Image for September 21, 2011 - Public Service Announcement

I was behind this truck while driving home and had to grab a photo of this gentlemen's message to the world that he has carefully spelled out in little metallic mailbox letters. The message reads:

#1
MESS WITH THE BEST
DIE LIKE THE REST

Now, I am puzzled. Is he "The Best" and if so, wouldn't he have a nicer truck if he were? Perhaps he's a minion for "The Best" and is required to communicate his master's philosophy to us all?

I occasionally see these kind of homespun mini-billboards on the backs of vehicles, usually very old, poorly maintained vans or trucks. The message topics generally are religious, but a few are of the macho variety like this one. They are always on men's vehicles, I have never seen a woman riding around with some odd quip sloppy applied to their ride, so a point for women.

OK HW

500 miles

It was a lovely gray, fall-like day today and I hiked six miles. Those six miles brought me to five hundred miles total so far for the year. My goal is seven hundred miles. Just two hundred miles to go. I'm coming into my favorite season to hike, fall and I look forward to chasing down each and everyone of those miles. I am thinking ahead into the new year and it may be time to go big. There are some dreams that need to be pursued. What else is there?

OK HW

Hill Billy Highway Book Cover Design

My buddy Chad Nance of Weird Load Nation fame has a book coming out soon called "Hill Billy Highway". It's a Thompsonesque (as in Hunter S.) take on the South and politics and wild living. Chad approached me a couple of months ago to come up with some cover designs for him. I was glad to give it a try, been a while since I have had a fun design project. This was not my first book cover having done one for my Uncle Gunnard a few years back for his mystery book "The North Shore". Lucky for Chad (and me), I had a wealth of great photos to work from provided by our mutual friend,  Casey Gwinn. Not only is Casey a great photographer, but he was Chad's sidekick and documented many of the adventures described in the tome. Casey also does a blog of his photos called COGfoto check it out. I believe there may also be photos from one or two other folks used in the final design you see pictured, so Casey or Chad, weigh-in with a comment and give credit where it is due. Now, I need to get back to work on my own book...

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UPDATE - Just confirmed, "Hill Billy Highway" will be released October 1, 2011!

Image for September 14, 2011 - Save the Turtles!

I've been having lots of wildlife encounters lately, maybe it's the time of year or maybe it's because I'm always on the lookout. In this case, I came across this tiny, baby snapping turtle in the middle of a sidewalk, nowhere near water or the woods. He was a sweet little guy, didn't move much. I couldn't tell if he was playing dead or was really not feeling well. I do know that I wasn't going to leave him on the sidewalk where he'd likely get stepped on, so I mounted a rescue effort and drove him to a nearby marsh and put him by the water. I tried to give him a fighting chance at life.

Now, let me tell you the story about the time I found a baby snake in my kitchen...

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Image for September 12, 2011 - Bigfoot's on the Loose!

Was out the other day and came across this suspicious footprint. Just for reference, that is my foot for comparison and I wear a size eleven. My god, whatever left that track must be HUGE!

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Image for September 6, 2011 - The Last Picture Show

Tonight I was out doing a little shopping and went by Pembroke Mall in Virginia Beach and saw a demolition crew working hard on the back corner of the complex taking down the former Regal Cinema Eight movie theaters. There is another Regal cinema right across the street that gets all the first run films and blockbusters. The old Pembroke theaters would get the big movies after they had been out for a month and the crap horror movies and "urban" comedies and weird stuff that might play one week before disappearing.  I have no sentimental attachment to that particular movie house, it was just another charmless, corporate box, but I did see a lot of movies there. The most memorable was probably "28 Days Later", not so much because of the film itself (though it is a great film), but because some moron in the audience took a cell phone call in the middle of the movie and answered in a normal, full voiced volume that instantly drew the ire of the crowd, myself included. The clueless person kept talking, now defiant and the crowd piled on, with yells of "SHUT UP!" and "TAKE IT OUTSIDE!". The lady (I use the term loosely) finally finished her call and shouted back, "Y'all need to be shutting up!", prompting one more round of verbal abuse from the mob, before everyone quieted down and we all settled back into Danny Boyle's savage zombie epoch.

Here's an incomplete list of movies I saw at the now gone Regal Pembroke Eight:

• 28 Days Later
• Solaris
• Predators
• Inglorious Basterds
• The Mist

There were many more, but that's all that comes to mind right now.

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Image for August 31, 2011 - Don't Tread on Me

While securing the yard before the hurricane, I found this snake coiled up underneath one of the clay pots. It was small, about as big around as my little finger. It was so still when I first noticed it, that I thought it might be dead. Then I noticed what I thought were eggs around it and considered that maybe it was a momma sitting in her nest. With Irene approaching, I decided I couldn't leave this serpent to the elements, so I put another clay pot back over her, making sure to leave a little escape tunnel. Now that I'm looking at the photo and can study this snake in more detail, I got to wonder, is this a rattler? The end of the tale is there was nothing under the pot when I checked later.  No snake, no eggs only new knowledge that I need to be careful where I poke around in my yard.

