For a second time I find my "out basket" overflowing with items to the extent that just presenting random topics in shotgun fashion for comment is the most expedient way to purge that list, thus enabling more directed and focused commentary in future blogs. With rapid fire, multi-faceted news cycles being the order of the day, I suspect this will not be the last of my POTPOURRI postings, but here goes.
1. UPDATE OF HEALTH CARE EXPERIENCE: One of my readers called me to task for labeling our health care system as "the finest in the world" two weeks ago while relating my personal experience with a cut finger which required four stitches and over four hours to fix. Among other things she cited was the high incidence of staph infection that occurs in our hospitals, as well as the general level of care patients receive while admitted. While I have no statistics on either and additional information would be appreciated, I was mainly referring to the number and quality of the medical facilities themselves.
2. KUDOS TO LITTLE ROCK CENTRAL HIGH: Once again Little Rock Central High School led the state in the number of National Merit Semifinalists with 15 out of a total of 142. Congratulations to those students, their teachers, the staff at Central and the Little Rock School District for this stellar achievement.
3. ELECTRIFICATION OF CITY AND STATE: With the advent of electric vehicles the challenge for cities and states across the nation will be to provide a sufficient number of electrical power grids to the many stations that will be required to recharge these vehicles, as revealed in a recent article in the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. Nationwide we are operating at 50% of generating capacity, and one power plant in the southern part of our state is operating at only 24% capacity (re: ON THE HORNS OF A DILEMMA dated March 28,2010). Consequently, Arkansas, as well as the City of Little Rock, may well be in a good spot to capitalize on this potential demand.
4. "MEANEST CITY IN AMERICA" TAG AGAIN?: Several years ago Little Rock was labeled as the "Meanest City in America" as a result of its push to shut down all of the homeless camps that existed. Thankfully, after a hue and cry from many homeless service providers in the city, that push was quickly abandoned. But now there seems to be a move afoot to pass a series of controlling ordinances that are directed specifically at the homeless including where they go, whom they encounter, what they drink and how they are fed. The real solution has been, is and always will be providing the much talked about resource center which again is the subject of an article in our local newspaper today. We will soon celebrate the tenth anniversary of the much touted 10-Year Plan to End Chronic Homelessness without achieving its main recommendation - that resource center. How much longer is it going to take?
5. WHY CAN'T WE LEARN FROM HISTORY?: As the votes continue to be counted in the recent election in Afghanistan, we learn of increased violence, voting irregularities and prevailing corruption with little assurance that things will markedly improve between now and next year when a proposed draw down may begin. With its many tribes, conflicts, warlords and increased Taliban presence and influence, is it realistic to think that Afghanistan can be converted into a centralized modern democracy from our mold even with the might of our military? I have listened to the many explanations of why our policy there is justified, but I remain unconvinced given the horrendous cost in terms of lives and treasury.
6. MADE IN AMERICA POST SCRIPT: It was with some feeling of validation that I read in the September 10th issue of the New York Times Digest provided daily by a friend (thanks Tom) that President Obama was quoted as saying "We've got to go back to making things" (re: Blogs of 08/01 and 08/20). To that end he has appointed a Harvard MBA, Mr. Ron Bloom, as a special adviser to help address the problem by creating tax credits and subsidies (the subject of a future blog unto itself) to kick-start the private sector to manufacture a wide variety of new clean energy products like wind turbines, solar panels and electric car batteries (see item #3 above). The main obstacle will be to overcome China's alleged practice of illegally subsidizing those very same products to gain an unfair competitive advantage.
7. SUPPLYING SKILLED WORKERS TO MEET DEMAND: In that very same issue of the NYT Digest mentioned above was a column by David Brooks that focused on how we have become what he terms "The Genteel Nation". While 65% of Americans think we are a nation in decline, his take is that it is a structural problem due in large measure to a seismic (my term, not his) shift in our work force leaving industry in favor of the service, professional and financial sectors to find the holy grail. The effect is a large gap in the need for skilled machinists in manufacturing relative to the supply that has exacerbated the unemployment situation. Otherwise, the rate would be 6.5%, not 9.5%, a fact substantiated just this morning by former President Clinton on Meet the Press. This is just another piece of that Made in America puzzle that must be found.
