John Dillinger died for your sins

On this day in 1812, Napoleon (leading pretty much all of the rest of Europe, Switzerland included) invaded a vastly-outnumbered Russia. Russia pulled troops back to the Neman river, but could not hold it, and eventually fell back to Moscow. By September, the eve of winter, Moscow’s governor realized the city could not be saved. He decided to abandon the city to flame before Napoleon could have it, so they burnt the city to the ground on their way out, leaving nothing for the 'conquerors.' The Europeans were left to march home in the winter, tired, poorly fed and barely clothed. Of the original 450-600,000 Europeans, only some 200,000 made it home. Serves 'em right.

In 1847, the doughnut may have been invented.
In 1858, Giacomo Puccini was born.
In 1903, John Dillinger (he died for your sins!) was born.
In 1936, Kris Kristofferson was born.
In 1941, Germany invaded the Soviet Union, breaking the pact Hitler had made with Stalin before the war began.
In 1947, Don Henley was born.
In 1948, Todd Rundgren was born.
In 1949, Meryl Streep was born.
In 1958, Bruce Campbell was born.

Maury Island Incident

If I say I'm going to do something, and then I don't, what does that mean?

If it's a short-term thing, it seems to mean something different than if it's a long-term thing. Let's say I agree to meet you for lunch but I don't show up. That's a personal affront to you, whether I meant it that way or not. I might have forgotten; might have been killed or something on my way to meet you; might have just been so late that I missed you entirely, etc. The end effect is the same: I said I'd do something, and I didn't.

Now presume I say "next week, I'm going to make an ark," but I don't. No one's affected by this except me, but still, I said I'd do something, and then I didn't do it.

Now presume I say "after I graduate from college, I'm going to go to grad school."

I suppose that at different times, we speak with different voices. Sometimes it's a friend-voice (I'll meet you for lunch on Tuesday at noon), sometimes it's ambition (next week I'm going to build a boat!), sometimes it's hope (grad school, here I come!). I've dealt with a lot of liars and blowhards in my day, and I tire of them quickly.

Maybe that's why I'm so sensitive about the things I say, myself: I don't want to make promises I can't keep, don't want to make plans I can't follow through on, don't want to sound like some overambitious catterpillar who dreams about becoming a fish.

So, I don't talk much.

Today is Fête de la Musique

In 1947, Harold Dahl saw six UFOs near Maury Island (now part of Vashon Island, in Puget Sound). Artifacts (slag) dropped from the UFOs killed his dog and injured his son. The next day, Dahl was visited by a man dressed in black who knew details of the event, though Dahl had not publicized it yet. The man in black suggested that Dahl’s family might be in danger if he did not keep the sighting a secret. This is thought to be the first encounter with the Men in Black.

The wheel turns

It's Igor Stravinsky's birthday (1882).

In 1960, Ted Williams hit his 500th home run.

In 1972, five White House operatives were arrested for burglarizing the offices of the DNC in the Watergate Hotel. Supposedly, they were planting bugs, but some authorities assert that none were ever found by investigators. Some theorize that the burglary was actually a false flag, designed to draw attention away from “the whole Bay of Pigs thing,” (Nixon’s euphemism for the Kennedy assassination and its aftermath).

In 1982, Roberto Calvi, “God’s banker,” (the head of Banco Ambrosiano, closely tied to the Vatican, when it went bankrupt) was found hanging by his neck beneath Blackfriar’s Bridge in London. His clothing was stuffed with stones, and he was carrying around $15,000 in three different currencies. He had just spent a short time in an Italian jail, where he attempted suicide, but his death was ruled suspicious because he was a member of P2, members of which referred to themselves as frater negri (black friars). An independent forensic report in 2002 determined that his injuries were not consistent with hanging, and that he had not handled the stones in his pockets. Calvi said shortly before his death, “the only book you’ve got to read is The Godfather. That’s the only one that tells how the world is really run.”

Chop water, carry wood

My new awl. It's already a little darker than when I started on it- Hedgeapple wood is lemon-yellow when you first cut in to it.

