Color...

rightside up? up side down? YARD ART!

Just a few from tonight and last week

The light of a solar lamp is sort of interesting when you see the details on the angel. I like the distance and removal of self from the shot. Focus in the first is upon the flower, using the birdhouse as the backdrop, and in the second focus is on the wood of the bird house. This is a perennial bulb, a small dahlia, that had a hard time last year. All the rain meant a lot more snails and they devastated this poor plant. I had one bloom all last year. This year I covered the soil with snail bait (animal safe!) and got many blooms including this one. Two shots, with the first on the flower, the second on the small beetle. This is really just gratuitous, I love this flower, and it's my blog....deal with it! ;) and for some yard art, this I liked a lot. I had about 3-4 shots, some with the sun bursting, but this with all the colors glittering in the background struck me as very pretty!

A few more from Santa Cruz

Life continues and so do I

I was good last night and didn't speak out as I felt I should have. I kept it to the moment, but feel I cheated Duain of a final hearing. Alas. Took a few pictures today after the service..enjoy.

Funeral Mass

Today was the Mass for Brother Duain. I had be requested by Duain to be one of the Pall Bearers at his services. One of the others is a school friend of mine from 6th Grade. Ed Roach and I shared a lot of our younger years together, in High School, Collage and as Novices. It was good to see Ed, and to stand with him as we lead or dear friend, mentor and brother Duain OMara OSJ. And yes, we did share some points of view about how some Oblates are just not fit to be Christians...

Brother Duain O'Mara O.S.J.

Carissima Fratello....My dear brother. I have known Duain since I was in sixth grade (1965-1966) at St. Mary's School in Sacramento. He was the brother at my home Parish and the head (ONLY) Sacristan of the church. Nice title for a custodian. I spent a lot of time at the rectory as a child, and Duain and I and our friend Ed Roach would do a lot of silly things. Things like making match guns out of spokes, or shooting pigeons from the back porch of the rectory or hunting them on the outside areas of the church, to my ultimate favorite, seeing how badly we could scare Fr. Russo with noises when he tried to nap. We lived as Brothers for only a few years while he was stationed in Madera. For some reason, they tried to keep us in separate houses...I have NO IDEA WHY??? Today, the 28th of June, 2012, Duain died. Caro fratello de mi vita, requitate en pace. I shall miss you my dear friend, and when I toast at Thanksgiving, there will always be a place for you to be seated with us! Ciao'... From a trip to Italy in 1985, Duain in Florence Duain in Rome Duain as Assistant Youth Minister on our retreat to Soda Springs (1982) On ur bus trip in Germany...he had to sit in front of us... Always doing the work of others! Thanksgiving, 2010 in the back yard with the guys, solving the issues of the world! The next day with my Dad, and good Friend David at the Paso Robles Wineries With me in Paso Robles And this is so hard for me...Left is Fr. Siro, Center is Br. Duain, Back Right is Fr.Gus and front right is Fr. Tunesi. All of them are dead...but I bet the Asti Spumanti is flowing in the rooms of Heaven when these dear friends met up again today! I miss them all, I miss them greatly, but I am the person I am today for what ALL of them taught me. "Life is a Journey, enjoy it!"

Flowers of LA 10 June 2012

04 June 2012 in Santa Cruz