8. WHAT ARE THESE PEOPLE TALKING ABOUT? As I listen to all of this rhetoric and posturing about "taking back our country", "getting government off our backs", "eliminating taxes" and "reclaiming our freedoms", I would just like to know what they are talking about. We live in the most free, affluent, idolized and sought after country on earth, so just exactly how would these angry people change things if they had "our country" back; how would they pay for the many conveniences, necessities and services we all need and enjoy; and just what freedoms have they lost? If we do not represent all of the good that defines us a democratic nation (what Michael Shermer of the Los Angeles Times described back in May as "the best of times"), then why are we trying to impose our model of democracy on other countries at great cost (see item #5 above)? And for one pundit in particular to say we as a people did not vote for the massive programs enacted this year (e.g. bail out, GM take over, health care reform, etc.) as he did on one of this morning's TV programs is somewhat disingenuous. We didn't vote for two wars either.
Current United States Debt still at http://usdebtclock.org
ARTISTS
Laura Raborn at http://paintingsofhome.com and http://claygifts.com
Jim Johnson at http://yessy.com/jimjohnson/gallery.html
Russ Powell at http://powellphotos.com
Linda Flake at http://lindaflake.com
Tom Herrin at http://tommysart.blogspot.com
Matt McLeod at http://matt@mattmcleod.com
Artists Registry at http://www.arkansasarts.org/programs/registry/default.aspx
Sandy Hubler Fine Art at http://sandyhublerfineart.com
George Wittenberg at http://postcard-art-gallery.com
GALLERIES
Local Colour Gallery at http://localcolourgallery.com
Chroma Gallery at http://chromagallery.com
Cantrell Gallery at http://cantrellgallery.com
Greg Thompson Fine Art at http://gregthompsonfineart.com
Red Door Gallery at http://reddoorgalleryonline.com
M2 Gallery at http://m2lr.com
UALR Gallery Program at http://ualr.edu/art
Gallery 26 at http://gallery26.com
Sunday, September 19, 2010
Sunday, September 12, 2010
Another "Day of Infamy"
Having just passed the ninth anniversary of the tragedy that befell our nation on 09/11/01, it just seems appropriate to dedicate this blog to that event and with minimum comment, as I am sure we all have vivid memories of that modern "day of infamy", where we were at the exact time it occurred and how it has impacted our lives. The full page color pictorial of the twin towers on yesterday's Arkansas Democrat-Gazette editorial page was a most vivid reminder of that day, but other moments are captured at http://nymag.com/news/articles/wtc/gallery/. I just hope we all as Americans can focus on rebuilding the world-wide sympathy and national unity that existed immediately following 09/11 while always remembering the fallen heroes of that fateful day.
In that regard it is encouraging to know that there are citizens out there who are still trying to memorialize that heroism. In particular I received an e-mail from an old friend just yesterday who lives in Dallas informing me that his son is Campaign Manager of the effort to raise funds for a memorial to those on Flight 93 who courageously took matters in their own hands, and thereby prevented an apparent second attack on Washington D.C. To that end a website has been established for those who might like to contribute at http://honorflight93.org.
Peace to all!
Current United States Debt still at http://usdebtclock.org
ARTISTS
Laura Raborn at http://paintingsofhome.com and http://claygifts.com
Jim Johnson at http://yessy.com/jimjohnson/gallery.html
Russ Powell at http://powellphotos.com
Linda Flake at http://lindaflake.com
Tom Herrin at http://tommysart.blogspot.com
Matt McLeod at http://matt@mattmcleod.com
Artists Registry at http://www.arkansasarts.org/programs/registry/default.aspx
Sandy Hubler Fine Art at http://sandyhublerfineart.com
George Wittenberg at http://postcard-art-gallery.com
GALLERIES
Local Colour Gallery at http://localcolourgallery.com
Chroma Gallery at http://chromagallery.com
Cantrell Gallery at http://cantrellgallery.com
Greg Thompson Fine Art at http://gregthompsonfineart.com
Red Door Gallery at http://reddoorgalleryonline.com
M2 Gallery at http://m2lr.com
UALR Gallery Program at http://ualr.edu/art
Gallery 26 at http://gallery26.com
In that regard it is encouraging to know that there are citizens out there who are still trying to memorialize that heroism. In particular I received an e-mail from an old friend just yesterday who lives in Dallas informing me that his son is Campaign Manager of the effort to raise funds for a memorial to those on Flight 93 who courageously took matters in their own hands, and thereby prevented an apparent second attack on Washington D.C. To that end a website has been established for those who might like to contribute at http://honorflight93.org.