Chop wood, carry water. Metaphorically speaking, it's what life's about. Work gives us meaning. We start to get distressed -or depressed-- when we don't have enough to do. Our brains are very complex; they can handle a lot more than we give them credit for, and when they don't have enough going on to keep them busy, they weave stories of their own which lead to problems like obsessiveness, compulsiveness, depression, etc. If life was harder, we just wouldn't have time to worry about whether or not we turned the all the lights off seven times before we left the house, or to sit around being depressed. Chop wood, carry water.

Of course I'm oversimplifying, you're much more complex than that. I'd love to hear your counter-points or arguments.

In 1219, Dannebrog (the national flag of Denmark) fell from the sky during the Battle of Lyndanisse (now Talinn, Estonia), and turned the Danes’ luck.

In 1843, Edvard Grieg was born.
In 1937, Waylon Jennings was born.

In 1956, The Quarrymen played a church dinner. Paul McCartney (13) met lead singer John Lennon (15).

Peasant's Revolt

Watch me (it's short, trust).

Today is Dia dos Namorados in Brazil.
In 1381, rebellious English peasants, led by John Ball, Wat Tyler, and Jack Straw, arrived and rallied at Blackheath, London.

tRead Carefully

The red things are the tiny flowers I found on the hike, that I think I mentioned before. By 'tiny' I mean dinky: the 'fern' leaf there is actually a moss, and the red things themselves were no larger than peppercorns.


John McCain wants more of this. Larisa Alexandrovna calls it treason, and I have to agree.

As the election -and the constitutionally-dictated end of this administration-- approaches, expect the iron fist of corporatist fascism to close ever more tightly on our first amendment and other rights. They have secrets they will do almost anything to protect. They are a wild animal, trapped, and the noose is tightening. Crazy things happen when panic ensues.

Today is Kamehameha Day in Hawaii. In 1184 bce, Troy was sacked and burned, according to the calculations of Eratosthenes. In 1864, Richard Strauss was born. In 1933, Gene Wilder was born.

Nice is different than good

As I said, some parts of the trail were hard to follow. We knew we were looking for a way to cross the river, but didn't know where... was the 'bridge' supposed to have been here? We didn't even know what to expect in terms of kind of crossing. I spotted tracks going further along the bank. I followed them with my eyes and saw more flags ahead. We were still on the right track.

The 'bridge' turned out to be a downed tree (predictably enough), and that's where the real fun started. The big washed-out section of trail -where you're hiking across a broad, sandy, rocky riverbed/flood zone on which tracks are almost invisible-- made me think about the trail to Sheep Canyon, which I'd hoped to hike this summer. The road to that trailhead was almost undrivable last year; if winter treated that 'road' like it treated the rest of the region, there might not be anything left to drive on. We shall see, I suppose.

I tried to get a pic of Phil in action, crossing the log bridge, but the camera had its own little camera agenda. Here's a rule to live by: technology should not think for itself. How well would we function if our hands had their own brains, which only occasionally -and always imperfectly-- communicated with Brain Central? Gimme a break! What a nightmare.

On this day in 1752, Ben Franklin’s kite was struck by lightning.
In 1801, Tripoli declared war on the U.S. because the U.S. refused to pay tribute.
In 1910, Howlin’ Wolf was born.
In 1922, Judy Garland was born.
In 1976, Margot Swatton's house in Newlyn, Cornwall, was attacked by rooks [ravens] for seven days and nights, beginning on this day. Dive-bombing from trees and powerlines, they returned to their perches dazed and bleeding to launch another attack. They gave up after a neighbour shot one dead.

And in 2008, Rep. Dennis Kucinich introduced articles of impeachment against President George W. Bush. Best news in eight years. Call your congressperson today to urge their support.

Snow trail

Yesterday, hiking by the Sandy River on the shoulder of Mt Hood. One of those fun hikes- large sections of the trail had been washed out, so for part of it we had to follow just tracks and flags through the brush and rocks (as opposed to a developed, marked trail), while for other large sections we were walking on/in snow that had yet to melt. Fun hikes because I like the challenge of tracking and figuring out how to cross that river or that chasm or where the hell did the trail go? or whatever.

