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Posts Tagged ‘artistatexit0’

image of Earth from space, 2013

Unknown hackers have recently posted images on the worldwide web reputedly obtained from government sources that state extraterrestrial aliens are among us.  The pictures go a long way in answering the question: “Are we truly alone in the universe?”.  The answer would be a resounding “no”! The information was lifted from top-secret computers from around the world, but seem to be centered on information purloined in the United States and New Zealand.  The group responsible for this posting call themselves members of “In Vino Veritas” and state their purpose is to let the truth be known.  In their communique “In Vino Veritas”  believes we are now  “evolved enough to handle the truth”.  Regardless, the cat is out of the bag…whatever that means?  Following are excerpts from their sensational posting which has gone bacterial on the internet.

Styrosian and crayfish, March 2013

Much of this stolen information centers around a lone alien that is believed to have crashed landed at the Falls of the Ohio State Park in southern Indiana.  After several years of trying, U.S. government scientists were able to break the transmission code used to transmit images off world and were then traced to their source in this small park.  The images show a “classical” looking humanoid-alien with large dark eyes and no nose exploring the environs of the park.  The image above shows the alien contemplating a dead crayfish, but it is unknown at this time whether “it” is responsible for the death of this crustacean.

Styrosian on tree stump, March 2013

Many of the “Falls of the Ohio Alien” show this visitor exploring nature.  There are many more images that seem to suggest that the extraterrestrial is engaged by this context in an almost reverential way.  Intentions, however, are difficult to gauge and there are some at the highest level who believe this is a scout for an impending invasion. Thus far, scientists have not been able to physically locate said alien.  Another image is believed to be of the wrecked space ship.

upturned hot tub, March 2013

This picture which cleverly resembles an upturned hot tub, could be either a space craft or some sort of time machine?  Remarkably, the New Zealand alien is also believed to have come to Earth in a bath-tub like ship.  These images from the Falls Alien are thought to have been taken with a “camera” mounted on a small drone based on their bird’s-eye point of view.  Thus far, this actual “hot tub” craft has eluded detection.  There is, however, other enigmatic circumstantial evidence that has been gathered that seems to imply an alien(s) “hand” at work.  Consider these strange formations found in the park.

map of the solar system, March 2013

This is a remarkable find and is obviously a map of our solar system.  The center golf ball is the sun surrounded by corresponding blackened buck-eye planets.

rope formation, March 2013

Could this found rope be a landing or navigational marker for a space craft or a piece of art?  The idea that aliens have an appreciation for art is further evidence of their more evolved status.

coal symbol, March 2013

Here is one of many “Star Symbols” made from locally procured coal.  Their exact function is also unknown but recent speculation also suggests a fusion of art and science at work here.  Notice the energy field radiating away from the star.

alien effigy artifact, March, 2013

This is one of the most impressive artifacts of all and recently excavated at a site near the Falls of the Ohio.  It is an alien effigy made from a composite materials including rubber and plastic.  The fact this alien has a nose also suggests the potential for much variation among different races or species of aliens to have secretly visited our planet.  Here are a few more images of aliens that were part of the recently posted hacker trove.  Let’s start with the image obtained from New Zealand which is identified as being ” a Dede”.

alien-competition, Dede alien, March 2013

This “Dede” alien is unusual in sporting antennae.  Notice how the pose seems to suggest appreciation for light and life.  Very little is known of alien activities around the world and this image is of extreme importance for this reason.  It is believed that a similar form of transmission was used by the “Dede” alien to “beam” this image back to the visitor’s home world or waiting space craft.  Scientists speculate the dark spectacles are needed because the “Dede” alien comes from a world whose sun isn’t as intense as our own.

Alien Ballet, 10/09

This image described as being an “alien ballet” also comes from the Falls of the Ohio.  Government sources date this image to 2009 which predates the current Falls alien.  The exuberant dance also suggest a love of fun and art.  After what must have been a long journey through dangerous outer space…it must have felt great to be safe and in a new environment.  The elaborate head-gear may suggest sexual dimorphism in this particular species of alien?  Can we safely assume that the male is on the right and female on the left…or does this picture represent two different aliens who are comfortable with one another?

Styrosian with purple flowers, March 2013

So ends a quick overview of the “leaked” evidence of alien visitors to our planet.  It will be fascinating to see if this information will be taken to heart or denied outright in typical governmental fashion?  Are we indeed grown-up enough to handle the idea that we are no longer alone in a wide open universe?  Thus far, the evidence suggests that our visitors from other worlds have had nothing but peaceful intentions and actually have been caught in acts that suggest they appreciate the variety of life around them.  If we could only learn from them…again, time will tell.

Hello from the Falls of the Ohio, March 2013

This post (which was fun to do) is in honor of Dede Puppets one year anniversary.  Congratulations from the Falls of the Ohio!  The Dede Puppets link can be found on my blogroll in the right hand column.

