Friday, July 25, 2008

Tulsa

I have just returned from a quick turn-around trip to Tulsa to see a friend I met at the Atlanta Fish show back in 2000, who I have not seen in at least 5 years. I am beginning to believe that Tulsa is a city into which you cannot ever set foot in twice. Am of course referencing the Heroclitus notion of never stepping into the same river twice. I have been to (not counting the times I drove through) Tulsa several times and I have never seen the same Tulsa on any two trips. On one I saw old regal ladies (referring to houses here..) which were well maintained, manicured parks and an almost metropolitan feel. This last time, I saw a run down town barely holding its own, if not in outright decay. And these two are merely the two clearest extremes, not the only examples.

Never before have I seen such a different city with each visit Still, I have to admit that Tulsa never fails to be interesting despite being in Oklahoma.

While in Tulsa I had the pleasure of meeting another of the very few artists whose work instantly inspires and evokes hope. He is thus far "undiscovered" but I predict that this will not remain the case for long given the nature of his abstracts and color choices. Much of the work I truly enjoyed was layered abstracts with allusions which would fit well in progressive collections, or on progressive albums. Not sure what the artist (whose name I will give later) would think of this reference, though he too saw the connection to the artwork on one of the old Asimov book covers and one of his own pieces (though this was not the inspiration).

The rest of the short trip was spent in hopefully mild banter with a rabid leftist who briefly sang a union song, only to be reminded that it is solely because of unions that GM may cease to exist... :)

The time spent with my friend I went to visit went well. It is very good in this time of change to be reminded that some aspects of my life are stable even in troubled waters, or upon challenging paths. This particular friend shares a passion for the music of Fish and Marillion, a true rarity it seems. This music has helped us both in important times and we have been fortunate enough to share two concert experiences, though the last in two separate locations.

One of the more unexpected elements of this trip was the presence of what I can only call smog or haze all across southern Kansas and north central Oklahoma. Never was I without the grey haze that one expects to see in population centers, but not out on the desolate prairie. I am not sure what to make of this, other than to be saddened by the loss of perhaps the only redeeming quality of this flatland: the open clear skies with endless horizons..

Tuesday, July 15, 2008

I cannot claim to have gotten any rest, but I have been busy

I've spent the better part of the week I've been here working on demolition, design, and some remodeling of my mother's home. The short list so far includes removing a hearth, scraping down three popcorn ceilings, completely removing the sheetrock from the library ceiling, removing all of the bookcases in the library, adding new door knobs (lever/paddle type) to several rooms, replacing several light fixtures, hanging a new ceiling fan, and painting walls and ceilings.

I've also designed a mantle and hearth-shelf with wood storage underneath for the fireplace (obviously) and a new coffered ceiling for the library along with completely new custom built in bookcases. Tomorrow will bring the installation of the ceiling, which will be a chore, but result in what I believe is a truly elegant if unexpected ceiling in the space. The objective is to turn the space into an English library..

Several other folks have asked for help, advice, and my services while I am here so with luck I will be able to add at least a little to my nest egg for the homestead to be built in a few more months..

In the meantime I am planning a side trip to Tulsa next week, and hopefully this weekend go see the caravan I will soon own..

Thursday, July 10, 2008

First of many stops

Well I have left Texas, perhaps for the last time in my life. I cannot say that it was all good or all bad, but it was a time of some contemplation and remembrances. I have spent a greater portion of my life in Texas than I have spent in any other place. I truly appreciate and enjoy the entire Texas mystique and myth, still it was time for a move.

So now I find myself in the center of the contiguous US... I will spend some time here in KS working on the homes of relatives and friends before moving on to the next stop over. During that time, I expect to make at least a couple of side trips to see other friends, so the travels continue even within the larger picture of the larger trip/move.

For now I am exhausted and tired of moving boxes. I sincerely hope to unload about a third of what I still had when leaving Texas, here in KS. With any luck by the time I reach my new homestead come next spring, I will have managed to reduce my possessions still more, to the point of having only the essentials. "Simplify, simplify, simplify" shall be my motto for some months to come.

TO all who have been wondering, rest assured I have arrived safely and will get to some sort of routine in a few days when I have recovered from this first stage of moving. I hope to tell a bit about the journey up here and post a photo or two once I am rested.