Peace to all!
Current United States Debt still at http://usdebtclock.org
ARTISTS
Laura Raborn at http://paintingsofhome.com and http://claygifts.com
Jim Johnson at http://yessy.com/jimjohnson/gallery.html
Russ Powell at http://powellphotos.com
Linda Flake at http://lindaflake.com
Tom Herrin at http://tommysart.blogspot.com
Matt McLeod at http://matt@mattmcleod.com
Artists Registry at http://www.arkansasarts.org/programs/registry/default.aspx
Sandy Hubler Fine Art at http://sandyhublerfineart.com
George Wittenberg at http://postcard-art-gallery.com
GALLERIES
Local Colour Gallery at http://localcolourgallery.com
Chroma Gallery at http://chromagallery.com
Cantrell Gallery at http://cantrellgallery.com
Greg Thompson Fine Art at http://gregthompsonfineart.com
Red Door Gallery at http://reddoorgalleryonline.com
M2 Gallery at http://m2lr.com
UALR Gallery Program at http://ualr.edu/art
Gallery 26 at http://gallery26.com
Monday, September 6, 2010
American Health Care - Laudatory But Extravagant
As a result of a mindless accident on my part last Saturday while working in the yard, I found it necessary to go to the emergency room of one of our city's magnificent health care institutions to get a cut finger attended to. The idea was that I would go, check in, get it stitched up and be back to my chores in fifteen, maybe thirty minutes at most, to continue enjoying being outside on one of the most glorious days of the year. As you will see that turned out to be wishful thinking on my part.
After being greeted by a lovely and accommodating lady at the receptionist's desk to whom I give the requisite insurance information, I am wrist banded and informed that there was only one person ahead of me. Great, I thought, just as planned, so I take my place in the waiting room, begin watching Georgia beat up on some lesser team and patiently wait to be called. Ten minutes pass that then turn into twenty when I hear my name called by a man dressed in scrub bottoms and a T-shirt. OK, things are on schedule, as he's no doubt the doctor who is going to take me back to his fix-up room, do his thing and I'll be gone in the anticipated maximum thirty minutes. Wrong! His function was to just take my vitals (temperature, blood pressure, heart beat), confirm the information previously provided by the lovely lady, wrap my cut finger, which by then had stopped bleeding, with an entire roll of gauze that looked like a chicken drumstick when he had finished and then usher me back out to the receptionist area. Time continues to tick away, Georgia's lead increases by leaps and bounds and the once virtually empty waiting room is now beginning to fill up.
Thirty minutes becomes an hour which then becomes two hours when I am finally called back behind two closed doors by nurse #1 who escorts me past several rooms filled with patients to a room that is empty. It is complete with bed, television, sink, cabinets and all of those medical gizmos on the wall behind the headboard you see in conventional hospital rooms. She tells me to lie on the bed and wait for one of the doctors on call. Minutes later the door opens and another kind lady from administration comes in to re-confirm my basic information including insurance coverage, and gets me to sign the ever present forms granting the facility the right to treat me, as well as my commitment to pay for any service not covered by Medicare and my supplemental insurance. She leaves and I then start watching the Texas-Rice game, as Georgia had already devoured its opponent. Later nurse #2 comes in to see what my problem is, removes my drumstick bandage, looks at my finger and agrees with me that all that needs to be done is stitch up my finger up, give me a tetanus shot and get me out of there. It is then that I first learn that there is way more than "one person ahead of me", but given the routine and minor procedure required she offers to try and get one of the doctors to handle my case with dispatch.
Over three and a half hours have now passed when the young doctor comes in, agrees with nurse #2 and my assessment of the situation and says he will be right back. Texas and Rice are tied 3 - 3 in the second quarter. When he does return several minutes later, Texas leads Rice 17 - 3. How quickly things change. It's now over four hours by the time he finishes repairing my finger with not quite enough deadening from my perspective, but by then I just want it all to be over. We exchange pleasantries, he leaves and then nurse #3 comes in, finishes the bandaging process, and gives me a handful of band aids, packets of gauze and tape. Then, surprisingly, he offers me the set of instruments just used to perform the stitching procedure, as their policy requires that they otherwise throw everything away when finished. So, four and a half hours after this experience began I am back home with a beautiful afternoon totally ruined, albeit due to my own carelessness.
