THE RETIRED SOUTHERNER

WHO ARE WE CLASS OF '61'?

2011-07-02T12:05:00.227-05:00

     I will be attending my fifty year Class of '61' reunion next week! Wow, was it really that long ago? Over the last few weeks I have been thinking (unusual, I know) about this class and who we really were and have become over the years. I remember standing in line to go into the gym and be seated for the graduation ceremony and feeling the mixture of emotions flow over me and listening to the banter and apprehension in the voices of my classmates.

     Graduation, especially from high school, is a very stressful time for people. It means they actually have to do something unfamiliar and different. They are for the most part like young birds being kicked out of the nest. For the graduate it is usually a case of College, a Job or the Military.

     For many of our class and for many reasons they chose to stay in the home town and in some cases to go to the local college or obtain a local job, get married and raise a family. Some left the home town, only to return later. This is fine, the home town is a good place to grow up and live.

     Others of the class scattered to the winds, especially those that joined or were drafted into the military. Some moved for better paying jobs or just the desire to 'GO'. Whatever the reason, that is fine too. We are a nation of movers. It is estimated that a high school graduate these days can expect to have at least seven different jobs in his lifetime. So much for fiscal security.

     Back to my original question of 'who are we' then and now as a class. I think we are a fairly typical group. A bit unusual perhaps that so many of us have managed to stay in touch over the years and that so many of our age group have stepped up to the electronic age and embraced the computer and it's social networking applications.

     We are a group of men and women who have survived the most interesting, dangerous and technically challenging time in the history of mankind. Those of us in the class that are still here are the lucky survivors. It is worth sticking around just to see what will happen next.

     All of us are into our late 60's now and the youthful bodies and and the sharp edges of our minds have started to diminish. I for one have hung up my 'tu-tu' and party lamp shade. We have all begun to have the aches and pains that come with age - worn joints, worn internal organs, especially the heart. The ranks of the class is beginning to thin and we all know that it will get thinner faster as the years pass.

     I look through the senior pictures of the 'Class of 61' yearbook at all those unsuspecting faces and try to remember our conversations and activities in high school. I can get only snippets of memories on relatively few of the closer friends. We have all moved on and there is only a handful of people that have kept a small network of friends within the class.

     As I said, I think our class is normal for the times and the Deep South in which we lived. Most all of us were from middle class white families and never attended an integrated school. Politics of the times were history making, the Vietnam war was building up and there was rioting in the streets of the major cities of the U.S.

     Yes we are comparatively normal as a class goes, but we all have a history together. There was a time when we were all touched by the same teachers, breathed the same air, had interactions and discourse, walked the same school halls, talked about each other, had our various 'clicks', and worried about what our peers thought of us.

     Though very few or none of us realized this was a foundation building time of our lives, we all seemed to muddle through, graduate and live happy (?) productive (?) lives. I am sure that at this time in our lives we all can look back and point to a few decisions we made that we would have liked to have a 'do over'. Sorry, but all decisions have consequences, good or bad.

     We all have several reasons that we have chosen to attend this reunion. Mostly just to see some people we were close to in high school, maybe just to see how much your classmates have changed, there might even be a couple or more here to see that guy or gal they had a crush on in high school, you never know.

     We may be a typical class but I thank as individuals we are all very, very special in our own way to each other. With that in mind, I intend to enjoy the short time we will have together at this special reunion. I hope all who read my blog from time to time that are not classmates remember the good times when the world was yours for the taking. Go to your own reunions if possible to see your old buddies and enjoy the moment.

NIGHT OWL

2011-02-25T21:53:00.000-06:00

This is my latest attempt at art as completed 13 Feb 2011. One of my Grandsons asked me to paint an owl for his girlfriend for Valentine's day. She is a big owl fan. I think she liked it.

Celtic Woman - A New Journey - You Raise Me Up

2010-12-26T11:19:00.000-06:00

RETURN OF THE BLOGGER

2010-12-26T10:57:00.000-06:00

It appears that I am in the mood to begin blogging again. I have been preoccupied with some health issues of late which resulted in some mild depression which in turn further resulted in a lack of desire to paint or write or for that matter anything else. A few pills and I am feeling much better now (ho ho, hee hee, ha ha).

Specifically I was carrying too much weight which was causing a number of health issues. It finally came down to lose weight or face a stroke or early death . At that point I made the decision to see a surgeon after which I decided to have a Lap Band procedure. Basically this is simply a plastic band placed around the upper part of my stomach. This limits the amount of food I can eat at one time and tells my body that I am full when the upper small stomach is filled. There is a small opening, which can be regulated through a port inserted under the skin, that allows the food to slowly pass into the lower large part of the stomach.

There were other options but those involved major surgery and long recovery time. I am glad I opted for the Lap Band. Recovery has gone well except for the incision in which the port was inserted. The port is the device attached to the band by a tube through which an injection or extraction of saline solution can tighten or loosen the band as needed. The incision for this port has not healed properly as did the other five holes cut during the surgery. Some rejection of the port by the body and partly because I am diabetic. It is about three quarters healed but still has to be packed and dressed twice a day.

Still I am glad I made the decision to have the procedure. I had the surgery Oct. 26 and to date, Dec. 26, I have lost 62 pounds. On the down side, there are challenges.
The first challenge of course is facing the fact that I will never be able to eat and enjoy food as I did in the past. I will from now on only be able to eat a very, very small portion - no more steaks, chops, hamburgers, fast foods, fried food, carbonated drinks, bread. Going to a restaurant is a waste of money since I can only eat about ten percent of the meal.

Another factor is the change in the body as more and more weight is lost. The whole chemical balance is changing, mostly for the better. The depression sometimes comes with those changes. On the other hand many of my weight related issues are getting better and my GP Doctor is looking at taking me off some of my medications.

All in all life is supposed to be an adventure and I consider this one of those adventures. Can't hardly wait to see what 2011 holds in store for me.

The 18 Characteristics Of Happy People by Amy Twain

2010-11-10T20:54:00.000-06:00

The 18 Characteristics Of Happy People by Amy Twain

The Last Time I Saw Richard

2010-10-23T17:05:00.000-05:00

Another Painted Plate

2010-10-20T08:05:00.000-05:00

This is another plate that I did a few years ago. It currently resides in my computer/work room/office

PICNIC

2010-08-31T23:03:00.000-05:00

I am not sure when I painted this scene of a picnic in the woods. Must have been in 96 or 97 time frame. A simple scene that does not need an explanation.

NASTALGA

2010-08-22T12:47:00.001-05:00

Most of the articles I write these days are a reflection of the past. Some people like to refer to the past as the good old days. I would never do that simply because there were a lot of bad old days intermingled with the good ones.

