death of an oak

Here, I pay homage to the oak destroyed on July 15 and 16 of this year.
Even though I am the one responsible for its loss to my world, I am gladdened to know I have these photographs to document its existence.

Day 1, Tuesday, July 15: work begins.

Day 2, Wednesday, July 16: continuation and culmination.

panegyric for an oak

Planted
by a forgetful squirrel
before the house changed hands in 2001,
the acorn
from across the street
grew into a small tree between the two houses. Although trimmed repeatedly
(by yours truly) over the ensuant years, the tree continued to grow, eventually attaining a height which would have required the use of a ladder to keep its boughs in check.
Notice that use of the phrase "would have".
The tree, no longer beset by pruning tools, flourished.
Oddly, no birds claimed it as home. Ever.
The mockingbirds preferred the shelter of the nearby azaleas, cloaked by blackberry brambles and thorny vines.
The neighbor in the house on the other side of the tree began complaining about two years ago. He claimed the upper branches were having a deleterious effect on his roof. I reminded him that I would have been able to afford to have the tree trimmed when he had the tree cutters eliminating the pines in his back yard, about five years earlier. He did not recall.
Every few months, a card from a tree surgeon would be left on my door.
Time passed.
The tree continued to loft its weighty limbs into the air, reaching its fingertips toward the sun, the moon, the stars. Its leaves caught each passing breeze, rustling and singing.
Its roots continued to spread, taking shelter under the houses of myself and my neighbor. Eventually, that would be a serious problem, I knew. The roots of an oak reach out as far as do its limbs. The overlap of the branches atop the two roofs were evidence of the roots' encroachment upon those foundations.
Action would eventually be necessary. I knew that, but kept granting clemency to the oak.
After two of my neighbors called the city about my back yard, I decided it was time for action against the tree.
Time for the mighty oak to be felled.
"Mighty" was hardly the correct description. The tree was still so young! It should have had a couple of hundred years of time ahead of it.
Instead, the tree surgeon of my choice was called, a man recommended by my dear artist friend.
On the afternoon of Tuesday, July 15, 2014, Ervin came. After we agreed on the cost of ending the tree's life, work began.
Immediately.
I may have expected more time for me to accept the concept of killing the oak. At least I was aware that this was most likely the only time I would deliberately have a living tree destroyed.
I documented the act with photographs.
The tree surgeon was surprised, but did not discourage me.
He has a deep respect for these trees he fells.
I like to think he knew I had a deep respect for this oak.
I like to think I did, too.
I miss the sight and the sounds of it.
I don't think I realized what a loss I would feel.
I certainly did not realize what impact that loss would have on me.
Now, every morning, I am reminded that the oak is gone. The rising sunbeams, no longer blocked, beat against my bedroom window, seeking admittance, bidding me awaken at a ridiculously early time.
Now, all day long, the sun sends its heated rays toward that window, increasing the temperature in my already hot, un-air-conditioned, little house.
Now, every day, I am reminded of my death sentence on the oak.
Sigh.
Loss adjustment is still ongoing.
Perhaps, as the days cool and the nights lengthen, I will welcome the additional sunlight.
For now, the loss is still fresh and I am daily reminded: I had a living tree destroyed.
I don't know if Joyce Kilmer would have approved, but I have to believe he would have understood.
And none of that logic makes it any less sad.

