RECYCLING

I’m an avid recycler and I tend to think of it as a human activity. But, hey, this smart bird proved me wrong.  Pretty clever. In years past when I was regularly quilting, I threw a handful of thread ends into my compost, and from there, birds decorated their nests with little blue and orange and red splotches of color among their nesting material. I guess we could call that a “decorator” nest.

I copped the picture from the internet and it had no accreditation for the photo.

I have some favorite pictures I’ve taken over the years and this bird is one of them.   Click on it to enlarge it. I saw it on the side of the road in Palm Springs, California and stepped out, and quickly shot it and was stunned when I saw the results. I keep telling myself I’m going to have it developed and put on cards. But, first I have to find out what kind of bird it is. I think it is a dove or pigeon and I don’t know the difference between a dove and a pigeon.  One of these days I’ll take the time to look it up.

I’m still buried in paperwork, and revamping my office since getting my photo books, genealogy and other documents back since the fire.

 

A MAN AHEAD OF HIS TIME

From my computer I got this story of a man ahead of his time.

Freddy Heineken, like Henry J Kaiser,  was  ahead of his time. (Remember the Henry J?) He decided to make a bottle for his beer that could be recycled into a brick. Notice the neck fits into a dimple in the bottom of the bottle, a perfect fit like a brick.

There were buildings made with Heineken beer bottles, but not the wave that Freddy envisioned.

Freddy thought a square bottle would be more desirable and easier to build with.

He also designed a cube, to help the building process by smoothing corners and giving some variance to length. But, in the end, people just didn’t like square bottles. A round bottle fits the hand better. And, that is the end of the story. Don’t I wish I had a couple of those bottles for my decorative bottle fence?

Henry J’s failed to attract buyers and were sold off quickly. My father bought a second-hand one and we were teased by neighbor kids about our weird car, most likely imitating their parents talk at the dinner table.

Recycling has reached new heights and if Freddy is still around, I hope he knows he was a man ahead of his time.

I received an email about creative recycling and I could really put this to work in my yard.

I wouldn’t mind an herb garden reachable from my kitchen window.

I’ve used plastic bottles for a number of projects, but these are better ideas than mine.

This is a great way to use an old shoe,  but I would worry about a predator bird getting to these vulnerable babies where I live.

I’d prefer to use old shoes for plants. I have several candidates in my garage.

With a long, squirrel proof wire, this would work very well, if hung far enough from the ground with no access from a table or other device.  I got my first crop of crab grass from the scattered seed on the ground. Now you can buy bird seed without noxious weed seed.

After yesterdays pouring rain and chill, we are expecting 86 degree weather today. We are in Allentown, PA. where Jim once lived many years ago. We’ll go to a huge fine arts  museum so I can get my art fix.

Clarksville, Tennessee – Day 2

The motorhome is still parked at VFW Post #4895. Heavy rains are forecast for today so we are now planning to depart tomorrow.

Yesterday I spent part of the morning researching our future possible routes and things to see and do as we continue our travels towards New England. Then I took Mary to the recycle center so she coud continue saving the earth. On the way back to the motorhome we stopped at a used bookstore and found they were having a going-out-of-business sale. I bought 23 books for $.50 each. Such a deal!

In the afternoon Mary had a professional massage and says she had a good night’s sleep and is feeling somewhat better this morning. She and I continue to deal with aches and pains from the May 27th accident of last year.

After her massage we went to the Custom House Museum and Cultural Center. Here are some of the photos that I took…

As always you may left click upon an image to see an enlarged view and then click once again to see an even larger view…

Enjoying interesting places and museums is another joy in the life of a full-time RVer!

The red dot on the below map shows our approximate location in the State of Tennessee. You may double left-click the map to make it larger…

Enjoying 65-75 degree temperatures most of the year is a primary joy in the RVing lifestyle!

“Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance you must keep moving”…Albert Einstein

On October 27, 2012, I created a two-minute video titled America The Beautiful. The music America The Beautiful is by Christopher W. French. The photos, which I randomly selected, are from the states of Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Mississippi, Montana, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Texas, Tennessee, Washington and West Virginia (not shown in that order)…are mine. Yup, That’s me standing in front of the Post Office in Luckenbach, Texas…Y’all!