It appears that it is much easer for the human mind to block out the bad and more vividly remember things such as the loves, friendships, parties, achievements, Christmases, social/family events, marriages, births, graduations, military service, a good job, money etc..

It is a little more difficult to really think back and remember the break ups of loves/friendships, hangovers from the parties, failures, family fights and bad presents from Christmases past, hassles of readying for and attending social/family events you did not necessarily want to attend but once you did had an even worse time than you anticipated, divorces, the pain and suffering of pregnancy and birth, deaths, the stress and failed expectations of college, combat duty, bad jobs/between jobs, lack of money etc..

Bad things happen to everybody. You will never make it through life without some of the bad things above and a litany of other disasters touching you. If you are a young person be prepared. If you are older, you should have learned to deal with life slams by now. A clear head, planning and persistence are the key. If you are a religious person, praying may help with the clear thinking and focus but regardless of the Deity to which you are praying, they all appear to help those that help themselves.

There is an old saying that I read somewhere along the way: “You are not judged by how badly you screw up or get knocked down by a bad event but rather how you react and how quickly you recover.”

Personally I think the bad that happens to us has more of an impact on who we are than the good. The bad has more of a lasting effect and causes a person to pay more attention to his circumstances. This focus aids insure he is better prepared next time if the event cannot be avoided altogether. Without the bad events we would not as well appreciate the good that comes our way.

I guess the point I am making is that when we old codgers look back on our lives and start thinking things were so much better in the old days, we should really think about it. Were they really all that much better? Do a reality check. I personally think it is a mixture of better and worse. I think many things like crimes were always there, we just did not hear about them 24 hours a day and in the detail we have today. Health issues are much better addressed today. Most of us older folks would have been long dead or worse in the old days. Look at all the issues you think were better and think about it. 25 Cent per gallon gas - Yes, but purchased on a $30 a week or less salary using a vehicle that got 8 miles per gallon.

So, to conclude these ramblings, I am asking you to really think about what it was really like when you tell the grandkids about “the good old days”. Were they really as GOOD as your initial reminisce concluded they were?

Harry Chapin- Taxi

2010-08-14T00:15:00.001-05:00

WHAT HAPPENED IN YOUR BIRTHYEAR

2010-07-26T07:53:00.000-05:00

Interesting take on other similar sites I have seen.

http://whathappenedinmybirthyear.com/

COUPLE IN RAIN

2010-07-14T11:11:00.000-05:00

Another of the random straight line drawings like the last post.

This one I did a few months ago while playing around with the younger grandkids. They all like to draw and color. A couple I have gotten interested in painting and one of which does pretty good. I will have to publish one or two of his works soon.

actually I have a whole large 3 ring binder full of these line images and other doodles.

WALKING MAN

2010-07-14T10:32:00.001-05:00

This is a doodle I did in a boring staff meeting back in 2000 during my 2d tour in Israel.

I find that if I draw enough random short straight lines on a piece of paper or canvas eventually something will emerge that I recognize enough to start filling and adding to the lines. It will eventually turn into a full drawing or perhaps a painting.

This one is framed and hangs in my bedroom.

THE CALLING

2010-07-13T09:01:00.004-05:00

Over the course of the last few years I have reflected on why I made specific decisions in my life that in one of my previous postings I describe as life altering. In particular I have considered those decisions that took me into professions resulting in me and in many cases my wife subjecting ourselves to the dangers, uncertainties, stress, prolonged absences from family and many other difficulties associated with living in foreign environments.

As best I can describe it, those decisions are due to a "calling". This term is, I think most often associated with religion and the service to the various churches/religions.

The implication is God has called one to serve in some field or manner.
I am not particularly religious and do not think this is the case. I do believe most if not all people have a "calling" based on 1. the individuals basic physical (genetic) mental make-up and 2. some ideas to which the person has been subjected in early life. For example I was born in the middle of World War II and my early life was filled with news and movies of war and soldiers plus my contact with the veterans. There was, therefore, never a time that I did not feel I was destine to be a Soldier. When the opportunity presented itself I answered that "calling".

Another "calling" was the urge to travel and see more of the world - hopefully with some good purpose. The travels to Southeast Asia and Europe as a soldier greatly enhanced this desire. After the kids were grown and had jobs, opportunity to fulfill this desire knocked and again I answered the call. This resulted in over 8 years in the middle east.

I believe that opportunities are constantly knocking on our doors but most people are too lazy or fearful to get up off the comfort of the couch and answer the door.

A friend of mine since high school who has also, and in fact, even more so faced the dangers and problems associated with leaving our comfortable little small town and answering his "calling" had this to say on the matter.

" I reflect back on the high school days when our travels had yet to begin -- some only distant dreams, some probably had no dreams --- some had a stirring which they were trying to develop to see what the calling was--for some -- what ever it was certainly was not around Oxford AL--- they had to go a bit further to find what was calling... some heard the call but never went....we have now traveled to where we can look back to see where we've been....but really can't see where we are going..."

I do not know if my buddy or I served any higher purpose in our travels or jobs but we were a tiny part of History, we placed ourselves in "harms way" on occasion, we did what we thought was right when most of the folks back home thought we were nuts (the Military and Foreign Service are full of our kind) and we faced a great deal of frustration in our travels.

Once a traveler returns to the States it is difficult to find someone to talk with that has any idea what you are talking about. They have not had the experiences or faced the same difficulties so they will listen and look at you with blank eyes. They have never heard the sound of artillery, B-52 near bomb runs, incoming rocket alarms or seen machine gun tracers going over their heads. They have never traveled in an armored personnel carrier through German forests or in an armored SUV through Gaza or the West Bank with body guards. They have never been through family evacuations due to eminent attack, never slept in a hole in the ground, eaten breakfast (if lucky enough to have it) in a pouring cold rain with no shelter or woke up in the morning on the ground covered in snow with your rifle frozen to the ground. Never have they heard missile intercept missiles roar over the building you are in and hear the contact explosions in the distance. There are a thousand such things that have molded the lives of many of us travelers that have never touched our relatives and friends in the States.

All in all I think the person that answers his or her "callings" is better off for it, even with the dangers and difficulties. Now that I am in the declining years of my life and will probably never be a player again, I can look back and feel little if any regret for not having done something with my life that I really wanted.

YET ANOTHER ATTEMPT AT ART

2010-07-01T17:55:00.000-05:00

This painting was done in late 1995 from a photo I took in Austria. At that time I was stationed in Israel and Jeannie and I, along with another couple and their two teenage boys, took a two week vacation driving through Germany and Austria.

That was an interesting trip on many levels but that can wait for another story. It was a life adventure.