What's the point of this tale? Well, first, I will tell you what it is not. It is not to ridicule our medical system in the U.S., as no one will argue with the fact that it is the finest in the world. Rather, it is simply to give one small example of how our medical system is seemingly out of whack when it comes to administering medical services commensurate with the actual need. What should have been a very minor procedure that any walk-in medical clinic could have performed in fifteen or twenty minutes turned into something that resembled performing major surgery. Is there no way to balance the two by initially assessing the injury, determine if it is major or minor and treat accordingly? No telling what this half-day ordeal cost, but I've got my suspicions that it isn't going to be cheap, and that's the rub facing any overhaul of our health care system. In that regard one of the real encouraging aspects of this experience was to learn that the nice young doctor who treated me Saturday was, in fact, a primary care specialist, a very rare breed in today's medical world where exotic high-earning specialties seem to be the order of the day. Primary care in my view is going to be one of the essential components of a comprehensive health care system from everything I read and hear on the subject.
Another reason to relate this story on this Labor Day 2010 is to acknowledge and thank the wonderful health care team who treated me, and ask you to please think of the many workers across this land like them with whom we all come in contact every day who tend to our every needs and wants to make our life so much more convenient and pleasant. Please let them all know how much you appreciate what they do for you, and have a safe and happy Labor Day holiday.
Current United States Debt still at http://usdebtclock.org
ARTISTS
Laura Raborn at http://paintingsofhome.com and http://claygifts.com
Jim Johnson at http://yessy.com/jimjohnson/gallery.html
Russ Powell at http://powellphotos.com
Linda Flake at http://lindaflake.com
Tom Herrin at http://tommysart.blogspot.com
Matt McLeod at http://matt@mattmcleod.com
Artists Registry at http://www.arkansasarts.org/programs/registry/default.aspx
Sandy Hubler Fine Art at http://sandyhublerfineart.com
George Wittenberg at http://postcard-art-gallery.com
GALLERIES
Local Colour Gallery at http://localcolourgallery.com
Chroma Gallery at http://chromagallery.com
Cantrell Gallery at http://cantrellgallery.com
Greg Thompson Fine Art at http://gregthompsonfineart.com
Red Door Gallery at http://reddoorgalleryonline.com
M2 Gallery at http://m2lr.com
UALR Gallery Program at http://ualr.edu/art
Gallery 26 at http://gallery26.com
After being greeted by a lovely and accommodating lady at the receptionist's desk to whom I give the requisite insurance information, I am wrist banded and informed that there was only one person ahead of me. Great, I thought, just as planned, so I take my place in the waiting room, begin watching Georgia beat up on some lesser team and patiently wait to be called. Ten minutes pass that then turn into twenty when I hear my name called by a man dressed in scrub bottoms and a T-shirt. OK, things are on schedule, as he's no doubt the doctor who is going to take me back to his fix-up room, do his thing and I'll be gone in the anticipated maximum thirty minutes. Wrong! His function was to just take my vitals (temperature, blood pressure, heart beat), confirm the information previously provided by the lovely lady, wrap my cut finger, which by then had stopped bleeding, with an entire roll of gauze that looked like a chicken drumstick when he had finished and then usher me back out to the receptionist area. Time continues to tick away, Georgia's lead increases by leaps and bounds and the once virtually empty waiting room is now beginning to fill up.
Thirty minutes becomes an hour which then becomes two hours when I am finally called back behind two closed doors by nurse #1 who escorts me past several rooms filled with patients to a room that is empty. It is complete with bed, television, sink, cabinets and all of those medical gizmos on the wall behind the headboard you see in conventional hospital rooms. She tells me to lie on the bed and wait for one of the doctors on call. Minutes later the door opens and another kind lady from administration comes in to re-confirm my basic information including insurance coverage, and gets me to sign the ever present forms granting the facility the right to treat me, as well as my commitment to pay for any service not covered by Medicare and my supplemental insurance. She leaves and I then start watching the Texas-Rice game, as Georgia had already devoured its opponent. Later nurse #2 comes in to see what my problem is, removes my drumstick bandage, looks at my finger and agrees with me that all that needs to be done is stitch up my finger up, give me a tetanus shot and get me out of there. It is then that I first learn that there is way more than "one person ahead of me", but given the routine and minor procedure required she offers to try and get one of the doctors to handle my case with dispatch.
