Pratt's Rocks: "A little Mountain Top Experience."

The Schoharie River from the lower Pratts Rock Trail.

I was originally going to post this yesterday on the 2nd, but I had to watch the final episode of "ER". (...Its dated the 2nd in the header but believe me today is the 3rd. Honest!)

I just had to see if "Carter" was going sort things out with his women or continue to tread water... As I have always identified with Carter of all the characters on the show, the fact that he was left still rudderless and unresolved, when all was said and done, does not look good for your's truly... :0

~

It was a beautiful sunny day yesterday and the forecast for the next few days was, and still is: for rain. One of the things I noticed was the brown all about me even if it was sunny. We need it to rain, if it's ever going to get green!

So I took advantage of the day! Here is what I wrote yesterday:

~

The thing about having Thursdays off is sometimes there is no-one around to do things with. It was SO NICE today I just couldn't stay home so I went for a drive through the "Irish Catskills". Durham, Cairo, and the vicinity.... I wandered through Conesville, Gilboa and even did a pass through "Potter Hallow".

I'm not really averse to going on Hiking trips alone but my kids are strongly disinclined. We compromise by my telling them when I do go, and leaving a printed Google Map on the Comp. before I leave.

My eventual sorta destination was Prattsville and Pratt's Rock.

Pratt's Rock and Prattsville has a very interesting history which you can read about by checking out the above link. Prattsville is also connected to the 20th NY State- Ulster Guard .

I don't want to get into a detailed trip log here so I am only going to put up a few of my best Pics. I took more than 100 shots and there are only 30 here so this is considerably winnowed down.

One of the reasons my kids would rather I don't hike by myself is they know me very well. Another reason is Devo has to deal with hikers like me on a regular basis. I do go prepared. I bring food, extra clothing and a first-aid kit most of the time. (sometimes I just forget 'cause I'm old...)

...Then theres that other thing I sometimes do....

Pratt's Rocks:

Picnic area from the Parking Lot.

This is a monument at the trail head in memory of the
Horses and Dogs who died during the creation of the carvings

The first Carved Bench with a Tree carved into it.

The Trail up to the Rocks.
At the first switchback.

Bench at the first Switchback.

An unintentional self portrait along the trail.

Looking up towards Pratt's Rocks.

Second Switchback.

Getting closer!

Third Switchback, almost there...

There! ...and another Stone Bench!

One of the famous carvings painted white
to protect them from the elements.

The 20th NY State- Ulster Guard emblem.
"This Hand is for My Country."

Pratt's Profile.

The Moon came out!

~

Oh yeah, that other thing:

I never made it to Pratt's Tomb...
...because I noticed this above the Carvings.

Rock strata as I climbed.

Part way up the climb.
(this is where my kids would begin to worry...)

More strata.

A close-up.

And another.

Are you worried yet?

A convenient place to build a nest.

A more convenient place apparently.

At the top looking back down.

"Take it from the top"
(650 ft. up from the base of the trail)

There is carved Graffiti everywhere,
some dating back a hundred years or more.
This one is along the edge at the top.

This is why I do it!

The best shot of the day!
(The Schoharie River Valley looking towards Catskill State Park.)

obeedúid~
03/Apr/09

It's all a matter of perception...

You don't know me. No really, you don't. We may have been friends for a number of years, but you don't know me.

My co-worker Colin and I at work 01/apr/09

If you really knew me, you would have noticed what was wrong in the above photo. Were you even looking closely the first time?

O.K., let me give you a closer look:

Now you see it right?

We have been friends for so long that you come to our relationship with a preconceived picture of me in your mind as well as preconceived notions about who I am. When was the last time you looked at me? When was the last time I looked at you? You have baggage with me and I have baggage with you too.

When was the last time we actually talked and heard each other? The last time I remember running into you, you gave me a sound bite in the hallway and I threw one back at you as we went on our way....

How come we never went out for a beer on Saturday night and just talked?

