Paul Winter at St. John the Divine

Listening to the brilliant Paul Winter as he leads the annual celebration of the winter solstice at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine in New York City. Click on the heading to follow the link to hear his soprano saxophone call to the sun on the longest night of the year. I think this is where I want to be next December.

Twas in the moon of wintertime

Click on Twas in the Moon of Wintertime
scroll down to the Nylons Huron Carol Audio Clip: Magical!

First Light at Sainte-Marie

Restored 17th century French settlement in Midland Ontario.
Posted at the threshold of winter on December 20, 2007

National Park Ornaments

North Cascades National Park

Click on the heading National Park Ornaments, then Holiday in the National Parks Ornaments Slideshow. All the ornaments for the White House Christmas Tree in the Blue Room, each one representing a National Park or Historic Site. Which one is your favorite? Watch them all.

Merry Christmas!

Wedding in the Family

Nicholas and Andrea Weber. Married November 24, 2007



With sister Pam. She, Emma and I had breakfast at the Rockford Steak and Shake!





young love

Sean and Aimee came from Seattle

Our good friends the Elisseous shared the day with us. What a special moment!

My Sandwalk

How's Your Feng Shui?

Use plants to deflect "bad vibes" from the street.


my strawberry pot



animal images are a must near the front door.






Place a turtle near your entrance.
Turtles symbolize protection in China and will safeguard your home and property!

Amazon.co.uk : Music Sampler

Amazon.co.uk : Music Sampler The Lamb and Tyger Tyger

William Blake

I've just finished reading Burning Bright by Tracy Chevalier. It takes place in London in the years at the beginning of the French Revolution (1789+) when William Blake defied the English monarchy and wrote his Songs of Innocence and Songs of Experience.

Here are two poems representing each of the themes.
Click on the music sampler to hear a sample of the songs.

If you click on the main title William Blake you can visit old Lambeth.

SONGS OF INNOCENCE by WILLIAM BLAKE

THE LAMB

Little Lamb, who made thee
Dost thou know who made thee,
Gave thee life, and bid thee feed
By the stream and o'er the mead;
Gave thee clothing of delight,
Softest clothing, wooly, bright;
Gave thee such a tender voice,
Making all the vales rejoice?
Little Lamb, who made thee?
Dost thou know who made thee?

Little Lamb, I'll tell thee;
Little Lamb, I'll tell thee:
He is called by thy name,
For He calls Himself a Lamb
He is meek, and He is mild,
He became a little child.
I a child, and thou a lamb,
We are called by His name.
Little Lamb, God bless thee!
Little Lamb, God bless thee!



Now the innocence of the lamb is replaced by the experience of the tyger

THE TYGER (from Songs Of Experience)

By William Blake

Tyger! Tyger! burning bright
In the forests of the night,
What immortal hand or eye
Could frame thy fearful symmetry?

In what distant deeps or skies
Burnt the fire of thine eyes?
On what wings dare he aspire?
What the hand dare sieze the fire?

And what shoulder, & what art.
Could twist the sinews of thy heart?
And when thy heart began to beat,
What dread hand? & what dread feet?

What the hammer? what the chain?
In what furnace was thy brain?
What the anvil? what dread grasp
Dare its deadly terrors clasp?

When the stars threw down their spears,
And watered heaven with their tears,
Did he smile his work to see?
Did he who made the Lamb make thee?

Tyger! Tyger! burning bright
In the forests of the night,
What immortal hand or eye
Dare frame thy fearful symmetry?

1794

He lived in London near Lambeth Palace, home of the Archbishop of Canterbury on the River Thames.

Mother of three grown children and cool teenager discovers Pink Floyd

It all started one day in the car when Emma was listening to the radio, and THE SONG came on. What is that? Turns out it was the beginning of Shine On You Crazy Diamond. I was hooked. I now own my own CD and have found David Gilmour. I have the DVD of his performance at Prince Albert Hall Remember That Night. Click on the title Mother of three..... above for a preview.

Thank you, David. Shine On.

The Longest Walk

In recent weeks I have been listening to the audiobook The Diana Chronicles by Tina Brown. That, along with the many photos, stories and the memorial service, brings Diana close. This image stays with me as the most heartbreaking: Prince Charles, Prince Harry, Charles 9th Earl Spencer, Prince William and Prince Philip walking in the funeral cortege.

NPR Audio Player

NPR Audio Player

Performance Today, August 31, 2005 · In 1993, British composer John Tavener wrote the devotional choral work "Song for Athene" to memorialize the premature death of a friend. That music was performed at the funeral of Diana, Princess of Wales. We hear Tavener's music sung by the men's ensemble Chanticleer at a concert in Portland, Ore.

YouTube - Princess Diana's Funeral Part 20: Song for Athene

YouTube - Princess Diana's Funeral Part 20: Song for Athene

Slideshow of pictures, photos, and videos, from webshots

Slideshow of pictures, photos, and videos, from webshots

this amazing slideshow is only one of twenty-four albums available on Princess Diana at the same website.

Give rest O Lord to your handmaid, who has fallen asleep

John Tavener: Song for Athene

Alleluia. May flights of angels sing thee to thy rest.
Remember me O lord, when you come into your kingdom.
Give rest O Lord to your handmaid, who has fallen asleep.
The choir of saints have found the well-spring of life, and door of paradise.
Life: a shadow and a dream.
Weeping at the grave creates the song:
Alleluia. Come, enjoy rewards and crowns I have prepared for you.

Walk With Me

This is my secret place to go and think and talk to myself. Though it is in a very public area it is off the beaten path. Only once did I find someone there: a cyclist resting and enjoying the view. Boy, was I surprised. I think I will find out about the man in whose memory the spot is dedicated. I do spend a lot of time with him~!

Meet David the Gnome

Maggie gave me this delightful fellow for Christmas. David has enjoyed spending the summer outdoors and lends a certain je ne sais quoi to the patio. His sign reads Gnome Sweet Gnome.





At times people are startled to see him peeking in the window. It's just his way of checking in!

Sunday Afternoon at the Art Institute

Our favorite stop: the giftshop!

Lorenzo meet Jeff








A rainy day and what better way to spend it than roaming through the galleries? Maggie and I headed for the photography exhibit of Jeff Wall. His works are large back lit panels that have to be experienced in person.

I wandered upstairs to view the Gates of Paradise. Exquisite, old, refined, Biblical. Three panels from Florence. Meet Lorenzo Ghiberti.

click on the heading Sunday Afternoon at the Art Institute to enter the exhibit

Hot off the presses!

Aimée and Sean

Meet Jolie

My friend Heather who works at the library with me brought Jolie and her new pet pug George as a surprise. We have now joined the world of Webkinz! Heather and I decided we needed to find out what all the excitement is about, and with the help of some young patrons, we are now ready to play, spend, and talk to our friends. Jolie travels everywhere with me. I think she will be a huge hit at school.

Darwin

Darwin: VISIT THE EXHIBIT (click on the heading Darwin)

Birds' eggs and sea shells, beetles and coins, moths and minerals—as a child, Charles Darwin collected all of these and more. Born in 1809 to a wealthy family in rural England, he spent hours watching birds and lying under the dining-room table, reading. He was an indifferent student, though, and school bored him. He despaired of learning Latin and memorizing verse, "for every verse was forgotten in 48 hours." But he never tired of studying the details of the natural world.

Darwin chartered his own course, as geniuses tend to do. His work thrills and inspires. Here was a life lived fully and authentically.

Seattle

Emma and I visited Seattle in June.