Mixed media,

I have been playing with images again. The image below began as a sketchbook drawing. But i could not leave it alone. it simply begged for something. Why not scan it? Why indeed? As Jean-Luc Picard would say, "Make it so!" And I did. But I needed color. What better to add color than Photoshop. I cropped. i cropped. I cropped.

Creativity

Creativity is a favorite subject of mine. What is it and where does it come from? The above video, although humorous, offers an insight into the creative process. It all begins with an idea. But aren't most ideas based on current knowledge? Or, perhaps, there are no original ideas just recycled ones that are revamped and presented in different ways.

Politics

My political adventure is over. In November at the urging of a friend I entered the race for Berkeley County Council representing District 5. I have long thought of going into public service and the time seemed right. The mayor of our fair city was my mentor. after all he's been in office some thirty years and has been re-elected many times. My opponent had been on council eight years. What really piqued my interest were the stories I heard about my prospective opponent. He had threatened fellow council members and had not served his constituents very well if at all. Although I lacked name recognition I thought I would give it a go. I first met with the local GOP chairman to find out about procedures. He was vague but I managed to learn of the proper procedures for entering the race. I took advantage of speaking at every opportunity. Monthly party breakfasts were a staple opportunity. I designed and shopped for printers for promotional literature and signage. All the while soliciting contributions. I got lists of good voters from GOP VoterVault. "Good" voters are those who have voted recently. We, Claudette and I, got volunteers to walk some of the neighborhoods. For our mail-out campaign volunteers placed labels and stamps on our postcards. Claudette made sure we complied with the State Ethics Commission by filing timely reports. We knocked on doors daily from late April until Primary Election Day. Of all the people we saw only six knew who their Councilman was and only two said they would vote for him. All others responded positively. Yet, we lost: 1498 to 800. Go figure! I regret losing. We gave the people a choice and they chose to elect the party favorite. We made a lot of friends and had a lot of fun working our butts off and I can check something else off my "bucket list"!

Music!

I have decided in my 65th year to take up playing the guitar. When I was little, my grandma and I would watch Gene and Roy on the silver screen play their guitars and sing from horseback. I don't plan on doing it from horseback but maybe sittin' around the campfire.

When J-L was here he told me that he could teach me three chords that I could use to play any song. I think it was an over simplification. But he had been readin' and makin' music since he was eight years old. So he might've know a thing or two 'bout music. I dusted off my old Stella, made by Harmony Guitars of Chicago, and decided that I would give it a go. The guy at the guitar shop put new strings on for me and told me that it was a collectible. I bought it in the '60's from a pawn shop and had taken it around the world twice while in the Navy. It's got some battle scars. I pulled out my "Country and Blues Guitar for the Musically Hopeless" book and had at it. With the help of an electronic device, I have learned to tune it (something that has eluded me forty years). Of course I've looked on the Internet for information, songs and such. Some of the most helpful things are the YouTube videos.

I don't want to be the next rock star. I just want to be good enough to accompany my friends as we sing something, NOT Kumbaya. And maybe, just maybe, I could sing something by myself without makin' the hounds howl. Perhaps with the help of Divine providence I could learn to flat-pick one song...