~

This all started out as an "April Fools Joke", then it became something more. I learned something from you today. I learned that sometimes we all have to be prompted to look past what we think each other looks and feels like before we begin to understand each other. I'm as guilty as you are.

After all, I sent that sound-bite right back at you didn't I?

"Mia culpa."

~

When Colin and I decided to do this yesterday, I had no idea it would have this affect on people. I had no idea how it would affect me. I was standing there in front of the mirror thinking to myself:

"I am taking a chance here I might not want to take; what if something goes wrong? What if my feelings get hurt?"

Of the 500 or so people I came into contact with during the course of my day, only 7 people noticed without being prompted. 3 of them had been warned the day before, 2 were Colin and I , and only 2 people actually noticed on their own!!! Several people were warned the day before and completely missed it! If you read my "New Years Resolutions I could live with." and forgot --

...you missed it double !!!!

At one point, one of the department managers walked up to Colin and asked him: "...how long did it took you to notice that Mark O'Brien had only half a mustache...?" Colin just smiled and waited... I was standing on the other side of the stockroom. After a ten-count, the manager burst into laughter, pointed at him and said: "You were in on it too!!!!" It was beautiful! (I wish I had it on video!!!)

~

So what have I learned today? What have I learned this "April Fools Day" during Lent just a week before Easter? Have I learned anything I can drag along with me through the dust on my walk to Calvary?

I learned that I have been neglecting to really pay attention to you. I learned that I need to try to hear you and feel what you are saying to me.

Who knows... I could be your favorite flavor of Gummy Bear and you might be my Lindt Lindor Truffle with white chocolate shell, cocoa pieces and smooth white filling!

How would we ever know? How will we ever find out?

We need to put down the baggage and try to get to know each other, or we may miss each other completely....

Really.

(:Markle:)
01/apr/09

Making a "Smiley" with my face.... :o)

(Cropped from a candid photo of me reading at Live @ "Sunday Four" by T. Verhaegen)

On-line dictionary's define the adjective "self-deprecation" as: conscious of your own shortcomings.

I define "self-deprecation" as the art of making fun of oneself to the enjoyment and for the benefit of others. This is an Art-form. When its done right, others see themselves in you and smile. When its done wrong others don't see themselves in you. ...they don't smile. When "self-deprecation" is done poorly, it becomes self-degrading. Self-deprecation is an Art-form which I practice with various degrees of success and failure. Lately, its been mostly the later.

Ever feel like you are the only soldier in a police action? Like you've been deployed for too long and maybe its time for your tour to be over? I'm there.

I chose my profession with purpose. I was able to devote time to my kids while they were growing up. Now I can write and create in my head while I clean at the same time. When I was creating for a paycheck I was doing other peoples creating and RE-creating.... It doesn't work that way for me. I need to create my own reality. Everyone does.

Sometimes even cleaning can get to me. Especially when I feel I'm the only one cleaning. "Mommy works here..." they say. There is no need for anyone to be conscientious. No need to worry about "Teamwork" or working together towards a common goal is how it makes me feel.

Under these circumstances I find it hard to create my own reality. I find it hard to be self-deprecating. Thats when I pray. ...and shut my mouth. OR climb a Mountain....

I need a "Mountain Top Experience"!

In years past, I would have climbed French Point Peak and disappeared with my Bible. I can't do that anymore 'cause I tarnished that place with a failed relationship a while back. My special place is no longer pristine. I tried to reconsecrate it but I found I couldn't. Too many bad memory's. It was one of those deals where you risk everything for the sake of the relationship, only to find you have given to much of yourself away to soon and when the thing fails you have nothing left. Not even the place that recharges you and makes you the "Holy Madman of Mirth" that is the real you.

Time to find a new mountain to climb. A place where I might be able to go with the right person, but only after a healthy commitment. Climbing mountains is hard. Climbing mountains isn't so hard when you do it with someone special. Sometimes, even if the trip is hard its worth it if you're holding the right hand. Then you have companionship going down the other side and the journey is more pleasurable.

