Barb Doing It *

* and by "it" I mean Dishes.

Washing a few things by hand that she could not fit in the dishwasher.

Light Tricks

The other day I was in the yard when the sun was shining in just the right angle that the light was playing tricks on the edge of the chimney making It look like a well, like a certain pyramid in Mexico. Granted it was not the summer equinox but hey , we got special light tricks too and we don’t even charge the tourists.

… “ the El Castillo pyramid, Chichen Itza, Yucatan, Mexico, played the role, among other things, of marking the spring equinox in a public and dramatic fashion. To the left is a picture of El Castillo at the time of the spring equinox. The shadows trace out an immense snake slithering down the side of the pyramid (this happens only on this special day). Such dramatic demonstrations had more to do with impressing the public with the power of the priests than low-budget astronomy, but they did require accurate observations and major efforts to understand them”…

I am pretty sure that when they built my house astronomy was not the first thing they were thinking about but the effect seems about the same to me. * Click on the photo for the close up*

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone

Happy Thanksgiving everyone. Hope you spent it with your family as I did and remembered to give thanks for all the good things in your life.

Cool Gear- Nokia N82

Here is a totally drool-worthy phone from Nokia… Look out iPhone. Straight from Uncrate.

Nokia N82

If you're looking for a new phone with features rivaling the Nokia N95 but in a more pocket-friendly size, look no further than the Nokia N82 ($650). It packs in a 5-megapixel Carl Zeiss autofocus lens and xenon flash with video recording mode, and also features Wi-Fi, microSD expansion, a 3.5mm headphone jack, assisted GPS, and a 2.4-inch display. It has quadband GSM/EDGE, but unfortunately for US-based Uncraters, its HSDPA is on the 2100MHz band.

Before the Rain & the Pain

A quick shot of the Stadium On Saturday, before the big contest. Michigan succumbed to the Buckeyes of Ohio.

It had all the classic elements of a come from behind victory, only we never showed up.

The end of the season and the end of an Era, as it is said Lloyd Carr will be calling it quits as well. Only time will tell, but the announcement is set for this week.

Dead leaves leave shadows on my driveway

Cycle

Today, we said our final good bye’s to my uncle.

In the afternoon at the country house I took a moment to stop and admire this single maple tree. This maple, similar to the sliver maples at the city house, is clinging stubbornly to its leaves as if lamenting to give into the fall, hanging on for as long as possible before slipping into winters slumber.

It was as brilliant as any gold I have ever seen. The photos does not really do it justice.

It reminded me that the everything is a cycle. Fall to winter then back to spring. Life to death and life again.

Last night my uncle, father of 5, succumbed to injuries that he received from his heart failure and subsequent cerebral ischemia (loss of oxygen to the brain) at the young age of 50.

Besides his children, he is survived by his wife, two sisters and a brother and a large extended family that I can only say are just stunned and will miss him dearly.

Some of my childhood memories are of my uncle who came to live with us for a while when I was very young. He was my mother’s younger brother, so these memories include mischief and mayhem that he later outgrew to be a fine farther and family man.

I am sure he is with his father and mother, my grand parents, somewhere we all hope to be someday. Take a well deserved rest my uncle, you have earned it and we will see you on the other side.

Somber Reminder

This weekend out of the blue, my family was faced with an unexpected medical emergency. My relatively young uncle had a pretty serious heart attack.

He is still in hospital, and we are waiting for results.

Reminding me that life is precious, and family is important, and not to take the simple things for granted.

My prayers, Uncle, for a speedy recovery.

Fall Colors

While driving I took a quick shot of some of the fall colors I see every day on my drive to work.

Not really a bad looking commute, huh?