As the harvest month establishes itself in our 2014 calendar minds, I find myself taking a Friday vacation and head out to the North Shore of Lake Pontchartrain to spend some time with my 1st cousin, Al. I get a late Thursday afternoon start and somewhere around Bunkie, LA on I-49 I make this comment on facebook: It looks like my cousin is gonna get me on that "Fat Boy" after all. After thinking about that for a minute or so I commented, Oh well, at least no one knows me down there. Unknown to many of my facebook friends, the root of my comment went over their heads except for the tuned and attentive mindset that exist amongst a certain set of knowledgeable peers. One of my close Honda Goldwing riding friends, Darryll commented a tone of comfort. "It's ok, Rod. I've ridden a couple of them harleys, you'll get over it." So there ya have it. A "Fat Boy" is a Harley Davidson Motorcycle and the same friendly argument exist between Wing Riders and Harley Riders as does the reigning Chevrolet/Ford feud...
Posted October 2 in the afternoon hours
Many times have I watched the day begin from the deck of my cousins home on the North Shore. A special blessing this morning as a gray overcast announces Fall's first cold front down here. The peppering rain appears to be our daily companion as brown Pelicans, Terns and Sea Gulls ignore the persistent pelting in pursuit of their daily sustenance. Al has told me their is a Bald Eagle that is appearing more frequently in the wetlands that border his residence. Such peace I find down here.
Posted October 3 in the early am hours
I have often wondered if Facebook posts really work to your advantage or does the incessant posting of your personal who, what, when and where's seem to drive folks away from you. I tend to believe the latter, however, there are the exceptions! I'm laying in bed surfing Facebook at my cousin's home on the North Shore of Lake Pontchartrain. My I-phone rang about 10 minutes ago and it was Nona, my youngest sibling. She knows from my facebook post that I am in Slidell visiting with our cousin, Al. So she calls me. She informs me that she and her honey, Paul are passing through Rayville, LA on their way to New Orleans with 4 Saints tickets for Sunday's noon ballgame at the Superdome! She was "wondering" if Al and I MIGHT be interested in the other two tickets??? I tried to calmly express a slight interest in gaining possession of them, but felt I needed to "ask" Alvin if such an undertaking might be of interest to him? Alvin said, "Heck yeah let's go!" So I called my sweet baby sister back and expressed gratitude and sincere appreciation by accepting her generous offer! Immediate plans were made for us to meet Nona and Paul tonight somewhere in the vicinity of Pat O'Brian's Piano Bar and the N.O. Marriott to mingle with the crowds in the French Quarter and feast at some fabled restaurant of Louisiana Folklore. Al calls me back and suggested a side trip via Gulfport, Ms. to the annual "Cruzin the Coast" car rally. Sounds like things are looking up! Looks like my Facebook musings do have their gainful advantages after all. Of course, little sisters are wonderful too! Wonder if I can carry concealed in the superdome?
Posted October 4 from Slidell, LA
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| My Sweet Sister in the Court yard of Two Sister Creole Restaurant |
Posted October 4 in the late evening hours.
Sunrise on the North Shore, hot coffee and a crisp 48° start! It is much quieter here than my river but you can still hear the sound of singing tires a mile away as the waters of Lake Pontchartrain allows for the unrestricted sounds of singing tires traveling I-10's passage over this great body of water. The real sun kissed my face at 6:58 am, but I have yet to feel it's warmth. In 30 minutes or so after its full presentation over its horizon, it's radiating heat and brightness has been known to drive me resentfully, back inside the comforts of the residence. I have often found it strange how these brackish waters seem to not stimulate my thought like that of my river? Rising from my chair, I spit from the second floor balcony into the water below and small fish dart to investigate the disturbance upon the surface. I stare in quiet thought and find myself shaking my head at that disgusting act! Oh well, I've been swallowing it for 63 years and it hasn't killed me yet. Strangely this morning there are no Terns, Sea Gulls or Brown Pelican's gracing the fly ways above the waters of this cloudless morning? But yet the beauty of my very presence in this moment places me on the front row of God's announcement of yet another day of his gift to us all. May all of you embrace this day with enthusiasm. As I fling what is left of the now cold coffee from my cup into the water below, the same reaction to the disturbance is observed! I think these fish are accustomed to Dark Roast Community Coffee. Posted October 5 at sunrise
Slight disappointment sets in, as I slide to a stop beside my river's edge at 5:15 this morning. The 71° temperature along with other circumstantial meteorological factors that I don't quiet understand has presented me with a comfortable blanket of fog! At this very moment, occurring as I type, the earth's shadow is being cast across the moons surface creating the "blood moon" I so desired to see. It is ok, I guess, to miss this visually as I am sure it will be captured through the lens of many cameras to be displayed across the pages of countless periodicals for me to review. But to me, that is kinda like someone telling you they love you over the phone. There is nothing like feeling their heartbeat against your chest when those words are actually spoken. So I missed the event as the hidden universe returns to normal beyond my visual reach, and at 5:36 my mockingbird announces his presence in my beginning day. Let me pause my ramblings and see why God "really" brought me to this river's bank so early.
