Day Two Hundred and Seventy-Three: Placeholder

This picture of a wagon and wheat at the Schaake's pumpkin patch is a placeholder - just here until the real pic of today is ready to be posted (check back soon!).

Day Two Hundred and Seventy-Two: Crew's Control

Just under 200 days ago (if my blog time-keeping is correct) I brought you a picture from the Windy City of a university crew team rowing up the Chicago River - still green from St. Patrick's Day (...the river, not the crew team. Well, maybe the crew team, too, what do I know? St. Patrick's Day is a pretty big celebration in Chicago!)

While I am still uncertain as to which Chicago university that team belonged, there is no doubt that the crew team I saw practicing as I walked along the Kansas River today in Lawrence was made up solely of Jayhawks.

Were today's picture in color, you would see this scull boat painted a proud shade of KU Blue.

But, due to the strong contrast provided by the direct reflection of sunlight off the river which silhouetted the rowers in such a way as to naturally desaturate the picture rendering it virtually monotone - and because I thought it looked neat - today's picture is in black-and-white.

To see the real thing in color, take a walk along the Mighty Kaw on a weekday afternoon in the fall - chances are you'll see the crew...doing what they do!

Day Two Hundred and Seventy-One: Daylight Fading

As the sun sets on another early-autumn day in Kansas, we find photographer Emily Friedman making the most of the remaining daylight by capturing her picture of the day:

...And I did the same!

Day Two Hundred and Seventy: Making Bail

Autumn in Kansas means haystacks a'plenty, and that was all the inspiration I needed for today's picture:


Vincent Van Gogh, eat your heart out!

Day Two Hundred and Sixty-Nine: (A Good Start.)

Two hundred and sixty-nine days of posting photos in this blog, and this is the first picture of an accordion - now how could that be?

Today was the annual Oktoberfest celebration at St. John's Church in Lawrence, and the polka band was out in full force.


Oh, sure, I could spend today's blog entry poking fun at the accordion, telling old jokes...

What's the difference between an onion and accordion?

(People cry when they chop up onions.)

But then what kind of entry would that be? Shouldn't a blog entry be about more than cheap laughs...

What do a true music lover and an accordionist have in common?

(Absolutely nothing.)

Maybe we could work in a discussion on social skills...

What is the definition of a gentleman?

(Somebody who knows how to play the accordion, but doesn't.)

Or even some political commentary...

What is the difference between an accordion player and a terrorist?

(Terrorists have sympathizers.)

Perhaps we could touch on unwarranted prejudices...

Why do some people automatically hate accordionists?

(It saves a lot of time.)

Of course, there may be legal ramifications to such discussions...

What do a long court hearing and a bad accordionist have in common?

(There is always a huge sigh of relief when the case is closed.)

So perhaps we can find some other way to exercise our minds...

What's the difference between an accordion and a trampoline?

(You take your shoes off before you jump up and down on a trampoline.)

Lest I be thrown in front of the firing squad...

What is the difference between an Uzi and an accordion?

(The Uzi stops after 20 rounds.)

After all, there are plenty of worse instruments out there...

If an accordion, a set of bagpipes and a viola are dropped off a 20-story building, which one will land first?

(Who cares?)

And when the accordion-playing gene runs in your family, sometimes you just have to look on the bright side...

What do you call an accordion player with a datebook?

(An optimist.)

And soon life will once again be in perfect harmony...

What's the difference between a chainsaw and an accordion?

(A chainsaw can be tuned.)

Well, since I made it through that entire entry without telling one* accordion joke, I will leave you with this classic:

What do you call one hundred accordions at the bottom of the ocean?

Give up? Check the title of today's blog entry for an answer.

_______________________
*not one original joke, at least!

Day Two Hundred and Sixty-Eight: The Set List

One of my favorite little parts about playing live music is creating the set list.

I don't just mean coming up with the songs I want to play and the order in which to play them - I mean physically writing the set list.

One of the coolest mementos I have from college is the set list of my favorite band from Minnesota (ironically called The Jayhawks), which I nabbed from the stage following their performance at The Bottleneck, a bar in downtown Lawrence, in my undergrad years.

After the concert I got to meet the band and talk to them about the drive they were about to make (as was I) back up to Minnesota the next day - I saw them perform in the Twin Cities two days later.

I don't know if its the nostalgia of that perfect concert experience or what, but since then I love the feeling of a freshly created set list. And tonight I had the perfect excuse to make one, as a friend and I performed a midnight show at an unlikely place: the old train depot in Lawrence.

