Some of my recent pictures from Spring Grove Cemetery: Enjoy!
Posts Tagged ‘#travel’
Happy Halloween
Posted: October 31, 2018 in HolidayTags: #blog, #Halloween, #life, #personal, #photography, #travel, Art, Camera, Cemetery, Fall colors, pictures, Tombstones
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How Many?
Posted: September 10, 2018 in PoetryTags: #inspiration, #life, #opinion, #personal, #photography, #poetry, #questions, #travel, #truth, #writing
© MSK 8/31/2018
How many faces can you see every day
Before you start forgetting their names?
When do the streets you drive all look the same?
Who can remember all the great people you’ve met
And still function throughout the day?
Do the songs you keep writing all sound the same?
It’s not that things aren’t fun
But it gets a little old.
Looking for a rainbow won’t help you find gold
No matter what you were told.
How many repetitions can one person perform
Without their thoughts wandering everywhere else?
When do we notice we’re not even there?
It’s not that things aren’t fun
But it gets a little old.
There is no rainbow and no pot of gold
No matter what you were told.
Letter To City Planner Series #3
Posted: August 21, 2018 in Opinions and ObservationsTags: #conversation, #driving, #family, #life, #notes, #opinion, #people, #personal, #photography, #politics, #question, #travel, #truth, #work, #writing
Letter 307
On-street-parking. I know I will get a lot of kick-back for this one but I think we should end on-street-parking. Even in residential and business districts. Safety issues, snow clearance, traffic flow, and maintenance costs come to mind immediately. I know many areas do not have much parking space for residents and there are more multiple car families than in the past. Businesses also benefit if customers can park right in front of their stores. But I am not sure this is worth blocking local traffic including emergency vehicles, utility companies, snow plows and the like in areas easily affected by weather, accidents, building fires and a host of other challenges.
Still, if we are planning a city or community, let’s plan on eliminating this practice entirely. Just think how much this would ease congestion, improve safety, reduce city road maintenance costs, allow for emergency vehicles and unexpected weather or unusual events and improve the look and health of our streets and neighborhoods.
Let me know what you think. What would you suggest to your city planners?
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Letter To City Planner Series #2
Posted: August 15, 2018 in Opinions and Observations, UncategorizedTags: #conversation, #driving, #life, #opinion, #personal, #politics, #question, #questions, #science, #travel, #work
Letter 306
Here are two little things that bug me about traffic patterns and planning. Maybe it is just me, but if I am driving in residential or even business areas where there are a lot of intersections, I think it is weird and dangerous when you come to an intersection but the traffic coming from a dead-end street does not have to stop. This seems to happen a lot where a main road ends in cul de sacs where the “dead-end” is only one block long. Not much traffic comes from there and it is easy to miss the fact that on-coming traffic has no stop sign.
The second minor thing is when you have multiple lanes of road or entry ramps to a highway where the lanes merge and signs say the left lane ends! Again this does not make logical sense. Merging traffic in the US comes in from the right lane the vast majority of the time. The right lane is the slow or merge/exit lane. Faster traffic is encouraged to use the left lanes, implying they have priority. Why tell a priority lane that the lane ends…… merge into the right lane……. and sometimes when you reach the end of the entry ramp you have to merge left again? These little things just bug me from time to time.
Letter To City Planner Series
Posted: August 7, 2018 in Opinions and ObservationsTags: #cars, #conversation, #driving, #family, #friends, #life, #opinion, #people, #personal, #political, #politics, #question, #questions, #science, #travel, #truth, #work
Letter # 305
I like to drive around cities and country sides. It becomes obvious after a bit of traveling that some cities are better planned and have more logical systems in place than others. I would love to have the ear of some city planners because it is clear they do not PLAN for growth and other transportation needs early enough. I would like to share some of my thoughts with you, and hopefully you will share yours here as well. Who knows, maybe we can get the attention of a few city planners while we are it!
One thing I would really like to see changed is the location of many schools. I know there are good reasons, but all too often they are located on the main strip through towns of all sizes. I thought about posting pictures as examples, but we have all seen them. My guess is this makes the land rather expensive for all tax payers. Or to look at it another way, the land is of commercial value and interest to local businesses. A number of businesses could pay fair price for the prime locations and exposure the real estate could provide and that would translate to higher tax collected and business success in the area.
Now consider if the schools would be located a few blocks away from “the main drag” going through town. Your children will be safer crossing the streets and playing in the area due to reduced traffic around the school. People that are not supposed to be there would be more obvious if they are loitering around the area. This would reduce risk to students.
Now that the school is not on the main road, traffic flow will be improved by not restricting speeds in school zones, reducing congestion in parts of town most people will have to travel through daily or at least quite often. I understand this might mean a loss of revenue by reducing speeding violations through school zones, but I think we can live with that!
What do you think? Do you see more reasons to adopt this policy? Do you think there are reasons or situations where this would not be beneficial?
Let me know what bothers you about travel through your city and in other locations. Who knows, maybe we can suggest changes that will help a lot of people.
A Few Pictures
Posted: July 30, 2018 in PhotographyTags: #blog, #family, #inspiration, #life, #media, #personal, #photography, #travel
Just thought I would share a glimpse at the last week or so. These are a few of the pictures my grand daughter MJ took at the Krohn Conservatory in Eden Park.