elephant cages

Early this morning, just after midnight, I was catching up on fb before wandering off to bed.
My little sister's wife sent me the following story:
Navy's mysterious 'elephant cage' retired
Say what???
I spent 15 months of my life there, from December 1982 to March 1984.
I was 24 years old.
That was my last duty station as a Cryptologic Technician, Maintenance, for the United State Navy. My time in San Diego was memorable, from the all-day concerts in open-air stadiums to the drives along the magnificent coast and points all around.
Then there were the trips I made!
Out to Barstow to see my high school friend Josie and her family, then onward for my first view of Las Vegas, sparkling like jewels on black velvet on the night-time road.
Up to Los Angeles to visit Arturo Koenig and George Cherry, fellows I knew in my Okinawa days.
Another trip in that direction, to Anaheim, to visit the family of Jeff Petrell, a friend stationed with me in Panama.
Then, for Christmas of 1983, up to San Francisco, to see my best friend Lizz, my jarhead of Okinawa (I was her squid!)
of course, I also drove across the border to Tijuana, just about ten miles away from where I lived in Imperial Beach, which was in easy walking distance from the station.
You see, NSGA San Diego was physically located in Imperial Beach, just ot the south of town. Until the early 1970's, it was known as NSGA Imperial Beach and many around there still called it that when I was there.
Apparently, it last saw sailors in September of 1999.
On July 27, 2005, it was disestablished.
What a word: disestablished.
Stripped of its official status as an integral part of the US Navy.
Rather similar to a marriage being annulled, isn't it?
Now, the Wullenweber antenna array, a structure the size of two football fields, is to be dismantled, to be disappeared from the spot on which it has stood since 1965.
I sat right here in this chair and sobbed.
Disappeared???
Part of my history whisked away into nothingness???
That can't be right... can it? We're talking about a military station, for crying out loud! No more sailors working there night and day to help locate folks lost at sea or people trafficking in drugs or humans? No more?
Apparently.
The site has been known as the Silver Strand Training Complex ever since its dismissal from the military. Odd, I don't recall seeing that name on it when Cyndi drove me by it in 2008, on my February visit to San Diego. I was too busy drinking in the sights, overall, for such a detail.
It was originally scheduled to be removed in 2007.
Perhaps it had been left there for me to visit, one more time.
Now, it's stay of demolition has been lifted. Funds have been found and it will be deconstructed this very month.
The 390-foot diameter, circularly disposed antenna array will be removed. The two-story, windowless, concrete block building at its heart will vanish, to beat no more.
I sat here and sobbed, wiping my eyes as I read its obituary.
Then a thought struck - what about the other duty stations of my youth? Were they safe from demolition? Surely...they were in other countries, on foreign soil and in locations not as hungry for beachfront land as California is.
A few simple searches with goodsearch confirmed my fears. The obituaries were right in front of me.
Naval Security Group Activity Galeta Island, Panama: closed in March, 1995. Disestablished a scant three months later. Given to Panama on New Year's Eve, 1999.

Now, reduced to rubble.
This was taken in April, 2008, by Dave Peck on his visit there.
From military outpost with
US Marines on the roof
to rotting tourist site
in a mangrove swamp.
For all I know,
the structures are
completely gone.
I sat and sobbed.
NSGA Galeta Island was my first duty station. I was 19 years old and newly wed.
I was the first woman to be stationed there. The one bathroom had a sign to be switched from "Men" to "Women" to "Open". Funny what memories come to mind!
My first husband and I spent our honeymoon driving there, starting in Pensacola, Florida, then to Laredo, Texas, and the US-Mexico border. We spent some time in Mexico, dodging vehicle collisions in the massive roundabouts, climbing the Pyramid of the Moon in Teotihuacan, listening to the mariachi bands on the gondolas of Xochimilco's Floating Gardens, admiring the beauty of the cathedral in Oaxaca.
Then, onward along the Pan-American Highway to Panama, paying exit fees and entrance fees all along the way. We were living on peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for the last few days of our trip! We arrived in April of 1978 and were there until April of 1980.
My last dog was a Panamanian version of Heinz 57, with German Shepard being dominant. Toffee was aptly named. She was a sweet, smart, girl with heavy mascara all around her eyes and dark hairs scattershot throughout her coat. She came with us when we left Panama, spending her month in quarantine in Miami before joining us in Savannah.
Coco Solo was home while down in Central America. Disco dancing, shag, square dancing! Movies on reels to watch as often as we wanted, over in the Officers' Quarters! Shopping and festivals in Colon! Exploring the thorn trees on Fort Davis! Riding the train to the PX at Rodman Air Base on the Pacific Ocean side! Hopping a ride on new Navy and Marine vessels as they traveled through the locks of the Panama Canal! Sunbathing at the secluded Playa Diablo!
No more.
Coco Solo, the smaller towns, even the Army base at Fort Gulick - all swallowed up by the now-city of Colón. I wonder if the restaurant where I first dined on ceviche and dorado is still there?
Early this morning, I was not consciously thinking of any of these memories. I was in shock at my loss.
Tears coursed down my cheeks as I viewed the list of stations I knew.
Groton? London? Naples?
Closed, closed, closed.
What about NSGA Hanza, in Okinawa?
Closed. The last sailors had left by June of 1998. The antenna array and ops building were demolished in June, 2007.
Nothing to mark its place now.
Gone.
I wept in a daze, wiping my eyes with the backs of my hands.
March of 1981 to December of 1982, my room was on the third floor at Torii Station, facing the ocean. I rode a bus to go up the hill to the "elephant cage" for my 2-2-2-80 shiftwork. I rode the Okinawan buses in to Kadena, Naha, Nago, for dining and shopping and barhopping with the guys.
I took USO-organized trips to Hong Kong and Kowloon province China, to Taipei, Taiwan, to mainland Japan. I took an overnight ride on an Asian passenger ship from Taiwan back to Okinawa, being treated to a night sky with more stars than I could have ever dreamt possible.
My first experiences with theatre were in Okinawa. Army Community Theatre On (the) Rock, aka ACTOR, was a source of civilian sanity and socializing in the heart of Torii Station. Janet Leary and Mark Engler taught us all to have fun while entertaining others. I am especially fond of our production of "Bell, Book, and Candle", in May, 1982. No, I wasn't part of that one. I saw it after successfully lobbying the Navy to grant me a tubal ligation. The abdominal surgery left me unable to laugh without wincing, so I had to clap instead!
Such memories of good times...
... at a place now gone.
Even Torii Station has changed, offering recreational activities and beachside entertainment. I remember not being able to go on the beach because of the mines still buried in the sand.
This morning, I wept until I was exhausted and my eyes were nearly swollen shut.
In need of diversion before bed, I looked to the television world.
I caught the last 15 or 20 minutes of the last episode of "Friends". In the final moments of the show, they are leaving the apartment for the very last time, placing their keys on the kitchen counter.
I couldn't have asked for anything better, something to alter my perspective in a positive way.
Change is part of life.
Coincidence? More like my Grandmama looking after me.
By the closing credits of the show, I was calm once more.
The time was 3 AM.
"Futurama" was coming on.
Time to relax with an Outshine lime popsicle and those folks of the future.
Then I was off to bed, for sure, and peaceful dreams.
And today has been a new day.

