Lunar Eclipse

photo by Miloslav Druckmüller

Goodnight, moon.

Blue Cheese

Blue Cheese, a painting by Andrice Arp.

I inherited a few things from my grandfather: Democratic politics, a certain squareness of jaw, and a taste for sharp cheeses. Grandpa loved his blue cheese. (He loved his Limburger, too, but that didn't get passed along.)

I was thinking of him this afternoon as I ate lunch. I had a nice blue from Point Reyes, California, a Jonagold apple from British Columbia, a red table wine from France, and Wheat Thins from the Nabisco bakery in Portland. It was a very nice lunch leaving behind a general sense of well-being.

Afterwards, I squared my jaw with renewed determination to see John Kerry elected President.

Nimbostratus

West Highlands of Scotland (no Ballard picture available)

Not your most photogenic sort of cloud, the nimbostratus, but it's a cloud we know well here in Ballard. Nimbostratus (nimbostrati?) hung low over us all day.

Autumn is schizophrenic. For the first month the days harken back to summer. You know the rain will end. The sun will come out. You've still got time to finish the last of the outdoor chores.

Then a dark Monday comes. Nimbostratus moves in. It's cold and damp. Rain falls all day. This is when autumn looks forward to the winter yet to come.

Autumn Leaves

from MSN Encarta:

"The brilliant autumn colors characteristic of the leaves of many plants is due to the presence of accessory leaf pigments that normally assist the plant in photosynthesis by capturing specific wavelengths of sunlight. These pigments, called carotenoids, become visible when the leaf dies in the fall."

Imagine Yves Montand singing that!

The Guitar Player

The Guitar Player by Vermeer

Saturday night I went over to a little cafe to hear my friend Brenda's band Daughters of Joy.

Brenda plays guitar and sings. Melynn plays bass. Kelly is the drummer but didn't show. Brenda had two guys on trumpet and tenor improvising over her tunes. Like all improv, sometimes it worked and sometimes it didn't.

I don't do much rock music anymore but it was fun to hear her stuff. Brenda has some good songs and I liked these stripped down versions. Mostly I liked the scale of the night. The cafe is in the basement of an old Ballard house. Furnished as it is with worn sofas and chairs and collectible nonsense, it really felt like a basement show for friends. Which we were. It was great hanging out with friends old and new and listening to music.

Here comes trouble

photo from FoundPhoto.