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Spray bottle trigger assembly, March 2013

The range of plastic refuse one encounters at the Falls of the Ohio State Park is both numbing (it’s obviously trash and shouldn’t be here) and morbidly fascinating (the design sensibility and colors ) catches one’s eye and occupies the mind.  Consider the variations in something as mundane as “spray bottle triggers” if indeed this is what you call these things?  I’m not sure when I started noticing these objects and photographing them…but here they are.  Each adventure to the river is sure to garner multiple images and story lines that I sift through at my leisure.  Consider this a personal cleansing of the spray bottle trigger palette.  Ironically, much thought went into designing each of these beauties to facilitate dispersal of their contents from plastic bottles.  I like the rotating tips that give me options such as “spray” or “stream” and so forth.  These triggers are ingenious and they do their jobs well.  Without further adieu and fanfare…here are more images from an admittedly odd collection.

red and black spray bottle trigger, March 2013

orange and white trigger, March 2013

dirty yellow and white trigger, March 2013

yellow and white trigger, March 2013

another yellow and white trigger, March 2013

white and green trigger, March 2013

yellow/green spray bottle trigger, March 2013

dark green trigger, March 2013

green and white trigger, March 2013

green and clear plastic trigger, March 2013

blue and white trigger, March 2013

another blue and white trigger, March 2013

white and purple trigger, March 2013

 

One final image in closing.  You know you have “arrived” when a cute miniature is produced.  Here’s a recent find from a sandy bank of the Ohio River at the Falls of the Ohio State Park.

miniature green plastic spray bottle, March 2013

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figure in light by willow roots, Feb. 2013

What a beautiful day and I stayed out for many hours by the river.  It’s been a bit of roller coaster with the weather the past few weeks.  We have fluctuated between below freezing temperatures you can feel in your bones and highs in the 50 to 60 degree range.  Folks around here have been blaming our worse than usual cold and flu season with the variability of the weather.  I don’t know if this is true, but for me…going outside to breathe fresh air is restorative to my physical and spiritual health.  Since I last set foot here the river has again risen and receded.  The large raft of driftwood under the railroad bridge has been dispersed by the high water and actually made it a little less of an obstacle course to maneuver around.  The air over the river is also once again alive with Ring-billed Gulls searching for food.  I’m also hearing both the Northern Cardinal and Song Sparrow practicing their songs in anticipation of Spring.  Their songs make me want to sing one of my own.

sunken tires, Feb. 2013

More evidence of a high river comes in the form of man-made junk that has floated into the park.  I have found tires in all their forms to be good indicators of the entropy in this system.  What once took great amounts of energy and heat to form and use is literally sinking into the sand.  The wheel is one of mankind’s great inventions and here it is just another piece of garbage we have discarded.  I’m out here today not because I’m looking for things to get me down, but rather the opposite!  I’m looking for signs and symbols of the renewal to come.

Styro-figure with foot print, Feb. 2013

Today, I’m looking for a member of the genus Lepus which includes hares and rabbits.  For some reason…intuition I think, has brought me here on this particular quest.  I have heard that members of the rabbit family start behaving oddly during Spring in anticipation of the breeding season.  The expression “mad as a March hare” is an old English expression used to describe this moment.  Of course, rabbits and hares have older associations as well.  The ancient Greeks equated rabbits with the goddess Aphrodite and rabbits have long been symbols of fertility. Logic tells me that if I can locate a hare that Spring will be here in no time at all. I guess I’m putting more trust in the hare than I am the groundhog! The month of February is nearly over and I’m hoping to find signs that hares are in the area.  So far, I’m not having much luck…just the tracks of people who came before me.  I’m not giving up yet though and the day is young.

Styro-figure and frayed cable, Feb. 2013

I’m operating with my “hare brain” switched in the “on” position as I walk around my familiar haunts.  I look in areas that seem likely to me to hide rabbits and hares like this willow tree with an old barge cable wrapped around it.  I’m not sure why this tree is “talking” to me, but I’m going with my intuition.  There are no hares here, and maybe this spot is too close to the river anyway?

Styro-figure by wooden cable spool, Feb. 2013

I walk by a wooden spool for holding large cables.  This is also new and wasn’t here the last time I passed by.  I see there is an opening large enough for a small mammal to hide in and so I go to investigate.  Carefully I approach the spool, but there is nothing here either.  I’m beginning to feel that there aren’t many other places I can look, when I remember there is a section of the park I almost never visit and so letting intuition be my guide…I go there.

East of the railroad bridge, Louisville across the Ohio River, Feb. 2013

The area I trek to is just east of the railroad bridge and dam that catches most of the driftwood that has been pushed from upriver.  This barrier is no obstacle at all when the river is at flood stage.  It is all this driftwood and pent-up junk that flows into the park when the Ohio River gets high.  It’s a tricky, shifty area and frequently muddy too.  All these conditions were present on this day.  It’s not an area the public is encouraged to visit and most people have enough sense to stay away.

colorful plastic garbage, Feb. 2013

As you can see…this area also gets lots of trash too.  This is what I eventually can look forward to receiving, perhaps in the next flood?  This plastic separates so completely with the rest of the environment that I’m surprised it doesn’t compel people to pick it up like it does at the grocery and department stores?

