I've taken a lot of photos at Watershed Nature Center, This one is from way back in April of 2003. That's my son at 3 yrs old, he's 25 now! Lots of memories at this place!
This was taken with my long-gone Kodak LS-443 compact digital, my second digital camera!
"Being Ignored is a great privilege...
That is how I think I learned to see what others do not see."
This is the closest I have to his style in my recent photos, but not very close at all... I'll need to study and try.
It has been a bad string for the music of my past. Rick Derringer passed away 5/26, Sly Stone on 6/9 and now Brian Wilson on 6/11. That's 3 big names in 16 days. Much melancholy.
So, to complete the trio, RIP Brian Wilson, who passed away 6/11 at the age of 82.
Brian Wilson was, of course, the genius behind The Beach Boys, writing most of their hits, and more or less single-handedly creating the masterpiece "Pet Sounds" (with lyrics by Tony Asher). There's a reason that Pet Sounds is universally acclaimed; There's only a few albums from the rock era I'd call "important", and Pet Sounds is one of them. [hmmm, there may be a separate post needed on that topic]
I spent the mid/late 60's listening to Top 40 radio, so The Beach Boys were a significant part of that. With 29 Top 40 hits between 1962 and 1969, they were pretty significant. I didn't get my first Beach Boys album until 1974's compilation "Endless Summer", and the subsequent compilation "Spirit Of America". I've long lost those albums, but picked up a CD version of the first somewhere along the line, plus a few digital copies of the later hits. It was several years later before I discovered "Pet Sounds", at least beyond the hits. I'm not sure I could've properly appreciated it at 6 yrs old!
Brian Wilson's passing is a huge loss, one of the really influential artists of the era...
Rest In Peace, Brian Wilson.
Recent bird photos from recent visits to Watershed Nature Center...
The RIPs are coming fast and furious, I'm behind.
Rest In Peace, Sly Stone, who passed away June 9, 2025.
Sly was, of course, leader of the band Sly And The Family Stone. They had a bunch of great songs in the 1967-1974, over a dozen hits between the US Hot 100 and US B&B charts. I remember watching them on Midnight Special, and the Woodstock move, and being duly impressed.
I never actually owned any Sly Stone albums, but I have over 1/2 of their Hot 100 hits, and always respected them. Funky, funky, funky.
I used to get to Spokane with some regularity, there was (and still is) a big conference there for my industry. I was on the conference Planning Committe for a few years, until I changed jobs, and the new company already had two others on the committee... It's a shame, I always enjoyed it. I enjoyed wandering around Spokane though, in the occasional down times. This spot was maybe 10-15 minutes outside town, IIRC.
Wolly Hedgenettle. At least that's what my phone Ap says... more properly Stachys byzantina.
The program was:
This juvenile Cooper's Hawk was hanging around today, It is welcome to take a couple of the rabbits and squirrels, but I hope it leaves the bluebirds alone!
Last night, the wife and I went to see "California Dreams" at The Wildey Theater. The show is described as:
International touring musicians Dan Clews and Phoebe Katis take you immersive trip through California in the late 60’s, early 70’s. This is the time when a collective of musical legends help changed the world though song. This show features hits by The Mamas and The Papas, Eagles, Joni Mitchell, Neil Young, Linda Ronstadt, Jackson Brown, The Byrds, Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young and many more.
Really fun show, highly recommended. This was their 3rd show in 2 nights (w/ a matinee), all sold out. The other shows were their James Taylor/Carole King tribute. We'll have to catch that one next time they're passing through.
1. Mr. Tambourine Man – Byrds
2. God Only Knows – Beach Boys
3. Light My Fire – Jose Feliciano
4. Cactus Tree – Joni Mitchell
5. Big Yellow Taxi – Joni Mitchell
6. Our House – Crosby Stills Nash & Young
7. Marrakesh Express - Crosby Stills & Nash
8. Teach Your Children - Crosby Stills Nash & Young
9. Heart Of Gold – Neil Young
10. It’s Too Late – Carole King
11. You’ve Got A Friend – James Taylor / Carole King
12. You’re So Vain – Carly Simon
13. Willin’ – Linda Ronstadt
14. Doctor My Eyes – Jackson Browne
15. Take It Easy – Eagles
16. Desperado – Linda Ronstadt / Eagles
17. Dedicated To The One I Love – The Mamas & The Papas
18. Alpha Crucis – Dan Clews
19. All It Takes – Phoebe Katis
20. California Dreaming - The Mamas & The Papas
UPDATE: I've created a playlist of this setlist on Spotify, check it out HERE!
This is a fresh edit of one of the early photos taken with my first DSLR (Nikon D70), from January 2005, the filename indicates it was the 53rd photo taken with the camera. I took several snaps of this bottle, and had previously edited one with a slightly closer perspective. That one got posted here back in 2017.
Taken on one of the trails at Highland's Silver Lake Park, where I used to go for lunchtime walks when I worked in Highland, IL.
A little slow posting this, but Rick Derringer passed away this week, May 26th.
I was a big Derringer fan back in my early/mid teen years. I had his first 2 albums (All American Boy and Spring Fever), as well as his 1977 Derringer Live, which remains one of my favorite "live" albums. I picked up the album "If I weren't So Romantic I'd Shoot You" when I was in college, and in the digital age filled out with a couple of his early albums, and some of his straight blues releases.
As I noted in a 2017 blog post: "OK, Rick Derringer has been one of my “guilty pleasures” since my mid-teens. Nobody’s going to argue that his lyrics surpass Dylan, or his melodies beat the Beatles. But you know what? Sometimes it is enough to just Rock And Roll. And Derringer can certainly rock. Good time, 70’s vintage rock. I’ll admit it, at 18 years old, I owned more Derringer albums than I did Beatles and Stones combined. And, I think he’s one of the more underrated guitar players of the era. "
I originally loved Derringer for those mid-70's straight ahead rock and roll records, built around excellent guitar playing. But he has a huge body of work, including producing and session work. I particularly enjoy his blues records from later on (check out Three Kings).
Sorry to see another blast from my past has now passed....
What do you think?
I spent some time yesterday trying to take photos that reflect what I normally wouldn’t notice, what I would miss if I wasn’t paying attention. So on a trip to one of our local parks, I decided to change my perspective, bringing only my wide angle zoom (10mm-24mm). And looking beyond my normal types of subjects. So, here’s a couple of photos from that walk, certainly outside what I consider my “normal”, but I rather like them. Which do YOU prefer? And why?
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