Getting Hard not be Depressed

[Minuteman3]

Well, I did have some time to draft up the driving itinerary for our trip in May. Two main objectives on this trip ... I've got a one day "high performance driving school" day from Ford Performance in Park City, UT, as a result of buying a Ford Explorer ST. Plus, we have good friends who moved to Phoenix AZ last year and we plan to see them for a few days.

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There may be other stops along the way ... and my wife hasn't "approved" this routing yet. I was kind of hoping to avoid California coming back, buy geography (and the availability of roads) somewhat limit our options!!

Perhaps it's time for a glass of wine ...

Ken

 

[menbrial]

Looks like my view; some of your wet side rain made it over here, and is forecast to stay a while, along with some wind, and no snow! And, yes, the rest of the stuff. Plus my ear infection and "pulled muscle" in my shoulder. So, what's a guy to do?
Comfortable chair, good coffee (wine after 3 pm), good music, and I'm comfortably reading all about my next stereo system (wife doesn't even know about it . . . ). But a man has gotta dream . . .

Hmm, maybe a late morning nap?

You should dream about your wife ...Not about the stereo !!!!

 

[ac12]

My wife and I were out pruning the Japanese maple.
Now back to reading books.

 

[Mike Buckley]

this is just meant as 'proof of life' before Covid...lol

Such a creative composition resulting in such an enjoyable photo!

 

[Mike Buckley]

Perhaps it's time for a glass of wine ...

It's always time for a glass of wine. Maybe two glasses of wine.

 

[Palouse]

Sounds like a great game plan, Nick, but *3 pm*???

That's when I start cooking . . .

 

[Palouse]

You should dream about your wife ...Not about the stereo !!!!

Wife is real, new stereo is not!

 

[Louis Champan]

Yes, same lady. Sorry for the cell phone shot, but this is just meant as 'proof of life' before Covid...lol View attachment 1677173

Wow, does this ever bring back memories my wife and I love to cruise. We are waiting and planning for when we can step back on the first boat leaving for wherever. We were on a cruise when this virus pandemic first started, just got off the boat on March 12th in Florida.

 

[NaptownSailor]

I took up painting last week to have something to do. Made my easel in my woodshop.

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[menbrial]

We are on the road to Hell....

Chris Rea - Road To Hell - YouTube

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Looking for the summer ....

Chris Rea ~ Looking For The Summer (1991) - YouTube

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[gchappel]

I took up painting last week to have something to do.

I really like the second painting- if this is really after one week of painting I can not wait to see your future pieces.
gary

 

[Palouse]

Jacques, love the first 2. Next, perhaps, photography?
Seriously, these are great.

 

[Palouse]

We are on the road to Hell....

Chris Rea - Road To Hell - YouTube

View attachment 1677186

Looking for the summer ....

Chris Rea ~ Looking For The Summer (1991) - YouTube

View attachment 1677187

Can you deliver some snow out here. Say 4-6"?

 

[menbrial]

Can you deliver some snow out here. Say 4-6"?

Yep we can but we only deliver 12" +

 

[Palouse]

Yep we can but we only deliver 12" +

I'l take 15.

 

[Terri French]

I took up painting last week to have something to do. Made my easel in my woodshop.
View attachment 1677183 View attachment 1677184 View attachment 1677185

Very creative. I love your art!!

 

[NaptownSailor]

I really like the second painting- if this is really after one week of painting I can not wait to see your future pieces.
gary

Jacques, love the first 2. Next, perhaps, photography?
Seriously, these are great.

LOL. Thanks. Yes I started last week. Had dabbled badly in oils (about half dozen total, none worth saving) as a teen and them maybe tried and failed 2 watercolor and 1 acrylic paintings in the intervening 50 years. A few more below. I do 2-3 per day. The philosophical secret was to paint what's in me rather than what's outside me. If I want a realistic reproduction I have all my Nikons.

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1. Horse, though some say 2 dancers. Either way it's 4 legs.

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2. Social Isolation at the Shore

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3. Slash

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4. Noodle Shop (based on the Chinese character for noodle)

 

[Mike Buckley]

I like the paintings and I like the way you lit them to photograph them.

 

[rick_reno]

Very wet here in N. Idaho. The snow ok we had has melted and frozen into a lovely slick, shiney surface that requires I put slip on spikes on my shoes to navigate around to pick up the dog crap. It's a challenge.
We got very busy with Mari's chemo/radiation and weren't paying attention to our dogs, so the aussies bred, resulting in 10 puppies adding to the carnage in the yard. Fortunately we found great homes for them, they'll went away 3 days ago. I have to confess, the puppies were a ball. We donated two of them to the local bicycle club which helped them out financially. Winter is very hard for me, but I know the days are getting longer, I had a lot of fun photographing the puppies and best of all Mari's last three MRI's have detected no reoccurrence of cancer. We're on a roll.

 

[Replytoken]

Sorry ... don't mean to be a downer, but I must admit it's getting harder and harder not to feel a little depressed right now. This is my view outside to our back yard right now...
View attachment 1677166 '
Purposely underexposed a bit to try and match what my eye sees. It's so dark and gloomy outside that some of the lights that are on dusk-to-dawn sensors in the neighborhood are still on at 10:45am!!

Have had several inches of rain over the past few days and the ground is now "super-saturated" - which for me means when our dog goes outside for his daily constitutional, I must wade through the mud and slop, baggies in hand, to clean up. And, if I'm late it melts into a real mess!!

Then there's the whole COVID stuff, the terrible actions of a few idiots last week in DC, the news in general, etc. Getting tough to find much joy right now.

Although it looks like we'll have a trip in late May to Utah and Arizona to get out of the house for a while!! At least I can spend some time planning that!!

Ken

Well, I am hoping that today's sunshine made it down to Tacoma. And I hope you did not lose power with last night's wind storm. A work colleague said that he had roof shingles flying off last night! A bit more sun is predicted for tomorrow and possibly a bit more on Monday.

Hang in there,

--Ken