We had read about this trail and had been wanting to check it out since we moved here, but the bridge had been washed out. Yesterday, we saw that it had been replaced, so we followed the road for as long as it lasted and found the trailhead. For a mile or so, the trail was in fine shape. It wanders along through the forest beside the Sandy River. Very pretty. But the Sandy is a mountain river (gets pretty wild with the spring melt), and the soil here is volcanic (somewhat sandy-and-ashy, loose), so the river's course isn't exactly stable. And so we found the same sort of conditions I found when I went to look for Sheep Canyon: the trail was suddenly gone, replaced with a field of boulders.

When you're out hiking and you find that you've lost the trail, just stop. Don't move, just look around a minute. If you're on a well-developed trail, a few steps back should set you on your track again. If you're on a less well-developed trail (eg, packed earth or just a worn trail), look around for flags. Flags are those plastic strips you sometimes use to mark things- in this case, they're tied to branches, logs or trees to mark a new trail.

So we followed the flags, and when we couldn't see the flags we followed tracks, and when we couldn't see tracks we guessed (mostly right). We crossed the Sandy on a big log, jumped across another part, found where some critters had spent the night, saw some cool flowers, but eventually just turned around.

Anyway, it's not much of a story, but it was a fun hike. The trail leads to some waterfall or other, but I don't remember its name, and we didn't make it all the way because we got tired of trudging over melting snowbanks in our not-hiking-footwear (we didn't expect the snow).

On this day in 1603, English astronomer William Lilly was born. In his autobiography, he tells a strange anecdote of teleportation about fellow astrologer John Evans, a Welshman residing near Aldgate in London. In 1630 or 1631, Evans was asked by Lord Bothwell and Sir Kenelm Digby 'to shew them a Spirit... upon a sudden, after some time of Invocation, Evans was taken from out of the Room, and carried [five miles] into the Field near Battersea Causeway...' The next morning, a laborer found him asleep there.
In 1891, Cole Porter was born.
In 1915, Les Paul was born.
In 1963, Johnny Depp was born.

Watching the Detectives (observing the observers)

Yaquina Head lighthouse, from Agate Beach.

I very quickly get tired of hearing myself talk about what I'm going to do, so suffice it to say I have a lot on the stove right now. Details to follow as summer unfolds.

In 1937, the train City of Denver arrived in Chicago with a dead trout inside its shattered headlight. It was suggested that the train -traveling 80 mph-- had struck an eagle flying across the track with a trout in its beak; but there was no mention of feathers, or blood, or any other vestiges of a bird.

Buzz

A Puffin.

Edwin Robinson gradually lost his sight and hearing after a severe head injury in a road accident. Nine years later, on 6 June 1980, he was out looking for his pet chicken near his house in Falmouth, Maine, during a thunderstorm, when he was struck by lightning and knocked out for 20 minutes. (He survived as he was wearing rubber soles.) The next morning he found he could see and hear again and by the end of August he had a full head of hair.

Today is also the birthday of Nathan Hale (1755), Alexander Pushkin (1799- by the Old Calendar the date was May 25), and Aram Khatchaturian (1903- composer of "Flight of the Bumblebee").

O

Bald Eagle at Yaquina Head, Oregon.

In 1998 school bus driver Lillie Balltrip, driving to a ceremony in Houston to pick up a safe driving award, turned a corner too sharply and overturned the bus carrying 29 other school bus drivers. The driver and passengers went to hospital, but no one was seriously injured, said Larry Yawn, spokesman for the Houston independent School District.

Turtles, all the way down.

Coming down from the top of Yaquina Head Lighthouse, on the Oregon coast. That's Philip and Jacob on the stairs below me. Very interesting historic site, nicely preserved.

My new awl is finished- I keep holding it up to the light and looking into the wood, it's very beautiful. I've oiled and polished it enough that it's got that almost-holographic effect going on in the grain, where you feel like you can see in to the wood itself. As I said yesterday, the wood is Osage Orange (or Hedgeapple, whichever you prefer), so it's bright yellow. Very striking. I'll try to get a picture. I'll start working it today.

Garden is starting to show some signs of life yesterday. It rained a lot, but during a sunny spot I went outside and looked around, and happened to spot a pea that had been uncovered by the rain. Looking closer, I saw that it had started to germinate, so I covered it up and went about my business. I take it as a Good Sign that not all of my seeds were too old to be useful.

