Photograph: "Camino Boots"

Six years ago on my first Camino, when I was resting after a long day hiking to Logroño, I noticed a pair of boots with flowers planted in them.  When I got home I decided I would do the same with my shoes.

I've talked about how at first I tried unsuccessfully to grow poppies.  I wanted poppies because they were so common along the Camino and often brightened my days along the way.  I finally gave up and the wife planted 'hens and chicks' in them.  They seemed to be very happy in my old shoes.

"Camino Boots"

by Bruce H.

For a few years I would bring the boots inside during the winter but they have been left out exposed to all weather for awhile now.  The leather is shrinking, pulling away from the soles, and are a bit green around the edges.  They have aged as I have - a little weathered, worse for wear, but they still have plenty of character.

A Brief Visit To Britishfest

This weekend the Britishfest convention is in town.  The convention centers on all things British media such as Harry Potter, 007, the Beatles, and, occupying at least 50% of the convention, Doctor Who.  The convention is three days long from Friday to today.  I decided to stop by on Saturday.

I've been to similar conventions before.  During a work trip to Pearl Harbor I had the chance to go to a Star Trek convention in Waikiki.  On other occasions similar fan conventions were held in hotels I was staying at.  In every occasion, including Britishfest, you always were exposed to some very interesting people.

I stopped by the hotel where the convention was held and checked in.  It took me only about fifteen minutes of wandering around to know I'd seen enough.  Most of those fifteen minutes were perusing the vendor tables to see if there was anything I couldn't live without.  The rest of the time was looking at people in full Cosplay regalia without looking like I was looking.  It was the Cosplay that was the most interesting frankly.  I looked through the schedule of the events and panels and decided that the only thing I was interested in was the Cosplay contest later in that evening.  I thought about getting an autograph from one of the several Doctor Who stars but all the autographs were fairly expensive (in my opinion) with the cheapest being $20.  The one actor I was interested in - He played Davros in Doctor Who - charged $40.  No thank you.  I went home and curled up with an interesting book instead.

Peter Pan and his Shadow.

I went back later that evening to watch the Cosplay contest.  There were about a dozen or so contestants and several more in the audience who, for some reason, did not participate in the contest.  There were some interesting costumes.  My favorite, which came in third place, was also the most original.  Two girls, one dressed as Peter Pan and the other, all in black, played Peter Pan's shadow.  I think some of the costumes in the audience and wandering around other venues were as good as, if not better than, the contest participants.

I haven't decided if I'm a fan centric convention person.  Britishfest was a bit basic.  The Star Trek convention that I went to and the other more established ones like San Diego Comic-Con are much larger affairs and there is a better chance of seeing something that would be of interest.

Also I feel strange around hard core fans.  Many of the fans are just normal people that you wouldn't give a second glance if you passed them on the street.  Others come to the convention in costumes.  They are definitely more hard core than I would ever be.  A third type leave their parent's basement only a few times a year, have every line of dialog memorized, and, during Q & A sessions, ask the most obscure question about some trivial factoid that no casual fan would even notice.  These are the scary ones.  They too may wear costumes but they often stand out even when they are not wearing one - they are that unusual and odd.

I was once close to being a member of that third type.  My poison was Star Trek and, while I never dressed up, I knew way too much about the show.  Fortunately in the 90s I backed away from it.  Maybe that's why I felt so strange when I went yesterday - "There but for the grace of God, go I."

A few more pictures of the Cosplay contest can be seen in my 2017-06-03 Britishfest Google Photos album.

Book: Michael Summers And James Trefil's "Exoplanets"

My fourth book of 2017 is on a subject that always has interested me.  I've mentioned it before how I have always been interested in space exploration.  Since I left college, though, I haven't kept up as much as I'd like.  I've tried to rectify this and have followed the exploits of probes to Ceres and Pluto but I have fallen a little behind on the search for planets outside our solar system.

Michael Summers and James Trefil's "Exoplanets" is a nice overview of what work has been done, what planets have been discovered, and what the chances are of finding life (intelligent or otherwise) on other planets.  I was concerned it may be a little too simple.  These types of books are usually dumbed down for the non-science crowd.  The book is a bit simplified but not too much.  It didn't make me feel dumb and it didn't talk down to me.

The lesson I learned from this book is the science of exoplanets has progressed a lot since the late 90s.  The examples of the types of planets that are being discovered really sparked my imagination.  Can't wait to see what will be discovered next.