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Image for August 29, 2011 - The Aftermath

So the sun did come up Sunday morning as the last dregs of Irene drained from the sky to our north. We woke-up to no power (expected) and a yard carpeted in small branches and leaves. I set the grill up so we could make some coffee and breakfast, then we set to the task to return our life back to normal. The air was clean and bright like an Edward Hopper painting and my gal and I were glad to be alive. All things considered, we got damn lucky. We finished our chores and got out on the beach for a long walk. It was the perfect day to walk along the shore. Irene left the beach, packed, flat and wide and it seemed everyone was out enjoying the calm. Came across this pelican dead on the sand. Can only guess that the storm was too much for the old boy and the wind dropped him here. A sad reminder that lives were lost in this storm, five in our area alone. No one I knew took any serious hit, in fact most didn't even lose power (we are still without power as of this morning, but a minor hassle). I'm grateful to be done with last week, a week that brought us an earthquake and hurricane. Here's hoping that September is more peaceful.

zahdah!

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Hurricane Irene - Noon Report from the Front Line!

Here's the second video. I ventured out and across the street. A little lull right now, but lots more weather to come!

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Hurricane Irene - First video update

Here is my first video posting on the storm.

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Image for 8-26-2011 - Hello Irene...

 Here's the current Weather Underground WunderMap of the approaching Hurricane, Irene. It's been a few years since we've had to ride out a storm threat like this. The last couple of big hits have been Nor-easters that can be every bit as bad as a hurricane. We are staying in our beach house across the street from the Chesapeake Bay. If the storm were a strong three or higher, we would be hightailing it to the mountains. As it is, we'll ride this one out; have all the supplies and are ready for whatever Irene can throw at us. I took a couple of "before the storm" photos of the beach and the houses across the street that will take the full fury of the storm. I'll get the "after" photos Sunday and post'em. We are all hoping for a few down branches to clean up on Sunday and a brief power outage, but know that it'll probably be worse then that. To any of my friends in the path of this monster, be safe, no surfing, stay away from the windows and keep that supply of SPAM and liquor handy (same plan as the zombie apocalypse). I'll check-in after the storm has moved on.

All the best!

OK HW

Happy Birthday Bukowski

Hank would have been 91 today. It's amazing he lasted as long as he did considering how hard he tried to end sooner. I stumbled on Bukowski through a great article about him in Film Comment magazine when "Barfly" was coming out and it made me curious enough to get one of his books, "Burning in Water, Drowning in Flame" and it branded my vision. The older I get, the more I understand what he laid down. There is a directness and truth to his writing that never fails to pierce my soul and help burn the bullshit away. Here's a little taste of Hank reading "dinosauria, we". Reminds me of Leonard Cohen's "The Future". Get a good jar of the red, close your eyes and listen to this:



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Images for August 15, 2011 - Bring Out the Gimp

Here's another sculpture I did many years ago. He was one of a series of little busts that I sketched up in Sculpey, a polymer clay. I usually painted them with acrylic paints, but this one was never painted. I recently was surfing up what other artist are doing with Sculpey and found a whole group doing some fantastic sci-fi and fantasy genre stuff. One of my favorites are The Shiflett Brothers. Their work continues the same epic sense of adventure and power that painters like Frank Frazetta and Boris Vallejo are so well-known for. Looking at their work and going back and reexamining my own from back-in-the-day, is making me a little itchy to push some clay around again...

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Images for August 14, 2011 - African Mask Drawing

Got a little drawing done today. I have to get my skills sharpen in anticipation for the Monster Drawing Rally in Richmond at the 1708 Gallery later this month.

This is a "Gabun, Bakota figure" that I drew from an old book titled, "Primitive Art: It's Traditions and Styles". I like this piece because it is so abstract and alien. After finishing the drawing I noticed how asymmetrical the main form is of my version  compared to the original and I'm OK with that. The aim of the exercise was not to perfectly replicate the photograph; I may have well just scanned the photo and posted that, instead I wanted to filter it through my hand, brain and heart and see what happened.

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Images for August 10, 2011 - The Amazing Hypno-Man

Stare deep into my eyes...Deeper, DEEPER. Yes, that is better. Your eye lids are growing heavy, heavier, really dang heavy. BAM yo ass should be asleep.

Beware the Amazing Hypno-Man! You never know when he'll strike next!

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Images for August 9, 2011 - The Cement Pond

Today at work I got to participate in a little piece of NASA history. The "Hydro Impact Basin" or HIB the new big pool that's being used for Orion testing, was officially declared open. It was an unpleasantly hot and humid day, but that only encouraged the many visiting dignitaries to keep their speeches brief.

