Evolution or Devolution of a Piece of Art … Depending how it's Perceived, on Creative Arts, Three Day Weekend
An abstract work I did initially is atop this article … this is the SECOND ITERATION with the THIRD ITERATION to come further along in the thread.
Iteration 2
© A. Mac/A.G.
Article is LOCKED by moderator [A. Macarthur]
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The Crimes Against Humanity perpetrated by Vladimir Putin against Ukrainians continue.
I just saw an interview with an elderly woman that was hiding in a basement. She was tired, scared and said she had no where to go. I think they had been hiding down there for several weeks.
She started crying and said, 'I just want to go home'.
It was heart breaking.
It's nothing but an evil campaign of mass murder, property destruction, and land theft.
I still think a large, multi-national coalition should get in there on the ground and put a stop to it. Sanctions may be punishing in the long term, but they aren't stopping the barbarism in the moment.
Slava Ukraini!
This photo doesn't need a caption. It's self-explanatory.
And, we're back.
Your spherical pieces are pretty nifty. I was playing around with sphere effects back around Christmas when I was trying to make a snow globe image, but I gave up on it. Couldn't get it right.
Truly beautiful spheres, Mac. Awesome how you are expanding both your talents and imagination.
Our golf course at Stone Creek, Ocala FL.
I never pictured you as a golfer.
I can...a golfer with a fishing vest
Mr Giggles plays a lot of golf and he fishes. As a matter of fact he's playing hooky...er....I mean golf today
I played for years and was fairly good at it.
That's awesome, Kav. Just beautiful.
A lovely way to spend the day.
Ok, as you can see I need to clean it. If we could run power off of algae, I would be set.
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Pretty cool, Ender. Giving EG a run for his money, are we? Lol.
New hobby? Or have you had it for a while?
No way. EG's always look so clean and clear. Mine even the water looks like a greenish tint.
I have had tanks on and off for most of my life. This one is only about two years old.
First time I have ever done live plants.
Most of the time I'm taking photos after a clean and water change. I'm trying to get better at getting all 4 tanks cleaned every weekend. I've had some swampy looking tanks! My shrimp tank is horrible to look at, but the shrimp are thriving. The green/yellow tint could be your lighting maybe? If it's the water I'd say maybe reduce lighting and do an extra water change or two over the next couple of weeks.
That size is the tank, Ender?
It is small. Only a 20 Gal. long one.
Not a bad setup at all. Love the fish choices!
There is actually about 10 of them in there.
I don't think they were happy with me at that moment.
Spring Fest 2022!
All the regular migrating birds have shown up -- hummingbirds a few days ago, a rose-breasted grosbeak yesterday, and a Baltimore oriole just today.
But first, some tulips...
Hummingbird.
Red-bellied woodpecker in flight.
Mama squirrel under the feeders.
Female goldfinch.
Rose-breasted grosbeak.
Baltimore oriole.
Really great photos, Dig.
Thanks, G.
A few days ago I started building that birdhouse I designed last summer (if you remember the digital drawing I posted), and I finished it today, just in time for the wrens. I'm really happy with it. I took a bunch of photos while I was making it, and I'm trying to put together a series of them for another post.
I do remember the digital drawing of the birdhouse. It's cool that you finished building it.
Great series!
Thanks, Mac.
Outstanding, Dig.
Thanks.
I put up my hummer feeders 2 weeks ago and got customers. My neighbor at the end of the road always gets his up before me but he hasn't put them up yet.
We have a camera system and one of them is focused on the bird feeders in the front yard. When I'm bored I go look at the live feed and am amazed at how noisy it is with all the bird chatter.
We still get snow, so I haven't gotten mine out yet.
So beautiful.
Thanks.
Looks like it identifies as a hummingbird.
The oriole at the hummingbird feeder? They like the sweet nectar. They'll also eat oranges and other fruit if you set it out for them. I never do, though. Spoils too quickly.
The woodpeckers also like the hummingbird feeders. Just the other day a red-bellied woodpecker was hanging off of one, taking long drinks and then smacking his 'lips', over and over. Funny to see.
Beautiful assortment of critters, Dig. I had a yellow bird like the one in the bottom photo trying to take over one of our hummingbird feeders one day. But, the very territorial hummer for that feeder proceeded let it know know in a New York minute who's feeder it was. Ouch!
Haha. My hummers always give way to the bigger birds. They'll run other hummingbirds off, though.
HA! The hummers we got at our 6 different feeders gave no quarter to any bigger birds. They were faster and took no truck from intruders no matter their size. And the longer the big ones hung around, the fiercer the hummers got in their attacks until they finally gave up and left. Sometimes a bit bloodied around their head from the on-going pecks from the hummer's sharp beaks. While it was a bit funny to watch the hummers attacks, it was also kind of sad that the intruders got beat up pretty bad by the angry hummers.
I finished making this birdhouse today.
Photos of the build are in the next comment so that people can collapse it if they want. There's over 20 and I don't want to be too much of a page hog, having already posted several flowers and birds.