Over three and a half hours have now passed when the young doctor comes in, agrees with nurse #2 and my assessment of the situation and says he will be right back. Texas and Rice are tied 3 - 3 in the second quarter. When he does return several minutes later, Texas leads Rice 17 - 3. How quickly things change. It's now over four hours by the time he finishes repairing my finger with not quite enough deadening from my perspective, but by then I just want it all to be over. We exchange pleasantries, he leaves and then nurse #3 comes in, finishes the bandaging process, and gives me a handful of band aids, packets of gauze and tape. Then, surprisingly, he offers me the set of instruments just used to perform the stitching procedure, as their policy requires that they otherwise throw everything away when finished. So, four and a half hours after this experience began I am back home with a beautiful afternoon totally ruined, albeit due to my own carelessness.
What's the point of this tale? Well, first, I will tell you what it is not. It is not to ridicule our medical system in the U.S., as no one will argue with the fact that it is the finest in the world. Rather, it is simply to give one small example of how our medical system is seemingly out of whack when it comes to administering medical services commensurate with the actual need. What should have been a very minor procedure that any walk-in medical clinic could have performed in fifteen or twenty minutes turned into something that resembled performing major surgery. Is there no way to balance the two by initially assessing the injury, determine if it is major or minor and treat accordingly? No telling what this half-day ordeal cost, but I've got my suspicions that it isn't going to be cheap, and that's the rub facing any overhaul of our health care system. In that regard one of the real encouraging aspects of this experience was to learn that the nice young doctor who treated me Saturday was, in fact, a primary care specialist, a very rare breed in today's medical world where exotic high-earning specialties seem to be the order of the day. Primary care in my view is going to be one of the essential components of a comprehensive health care system from everything I read and hear on the subject.
Another reason to relate this story on this Labor Day 2010 is to acknowledge and thank the wonderful health care team who treated me, and ask you to please think of the many workers across this land like them with whom we all come in contact every day who tend to our every needs and wants to make our life so much more convenient and pleasant. Please let them all know how much you appreciate what they do for you, and have a safe and happy Labor Day holiday.
Current United States Debt still at http://usdebtclock.org
ARTISTS
Laura Raborn at http://paintingsofhome.com and http://claygifts.com
Jim Johnson at http://yessy.com/jimjohnson/gallery.html
Russ Powell at http://powellphotos.com
Linda Flake at http://lindaflake.com
Tom Herrin at http://tommysart.blogspot.com
Matt McLeod at http://matt@mattmcleod.com
Artists Registry at http://www.arkansasarts.org/programs/registry/default.aspx
Sandy Hubler Fine Art at http://sandyhublerfineart.com
George Wittenberg at http://postcard-art-gallery.com
GALLERIES
Local Colour Gallery at http://localcolourgallery.com
Chroma Gallery at http://chromagallery.com
Cantrell Gallery at http://cantrellgallery.com
Greg Thompson Fine Art at http://gregthompsonfineart.com
Red Door Gallery at http://reddoorgalleryonline.com
M2 Gallery at http://m2lr.com
UALR Gallery Program at http://ualr.edu/art
Gallery 26 at http://gallery26.com
Sunday, August 29, 2010
RECONNECTIONS
Last October I had the pleasure of attending the 50th reunion of my high school class, a landmark event that comes all too quickly in life. Even though I had some reservations about going because I had missed the two previous reunions, it turned out to be a wonderful experience visiting with old friends and acquaintances, and recalling fun times. For those who have yet to pass through that landmark threshold of life, I strongly recommend that you make the effort to attend yours when the time comes around, as such opportunities to reconnect with friends from your past will become fewer and farther between.
But that was then and this is about now, and my most recent reconnection of last week traveling to Maine to, among other things, visit with a dear high school chum who was a year older than I but very much a part of a segment of my life much like that depicted in the movie American Graffiti. There were mixed groups of all ages, drive-in gatherings, high school romances, sock hops, dances, parties at friends homes, hot rods, gags, jokes, social organizations, school groups and plays, and just generally having fun, but at the center of all of this was a nucleus of friends who had grown up together and enjoyed a shared appreciation of humor. "Tinka", an affectionate nickname only I seem to still use, was definitely a part of that nucleus. Only twice before have I traveled to distant places to renew old friendships, both of which were very successful, so my expectations ran high for this trip, particularly since I had initiated an e-mail exchange with her last year out of the clear blue not knowing what her response might be. Tinka's reply was not only quick, but heart-warming in the sense that it was as if time had stood still since 1958, the last time I saw her before she went east to college. The more my wife and I made plans for the trip, the more comfortable we became, and we were not disappointed.