Meat Loaf - Objects in the rear view mirror may appear close

2010-07-01T17:18:00.000-05:00

INVITED CONTRIBUTORS

2010-06-28T11:42:00.001-05:00

I have recently invited some of my friends to provide input into this Blog site. None of them have done much in the way of writing for this type of publication as far as I know. They are all smart, well educated, write well in their E-mails and I am sure have something to say about something. None, some or all may post to the Blog whatever is of interest to them or they feel some of my readers might find interesting. I am encouraging them to do so as I feel diversity and new offerings will make this site more interesting for my readers.

One of the invitees has previously allowed me to publish some of her poetry. She is Armenian, born and raised in the Old City of Jerusalem, speaks several languages and works for an Agency of the U.S. Government. I hope she will contribute more poetry or new articles for our enjoyment.

Another invitee is an old High School buddy who spent many years in Vietnam, Asia and the Middle East. He was a pilot in the U.S. Army and later with Air America. He has also flown under contract for Singapore and lastly, flying L1011s for Saudi Arabia. Like me he is reluctantly retired.

Others include a lady I worked with many years ago and who now is retired and another old High School buddy with whom I lost touch until recently. know these people have many stories or views that would be of interest to all.

Here is to hoping these individuals will take the opportunity to to express themselves for the benefit of all.

ASSAULT ON THE GARAGE

2010-06-27T14:05:00.000-05:00

The wife and I have been making a renewed effort to clean out the garage and trash, give away or store in the attic/crawl space (more like a walk space) over the garage items that have been out there since we moved in 21 months ago.

It has been hard on us because be have traveled a good bit because of my jobs and lived overseas many years. Seven years in Israel and two years in Germany for the two of us together and a couple of short tours for me alone in Vietnam and Kuwait. The hard part is that all these items we are trying to get rid of have memories attached to them.

So you might guess, most of the stuff has gone into the attic maybe to be seen again once or twice or maybe never again in our lifetime. I think our grandsons will be grateful when we finally do finish the review and storage or ditch process since they are the ones climbing the ladder and placing the storage boxes.

We have found the hard way that once you get to a new place you tend to, after a while, adopt the local style of home decoration which looks great while there. However, once you return to the States, Alabama in our case, the Asian, Middle Eastern, German or whatever, does not go well with the stuff you have had in storage. So, before long the foreign stuff tends to go into storage containers, closets, drawers or on the garage or basement shelves with a big invisible question mark stamped on them.

The wife and I often try to remember where in the Hell did we put all the stuff we have/had. I probably have stored in the attic about 30 wall hangings/photos/paintings, mostly in professional frames we had done in East Jerusalem. Oh well, after we are gone maybe the kids can make ten or twenty dollars in a yard sale.

I am proud to say that we are down to about ten storage containers/totes that need to reviewed and dispensed with. One or two more weekends should do it. I can't wait to be able to go to the freezer in the garage without fear for my life and limbs.

Not buying more "stuff" will be one of the few benefits of growing too old to do more overseas tours.
I do miss the travel and living in different cultural environments, even with all the hassle involved.

Sarah Kay performs " B "

2010-06-22T09:56:00.000-05:00

Bankruptcy of the United States

2010-06-21T11:20:00.000-05:00

The site below is an excellent article source of information on the money disaster we call our economy these days. Read it and weep. The Bankruptcy article is one of about 37, all of which can be accessed on the site below. Good site for research if you have the desire or need.

http://www.apfn.net/Doc-100_bankruptcy.htm

CAT ON A PLATE

2010-06-19T11:48:00.001-05:00

This is a painting of a cat (in case you could not recognize as such) that I did several years ago on a dinner plate. I used special ceramic paints made to paint and then bake in a kitchen oven for 30 min. to set the paint.

I have done a number of plates in the past, most of which I have given away as gifts to friends and co-workers.

The Decisions that Define

2010-06-19T11:28:00.002-05:00

As I grow older I find myself thinking more of the past than the future. I think this is normal for humans, especially older ones, because one's individual history is what has molded that person into what he is or thinks he is today. The future, on the other hand, is yet to be a direct influence on us and is not certain or yet defined. I think it is also true that we can look at the past as a series of successes and failures, good and bad decisions and successful or failed relationships. The accumulation of these positives and negatives in our past have a great impact on how we and others preserve and associate with us.

Young people do not usually have a great deal of history (baggage) to define them and therefore are less concerned with the past than the future. They are for the most part likely to make quick and oft times unsound decisions. They have not yet learned that for every decision there are consequences. They may be good or bad but like in physics, for every action there is a reaction (though not necessarily an equal or opposite reaction).

Looking back on my life I realize that my accomplishments and failures were for the most part due to decisions I made. Not all of course. Some were the results of circumstances beyond my control.

I once read an article that stated that for the average person the life defining decisions or actions that define his life can be counted on one or possibly two hands. Think about that for a moment and look at who and where you are. I did a little list of my own defining decisions/actions and came up with the following:

                              Graduated from College
                               Joined Army
                               Married
                               Served in Vietnam
                               Children
                               Reduction in Force / Left Active Duty
                               Joined Army Reserves
                               Hired by Federal Government
                               Worked in Israel
                               Retired

There is a lot of activity, decisions and circumstances associated with and in between these listed items but these are the ones that had a life changing influence that defines who I am today.

I know some people that dwell on or define their life by one or two circumstances in their life. Those that served in a war zone (especially if they were directly involved in life and death combat action) are prone to disregard other points in their life and define themselves solely by those one or two (maybe more) years. One or two seem to think they peaked in High School. Everyone has more than one life defining decision or circumstance even though one may overshadow all others.

I guess the points I am trying to make are 1) that it is OK and even healthy for older folks to think often about the past but not to get caught up in dwelling on one aspect or time of that past and 2) It is OK and even good for younger people to focus on the future as long as they think about their decisions and the possible consequences thereof.

Think about your own life. What decisions or circumstances caused you to be "YOU"?

Man in the Door / Poem

2010-06-06T11:28:00.001-05:00

Tommy Atkins, by Roger Moore

2010-05-31T10:18:00.000-05:00

Woman with Plants

2010-04-30T09:08:00.000-05:00

This is water color on paper and I painted it sometime around the summer of 1998. Started out to be just a practice piece with water colors. I had not and still do not work with that medium very much. I do love to see other artist's water color works and wish I were more proficient in that area.

NOT TO WORRY

2010-04-30T08:29:00.000-05:00

Do you get as tired and frustrated at hearing bad news as I do. It is to the point I dread turning on the T.V. or computer to hear what new bolt of lightening is going to strike us next. All I hear is doom and gloom. Even if there is any good news, it is so minor it is lost in the sea of disasters.