Here's the design I came up with last summer.
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A few days ago I finally started on it, cutting the pieces from a white pine 1x6 I had lying around.
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The eight main pieces (the 'porch' is cut from different wood later on).
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Gluing up one side of the roof with exterior-safe wood glue.
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And the other side.
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Sanding the joints after the glue was dry.
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Drilling everything I can with a drill press.
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The countersinking, too.
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Cutting out the entry hole with a jig saw.
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Cleaning up the cuts with a rasp.
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Cutting the roost (or the porch, lol) from strip lumber that I often use for garden stakes.
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Proofing assembly.
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Showing side vents under the roof.
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Taken apart again for a final sanding to get all the pencil marks off.
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Painting the roof.
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Painting the nest box parts with clear sealant (exterior sides only).
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Starting final assembly and showing how I made the clean-out door (the panel on the right). Smooth nails act as hinges, and cotter pins hold it closed.
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Clean-out installed and open. Note that the inside is unpainted.
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Clean-out closed, with pins in place.
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I made the hanger out of some stiff, plastic-coated clothesline wire and a few zip ties.
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Screwed into place with washers on both sides.
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And done!
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Outside on a metal S-hook. The hanger and the hook are rigid and keep it from flailing around in the wind.
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One last look.
Fun stuff.
I love the little front porch. Haha
Lol, thanks.
Very nice, Dig. What little bird wouldn't love to call that home?
It just started raining here. Amazing! We haven't had rain for a while and we can sure use it. I hope it rains all night.
Thanks. I hope you get plenty of rain. I remember hearing that a large, early-winter snowpack was supposed to fix CA's water problem this year, but I recently read that it didn't even come close.
It's rained quite a bit here recently. Even had a tornado warning this evening. Gotta love that.
We have never had a tornado warning. I do seem to remember a report of a funnel cloud over the ocean a few years ago though.
Well done and a fresh example of creative & FUNCTIONAL ART with an environmental component!
Wow, we have our own Frank Lloyd Wright on NT.
Awesome. My hubby built a feeder & the birds threw the seed out and moved in...now it's a birdhouse.
Great work, Dig. The little wrens will surely enjoy their new home.
This is one of my grand dogs. She is so fugly it’s kinda cute.
Ya gotta love her/him.
her/him
It’s funny you put it that way. She was born with male and female genitalia, but she pees more like a girl. She also has a birth defect that looks like a human butt crack. Her jaw is growing out and away from her skull so she has this huge, offset underbite. She’s a hot mess. The breeder was going to euthanize her so my daughter took her in.
Good on your daughter, there is beauty in everything one only has to look for it.
Talk about being up close and personal! Great photo!
This is my other grand dog. They’re both visiting me this week.
Is that mug adorable or what? I couldn't help but laugh when I saw that face.
This is a birdhouse that my buddy and I built a few years ago. It's a replica of my home on Table Rock Lake, Missouri. We even put on a copper roof.
The side of the home with garage doors, porch, stairs, and double door entry, and of course bird entry.
The front of the house faced the lake with three bird entries, a porch, and a peaked roof with sky windows.
The other end of the house with bird entry.
Cool.
That is truly awesome, Kavika. I'm sure the birds that lived there really loved it.
That's awesome!
Are there 5 nest boxes? Did you ever have a full house?
Actually the birdhouse was so heavy that we had problems putting it up. The ground as you're probably aware at Table Rock is exactly that solid rock so you had to drill a hole with a power tool and use a steel pole cemented into the rock hole. We tried it without the hole deep enough and a wooden pole and the first wind snapped the pole so out came the birdhouse without a bird ever being in it and we built a much smaller and lighter birdhouse and hung it in a tree on the property. This one became a piece of art...LOL
Here's a little insight into my very ugly cherry shrimp tank.
I only really clean the front of the glass and then not do a really good job. The shrimp constantly graze on the algae and micronutrients that grow on all the surfaces in the aquarium. The plant mass on the left here floating and threatening to take over the tank is commonly called "guppy grass". It's invasive and grows really fast. It is very fragile and breaks up into small pieces when removing it - and each piece will also grow a whole new plant. I remove a lot of the plant mass every week.
Even though this tank looks a mess (and I hate looking at it), the shrimp are thriving -
Here the shrimp are grazing on "lollies" which is just a fun name for food on a stick. You can also see all the green spot algae I didn't get off the glass before taking the photo... LOL!
Now that looks more like mine. Haha
Except I get this dark stuff. It wants to cover the plants like a blanket.
That sounds like Black Beard Algae and that's a pain to get rid of. It can be spot treated with hydrogen peroxide. Either use a syringe to spray directly on the plant in the tank OR if it's a lot take the plants out and treat them - rinse them and put them back in. You can message me if you need more or better instructions or see the multitude of videos on YouTube about it.
When I got it I ended up pulling everything out of the tank and cleaning it all before resetting it back up.
Hmmmm, I see.
Yes indeed. I'm all eyes!