While the list of songs was prepared well ahead of time, a sudden downpour spurred the addition of one more number into the mix: The Thunder Rolls.

The thunder continued to roll even after the Amtrack train and all of its guests had departed. Only the instruments and equipment were left beside the train tracks, seeking shelter from the rain, waiting for a ride back home.

Day Two Hundred and Sixty-Seven: Now, Make Like a Tree....

It was another blustery autumn day in Lawrence, and some of the early-fallen leaves were riding the wind this afternoon.

...Admittedly not my best pic, but the best I could do in the bit of spare time I was afforded on this particularly busy work day.

It is refreshing to see the leaves blowing in the wind and know that soon the greens in the world will be replaced with reds, oranges and yellows - the smell of autumn is in the air!

Day Two Hundred and Sixty-Six: Red and Blues

I don't consider myself to be an ambulance chaser.

But in this town you don't have to make too much of an effort to find flashing emergency lights.

These flashing red and blues were parked down the street from my house just about the time I was looking for my picture of the day.

Like I said, I don't make a habit of chasing down emergency vehicles. And hopefully (with all of the cross-country traveling in my near future) they will return the favor!

Day Two Hundred and Sixty-Five: Starry Night Traditions

Tonight was the release of a new album from one of my favorite musicians (Harry Connick, Jr.), and as traditions holds, this meant it was time for a drive.

There are three music artists I put at the top of my list: Ben Folds, Garth Brooks, and Harry Connick, Jr.

I admire them all for their creativity and ingenuity, as well as their musical ability.

For as long as I have lived in Lawrence (and have been old enough to drive), each time any of these artists would put out a new album I would be first in line to pick it up (usually at midnight the day of its release).

I would then drive out of town and around Clinton Lake - nothing but the open road and some fresh tunes surrounding me. Throw in some clear, starry skies and the moment would be complete!

Tonight the tradition continued - this time with Emily - as we made our way around Clinton Lake and even stopped at our favorite off-the-beaten-path boat ramp to snap a few pictures - and the stars obliged.

In the photo above you can see Emily playing the game Bubble Breaker on her phone in the car beneath the Big Dipper. (In the photo below, you can just see stars.)

Day Two Hundred and Sixty-Four: Oh, Possum!

Opossum, oh, possum, you critter of night
What creature are you to so fear the light?
You are not raccoon, for you wear no mask
Too big for a rat, and so I must ask

Opossum, oh, possum, marsupial being
With eyes all aglow as though through me you're seeing
Do the squirrels know you're trying to steal their thunder
By migrating here from your homeland, down under?


Opossum, oh, possum, with wiry gray hair
Why do you wait for me, why do you stare
On the dumpster you linger, above all the waste
Waiting to jump in and give it a taste

So, possum, opossum, give in to your senses
Stop clinging so tightly to rickety fences
I'll leave you alone to your litterous lounge
To follow your nature, to burrow and scrounge

Day Two Hundred and Sixty-Three: Game Plan

Sesquicentennial:

• Main Entry: ses·qui·cen·ten·ni·al
• Pronunciation: \-sen-ˈte-nē-əl\
• Function: noun
• Date: 1880

: a 150th anniversary or its celebration

Today Saint John the Evangelist Church in Lawrence celebrated its sesquicentennial (defined above by the Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary).

Ironically, according to this entry, the word sesquicentennial won't celebrate its own sesquicentennial for another 21 years.

To mark the occasion, a single Mass was celebrated today on the KU campus that brought together the diverse congregation that St. John's sees at its various Saturday and Sunday Masses.

In today's picture of the day Fr. John is seen huddled with the altar servers before Mass, planning out the strategy for the service.

Though billed as a bilingual celebration, the Mass was actually trilingual, with English and Spanish parts of the liturgy also being translated into sign language for the hearing impaired.

The celebration packed the house at the Lied Center, and four choirs combined to offer an assortment of musical selections for everyone to sing.

Overall, the event drove home the idea that the Mass truly is a unifying force among Catholics of all shapes, sizes and cultures.

Look for some more great pics of the day's celebration on Emily's site!

Day Two Hundred and Sixty-Two: On The Fence

More birds in a row outside my door today...

...in fact, probably the same birds as last time - just a different row!

Day Two Hundred and Sixty-One: Walking On Air

Emily and I traveled to Stilwell, Kansas this afternoon to attend the wedding of two friends, Holly and Chris.

The happy couple didn't need to be surrounded by bubbles to give the feeling that they were walking on air - the smiles on their faces as they exited the church as newlyweds said it all.

