Nova Scotia Mermaid

I met a lass in Lunenburg
Fair of skin with wooden curves
I posed with her upon the docks
Admiring her painted locks
A being sculpted by the shore
Gazing south forevermore
Enduring the selfies selflessly
Always ready for one more
 

An Island of Flowers on Cape Breton Island

 

Wakes

Atlantic Sunrise

It was only six years ago, but because of the pandemic 2019 feels a century away. I shot this photo of the run rising over the Atlantic Ocean on August 6 of that year, but it feels more like a sunset to me now--the fading glow of better days, the inflection point when hope vanished over a lost horizon. Doesn't the sun, in this image, look something like a death's head? 

 

Farewell to Pencil Kong

Alas poor Pencil Kong, truly you were the king of sharpeners. You served me well, but your eyes have ceased to glow, your lips no longer palpitate, and your throat no longer sharpens. Safe journey down the River Pencil Styx, old friend. 

Mom and Me at the Etsell Farm

Here's another new-to-me image from Aunt Jean and Uncle John's collection. I'm back at the Etsell farm with Mom and Smokey the "don't pull his tail, he'll put your eye out" cat. This image brings me peace. 
 

Earl in the Hay

Aunt Jean and Uncle John recently took a large collection of their old slides to get scanned, and there are some beautiful shots in there--some that I honestly think could have been used in Life or National Geographic. 

I wouldn't consider the (cropped) photo above one of those truly outstanding shots, but it has a young me in it--one I'd never seen until my aunt and uncle gave me access to their new digital collection. I believe this was shot on the Gray farm, near the Etsell farm in southern Manitoba, sometime in the early 1970s. I'm terrible at guessing ages; do I look, say, two here? If so, this would have been summer of 1971. 

 

Generative AI Fail for Chekov's Gun

Back when I wrote "Chekov's Gun," I tried to get Bing to generate some images of Spock, Chekov, and an alien to accompany the story. Despite many attempts, there's no sign of Chekov nor the alien I described...just the Alien alien. Human artists remain superior. 
 

Aggravating Whoopsie

Be careful not to set your refrigerator's temperature too low. Your root beer may freeze, expand, and explode its container, creating a mess and safety hazard in one loud pop. Pun not intended. 
 

Crimson Raider

I wound up with a second Star Schlock Star Raider model, so for the sake of telling the two miniatures apart, I gave this one hues of crimson. 

Hail Ming!

I have painted Ming the Merciless. How regal he is! How fiendish his desires, how diabolical his plans! 
 

Snapshot of a Dream

 

50 Years Ago...

Mom, me, her parents, my grandparents; the summer of 1975. I need to go back there again, just to smell the grass and the trees. I hope there will be sunflowers. 

Six year old Earl has a cute, jaunty hat. Looks kind of like one of the Little Rascals. 

Short Pants

Here I am with Mom sometime in the early 1970s. Green short pants and a yellow shirt--a juvenile supervillain in the making. 
 

National Cafe Rooms

 Based on some Internet sleuthing, it's possible that this photo of Grandma was shot in Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan. 

Thumbs and Suspenders

I like Grandad's pose and grin here. Grandma seems appreciative, too. 
 

Down on the Farm in '73

Here I am with my maternal grandparents during the summer of 1973. Their farm really was a beautiful place . . . in the summer. 

Cat Scratch Near Miss

When I was very young, I pulled Smokey's tail. Smokey was my maternal grandparents' cat, and did not suffer fools. Smokey retaliated by slashing at my face, slicing a shallow groove through skin just barely to the right of my right eyeball. I learned my lesson that day, and I'm grateful that Smokey chose not to half-blind me. 

As far as I know, this is the only photo of Smokey and me. Based on my approximate age here, it may even have been taken right around the time Smokey scratched me. 
 

Bozo Can't Come to the Phone Right Now

Mom looks on as I pretend to answer a phone call at her parents' place. We had that crokinole board for years, and I still have one red disc from the set. Bozo got popped a couple of years after this. Stupid clown. 
 

Granddad at a Log House

 Jaunty hat! 

One Snowy Afternoon

Here's another mystery photo from my paternal grandfather's album. There were no notes written on the back of the print, and I recognize not the truck, nor the woman, nor the dog. I would imagine this is somewhere in southern Saskatchewan or Manitoba. 

All Cars Must Register--RCMP

 

The Enigmatic Ellen Woods

"Ellen Woods" read the backs of these two photos, with no other explanation. I've never heard of Ellen Woods before seeing these photos. We're related in some way, but how? She seems a woman of action. 
 

Grandma at Prince Albert National Park

Here's a picture of my paternal grandmother standing on a car at the entrance to Prince Albert National Park in June, 1941. Can anyone identify the make and model of the car? 

I've been to Prince Albert a few times, but I'm not sure if I've ever been to its namesake national park. Something to add to the list . . . 
 

Hope Woods in a Log House

This log house features in several photos of Dad's parents, so I feel as though they may have lived here for a time.