Let's see there is President Obama and the Democratic Majority that is turning our nation into a Socialist Obamanation, The economy, which seems to be dying by the minute, the overspending and deficit created by Congress (if you count all unfunded obligations totals over 46 trillion dollars - not the 12 trillion you see bounced around by the politicians and the news media), the dollar which is in danger of crashing any minute now, two active wars and a couple pending (Korea and Iran), an abundance of natural and man made disasters - floods, hurricanes, tornadoes, oil spills, mining accidents, Immigration problems - no body knows how many illegals have crossed the border from Mexico, how many cross the border daily or the amount of drugs brought with them, only wild ass guesses.

Oh, and let's not forget the thieving politicians, bankers and business leaders who have been so helpful in killing the economy and moral fiber of the Country. Instead of "the Country", maybe I should say the world, this is not an American problem, it is Global. Many countries are much worse off than we are.

Let's see now, what falling rock have I missed. Oh yes, the religious wars with the Muslims trying to kill as many Christians, and any other non Muslims as possible before imposing Shariah law on the world. Our President seems to be setting Israel adrift to fend for itself. I have news for you, Israel will not go quietly into the darkness. Israel has had a nuclear capability since the early 50's and if Israel goes, the whole Middle East will be glowing in the dark.

Speaking of Israel reminds me I should be worrying about Revelations as pointed out in the Bible. The last battle in the Jezerell Valley when all the armies of the world are gathered to march on Jerusalem. This in turn reminds me that for all the Armies to be in this coordinated attack there must be a world Government. Sound familiar.

Recent news had lead me to understand, much to my relief, that I need not worry about any of the above problems because ancient predictions are that the world will come to an end through natural disaster in December of 2012 - Merry Damn Christmas.

Diana Krall - Fly me to the moon

2010-04-26T20:19:00.000-05:00

ALABAMA LEGISLATION ON 10TH AMENDMENT RIGHTS

2010-04-26T11:10:00.000-05:00

http://blog.tenthamendmentcenter.com/2010/02/alabama-governor-signs-sovereignty-resolution/

Def Poetry: Sarah Kay

2010-04-25T13:27:00.000-05:00

Stephen Hawking: Asking big questions about the universe

2010-04-25T13:17:00.000-05:00

HELLO FROM PINSON ALABAMA - AGAIN

2010-03-31T06:13:00.000-05:00

Haven't been on the computer very much for the last couple of three weeks. Or for that matter writing or painting. I have been in the hospital since Sunday afternoon (28 March). It could be considered a fun visit, I guess, if you are the type that enjoys being confined to a room for several days in a large white building filled with various interesting torture machines and people who enjoy using them on you - needles seem to be a favorite.

My poor old heart decided to go for " run about" and jumped into afib (irregular heartbeat) all by itself without consulting the rest of the body. Had a little problem with this right after my by-pass surgery in 2008. That time, both in the hospital and when I got home the heart responded to drugs and jumped back into sinus rhythm (normal) and I haven't had any problems since - until now. This situation poses several problems, not the least of which is the increased possibility of blood clots forming in the heart. Others include decreased normal blood flow to the extremities and constant being tired (your heart is running while the rest of the body is trying to keep up).

This time I began having shortness of breath so after few days got in to see my cardiologist. Had an EKG and the doctor checked me over. No irregular heartbeat and a change of medication was prescribed. That was Thursday (25 Mar). Some time Friday Mr. Heart took off on it's own and after several telephone conversations by my daughter (an RN) and the Cardiologist increasing medications, it was decided I should go to the Emergency Room.

There they quickly stuck me with several needles and radiated me with a mobile X-Ray contraption, just for the fun of it. Then they got serious and tried medications through I.V.s. No luck, so after a while they admitted me and the real fun began. Lots of machines and drips and needles and medications, monitoring, bloodletting and peeing in a bottle. Still no luck in convincing my heart to stop misbehaving and jump back in to sinus rhythm.

Monday morning a 10 AM I was scheduled to have the next step procedure. That involved electric shock to jump start the heart back into rhythm. Fortunately, at about 7:30 AM Monday morning Mr. Heart decided it had run amuck long enough and slipped back into the regular rhythm. It appears to be staying there so after another night of monitoring I got to come home Tuesday evening.

Side line events of the hospital stay was that after a number of years as a type 2 diabetic on pills the doctors stuck me on insulin delivered with a needle. Now I can indulge my masochistic tendencies in the comfort of my own home.

I also got the "lose weight or die" speech from two different Doctors. After considering the choices provided I have decided to go with the lose weight option.

PUBLISHED ARTICLES

2010-03-25T21:46:00.000-05:00

For anyone interested I have a new recently published article at:

http://www.articlesbase.com/authors/rick-green/152832

Henry V- Speech

2010-03-10T13:40:00.001-06:00

OLD CITY SUNSET

2010-03-10T12:40:00.004-06:00

This piece was done in November of 2008. It is another of those that I started without much of an idea of what I wanted to paint. I wanted to do something with buildings was about the only thing I had in mind. Like most of my paintings it a bit primitive but that is my style and I am sticking with it.

OLD FRIENDS AND MEMORIES

2010-03-07T23:04:00.001-06:00

I just spent most of this past week in my home town of Oxford Alabama. My wife and me were there to look after my mother who had stints placed in her leg to improve blood flow. Mother is doing fine and walking great for a person in their mid - eighties.

While I was there I took the opportunity to visit with an old friend and member of my high school graduation class and later visit with another friend and classmate who is slowly recovering from a stroke. I think these visits were interesting and beneficial to all of us.

The first individual that I mentioned, is a very unique person. I think he might best be described as an intellectual recluse. Even in high school and college this guy stood out as very smart and a bit of a loner. It was obvious that he had rather be at home with his short wave radio than in a social setting with his peers. Since college he has been a Captain and helicopter pilot for the Army in Vietnam; a helicopter pilot for Air America (CIA) in Vietnam, Thailand and Cambodia; a pilot for Singapore Air and an L1011 pilot for Saudi Air. He and his wife lived and traveled extensively in southeast Asia for many years.

Unfortunately this friend's wife died about three years ago. That took the wind out my buddy's life sail. He is not and probably never will be the driven personality he was before he lost his wife. She was the anchor in his life and he never realized it until she was gone. Without his anchor he is adrift in the high seas of life and without direction.

Still, this old boy is a walking talking piece of History with loads of war stories and information. His mother is in her ninetys and he looks after her needs for the time being. He talks about his lack of family and what his future may hold. There is a pull on his heart to go back to southeast asia where he and his wife lived so many years. I understand that. There is such a pull drawing me back to Israel. The difference is, I thank my friend may act on his calling. I doubt that I will ever be able to again answer mine. I think I am too far over lifes mountain to make another side trip. The ten hour plane trip alone would probably kill me.