In my Heart of Hearts, I am the embodiment of Christ. In real life I'm more like "Crusty the Clown", maybe even Jackie Gleason's "Poor Soul". No matter how hard I try to do the right thing, somehow things come around wrong.

Sometimes I'm just too independent. I realize now that I need to learn to compromise more in my relationships. With my kids, co-workers, friends and potential spouses. I can't compromise in my Art though. That would benifit no-one, or make them smile.

(:Markle:)

31/Mar/09

Housekeeping:

With the advent and proliferation of smaller devices with which this blog may be viewed, and in anticipation of some upcoming image heavy content on my Easter Post Card blog (yeah this is a plug...) after this week I will begin to archive on a daily basis. I have found that Phones and Internet IPODs trunkate and or take forever to load the weekly content. In defferance to the march of Technology and with a wish to increase the availability I am bowing to the masses. The search feature in the Nav Bar at the top of this blog will enable anyone to find items of interest previously posted by title. The Achive list in the Side Bar will enable searching by date of post. Thanks for being understanding.

~
The threat of the most recent worm will keep me from posting on April Fools Day. See you on the 2nd. Maybe....
~

The Pneumatic Thoughtforms Future's Project will soon close out subscriptions as the halfway mark has been reached and we anticpate the purchase of supplies and equiptment so that I can begin to produce Etched Glass Sculptured Poems! My bedroom is soon to be transformed into a Working Studio! It will be a little cramped but I think I can take it. Thank You All for your support! In the mean time you may still contribute and become a "Patron of My Arts" simple by mailing to me or dropping off said support.

YEE-HA! I am shuddering in antisipation and I can't wait to get to work!

(:Markle:)

obeedúid~
30/Mar/09

I went to the Doctors the other day, and I now weigh 150lbs!

...I haven't weighed this much since I lived with my Mom 30 years ago! Attribute it to 3 months without smoking and sucking on a lot of lozenges I guess.

This one was supposed to be entitled: "A story for my Grandchildren." but I just can't get over the fact that I'm a fatty. I am walking an average of 17-18,000 steps a day (even though I have been putting in some bench time watching the NCAA the past few weeks) according to my pedometer so I'm not turning into a slug... I'm just not so "Ecto" anymore, more of a healthy weighter.

~

When I was young I was fascinated with animation. I remember seeing these Lifebuoy Commercials:

Actually there was another one where the people in the commercial were on an invisible Train moving along a Train-track too. I loved this kind of thing. Does anyone remember that besides me?

I remember I had a copy of "Mighty Joe Young" on super 8 and I watched it in slo-mo over and over again. I read about the filming of "King Kong", and imagined myself moving him around while I read "Famous Monsters of Filmland Magazine".

I was obsessed with Walt Disney for a long time and the story I heard about him scrapping "Snow White" after it was completed in Black and White, then starting over when he came up with an arrangement that involved building a series of something like 17 platforms placed under a camera mounted up near the ceiling and beginning again. Weather it was 17 or not, he then slid Snow in and out of these glass levels so that when she ran through the woods she really ran through the woods!

This was the impetus for my style of painting on layers of glass and the rest has been my history.

I remember pestering my Dad endlessly until he gave in and took me to a Used Camera Shop and we bought a "Regular 8" crank Movie Camera. (...yeah, that was the format BEFORE Super 8...) I spent many a summer day with my friends on the schoolyard, in the woods, and out in front of the house in the street filming epics of "Butt" Car Racing down streets drawn on the concrete with chalk and stop action filming it so we could run it back in the basement on an old slide projection screen that had once belonged to my Nana. It didn't get me a job in Hollywood, but it kept me from youthful mischief.

I never forgot the stop motion thing. It is still there. So last week, when bIRD showed up with his tri-pod and I had a chance to try it again. BANG! Out we went, and it was GREAT FUNN!

This is really poor quality transfer to the Youtube, but you get the idea anyway.