Alien head and plastic trash, Feb. 2013

Naturally, I find weird things here.  It’s not everyday that you come across an alien’s head, but here it is next to other junk.  I find three dolls in various poses tangled in mud and driftwood and other toy bits that floated down with the currents.  I find a little bit of this and that, but no March hares or rabbits.

train on bridge, Falls, Feb.2013_1_1

The soles of my shoes are caked with mud and so I find a suitable stick to scrape away the sticky earth.  I sit on a broad log to do this and take a rest at the same time.  While I work away at my shoes, a train crosses the bridge and I watch it as it crosses.  My mind wanders freely and I remember the unusual art of Joseph Beuys which became a favorite of mine during graduate school.  His work is frequently perplexing and takes getting used to.  I like his art, but found I was more attracted by his ideas and writings.  The value he placed on art as a potential agent to further our own evolution away from the strictly materialistic way we treat ourselves and the planet we depend on inspired me.  His ideas about an expanded notion of art seemed to give art more of a sense of purpose which I also found to be smart and optimistic.

Railroad bridge with bunny, Feb. 2013

Bueys often referenced animals in his art and believed that they were more aware and in tune with the world than we are.  The hare in particular was an important symbol to Bueys because it mediates between the earthly and spiritual realms.  Hares are burrowing animals and line their nests with their wool.  The insulating properties of felt became another material that Bueys incorporated in his art.  While I was sitting still and reflecting on the work of a favorite artist…the hare appeared!

The March Hare in late February 2013

It must have just emerged from its burrow under the logs and debris and was still covered with mud.  It looked in my direction with ears pricked up and our gaze locked upon one another.  Holding still for just a split second, I was able to capture this image before it disappeared back into the earth.  I exhaled in the knowledge that Spring was one day closer to arriving.  I savored the moment, gathered my things, took one last look across the river and headed for the skyline of Louisville over the Second Street Bridge.

The City of Louisville across the Ohio River. Feb. 2013

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Styro-witness, Jan. 2013

Today has been a full day.  The Project Reclamation art exhibition I participated in is officially over for now.  I picked up my work from the Carnegie Center for Art and History in New Albany and moved on.  Efforts are underway to see if this might make a traveling exhibit that university galleries might be interested in booking.  I hope so.  Having organized many art exhibits over the years I understand how much work goes into the process of creating a good display.  Once a show ends, I often had this feeling that lots of energies and passion were spent by the artist(s) and gallery for a relatively short amount of time and then it’s on to new art and the next exhibition.  We consume exhibits like we experience so many other things in life.  I think this is one reason why I enjoy this Falls project so much.  It exists outside the normal gallery conventions and isn’t bound by white walls, pedestals, labels, and consignment forms.  The show is ongoing in the context of life at large.

high Ohio River at the Falls of the Ohio, Jan 19, 2013

With my artworks in the back of my car…I stopped by the Falls of the Ohio State Park.  The Ohio River has been up due to rain and snow in the northern part of the Ohio River Valley.  Under the railroad bridge you can get a good sense for the strength of the current.  New driftwood was accumulating and enlarging the wood already present.  I could also see a lot of man-made junk intermixed among the natural debris.

high water at the Falls of the Ohio, Jan. 2013

Just beyond the distant trees in the above image is the approximate location of my outdoor studio.  My “treasure trove” of river-polished polystyrene chunks that I have gathered over the past year may or may not still be there?  Once the river level drops, I will be able to access my spot again.  Regardless, the area will be rearranged by the river…it will be the same, just different if that makes any sense at all?  I may even be able to relocate some of the Styrofoam if it hasn’t floated too far away.  From experience, I know whatever I may have lost is unfortunately too easily replaced.

Head of Styro-witness, Falls of the Ohio, Jan. 2013

With my usual access points underwater, I explored the river’s edge just west of the Interpretive Center.  Along the way, I found enough materials to create this Styro-Witness to help me experience and document the day.  Although it was a very sunny day, it was still cool and windy.  The river’s high level had me walking among the bottom land trees and walking over the logs that had been deposited here by previous floods.  Every once in a while, I would walk into cold water hiding under last year’s leaves as the river creeps inland.  The squeaky sound of wood rubbing over wood as logs rolled in the waves was occasionally interrupted by loud cracks as branches were separated from tree trunks.

high water at the Falls of the Ohio, Jan. 2013

I was anticipating seeing ducks and geese, but none were around today.  The Ring-billed Gulls that were so numerous a couple of weeks a go were less prevalent on this day.  Just when I thought I might strike out with the birds…I had another personally notable sighting.   I observed three Eastern bluebirds engaging in “fly-catching” behavior flying from their respective perches to the ground and back.  I couldn’t see any insects at all, but I did see spider silk tangled among the branches and perhaps this is what they found here?  Anyway, the Eastern Bluebird is listed in the park’s checklist as being rarely found at the Falls of the Ohio State Park and in the ten years I’ve been paying attention…these are the first bluebirds I have seen here.  It’s really cold up north now and heading our way.  Were these birds driven here by that frigid weather?  Regardless, I wouldn’t have guessed that mid January would be the time I would sight bluebirds here.  Their wonderful predominantly deep blue feathers were complimented by the orange and white on their breasts.