Other than the above discussions with my old buddy there was a great deal of reminising about classmates and the years gone by. This brought back a lot of memories and thoughts about how we all got from there to here and of those who did not make it this far. I am attempting to drag my buddy into the new century by pushing him to get on Facebook and to find a female companion with whom to get out of the house and do things. So far I haven't been very successful in getting him to develop a social life.

For the sake of brevity I will talk about the visit with my other old friend in another writing. Don't want to bore you too much.

Sgt MacKenzie - We Were Soldiers Soundtrack with Lyrics

2010-03-07T00:42:00.001-06:00

I'm Back, I think

2010-02-25T10:59:00.000-06:00

Did you miss me? I doubt if anyone even knew I was gone. Anyway, sorry I have not contributed anything lately other than my poor attempts at art. I have been preoccupied with the goings on of the family and some personal detractors. I have also joined a new site made up of artists who share and comment on their art. It is good to get some feedback and suggestions from other artists. It is also a good ego builder (not that I have much of an ego - well maybe a little - oh, alright maybe my ego is larger than I like to admit, there, are you happy now). If any one is interested the site is:

http://www.paintingsilove.com/artist/rickgreen

If you are interested in Art it is a good place to check out - not just for my stuff but for almost any area of painting you might like.

Not much to say at this time except what the hell happened to Global Warming. Here in mid Alabama we have had three snows on the ground this winter, not to mention the two or three that were brief smows that didn't accumulate. Usually we have zero to one snows per year. Where is Al Gore anyway?

I will put togeather something of interest a bit later but for now Have a Good Day.

A 2009 EFFORT - If it Looks like a Tree it Must Represent a Tree.

2010-02-15T11:22:00.000-06:00

This is a small work I did on paper to experiment with using ink as an outine for a water color.

I thought it came out fairly well so I framed it and hung it in the master Bathroom.

ABSTRACT

2010-02-05T15:54:00.000-06:00

This piece I painted about 9 months ago because the wife wanted something to brighten up our kitchen. I had an extra tube of red so here it is. It hangs over the sink in our new home. Well, we have been there about 16 months, so it is relatively new. I have not yet figured out a name for this piece.

HELLO JACKSONVILLE STATE UNIVERSITY

2010-02-01T21:33:00.000-06:00

My Blog was just linked with the JSU Public Relations web site which can be found at

http://www.jsunews.com/jsu-blogs/?pageID=26. Welcome to any JSU students, faculty, or alumni that might stumble across this Blog.

I graduated from JSU in January of 1967. Back then it was a small college compared to what it is today. In fact my class was the first to have "University" on our diplomas. "67" was a landmark year for me, I graduated from college (finally), joined the Army and got married. How's that for three strikes,

I have always been a bit regretful that I didn't have the opportunity to participate more in college social life. I commuted back and forth from Oxford and after the first couple of years I worked part time and went to school part time. It took me five and a half years to finish up - Majors in Biology and History with a minor in Geography.

Enough rambling about the old days. I will leave it at Welcome to all and hopefully you will find something of interest.

AN ABSTRACT COMPLETED ABOUT SIX MONTHS AGO

2010-01-31T08:57:00.000-06:00

"There are no facts, only interpretations."

- Friedrich Nietzsche (1844-1900)

BLACK AND WHITE

2010-01-31T08:36:00.000-06:00

I really like painting in black and white, especially abstracts. If you just let the colors blend togeather they will form numerous figures that you just have to enhance to form an interesting picture.

This painting was done several years ago, I think during our second tour in Israel ( 98 - 2001). If you click on the picture it will enlarge and you can see that the entire figure is made up of small figures. Currently hangs in my bedroom.

THE CURSE by Hourig Deldelian

2010-01-30T23:39:00.003-06:00

The curse…

May you never know a moment of peace and may your soul never see the light…

May every angel in the sky forsake you and every demon in hell hunt you down day and night…

May you tumble and turn in a million directions and never ever find your way out…

May you live long and reap a lifetime of nothingness…emptiness…of mind and heart…

May every drop of rain remind you of me, every bird, every butterfly…

May you know with each breath that you have already had the best days of your life…

May the curse of my heart bring down upon you the wrath of the earth and the sky …

This is the curse of a woman’s heart… earned to be unleashed...once loose... there is no redemption...there is no escape...

AS YOU CAN SEE IT IS BEST NOT TO MESS WITH HOURIG - Rick

________________________________________________________

PUBLISHED ARTICLES

2010-01-30T09:13:00.000-06:00

I currently have eight articles published on ArticleBase, if interested I have provided the site information below.

http://www.articlesbase.com/authors/rick-green/152832

PRACTICE PIECE

2010-01-29T23:02:00.000-06:00

This is an early painting done as practice from a "how to" book. It is, as are most all my paintings, done in a more or less primitive manner. There are a lot of mistakes in this work but I believe it is the mistakes in a painting that give them character.

ANOTHER EFFORT BY ME

2010-01-29T22:38:00.000-06:00

This is a recent piece done in early 2009. It is done in a primitive and somewhat abstract method. My wife took a liking to it and it now hangs over her bed. The actual painting is brighter than it shows up in this photograph. In order to get a better prospective and see detail just click on the painting and it will show full screen.

ANOTHER PAINTING

2010-01-08T17:43:00.000-06:00

I completed this painting in 2005 while living in TelAviv on our last tour. It is done in Acrylics and represents a tree line in a swampy flooded river area. It hangs over my bed these days.

TO BE by Hourig DelDelian

2010-01-03T11:04:00.001-06:00

To BE

You look around you one day, look hard, and you see gray skies, horrifying news, people going mad, children loosing innocence, smelless grass, polluted seas, superficial smiles, deadly disease, rootless families, screwed beliefs, pained eyes, deprived souls, lonely hearts, endless roads… and so much, so much more…

You stop for a minute and think: what’s wrong with the world??? You think for just a moment longer and you realize… it’s US and what we have become!

We stopped taking care of what counts, of our dreams, of our children and those around us.
We drowned in the world of material gains…
We buried our hearts and hung on to the brilliance of our IQs…
We lost faith in the human race…
We stopped believing in GOD, we became arrogantly “FREE”…
We forgot about Santas, angels and fairies…we left them behind.
We preferred this forged world to the world of spirit and soul…
We have become shallow empty shells, making excuses for this new “ME”… But deep inside, when you stop for that moment, you realize what you’ve become and it is sad, so very sad…

You try to build again, to become what you once were. You try to see through brighter eyes, breathe with a lighter heart, smile with your soul, love with your entire being…Care to care, love to love, be there because you want to… because you want to…

Those around you are still what they are, but now they don’t understand … they look for your motive, they look for what you have to gain… I told you it’s sad to see what we have become, but I insist on the change… I insist to love and care, I insist to notice the little things, I insist to believe, I insist to give, I insist to live with passion, I insist to hope, I insist to try, I insist to risk, I insist to … for God’s sake…BE… and I insist that I don’t understand why, without any of this, I would open my eyes in the morning, put my feet on the ground…and think that I am actually ALIVE…

January 2005

HELLO 2010

2010-01-03T10:53:00.001-06:00

Well here we are in a new year - Surprise! made it through another. Like someone once said "if I had ever thought I would live this long I would have taken better care of myself".

