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Big Red takes down a duck.
"Harmony with the land is like harmony with a friend: you cannot cherish his right hand and chop off his left. That is to say, you cannot love game animals and hate predators...the land is one organism."-Aldo Leopold
CAST
Marina Vita: TB
Tristan Vita: Erebus
Costume Design: Bailey
Hairstyle: Bailey
pixabay.com/music/solo-piano-spooky-halloween-piano-161862/
THIRTEEN There is someone walking behind you
(Night has cloaked the forest in silence when Mari and Tristan finally return to the cabin, laughing at some shared joke as they go inside.)
Mari:
You should consider a career change. You had the whole karaoke crowd on their feet.
Tristan:
Okay, starting tomorrow, me and a karaoke machine are hitting the road.
Mari:
I'll be your backup singer/dancer.
Tristan:
You're already a dip-n-daub superstar. You don't wanna give that up.
Mari:
(mirth fading) Tris, I have to tell you about something that happened. And I want you to know, it's going to sound crazy.
Tristan:
Have you already formed a rival band?
Mari:
This is serious.
Tristan:
(seeing her expression) Yeah, it looks like it is. C'mon, let's sit. (guides her to the sofa, and they sit)
Mari:
It's like I don't know how to start.
Tristan:
Take your time.
Mari:
(takes a deep breath) Remember when I called you during that sabbatical I took, after -- (she trails off, unwilling to talk about the tragedy that sent her on sabbatical)
Tristan:
(takes one of her hands) Yeah, I remember. You said you were having trouble focusing, that it wasn't working out the way you'd hoped.
Mari:
That was an understatement. (sighs, looking at the hand he's holding) For a moment, it was like it was today, where I felt, you know, normal. I started a canvas, and it felt right, but then -- (sighs again) Okay, this is the crazy part.
Tristan:
(giving her hand a small squeeze) I'm not going anywhere.
Mari:
It felt like someone was staring at me. I was alone in my suite. I had the French doors open, so I could look across the ocean, and I still felt this ... pressure on the back of my neck. When I turned around, thinking a maid might have come around to change the linens, but was afraid to interrupt me, nobody was there. (she gives a little laugh) I made myself jump, though, because I caught my reflection in the mirror on the opposite wall.
Tristan:
Yeah, I've seen you when you're annoyed. I'd have jumped too. (they both chuckle a little)
Mari:
I thought it was all in my head, but I started to feel that way almost everywhere I went. Tris, I never caught anyone actually staring at me, and it even happened when I was alone, but I couldn't shake the feeling that someone was watching me. And then I started having dreams, and you were in them, but it wasn't really you. I'm hearing how crazy I sound as I'm saying this.
Tristan:
I've heard crazier.
Mari:
When I got home, the feeling went away. I couldn't paint, but I didn't feel watched -- until ... (her voice trails off as she looks toward the canvas) I've been having nightmares again.
Tristan:
I know --
Mari:
No, not like before, at the beginning. These nightmares are like the ones I had at the retreat, where it's you, or someone else, and things seem normal, then they spiral into horrible things. (shakes her head) And the paintings I did that Walter likes so much -- I just ... I don't know. I think they're part of it, somehow.
Tristan:
Part of being stalked?
Mari:
No, yes ... (sighs) When I was looking at the painting, I caught a glimpse of it in the mirror -- and that feeling just came over me, in a horrible rush, just like it did at the ocean. I haven't been able to shake it -- well, except when I was out in the meadow, and when we went into town. (she slowly looks around the room) Even now, it's as if there's someone here with us ... watching ... listening ...
(A strange whispering slithers around the cabin.)
Mari:
Did you -- hear something?
Tristan:
Like a -- snake, maybe?
(They slowly rise from the sofa, staying close as they look around the cabin. Just then, the cabin door bangs open, a rush of wind surging into the cozy room, and both Mari and Tristan jump, Mari even giving a little scream while Tristan makes a small sound like, "gah!" Then they both start laughing.)
Tristan:
Sorry, sorry. I didn't close it all the way.
