Thinking about all the interesting things I have seen in wood grain. Almost all of them are buried behind walls and below floors or in a roof somewhere.
There are trees on this earth that were alive before the birth of Christ. Perhaps The depictions you see, are the stories Trees tell in their own form of expression. Such a dedicated, long term effort, It would be beyond the casual observer's awareness. Only someone who honored their existence, would see the woodwork that Trees create.
I built some furniture, mostly as wedding gifts to friends and relatives over the years, dozens of benches and chairs and a few tables. Lots of bookshelves, kitchens, bathrooms, a few studies. One year I spent taking apart old furniture, stripping them, doing repairs and gluing them back together again with all the clamps, straps and ropes doing their jobs. Building homes, additions, decks, porches, garages, renovating basements, attics, popping up dormers-THAT’S where the money was. For about 8 years I bought old houses, gutted them and rebuilt them with new wiring, plumbing, floor plans, kitchens. I kept a few and rented them out for 20-25 years. When we left Maryland for Colorado, I was so happy to sell off all that stuff and said I would never be a landlord again. For five years in Colorado I worked as a member of two carpentry crews, all older guys who did complicated work that the younger crews could not do. We traded in on our years of experience to do stuff that was not as physically demanding as building new homes is. Hi Bliss.
Being a landlord is not something I could do. I have had friends over the years, who gave it a try. Just a constant worry, and the work seemed never-ending. The first work I read of your publications, was about building a dog house I think it was, that looked like a tree house to me.
I remember my first dog house and she refused to sleep in it. It was a dandy little structure but I had insulated it with 2" rigid foam. A buddy suggested I remove the insulation which I did and she moved in. I think it was too hot in there for her. She even liked sleeping on the snow but when she got older she loved that little house. I had her for 16 years and when she died I gave the house away because it too sad for me to look at. She was such a fine creature, best pal I ever had.
Why even Dry Wall.? I suppose there are good reasons, but the skeleton of a home without the drywall is pretty impressive. A person could run all the electrical wiring inside some old copper tubing. There is probably a reason I’ve never seen that done.
Well, they do run wiring inside electrical conduit, which you could spray paint copper. I like to see walls stripped to the framing as well. Exterior walls need their insulation but interior ones don't, unless you want sound privacy.
Just feeling it and having a grand time with my #1 gal. Now, tonight in Malaga for 8 days. We were strolling the streets and they were filled with people, some entering restaurants to start dinner and 10:45 pm!
I am so envious. My number 3 son has lived in Granada for the last decade. A stones throw away. Wonderful town if you make it that far. I love that part of the world. Glad you two could go on a joyride.
That’s pretty cool. Whole different lifestyle over here than the US. Streets filled with people at 11:00 pm looking for a meal, a beer a coffee and a chat. Man, it’s elegant and leisurely in a way that I’ve never seen in a big city in the US.
That was one of the strangest things I ever read, right up there with “The Master and Margarita”. Lewis Carrol did drugs, I did some and I’ll bet Bulgakov did as well.
We were brought up on a lots of absurd stuff like that.
Little kids in particularly love it. We have Chuvkovsky for example-lots of absurd there.
Then people grow up and forget some go "he probably been on some shrooms/smoked somethng, wth"
No, he wasn't, they tried to not die from hunger for G-d's sake at first and later, he d have other vital worries . he was just a supertalented man who remembered being a kid and understood kids extremely well. He has this amazing book on kids' development (speech, abstact thinking etc), called "From 2 to 5". Lots of research there and some superfunny quotes.
Don't know whether got translated.
But little kids adore such stuff because they're in the stage they start distinguish between real and imaginative and appreciate jokes and nonsense.
Even Mother Goose -lots of absurd there. Or limericks. Or Dr. Seuss.
The thing with "Alice" and "Winnie the Pooh" is- one actually never grows out of it it grows with you. You can be 90 and still appreciate it.
Bulgakov had experience with cocaine or his friends did, that yes, he describes it indeed in a very gruesome way.
By the way. If you ever encounter " Nocel with Cocaine" by one M. Ageev -I highly recommend. It's relatively short, very good, impactful and tragic, great writing too, leaves you breathless.
It has an interesting story to it, nobody knew this Ageev guy and folks thought maybe Nabokov took a pen name and wrote it ..who knows why? As a bet?
In short they didn't find no prove to that, seems to be a gem by this Ageev guy.
I love this; all the layers of reality, and the perceiver actively puts them together to see something/make it real. "All sitting there quietly in the grain" until somebody sees them. Artists enhance "reality", or so it seems.
Hi Jessica. It was on this same stork day that I sat on a very comfortable bench when the temperature was perfect with the smell of orange blossom on the air. What was most amazing was the instruments playing around the corner but the light was so beautiful on an ancient wall that I just could not move. I dozed off and when I woke I wrote a very fun poem which should be ready by next Saturday. Take care. We are in Malaga this week. Lovely
What a gorgeous experience! You describe it so vividly that I almost feel I'm there. And OHHH -- Malaga -- Andalusia -- will you go see the Alhambra? If I had a bucket list, it would be on there 😉.