As far as 2009 goes, it was not the best of years nor was it the worst of years. In general I would just say good-by and good riddance. Looking to this new year, it is time for some serious changes for me personally. Health has become a major issue and the underlying cause for most of those issues is weight.

I have always had a weight problem except when I was on a vigorous exercise program. Can't do that kind of exercise any more without causing serious injury. Light exercise just makes my hungry.

I have decided that if I keep doing what I am doing I will continue to get what I got - fatter. Therefore I have decided to pursue some minor surgery and have a lap band implanted. My goal is to loose about 130 pounds over a 3 year period.

The procedure takes only about a 15 minutes and there is an overnight hospital stay. Within 3 or 4 days I will be back to normal. In case you don't know, the lap band is just a gadget they place around the upper end of the stomach that can be adjusted to limit the amount of food allowed in the stomach as you eat.

If I can lose the weight a number of my health issues, such as diabeties, circulation problems and joint deteriation, could go away or be minimised.

Yes, by the end of this year I intend to be more active and even more handsome than I already am, if possible. Problem is, I may have to give up my walking cane and then how would I defend myself against all those young gals wanting to have their way with me. Guess I will have to take my wife with me where ever I go.

Lt. Col Allen West Speaks

2009-12-24T00:03:00.000-06:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VP2p91dvm6M

NEWT GINGRICH TALKS

2009-12-17T09:41:00.000-06:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qtjfMjjce2Y

ANOTHER ATTEMPT AT ART

2009-12-13T11:06:00.000-06:00

This is my first try at a Mosaic. I did this sometime in 1999 or2000 while on our second tour with DOD in Israel. The tile was picked from the scraps of a construction site, broken and cut into small pieces. The petals of the flowers are made of broken window glass I picked up on the side of the road and the center of the flowers are made of small stones picked up on the Mediterranean beaches near Tel Aviv. The green objects in the center is centuries old glass picked up from the cliffs and beach areas north of Tel Aviv at a place where the town of Appolonia once stood. This town made and sold glass for tableware and windows for a couple of thousand years. After the glass was drown off the remaining slag at the bottom of the pits in which the sand was heated by charcoal and melted into glass was dumped over the walls . All this slag still contained a great deal of glass mixed with the remains of the charcoal. Over the centuries this glass has washed out of the ground as the ocean has encroached on the old walls of the city. You can still pick up bits of smoothed glass on the beach and a large drainage ditch that has formed near where the northern wall once stood.

General Douglas MacArthur: Duty, Honor, Country

2009-12-12T10:07:00.001-06:00

Words to live by.

Snow in Alabama

2009-12-11T23:46:00.002-06:00

During the night of December 4 a light snow fell but was gone by the afternoon of the next day. The wife got a few pictures while it lasted. This is a view from our back yard.
Click on the picture to enlarge for the best viewing.

HELLO FROM PIINSON, AL

2009-12-11T13:05:00.003-06:00

Hello again, did you miss me? Yea Right. Anyway I just wanted to let you know the reasons I haven't been too active on the Blog lately.

December has been a busy month. As you know Christmas will be here soon and that is always a hassle. The women all go nuts and the men are busy trying to stay out of the way and hiding. Most men I know, me included, think of Christmas as a costly pain in the ass. It is a time when we are busily trying to placate the women in our lives by being supportive in this yearly crisis of putting up the tree, buying presents, telling lies to the grandkids due to the ever present fear that they will find out what their gift might be, planning, buying for and cooking the necessary bazillion calorie Christmas meal, being present at the grand opening of presents on Christmas morning, cleanup of the ripped up discarded wrapping paper.

This ritual must be accepted with an appearance of joyful participation and love of the season or else you are lambasted by the wife and labeled a "Scrooge". I wonder if the Bible had not mentioned the three wise men having brought gifts, if December would be the commercial frenzy we know today. I don't know for sure but I have read that Jesus was actually born in March, so I am not sure how the so called celebration fell into December. But, I digress.

Otherwise I am researching/working on another Article and another painting. Also, lately my wife has had a minor problem with one of her eyes and is wearing a patch. I have been getting up and carrying her to work and pick her up on her work days. Between those items already mentioned I spend a lot of time with my E-mail and Face book. I have a lot of friends in low places so my joke file fills up faster than I can review, forward and delete them, I also am obligated to review a large amount of correspondence from people bitching about the Government, which,by the way, I too think sucks.

As you can see when the preceding is incorporated with my daily obligatory beauty nap I have a fairly busy schedule. Hopefully January will be a month more accommodating for Blog input.

DOES YOUR HEART BELIEVE? By Hourig DelDelian

2009-12-03T21:34:00.001-06:00

I want to believe... in the good in people, in forever loves, in kind Gods and fairies, in angels and family, in the innocence of a sleeping baby, in the comfort of friendship and the miracle of soul mates…in justice and redemption…in freedom, not of lands but of US…

I want to believe in everything impossible, as impossible as it seems, because deep inside I know that there is nothing IMPOSSIBLE… there is no impossible love, there is no impossible dream… there is always a way to be what we want to be, to be complete… as long as the heart believes… and mine, still believes…

January 2005

FOREST SPIRITS

2009-12-02T00:56:00.004-06:00

This picture was done with colored ink in 1999 during my second tour in Israel. I have tried to lighten the photo because the original is rather dark. I was in something of a dark mood at the time. Jeannie had been evacuated due to a threat of attack from Iraq. To make matters worse she called and told me that the daughter of a lady I went to High School with and who was one of my daughters closest friends was dead. At the time I had just started to work on this piece with no real idea of the final product. Several drinks later this is what came out. Three ghostly female figures, one holding a child, in the deep forest. Enlarge the picture for more detail.

GAZA CITY 1996

2009-12-01T17:18:00.000-06:00

In 1996 the Palestinians of the West Bank and Gaza in Israel held their first free elections. I was there as an official U.S. Embassy observer as to the fairness and legitimacy of the voting process. In the photograph here is me and my Palestinian Liberation Organization (P.L.O.)bodyguards. By the way I am the cute one with the shades on. They were Arafat’s men but we actually got along well. The voting process was slow and the lines long. I only saw one fight but did hear a lot of yelling at the officials by the Arab women in line to vote. The process was much longer than they had expected and they were in a hurry to get home to relieve whoever was watching the kids and to start the evening meal. All in all things went well and no one shot at me - that was a good thing.