~

I posted this in my VideoPlayer last week when I did the "Peter a Ready-Made" blog but I found out from folks that the player in many peoples monitors was being cut off. It was all there on my monitor so until that info was passed along I had no idea. Sorry.

From now on (as I know I said before) I will post what I am blogging about in the blog even though it may be more labor intensive. I didn't do away with the player completely, I just moved it to the bottom of the blog. If you bother to scroll all they way down there you can view anything I have posted on my Youtube Channel.

GO UCONN!

obeedúid~
30/Mar/09

My first real Video Poem... er Voem?

Well not really, the first one was done on my old Mac LC in B&W. I built it in the original Macromind Director as I recall. However, that was long ago and no longer exists...

This one has my "World Wide Pants ~esque" Logo attached to the end to simplify things. The Logo is silly I'll admit, but over all I am very satisfied with this first attempt.

Enjoy!

I have heard from some folks (more than one actually) who suffer from Small Monitor Syndrome, that the player in my side bar is cut off on their screens. I will try to post in the blog as well as on Youtube to minimize this problem in the future. Sorry, I had no idea until you mentioned it to me....

obeedúid~
26/mar/09

"Everything I know about "Life" I learned while cleaning the Bathroom-" ...or: "The Janitors Tao of Pooh!"

"Fountain by R. Mutt"

O.K., here is the difference between cleaning the Mens room, and the Ladies room:

Men don't care:

"I don't care if you're in there, I'm comin' in anyway..."

Women on the other hand react thusly:

"What are you doing in here?" ...or: "Why haven't you been in here lately?"

Either reaction may take place at any time, and often they happen simultaneously.

In the Tao of this Janitor's Philosophy, this can easily be applied to Love relationships as well:

Men:

"I don't care if you're in there, I'm comin' in anyway..."

Women:

"What are you doing in here?" ...or:"Why haven't you been in here lately!"

...again, either reaction may take place at any time, and they often happen simultaneously.

obeedúid~
24/mar/09

We went to visit "Peter" in the Woods Today.... (previously posted on my other blog on Tuesday, March 17, 2009)

Due to some Technical Problems I am reposting this blog here. I am not sure what the problem was but this should solve it temporarily. Friends and "Techies" have been telling me that the link was bad. I don kno... It worked when I tested it... Sorry for the inconvenience! (...pay no attention to the man behind the curtain!!!)

~

It was such a beautiful day today that "Deut" and I just had to go for a walk! So we started out to do the loop around the V-ville but ran into too many other dog owners with the same idea....

"Deut" is actually VERY social but lacks manners for most encounters.

When we were passing Larry Rapant's house we noticed he was at home and we asked if we could "wanner-'roun' " his woods for a while. I brought my camera with me (just in case) so I did what any nature-loving-camera-toting-artist would do... Fired her up and started shootin'!

...Random shot of the ground 'cause I fired it up too fast...

Now "Larry's Repast" is private, so I can't give a map or define the actual location on Google for privacy reasons.

But the walk does technically reside with-in the boundaries of the Normanskill Watershed so I'm posting this as a "secret hike" for the lucky few who know it well.

Besides, now I've posted it, you've done it too....

;)

~

Some time back when they were redoing the curbs in Voorheesville, after we suffered through an entire spring, summer and fall of dust, noise and traffic; when they were done, I found that they had left behind a couple of broken pieces of curb on my front lawn. As often happens, walking past them for some weeks and months, they began to call to me... They even assembled themselves in my dreams. The result was my own version of a "Ready-Made" named "Peter".

Thing was, I had nowhere for Peter to "Hole-Up" so to speak. Then Larry asked me for a sculpture for his walking path in the woods...

"Peter" in the Wood.

"Peter" is held together by gravity alone.
...and so can be posed...

...and played with...

...But "Deut" would rather play with sticks...

Sticks are boring!

I'd rather play with rocks!



obeedúid~
17/mar/09

...back to My Great Aunt

The Letters and Post Cards of my Great Aunt Anne (sometimes spelled: Anna) Jane Gilmour contain a number of romances. She was the only one who never married. Some romances were tragic. Some requited. Some torrid! Some with underlining mystery and confusion between the lines...