As the day passed and the day's light fell below the western horizon, it began to prepare us mentally for the last vestiges of the closing day. It was during this time, I noticed a small collection of eight friends had actually commented on my post. It once bothered me that my number of attentive souls interested in my postings seemed to decrease over the last few months. But what I came to understand, were those that did take the time to engage, many times saw "more" in my words than those that have lost interest. This may be the one thing that drives me to write? I am reminded that I just may have another chance the following night to view the solar eclipse of the earth's shadow across the moon. Others confirmed their distaste with the cloudy/foggy weather presentation and confirmed my findings as well acknowledging as did I that photos of the event will be captured in order to resolve our wonder of the event we sought. There were those that confirmed their rise that morning to witness the same thing that drove me to my river bank while some smiled acknowledging the same!
Optimism exists among friends new and old as encouragement through various media reaches me. I am reminded my moon is high and most beautiful on the first evening following the visited morning just past. I knew she would be there, as often times I gaze upon her as she presents herself in whatever stage she exists in my sky. I most enjoy her in complete fullness as her radiance makes the early dew glisten in the darkest corners of my surroundings. Things seem to come to life, especially memories. I responded with this on my accompanying comments: "I saw the moon tonight and the moon saw me. She expressed her sincere sorrow for the fog that obstructed her display of celestial proportions this morning that she said, was just for me." The response I received was not a facetious slap at my possible perceived arrogance others may have read into my response. They simply acknowledged my statement in question followed by fact. Your moon spoke to you? Aren't you special... "Yes," I responded. "Actually I am." That I can have a personal relationship with an inanimate object that is a constant reminder of some of the most beautiful things ever encountered in my life! My word folkses. How many of you recognize the many ways the Creator of this constant earthly companion, speaks to and comforts our hearts? A certain handful actually understood, as only one confirmed my last post on facebook with his "Like." I felt the others agree with him as they too, understood... It is more than just a moon.
Posted October 8 from the banks of my early morning river
It is not uncommon for a boat to disturb the glassy surface of my pre-dawn river. This morning an expensive bass boat pierced the darkness at what appeared to be 55+ mph! While this is an acceptable speed on land, on water at that speed is somewhat different, especially without the benefit of any running lights at all? And he was quiet!! I heard his bow slashing through the waters surface and only after he passed did his non-labored motor audibly announce it.s part of that expensive package. No sooner had I typed these words, another bass boat passes by! She however, clearly displayed her navigational lights as she too intersected my paused reprise while hastily gaining ground of that anticipated honey spot her operator seeks. Not as quiet or as fast as the one that pierced the darkness minutes earlier but fast enough still to get the fisher person to their designed sweet spot. 6:50 am and a jackhammer pounds across my river's depths? Not a common sound this early even in an urban setting unless a broken water main demanded the noisy invasion of yet another sound of unusually heard man made clutter sounds of city dwellers this early. The siren? Strangely silent this morning as I have not heard one as of yet. Let this be a good thing.
Posted October 9 from the banks of my early morning river
What is different this morning? October 10 and 73° at my river's side, with a relative humidity of 99%! The irony? Sitting here in the pre-dawn with little beads of sweat forming across my forehead. Wondering just why my river's surface is so disturbed in the less than 3mph winds out of the south-southwest. Then it dawns on me. Just across the river in a stand of trees is the vocal retort of my mockingbird. The humidity is so heavy that the projected song he released, splashed into the water and as it traveled at the speed of sound to reach me, literally skipped across the water's surface three times before it got to me! So that's it! Every sound is disturbing my river's surface because of this humidity! Must be, cause ain't no Mosquitoes even bothering me. They ain't able to fly!!