THOUGHTLESS THOUGHTS by R. Green

2009-11-23T09:11:00.003-06:00

Thoughtless Thoughts

Thinking can be detrimental to the brain.
Causing depressing frustration on politics and finances and spouse.
Resulting in stress with a synapses mess and mental pain.
What can be done to forestall this dreadful mental rouse.

Long and hard logic energies have drilled deep to the problem core.
Leaving me over the years near witless and morality depraved.
But in this strenuous bout of concentration I have wrestled the Demon “thinking” to the floor.
The trick you see is not to think thoughtful thoughts of cracks to be paved.

Rather direct your energies to thinking thoughtless thoughts without goal or purpose.
On this great discovery I have aspired to the position of unchallenged world wide expertise.
With my armor of thoughtless thoughts I can no longer be intimidated from my mental repose.
Neither mouth nor stick can backslide me to rational thinking, immune even to a woman's tease.

I am now content in my abyss of purposeless dreams and wonderful thoughtless thought
Banks and cranks along with politicians and theologians are but shadows to my brainless attire.
Time and space no longer pose limitations for my capabilities as so long ago taught.
So, with my new found ability to block all meaningful thought it must be time for me to retire.

SUNSET TREES by R. Green

2009-11-22T16:12:00.001-06:00

This is about the 4th or 5th painting I completed. Done sometime in 1995 near Tel Aviv. I worked from a picture of a park in Northern Israel. Since it was finished it has hung in the enterance area to all our houses and apartments.

I paint for the fun of it and the satisfaction of creating something, not for money. Many I keep, some I give away to family and close friends. I have only sold one to a friend who really insisted on having it.

A few paintings, very few, I have done on request - usually from my wife.

DAMN COMPUTERS

2009-11-21T13:35:00.000-06:00

I have 7 grandkids, all of which love computers. So in order to keep down the fights when several are here at the same time, I have several computers. Actually I have 4 of the damn things, 2 laptops and 2 PC's. The problem is that I am spending about half of my retirement time troublershooting and fixing the things due to software glitches. I can usually keep at least 2 up and going at one time. I just love the high tech world we live in, don't you?

LET MY SPIRIT RUN FREE by Hourig Deldelian

2009-11-21T13:22:00.000-06:00

“Let my spirit run free”

It’s a dangerous statement, a strange statement; some may look at it and not understand. They are either not that lost or don’t know that they are or one of the few, blessed, who are running free.

I try to make it make sense, put into words what I feel. Express my feelings, my sense of loss, this suffocation, the emptiness in my heart, but it’s hard, impossible, to explain how it all feels.

I know I will sound mad to most if I tell them I don’t believe this is all there is to life, this existence we have; running to jobs, raising children, keeping a house, a bank account, education, prayer and all the other ways we choose to live life…That I believe there is something more, and it’s powerful, and we won’t be fulfilled without it, will not know happiness without it, peace, and yet I have no clue, none, what it is.

That I am looking for the invisible, the complicated, the hidden, the figment of my imagination, the dream, the mirage, it can be any of these things… it frightens me to think this way, I try to feel happy with all the blessings in my life, but none of it is ever complete, there is always an important missing piece. Something, once found, there will be Peace… peace of the soul… peace of the heart… peace of the mind… then… I will be complete. The creation that God meant for me to be…

I do believe that we knew it once, this secret, but we lost it along the years. Life is a journey and I feel I am wasting mine, living it as I do, half a woman, half a heart, half a soul.

I will keep searching, for what I don’t know. Will I find it, I don’t know. Is it even there, I don’t know. But I do know that this is not enough and I need to look for something more…

There is somewhere an ancient road, where people have found themselves, found the secret, the hope… it’s a pilgrimage, an old tradition for those who have gotten lost… perhaps on this road I will find, what I am quite sure is waiting for me… waiting faithfully for anyone who seeks it…

What a scary feeling, living in the hope of something, looking for something, waiting for something… yet what it is? You don’t know… Does it exist? Maybe yes but then again maybe not…

Bill Cosby- Dentists

2009-11-21T13:02:00.001-06:00

More Cosby

FOREST FIRE by R. Green

2009-11-18T00:31:00.000-06:00

Here is something newer than what I have been showing. I painted this one this summer using acrylics. This is what I call a fun painting. That is one where I just start painting with no particular finished product in mind. I just let my subconscious and hand do the painting. I never know what the final picture will look like until about 3/4 in. Then my conscious mind takes over and does some detail work and flushing out, not to mention covering some errors and color corrections.

Interesting Night in Saigon

2009-11-17T23:50:00.000-06:00

I mentioned that I might be compelled to subject you guys to a war story from time to time. This is as good a time as any so here is the first.

In the summer of 1968, at the tail end of the TET Offensive I arrived in Vietnam as a brand new Military Intelligence 2nd Lieutenant. I was assigned the 525 Military Intelligence Group as the Administrative Officer for the Headquarters and Headquarters Company (HHC). For you non Military types a HHC is the unit to which troops assigned to a unit's Headquarters are assigned. The HHC takes care of their orders, transportation, supplies, weapons, personnel and finance records, living quarters and feeding to mention a few responsibilities.

I initially lived with 5 other officers in a villa away from the compound on which the Headquarters was located. That villa was closer into Saigon. After about three months it was determined to leave that house and try to bring the officers back either into the compound or at least closer. Things had heated up a bit and security was getting stricter.

At this point I moved on compound into a room over the HHC offices. Me and two other officers occupied this room. Another 2nd Lieutenant from Ohio and a 1st Lieutenant from New York. It was a good set up. We had a black and white T.V. and a small bar. Whisky, beer and wine were available at the Air Base which wasn't too far away. I remember that every thing on the shelves was $1.00 Except for a high grade scotch which was $3.00.

Now most people you talk to about their Vietnam experience will tell you horror stories of death and destruction and how bad things were. For me that year was the best assignment I ever had in the Military, including the 5 years of active duty, the 1 year as an instructor in an Army Reserve School, the 1.5 years in a National Guard Special Forces unit and the 12.5 years in a Training Command.

I am not going to go into a lot of detail on my job or how we spent our off time. That would be a long tale and off the point of the story. One evening late I was sitting in the room alone having a few drinks watching an episode of Star Trek on the Armed Forces Broadcast Station. I had had enough to drink to be fairly intoxicated. Somewhere around midnight the Officer from New York came busting through the door, muttering and ranting about something. He went directly to the stand up lockers in the back storage room.