In 470 bce, Socrates was born.
In 1792, Captain George Vancouver claimed Puget Sound for Britain.
In 1974, Mrs Candelaria Villanueva, 52, had been in the sea with a lifejacket for more than 12 hours after the ship she was on, the Aloha, caught fire and sank 600 miles south of Manila, Philippines. A giant sea turtle appeared beneath her and supported her until her rescue by the navy vessel Kalantia. A smaller turtle climbed on her back and bit her every time she felt drowsy and was in danger of submerging her head in the water. After the rescue, the bigger turtle circled the area twice before taking off.

El posto

Today's post is brought to you by the syllable "El." As in pELicans (above).

In 1857, Edward Elgar was born.
In 1883, Chicago’s “El” trains opened for service.
In 1953, Elizabeth II ascended to the throne.

No kidding.

Finally got the garden started this week. When tomatoes started volunteering, I figured it was probably about time for me to start doing some work on it. I'm dreaming up a little mini-greenhouse for the tomatoes now; the natives here are predicting a 'green tomato summer,' so I figured I'd give mine a hot house if I can. It promises to be a complicated project though, so I may not finish 'til next summer.

Also working on a new awl, so I can sew again. And some new garb, so I can play again.

Say the word.

The Common Murre. Birds are cool.

On this day in 1967, The Beatles released “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band."

Seaside adventures

My Mom and sister and nephew came to visit last weekend. Big adventure! It was great fun. On the first day, we went into the Gorge and hiked partway up Multnomah Falls, then checked out the scenic gorge highway on the way home. The next day, we drove down the Oregon coast- starting with the tidepools at Indian Point beach. It's always exciting to be able to see wildlife so up-close: starfish, anemones, crabs, sponges, snails, mussels, barnacles and limpets, even a few little fish, right there at arm's length. Jacob was just beside himself, but I think Mom and Lisa were almost as excited.

From there, we headed south down US hwy 101 to Newport (Agate beach, to be more specific), where we stayed the night after playing a bit on Agate beach, and checking out the sea lions and waterfront in Newport. The sea lions like to hang out below one of the piers on some old wooden platforms, much like the ones at Fisherman's Wharf in San Francisco. Jacob had never seen them so close, so that was pretty exciting too. The next morning, we checked out the Yaquina Head Lighthouse visitor center, where Jacob became a Junior Ranger by passing a test about the lighthouse and the area. Go Jacob! The lighthouse itself wasn't open yet, so we went to the Oregon Coast Aquarium (also in Newport) for a while- it's a really spectacular aquarium, not huge but very very diverse and really well-designed. Inside, there are great marine and tidepool displays; outside, you walk among piles of rocks and native plants (much like a tidepool area) to find a large aviary with Murres and Puffins and other seabirds, nice sea otter and seal enclosures, and a great octopus hideaway (they're shy, but it's set up to accommodate both their shyness, and our desire to see them) among others. Nice bonus for us nature geeks: almost all of the plants are labeled, so you can identify what it is you're seeing. It's almost a nature walk.

From there, we went back to the lighthouse. Outside, we saw a Bald Eagle sitting in a tree nearby, as well as hundreds (thousands?) of other smaller seabirds (puffins, murres, gulls, etc), and either sea lions or harbor seals on the surrounding rocks. Jacob and Philip and I climbed to the top of the lighthouse while Lisa and Mom watched the birds and seals below.

We were all hoping for clear skies, but it was not to be. Lisa and Jacob really wanted to see Mts Hood and St. Helens, but we only got a glimpse of St Helens on the first day. The day after we got back from the beach though, we headed up toward St. Helens to see if maybe we could catch a glimpse. We drove toward Johnston Ridge Observatory, but stopped just below the clouds at another smaller observatory. From there we could see up the Toutle river valley toward the mountain, but not the mountain itself, though we did see a mind-blowing video of the eruption in the visitor center. Outside the center, I saw a couple of hummingbirds before Jacob spotted a herd of elk in the valley below. Good eye, Jacob! We stopped to get a picture of a bridge on the way home, and Jacob and I walked down a little path into the woods, just to see what was there, and stumbled across a rotting elk carcass (cool!). Jacob, unable to contain himself, ran off to show his Mom (Lisa), who wasn't quite as impressed. I think Phil wanted to take the skull or something, but it was still pretty smelly- some of the skin was still attached to the ribs. Unfortunately, no antlers.

