rDay Twelve-Hundred-Forty-Four, P.M.

Finding Stuff on the Sidewalk …

Mostly Catherine Street

Third Avenue Still Life

Farmer’s Prayer Sculpture

Ford Pickup

 

“Oh, Lord, Won’t You Give Me …”

Mercedes-Benz, Janis Joplin Version

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

rDay Twelve-Hundred-Forty: The Business of Wine

In this small city, the residential blocks tend to be quite long, but the downtown business district blocks are very short.   I have been thinking about just systematically documenting the neighborhood, and while walking back from the post office to my workspace yesterday, I started taking note of how many wine tasting rooms appear on just two sides of my block (and be aware that the main shopping/restaurant/entertainment area only starts a block east of me, extending further to the east for three or four blocks, putting my street on the fringe).  I read that there are 75 or so wine-related outlets in town, so we’re just scratching the surface here:

rDay Twelve-Hundred-Thirty-Nine/Forty

Continuing the documentation of Catherine Street, a customary route to/from work …

Along the way to/from the workplace …

Today, the temperature climbs again after two or three days of slight respite:

Aretha: R.E.S.P.E.C.T.

Probably just about everybody knows by now that Aretha Franklin — the “Queen of Soul” — passed away earlier today.   While I posted some notes and links on my music blog a few hours ago,  I find myself continuing to remember her music and my associated experiences (and listening continually throughout the day). One of my most vivid memories was while traveling, circa 1968, in a carload of fellow GAO employees and hearing the then-new release of “Think” and how I insisted that the conversation cease and that the radio volume be turned up and how that demand was met with eye-rolls by some of my colleagues and enthusiastic encouragement by others.  And that has led me to recall the interplay of music and culture and Government service during that era (perhaps to be the subject of a future bit of posted reflection). But, in the meantime, here is “Think”:

According to Will Rogers

One of my memories of my paternal grandfather, Del (you met him earlier here), was that he was fond of quoting Will Rogers (as well as Mark Twain).  Here are some musings attributed to the man:

Will Rogers:

    • “Things will get better, despite our efforts to improve them.”
    • “The short memories of the American voters is what keeps our politicians in office.”

“Ten men in our country could buy the whole world and ten million can’t buy enough to eat.”

“You can’t say that civilization don’t advance, however, for in every war they kill you in a new way.”

“If pro is the opposite of con, what is the opposite of Congress?”

“There are three kinds of men. The ones that learn by readin’. The few who learn by observation. The rest of them have to pee on the electric fence for themselves.”

“An economist’s guess is liable to be as good as anybody else’s.”

“Try to live your life so that you wouldn’t be afraid to sell the family parrot to the town gossip.”

“If all politicians fished instead of spoke publicly, we would be at peace with the world.”

And…

“A fool and his money are soon elected”