Who has seen the wind?

I was watching football the other night and, as always, my mind took to flights of fancy when the broadcast cut to the aerial shots of the stadium. Somehow it occurred to me: what if wind turbines were somehow designed into these massive, high structures? Seemed to me that would be a cool way to generate electricity, especially in a building that is not used all that often.

Today I happened upon aerotecture.com [here], an architecture and design firm that does exactly that. This is a photo of windturbines designed into the structure of a bridge. I like.

Soaring at False Cape, VA.

Nature as modern art.

Land beneath the ice in Greenland

At the advent of modern art---whether of the "modern," "contemporary" or "abstract" school---the general reaction often was less than warm.

While some saw the beauty in shapes and colors and designs that, to others, looked like "nothing," the larger zeitgeist still centered on art that was more "real" and "natural."

Turns out, however, that Nature itself sometimes provides the most amazing "modern" art ever!

I've talked previously about the beautiful batiks created by Mary Edna Fraser (The Beauty of the Earth)---all based on aerial photos of Earth's barrier islands.

Recently I saw this radar depiction of the land beneath the ice in Greenland. While amazing for its geological information, I also immediately thought, "What a beautiful wall hanging that print would make!"

I love the colors.


*** Photo from sciencedaily.com [here].

The best one hundred bucks ever spent.

It's not a hoop and a stick, but there's still plenty of old-fashioned game left in some kids today.

Now that we live more in the country (relatively speaking, considering we came from one of the capitals of the urban super-jungle), and have a long, flat drive-way, one of the favorite things I love to hear is: "Mom, I'm going outside to shoot some baskets."

A friend complained that after Thanksgiving Dinner, when the fam traditionally lounged around talking and whooping it up watching football, the youngsters instead sat staring at their laptops and text-messaging other kids who lived . . . next door.

Technology is great. But so is the feel of a basketball on a sunny day and the sound of the bounce on the driveway. Then the "boiiing" reverb sound as the ball hits the backboard.

Simple pleasures are still good.

*** Photo from amazon.com [here].