I enjoyed this book.  My only complaint is it's a bit short.  I gave it four stars on Goodreads because I now feel a little bit smarter which is a good thing.

Photograph: "Goodbye May" ... Hello June

Time seems to be flying.  June has arrived.  Let's say goodbye to May with one more photograph.

"Goodbye May"

by Bruce H.

Happy Birthday!!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MOM!!!!!

Have a great day!

Take A Moment To Remember

A patch from my Father's Military uniform.

Today is Memorial day in the United States.  It is officially a day to remember those in the armed services who have given their lives for their country and our freedom.  I consider it a day to remember all who have gone before us - they have shaped us just as much as the fallen veterans.

On Saturday Mom and I visited the graves of my Grandparents, Father, and Brother among other family members.  My Father's grave had a flag for his service as a Military Policeman during the Korean War.  We left flowers in the rain and paid our respects. 

Take time to remember today.

Amorphophallus Titanum

Yesterday after visiting the cemeteries and having lunch with my Aunt and Uncle, as we were passing the local botanical gardens, Mom mentioned that she heard about a foul smelling flower that was about to bloom at Lauritzen Gardens.  It turns out that the Titan Arum at the gardens (I didn't know that had one) bloomed that evening.

This morning we got up early and went to see and smell the so-called Corpse Flower.  Even at 7:00AM on a Sunday the line was about thirty minutes long (two and a half hours long as we were leaving).   The flower blooms infrequently, often two to ten years between blooms.  Lauritzen Gardens has had theirs, they named her the Amazing Stinko, for several years.  The claim to fame of this large bloom is that it smells like rotting meat.

Titan Arum - the corpse flower.

The flower bloomed last night (to the delight of the Wedding party that was at the park).  The spadix (the cone shaped part of the flower) collapsed around 2:45AM and the bloom will probably be done in twenty-four to forty-eight hours.  The smell really wasn't that bad but there was a hint of rotting meat in the air.

One more thing checked off my informal bucket list. ✔

If you are interested in it you can check out the Amazing Stinko's Twitter feed (@amazingstinko)

Music: KC And The Sunshine Band With Bluffett At Loessfest.

On Friday the Wife and I went to the opening of the 5th year of Loessfest.   The opening acts were Bluffett (a Jimmy Buffett tribute band) and KC and the Sunshine Band.

One of the KC and the Sunshine Band dancers.

We started off with VIP parking and seating courtesy of the Brother-in-Law.  This landed us in the second row with a great view of the stage.  Along with the great location, our seats also was shaded from the setting sun preventing blindness.

The show started with Bluffett, a Jimmy Buffett tribute band.  I'm not a big Buffett fan so I wasn't familiar with most of the band's set but I liked the songs I did recognize.

The band we really were interested hearing was KC and the Sunshine Band.  When he came out and started singing songs I remembered from my youth I was happy but that feeling didn't last.  For one his singing voice, in my opinion, didn't age well.  For another he apparently didn't have enough of his own music to perform so he covered other songs that he liked.  I'm usually okay with a cover but I prefer to limit covers to one per concert.  I am there to her his music, not someone else's.  He also twirled too much for a man his age.  The dancers were new to me - I've never seen a show with onstage dancers before.

KC and one of his dancers.

I did enjoy some of the concert.  I don't think I was in the right mood really (I'd been having a random off-the-trail bout of remorse most of the afternoon).  I've been to worse and, I hope, will see even better concerts later this summer.

Some pictures can be found in my 2017-05-26 KC & The Sunshine Band With Bluffett Concert, Tom Hanafan River's Edge Park, Council Bluffs, IA Google Photos album.

Photograph: "Peony"

Another May flower.  This one a close up of a garden peony.  Can you find the photobombing bug?

"Peony"

by Bruce H.

Book: Sylvain Neuvel's "Waking Gods"

For my third book of the year, I chose the second book of the Themis Files, Sylvain Neuvel's "Waking Gods".

The book is written in the same memoir style as the first book "Sleeping Giants".  The story is told through transcripts and journal entires.  The machine, a huge robot christened Themis after the titan, has been assembled which has attracted the attention of the alien creators.

The action is paced well and what I thought were major characters lost their lives, a surprise as I read.  Unfortunately, two of the characters who died were also my favorite.  Oh well.

I enjoyed this chapter of the Themis Files and I look forward to the next ... yes, the book ends with a classic cliffhanger.  I gave the book four stars on Goodreads as it kept me interested and wondering what would happen next.