wooden pallet in the trees, Jan. 2013

This wooden pallet has been snagged in the branches of this tree for at least a year now.  I use it as a reference for how high the river can get.  In the early days of this project, I recall seeing an old refrigerator perched in the top of a tree courtesy of the Ohio River at flood stage.  Seeing an appliance crowning a tree top is a surreal sight not easily forgotten.  I kept walking westward with my latest creation and eventually reached the limit of my walk.

falls photos 026_1_1

The Woodland Loop Trail eventually turns at a small creek that feeds into the river.  Here I found about ten fishermen casting their lines into the high water.  I decided to sit for a spell and watch while making small adjustments to my newest figure.

fisherman at the creek, Falls of the Ohio, Jan. 2013

These fishermen were casting small, bright green and yellow, soft-bodied,  tailed jigs into the creek and having amazing success.  All of them were catching Sauger which is a member of the Perch family and smaller cousin to the Walleye.

hooked Sauger, Jan. 2013

Sauger are predatory fish and have sharp teeth.  Their eyes seem to glow whenever light hits them just the right way and underscores that they normally live in deep, dark water.  Sauger eyes have adapted to gather as much light as possible in the depths.  Apparently, they are very fine eating and all of the fisherman I observed were filling stringers of fish.  Most of the fish I saw being caught were thick-bodied and in the two to three-pound range although they are also capable of getting bigger.  The fishermen were having the best time and there was obvious camaraderie among them especially since everyone was catching fish.  I had a good time too, but it got to the point of my adventure when it was time to get home and intersect with the family.  I stuck my Styro-figure into the soft wood of the log I was sitting on, took one last photograph, and walked away.

Styro-Witness and the fishermen, Jan. 2013

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snow covered driftwood, Dec.29, 2012

The last month of the year which began so warmly has finally delivered some cold and snow to the Falls of the Ohio.  The newspaper says that somewhere between two to four inches fell overnight.  I’m sitting in the comfort and security of my home and all is well except for that small voice in my head telling me I need to go check out the river.  The voice is persistent and annoying and makes little sense on such a bitterly cold day.  Naturally, I caved in simply because snow events are uncommon here of late and as a chronicler of the Falls, I have a self-appointed mission to document what happens.  I also know from past experiences that these snow and ice events can be beautiful and have a way of revealing a different side of this environment.  Who knows, maybe I will come across something I’ve not seen before?

Blanche in the snow, Dec. 2012

Upon arriving I discovered that my way of accessing the riverbank was gone!  The trusty wooden staircase that led from the parking lot to the river is completely missing and I think that some of the maintainance issues it had finally caught up with it?  To compound events further I discovered that my right boot has a hole in the sole and the cold water I just stepped in has made my sock and foot a soggy, frozen distraction.  I’m about ready to get back in my car when I hear that familiar voice again.

Blanche's face, detail, Dec. 2012

This time that voice wasn’t coming from within me, but rather just a short distance a head of me.  The voice reassured me I wasn’t suffering a relapse of the flu I recently overcame!  Seemingly materializing in thin air was this small, but classic version of a snowman who asked to be called “Blanche”.  I suppose that makes her a snowwoman or snowperson and it’s weird the things you think about in certain moments.  I would guess that the figure was about two feet tall or so.  She had a fishing float for a nose, coal eyes, and bits of red plastic around her neck and mouth.  Attached to her head was a rather interesting hair comb.  Blanche thanked me for showing up and apologized for “getting into my head”.  It was she who had called me to the river to tell me something important.  As she spoke, I forgot all about the hole in my boot.

Blanche rolls a snowball, Dec. 2012

Blanche rolls several snow balls, Dec. 2013

I hope I’m getting all this right because several things were happening at once.  While Blanche spoke to me she was also rolling snow into three balls of graduating sizes.  What she in essence told me was that while life did originate in the water…the relationship was deeper and richer than that.  Water was in fact “life” and the medium where its collective unconscious resides.  It is water existing from the North Pole to South Pole in all its forms like snow, rain, ice, salty, fresh, steamy, cubed, etc…that holds the memory, wisdom, and promise of life.  As it turns out water also unifies life.

As I was trying to absorb what was being told to me…I snapped a few photos and hoped that the cold wouldn’t affect my digital camera.  Blanche took the three balls she created and stacked them one on top of the other.

Blanche creates a friend, Dec. 2012

As I watched, Blanche added a gold plastic hat she found as well as an orange golf tee for a nose.  As she worked Blanche hummed a song and I watched in astonishment as a second snowperson appeared before me!  Blanche said his name is “Frio”.

Blanche and Frio, Dec. 2012

Frio and Blanche, alternate view, Dec. 2012

It was the most incredible display I had ever seen!  Right before my eyes the seemingly inert snow took on another form that came to life and reinforced some of Blanche’s message to me.  There would be more.  Frio then asked me to continue to tell the water’s story through my blog because the fate of water and life was more important than ever.  It was vital that water remained as pure and clean as possible or the normal rhythm of the planet would be disturbed. He told me that the internet was something similar to the collective unconscious and the best way to send out a message to the billions of people now living on the planet.  Water and life need all the friends that can be mustered to act on its behalf.

