NEW CHIROPRACTIC-HANDS OFF

Dear Friends, my normal activities have been drastically hampered by my inability to climb stairs, walk any distance without pain, and carry any weight, etc.  My first visit to a chiropractor was while I was on the road in Ashland, Kentucky. I’ve had steady treatments since returning to Murphys. For those familiar with chiropractic treatments, it is muscular, hands on  manipulation of the skeletal structure.

Meet Dr. John Souza of Soulsbyville, CA. who is a hands-off practitioner of chiropractic and a trainer using a SpineForce 3-D Rehabilitation machine developed through the Space Program.  But, first, the hands-off. He uses a Mach Gun to shoot my spine and loosen  any mis-alignments.

Then he seats me next to a machine called a Pro-Adjuster. The prongs vibrate 12-15 times per second and record each vertebrae in graph form.

It shows my spine is out of alignment in in the left window. Each bone is registered. (click to enlarge pictures if you like.)

After applying the adjuster to each out-of-line vertebrate, it was visible on the screen. Now the look more like a string of pearls. The Red T1 shows a vertebrae that would not move.

Dr. Souza uses a different tip of the prong for my neck and base of the skull. The device did not take away the pain from my neck. He realized it was coming from my jaw and he tested my jaw and applied pressure to it. I’ll have another treatment on Friday.

Then he worked on both hips.  Not only is the adjuster more affective, but it is faster as well.

Then he introduced me to the SpineForce 3D training machine. It was very hard for me. He explained that there is a learning curve.

You have to co-ordinate pulling with one hand, pushing with the other in a balanced way with feedback from the machine recording your efforts. The brain has to be engaged. I had to bend my knees slightly but he kept the platform still for this first experience.

It is kind of like patting your tummy and rubbing your head in a circular motion like we did when we were kids.  The red lights show uneven results. The right hand push gave me lights in the target, but no bulls-eye.

Here the lights show even strength but nowhere near the bulls-eye goal.

And here, for one brief second, I got the green lights in the bulls-eye and equal strength all around. My neighbor, Jan Stewart accompanied me and took the pictures. I don’t know how she managed to get the one photo of that brief second, but she did. The SpineForce 3D three dimensionally targets the 180 deep spinal muscles and is designed to train you to use them in a coordinated way. Work on the trainer strengthens and restores core strength, rehabs back and shoulder injuries and neuromuscular balance disorders such as in MS. The device basically treats 180 muscles at the same time and improves the function of  stabilizing back muscles. Along with spinal adjustments, the trainer can alleviate pain and serve as an anti-aging device. Sounds good to me.

There is a video demonstrating the device on-line if you are interested. You can buy the 2008 model on Ebay for $16,000.00. I think I’ll pass.

FLORENCE GRISWOLD MUSEUM, LYME ACADEMY OF THE ARTS

With Jim’s grand daughter, Jocelyn, I visited the Florence Griswold Museum, a marvelous fine arts exhibit. One room emphasized impressionists, the other with some abstract, mixed media and more contemporary paintings that concentrate local Connecticut artists or themes. But, the star of the show was Florence, pictured above with her harp. Her home was one of the first artists colonies, started by happenstance. Financial woes, in fact. She was left with the care of this lovely estate on twelve acres turned into a boarding house. One of her boarders was Henry Ward Ranger, a fellow who attracted other artist boarders. They formed an amazing arts colony at Lyme.

He painted a door panel in her house. Eventually many doors, panels above the fireplace and every wall in the house was filled with the work of some of the soon to become most prestigious artists of the day.

This lovely piece, for instance, is set on Florence’s porch. Here, you can walk on that very porch, and see the landscape as the artists viewed it in the early 1900’s.

The paintings are wonderful, but the charm of the house, (you can see various furnishings in the paintings) excited me by their warmth and humble comforts.

This sunlit room with a pair of slippers by the fireplace..

…or the just used table, with drawings strewn about…

…a spot to sit and discard your shoes on a warm afternoon.
Florence’s house showed love and comfort. Rooms with niches for a game of checkers  in one corner while someone else was painting by the window and another sat in a chair reading or sewing. None of it would have been possible without Florence’s perseverance and kindly attitude. They drank, sometimes too much. They had deeply philosophical views, they rollicked and played, and worked. She often accepted a painting in payment for board. She picked the flowers and cooked the meals. She enjoyed them and they flourished under her care, while she struggled to keep the place financially afloat. She died in 1937 and there were four mortgages on the place. The artists pooled resources and bought Florence’s home-lucky for us.

The grounds have this huge “ramble” called stickworks produced by Patrick Daughtery. The gardens are lovely, filled with vegetables, herbs and flowers as Florence would have done. Other buildings are open to explore. Treat yourself to a great day and visit this delightful place. For more info:
http://www.flogris.org/thestory/missflorence.html

Since the Lyme Academy of Arts was just a few blocks distant, we decided to visit there, as well. Instead of one gallery, we found a newly accredited college (since l996) with an alumni gallery, student galleries, which are constantly changing, and collected works of some former students.  Almost the first picture I took was this teasing painting of a surreptitious photographer.

“Clean,” claimed our hostess Joanna Donaghue. Staff sort of takes a firehouse approach to the studios in summer since the student studios are like a personal bedroom. They can decorate any way they like. Some wall paper, others just splatter their walls. All are individual. One sculptor, Brittany Shelton was still working during the summer. Her comment as she allowed us in: “Thank goodness, I just cleaned.”

In a whirlwind of delightful, informative chatter, Joanna moved us through this wonderful academy and gave us a basic rundown then left us to wander by ourselves.

The academy’s strength is its live figure teaching, sculpting and painting. Students learn every bone and muscle in the human body then expand from there. Joanna bought this piece from a former student and it hangs in her office. (You can tell I lost my notes. Don’t have the artist’s name.)

This piece is from the alumni gallery.

These are large line drawings, full human sized student pieces. All students have to do an assignment like this.

A student work on a head, and an ear. Also typical assignments.

Then, at some point, when you paint, a person actually looks like it moves the way a body really moves. This piece was from the student gallery.

There were many great work spaces here, conference rooms, media rooms, welding shop, sculpting and painting areas. They learn how to apply patinas. For anyone desiring a top rate education in the figure, this is the place to be. For more photos:
http://picasaweb.google.com/1579penn/81010FlorenceGriswoldLymeAcademyOfArts