UPDATE: Here's a link to the official NASA Langley article on the event. If you watch the video, you can catch a glimpse of me in the crowd shot right after the ribbon cutting at :35 (I'm kneeling, taking a photo, a little off to the left and wearing a plaid shirt).

Here are a few of my shots from the event:

My pal Rob video-taping the event.
That's the HIB or "cement pond" behind him.

Lining up for the cut are Lesa Roe (LaRC Center Director)
and some politicians including Bobby Scott.

And that's a wrap!

OK HW

The Billy Price Band

Another Saturday night and more live music at The Jewish Mother's new location in the Hilltop area of Virginia Beach. Some friends called and invited us to go with them to see "The Billy Price Band" yesterday. I wasn't familiar with Mr. Price's sound, but I trust my friend's fine taste in good music, plus it was Saturday night, so what the hell. The risk was greatly rewarded by a show that rocked my soul and made me an instant fan. Billy Price's heart-felt blues and R&B grooves were just what I needed after a long week of weirdness and worry at work and in the world. Judging from how the crowd danced and partied through song-after-song, I don't think I was the only one needing their spiritual batteries recharged and Billy Price and his fantastic band definitely carried that load. The Jewish Mother's new Hilltop location (formerly Steppin' Out) has quickly become my favorite place to catch live music because of the fabulous and clear sound quality, the comfortable sitting and great food. Watching Billy Price work the stage and crowd with his old-time preacher-like gestures that were polished yet sincere, made me feel like I had slipped through a time tunnel back to an era of nightclubs and entertainers and new good times, not some snarky, post-modern grasp at authenticity. Unfortunately, I did not have a camera with me to grab my image-of-the-day, so here is a bit of video pulled from YouTube of "Nickel and a Nail", my favorite song from the show last night, though I must say, it was a hard to choose. Enjoy and if you see that "The Billy Price Band" is coming to your part of the world, do yourself a favor and get on down there for some heart-healing blues...

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Image for July 30, 2011 - The Kill Circuit

This is my friend EJ and he's in a great rock band called "The Kill Circuit". They played at the new Jewish Mother in Virginia Beach tonight and they blew the joint right on up. This is the fourth or fifth time that I've seen them and this was their best show by far. The sound was great, the lads were tight and swinging it hard. They get better with every show. Check'em out sometime.

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Image for July 29, 2011 - Little Gifts

Sometimes the universe gives us little gifts. Today's gift for me was having a rather large dragonfly land on a fence, two feet from me. He (I always think of dragonflies as "He's") hung out for a few minutes and let me snap some photos with my phone camera. I got to commune with him and study his beautiful coloring and intricate, exquisite head. Fly on brother dragonfly!

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Image for July 27, 2011 - Ekpo Mask Drawing

Been too long since I spilled some ink in the little sketchbook. This was drawn out of a book of African Masks. This mask was too crazy to ignore; reminded me of Bootsy Collins. It is a tiny drawing, less then two inches high. It felt good to make some art, no matter how small.

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Image for July 26, 2011 - Pink Cadillac

I actually took this Sunday, not today, but it's too good not to share. I spent part of that day rolling around in fine retro style in the back of this limping pimp wagon on a tour of Virginia's wine country. It was all to celebrate a friend's 40th birthday (who's name will remain a secret in case he wants to pass younger). There were six of us crammed into the well-worn cabin of this relic from a Barry White fever dream. There was a bar and phone and even a cassette deck in the back there! All was great until the brake light came on and the tour company thought better then to risk a limo full of paying customers on the mountain roads, and sent out a replacement mini-van. It was fun while it lasted.

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Thai-Mex in the Mountains of Virginia

I shot this weird little shrine in a Thai-Mex Restaurant in the mountains of Virginia off 151. Was just in for a quick beer while waiting for some carry-out pizza. The menu in this place was intriguing with smells from the kitchen to match. Next time...

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I Can't Wait for October 16th

I really enjoyed the first season of "Walking Dead" last year. Today, thanks' to the San Diego Comic-Con, AMC released the first trailer for season two. Looks fantastic and nothing like the comic book it was based on. Enjoy, OK HW

Image for July 21, 2011 - Orion Splash Down!

Today I got to exercise one of the very cool fringe benefits of my job. I got to witness first hand a splash test of the next generation space vehicle, the Orion. It looks very similar to the Apollo capsule and would have a water landing, so today they were testing that aspect of the design. It was stupid hot out by the Gantry where they drop stuff to see what happens and the test was a bit late, but well worth the wait. I missed the moment of impact, so have included a shot that the Langley Office of Public Affairs posted on Twitter of the splash. Here's my shots.

Courtesy of NASA Langley OPA

Image for July 20, 2011 - What the Hell is it?

