These Hands

How did we earn these wrinkles so quickly?

These knuckles are sagging like nylons

on the knees of tired old ladies,

These nails are scored like the faces

of soldiers back from the war,

These fingers have grown thin and scarred

by attempts to grasp meanings,

These hands are thoughtful now,

more delicate, more frail,

These hands, now folded and calm,

 dream of resurrection.

Bougainvilla bloom

Yesterday we received some long needed rain. Today the bougainvilla in the corner of our yard is soaking up the sunshine. Click to enlarge.

Sweet Red Pepper & Florida Onion

Two of the reasons we hustle downtown to Sarasota's farmers' market every Saturday morning.

I roast red and orange peppers and sweet Florida onions with garlic and shallot in lots of olive oil until the onion has carmalized. Then use the veggies to sweeten and spice our daily dinners.

Lucky Cracker Ger!

My Cracker Portrait

Today is just another one of those long Florida days. 

Sun is up, warm breezes blowing off the Gulf of Mexico, the promise of moisture in the air. 

Gotta get to the market for vegetables and seeds. 

Nice to see you here.

Cracker Ger

The Quilt Show ~ Friendship Knot Quilters Guild

Approximately 240 quilts were shown by the Friendship Knot Quilters Guild. Pam and I weren't able to photograph them all, but here's a good taste of the bi-annual Quilt Show at the Sarasota Municipal Auditorium on March 13 - 14, 2009. 

Friendship Knot Quilters Guild ~ Show Setup

Last week Pam and I went to Sarasota's municipal auditorium to help her friends, the ladies of Friendship Knot Quilters' Guild, set up display racks for their biannual quilt show.  

While Pam and her fellow quilters buzzed around the auditorium, I managed to click off a few ambient light snapshots with my trusty Kodak digital camera. These views should give you an idea of the kind of spirit that moved about during the setup.

I failed to get any self-portraits after my activities were directed toward the manly task of display rack erection. I was too busy sweating. Sigh.

Good news: the efforts of many bore fruit and the quilt show was a weekend success. For a show of Sarasota's Friendship Knot Quilters quilts, come back for tomorrow's posting of this blog.

The August Egg Revolt

I just rediscovered this image in a folder entitled "August Eggs". It's a photoshop manipulation, of course, and it's colorful. Makes me think of Ukranian Easter Eggs. 

But what is it? Where does the image derive from? 

About ten years ago, in the month of August, I was making nautical charts on my computer over 80 hours a week. I had little time to enjoy the luxuries of eMail conversations. Most of my electronic correspondents were male, many of whom insisted in sending me X-rated images (it's a male bonding thing).

I was offended by the imagery, not because it involved naked people, but because most images were aesthetically ugly, pathetically predictable and inspirationally dead. So I decided to fashion a revolt against the ugliness and sexploitation; I decided to manipulate until I was satisfied with the image. Hence, tasteless porn sparked the August Egg Revolt.