It was a great weekend.

In 1986 a freak wind in the Hami oasis, western China, sucked up 13 schoolchildren and deposited them unharmed in sand dunes and scrub 12 miles away. They were found two days later, suffering only from scratches caused by the swirling sands.

Starfish

Tidepool at Indian Point beach, Oregon.

In 585 bce, a solar eclipse occurred, as predicted by Thales, while Alyattes battled Cyaxares at the Battle of Halys (also Battle of the Eclipse). Because the date can be located objectively on any calendar, this is one of the cardinal dates of history, from which other dates can be calculated.

In 1881 there was a violent thunderstorm near Worcester and tons of periwinkles and hermit crabs rained down from the sky, covering fields and a road, for about a mile.

In 1908, Ian Fleming was born (the author, not my brother). Perhaps ironically, White House “plumbers” chose this day to break into Democratic Party Headquarters in the Watergate Hotel (1972). The plumbers may have been planting a false flag, to divert attention from the Kennedy assassination investigation.

Kung fu nephyu

Are you menacing me?

In 1987, Attorney Thomas Graves was trying out his new speedboat on Lake Bistenau (Louisiana). He stood up, threw his arms in the air, and shouted to his girlfriend, “Here I am,” and was immediately struck by lightning and killed on the spot. There was no thunder or storm activity of any kind that day, before or after the incident. Graves was working on a case involving a fatal accident on that very lake.

No kidding

My Mom and sister and nephew are coming to town today. I hope we get some sun while they're here, but the prognosis is not good. We'll have fun anyway. Or something. On a lighter note, I just bought a tasty new fresh pineapple (cheap! $1.98!!) and some fresh strawberries (also cheap! $2.98/quart!), so nothing else matters as much.

In 1975 the Rand (South Africa) Daily Mail reported that fisherman Mohamed Sefu from Kilwa, Tanzania, had landed in his nets a rather odd fish. 'It had two legs, each with 10 toes. The arms protruded from its chest, where there was also one eye. On his right side there was another eye which glowed brightly at night. It also had a small horn, like that of a cow, one ear, one hump, a large toothless mouth and a beard under its chin.' No measurements were given, but it was said the creature remained alive for some time after it was caught.

third time's the charm

On this day in 1916, 1917, and 1918, Codell Kansas was hit by tornadoes.

Dark Days

It was beautifully sunny here yesterday, so we set off for a hike by the beach. As we wound our way down out of the Coast Range to the coast... as we rounded the last bend before the exit to the beach... we saw the fog. Dense, heavy fog, blanketing the coast. 1000' visibility, at best. It was a beautiful hike anyway, and it started to clear up as we were there. Winter was particularly hard on the Coast Range this year: the trail we had hiked a dozen times before was now largely unfamiliar- big sections had fallen down the side of the mountain; huge trees had fallen in several places, blocking the old path in some places, and obliterating it in others.

And that's to say nothing of what we saw on the way there. Parts of the Coast Range look as though a tornado went through: vast swaths of large old trees laid down like so many matchsticks across the hillsides, and other fields of huge old trees snapped-off midway up their trunks. Must have been quite a storm. I'm glad I wasn't there.

Drunken archers, take up your bows! It's the Feast Day of St. Dunstan!

And in 1780, complete darkness fell on New England and eastern Canada. Candles were required all day, after about noon. It remains unexplained to this day.

What's news? What's the difference between 'censorship' and 'editing'? ...and 'publisher's discretion' for that matter? Two words: politics and money. What the news media doesn't talk about is often more important than what it does talk about.

Hot Hot Hot

In 1911, Big Joe Turner was born.
In 1980, Mt. St. Helens blew up.

Root Beer Day

Nothin special, in terms of photography anyway, but this is the first bloom on our rhododendrons this year.