We debated spending some time there but chose to go from here to Cordoba. There is so much to see here in Malaga and such food! I am excited, we are smack in the middle of the old town with at least three cathedrals ringing like crazy when the hour comes. Magic.
I bet this must be magical, and Cordoba as well. When I think of the history of this region, I drool... I just looked on Wikipedia, Cordoba has a Mosque-Cathedral, also a UNESCO Heritage site, like the Alhambra. Still, if at all possible -- the Alhambra is more fascinating? From pictures I've seen, there are some places which are so light-filled, and so light, it defies gravity; it's made out of stones but seems transparent. That's just what i imagine. But I've experienced something similar when I stayed near the cathedral in Chartres. It's mind-blowing.
Strolling around Malaga this evening, people filled the streets and were still entering restaurants to eat at 22:45! Do a google search on night scenes of Malaga or nightlife.
It is a real thrill. They can be 45" tall with a 5' to 7' wingspan. Didn't see much baby transport but it's early in April so baby season is not here yet.😉
It’s joyous all of this Orestis’. I like to think these figures might be released back into the world each time you liberate a piece of wood - like elves caught by an enchanter for naughty behavior..(maybe the transgression spilling
wine..)and kicking their elf feet impatiently until you spot them!
Love this!
Hi Debi and thanks for reading. Laurie and I just arrived in Malaga a couple hours ago and here for about a week.
There are trees on this earth that were alive before the birth of Christ. Perhaps The depictions you see, are the stories Trees tell in their own form of expression. Such a dedicated, long term effort, It would be beyond the casual observer's awareness. Only someone who honored their existence, would see the woodwork that Trees create.
Hi Bliss. There are a lot of interesting patterns in a sheet of plywood as well as a plank of 1×12.
It wasn’t until I read this, that I realized that you are a Carpenter who builds homes. I assumed that you built furniture.
I built some furniture, mostly as wedding gifts to friends and relatives over the years, dozens of benches and chairs and a few tables. Lots of bookshelves, kitchens, bathrooms, a few studies. One year I spent taking apart old furniture, stripping them, doing repairs and gluing them back together again with all the clamps, straps and ropes doing their jobs. Building homes, additions, decks, porches, garages, renovating basements, attics, popping up dormers-THAT’S where the money was. For about 8 years I bought old houses, gutted them and rebuilt them with new wiring, plumbing, floor plans, kitchens. I kept a few and rented them out for 20-25 years. When we left Maryland for Colorado, I was so happy to sell off all that stuff and said I would never be a landlord again. For five years in Colorado I worked as a member of two carpentry crews, all older guys who did complicated work that the younger crews could not do. We traded in on our years of experience to do stuff that was not as physically demanding as building new homes is. Hi Bliss.
Being a landlord is not something I could do. I have had friends over the years, who gave it a try. Just a constant worry, and the work seemed never-ending. The first work I read of your publications, was about building a dog house I think it was, that looked like a tree house to me.
I remember my first dog house and she refused to sleep in it. It was a dandy little structure but I had insulated it with 2" rigid foam. A buddy suggested I remove the insulation which I did and she moved in. I think it was too hot in there for her. She even liked sleeping on the snow but when she got older she loved that little house. I had her for 16 years and when she died I gave the house away because it too sad for me to look at. She was such a fine creature, best pal I ever had.
Why even Dry Wall.? I suppose there are good reasons, but the skeleton of a home without the drywall is pretty impressive. A person could run all the electrical wiring inside some old copper tubing. There is probably a reason I’ve never seen that done.
Well, they do run wiring inside electrical conduit, which you could spray paint copper. I like to see walls stripped to the framing as well. Exterior walls need their insulation but interior ones don't, unless you want sound privacy.
What a great moment. I am so glad that the poems veer us from our intent. What were you doing in Portugal? Just feeling it?
Just feeling it and having a grand time with my #1 gal. Now, tonight in Malaga for 8 days. We were strolling the streets and they were filled with people, some entering restaurants to start dinner and 10:45 pm!
I am so envious. My number 3 son has lived in Granada for the last decade. A stones throw away. Wonderful town if you make it that far. I love that part of the world. Glad you two could go on a joyride.
That’s pretty cool. Whole different lifestyle over here than the US. Streets filled with people at 11:00 pm looking for a meal, a beer a coffee and a chat. Man, it’s elegant and leisurely in a way that I’ve never seen in a big city in the US.
I love it. I try to understand why my first association is Lewis Carrol and his Wonderlands
Thank you Chen. That Lewis Carrol is one crazy man. Did you ever read "Jabberwocky"?
Well who didn't?? It's "Jabberwocky"
I knew it by heart! Only in Russian)) can still cite couple stanzas I bet
(now, to translate it like we had it....that's a real art. All the word play...all the names...everything. )
That was one of the strangest things I ever read, right up there with “The Master and Margarita”. Lewis Carrol did drugs, I did some and I’ll bet Bulgakov did as well.
oh I don't know made perfect sense to me.