Blanche and Frio singing, Dec. 2012

My encounter with the Snow Folk ended in song.  Before Blanche and Frio headed out they sang a song to the Falls celebrating how this is a unique place on the planet where time and space intersect in interesting ways.  There was a verse dedicated to me and the continued success of my project now entering its tenth year.

Blanche and Frio depart, Dec. 2012

I was completely charmed and captivated and thanked the Snow Folk for the song.  I watched them turn and walk into the river where they completely disappeared.  I’m still trying to digest this experience.  It’s not everyday that water speaks to you in your own language.  Thankfully, I have these photographs to show you and to add weight to Blanche and Frio’s message to us.  After a while, I felt the cold again and decided this time that a mug of hot chocolate or coffee would help me feel my fingers and toes again.  Happy New Year to you all from the Falls of the Ohio.  See you in 2013.

skyline of Louisville, KY at year's end, Dec. 2012

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It’s hard for me to believe that October has come and gone.  There isn’t much sand left in 2012’s hourglass.  I’m virtually alone (if you are only counting people) at the Falls of the Ohio today and it’s understandable.  The weather is cool, gray, and an occasional spit of rain falls against my face.  I like it out here when it feels a bit lonelier because my chances of seeing wildlife increases.  Such was the case today when I explored the area next to the tainter gates and under the old railroad bridge.  This area is sheltered a bit from the wind and many times I have found birds in the high grass and low trees near the sloping riverbank.  Today I observed Song Sparrows, White-crowned Sparrows, Mourning Doves, and Hairy Woodpeckers in immediate proximity to each other.  In the sky, the first of the Ring-billed Gulls has arrived and a pair of Osprey with their broad wings searches for unwary fish too close to the surface of the water.  Many of the tree leaves have dropped and it looks like we will have a bumper crop of cockle burrs as I pull dozens of them off my shoe laces and socks.  Their prickly hooks irritate my skin as they work through the fabric of my clothing.  On days like this I’m just trying to attune myself to the subtleties of this landscape and I’m amazed at how often my patience gets rewarded here.  As I was walking to photograph uprooted trees against the flood wall…

…I spotted something shockingly white moving near the water’s edge.  Carefully moving as close as I could…I recorded this image of another rare bird seldom seen at the Falls of the Ohio.

A few more pictures in relatively close succession and I was able to identify this beauty as the Lattice-necked or Brown-winged Ibis.  I prefer using the Lattice-necked moniker because the long neck with its unusual patterning is distinctive to this bird alone.  I happened across an individual that was hunting for food and stalking the margins of the water.  I did observe it feeding on black snails that were common on the rocks. I recall from my old art history days that the ibis was a sacred bird to the ancient Egyptians and often was mummified to accompany dignitaries on their journeys to the afterlife.  In my mind I made the association that this ibis species in front of me was sacred to the life of this river.  Enough gabbing, here are a few more pictures.

This ibis species is more commonly seen around the Gulf coast and points south of here.  Every once in a while, a storm or hurricane will blow a few individuals into the heartland where they are a welcome treat to the hardcore birders.  The Lattice-necked Ibis has always been less common than the other larger shorebirds.  It is less aggressive than the herons and egrets which out-compete the ibis for prime nesting and feeding sites.  This bird did spy me and flew away, but only a short distance away.  I was able to catch back up with it and captured these final images of this graceful and dignified bird.

Here is the same ibis that found a nice fishing spot next to a small whirlpool. Every now and then a little fish would get caught by the rotating water only to find itself food for the lightning quick ibis.

I felt refreshed and energized by my encounter with the ibis.  I left the river  with a song in my heart which I whistled all the way back home.  Above me, two osprey I had seen earlier were circling in the clear, cool blue sky…another blessing of this day.

BONUS FEATURE…in process shots of how the ibis was made.  The head and body are pieces of Styrofoam I found out at the Falls of the Ohio.  The bill of the bird is a plastic handle from something…perhaps a feather duster?  The bird’s eyes are two small pieces of coal.  The neck I’m guessing is the plastic arm of a hanging flower planter?  At the base of the neck, I attached a small bit of white plastic hose I came across. The brown wings are the soles of two mismatched shoes I found.  The tiny tail and legs are found wood.  These are all the materials that make up this sculpture which owes something to the tradition of decoy making.  Thanks for tagging along with me on another adventure by the Ohio River.

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BLAHHHHH!!!!…did I scare you?  Welcome to another Halloween adventure from the Falls of the Ohio.  Today, I have a special treat in mind for you.  My name is Jack Blue and I will be your guide for the next five minutes.

If I didn’t scare you perhaps I fooled you?  No need to be alarmed, my Belly Face has eaten recently.  You should be safe while I show you around the local Halloween sights.  Foremost in mind is the special Shrouded Forest that magically appears at exactly this time every year.  It is weirdly beautiful especially if there is a slight breeze present to animate the spirits that occupy the branches.  Most of them are plastic ghosts that have either floated here via a swollen Ohio River or drifted in with the wind.  Here’s what I mean.