Click this link to start the video. Make sure you have your speakers turned on and go to full screen asap.
http://youtu.be/FfZUzEB4rM8

If you have not checked out my Ramblin Man’s Photos Blog, you can do so by clicking this link…
http://ramblinmanphotos.wordpress.com/

All original material Copyright – Jim Jaillet 2013
For more information about my three books, click this link:
http://www.lulu.com/spotlight/panamaorbust

PUTTING UP A TOTEM POLE

I just happen to have an extra telephone pole hanging around at my rental which is near my house.  I had a new pole installed to operate the well, but the contractor didn’t remove the old pole. I  caught this freesia in bloom hiding among the grasses, but, I got so excited I completely forgot to take  pictures  as the new contractor cut it down and brought it to my house.

They trimmed it to twenty feet.

Dug a five foot deep hole.

And put it in the ground. It stands fifteen feet high and is ready to be transformed into a totem.  Today, I’ll start some preliminary decorating, just to see how it works out. The purpose is for a fun project at our family and friends reunion in July.

I was inspired by this totem put up by a local club in the neighborhood called The Barnies”.  They charge themselves an initiation fee to join. The money goes to keep the barn maintained in good shape, and pay the power and to use it as a meeting place  for a once a month pot luck. They invite a musician into play, barbeque, play bocce. In other words, just have fun.

the totem was one of their fun projects. Anything goes.

I’m posting this so everyone will bring their junk and we will find a way to get it on the totem. Jan will do a rain dance, no doubt. It will get well christened. We still like to flume, and play horseshoes and bocce, but for some of us, a new piece of art is just the right touch.

I hope you agree and get inspired by The Barnies  creation as I was.

You’ll have to admit it is a fun way to recycle.

 

 

 

FAVORITE THINGS

 

As I get ready to leave home, I look about at some of my favorite things.  I know I’m going to miss my Covered Wagon wall hanging. Let me explain. The Hal Humber, Resnich, Kessner families came West over the mountains in a covered wagon. A slew of crazy quilt blocks came with them. My friend, Mary Lou Humber, restored many of the blocks and made a full sized quilt with them. Four blocks were left over and she gave them to me.

The four blocks were in rough shape, uneven, frayed. A couple pieces shredded while working on them and had to be replaced by modern materials that fit with old materials. Material from my husband’s old ties matched quite well. Now, the wall hanging has become even more personal.

One block had to be augmented on one side to make it fit with the other three. Pieces of lace cover frayed areas and help hold the piece together. I rescued little bits of lace from an old slip and a pajama top to sew onto the blocks.

Crazy quilts are known for their creative stitching and odd shaped materials. The philosophy, so I’m told, was why cut off even a precious point of this beautiful material when you can save it all? Years ago, people even re-used thread when taking apart a garment. Thread was tougher stuff then.

So, yes, I’ll miss my wall hanging, but know I have it to come back to. It represents, friendship, (Mary Lou), family, (my husband’s ties) and my own work. A labor of love; a treasure.

THE GREAT STATE OF LOUISIANA

I’ve always enjoyed watching the political conventions when the speaker would introduce the state representative, and he would identify himself as being from “…the Great State of Louisiana.” Or the great state of Iowa, with that fun bit of fanfare and pride.
As I get ready to leave for home tomorrow to take care of business, that voice is speaking in my head and reminding me of what I now know from “…the Great State of Louisiana.”

Folks along the way have asked me, what was your favorite place? What did you like most? Some places we visited are more or less interesting than others, but it is the whole experience, of slipping through small towns that seem to move you back in time about 40 years, or dallying along the many River Roads lined with bowers of giant oaks and stately mansions, or quaint subsistence shacks and  rusty swamp water. The hundreds of bridges and canals and waterways and  boats you can’t get away from if you wanted to. Watching the season change in the swamps from no leaves, to feathery greens. Pulling into town and seeing another Washington St., another Main St., another Iberia St. Enjoying the background sounds of Cajun music from a nearby campsite as people play with their kids and roast marshmallows. The many unbelievably beautiful sunsets that traveling in a motor home allows you. From parish to parish, the difference in how they care for their roads. Do they recycle, do they  keep things neat an clean? The signage is slightly different.  The cities tout their own special appeal, their food, and attractions. Each unique. Its been an educational and fun ramble.

Then I thought to find a picture from each town we went through. Too difficult, too many to choose from.  Suffice it to say I’m grateful to have had the opportunity to spend almost 8 weeks in one state and do and see whatever popped into view . I now know why each speaker says with such pride, “I’m from the Great State of Louisiana!” Its real!