Posted October 10 from my early morning river
As an NRA instructor and Concealed Handgun Permit holder, I am very cognizant of the responsibility I have in both possessing a lethal weapon and instructing people on the carrying of one. On very rare occasions, I will open carry my 1911 Springfield TRP .45 in public, and I have noticed that people look at me differently when this firearm is openly displayed. Please understand, 99 % of the time that I am in possession of my firearm, it is concealed on my person and because it is out of sight, simply does not exist in the minds of people I constantly interact with. Thus, the purpose of concealed carry! There are those rare occasions that I may be going to instruct a concealed carry class somewhere or I am going to compete in some pistol match to polish my personal skills and I just open carry my handgun of choice for convenience purposes to accommodate my preference for the given day. On this particular Sunday morning, I was going to a Steel Challenge Match in Winnsboro, LA., and was standing in line at McDonalds. There were not a lot of people in the line waiting on service this morning, but I could feel a woman standing next to me sort of "glaring" at my presence. I turned to face her, smiled and said, "Good morning." She smiled back and without hesitation engaged me in conversation by saying, "I always thought I would feel threatened if I ever saw someone doing that," and she nodded at my holstered pistol. I told her that it was just a tool and the weapon's system that controlled it was a very nice and honorable person. She looked at me and said, "for some reason I feel comfortable with you standing there!" I just said thank you and wondered if she had seen my tattoo, if anything would have changed in her mindset? As I picked up my order, she smiled her goodbye and a young boy about 5 or 6 just watched me walk past him, grinning ear to ear. It was a good experience today. But when it gets cooler, I will slip a jacket over my open carry holstered firearm just to ease the stress of those that don't understand...
Posted October 12
An all mine, lazy Saturday morning. Treadmill? I think not! Yard work? Seriously? There are no grand kids to step over as I take my place in my home this morning nor am I bound with scheduling conflicts throughout the day to take them and pick them up from where they need to be taken. The most difficult decision I've wrestled with this morning is just what, and how much do I seriously want to eat! On this blessed morning, I have managed to unravel myself from the light blankets of my bed, stumble into the kitchen and check the drudge report along with Fox News on my laptop. With Linda consorting with her mother in post storm West Monroe, Meggie is left to wonder the changes projected in her domain as she follows me around knowing much is different. Two hours after joining this beautiful day, I managed to cover my boxer briefs with my black AND1 knee length silk workout shorts and force myself to the other end of my house to the media room. Calm down, folkses. It is nothing more than my den where my large screen TV is connected to Direct TV with an absolutely wonderful surround sound stereo/dvd system! Today it is mine! All mine! No arguments with grandkids over Phenis and Ferb or Sponge Bob Square Pants!! As I recline into my lair of comfort, I direct my attention to the pending task. Now. Just what might my finger tips find if I "surf" every channel this remote control can possibly gleen from distant satellite? Tearing away from the military channel, Fox News and sports propaganda of college day football prophecy, I launch through the channels. Pay channels? Imagine that! Spanish speaking channels? Not when I was a kid! As I leave the bonds of gravity and drift into the 800+ series of channels, Neil Diamond stops me cold in a channel all by itself call Hits of the 60's Revolution! And then another one! Hits of the 70's! Peaches and Herb, Reunited? How wonderful, I think as I increase the volume. Meggie breaks camp to the other end of the house as the walls begin to shake. Van Halen? Dance the Night Away? The 70's? Lord where did the time go. Nevermind... I well know. I am seriously wondering if I will even hear the knock on my door when the sheriffs department knocks to investigate my neighbors complaint? Hey. This is my lazy Saturday. At least until 1 or 2 pm when Linda gets back home! *Big Lazy Smile*
Posted October 18 from the un-peaceful bliss (by choice) of my home!
My opinion? I agree Ebola is some bad stuff. But we aren't dropping like flies, Either. Remember, this virus has been around since 1975! Now, if and when this starts happening, you WILL have my attention! My biggest concern? Yellowstone. Yup. The national park. It's a volcano for God's sake. When that bad boy erupts, it is going to be like an asteroid the size of Cuba striking the earth! Now, let's look at something else. Psst!! WE is ALL gonna die! Why do we only freak out "after" the method of our demise is defined? I know, I know. Shut up and kiss someone you love and enjoy your life to its fullest! I am so not afraid of you hiding that Ebola assness in my spaghetti if I'm ever invited to your home for Dinner.
Posted October 27
It is a cool 43 degree start beside my rivers possessive presence. Glass black reflective surface barely ripples as tendrils of distilled warmth interact between her temperature and that of the atmosphere as a barometric pressure presses upon everything. Consistency is played out before me as my river displays something different in her message to me every day. Yes, a constant massage of change yet not so radical as to upset my apple cart? Everything appears to be within ...the acceptable boundaries of solitude and peaceful acceptance. Yes? Then why are the polls so close? Why are wrongs applauded as rights? Why are outright lies against the very mores that stabilized my childhood now suddenly being forced upon us? The consistant flow of my river for some reason does not reflect the moral, political and social fluctuation that is on display across this fruited plain of a once strong nation under God. The entire world feast upon our demise and it is only time before its existence as the worlds lighthouse fades. What would have been sweeping change in this upcoming election 25 years ago, is now a toss up of "wait and see." Do any of you wonder why? And it was God that hardened Pharoh's heart. hmmm...
Posted October 30 from my river.
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