I don't know, but whatever it is, it appeared overnight after a heavy rain. My guess is it's some kinda mushroom, but let's have some fun and pretend that it's an invading alien of some kind. Not a silver disk full of classic big-headed greys, or some giant senseless freak crashing about or legions of murderous robots, just some weird, simple thing that appears one day and just starts to grow and cover everything. Hmmmm.....

OK HW

Image for July 18, 2011 - Dirty Mini-Van Star Wars

I have started to leave my camera out for my commute to and from work so I can capture the random weirdness that I see so often. It's yielded a few gems and I have missed even more, but today I hit the jackpot. Two key moments from "Star Wars: A New Hope" drawn into the dirt on the back window of a mini-van. On the left there is a light saber duo; hard to tell if it's Darth and Obi-Wan, but I think it could be. The figure on the left clearly has a larger head, hence Darth's helmet. On the right side of the glass is the rebel run on the Death Star. I am amazed that such simple drawings can conjure up such a huge chunk of pop culture. It was nice to see someone do something different with a dirty vehicle window then the usual "Wash Me!" and a smiley face.

OK HW

Image for July 17, 2011 - Portable God

I rarely see open displays of religion, christian or otherwise,  on dashboards these days, so was blown away when I stumbled across this magnificent shrine beautifully installed in a mini-van in the parking lot of a convenience store in Hampton, Va. I'm not sure which deity this is intended for, maybe Hindu god? I love the mystery and ornate quality of this piece. And what's in the bag?

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Image for 7-16-11 - Now & Zen

Lorraine & Janet

My wife is exhibiting some of her large scale multimedia drawings at The ODU Baron and Ellin Gordon Art Gallery in joint show with her  friend, Lorraine Fink called "Now & Zen". The opening was last night and the crowd was large and enthusiastic. It was wonderful to see so many old friends and also meet a some new ones. The Baron and Ellin Art Gallery is a splendid setting for viewing art and showcased this show's over-sized paintings and drawings perfectly. If you missed the opening last night, but still would like to see the art, no worries as it's on through September fourth.  Do yourself a favor and get some culture.

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Image for 7-15-11 - Playing Hooky

Sometimes you just gotta break out of the routine and reclaim your life. I took the day off from work today. It was necessary to recharge the batteries. I decided to devote some of the day to reconnecting with my creative life. I've been feeling guilty about not working on my book project to collect my old underground comic, so today was the day to get back on track. I also finished my first wood carving, the fish I posted about not long ago. All he lacked was a sealing coat of polyurethane. Good night my son.

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Goodbye Atlantis - July 8, 2011

I watched the Shuttle launch for the last time today. It was a flawless launch, though there was a brief delay at the :31 second mark for one last bit of reflection. I work at NASA Langley, so this milestone means a lot to me. I've always been a fan of the space program and it's been a true honor to get to work with the people who make the Shuttle possible. To share this historic moment with my such a good group of people is an honor. There are two theaters here on center and the main viewing event was set-up at the Pearl Young Theater, I opted for the back-up location as it is across the street from my office and it was also not as packed. There was no cheering when the spacecraft cleared the launch pad, we all have learned the hard way to wait a bit now until that brilliant sliver of light reaches high enough to be safely in orbit. It was a somber, sad affair for the people watching in the room many of whom have spent their entire career working on the Shuttle. The USA will officially have no way to put humans into space after this mission. NASA's limited budget ($19 Billion this year, less then one sixteenth of one percent of the overall budget, less then two months worth of what we spend just on the Afghanistan war) forces the choice between maintaining a fleet of low orbit vehicles like the Shuttle or going for deep space goals like the Moon, Mars and beyond. They are choosing the later leaving the low orbit work to the private sector and Elon Musk's Space X Falcon System which is scheduled to have it's first manned launch in 2014. That seems like a long way off. Godspeed Atlantis!

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Image for 7-6-11 - The Speed of Life

Time is going by too fast for me right now. Once we get past the Fourth of July, it feels like a quick jump from Labor Day to Halloween and Christmas. I've been spending a lot of time on the road lately between the trips to Mississippi and Nags Head, not to mention my daily commute to work of fifty-four miles (roundtrip). Life becomes a blur at times, my own version of "Groundhog Day", wake-up-work-home-sleep-repeat. All we can do is make the time we have count for something.

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Image for 7-4-11 - Happy Birthday America!

I spent the weekend down in Nags Head, NC with friends. It was a classic Fourth of July weekend; hot, hazy and lazy. The beach was covered in tourist. The pelicans glided through the hot air. Occasionally, a pod of dolphins cut through the waves. We ate, we drank and we napped. It was a fine time. Unfortunately, we had to drive back today,  so no fireworks at the beach, which was a slight drag. Any hope to catch some here at home was dampened by a heavy storm front. Happy 235th Birthday America.

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