Color !!

There's color everywhere. For many, it's one of the favorite times of the year. For others, it reminds them of what's to come. A pensiveness, perhaps, about the upcoming season of change. Change can be that way. Enjoy them all here.

I'll Take Two, Please

Spirit Cast #1

Listen as I take you through my very first Spirit Cast. I'll discuss my recent decision to take a break from typewritten blogging, our neighborhood block party, and tell you about a new barge on the Columbia River designed to carry Ethanol.

Links From Spirit Cast #1:
Pictures from Our Neighborhood Block Party

Lou Gehrig's Disease (ALS Society)

Barge Carrying Ethanol on Columbia River

Taking a Break -- Please Stay With Me

Well, kids, I am not really sure how to tell you this. But I'm going to have to change the way I blog for a bit. I'm having some physical things going on that just aren't clearing up. It makes sitting and typing not easy. There's a whole list of things that the doc and I are working through and investigating including numbness in the arms and wrists, lower back pain, neck pain, flushed feeling, red ears out of nowhere (I thought it was Rudolph but then remembered it was his NOSE), and a few other things as well. We're investigating prescription drug use (Ambien?? Which we stopped last night....and talk about a bad night's sleep.....eek....terrible.) Plus the fact that my family has a history of Multiple Sclerosis and Lou Gehrig's Disease. Anyway, I need to take a break from the sitting and typing for a bit to test it out. I'll do my best to try and keep reading your sites but just won't be able to comment. You all know where I am and what my email is....so use it, please. I'm really nervous to lose readership and followers. I hope that doesn't happen. I may start doing more photography and audio casts to see how that goes. I appreciate you all and hope you'll stay with me in spite of my lack of posting and ability to comment on your sites. If you want my phone number, please write me for it. I'm not quitting. I will be back in some shape or form. But it is imperative to solve some of these physical issues right now. Oops...gotta run. Getting a little misty-eyed. See how much you mean to me? Hugs and loves.

Uncle Lewis

PS -- Plus the fact that we're going on an extended cruise to Hawaii from Oct. 10-26.....and I won't be around then to blog anyway.

Top or Bottom?

Fire it Up, Baby

September 18, 2007....mark the date. 48 degrees out, 66 inside. And it happened after a bit of bantering back and forth as to whether it should or not. We fired up the furnace. It's a beautiful brushed stainless steel Maytag furnace, four years old. It includes central air conditioning. From left to right: The cold air return bringing used air from the house back to the furnace. The small unit with the white/blue front on it is the Honeywell electronic air cleaner that filters the air before it is pumped into the huge silver-fronted heating/cooling unit. The filters are cleaned once every couple of months. On the far right is the hot water heater, (poorly) wrapped in insulation. Now, the most obvious sign that we are light in the loafers (as my dad used to call it), is the little wooden incense burning center at the bottom, center, front of the picture on the floor. We burn a stick of patchouli or sage or some other scent that pleases the olfactory receptor neurons. The aroma is sucked into the air system and pumped throughout the house. Whoowhee.....I'll bet that nobody is having as much fun as we are today.

PS: Anybody in San Diego and want to have dinner with me on Thursday early evening? I'll be near the airport if anyone is bored.

A Time to Die

September is well underway. Leaves are migrating from greens into yellows and reds. And then spiraling to the earth below, as their stems give way from the branch that has held them, with all of the grace of death. Their time is over. A bit of moisture in the air overnight encourages the bone-dry, dusty ground to give off that smell -- you know that whiff of dust covered with drops of rain and intertwined with the heady aroma of damp mushrooms and wet leaves that stick to the sidewalks and my shoes when I come inside. I even saw a little baby slug this morning on the back sidewalk. (Lucky, for him, he made his way over into the grass where I couldn't see him by the time I'd gone back to find him.) Can't you just smell it in the air? Things closing down, shutting up their doors like a mom and pop store front whose time has expired. They are tired of the warm summer air, beaten up from the rays of the hot sun. Their time is up.