The degrading plastic lends such a festive touch to this area.  As the polymer bonds separate and the plastic starts to disintegrate it hangs in decorative shrouds from the willow branches it graces.  You can walk from tree to tree and admire these spectral creations of man and nature.

All this “magic” is the result of benign neglect.  Whoever discarded this waste plastic sheeting probably wasn’t thinking it would wind up here draped in the trees like artificial Spanish moss.  In case you were wondering…it also comes in different colors.  Here are two other popular hues for your viewing pleasure and a special “snaky” surprise that might have you needing a doctor!

Okay, maybe this isn’t much of a snake, but if you were walking among the trees and looked up at some point…you probably wouldn’t anticipate seeing this?  And now for the “Doctor”…hmm, I don’t think he will be doing anyone any good any time soon!  Kind of looks like he could use a doctor himself.

Somehow I missed this bear when I did my earlier post on plush toys.  He’s been laying under this willow tree for months now and I just happened upon him! Just in time for Halloween!

The truth is one doesn’t need to travel far these days to find a patch of ground not “haunted” by something that doesn’t belong in the environment.  I hope all of you out there have a fun and safe Halloween and please discard all your trash in a responsible way.  Otherwise, my Face Belly may develop an appetite for you…trick or treat?

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Beloved, once again I evoke you from this beautiful water world I have discovered.  Repairs to my ship go slowly, but progress is being made.  Because of the uniqueness of this world and its potential importance to Styrosia, I continue to venture forth from my hiding places to discover what other life forms call this planet their home.  I continue to monitor the “bipedal humanoids” learning what I can from translating aspects of their culture using our technology.  The humanoids are unpredictable and possess enough data to be dangerous.  They are best seen and experienced from a distance. What I have also observed is that the humanoids have a great curiosity about their own world.  They are constantly engaging in explorations of discovery and seem to exhibit a need to know how the universe functions.  The irony here is that while they express concern for life at large, they are also systematically working to undermine the very conditions necessary to preserve and promote as much diversity of life as possible.  Every day life forms become extinct before they are even formally acknowledged as existing by their sciences.  This is a great topic, perhaps one for a future communication?  Today, however, I want to transmit a few images of interest to amuse and delight you from this alien world.  I would like to begin with an unusual characteristic that is exhibited in the local rocks and has been revealed through water’s ability to dissolve and shape the chemistry around it.

The appearance and proliferation of life on this planet is its most outstanding feature.  No where else in the explored universe can rival this world for the sheer variety and numbers of life forms that have uniquely evolved here.  At my current location are the preserved remains of life forms in calcium carbonate rocks of marine organisms that originated more than 350 million years a go.  Ancient as this is, the history of life is traceable to more than 2 billion years a go.  The humanoid scientists measure one year as being the amount of time it takes their planet to make one complete revolution around its star.  I believe it is correct to assume that life began in the ancient waters or “primordial soup” as the humanoids envision it.  Life and this planet have grown up together and each has influenced the other.  This planet is far from static and its oceans and land masses have shifted across the globe over deep time.  Today, humanoids travel great distances to peer at these local rocks.  What are they ultimately looking for in this ancient coral reef?  My hypothesis is that the humanoids are drawn to seeking a feeling of connection to the history of life on their own home world.  There is something in their behaviors that also suggests that they are mystified by the phenomena of their own existence.

While the humanoids look for the proof of their connectivity to the history of life on their planet, many other interesting forms don’t question this and simply “be”. I have especially grown fond of the sessile life forms that have decided to flourish in the spots most favorable to them.  Once a year, these stationary forms decide to  climax in an electromagnetic spectrum display that is pleasing to the eye.  I have decided to take as many self images in the company of these “flowers and plants” during this “flowering” using my self as a measure of scale.

Many of these “flowers” participate in symbiotic relationships often with very diverse and contrasting species.  This particular sessile life form attracts flying animals that feature exoskeletons.  The flowers provide nourishment for these animals and the plant finds an agent to move its genetic material from itself to others of its own kind.  I have observed more of these smaller, exoskeleton-bearing creatures than all the other animals combined and they would make a rich field of enquiry that could occupy the careers of many Styrosian scientists.  Here is a different example of such an animal.

This is what the humanoids call a Mourning Cloak butterfly and I observed it warming itself in the star light.  It’s reverse coloring is cryptic and resembles a dried plant bio-solar panel.  Its mouth parts have been adapted over time to make a tube that can easily extract sugary liquids produced by the plants that these butterflies favor.  There is an exchange of services that benefits both life forms involved in this process.  Other flying animals with a very different morphology also inhabit this space.  Here is a sequence of images from what the humanoid data base refers to as a Black-throated Green Warbler looking for “insects” among the “willow trees”.  Their movements are quick and this species is just traveling through on its way to a warmer environment in the southern latitudes of this world.

These animate life forms are called “birds” and have internal skeletons made of a lightweight material.  They also have an unusual outer covering that gets shed once a year and helps these animals to fly.  Here is a different and much larger bird I came across feeding at the water’s edge.