In 1808 the sun was observed to turn brick-red near Skerninge in Sweden. On the western horizon, a great number of round dark brown bodies appeared, seemingly the size of a hat crown. They passed overhead and disappeared on the eastern horizon. The procession lasted two hours. Some fell, and a 'soapy and jellied' film, which soon dried and vanished, was found on the ground. This was reported in the Transactions of the Swedish Academy of Sciences (1808-215) by A. Acharius.

And in 1866, Charles Elmer Hires invented root beer.

No witnesses. Yeah....

Skyview's recent production of "Fiorello!" -a great musical about Fiorello Laguardia before he was Mayor of New York. It's a great show, and it was an amazing production. It felt more like community theater than high-school. Passionate and professional.

I designed the main set-pieces- two 8'x8' boxes on wheels, which open on two sides each. You can see pictures of the other sides and the other box here. They turned out awesome, and I mean that in the archaic sense- they were awe-inspiring. And I hardly touched them while they were being built- the students did almost everything (with a little direction from me and a couple of helpful dads). I swear, it was an amazing thing to see: my little drawings come to life under someone else's hands. I marked some boards, gave some brief instructions, and stood back and watched it happen. They came together in less than eight hours.

They worked for a week until we took them down, with only minor adjustments in areas that I had predicted, but wasn't able to fully account for in advance, because I had miscalculated a little (and didn't double-check my on-paper design work by building a scale model). Live and learn.

The decoration was designed by someone else, though I drew a lot of it on the walls, based on her designs. The students did most of the painting. I had a blast.

And while I didn't really expect this, working on the show gave my arm the break it needed, so it now feels mostly normal again. Mostly. Which is enough to get me working again, and enough to get me working on the yard.

It's Teacher's Day in Mexico.
In 1829, Joseph Smith was ordained by John the Baptist. There were no witnesses.

U.S. vs. the pirates

In 1801, the Barbary Pirates declared war on the U.S. We had been paying them tribute since 1784, but Thomas Jefferson (then ambassador to France) eventually argued successfully that paying further tribute would only encourage more attacks. By 1800, the US was paying nearly 20% of its annual revenues in ransom and tribute to privateering states. When Jefferson was elected President, he sent a group of frigates to the Mediterranean to provoke the Pasha of Tripoli (sometime leader of the Barbary states). The Pasha backed down immediately, but other Barbary leaders did not, and war ensued. Hostilities did not end until 1805.

Oh it's been funny

Oy, I've been busy. My arm is finally getting back into shape (yeah, I messed it up pretty bad), just in time to help put together the set for Skyview's spring musical, Fiorello! What I've been working on is the design and construction of two large wooden rooms, on wheels, which spin and open and close on stage (with the help of stage hands), to create six different sets. It's kinda spectacular; I'll try to get good pictures.

We spent all weekend building them- it was great fun. I was a little nervous about how well the swinging walls would work, but thankfully a couple of dads (who happen to be contractors, and so know how to hang doors) showed up to help. Doors are hard!

As a result of having to work so much over the weekend, I was not able to note a couple of interesting historical anniversaries: May 3 (Saturday) was the day in 326 ce, that the Empress Helena (mother of Constantine the Great) discovered the Cross deep inside a well (one has to wonder, what was she doing deep inside a well?) on Calvary Hill in Jerusalem. She bequeathed it to the Bishop of Jerusalem, who promptly started selling it off in splinters; like most medieval relics, it seemed to have magic regenerative powers and the splinters just kept coming. The cross did not appear in Christian art till the 6th century; it was condemned by early Christian fathers as pagan, and still survives as such in scarecrows (thanks to Fortean Times for this).
May 3 is also Constitution Day in Poland. Poland was the first country in Europe to adopt a constitution (1791), and only the second country in the world (behind the United States). It's also the birthday of Pete Seeger and James Brown, and the anniversary of George Brett's first major-league hit.

May 4 (Sunday) marked the anniversary of the Haymarket Square riot: a Labor rally had been organized in Haymarket Square in Chicago, and someone lobbed a bomb. Police fired into the crowd in response, and a riot ensued. Eight were killed.
And then in 1970, four student protesters were killed by National Guardsmen, at Kent State University, Ohio. Nine others were injured.

Today in 1813, Soren Kirkegaard was born.
And in 1818, Karl Marx was born.