A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted -- Ecclesiastes

I think there are a few things in my own life that need to die this autumn. I'm not typically one who heaves a load of hatred and bad spirit around with me. But I've got a couple of things whose time has expired deep in the crevasses of my heart. I don't have room for them any longer. And a bad thought or two in my mind that need to make their way to death. This is the season of change. Of watching, and allowing, things to die....even encouraging them to. So, I'm digging a hole. Six feet deep. And putting a few things in there. Tossing dirt on top and tamping it down. I don't even think I'll place flowers on the top.

A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up -- Ecclesiastes

Me and Will Young Bein' Naughty

Do you remember Barbara Mandrell singing about leaving crumbs in my bed anytime? Well, Will Young did that for me last night. I listened to Will's Evergreen and Come on Baby, Light My Fire as I glided along above the clouds on my way home last night from a day of training. I seldom get the opportunity to actually play passenger on a flight anymore. And I always enjoy it when I do. The sun had just set and the clouds were an unbelievable shade of black, blue, and gray -- kind of like a suicide (remember when you used to mix Coke and Sprite and orange soda all together??). And the sky above the layer of clouds was it's traditional fuchsia-orange-red mix ("fuchsia"? God, I sound gay). Oh, and did I mention the sliver of a moon coming up? Amazing evening. But it gets better.....

So, when I got home, the place was quiet. I had the evening and house to myself. And I don't even want to tell you that I drug a bag of these upstairs to bed with me. And shoved them in my mouth with every bit of obligatory "I'm all alone and going to damned well eat what I want when i want" shoveling. It's kind of fun. And when I peeled my eyes open and scraped out the morning crusties from them, there was the bag of chips. Ever so much of a reminder of last evening's naughty activities.

Heading Out of the Bathroom and Back Into the Closet

(If you are turned off by sexually explicit words or slang terms, read no further.)

Don't miss this editorial. While in Orlando the other day, Sorted Lives and I were discussing what it was that made a gay man gay or what made a straight man straight. Is Larry Craig really gay? Or a straight man just wanting his dick sucked? Does it matter who sucks a guy off? Seriously, if the room was dark and there were, say, a woman, a straight man, and a gay guy sucking you off, would you know the difference? And would it matter who it was that got you off? Are there gay guys that have had straight ones suck them off? Yup. Straight guys that have had gay ones suck them off? Yup. Did it change their sexual preference? Maybe. Maybe not. And does it turn a straight guy gay if he gets it on with a gay dude? Or the other way around? Not necessarily. It's all about the closet in many cases. Dark, quiet, alone. Just needing it worked over. And, many times, it doesn't matter who.

Naked in Orlando

We spent the whole day in Orlando naked....which is why you won't see any pictures from the day's mischievous events. The truth is that despite the fact that the lovely Sony camera rode around in my pocket the whole day, I am getting so comfortable with this warm and welcoming group that taking pictures has become a non-event. Well, the actuality beyond the truth is that I'm getting old and just plain old forgot. The kids from I Deal With It and Sorted Lives (plus both of their hubbys) treated me wonderfully....again. Mexican food this time, which I'm a sucker for. They're trying to talk me into some sushi or other Asian influenced cuisine next week.....um, hum, not really my thing so much. So, here's a summary of our conversations: US Senator Larry Craig (and other closeted white married Republicans) wanting to get their weenies sucked .... What makes a guy "gay" versus "straight" and if simply wanting to get your you-know-what sucked makes you gay (we decided not necessarily) ... Talked about other bloggers (so if you weren't there, you got dished on) ... "Puppy Love" 1972 by Donny Osmond ... "Seasons in the Sun" 1974 by Terry Jacks ... shopped a little at the Florida Mall and took the opportunity to check out several rather nice looking guys ... Bloggers who have been closing up their sites lately and why ... Sang along to Neil Sedaka's Laugher in the Rain .. Watched an afternoon storm move across the Orlando area from an excellent viewpoint, my hotel room ... How public education systems are funded (or not) ... We watched a little of the Ellen show like any good gay men would do ... confessed our cholesterol levels and what, if any, medications we were on to control them ... I tell you, it was riveting, compelling, and right on the edge of excitement.


I will be seeing some of these guys every Monday for the remainder of September.....man, am I lucky or what. To my friends in Orlando, THANK YOU. As always, I appreciated the chance to see you.