From the moment we were greeted on the front porch of Tinka and her charming and gracious husband, Keith's lovely home near the Rockport-Camden-Rockland area of Maine, we felt right at home. Naturally, there was the expected conversation bringing each other up to date on our respective families including children and grandchildren. As parents, we all agreed that we were truly blessed to see our children happily married with children of their own living their lives away from us. We then were treated to a personal tour of the barn/office/studio constructed on their property as a carbon neutral structure generating more energy than it consumes about which I first wrote on April 25th dealing with a green environment. You can learn more about it at http://brightbuiltbarn.com. (As an aside some of this technology is the same as was used by Brad Pitt's MAKE IT RIGHT FOUNDATION to rebuild a neighborhood in the ninth ward of New Orleans which was featured on Meet The Press just this morning). That evening we enjoyed a one of a kind dinner at Saltwater Farm, an organic eating enterprise and cooking school that is the pride and joy of a young lady who I quickly dubbed the Alice Waters of Maine in her approach to cooking only freshly grown products in a wholesome way. Go to and learn more about this great place at http://saltwaterfarm.com . But then the real surprise came during the evening when I was introduced to a couple in attendance, the wife of which just happened to be another high school classmate two years younger than I whom I also had not seen in over fifty years. Needless to say, it was an evening to remember.
After touring around the area and taking in all of the history, sights, museums and art the next day, we enjoyed another great evening with Tinka and Keith continuing where we left off the night before discussing variety of subjects of mutual interest including food, wine, education, the economy, some politics, art and the body of work by three generations of Wyeths - N.C., Andrew and James, which is featured at the wonderful Farnsworth Museum in Rockland. For the record Tinka is a very accomplished artist in her own right whose website I plan to add to my list below when it is ready. Just chatting with her re-energized me to resume my pitiful attempt at oil painting which I put on hold two years ago. Then all too soon the evening came to a close, as Keith had an early flight the next morning. So, we ended the experience exactly the same way we began it the evening before with a great big hug plus a promise to stay in touch and not let too much time pass before we get together again. And, of course, I have since thought of a gillion unasked questions which I knew I would, so we'll just have to keep our fingers tapping on the computer keyboards until that occasion presents itself. But the point of sharing this experience is to promote reconnecting with old friends, as you will be pleasantly surprised and richly rewarded for the effort in my view.
FOOTNOTE: In traveling from Boston to Brunswick via I-95/I-295 we paid $12.00 in toll fees, so someone please tell me again why Arkansas cannot do the exact same thing to fund the many needed road improvements now under study in our state?
Current United States Debt still at http://usdebtclock.org
ARTISTS
Laura Raborn at http://paintingsofhome.com and http://claygifts.com
Jim Johnson at http://yessy.com/jimjohnson/gallery.html
Russ Powell at http://powellphotos.com
Linda Flake at http://lindaflake.com
Tom Herrin at http://tommysart.blogspot.com
Matt McLeod at http://matt@mattmcleod.com
Artists Registry at http://www.arkansasarts.org/programs/registry/default.aspx
Sandy Hubler Fine Art at http://sandyhublerfineart.com
George Wittenberg at http://postcard-art-gallery.com
GALLERIES
Local Colour Gallery at http://localcolourgallery.com
Chroma Gallery at http://chromagallery.com
Cantrell Gallery at http://cantrellgallery.com
Greg Thompson Fine Art at http://gregthompsonfineart.com
Red Door Gallery at http://reddoorgalleryonline.com
M2 Gallery at http://m2lr.com
UALR Gallery Program at http://ualr.edu/art
Gallery 26 at http://gallery26.com
But that was then and this is about now, and my most recent reconnection of last week traveling to Maine to, among other things, visit with a dear high school chum who was a year older than I but very much a part of a segment of my life much like that depicted in the movie American Graffiti. There were mixed groups of all ages, drive-in gatherings, high school romances, sock hops, dances, parties at friends homes, hot rods, gags, jokes, social organizations, school groups and plays, and just generally having fun, but at the center of all of this was a nucleus of friends who had grown up together and enjoyed a shared appreciation of humor. "Tinka", an affectionate nickname only I seem to still use, was definitely a part of that nucleus. Only twice before have I traveled to distant places to renew old friendships, both of which were very successful, so my expectations ran high for this trip, particularly since I had initiated an e-mail exchange with her last year out of the clear blue not knowing what her response might be. Tinka's reply was not only quick, but heart-warming in the sense that it was as if time had stood still since 1958, the last time I saw her before she went east to college. The more my wife and I made plans for the trip, the more comfortable we became, and we were not disappointed.
