Late Summer in the Carolinas

Right place at the right time to capture a double rainbow late on a stormy afternoon.

Teamwork

Popes, saints, and sages have written about bees. I found an affectionate 1948 address by Pope Pius XII to the apiarists of Italy, but my favorite bee quote (so far) is Shakespeare's description of them (in Henry V, Act 1, Scene 2) as "singing masons building roofs of gold." That's not just an evocative line, either -- it's one of more than 20 lines that a character (in this case, the Archbishop of Canterbury) uses to describe bee society while offering geopolitical advice to King Henry V.

Summer bees make me feel fine...

After the rain

I like that this little bird looks both bedraggled and determined. That's how I feel, these days.

My cup runneth over

There are things to worry about in my life (such as employment, finances, college tuition for my children, and whether the car and the household HVAC system will need simultaneous replacement), but there is also much -- so very much -- to be grateful for.

The mighty goblet-looking fountain pictured here is the most prominent feature in a new park down the road apiece from my own domicile. Kudos to city leaders in Cary for approving the design.

Music in Durham

The Blue Eyed Bettys put on a fun concert in Durham tonight to wrap up their spring tour, even pausing good-naturedly near the end of their second set so microbrewery patrons could watch the last minute of the "March Madness" basketball game on the screen next to their stage, a regional final between the UNC Tarheels and the Kentucky Wildcats that UNC won in a squeaker.

Christmas 2016

In the Bleak Midwinter

by Christina Rossetti (1830- 1894)

In the bleak midwinter, frosty wind made moan,
Earth stood hard as iron, water like a stone;
Snow had fallen, snow on snow, snow on snow,
In the bleak midwinter, long ago.

Our God, Heaven cannot hold Him, nor earth sustain;
Heaven and earth shall flee away when He comes to reign.
In the bleak midwinter a stable place sufficed
The Lord God Almighty, Jesus Christ.

Enough for Him, whom cherubim, worship night and day,
Breastful of milk, and a mangerful of hay;
Enough for Him, whom angels fall before,
The ox and ass and camel which adore.

Angels and archangels may have gathered there,
Cherubim and seraphim thronged the air;
But His mother only, in her maiden bliss,
Worshipped the beloved with a kiss.

Great perspective on life

My friend Maggie tipped me to this wonderful short film by Louie Schwartzberg on Gratitude:

Serendipity

Both street and structure seem aptly named. That's the "Holy Name of Jesus" cathedral under construction on a rainy day in Raleigh.

Hanging Rock State Park

Good times yesterday up near the Virginia border with buddy Jeff, toting cameras and playing mountain man. There were five of us in the original party, but three of the five cut out early. Jeff and I added a third waterfall to the "Hanging Rock plus two waterfalls" itinerary, just to be contrary.

For Independence Day

It's not a bald eagle; it's a broad-winged hawk. But it'll do! And as friend Jeff notes, forget the "July 4" stuff. What makes July 4 special is that it's Independence Day.