mY hAIR IN hIGH sCHOOL

Nothing special in this shot, just creation...

My hair in high school looked JUST LIKE THAT!!!!.. Always take time to make new friends on your journey in life, and remember to love blindly and completely...Joe

UNDERDUCK

God's Fingerprint, Spring has Come, and TITANIC

I went for a walk at Quiet Waters Park today while Barb was napping at her Chemo, and found this along the way, I think it is God's fingerprint from when He made the place..

Barb told me the other day that she knows spring has come when she sees a cardinal, I brought her this one....

I can't fault this guy, I've had days like this myself...I call this shot "TITANIC"..

13 (again) Explained

The attached photos show the number 13 on the face of our dvr, notice what appears to be an ORB right over the 13, some people believe that that is a sign of a spiritual presence. The 13's in the license plates are 1. As I was coming off of the beltway, after my gps had taken me THE LONG WAY AROUND to get to the church, and right before I got on 193, (another 13 with a 9 in the middle, but that's a stretch) 2. the plate on the van right in front of the church when I pulled up.3. The third 13 in a license plate was the car directly in front of me no sooner than when I got on the road at 1:30.
Note the shot of the receipt from Annapolis Harley on Saturday last...I made it a specific point not to pick up anything that would lead me to 13's. The tag for the doo rag I got clearly says $12. No way in hell could that possibly lead me to 13's????right???..So much for that. The cashier OVERCHARGED me by adding my Hog member discount to the tab, making it exceed $13, so that there are 3-13's on the receipt.I am not hiding from you oh great 13, I am embracing you rather. Lastly, but certainly not least, today's 4th and final chemo appointment. The infusion center has about 13 different rooms that you can be put in. Approximately half of these rooms are "group" rooms wherein 3 or 4 people can receive their chemo treatments together.So essentially the odds are at least 30 to 1, probably greater, that we would draw ROOM 13 as the place where Barb would receive her last treatment. ( I knew there was a room 13 because at her last appointment, we were placed in a room across the hall, with the number 13 essentially GLARING at us while B received her treatment). I told her while we were waiting to go back which room she was going to be in, without mentioning ANYTHING to ANYONE at the doctor's office regarding this particular number.I'm going to go out on a limb and predict tonight's 3 digit number for the state of Maryland.While I did put 5 dollars on 313 for Saturday night, a squirrel got on the transformer in front of our house, and knocked out the power for the neighborhood, so I didn't get to physically witness the power of 13, but tonight, I will watch the draw, bet yer ass I will..

13 ( again!!)

 

 

 

 

Revelations on the number 13, God Exists, and my Father Loves me.

 