From the streaked markings and lighter coloring I identified that this is a juvenile Green-backed Heron.  I disturbed its hunting and feeding along the water’s edge.  Observe that it has a crest on its head which it uses to register increased alarm.  In the next moment, the heron jumped into the sky and with a few quick wing beats was gone from view.  My love, I think you will enjoy the sessile life forms as much as I do!  The humanoids refer to them as either “flowers” or “weeds” and they don’t try to escape if you express interest in examining one like the animate life forms do.  Following is a small portfolio of self-images and some of the variety in these self-sufficient life forms I have experienced on a single solar day.

I have noticed that the humanoids have reserved some animosity towards the sessile life forms that they refer to as “weeds”.  To my sense organs, I can not tell the difference between preferred species and the ones considered to be undesirable?  If one quality of a “weed” is its ability to thrive in a variety of conditions…one would think that the humanoids would admire this since this is a quality they share with “weeds”!  This is certainly a planet of mysteries and contradictions and how I wish you were here to experience it with me.  I have observed that the photons emitting from the local star are traveling farther to reach me with each day.  The temperatures have also been getting cooler and the sessile life forms are undergoing changes to the cellular solar panels which are turning color themselves and in some cases falling off the main body of the life form.  There is a frenzy among the smaller exoskeleton animals to gather as much  energy from each plant as possible.  I’m predicting that this world will go into a dormant period before re-emerging in the warmth of a new solar year.  It is also now time for me to end transmissions for the moment.  How I hope you and my fellow Styrosians are receiving them? Finally, I will conclude with two images.  One is a self-image of me in front of small white and yellow “weeds”.  The last image features some of the flying exoskeleton animals attracted to this plant.  Until its time for my next communication…good by from the water world.

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My beloved…I still live!  I hope my repair to my communication transmitter has been successful and that you and our fellow Styrosians so far away across the universe will receive this message and know that I still exist.  While exploring a little known solar system my ship was damaged in a collision with undetected fragments of space debris in orbit surrounding a smallish, blue-green planet.  This planet is the third nearest to its star. This solar system is comprised of eight other planets of varying dimensions and densities.  Damage to my guidance system made controlling my craft difficult and I entered the atmosphere of this planet like a meteor across the sky.  Fortunately, I arrived without attracting attention and I was able to affect a safe landing.  My craft, however, will need much maintenance. Hopefully, the coordinates of my position reached you before I entered this planet’s dense gaseous atmosphere? Here is an image of my vehicle which I call home and its contents are a dear reminder of the world from which I originated.  So often I have thought of you and wondered if we will ever see each other again?

I have so much to tell my fellow Styrosians that I hardly know where to begin.  Duty compels me to start with a report concerning my original mission.  I have crashed on a beautiful planet where the majority of its surface is covered by that most precious combination of hydrogen and oxygen.  I am so excited to have found water in abundance!  I have detected water in all three of its known states including gas, liquid, and yes…I have even seen ice!  It was the chemical signature for water that compelled me to take a closer look when the accident occurred.

Most of the water I have been able to analyze locally is of the fresh variety which contains many other chemical additions some of which are naturally occurring.  I have, however, been able to learn that the vast majority of the water on this planet is heavily influenced by the compounded interactions of sodium and chlorine.  I have not only discovered water…but water in different flavors!  After surviving the shock of my sudden and unexpected arrival, I couldn’t wait to explore this new environment which offers such a stark contrast to our own dry home world.  There is so much water here that it actually falls from the sky!  Please excuse me while I transmit additional self images made while engaging in water joy!  They at least offer further visual evidence of the importance of my unexpected discovery.

How I wish you were here so we could experience this together.  I have been able to further confirm that our hypothesis about the connection between water and life is correct!  The abundance of water is equaled by the sheer amount and variety of life forms that inhabit this world.  Where there is water I have found life even in the precious fluid itself! There are sessile, terrestrial life forms that process sunlight through green, cellular solar panels.  They anchor themselves and obtain moisture through a system of filaments interwoven into its supporting substrate. And there are also many animate life forms that move through space and have evolved into hierarchies where every environmental niche is occupied by a specialized life form.  Interestingly, there are even species that dominate and consume other life forms. Our scientists will have much to study in this new world! I would like to expand on one of those species which seems to occupy a very prominent position on this planet.  It is an interesting life form and is bilaterally symmetrical like us and appears to be sentient to a degree.  Monitoring their communication patterns I have been able to translate and understand something of its language and culture.  I have heard self references to being a” bipedal humanoid”, but I’m not certain if I fully understand what is meant by that.  This animal while claiming intelligence and rationality is actually characterized by numerous contradictions.  The most observable of these traits is a predisposition towards delusion and self-deception.  It does much harm under the guise of doing good. This animal (which I believe as some members of its own kind acknowledge have evolved from what are known as “primates”) is constantly engaging in selfish behaviors that are having a deleterious effect on this planet.  Ironically, they are harming not only the other life forms here, but ultimately themselves as well.