We were brought up on a lots of absurd stuff like that.
Little kids in particularly love it. We have Chuvkovsky for example-lots of absurd there.
Then people grow up and forget some go "he probably been on some shrooms/smoked somethng, wth"
No, he wasn't, they tried to not die from hunger for G-d's sake at first and later, he d have other vital worries . he was just a supertalented man who remembered being a kid and understood kids extremely well. He has this amazing book on kids' development (speech, abstact thinking etc), called "From 2 to 5". Lots of research there and some superfunny quotes.
Don't know whether got translated.
But little kids adore such stuff because they're in the stage they start distinguish between real and imaginative and appreciate jokes and nonsense.
Even Mother Goose -lots of absurd there. Or limericks. Or Dr. Seuss.
The thing with "Alice" and "Winnie the Pooh" is- one actually never grows out of it it grows with you. You can be 90 and still appreciate it.
Genius stuff.
I agree 100%
Bulgakov had experience with cocaine or his friends did, that yes, he describes it indeed in a very gruesome way.
By the way. If you ever encounter " Nocel with Cocaine" by one M. Ageev -I highly recommend. It's relatively short, very good, impactful and tragic, great writing too, leaves you breathless.
It has an interesting story to it, nobody knew this Ageev guy and folks thought maybe Nabokov took a pen name and wrote it ..who knows why? As a bet?
In short they didn't find no prove to that, seems to be a gem by this Ageev guy.
Thanks Chen, I’ll look into it.
I love this; all the layers of reality, and the perceiver actively puts them together to see something/make it real. "All sitting there quietly in the grain" until somebody sees them. Artists enhance "reality", or so it seems.
Hi Jessica. It was on this same stork day that I sat on a very comfortable bench when the temperature was perfect with the smell of orange blossom on the air. What was most amazing was the instruments playing around the corner but the light was so beautiful on an ancient wall that I just could not move. I dozed off and when I woke I wrote a very fun poem which should be ready by next Saturday. Take care. We are in Malaga this week. Lovely
What a gorgeous experience! You describe it so vividly that I almost feel I'm there. And OHHH -- Malaga -- Andalusia -- will you go see the Alhambra? If I had a bucket list, it would be on there 😉.
We debated spending some time there but chose to go from here to Cordoba. There is so much to see here in Malaga and such food! I am excited, we are smack in the middle of the old town with at least three cathedrals ringing like crazy when the hour comes. Magic.
I bet this must be magical, and Cordoba as well. When I think of the history of this region, I drool... I just looked on Wikipedia, Cordoba has a Mosque-Cathedral, also a UNESCO Heritage site, like the Alhambra. Still, if at all possible -- the Alhambra is more fascinating? From pictures I've seen, there are some places which are so light-filled, and so light, it defies gravity; it's made out of stones but seems transparent. That's just what i imagine. But I've experienced something similar when I stayed near the cathedral in Chartres. It's mind-blowing.
Strolling around Malaga this evening, people filled the streets and were still entering restaurants to eat at 22:45! Do a google search on night scenes of Malaga or nightlife.
I will! Reminds me of Italy and France, eating late at night, sometimes for hours. Enjoy every moment!
There is something both marvelous and hilarious about a stork atop the symbolic pinnacle of Christianity. Or so my twisted mind computes.
Cheryl, did you spot the other ones in that photo? The town of Faro had dozens of storks on top of everything.
Yup. And the two nests under the clocks. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a stork in the wild - lucky you!
It is a real thrill. They can be 45" tall with a 5' to 7' wingspan. Didn't see much baby transport but it's early in April so baby season is not here yet.😉
portugal is one of my favorite places in the world.
Hi Megan, it really is charming, full of sweet people.
It’s joyous all of this Orestis’. I like to think these figures might be released back into the world each time you liberate a piece of wood - like elves caught by an enchanter for naughty behavior..(maybe the transgression spilling
wine..)and kicking their elf feet impatiently until you spot them!
That idea of creature being released from being trapped in wood is such a fun idea- could be a children’s story with terrific images.
I can visualize it - I can even imagine different children’s illustrations of it.
It would be like a Dr. Seuss book.
I see it! Someone here needs to apply themselves I think.
and that someone should have artistic skills and then someone else with writing skills could help…
What a cool idea, Patris! That was a fun poem to be a part of.
When imagery breathes that must happen! In a mythological frame of mind today..
Walking these streets is such an antidote to the endless shitstorm on the other side of the Atlantic
I’m glad. And envious!
I can see a not too distant future with less traveling. It’s tiring in a unique way but we will try to make hay while we can.
Rooftop view this first morning in Malaga.
In all those nooks and crannies, poetry resides...carpe diem!
(Thanks for sharing your wisdom)--jl
Thanks for reading and commenting JL