Day 5050: Travel Companion, Captain & Bigger Island than Lake.

"3 Stamp Presidents": junk paper collage., ink on journal page.

 

  

Want music?

    Click: Rufus, Stop On By.

2GN2S

Travel Companion, Captain 

"I found him on a rainy morning, abandoned near a gas station by the highway. He was soaked, shivering, and meowing desperately, as if crying out for help. I parked my truck and approached him slowly, not wanting to scare him. When he saw me, he didn’t run away. Instead, he looked up at me with eyes full of distress and hope. At that moment, I knew I couldn’t leave him there.

I scooped him up and placed him on the passenger seat, wrapping him in a blanket I kept in the cab. On the drive, he stopped meowing and began to doze off, as if he understood he was finally safe. I decided to name him "Captain," a fitting name because he seemed ready to take charge of every new adventure.

Since that day, Captain has been my loyal travel companion. Every morning, he climbs up onto the dashboard, his favorite spot, where he watches the world go by. Sometimes, he clings to the steering wheel with his little paws, pretending to drive. It always makes me laugh, and people who pass us can’t help but smile or take photos.

But Captain is more than just a funny cat. He has become an essential part of my life on the road. Thanks to him, my lonely days are now filled with laughter, surprises, and comfort. He’s taught me that even the most unexpected encounters can change our lives in profound ways. And every day, he reminds me that sometimes, the simplest acts of kindness—like helping a creature in need—can have the greatest impact."

A meteorite slammed into Earth here 214 million years ago, creating one of the largest impact craters on the planet.

Today, its uplifted centre forms René-Levasseur Island in Quebec, Canada — an island so large that it’s actually bigger than the ring of water surrounding it.

Most people don’t realise the lake itself is relatively recent. The water-filled ring was created after a dam flooded the ancient crater in the 1960s

 

  

 

A 4 minute video, YoYo Ma, "Danny Boy", here.

 

 

Just because ...

White Cheeked Turaco

Monday's Smiles ... 

 

Hoping you feel all the good things in your day.

  

 

 

Day 5049: Happy Fathers Day! & Multi.functional Backpack

"Together": china marker drawing on junk paper collage on journal page.

                                                                       

  

Want music?

    Click: Ambrosia, Biggest Part of Me.

2GN2S

 Happy Fathers Day!

Dad and I, 1994.

For Fathers Day, I was thinking today about some of my Dad stories. There are a lot of them, I call this one ... the reluctant barber.

At age 15, I returned from Australia to live with my Dad in his tiny house in Hollywood and start high school at John Marshall. As mentioned earlier, Dad was thrifty, frugal, prudent & penny-pinching. All of those! And in fairness, he did grow up during the depression. He was a single man after the divorce when I was 5, so he didn't need much or have much. Early on, Dad decided I could save him some money. He bought a barber kit from Sears.

I hated the idea, but that didn't matter, he announced that I was his new barber. I asked, what if I botch it up? He said: "you'll learn." What if I nick it and you have a bald spot? He said, "it will grow back."

I did both of those, but he never minded, since it was free. This went on for three years until I left for college. But that wasn't the end of it. Whenever we lived in the same proximity, the reluctant barber was put back on duty. This was true to the very end. Dad passed at age 86.

Some of you know, Dad had wanted a boy, so he only called me Jack.

 

A German startup has designed a multifunctional backpack that transforms into an insulated sleeping space equipped with solar panels, aiming to provide practical support for people experiencing homelessness. The concept combines portability, shelter, and access to basic energy needs in a single product.

By functioning as both a backpack and a temporary sleeping solution, the design addresses challenges such as carrying personal belongings and finding a more comfortable place to rest. The integrated solar panels can potentially provide power for charging small electronic devices used for communication and accessing support services.

Homelessness affects millions of people worldwide, with many facing difficulties related to shelter, safety, and maintaining connections to healthcare, employment opportunities, and social assistance programs. Innovative products like this highlight how design thinking can be applied to address everyday challenges faced by vulnerable populations.

While technological solutions alone cannot solve the complex causes of homelessness, they can complement broader efforts involving affordable housing, mental health services, employment support, and community-based assistance. Practical innovations may help improve dignity, safety, and quality of life for those in difficult circumstances.

This initiative demonstrates how technology can be directed toward humanitarian goals rather than convenience alone. It reflects a growing movement within social innovation that focuses on creating solutions with meaningful real-world impact for underserved communities.

#SocialInnovation #HomelessnessAwareness #TechForGood #HumanCenteredDesign #SustainableInnovation #CommunitySupport

 

  

 

A 7 minute video,  Autistic Teen Artist, here.

 

 

Just because ...

Grey-hooded Warbler

Sunday's Smiles ... 

 

Hoping you see all the good things in your day.

  

 

 

 

Day 5048: New, to me, Artist! & The Walrus.

 

"Reverie": old photo, junk paper collage, digital.

                                                                      

  

Want music?

    Click: Al Simon, 50 Ways to Leave Your Lover.

2GN2S

I found a new, to me, Artist!

Susan Webb Tregay 

* I love the joy and freedom in her work, it really appeals to me.

Her website says: 

Susan Webb Tregay AWS, NWS, TWSA and Watercolor USA Honor Society, author of Master Disaster, 5 Ways to Rescue Desperate Watercolors [North Light Publishers, 2007] 

30 years of professional experience, painting, teaching and judging exhibitions. Her colorful and fun, acrylic and watercolor paintings were developed from her exposure to folk art in Hendersonville, North Carolina.

The walrus is one of the Arctic's most remarkable giants.

With massive tusks, sensitive whiskers, and a body weighing several thousand pounds, this marine mammal is perfectly adapted to life in some of the harshest environments on Earth. While walruses are famous for feeding on large quantities of clams and other shellfish, one of their most extraordinary abilities remains largely unknown.

Hidden within the throat are specialized air-filled pouches that can be inflated when needed. These natural buoyancy chambers help support the walrus while it rests in the water, allowing its enormous body to remain comfortably afloat.

When the pouches are filled with air, a walrus can float almost motionless with its head above the surface and its body hanging vertically beneath the water. This unusual posture allows the animal to relax without constantly swimming or searching for a place to haul out.

The same air sacs also play an important role during breeding season. Male walruses use them as resonating chambers to produce powerful underwater sounds that can travel long distances and help attract mates.

These remarkable adaptations demonstrate how evolution has equipped walruses with unique tools for survival in the Arctic Ocean.

Few sights in nature are as extraordinary as a giant walrus quietly floating upright in the sea, supported by nothing more than air stored within its own body. 

 

  

 

A 2 minute video, Artist, Stephen Wiltshire,

 

Just because ...

Green-tailed Sunbird

Saturday's Smiles ... 

 

Hoping you feel all the good things in your day.