mas photos de Dragon*Con 28

Ariel the mermaid
(odd how similar
the name is
to that of
yesterday's cosplay
- coincidence?),
replete in sail dress
and new legs,
takes a moment to visit
the octopus
astride this
steampunk Victorian vehicle.
Sebastian is not amused by the lack of attention to him.
After finding the octopus
to be no one she knew,
Ariel moved on.

Oceanic
Steampunk
Adventures?
A Norwegian troll hunter?
Finding (Captain) Nemo?
Mermaids trapped by Robots in Atlantis?
Craziness, for sure...
but my kind of crazy!

Dr. Horrible, his Freeze Ray in hand!
Dr. Horrible, after acceptance into the Evil League of Evil!
And even an aging, post-defeat, Hammer!!!
The best part of the Whedon Universe costume contest?
Right here with me, dear,
right here with me!!!
The first Dr, Horrible even gave me his container of Wonderflonium!!!
He must know I'm a chemist, not a fairy princess.
Wow, he is good!!!

And what would a
Whedon Universe
costume contest be
without characters from "Buffy the Vampire Slayer"?
Not much, that's what!
Spike, on the left, is the one I want.
Come on over and bite me sometime, big boy...

And how about bringing
Captain America
and Thor
with you?
No need for them to remain
in S.H.I.E.L.D.,
missing the fun.
They can even
keep their boots on... rawr!

Settle down now, girlie!
That's not how those Canada pop stars do things!
Robin Sparkles reminds me
that girl fun can be had in more mundane ways!
"Let's Go To THE MALL!"
(smile!)

Oh, Minion!

My Minion!

How wonderful to see you here!

But however did you grow so tall?

Perhaps that is for the best.

The better to be seen,
my dear,
the better to be seen!

Then,
off I'm
whisked
on a flight of fancy
with Hiccup
and my
very most favorite
Night Fury dragon
ever,
Toothless!
What a glorious ride!

And, at the end of my day, to be greeted by Odd Lotters from home - what a sweet surprise!
My continued greetings, and hugs, to Thomas, Chris, and John - see your zany improv some Monday night, y'all!

highlights of dragon*con 28

I wish I had seen such a lovely beast while there!
True, quite a few of the lovelies in the Art Show certainly caught my gaze, but none imprinted upon me.
So, there they stayed.
This photo?
I took it outside StarCastle right here in town, while attending Samuel's 10th birthday party.

Here we are,
fresh and shiny,
first thing in the morning
at the MARTA train station!
The BFF, her bellydancin' pal, the daughter, and yours truly!

High point!!!
There the girl-child
and I were,
just wandering through
yet another crowd
of costumed folk...
and there HE was!!!

BEAKER!!!

Of course I asked to have my photo taken with him!
Fairy princess dress,
braids,
kickstarter-backed dustbunny,
and all!

Oh my! Gee golly! W O W!!!
It's Groot!!!
The little dancing Groot, coming back to life as only he can!
We were in the Walk of Fame and literally turned a corner to see him as he waltzed in.
Of course I took a photo...
even though it was clearly posted to not do so...
but I did anyway!

