We met at a cocktail party that I didn’t want to go to. He told me about leaving home at fourteen, being in South Africa where he was a lifeguard, meeting twin girls in polka dot bikinis and waiting on tables in New York. (The Mafia and Marlene Dietrich came in for breakfast at 4 AM.) He drove me home in his British racing green Austin Healey. We ran out of gas on the Bay Bridge. As we walked across the bridge he said, “Stick with me kid and you’ll never be bored.”
Last weekend I finished an Artist Book about the mute swans in Windsor, England. A couple of years ago when I was visiting our daughter in England my grand daughter and I went down to the river Thames with a handful of folded Rives paper ; Earlier I had used water color to create a background for our line drawings. We spent the morning sketching the swans. The book is finished now with some stamped text. I’ve added a swan from my other grand daughter’s barbie collection. I plan to enter The Queen’s Swans in Book Works 2008, Pacific Center for Book Arts Triennial Members’ Exhibition.
I took a couple of courses from BetterPhoto.com while I was away from my studio. It was fun. People from different parts of the United States and from other countries were in my classes. Each week we would get an assignment. We’d work on it for a week, submit it and then get an online critique from our teacher. Besides getting feedback from our teacher we learned from each other. Some of my photos are there. Try googling http://www.betterphoto.com/gallery/gallery.asp?mem=275274
Feeling soft mud under my feet
I took this picture of the fountain.
The sprinklers were on.
The Sprinklers are on
I hear Pan playing his music.
Since I wake up to the early morning sounds of the wind machines I have time to look around the internet. Here’s what I found on frost protection.
Orchard heaters have been used for centuries to protect orchards. Most heaters are designed to burn oil and can be placed as freestanding units or supplied by a pipeline network throughout the orchard. Propane, liquid petroleum and natural gas have also been used as fuels. The initial cost is generally lower than for other systems, but the cost of the fuel makes this system the most expensive in terms of operating cost.
Wind Machines:
Wind machines can be effective during a radiation frost. Their purpose is to circulate warmer air down to orchard level. A single wind machine can protect up to 10 acres. A typical wind machine is a large fan about 16 feet in diameter mounted on a 30 foot steel tower. The fan is typically powered by an industrial engine delivering 85 to 100 horsepower. Helicopters have been used as wind machines. They hover in one spot until the temperature increases, then they move to the next area. Repeated visits to the same area are usually necessary during a typical frost.
Sprinkler Irrigation:
Overhead irrigation is probably the most commonly used means of frost/freeze protection in the southeastern United States. Heat lost from the plant part to its environment is replaced by heat released as the applied water changes to ice. As long as water is supplied at an adequate rate the temperature of the plant will remain at or near 32° F. Advantages of overhead irrigation include lower operating cost, convenient to operate and multiple uses including drought prevention, heat suppression, fertilizer application and possible limb breakage from heavy ice loads.
I don’t know why the lines are going through the picture. They don’t seem to be going through the dove image. I wonder if somehow the camera picked up the grid of the cage and the colors in the garden.
In September 2007 our destination was the drugstore which was located in Mugabe’s casino in Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe. Passing a huge statue we entered his casino where we saw stores selling American safari clothes, a Pizza Parlor and more places to eat, drink and buy tourist souveniers. The place was empty except for a little school room where the children were singing Christmas carols. We crossed the border into Botswana where we camped in the bush and lived with the animals for a couple of weeks - a very special experience, beautiful. ” HARARE (Reuters) - Zimbabwe’s justice minister lost his seat on Monday and first election results showed the opposition level with President Robert Mugabe’s party, but counting delays fuelled opposition suspicions …..”‘