So I was on my way to work this morning, and absent-mindedly thinking about the number 13, and how I needed to go to the church that my Father had carved the Last Supper for when I had a startling revelation layed upon my sorry @$$. One of the ways that the number 13 had been thrown in my face was in a program that I had set to record on our DVR called "Histories Mysteries"...As with "Gangland", I thought that that might be a show that I would like to see...I caught precisely one episode before the girls in my house reprogrammed the dvr to tape something else instead. The show JUST HAPPENED TO BE ABOUT THE NUMBER 13. In the program ( what the hell, why fight it, if 13 is going to keep landing on you, go with the flow..)they detailed that probably the main reason people believe the number 13 is bad luck goes back to the Last Supper, because there were 13 people in attendance.ok....
Fast forward a bit...I finally get tired of ignoring the 13's that keep flying up in my face, and say to myself " Self, google "bible 13", and see what the gospel has to say there...well, that brings me to a passage from what I think was Luke 13, REGARDING THE LAST SUPPER..ok..that has nothing to do with me?...dead end I guess....then the 13 chicken wings left over from a late lunch the day before..( aren't late lunches also referred to as suppers, i.e., my last supper from the day before?), and the whole 13 chicken wings posted on 3/13 AT 3:13a.m. comes about yesterday..
I suppose I should stop here and give a little personal history lesson about my father. He passed away in July of 2007. During his life, he was always a very loving and compassionate man, and loved all of his children dearly, as well as his wife.( Hi Mom, I love you too). In any event, I gave his eulogy. Rather than concentrate on the story of how he carved the Seal of the President for Reagan's inaugural, I chose to speak more broadly about his carving of the Last Supper, and how he had donated his time and talents, running a wood chisel through his hand at one point while he was working on the piece, only so that when we( I went with him)went to the Baptist Church to deliver it, he could tell the Pastor at Berwyn Baptist ( we are Catholic) to just pay him for the wood!!!!..I was amazed at the time ( Dad!!!!...that's so stoopid!!!!we're not Baptists!!!! I'm about 16, and I know better than that!!!) I learned later that, or figured it out on my own, that Dad had given his time and talent, and even his own blood to God in doing the Last Supper, and that was my lesson that I imparted during his eulogy.
Then this morning on the way to work, the number 13 came crashing down on me like the Hand of God Himself. The chicken wings, the Last Supper I needed to photograph, Oh My God....yes!!!!!!!...thank you thank you thank you..My Father is sending me these 13's..!!!!!!!!!
13 makes complete sense!!!!!
The seal of the president my father carved? When he passed away, he left it to me. There are 13 arrows in the claw of the eagle on it, there are 13 olive leaves in the other claw, there are 13 stars over the eagles head, I believe there are 13 puffs in the clouds at the top of the seal. I also believe there are 13 rays of light coming from the back of the eagles head rising to the stars..anyway...13 IS THE CENTRAL NUMBER TO THE SEAL OF THE PRESIDENT, AS WELL AS THE LAST SUPPER.
I got to work, and sent out an e-mail to my family asking if anyone had the number to Berwyn Baptist church. I wound up looking it up on line, and calling them to ask about taking photos, and had to leave a message. Pastor Jesse was nice enough to call me back, and tell me that sure, I could come by. I suggested going after work, but he told me that he was leaving at around 2, so we set a time of 1:00pm..( 1300 hours military). I took a bunch of pictures at work, needing to document some existing conditions ( like I think 138 photos), and then took off for Berwyn Baptist. For some reason, my gps took me out to the Washington Beltway via 295, rather than straight up Kennelworth Ave to get there..I get off the beltway, and the car in front of me has 13 in the license plate ( that's been happening a LOT lately)..ok...take the first right on to 193 ( catch that one?...it's hidden), and then the first right on Cherokee, and there's the Church, with one van parked by the door, with the number 13 right there on the license plate ( I have pictures of both the car that was in front of me and the van plate to corroborate). I go in the church, and connect with Pastor Jesse, and I'm snapping pictures of the Last Supper in no time. All the while babbling to poor Pastor Jesse my story of the number 13, and my father telling me that he hears me. I rattle off I don't know how many shots of the last supper carving, and then ask him if would like some pictures of the church while I take a few shots of the Altar area. "I guess, I don't really think we need them". ok..ONE MORE SHOT OF THE LAST SUPPER before I leave you alone. I thank him for his patience and understanding with me, collect my camera gear, and get in my truck to go home..it's 1:30..
Out on the road, the first car in front of me has what on the license plate??...13!!!!...I busted out laughing, I love you too Daddy..
I get home, and pull up the pictures I took at the church, and e-mail them out to my family..one of my sisters ( Hi Laura) says "you should have sent me 13 pictures"..I didn't, I included the EXTRA SHOTS I HAD TAKEN OF THE CHURCH, the one shot that I took before leaving was NUMBER 13 of the series. Also ( getting tired of me saying it yet?), the series numbers of the photos I took at the church were ALL DSC-13** series photos, as I have my camera set up to sequentially record my photgraphs. I am over 10,000 frames on my camera you see, so a couple of weeks ago, it started again at frame dsc-0001....my fingers are getting tired from typing, but rest assured, I could yet go on and on and on about the number 13 smacking me upside the head, but if what I have already said here isn't enough to convince you, then I guess it's HOPELESS...for me, God Exists, my Father Loves me, and he is by my side....Love to all, and God Bless....J
I get home

Chicken Wings and Other Things

So yesterday I came down to my office, and grabbed some chicken wings out of the freezer, finishing out the bag, stuck them in the microwave, and promptly FORGOT ALL ABOUT THEM...this morning I remembered them, and pulled them out of the microwave to toss them out....but not before something told me to count them....take a stab at how many there are....I'll be over in the clock tower at 13 o'clock, if anyone's looking for me...(LOL)...little side note, this went to drafts when I tried to post it, so I came back to edit it...the post time said 3:13, the more I mention that number, the more it inundates me...never mind that ALL of my clocks said 6:15 when I tried to post this..