I'm an outlaw!!!
Just like Groot.
(smile)
So is Aela,
huntress of Skyrim,
my gallant companion
on this quest for dragons.
No dragons today, but treasure:
birthday greetings and love
from Billy Boyd!
A most successful quest, I say!

would have been better seven miles ago

By the time I looked at my odometer, I'd missed the opportunity.
The mileage reading of 153351 was lost.
So, I did the next best thing. I took the photograph anyway, to acknowledge my error in timing.
That's important. Acknowledgement of missed chances, mistakes along the way, errors in judgement.
Like other animals, we humans learn more from our mistakes than we do from our successes.
Actually, that may not be quite correct as stated. I believe we learn as much from each, but the mistakes usually have a negative impact that leaves a lasting impression.
Anything that makes us say "OUCH!" will certainly be recalled in future situations which are similar, if not identical.
Definitely true.
But what about those occurrences in which we say "WOOHOO!"? Do those generate the same lasting impression, encouraging us to repeat that action if granted the chance to do so?
I would hope so.
But here is the problem with that. Many times, I have found the "WOOHOO!" is partly dependent on the company I am keeping. Consider the following examples.
Being in the presence of Minions in Las Vegas, by myself, was a different enjoyable experience from that I had yesterday at Dragon*Con with my BFF's darling daughter. In the first instance, I was able to completely enjoy the moment, in the company of several other lovers of the oblong yellow guys! But, the girl-child did not really know the movie of their origin and my glee was somewhat diminished by her lack of same.
Dragon*Con, itself, was a wildly different experience this year. The first one I attended, in 2008, in the company of Sam Johnson and the BFF's two children, was a bit of a marvel, as I had never been to a costumed convention before. Sam had lined up some events to attend, I had some I wanted to attend, and the kids just wanted to look at everyone. I missed all of the events concerning "Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog" and Joss Whedon's world. I really did enjoy the talk with Mickey Dolenz (of The Monkee's) and even the missed talk with Adam West (of tv's "Batman" series; he opted to be in the Autograph Hall instead). All in all, it was pleasurable, but I would have preferred not being the Adult In Charge. (No, Sam most definitely did not count as an adult.)
2009's Dragon*Con was a bitter-sweet experience. Sam had died, but the kids wanted to go again. The BFF and her husband and I went along, too. Mostly, we just wandered around, looking at costumed characters, taking photos. I did have a fabulous encounter with Alan Ruck, prior to a panel talk with him and several other actors who were special characters in the "Star Trek" universe. I also very much enjoyed the hands-on experience with making towel creature art. Definitely fun! But the rest is a bit of a blur.
This year, it was the 28th Annual Dragon*Con. I was absolutely unprepared... and so was the girl-child. I was not even sure that we were going until just a few days beforehand. So, I had no time to check out the schedule, line up some events not to be missed, confer with her on the timetables. I had seen that James Gunn would be there and knew I did not want to miss seeing him. She had no interest, as she had not yet (and still has not) seen "Guardians of the Galaxy".
There were several musical acts I would have enjoyed, as well as blocks of short films. She was really not that interested.
You see, she is a 17-almost-18-year-old girl.
She had spent all of her Dragon*Con preparation time devising the costumes she would wear each of the two days we attended. She was going there to be seen. Period.
After all, she is a 17-almost-18-year-old girl.
A very lovely one, at that, in the typical way.
She is smart, too, but you don't get accolades and adoration from the general public for being smart.
She was there for the glory of recognition of her costumes.
Sitting in panel discussions was not for her. Hardly anyone would praise her cosplay efforts if she were simply part of a crowd, with everyone's attention on the featured guests at the front of the room.
We did both enjoy the Art Show, as we had in 2008. Very little of the artwork for sale was in our budgets this time around, but the visuals and creativity were amazing!
We also enjoyed browsing in the Comic and Pop Artist Alley. No, we were not familiar with any of the artists there, but two kickstarter-backed success stories were there and I enjoyed talking with them.
We spent time both days in those two venues, as well as in the Walk of Fame. She even spent $50 of birthday money on an autograph from her beloved Billy Boyd. Bless him, he even wrote "Happy Birthday" on the glamor shot he signed for her! She was ecstatic!!! I would have liked to wait for James Gunn and his brother to return, but the lines were incredible.
Many times, the lines were ridiculously long. People would get in line more than an hour before an event! Not us.
That we had in common. We did stand in line for Billy Boyd's autograph. Rather, I held her place while she tried to get a couple of others to grant free signatures. (No such luck.) We were fortunate that most events we attended did not have lines of more than thirty or so.
In the end, I think we would both agree that the first day, although erratic, was our favorite, but for different reasons. For her, the cosplay she had chosen that day(the huntress from Skyrim) drew a lot of admiring comments and many requests from adult males for her photo. Success! For me, the day was a favorite because I saw two blocks of short films as well as the panel discussion featuring James and Sean Gunn. Fabulous!
The trip on Sunday was good, but not quite as rewarding for her. Her Ariel in a sail dress cosplay was cute, but in a little-girl way. She mostly was noticed by girls and young women with little children, what notice she did receive. Me? I had charted our course in the Westin to keep us inside and entertained throughout the heat of the day. I enjoyed the ride, but she was clearly needing the attention of others. That put a bit of a damper on my fun, but I tried to sail right past that hurdle, mostly.
(smile)
Will I go again next year?
No, I don't think so.
Unless Alan Ruck will be there.
Maybe he will even remember meeting the girl named Faustina at the head of the stairs and holding her hand.