Recently, I was exploring a water channel when I saw a shape flying towards me from some distance away.  It appears to be an antique flying craft bristling with armaments.  The dominant species here is addicted to using hydrocarbons extracted from the ground which are then  further refined to produce fuel and energy.  I quickly captured this image over my head and placed it in the catalog I am compiling for future reference.  I have observed other technologically superior war-like aircraft in the vicinity before, but this one was unusual.  These so-called “bipedal humanoids” are constantly engaged in warfare somewhere on their planet.  This is one of their most primitive characteristics.  Monitoring their telecommunications I have ascertained that violence is an integral part of their conflict resolution process.  The “bipedal humanoids” are capable of rationalizing and justifying any act they commit. When they are not fighting among themselves…they are consuming or damaging resources often with other primitive machines that require hydrocarbons to function.  For instance, observe this case that I recently experienced and documented.

In a nearby field that was once occupied by photosensitive sessile life forms, I observed a humanoid operating a large machine.  This machine did violence to all that was alive in this area.  The remains of many different kinds of sessile life forms were stacked into random piles, but what is the purpose of this activity?

This area was once home to a large variety of life forms and now they have been displaced.  I have observed this before and very recently.  The “bipedal humanoids” created an area that they call the Ohio River Greenway and ironically they removed many of the larger photosensitive life forms to accommodate easy access to the river for their other hydrocarbon burning vehicles.  This seemed strange for many reasons, but perhaps our biopsychologists can figure that one out!  I was able to get a closer picture of the large machine that was utilized to sterilize this particular area and it is frightening to stand next to.  I waited for its operator to leave the area before doing my reconnaissance.

Alas my beloved, it is time for me to regenerate back at my space craft.  I will leave you for now, but I promise more from this fascinating planet.  In my next transmission I will show you more images of the life forms I have observed and maybe something of the history of life on this planet.  For now, accept this self-image made next to the many sessile life forms that lend this land beauty and interest.

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Jeff and I have been great friends for over thirty years now.  It’s a strange feeling when you realize that much time has flown by.  We met at Murray State University in far western Kentucky and attended art school together and have kept in touch ever since.  Now we both live with our families in Louisville.  I’m proud to say that we still self identify as being artists.  This has not been an easy thing to do.  I’ve read that most people who attend art school eventually stop thinking of themselves as artists once the work-a-day world takes its toll after graduation.  Jeff and I have been lucky and can say that most of our professional lives have not strayed too far from art making or being in the art world.  We have never shaken our need to make ideas and materials connect.  These days, Jeff enjoys making some very involved and often witty ceramic sculptures and through this blog you know something about me.  This is not the first time Jeff has accompanied me on one of my “epic adventures” to the Falls of the Ohio and I always enjoy his company and conversation.  Today is a beautiful late September day and we are hiking in the western section of the park and enjoying the sunshine.

This is a less traveled path, but often worthwhile.  Today there are many late summer/early fall wildflowers to see.  We stopped by one of my favorite trees in the park.  It’s an old cottonwood tree whose roots have continued to grow with the tree even while the riverbank has eroded and exposed these roots to the elements.  This has not kept this tree from thriving.  Over time, a space beneath the tree large enough for a person to stand has been created.  This image of Jeff under the tree will give you a better idea of what I mean.  I have used this space on many occasions to wait out rain showers or take a break from my walks.

Over the past two years this tree has attracted a lot of attention and unfortunately for any other visitors…you can see evidence of their “footprints” all around this cottonwood. There is more litter around and several fire pits contain partially burned trash.  The tree trunk itself has become a target for graffiti as people with pen knives and spray cans have left their marks.

The sun was shining full-bore and warmed the day up nicely.  While I spotted some birds I wanted to check out…Jeff decided to hang out by the tree and take a nap.

When I returned from bird watching, Jeff was waiting for me and recalled an odd fragment from a dream he just had.  Even in his resting state he felt as though something was checking him out.  First he heard the sound of movement in the dried leaves and then caught sight of an odd small figure in brown with long ears skulking about the shadows.

Jeff remembers trying to wake himself up, but the dream continued.  The small brown figure then called out and was soon joined by a second figure that was larger and all in white.

This newest figure was even more bizarre than the first and more frightening for sure.  It sported a large misshapen head, wild eyes, and a mouth trimmed in blue.  Within his dream, Jeff heard a narrator saying that these figures were called “tree spirits” and all trees have them.  These characters may have been up to no good.  It’s hard to say, but fortunately they are easily frightened away.  Jeff thinks they may have belonged to the cottonwood tree and were paying a visit in case we were thinking of doing some damage to this beloved tree.  There were two spirits because there were two of us.  Anyway, Jeff doesn’t know how or if it all played out because he woke up.

It had already been a full day and we decided to head for home.  Although Jeff was partially refreshed from his nap, I was beginning to feel tired.  The car was about an hour’s walk away and we still needed to cross over the small creek that divides the western section of the park from the Woodland Loop Trail.  We gingerly walked over the logs left over from the last flood balancing ourselves with our walking sticks.  We were in no hurry here.

It was great having another adventure with an old friend!  I’m sure that we will do this again. Jeff found an extra walking stick to take home and that became his souvenir of the day.  For me, I walked out of the park with my images and this story I’m about to post.  Thanks for stopping by…until next time from the Falls of the Ohio!

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