy tune to link to.  It was going to be a happy little post.  Not so happy anymore.

How I feel today.
I followed the election returns with a growing lump in my stomach.  I scarfed down tums most of the evening.  I woke up this morning with heartburn.  It turns out what I remember of last night was not a nightmare and was , in fact, the new reality (show).

I posted on twitter a while back the following question:
"This isn't going to end on Nov 8 is it?"
I think we know the answer.  No.  It will not end for a long time.  The stress I have felt the last year or so will continue for some time.

I still have hope though.  Few people predicted this election's outcome and few people really know how the President-Elect will govern.  I still hold out some hope that we will be pleasantly surprised.

I was going to celebrate the election results, the ones that I expected, with an overnight camping trip.  I am debating about doing that now.  Do I need to be connected or would it do me good to disconnect for an evening?  The camping trip would not be much of a celebration anymore.  More like a mourning.  But that may be what I need and I think a sky full of stars may just be what I need right now.

Tuesday, November 08, 2016

Go Vote Everyone!

If you haven't voted yet get out there and do your civic duty.  It's your last chance to be heard for a couple years.  If you don't vote you forfeit your right to b!tch about the government!

Go Vote Omaha ... and everyone else too!

Since I already voted I'm going to go see Doctor Strange.

Monday, November 07, 2016

I Usually Don't Take Sides But ...

When blogging about politics I try not to take sides but this political election season is different.  Everyone please get out, vote, and:

It's the right decision in my opinion.

Sunday, November 06, 2016

Politics, Party, And Culinary Debauchery ... Ingredients For A Great Weekend

What a wonderful couple of days.  The Best Man (BM) and the Matron of Honour (MoH) dropped in on Friday for a fun visit.  They drove down from Minnesota Friday and we started talking politics as soon as they were in the door.

We went out to eat, talking politics in the car on the way.  We wanted to have tapas but, unknown to the Wife and I, España had closed it's doors a month earlier.  This kind of bummed me out as I was really looking forward to some Tortilla Española.  Instead we went to a brew pub/restaurant that the BM had on his list of beer places to visit.  Not the same but the food was pretty good so I can't really complain.  Politics was discussed during the dinner and beer.

On Saturday the Wife and the MoH went to get facials while the BM and I stayed home and talked retirement and politics.  The BM retired on Wednesday so he was curious if I had any pointers.  My only sage advice was to have plans and goals to work towards and be wary of procrastination ... something I have battled since I retired (since I was born frankly).

We met the wives at a sports bar and ate some more good food while talking politics mostly.  We returned home and between talking politics we started planning our next epic vacation that will involve the BM and MoH.  More about that in a future post.

Saturday evening was the main event - a surprise sixtieth birthday party for the Wife's Brother and Sister-in-Law.  The party was thrown by their three daughters at a dive bar called Danny's.  The party was a success with them both being thoroughly surprised.  There was food at the party but I concentrated on the cupcakes having five before the night was over.

One of the cupcakes.  It happened to be very yummy.
We returned home with a handful of leftover food, ate some more while we talked politics and vacation planning a little bit more.

I was a bit tired and bloated when we finally went to bed but fortunately we got an extra hour of sleep due to Daylight Saving Time.  You did remember to turn your clocks back right?

This morning I had another cupcake ... hair of the dog ... before we headed to Dixie Quicks for breakfast.  In an irrational move on my part I ordered the Sexual Chocolate French Toast.  That would be french toast with chocolate sauce, whipped cream, maple syrup, chocolate chips, sliced banana, and walnuts.

Dixie Quick's Sexual Chocolate French Toast.
(picture taken by the MoH)
Now, as I write this, I feel like an overfilled beach ball or maybe a pig carcass bloating in the sun ... yeah that would be a better descriptor of how I feel.  This is one lesson that I will not learn.

It was a great couple of days and now I think I will roll in a ball and moan.

Saturday, November 05, 2016

Book: Steven D. Levitt And Stephen J. Dubner's "Think Like A Freak"

Book number ten this year was Steven D. Levitt And Stephen J. Dubner's "Think Like a Freak".  I'd read the first Freakonomics book and sort of liked it, though my review was "disappointing", so I thought I would try learning how to think like a freak.

The book is interesting but there is very little substance.  I breezed through the book and didn't really learn anything I didn't, sort of, already knew.  It had the same problems as the original Freakonomics book.

The book is readable enough. I do like their writing style and some of the stories they tell, and most of the book consists of stories, are interesting.  I just wanted something ... more.

I gave the book three stars on Goodreads because it wasn't bad but it was a little meh.

Friday, November 04, 2016

Four Days In ... And I Don't Know Where I Am

Hmmm .... it's four days into this post everyday challenge and I realize I haven't really written very much.  When I did this back in 2008 nearly all of the posts were text posts.  Yes there were a few photo-centric posts but even those had some meaningful text.

This year the writing well is coming up dry.  My post look more like a photoblog which really isn't a bad thing I guess but I've always hoped that I would have something useful to say and the fact is I really don't.  This is especially true at this time.  My life feels like it's on hold.  Waiting ... waiting ... not sure for what.  Or maybe I do know ...

The Appalachian Trail (AT) is approaching.  I should be working on my AT plans.  I still have a bunch of stuff to buy.  I have to put together some semblance of a resupply plan.  There are things on the AT that can be winged and other things that need to be planned before hand.  Right now no planning is happening either on paper or in my head.

The presidential campaigns haven't helped much.  Nothing like a little stress to take your eyes off your plans.  And, yes, this election has caused a lot of stress.  I still don't understand what is happening in our country.  Fortunately that distraction may be over in a few days ... or maybe not.  *Sigh*

I've kind of been like this all year long - aimless - but events of the last month or so have knocked me off of any course, no matter how feeble it was, that I might have been on.  I feel like I'm in a haze.  I don't know when I will come out into the sun and those who know me know that I don't function well without the sun.

I need to regain my focus.  Maybe writing this down and exposing it to the world will get me back on track.

Hmmm ... I guess this is my first writing post for the month.  Hurrah for me.

Thursday, November 03, 2016

Photograph: "Hold On, Chica"

The newest local bike trail, the South Omaha trail, connects with the Field Club trail near an old grain elevator.  The elevator has been decorated a few times, the last being with some huge murals that I posted about here.  I was sad when they took the murals down.  During a walk last month I noticed some new art on the elevator.  Professional street art has been painted on some of the silos near where the two trails meet.

As I looked at the murals, one part reminded me of my friend Gv so I dedicate this picture to her:

"Hold on, Chica"
by Bruce H.
(Original street artist unknown)

Wednesday, November 02, 2016

Photographs: "Praying For Prey" And "Profile of Prayer"

I caught this lady at our front door.  For those who are following either me or the Wife on Twitter, you may have seen the pictures of me taking these photographs.

"Praying for Prey"
by Bruce H.

"Profile of Prayer"
by Bruce H.

Tuesday, November 01, 2016

A Post A Day ... Or So

Eight years ago I participated in what was called NaBloPoMo or National Blog Posting Month.  I wrote a new post for each day of November 2008.  I am considering doing it again this year ... this being the first post.  I will not guarantee that I will make it but I will give it the ol' Homer's Travels try.  Expect to see photograph posts when I come up short on topics to write about.  Not sure what I'll do when I run out of pictures to post.

If there is anything you want me to write about let me know.  If I can contribute something worth the while, I will post about it.