A cute smile and humming birds to lighten your day!
Family addition
Posted: March 29, 2018 in familyTags: #blog, #family, #life, #opinion, #personal, #photography, #travel, #truth
I recently made a trip to the Washington DC area to visit family. It is always fun, but this was a special trip. Among other things, I went to see my new grandson for the first time…… It is always amazing to hold someone that small and young. Such a thrill! The tiny hands and changing facial expressions are precious.
On this trip, I was also reminded of how amazing my other grandchildren are. They are getting a bit older now and it is amazing to watch them develop. When they are alone or together, they are sharp, funny, and intelligent. When they are together it is a thrill to watch them interact and feed off each other. It is a symphony of fun, wit, laughs and affection that makes it difficult to return home.
I think many of us grow up too self confident. We struggle to make new friends and learn new skills. Our attempts at “fitting in” can be awkward. We think we are alone and isolated way more than we actually are. It can take time to overcome some of these barriers until we get much older. Unfortunately, I still have not overcome many of them, LOL!
I just wish they knew how wonderful they are now and how much potential they have in their future! They are “the bomb, and I am so proud of them!
“Something To Say”
Posted: February 19, 2018 in PoetryTags: #driving, #life, #opinion, #photography, #poetry, #question, #travel, #writing
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© MSK 2-12-18
Sorry about your luck
But I’ve got mine.
That’s why I keep my guitars
Tuned up all the time.
You never know when it’s time to play!
You never know when it’s time to play!
People that show up late
Always drive too fast.
Going here or out to Mars
I’m never the last.
Sometimes you just gotta get away!
Sometimes you just gotta get away!
Those without answers
Are the first to complain.
Their whining and crying
Just drives me insane.
Open your mouth when you have Something To Say!
Open your mouth when you have Something To Say!
Life can be unfair
Not like you planned.
The best singer you ever heard
Joined another band.
Nothing you can do will make them stay!
Nothing you can do will make them stay!
I for one can’t help but see
Why anyone would bend the knee.
The difference between you and me
You want it all but won’t pay the fee.
Sometimes you just gotta get away!
Sometimes you just gotta get away!
Open your mouth when you have something to say!
Open your mouth when you have something to say!
“From Start To Stop” – New Video
Posted: February 12, 2018 in VideoTags: #audio, #computer, #conversation, #creativity, #friends, #inspiration, #life, #music, #people, #personal, #photo, #photography, #poetry, #question, #questions, #stories, #travel, #truth, #video, #writing
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I added a new original video for my song “From Start To Stop”. My wife Ellen does the vocals and Greg Stern wrote most of the music and plays guitar. Ellen and I wrote the lyrics.
I have mentioned Spring Grove Cemetery in past articles and posts and that is where I shot the video. There was very heavy fog that day and Ellen suggested we take some pictures there. I will post some of those in the near future, and I also shot a video using my phone that became the background for the video. There is a small mound with tombstones all around the center. You can drive all around it so I shot the video as Ellen drove around the mound. Most of the pictures in the video are mine, but I had a bit of help from my friends over the years!
The YouTube link is below. I hope you enjoy.
Sunsets Made Better
Posted: December 4, 2017 in HolidayTags: #family, #inspiration, #life, #opinion, #personal, #photography, #travel, #work, #writing
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Over the Thanksgiving holiday, I was fortunate enough to take a trip to visit my daughter and grand kids in the D.C. Area. I was going to drive but found a flight that was not too expensive and got me in and out within my schedule. The visit was great and I had a wonderful time, but I wanted to mention the flight back.
Days are getting shorter here and the sunset comes surprisingly early. I booked an evening flight back home. As we boarded the plane, the day was ending and the sun had already started to set. When we lifted off, the sunset was just about over, with the skies a deep pink mixed with dark red. The timing was just right, and as we slowly ascended, the sunset was revived. Flying in the direction for home, the plane arched its way toward the sunset. We were not pointed directly at it so the sunset-filled horizon was visible outside the passenger windows. I sat in the aisle row, so I could not take pictures or see the entire sunset, but I could see the spectacular colors and darkening clouds peak through every window on one side of the plane.
It seemed like the pilot was chasing the sunset. Elevating and angling as needed we kept in pace with the evening light show. I am always fascinated by the view when flying. Cloud formations, landscape features, lakes and mountains and the spider web of roads can keep me entertained for hours.
As night continued to consume the daylight hours, the ground lights became more and more visible. A dazzling holiday display appeared for all willing to invest a little imagination. I could have sworn one town had a huge area of lights that resembled Santa on his sled being pulled by brightly decorated reindeer! Other areas hinting of holiday trees and festive decorations could be seen on one side of the plane as the unending sunset blazed when looking out the other. This lasted all the way home until the plane’s final decent brought the sunset and decorative lights to an end.
It was a short flight, but the never-ending sunset was just what the doctor ordered. I never opened my book or tried to close my eyes during the entire flight, thinking this was the best return home flight I could have asked for. Wishing you safe and pleasant travels for the holiday season!
MidiMike 