Day 2498: ... work from 2007

Stacy: news photo, collage & digital.

Want music?

 

Click here for Chaka Khan, Destiny.

then click back on this blog tab or here to listen as you browse, or not?

Looking for art for today's blog,

I ended up with work from 2007.

And some variations.

Saint Joseph Ballet is now the Wooden Floor,

an amazing Santa Ana Dance Company & School.

 

 

 

2GN2S: Too good not to share -

Japanese Baseball’s Ceremonial Opening Pitch

photos by Yoshiki Yamada / Sankei Photo

May 22, 2019 — in Japan, at a baseball game at Koshien Stadium 

between Hanshin and Yakult, a maiko-san threw the opening pitch. 

 It was a dreamy scene as her light orange kimono fluttered through the air. The ball bounced once and landed in the catcher’s mitt. 

The batter swung and a strike was called. 

 

Although the ceremonial first pitch is an American export, Japan has embraced it to its fullest. And there’s an element to it that’s uniquely Japanese. 

The ritual is said to have originated in 1892 when, “Governor McKinley threw the ball into the diamond” from his seat, rather than the mound as is custom today. The pitch went on to evolve as an event between the pitcher and catcher. There was no batter.

In Japan however, the ritual involves the batter, who is always supposed to swing and miss on purpose.

Japan’s ceremonial first pitch dates back to 1908 when the Reach All-Stars, the first professional team from the United States to tour Japan, came on a promotional junket. It was a big deal.

The noble statesman Okuma Shigenobu was to throw the first pitch. As former Prime Minister, founder of Waseda University, it’s hard to overstate how symbolic and important a figure he was.
In what was surely a distressful nomination, Shoji Yamawaki, the top batter in the Waseda Baseball Club, was chosen to bat.

No one will know what was going through Yamawaki’s head as the former Prime Minister and perhaps the greatest nobleman he ever faced off with, threw the ball towards him and it hit the ground, rolled and stopped. According to some records, several American players began rushing towards the ball to pick it up. But that would mean an incredible failure and embarrassment for Okuma and Yamawaki couldn’t let that happen. So he swung his bat, a strike was called and the crowd cheered. Since then, it’s always been customary for the batter to swing and miss on purpose.

A smile for Wednesday ...

Day 2445: She was fun!

Emi, ink & collage postcard

Want music?

 

Click here for Jake Shimabukuro, Bohemian Rhapsody.

then click back on this blog tab or here to listen as you browse, or not?

I started with the 4 x 6"postcard covered with ...

step 2

 a dictionary page, then drew "Emi" with an ink brush.

The orange is a Stabilo woody.

step 3

Nearly left it as a drawing, but decided to add collage.

step 4

I almost stopped again, here, but added a bit more.

step 5

Finally done.

She was fun!

2GN2S: (too good not to share)

Photography by Sean Graesser

What words come to mind when you see a hummingbird in flight? When the Spanish first arrived in the Americas, they described these lightning-fast, intelligent, and tiny acrobatic creatures as “Joyas Voladoras,” or “Flying Jewels.” You are invited to get lost in the Audubon gallery of hauntingly beautiful hummingbird photos, which offer an incredible look  at a unique shimmering feature: the gorget, a cluster of feathers found around the necks of some male hummingbirds. You have to see these photos to believe them. Click -> See More

A smile for Saturday ...

Hey! Do me a favor? I think the comments are working? 
I left one yesterday and it worked!
Could you try too? It's not been working for a very long time.
Maybe it's reformatted since google+ went AWOL?

Day 2441: Cumulonimbus!

Geneva: graphite drawing

Want music?

 

Click here for Charlie Puth, Done for me lately.

then click back on this blog tab or here to listen as you browse, or not?

2GN2S: (too good not to share)

An Enormous Cumulonimbus Cloud over Tokyo

photo by Masanobu Higashiyama

An enormous cumulonimbus cloud hovered over Tokyo 

for hours, bringing with it a spectacular light show that 

at times felt like the end of days. The thunder and lightning 

also afforded photographers the opportunity to capture 

the storm system. One of the most ‘striking’ photographs 

was by Masanobu Higashiyama, an Asahi Newspaper reporter.

Those familiar with the Ghibli film Laputa will identify the cloud not as its scientific name but as “the Dragon’s Nest.”

More spectacular footage came from twitter user @realpizza2, 

who captured a time-lapse of the storm from the North of Tokyo.

84 degrees, Sunny, Santa Ana, CA.

A smile for Tuesday ...

Day 2436: Skin deep and 2GN2S!

skin deep: acrylics. digital collage

Want music?

 

Click here for Sun Rai, San Francisco Street

then click back on this blog tab or here to listen as you browse, or not?

2GN2S:  (Too good no to share ...)

From Cherry Blossoms, Tokyo 2020 Olympics Torch Unveiled.

lighting the way ...

The design for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics torch, which will 

kick off the opening ceremonies next year, 

was unveiled at a press conference in Tokyo recently. 

Designed by Tokujin Yoshioka, it’s form is a nod to one of 
Japan’s most well-known and beloved symbols: 
the cherry blossom. 

the extruded aluminum is made from a single sheet of metal

In March of 2020, as cherry blossoms begin to signal 

the arrival of Spring, the Olympic Torch Relay 

will begin and will traverse the entire country. 

Tokujin Yoshioka, one of Japan’s most notable 
contemporary designers, who incorporated the 
cherry blossom motif into the form, which 
is made from a seamless, single sheet of metal. 
In fact, the same aluminum extrusion process is used 
to create Japan’s shinkansen iconic bullet trains, 
another nod to one of the country’s marvels. 

the same fabrication process used to make Shinkansen bullet trains , was used to make the torch

But the torch is also meant to remind us of Japan’s efforts 
to pick itself up after the devastating earthquake and 
tsunami in 2011. Roughly 30% of the torch is made 
from recycled aluminum that was used in the construction 
of prefabricated housing units for those who were displaced. 

A total of 10,000 torches will be produced for the event. 

five separate flames will emerge from the petals

The Tokyo 2020 Olympic Torch Relay will be held 
over 121 days – an unusually long period. 
It will begin on March 26 and will be passed along 
to roughly 80-90 runners each day. According to the 
committee, “the flame will burn brightly and forcefully 
through the wide variety of seasons, climatic conditions and 
geographical regions that make up the Japanese archipelago”

71 degrees, Sunny, Santa Ana, CA.

For FB Throwback Thursday ...

Young WonderWoman with Snow White, Disneyland 1975

A smile for Thursday ...