Pretty cool. Is that a saltwater tank, or are they freshwater shrimp?
Also....are they for eating?
Freshwater. I just use tap water treated with a dechlorinator. All of them together wouldn't be enough for a snack. They are too tiny.
It has been so cold lately I haven't gotten out to do anything (picture taking or work). So all I have is my chubby girl.
Beautiful Onyx.
How dare you disturb her. : )
Onyx is indeed a beautiful lady.
The peace rose fully opened. Plus another bud.
The mystery Rose.
Gorgeous roses, Ender. The peace roses my Grandmother grew were almost as big as a plate.
Those are nice roses, Ender.
Is your redbud tree still going?
I was worried about it as last year it dropped all its leaves early. It is still alive. Looks even healthier than last year. Still small though and no blooms yet.
We should all be proud of the quality and variety of posts … and we're just gettin' started.
never disappointing ...
Hope everyone has a wonderful Spring weekend....
A Shaman performing a Smudging
Beautiful. Dreamy, too.
Thank you, Dig.
Sphere Iteration #3
© A. Mac/A.G.
Wow! It's like a mind warp.
I agree with Dig's "Wow"! That is really a very unique and amazing creation, Mac.
One of our ''friendly neighbor snakes'' paying a visit.
It's a black racer and it's not venomous and it helps to keep the rodent population under control.
That's a very big snake. And a real beauty.
And, back to something more traditional.
Montgomery County, Pennsylvania
© A. MacA.G.
Great photo, Mac. Love the lavender clouds.
Tribal Medicine Man
A penetrating stare implying the power it holds.
Most convincing, RW.
Thanks, Mac.
Many folks have a favorite bar. Remember Norm and the crew? This is my favorite bar,
Tisa's Barefoot Bar, Alega Beach, Alega American Samoa.
My favorite hotel (s) in the world is the Oriental in Bangkok, Thailand, and Aggie Grey's in Apia, Samoa.
The history and beauty of each are just stunning.
Cosmos Hourglasses
© A. Mac/A.G.
Wow! You've really out done yourself, Mac. That's really beautiful.
A few more for Sunday... with a wren already claiming the new birdhouse.
Red tulip in evening sun.
Tufted titmouse checking out a bluebird house.
Indigo bunting.
Mama squirrel from the pics above flattening herself against a branch, hiding from another squirrel on the ground for some unknown reason.
Baltimore oriole in really good light.
Taken just a few minutes ago on a cloudy, gray day – a wren has already staked claim to the new birdhouse!
Checking out the view from the porch, lol.
Singing his little wren lungs out, declaring his territory and trying to attract a mate.
He's started building a nest. Here's the first twig I saw him with.
A female dropped a few minutes before this, but she flew off. Probably because he didn't have a nest ready yet. He chased after her, but to no avail. He started building the nest right after that, lol.
They are using the front porch. Yea!
I think that he should have a rocking chair on his front porch it might help in getting a female to pay attention.
It's a really good feeling to see them take to it so readily. Makes me feel all warm and fuzzy, haha.
Lol.
Another great series, Dig.
Thanks, RW.
I'm off now to watch the nestbuilding progress.
Well, that didn't last long. It started drizzling on me so I had to pack it in.
It sure is busy out there today. There's all kinds of birds all over the place. I even head some calls I didn't recognize. I tried to see what they were but I couldn't spot them.
Ruby-throated Hummingbird, Female
© A. Mac/A.G.
Cool iridescence.
Dawn on ANZAC Day 2022...
To remember our mates across the ditch and the word ANZAC was created...
Australian and New Zealand Army Corps.
On the 25th April 1915, Australian and New Zealand soldiers formed part of the allied expedition that set out to capture the Gallipoli peninsula in Turkey. The campaign failed and we lost over 8,000 soldiers. The Turks were a fierce and determined army and the battle dragged on for months..but somehow a mutual respect for each country has evolved which lasts to this day....and the ANZAC legend was born...
The floral displays are all done by volunteers....
The US couldn’t ask for better partners.
I was living in Oz when the 75th anniversary was celebrated. Oz chartered an airplane with full medical staff and took all the ANZAC's back to Turkey and to Lone Pine. They met with the survivors of the Turkish army that fought there.
We went to the Airport for the send off and followed it in the papers. It was quite the event.
Anoon Kavika...oh that is great you did that..yes I remember that was basically the last chance the Anzacs would get to go back.
It is a pilgrimage now for Aussies and Kiwis to go to Gallipoli when traveling around Europe... especially on Anzac Day. They were so far from home and so many never returned to our shores.
Four years ago I was in France at La Ciotat..it was Anzac Day and there was a memorial in the town to some USA airforce men whose bomber crashed and they were killed in WW2...so my cousin and I bought some flowers and laid them there in remembrance.
My cousin is buried in Belgium. He was KIA on December 24th, 1944 at Bastogne. I visited his gravesite and spent a couple of days in the town of Bastogne. It was quite an experience.
Thanks to all for one of our most impressive articles.
See you in a few days.