additions to number 13

the channel on the dvr yesterday morning..
the time on the clock when I went up to make the bed
the only window that it is in production at work
the sq' weight of a piece of glass being removed yesterday, I just happened to walk up just as the guys that were working on it were calc'ing the weight....oh...13 lbs per sq foot...
the date of the ny gov's tryst ( of course!!!)
it goes on...
Edit added: DUH..!!!!!....POSTED ON 3/13...

hawaiin punch

ok, so the moon was photoshopped in from another shot on this trip, still a cool pic...enjoy, J

The mystery of the vanishing butterfly stairs

This was taken on Thursday afternoon, notice the butterfly wings on the face of the granite stairs on the top set

Fast forward to Monday morning at around 11:30...butterfly decals gone!!!!!!..did I imagine them???...why am I not crrrraaaazzzyyy...these and other questions (note, no ANSWERS, only questions) posted below....and another thing while I'm on my rant....I wonder how much it cost to produce custom made aligned graphics that will adhere to a granite step at the MAIN ENTRANCE to the busiest museum in the world??? $30,000 maybe??? for a few hours????..( that song "things that make you say hmmm is playing in my head)...Love always, J

The number 13

Time for a rant, I guess that's what blogging is really all about, and since all I ever do here is post photos and comment on them, I suppose I'm overdue for an actual literary contribution. The number 13. There, I came out and said it. Over the course of the last several months, the number 13 has been popping up in my life with increasing frequency, literally DAILY, and I am hard put to figure out why. Is it a product of my imagination?...not sure...what I do know is that when Barb went in for her chraniotomy, they gave me a pager to let me know what her status was. The pager number was 213. Stamped in indellible numbers right on the face...Crap!!!!!....do you have a more "lucky" number?...nope.....ok....
Then after her surgery, they tell me she's in recovery, and they're going to transfer her to the icu on the next floor up, she'll be in room 413...ok.....thanks again,.... but then, THERE IS NO ROOM 413, THEY MEANT, OR SHOULD HAVE SAID, ROOM 412......oh.....ok....hmmmm
Fast forward a bit in life...I had to buy some chips for my Mom's birthday, ok , no problem...3 or 4 bags....how much???....$13 of course....how about I stop and pick up some smokes while I'm out buying aspirin...how much you think the total tab was???....yup....so I'm thinking it's all in my head, on my way home from work the other day thinking about how the number 13 keeps popping on me, and I look in my rear view mirror and the guy behind me actually has the number 13 ON BOTH OF HIS REAR VIEW MIRRORS. Bigger than shit...fast forward/rewind/whatttheever, my cousin Ben sends me an e-mail on Feb. 13th, ok so you're bound to receive communications on the 13th of SOME months, no biggie right???...Except the e-mail doesn't arrive on the 13th, it actually arrives on the 20th, that was my IN YOUR FACE 13 for the day on the 20th.Since when does it take 7 days for SNAIL MAIL to arrive, much less an E-MAIL..that's kind of the way that this number has been coming to me, usually it slaps me upside the head. Like this morning, here I am minding my own business, when my pda tells me that I am 13 hours overdue for Barb's meeting with the oncologist, at 6:13 a.m. it's reminding me....shake it off...has anyone seen that new show "gangland" that I set up our dvr to record?....I've seen it twice, both times the machine picked up the same episode on Mara Salvatrucha....you know....MS13....is there a crystal clear message that goes along with the number 13 that someone is trying to relate to me????....ANYONE?????....need some help here...Joe ( posted on 3/11...wait.....turn that around....

The Thinker, My Other Home, and The Neighbors

The Thinker

My Other Home..( I prefer my main house though)

My Neighbors at work..

The chimmey sweeps tour of Washington

I got to go up on the roof of the Freer Museum yesterday, and take a look at a job for a bid, Fortunately I had my Camera with me..J

Birds in the Hood

the problem with Herons is that they don't let you get very close to them..

A couple of 2 headed Canadian Geese..

This guy was nice enough to take flight for us...Beautiful animal...

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Picasa Demo

This is how cool Picasa is...these 2 frames were shot right behind one another, the top one I fixed up with Picasa, and the bottom frame is the "original" print...it went form "eh" to "art"....LOL

Sky Full of Seagulls

My best seagull shot yet...it will be nice when the real birds return...

Weird looking tree

UFO?????...nope, that's called lens flair...