11/25/16 Balston Spa, NY

Part of my Americana series. It was closed when we stopped by.

©Words and pictures Dan DeMarle 2016

11/20/16

© words and pictures by Dan DeMarle 2016

11/19/16

© words and pictures Daniel DeMarle 2016

The simple truth is that there are far more good people and things in the world then bad things and people. We as humans and prey animals dwell on the bad and what could happen, while often totally missing the beauty and joy around us.   Growing up Catholic I think we spent more time focusing on hell and what would get you there,  then on the beauty of God, or at least that’s what I heard.   You can literally go 100s and maybe 1000s of days in a row and never experience evil, but still think the world is evil.  Life is meant to be hard, that is guaranteed, but at the same time there is beauty and life all around us. It is simply the task of opening your eyes to it, and if necessary of walking out your front door and finding it.  How you travel through the world makes a difference as well.  You will see less beauty in a car and probably be more fearful after listening to the news for that half hour car ride.   You will see more beauty if you take a bus, ride a bike, or walk.   We also often need others to point out beauty to us.  Being around others can truly help us see that beauty.  This is because sometimes the person we are traveling with, is really a thing of beauty themselves.

Picture 11/16/16 words 12/3/16

© words and pictures Daniel DeMarle 2016

“After the rift in the world formed, there was a need to tie the rift closed.  The Dwarves and Elves worked together and dug up the bones of the Great Dragon Thugon.  The ribs were taken and laid across the rift.  With great magics the ribs were welded into place. This stopped the rift from spreading and provided the bridges between the Elven Kingdoms and the Dwarven Kingdoms.”

From the Encyclopedia of Fairy.

Genesee Valley Park, bridges over the Erie Canal in early morning light.

Picture 11/19/16 and words 12/2/16

© words and pictures Daniel DeMarle 2016

Periodically I perform a life check up. Somethings I check every day, somethings once a month, and somethings once a year.   The idea of a life check up is easy.  It is simply asking yourself if 5 years from now, I had a ? or if this thing happened, what could I be doing today to prevent it. You may ask yourself, if I had a stroke, if my marriage failed, if I lost my job, if I had a heart attack, if I was dead and my family was still alive. Picture in your head the things that if they happened to you or to your family, you would look back and ask yourself are there things I could have done to have avoided that outcome.  The answers sometimes could have been so obvious, after the fact, that you would blame yourself for not doing them.

There are obviously things in life that we can’t predict or plan for.  But there are many thiings we can.  You may say I couldn’t plan for that flooding, but you bought or own a house on a flood plain.   You could say I couldn’t plan for the outcome of the election, but did you do anything to try to get the result you wanted, other than voting.  You could say I couldn’t plan for that car accident in the rain, but did you change your wiper blades so you could see while driving in the rain.

So here are things on my list?  What’s on yours?

Did I walk, run, bike today?

Did I take my omega 3s, vitamin D, and magnesium?

Did I take any medication prescribed by a doctor and take it the way it was prescribed?

Did I tell or show my family I love, care for, and respect them?

Did I do more to support them, or more to hinder them?

Did I touch base with any friends or other family members today, this week, this month?

Did I connect with peers and allies in my world?

Did I contribute to global warming a lot or a little, did I minimize my footsteps in the world or needlessly contribute to climate change?

Did I do things to bring beauty into the world?

Did I see my doctor this year?

Did I do any routine screenings that can help detect issues before they become problems ex. blood pressure checks, check for signs of skin cancer, etc?

Did I floss?

Did I contribute money to my retirement accounts?

Have I rebalanced my banking, investment and retirement accounts?

Have I replaced my smoke alarm batteries, my CO2 detector batteries?

Have I checked my fire extinguishers?

Have I reviewed my insurance (health,  disability, life, homeowners, flood) policies?

Have I shoveled out the nearest fire hydrant to my house?

Have I shared a good bottle of wine with friends?

Have I given to the charities that support the things I support?

Have I contributed to the political candidates or elected officials that support the things I support?

Have I subscribed to my local newspaper, and any national newspapers?

Have I read a book today?

Have I changed the oil in my car, and performed other necessary maintenance?

Have I performed any necessary maintenance on my bicycle?

Have I changed my running/walking shoes recently?

Have I bought locally and spent money locally in my community and supported small  businesses?

Have I eaten foods from animal with four feet minimally and eaten more fruits and vegetables then meats?

Have I taken time to be quiet, and just have time to think and dream?

Have I scheduled my vacation time?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

What lies beneath.   So seldom do we look below. What is the cause? Where do the roots lie?  What supports you, me, us? What keeps us from falling into death, despair, chaos?  If you live in Rochester or in the Northern suburbs you have driven across this bridge dozens if not thousands of times.  Each time never wondering, or thinking about what holds you up.  Sometimes what holds you up is nothing remarkable, sometimes however it is a thing of beauty based on the magic and physics of an arch.  Below that lies more beauty and life.  But you go by day after day, never seeing the crumbling of the infrastructure, or never seeing the troll living under that bridge, or the magic fish down in the river waiting to be caught.Those three wishes forever not asked for or granted.

Picture 11/16/16 words 12/1/16

© words and pictures Daniel DeMarle 2016

Look carefully this is not a picture of the bridge.

“The Gallows bridge has a long but little known history in Rochester.  It appears at sunset over what was once known as the rapids. With the later construction of the dam north of this spot in Downtown Rochester, the former rapids have disappeared. The Gallows bridge has remained. While there is an actual bridge here, at sunset the real bridge disappears to be replaced by the Gallows bridge. The real bridge then reappears after sunset. While appearing substantial it is simply a construction of fairy dust  and reflected light. Those trying to cross the bridge at sunset will find partway across that there is literally nothing beneath their feet. This has led to the occasional death , but more often unintentional swimming. These are commonly blamed on suicides, or pranks, but actually are not.  Those who do somehow make it across at sunset, are never seen or heard from again.”

From the Encyclopedia of Fairy.

Picture 11/18/16 words 12/1/16

© word and pictures Daniel DeMarle 2016

There’s a gap in the earth. They say dragons live in these tunnels. They swoop down into the gorge to hunt. The nest is said to be deep inside past the dwarf’s old house. They saw the water that forms the falls out of the tunnel comes from the tears of all the Iroquois women the dragons have taken into the tunnel over the years. Then they came from all the slaves that tried to flee to Canada from here during the underground railroad. You know that there are dragons by the stench that comes from the tunnel. There is much that is buried that should be forgot, and much that is forgot but not buried.

11/16/16

© words and pictures Daniel DeMarle 2016

11/15/16

© Words and pictures by Dan DeMarle 2016