Orlando...Here I Come Again

I'm on my way back to see all of the good bloggers in Orlando. I actually have the pleasure of being there every Monday in September. They have always treated me so well time after time after time after time -- and I'm looking forward to seeing them again! Anybody in the Orlando area, you're welcome to join us Monday evening for dinner. There is nothing like great friends, warm food, and cool drinks. The laughter abounds and...suddenly....those who used to be only blips on in "virtual blogosphere internet emails" have become the greatest of friends. I'm forever grateful.

Well, I've never been more surprised than I was yesterday to discover that one of my family members has tossed his name in the hat for hopeful consideration of the soon-to-be vacated Idaho US Senator position. The toe-tapper Larry Craig is stepping down and my good relative, who I admire and have always enjoyed my time with despite our differing politics, has been a rising star in Idaho's politics in the last few years.

I was paid a great compliment today by a friend of twelve years. She is, what I would call, an elegant, beautiful woman in spite of a tough life. She came to me at a party today, sat down by me, and inquired how I've been doing. After a bit of small talk, she told me that she's been meaning to talk to me since her recent trip back to Boise (where we met years ago). She was reminiscing and thinking back over her difficult time in Boise. She said that in spite of it being one of the lowest, darkest parts of her life, she remembered me as being a bright spot in her time there. And how much joy I'd brought to her. And then she thanked me. I hope she passes along the blessing.

Pass along the peace today, would you?

Set Them Free

Today, for the first time in a long time, I migrated back to sneakers to do a whole bunch of yard work. Seems like I've been shoe-free for months now. And my feet don't like going back! I'm on my way to release them and set them free now. I'm much more this kind of guy:

OR THIS:

Summer Simply Can't Be That Close to Ending.

ET Phone Home

Sorry, kids.....been totally out to lunch and consumed deep and bad with techno-geek junk. Check it out. I'm looking for medication. Honey got the Samsung Blackjack. I've neglected you all -- my apologies.

Not to mention that we also just saw The Simpson's Movie. Good, not great. A nice break in a nutty freaked out world.

Oh yea, we had one of these cuties in our yard tonight....thought he/she (I didn't get down and look) was hurt....but was just nesting....in our yard! Way out of his/her element. Gone by the time we got home from the movie.

UPDATE: Tonight we're going to watch Dr. Wayne Dyer on our local PBS station. Saw the trailer for this guy and it sounds just like what I need to pump me up right now.

Final Hurrah -- Not Quite Yet

For many, this marks the unofficial end of the summer season. Fortunately, we enjoy sun warmed afternoons and delightfully cool mornings all of the way into October sometime. My excitement begins when I toss open the front and back doors early in the morning while the birds are still making noise in the trees and the energetic dog walkers are breezing rapidly by. You just can't replicate the freshness that is the morning. Or the stillness that is the night. I have always been emotionally tied, like a ribbon on a package, to nature -- it's smells, sounds, and often missed beauty. Plus, being naked isn't so bad either. Sometimes at the beach, I even get down on my hands and knees and get all crazy just trying to capture just the right shot. If you're a photographer, you know that works sometimes....and other times, it's crap. I went with my honey and his brother to Sauvie Island earlier in the week. I've included those shots in a previous set of pics from the Island....so look at the last two-thirds of the photos for this weeks shots. And, I think I'm going to go again today.....along with hundreds of others. I usually don't go when there are crowds. That, I don't typically find fun at all. But today is different. I want to see the people waving bye-bye to summer. I like seeing couples, or families, or just a guy alone like I'll be today, unfortunately. I want to get there early....early, I say. To share a moment with the warm sand on my toes, the (hopeful) breeze that generally shoots up and down the Columbia River, and pick out just the right spot to watch the sea of humanity come and go today. Traditions are cool. What we do as humans is weird and nutty sometimes. Let's not let summer go quite yet. I'd like it to linger a little, calmly and peacefully on my shoulders (oh, and on the bald spot on the top of my head too....). Gotta run now......and make a peanut butter and honey sandwich to take with me. I am so not complicated.