I heard him bumping and thumping around. I figured that he was just drunk and getting ready for bed. When he emerged from the storage room he was still dressed and obviously upset about something. I also noticed he had a hand grenade in his hand. I asked him where the hell he was going with that. His response was that those Sob’s at the compound club has refused to serve him any more drinks and thrown him out. He then informed me that he would show them a thing or two and at that point he pulled the pen on the grenade. It was at this point, while jumping from the chair that I became stone cold sober. At this point he was starting for the door but I managed to get between him and said door. I got really close in his face so he could focus on me and began talking really serious to him about what he was doing.

After a few minutes I talked him into giving me the grenade. I carefully removed it from his hand and managed to keep the handle from flipping up and activating the 7 second delay fuse which causes the grenade to explode. He and I then started hunting the pin which he had tossed after pulling it. I finally found the pin under his bed and pushed it back into the holes that locks the handle down.

By this time my roomy was calmed down and I helped him into bed after which I sat down to watch him for a while. I never did get to see the last part of that Star Trek program. About an hour later the other roomy shows up bitching about the girl that got away. I told him I was in no mood to listen to his problems tonight besides it was bedtime. 5AM comes really early when you go to bed at 1AM.

SEASONS OF THE HEART by Hourig DelDelian

2009-11-16T23:46:00.001-06:00

Seasons of the Heart

Nature goes through 4 seasons century after century, the heart goes through endless ones in the span of a life. Whenever a season comes, we are not sure what it will bring, if it will be good, bad, long, short… but we know for sure that like the seasons of nature, the seasons of the heart also come and go… What is different is that some of its seasons leave tracks that we carry deep in our roots despite the changes of time.

We all live with the hope that this will be the best of seasons. And when it turns out to be a stormy one, we hope it will be short… we reason with it for a while, we despair of it for a while, we get angry at it for while… in the end, we look for a glimmer of sense of what it could still have given us… when we fail to see it, we trust that a bigger power had a plan for it that is just too large for us to see at the moment, accept it, and then we are able to welcome the next one…

And better seasons come, they bring joy and love and warmth and all kinds of beautiful things… we rejoice for while, we feel blessed for a while, we are awed by it all for a while and then, after a while, we take it for granted and see it as a way of life and the spark is gone and we strive to find something that will make the season special… We are amazing that way…

What can I say, I’ve had calm seasons, stormy seasons, joyful seasons, painful seasons, rewarding seasons, lonely seasons, loving seasons, tiring seasons… They all had meaning, none of it is meaningless or without purpose, that I know for sure. They all were what they were because of others who contributed to them and because of how I reacted to them… and I am thankful for it all, good and bad, because they mean that I lived, I dared, I jumped, I bent, I stood tall, I took heart, I believed, I hoped, I cried and I felt an abundance of things that I can look back on and say despite it all, despite my mistakes and through my triumphs, I lived while I was alive… and I am looking forward to the seasons still in store, I hope there will be many to come, with excitement, hope and a measure of fear and I will live them with all the courage I have inside… Live while you are alive, it all only happens but once..

Bill Cosby---Grandparents

2009-11-16T23:36:00.001-06:00

Always loved this guy. One of the best performers around.

Bethlehem Market

2009-11-16T16:33:00.000-06:00

I painted this picture in 1995 from a photograph. My wife loves the thing so it has been hanging in every house and apartment we have lived in since it was completed. I say completed but it is like Picasso is reported to have told his sales agent/Gallery rep. who asked him if one of the paintings in his studio was finished. He basicly told the man that no painting is ever finished it is just a matter of when the artist becomes tired of working with it and gives up.

Hello from Alabama

2009-11-15T11:50:00.002-06:00

Hello out there in Blogland. I am a new blogger and this is my first effort at communicating on this site other than downloads. Forgive me if I stumble around a bit. I am not yet comfortable with writing to an unnown audiance about my personal life. I am not good at small talk or putting out a running comentary about "I am now eating after going to the bathroom 2 minutes ago" so you won't be getting that day by day hour by hour info from me.

From time to time, I will offer comments on events or politics and something personal. You will not see much in the way of Religion since I am not particulary religious. I have opinions but having been born, raised and living in the Bible Belt I have learned to simply avoid the issue. I do have a friend that does write religious poetry so you may see some of her work later.

You have seen and will be seeing more writings by a very good friend of mine in Tel Aviv. We worked togeather when I was last stationed in Israel with USAID. She writes from the heart, which I do not, so I think she gives the site a bit more of a human touch.

My interests run in many directions so there is no solid theme to this site. In some things I am very liberal and others very conservative. My liberal opinions are usually moderate whereas my conservative openions are usually just to the right of Attila the Hun.

I am an old codger that has been around for a while and seen a lot, so don't be surprised if I sneak in a "war story" from time to time.

Old City Jerusalem

2009-11-15T09:41:00.004-06:00

This painting was done in 1995 from a photo my wife took
from the roof of a rug dealer's shop. We were living in Tel Aviv for a couple of years on my first tour in Israel with the Department of Defense.

IT HURTS INSIDE by Hourig DelDelian

2009-11-14T14:36:00.007-06:00

It hurts inside

“Having loved and lost is better than never having loved at all””… whoever said that has never really nursed a broken heart… Do you know what it feels like… this almost devastating sense of loss…the numbness inside…losing the core of your soul??? It’s like parts of you are left somewhere behind…

Have you ever broken your own heart and wondered when all the pain kicked in how you will look in the mirror and explain it to HER??? How you would tell her you had no other choice???

Have you come up against a dead end, or at least allowed yourself to be told it is one, when you always believed there is nothing impossible, there is no impossible situation, there is no impossible dream???

Have you almost wanted to scream from the center of your being and be heard to the ends of the world but found that you have lost your voice???

Have you ever walked away from the love of a lifetime knowing what you are doing but knowing there is no other way??? I did…I did…

Have you ever done that knowing that that kind of love may cross your way once if you are lucky, twice if you are really blessed but that it is possible that it will never cross your path again???

Do you know what THAT feels like??? I do today… I know my heart will hurt, my very center will scream… I wonder, is there anything, anything at all I could still have done?

I thought I had loved and lost once, survived, and have become invincible… nothing could ever hurt me like that because I would never love like that again… but sometimes love just sneaks up on you when you least expect it and takes your heart hostage in its hand and all you can do is hope that they will know what to do with it...

They say sometimes you love and you are loved, but the moment is not right… I don’t think I believe that! Hell, I KNOW I don’t… I believe you don’t get a choice in fighting for love…you know why??? because it would cripple you, numb you, waste your breath, drive you mad, tie your hands and dim your eyes and waste all your joys to just let it go… that is if your heart truly fell in love with all its being...if you fell in love heart and soul...

Wife on Beach - North of Tel Aviv Israel

2009-11-14T13:08:00.003-06:00

Funny Shooting Story - Ken Futch

2009-11-14T13:03:00.001-06:00

Laugh for the day.