more than 25,000 views? let's celebrate!

Okay, remember, YOU asked for this!
Puns in the mroning, puns in the evening, puns for late night snacking!


Knock, knock!
Who's there?
To.
To who?
No, to whom.

What do you say when you're comforting a grammar nazi?
There, their, they're...

It's hard to explain puns to kleptomaniacs because they alwasy take things literally.

Sodium Sodium Sodium Sodium Sodium Sodium Sodium Sodium Batman!

What is a physicist's favorite food?
Fission chips.

They say a Freudian slip is when you say one thing, but you mean your mother.

What do you get when you cross a joke with a rhetorical question?

What's another name for Santa's elves?
Subordinate Clauses.

What do you call two crows on a branch?
Attempted murder.

Your mother is so classless, she could be a Marxist utopia.

When I was a kid, my English teacher looked my way and said, "Name two pronouns."
I said, "Who, me?"

There's a band called 1032MB.
They haven't had any Gigs yet.

A photon checks into a hotel and the bellhop asks him if he has any luggage.
The photon replies, "No, I'm traveling light."

Did you hear about the man who got cooled to absolute zero?
He's 0K now.

How many surrealists does it take to screw in a lightbulb?
A fish.

Why did Karl Marx dislike Earl Grey tea?
Because all proper tea is theft.

The first rule of Tautology Club is the first rule of Tautology Club.

Two kittens are on a sloped roof.
Which one slides off first?
The one with the lowest mew.

A biologist, a chemist, and a statistician are out hunting.
The biologist shoots at a deer and misses 5 feet to the left.
The chemist takes a shot and misses 5 feet to the right.
The statistician yells, "We got 'em!"

Einstein, Newton, and Pascal are playing hide and go seek.
It's Einstein's turn to count, so he covers his eyes and starts counting to ten.
Pascal runs off and hides.
Newton draws a one meter by one meter square on the ground in front of Einstein, then stands in the middle of it.
Einstein reaches ten and uncovers his eyes.
He sees Newton immediately and says, "Newton! I found you! You're It!"
Newton smiles and says, "You didn't find me, you found a Newton over a square meter. You found Pascal!"

A mathematician and an engineer agree to take part in an experiment.
They were both placed in a room and at the other end was a beautiful naked woman on a bed.
The experimenter said every 30 seconds they would be allowed to travel half the distance between themselves and the woman.
The mathematician said, "This is pointless!" and stormed off.
The engineer agreed to go ahead with the experiment anyway.
The mathematician exclaimed on his way out, "Don't you see you'll never actually reach her?"
To which the engineer replied, "So what? Pretty soon I'll be close enough for all practical purposes!"

A logician's wife is having a baby. The doctor immediately hands the newborn to the dad.
His wife asks impatiently, "So, is it a boy or a girl?"
The logician replies, "Yes."

Jean-Paul Sartre is sitting at a French cafe, revising his draft of Being and Nothingness.
He says to the waitress, "I'd like a cup of coffee, please, with no cream."
The waitress says, "I'm sorry, Monsieur, but we're out of cream. How about with no milk?"

Entropy isn't what it used to be.

how can you tell the difference between a chemist and a plumber?
Ask them to pronounce "unionized".

Why do engineers confuse Halloween and Christmas?
Because Oct 31 = Dec 25.

A Buddhist monk approaches a hotdog stand and says, "Make me one with everything."

A Higgs Boson walks into a church and the priest says, "We don't allow Higgs Bosons in here."
The Higgs Boson then replies, "But without me, how could you have mass?"

The programmer's wife tells him, "Run down to the store and pick up a loaf of bread. If they have eggs, get a dozen."
The programmer comes home with 12 loaves of bread.

Never trust an atom.
They make up everything.

Bonds: not just for molecules.