Stuck at the tunnel again

Nothing like commuting in Tidewater to bum you out. I was sitting for thirty-five minutes waiting for a multi-car accident to be cleared. Sometimes it's easier for me to relax and let go, but tonight I had somewhere to be, so the pressure was on. I look forward to the day when I no longer have to make that drive.

OK HW

Location : lat=37.000, lng=-76.312

Image for 6-12-11 - Stormy Pattern

Lately, we have been experiencing some amazingly severe storms. They can pop-up on short notice and dump a huge amount of rain and whip up a fierce wind. We need the rain, but not the heavy action. With all the tornados and floods going on across the country, it feels like mother nature has got an attitude problem. The storms do make for some dramatic skies.

OK HW

Image for 6-11-11 - Neighborhood Parade

On my hike today, I stumbled upon the Civic League's annual parade and picnic. It wasn't very long, but it looked like a lot of fun. I had forgotten completely about it, so it was a fun surprise to come around the corner and run into festivities. Maybe next year, I'll have to enter my own float. Hmmm....

OK HW

Image for 6-10-11 - 21st Century Haunted House

Remember when you were a kid, there was always one old derelict house in the neighborhood that everyone just knew was haunted. Well I don't know if this place is haunted, but it sure is derelict. It was born that way, abandoned midway in construction about a year and a half ago for unknown reasons, though I did hear a rumor that it wasn't properly constructed and water got in. As these stories often go, the building contractor went bankrupt and the owner has been in limbo. Now the teenagers and bums break in from time-to-time and someone comes around and fixes the big, plywood door and puts a bigger lock on it. Too bad it wasn't completed as it's an interesting design compared to the usual bland crap that is thrown up in Virginia Beach. It is a ghost of sorts, a constant haunting reminder of the shitty economy (as if we need another one). It would make a cool super villain's lair. Dah

OK HW

Image for 6-8-11 - Colin

This is my friend Colin Martin. We've been friends ever since we met at a Dr. Madblood (local TV horror movie host) mini-convention in the summer of 1978. We were young, geeky teenagers then, now we're geeky, middle-aged guys marveling at the speed of time and life. Colin and I have been through a lot; were roommates for a time; spent an action-packed month riding buses across Mexico back in the late 1980s; have made a few short movies together; have spilled our share of wine. We drifted apart for awhile as adults, but now are reconnected. It's good to have old friends in your life that have witnessed a huge arc of your history, and you theirs. Share the memories of late night horror movies and junk food and a million laughs. I'm lucky with Colin though, because there's much more that binds us together then just nostalgia. There's a lot left to our conversation and we got more good times to come. To the future!

OK HW

Image for 6-7-11 - A New Tradition

Hello and welcome to my blog. Do you like to read "the words" and look at what we call "the pictures"? Then you, my friend, have clicked on the right link.

Sorry, lost my mind for a second. Actually, decided to start a new tradition of posting a self-portrait on my birthday, which is today, so here it is. Yes, I have a large, some say, giant head. I live with it and so should you.

OK HW

Image for 6-6-11 - The Trunk

On the commute home, I found myself behind an antique car, a lovely old thing, obviously well-loved by it's owner. I focused in on the big, black trunk hanging off the back of the car and experienced a mini-epiphany. Trunk! A car trunk was at one time an actual trunk! Wow. What can I say. I'm easily amused.

OK HW

Image for 6-4-11 - Carving Finished!

I have finished carving my first wood sculpture! Hooray! I still need to stain him, so he's not quite one hundred percent done. For a first effort I'm pleased with how it came out. Just a little fish, no big whoop, but I enjoyed the process. It was good to get the hands moving again. Certainly is my most natural state to be creating something. I'm not going to speculate on what's next or make any big plans, just want to keep making things and having fun for now.

OK HW

Image for June 3, 2011 - Friday Drive Home

I was very glad that today was Friday. Not that anything particularly bad happened this week. I was just ready to be free for a couple of days. June third is a good day, if only because it is the birthday of my niece Windy and two good friends, Neil Bruce and Bernadette Kinlaw. I have lots of friends and family with birthdays this month. Makes me wonder what was so special about nine months ago. This image was just a random shot I took by laying my camera on the dashboard and shooting straight up. No mind, floating, randomness. Good way to start the weekend.

OK HW

Image for June 2, 2011 -"The Tunnel" Movie

Recently I invested in the making of an Australian horror film called "The Tunnel". The producers came up with an innovative way to finance the film, they sold (and are still selling) frames from the finished film for one dollar each to the tune of 135,000 frames. I bought twenty-five frames, about one seconds worth. The film premiered a couple of weeks ago and now is available on DVD or as a torrent download (if you download it, support the film and buy some frames). The producers also distributed the frames to everyone who invested, so I downloaded mine and have been enjoying the sneak preview. I've posted some of the more interesting ones here. 

I enhanced this one, to try and figure out what the heck is going on. I see a pant leg and a shoe moving to the right.

This looks like a skull embedded in a rock or mud wall. I can't wait to see this movie.

OK HW

Image for June 1, 2011 - Unexpected Visitor

Guess who almost came for dinner? This little guy wandered around from behind the shed while I was manning the grill tonight. My first thought was RABIDS! But Janet had read that at this time of the year, the raccoons are out and about more forging and getting into trouble. This critter kept his distance, but did not appear afraid, which scared the crap out of me. Maybe people have been feeding him and he's lost his fear of humans. I could tell he was hungry and I had to fight the urge to feed him. When it comes to animals, I am a soft touch. He he stays around I might have to name him or call animal control.

OK HW

Image for May 29, 2011 - Magnificent Model Airplane

I love models and miniatures. Yesterday, while out for a seven mile walk, I came across this exquisite larger scale (it's a about three feet from wingtip-to-wingtip) World War II fighter plane. I believe (without any googling) it may be a Corsair, but I'm glad to be corrected if someone out there knows better then me. I am guessing that this is a RC plane, probably gas powered. I used to build models when I was a kid. I put together everything from airplanes and tanks to those fantastic Aurora movie monster kits. Building model kits was early training for many of the skills I have developed into a career; painting, problem-solving, thinking in three-dimensional space, attention to detail. Stumbling upon this plane was a lovely surprise.

OK HW

Image for May 28, 2011 - Bob and his Tiki

Was hiking through my neighborhood today and came across Bob the woodcarver guy working on the big Tiki that I have posted about before. He's a good guy, passionate about his work and encouraging to me to join him in the splintery realm. I told him of my first attempt at woodcarving, the little fish and will bring it by and show it off to him soon. It is almost finished. He's made a lot of progress on the big Tiki since I last posted in here about it. One day I'll be standing next to my own giant Tiki.

OK HW

Image for 5-27-2011 - Sticky Fish Sketch

Here's a quick doodle I did of the fish I have been doing as a woodcarving.

OK HW