Congratulations, Chris and Holly!

Day Two Hundred and Sixty: Happy BOOF! day

Slightly delayed due to last-minute travel, the Lucy-cake made its debut tonight!

The cake was, of course, baked in honor of Lucy's owner, Emily, who celebrated her birthday last Monday.

This is also the second dog-themed cake to be baked in my kitchen in the past week (a record for these parts).

Keep the birthdays coming - my cake-making skills can only improve from here!

Day Two Hundred and Fifty-Nine: Single Serving

This less-than-generous portion size in my complimentary bag of peanuts from yesterday's flight (thank you Delta) got me thinking of another routine from Jerry Seinfeld's I'm Telling You For The Last Time...


Then you get on the plane. The pilot of course always has to come on the PA system.
This guy is so excited about being a pilot, he can't even stand himself:

"Well, I'm gonna take it up to about 20,000."
"Then I'm gonna make a left by Pittsburgh."
"Then I'm gonna make a right by Chicago."
"And then I'm gonna bring it down to 15,000."

He's giving the whole route, all his moves.

We're in the back going: "Yeah, fine."
"Just end-up where it says on the ticket, really."

Do I bother him with what I'm doing?
Knocking on the cockpit door:

"I'm having the peanuts now.
"Yeah, that's what we're doing back here."
"I thought I'd keep you posted."
"I'm not gonna have them all now, I'm just gonna have a few."
"I don't wanna finish it because it's such a big bag."

Day Two Hundred and Fifty-Eight: Life's a Blur

Sometimes life has you spinning around so quickly that you don't even notice it until you have a moment to slow down and take it all in.

This is how I felt today as I sat in the Richmond airport waiting to return home to Lawrence. This is another iPhone picture - unedited - capturing the day's mood: a dizzying blur.

Day Two Hundred and Fifty-Seven: On a Wing...

Life's circumstances found me on a plane to Virginia this afternoon - the beginning of a 24-hour round trip.

This shot was taken from my window seat (19B) with an iPhone, the only camera I had handy at the time.

Day Two Hundred and Fifty-Six: Art in the Park

South Park was busy today hosting an arts and crafts fair - meaning the blooming flowers were not the only thing decorating the downtown Lawrence location this afternoon.

Small tents dotted the park, featuring artwork, food, clothing, food, woodwork, and.....more food.

There seemed to be a little of something for everybody today - not necessarily an easy feat given the variety of local Lawrencians strolling through the park today!

Day Two Hundred and Fifty-Five: Work At Home

This morning I was photographing a high school cross-country tournament in Emporia, KS. Before the races began I was mapping out the course, searching from some prime photo locations.

A few distractions caught my eye through the camera lens, including a perfectly rounded ant hill whose occupants were hard at work inside:

Once the races began I felt like one of these little guys, so busy working, running around the course from location to location....it felt like I had ants in my pants!

Day Two Hundred and Fifty-Four: Past and Present

This evening I caught up with my iPhone, who was hanging out down at the local hole-in-the-wall.


Of course, this particular hole-in-the-wall doesn't see much action anymore, thanks in large part to my iPhone and its counterparts.

This intermingling of past and present begs the question, how long will it take for the iPhone to gain relic status...and what is next?

Day Two Hundred and Fifty-Three: Doggie Treat

Well, it's birthday time again, and that means time for Emily and I to put our creative cake-making abilities to use.

This time the cake is for a friend with two puppies, one black and one white. But how to fit them in one cake pan?

With some creative geometry, that's how!

Of course, the birthday person must rename nameless -at least until the cake is delivered!

This brings to mind a "Normism" from the great TV show Cheers:

"It's a dog eat dog world, and I'm wearing Milkbone underwear."

Day Two Hundred and Fifty-Two: Scatter!

Outside of the house next door is a bird feeder. Whether it is the work of mischievous squirrels or careless humans, a lot of bird seed ends up scattered across the courtyard floor.

A lot of bird seed, of course, attracts a lot of birds. It is not unusual for me to turn the corner into the courtyard and see an entire nibbling flock scatter themselves into flight for safety.

Today these nervous Nellies (who startle quite easily, I must say) took refuge in a nearby tree as I passed by until the coast was once again clear.


Though there were probably a hundred of them hanging out there, this row of wrens stood out from the crowd.

Day Two Hundred and Fifty-One: Pooch PLUNGE!

Lucy will now demonstrate the proper way to plunge.

Keep your eye on the ball! (like Lucy)











Of course, after plunging, the pooch must find her way out of the pool! (This usually requires a little help from above.)


