All posts by Dona

A tale of two images

Photographs, Technology

Within the course of less than 12 hours I received two surprise images through the Internet.

The first one arrived via twitter and was an illustration to go along with a blog entry from a couple of days ago. The artist is an old Internet buddy I have followed since my Sidekick days. What a treat! I’ve added it to the Owl-Focals entry. Now I think I understand my story better.

owlfocals
Dona reading with her owl-focals. Image by Mike Popovic

The second was from a stranger via a comment on this blog:

Dad’s photo. Before and after it was Photoshopped.

Hi Dona…..I was searching Google for some old photos in need of restoration to hone my Photoshop skills. I came across the one of your father and thought it a perfect candidate. Not only was it in desperate shape, but he seemed to embody the mettle of a generation unlike we will ever see again.
Needless to say, I wanted to share the picture with you and yours. That generation is leaving us all too quickly and it was an honor for me to get this sailor ready for inspection. I hope you enjoy the picture as much as I enjoyed restoring it.

Thanks!

Gary

It most certainly looks better. However, the Photoshopping took away the twinkle in Dad’s eye and the smart-ass grin that is just about ready to appear on his face. I know that look — he’s about to tell an off-color joke. When I remember my dad it’s the twinkle and the grin I remember most.

Twenty-one

Events, People, ,

My oldest child turns 21 today. No longer a child (although she hates when I say that). Although I can remember life before her, I have a hard time remembering a time when I didn’t know her. She’s beautiful. She’s smart. She’s quirky (in a good way). She’s talented. She’s simply amazing. She’s my daughter. Happy 21st birthday, Clare.

Clare with Dionysus at Fruitlands
Clare with Dionysus (at Fruitlands)

Old Writing: Part 2::A Rainstorm

Memories, Writing

The previous entry was stapled on top of this and the next few. For years I thought it was just the final copy of a series of drafts. Today I looked at the pages below it and found a few stories I thought were long gone. This was not one of them. I do not remember it. It is full of cliches. It was written on March 25, 1969. I was 12. Cleaned up for spelling. Please note that I do not feel the same about rain now. Or worms. Also not meteorologically correct.

A Rainstorm

The air was damp and musty moisture was hanging in the air. Then all of a sudden it started to rain. The rain beat against the windows and the wind howled around the house.

Even in the house one could smell that awful odor: a combination of mildew, wormy muddy smells that always come along with any kind of rain.

Now the rain was stopping a little. Not much but enough so that one could see out the big picture window. Ick! look at all of those worms oozing in and out of the wet, muddy ground.

The rain finally gave up and it stopped raining and making everybody grumpy. Fresh smelling air overcame the mildew, wormy muddy-smelling air and after most rainstorms (if the sun comes out) a rainbow could be seen in the western sky!