(He leaves the sofa, going to the door, glancing outside before closing it with an extra shove, and locking it. He returns to Mai, who's getting up, and they grin at each other.)
Mari:
If I have a nightmare tonight, I'm blaming it on you. (teases Tristan)
Tristan:
(holding up his hands) And if I do, I'll blame me, too.
(And the couple make their way to the bedroom.)
“Climate change is sometimes misunderstood as being about changes in the weather. In reality, it is about changes in our very way of life.” - Paul Poleman
We have just spent a few days with our family that is a household with 3 children. They live in a big city and it was such a transition for us to deal with heavy traffic and a busy daily routine. I can't imagine where you would begin to make lifestyle changes to benefit our environment when the modern conveniences make life somewhat easier for many families. I must confess that any more significant changes I have made for the good of climate change have come after the kids left home and especially now that we are retired. I was able to convince my granddaughter to put away her electronics a few times to do a puzzle together and to go for a long walk. On that walk, she talked so much and I got to know her better.
This image of the beach was taken on our fall camping trip where we took our other grandchildren camping for several days. Hopefully, I can continue to find ways to remind them how important even a little bit of a lifestyle change can mean a lot in the whole scheme of things to keep peaceful places like this healthy. My thoughts are with all the people out west and east who are dealing with severe weather events.
Mixed weather in southern Alps of France. Life in small villages is not easy : isolation, solitude and unstable weather.
For the Crazy Tuesday challenge: "Crazy Still Life."
The main piece of the still life is Utah Yellow Honeycomb calcite. The only place in the world where this beautiful translucent mineral is found is in the Wasatch Mountains of Utah.
In the mid-90s, the professional wrestling stable known as the New World Order was the hottest thing in pop culture at the time. The nWo, as it was known, had a saying, "When you're nWo, you're nWo 4-LIFE!" 25 years later, Amtrak has apparently taken a page out of the nWo's playbook. When Amtrak's heritage unit 184, painted in the "Phase IV" livery in 2011 in celebration of the railroad's 40th anniversary, was painted back to standard "Phase V" in early 2023, everyone thought "Phase IV" was officially done. Then, unexpectedly and from seemingly out of nowhere, in early May 2023, Amtrak released 164 as the new Phase IV heritage unit (albeit missing the 40th Anniversary niceties.) The first anyone seemingly ever knew of this unit was when it suddenly showed up in Chicago Union Station. Two days later it was leading it's maiden voyage on Train #5, the westbound California Zephyr. Here it can be seen passing through Somonauk, IL, on the return portion of this maiden voyage on the point of the Zephyr's eastbound counterpart, Train #6. In tow behind trailing locomotive 54 is a special treat, two brand new Siemens ALC-42 Chargers, 330 & 331, in Amtrak's newest "Phase 7" livery. So it would seem that, like the New World Order, when Amtrak is Phase IV, it is Phase IV-LIFE!.
~*Credits and more pics here*~
Featuring [bellvi] Kimberly makeup Set (Available @ [bellvi] Main-store ) & [bellvi] Choker Dayana Gold (Group Gift @ [bellvi] Main-store) & THIS IS WRONG Musicorama Tattoo (New! @ Main-store). Please zoom in for details!
Hello friends! Our area was caught up in an ice storm, with many downed trees, utility poles snapped in two and wires on the ground. We were without power for 10 days... it was a very difficult time and sure made us aware of how we take things for granted - like heat, water, and electricity. We are so thankful that our power has now been restored.
I wish you all a great start to the week, and even with feelings of uncertainty, I still 'like this little life' and hope you do too... : )
Having some extra time over the Easter break I decided to try my hand at some still life photography with bits and pieces from the kitchen at home and to try and replicate a bit of an 'old masters' look and feel to the shot - not sure if I quite got it but as usual all comments most welcome!
© Dominic Scott 2022
Play teaches life skills about communication, confidence, social skills and more. It's a fun way to learn. These two spring cubs are spending their day romping, rolling nad learning while their mom chases salmon to make sure their bellies stay full.
Notice the sand thrown into the air with their antics.