Today was the annual Pooch Plunge at the Lawrence Municipal Pool, where dogs are invited in for a swim just before the pool is drained for the season.

Lucy took full advantage of the event, diving after countless tennis balls, meeting plenty of new friends, and even having a Marley and Me moment in the wading pool...

Even Farley got in on the action - although he took a little more...persuading.

Day Two Hundred and Fifty: A Boy and His Dog(s)

Emily and I took Lucy and Farley to the off-leash dog area in Shawnee Mission Park today.

The park features a wide open space for the pooches to run and a quarter-mile walk to the lake where they can swim to their hearts' content.

Today a few kids were brave enough to enter the dog-infested water.


Those that waded into the lake were instantly rewarded with a pack of new best friends!

Day Two Hundred and Forty-Nine: Foggy, Foggy Night

(with apologies to Don McLean)

Foggy, foggy night
Paint your palette shades of gold
Stark with contrast, strong and bold
With shades that blend into the midnight sky


Shadows meet the eye
Streetlights fade with gentle haze
While headlights 'neath them brightly blaze
To compliment the evening's misty glow

And now I think I know
What peace in silence means to me
How a stroll through city lights can be
Like a perfect movie scene

All is calm tonight and all rest still...
Perhaps they always will

Day Two Hundred and Forty-Eight: Forward, March!

With a raise of the arms by Director of Athletic Bands David Clemmer, the 2009 Marching Jayhawks kick off a new season of on-the-field musical entertainment!



The KU marching band started their pregame ritual with a march down the hill, zigzagging in and out of a growing crowd of fans and tailgaters, before settling in a semicircular formation - from which they would play a few numbers for the appreciative hillside audience.



The bass drums kept the beat for the school's fight songs...



...And the flutes and piccolos showed off fast fingers and rollercoaster runs as they mimicked the sound of flying spaceships in The Jetsons theme song, part of a Hanna-Barbera medley.



As for the tubas, well, who knows what the tubas were up to. (But if it's anything like my days in marching band, they were busy goofing off and planning the next big party....the tuba players always threw the best parties!)


Throw in a superhero medley, featuring the themes from Spider-Man and Superman, and the KU Marching Jayhawks 2009 premiere was a success!

(Oh, and the KU Football Jayhawks also had an impressive performance, topping the Bears from Northern Colorado 49-3 in their season opener.)

Rock-Chalk-Jay-Hawk-K-U!

Day Two Hundred and Forty-Seven: Still Counting...

In honor of today's picture, I'll share with you an excerpt from Jerry Seinfeld's comedy album, I'm Telling You For The Last Time...

Enjoy:


Why is McDonald's still counting?

How insecure is this company?

Forty million, eighty jillion, killion, tillion....is anyone really impressed anymore?

"Oh, eighty-nine billion sold! ...All right, I'll have one."

I would love to meet the chamber of the board of McDonald's and say, "Look, we all get it, okay, you've sold a lot of hamburgers.

"Whatever the number is, just put up a sign, 'McDonald's, we're doing very well. ' "

What is their ultimate goal - to have cows just surrendering voluntarily or something?
...Showing up at the door: "We'd like to turn ourselves in, we see the sign, we realize we have very little chance out there.

"We'd like to be a happy meal if that's at all possible."

Day Two Hundred and Forty-Six: A Farley Trick

My dog Farley knows many tricks, and will be happy to show them off to you anytime, provided you make it worth his while with a milkbone or two.

But today Farley will entertain you for free!

Using nothing but the tip of his nose, Farley will now show you his impression of a polar bear, blinking, in a snow storm.

Enjoy:

Day Two Hundred and Forty-Five: Shadow Play, Part ??

Well, I know it's at least Part 4, but maybe Part 5...?

Anyway, today's picture is the next in my series of "shadow play" photos. (I'll let you hunt through the archives to see the others!)


...Just goes to show that when you need a picture, a shadow always comes in handy.

Day Two Hundred and Forty-Four: WARNING!

I've been feeling a little under the weather the past few days.

Of course, with the swine flu epidemic, any case of the sniffles has people scattering for the woods like a bad horror movie.

The picture you see today is of my TV set (and yes, a new flat-screen HDTV is on my wish list in case anybody is interested!).

But the picture you see on the TV screen is not really there - it is a superimposed picture of the "Quarantine" sign I posted on my door for any would-be chicken-and-noodle-soup-handling wish-you-wells that happened by.

...Just another allusion to the "horror movie" that is my all-too-common cold.