From the moment we were greeted on the front porch of Tinka and her charming and gracious husband, Keith's lovely home near the Rockport-Camden-Rockland area of Maine, we felt right at home. Naturally, there was the expected conversation bringing each other up to date on our respective families including children and grandchildren. As parents, we all agreed that we were truly blessed to see our children happily married with children of their own living their lives away from us. We then were treated to a personal tour of the barn/office/studio constructed on their property as a carbon neutral structure generating more energy than it consumes about which I first wrote on April 25th dealing with a green environment. You can learn more about it at http://brightbuiltbarn.com. (As an aside some of this technology is the same as was used by Brad Pitt's MAKE IT RIGHT FOUNDATION to rebuild a neighborhood in the ninth ward of New Orleans which was featured on Meet The Press just this morning). That evening we enjoyed a one of a kind dinner at Saltwater Farm, an organic eating enterprise and cooking school that is the pride and joy of a young lady who I quickly dubbed the Alice Waters of Maine in her approach to cooking only freshly grown products in a wholesome way. Go to and learn more about this great place at http://saltwaterfarm.com . But then the real surprise came during the evening when I was introduced to a couple in attendance, the wife of which just happened to be another high school classmate two years younger than I whom I also had not seen in over fifty years. Needless to say, it was an evening to remember.
After touring around the area and taking in all of the history, sights, museums and art the next day, we enjoyed another great evening with Tinka and Keith continuing where we left off the night before discussing variety of subjects of mutual interest including food, wine, education, the economy, some politics, art and the body of work by three generations of Wyeths - N.C., Andrew and James, which is featured at the wonderful Farnsworth Museum in Rockland. For the record Tinka is a very accomplished artist in her own right whose website I plan to add to my list below when it is ready. Just chatting with her re-energized me to resume my pitiful attempt at oil painting which I put on hold two years ago. Then all too soon the evening came to a close, as Keith had an early flight the next morning. So, we ended the experience exactly the same way we began it the evening before with a great big hug plus a promise to stay in touch and not let too much time pass before we get together again. And, of course, I have since thought of a gillion unasked questions which I knew I would, so we'll just have to keep our fingers tapping on the computer keyboards until that occasion presents itself. But the point of sharing this experience is to promote reconnecting with old friends, as you will be pleasantly surprised and richly rewarded for the effort in my view.
FOOTNOTE: In traveling from Boston to Brunswick via I-95/I-295 we paid $12.00 in toll fees, so someone please tell me again why Arkansas cannot do the exact same thing to fund the many needed road improvements now under study in our state?
Current United States Debt still at http://usdebtclock.org
ARTISTS
Laura Raborn at http://paintingsofhome.com and http://claygifts.com
Jim Johnson at http://yessy.com/jimjohnson/gallery.html
Russ Powell at http://powellphotos.com
Linda Flake at http://lindaflake.com
Tom Herrin at http://tommysart.blogspot.com
Matt McLeod at http://matt@mattmcleod.com
Artists Registry at http://www.arkansasarts.org/programs/registry/default.aspx
Sandy Hubler Fine Art at http://sandyhublerfineart.com
George Wittenberg at http://postcard-art-gallery.com
GALLERIES
Local Colour Gallery at http://localcolourgallery.com
Chroma Gallery at http://chromagallery.com
Cantrell Gallery at http://cantrellgallery.com
Greg Thompson Fine Art at http://gregthompsonfineart.com
Red Door Gallery at http://reddoorgalleryonline.com
M2 Gallery at http://m2lr.com
UALR Gallery Program at http://ualr.edu/art
Gallery 26 at http://gallery26.com
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