Anne Jane Gilmour

Anyway, the following poem was originally inspired by some of them while I was simultaneously reading "Twenty Years A-Growing."

Some of you have seen this poem, some have not. It was well received so I am posting here with its connecting impetus.

The Posts Cards are in the first person so this poem is as well. This is my own imaginings of what was going on and not at all to do with what may or may not have happened.

After gathering in sheets:

I search for you

in every woman's face

It is well I remember

ever you went along

I look for you

in every woman's eye

~

It is a long while ago,

when you would be

set down at your ease finally

gathering yourself to rest

With another glance,

you spat into the wind

~

I left that day

the scent of linen behind

looking for the twitch of your eye

the henna in your hair

It was true for me then

Putting no lie on it.

obeedúid~

19/mar/09

I know, I know, latley I've had the "Gift of the Gab"...

Someone mentioned that I should "Twitter". But I can't go there. Thats TOO connected. No time for everything else I'm into... ;)

Someone even sent me an E-mail that said "STOP SENDING ME THIS BS! TAKE ME OFF YOUR LIST!"

(done.) It was that easy... I didn't even know who they were or how they got there in the first place... :O

All you have to do is ask.

Everyone says I should put up a Myspace or Facebook page but I can't go there either. Too much like "High School" ("You be my Friend ...I'll be yours... Why can't I be your Friend? My feelings are hurt... too bad... I don't like you thats why... AHHHH! ...I'm not that person and I never will be!)

(THANK GOD!!!)

I've been taking advantage of the scheduling feature in blogger so I am actually way ahead of myself....

Believe me, the dry spot will come. Prolific is very often sporadic.

Please, bear with me.

I'll shut up soon.

Honest I will.

obeedúid~
18/mar/09

Embossed Saint Padriac's Day Treats! ...from my Great Aunt Anne Gilmour's Post Card Collection.

I'm sure I mentioned before that my Great Aunt Anne Gilmour had a tremendous Post Collection that I some day plan to turn into a dedicated blog.

While I was at Mom's on Sunday I was glancing through them. They run from 1904 through 1918 and are contained in 3 large binders.

Some are to her, some are not. Some are to other family members. Some are LOVE letters and some are pathetic why haven't you written thingies too....

These three are in keeping with the theme of the day! One of these was post marked on March 17th, 1910 @ 10:30am. 99 years ago to the minute!

The messages on them are short and I think easily decipherable. In context I will only add that "George" was one of her many beaux when she was working as a Telegraphist for Western Electric .

Happy Saint Padriac's Day!!!

obeedúid~
17/mar/09

...Ireland OP-EDucating myself...

On the Eve of Saint Padriac's Day it was with some trepidation that I read the New York Times article today about the recent shooting of a Police Officer and two Soldiers in a predominantly Catholic neighborhood of Lurgan, about 25 miles southwest of Belfast. ("the groups that claim to have carried out the killings — the Real I.R.A. in the soldiers’ case and the Continuity I.R.A. in the police officer’s —[are described as:] “small, marginalized, disenfranchised and well-infiltrated groups.)

I was however heartened by the courageous statement from Martian McGuinness (once a senior commander in the I.R.A.) and then I also read the Op-Ed article Ireland's Tough Peace.

(YEAH!) ...Are the Troubles coming back “No, no they’re not.”

~

I was almost ready to Jump for Joy when I read in the article "Irish Premier's U.S. Trip Has Dark Tone" that Prime Minister Brian Cowen of Ireland said he might ease naturalization by allowing Americans whose nearest Irish ancestor is a great-grandparent to qualify for citizenship.

Then I realized that the one chance I had was also one Great too many... :(

I may do the legwork and paperwork for my Mom if it ever happens though!!! ;)

~

Expecting Bad News, getting Good News!

Makes Padriac's Day HAPPY!

obeedúid~
16/mar/09