Portrait of a cool, casual, conservative, intelligent and beautiful woman.

It's not illegal to claim asylum, it's not illegal to be a refugee.

Never vote Tory.

Artwork ©jackiecrossley

© All rights reserved. This image may not be copied, reproduced, distributed, republished, displayed, posted or transmitted in any form or by any means, including electronic, mechanical, photocopying & recording without my written permission. This image is not authorised for use on your blogs, pinboards, websites or use in any other way. You may not download this image without written permission from me. Thank you.

Listen to the absolute awesomeness that is Manic Street Preachers: If You Tolerate This Your Children Will Be Next

The future teaches you to be alone

The present to be afraid and cold

"So if I can shoot rabbits then I can shoot fascists"

Bullets for your brain today

But we'll forget it all again

Monuments put from pen to paper

Turns me into a gutless wonder

And if you tolerate this then your children will be next

And if you tolerate this then your children will be next

Will be next, will be next, will be next

Gravity keeps my head down

Or is it maybe shame

At being so young and being so vain

Holes in your head today

But I'm a pacifist

I've walked La Ramblas but not with real intent

And if you tolerate this then your children will be next

And if you tolerate this then your children will be next

Will be next, will be next, will be next, yeah will be next

And on the street tonight

An old man plays with newspaper cuttings of his glory days

And if you tolerate this then your children will be next

And if you tolerate this then your children will be next

Will be next, will be next, will be next

I wore this blazer last week and found the outfit too conservative for my current tastes. Always striving to improve, I imagined pairings that would suit my tastes and quickly landed on the hotpants I’d worn earlier in the week.

Blazer, Love Tree. Shirt, Old Navy. Shorts, San Souci. Tights, We Love Colors. Boots, Lauren Ralph Lauren. Earrings, Pangaea. Bag, thrifted.

I recently had a fellow photographer imply to me that it was a photographer's job to photograph what they saw, not what they imagined. He went on to argue that if a photographer were to employ their imagination in creating an image they should be upfront with their audience and tell them the photo was not...... what? Real? Honest? He said true. For him apparently imagination and truth cannot co-exist. Like they are opposites at the end of a spectrum. I could see where he was coming from and from what I could discern his background was in photojournalism which tends to adopt a much more conservative attitude toward photography (to both good and bad effect). Despite that, I still could not agree with him. I don't think I could ever agree with that notion. It would be like saying the coast shouldn't be windy. What a narrow world that would be to live in.

But I think it is a misleading argument to even debate truth in photography. I don't think a truth necessarily exists in the world of photography, or rather perhaps I should say each image made is an individual photographer's own truth. So if every photo is true (at least to them) then at the same time none of them are. Because what is true for you is false for at least one other person. At which point you start to get a feel for the circular logic of this problem.

The solution then? Realize that the problem isn't really a problem. As soon as you let go of the belief that there is truth in photography, that it is ok to photograph not just what you saw, exactly as you saw it, but instead what you felt, wanted to feel, thought you felt, or imagined you could feel, the world becomes a much simpler place for a photographer to exist in. There is nothing wrong with imagination in photography. Quite the opposite, I would say there is a greater danger from a lack of imagination. Photographers should be creative, they should dream things up, play with the fabric of reality a bit here and there, fudge the lines or ignore them. It is how we grow. Without imagination, there would be no adventure.

But there is an aspect of truth that does come into play and that is truth in the presentation and sharing of an image. While nothing you can do to create a photo is inherently dishonest, what you do with that photo and say about it can be. Is it wrong to Photoshop an image? Of course not. Is it wrong to claim a Photoshopped image is straight from the camera? Of course it is. Is it wrong to Photoshop an image and say nothing at all and let your audience figure it out on their own? No, it isn't. In fact, this is my preference. I am not shy about manipulating images (both in camera and post) when the mood strikes me. I do it to manifest a certain thought or idea. So naturally when I present that image I am less interested in talking about what I did because that would distract from the image itself. Of course, if someone were to ask me about the what of it, I have no qualms about disclosing all the steps in the process. I have nothing to hide there, nor should any other photographer feel like they do. Photography is not a crime, right? I would say the same is true of manipulated photographs, but then again, ALL photographs are manipulated, so it goes without saying.

The aforementioned photographer's proposed solution was that Photoshopped images should be labeled in their own separate category and be called photo-collages or something like that. Such images he argued should be separated from images made entirely in a camera. The implication was that we should discriminate specifically against digital photographers using Photoshop. At least he certainly didn't offer to include darkroom wizardry in this new category otherwise we would have to start calling Ansel Adams' images photo-collages, as well as practically every other film photographer in the history of this art. Personally I find it ironic that I am mostly a film photographer and I am put (and put myself) in a position so frequently to defend the use of post-processing software and digital photography. I rarely have a class go by that some student or another asks me if I think Photoshopping images is evil (they generally go on to say they at some point had one photo instructor or another tell them that it was). Sometimes I encourage them to use Photoshop because I know how valuable a tool it can be for the imagination. Sometimes, I admit, I encourage them to freely use Photoshop just to spite the close-minded photo instructors of the world who want to force their narrow view of how things should be on their students. Shame on them. But that is a whole other essay for a whole other time.

By all means, use your imagination. As I said above, it is dangerous not to. Creativity is a skill, it gets better with practice and it atrophies with the lack of use. So, photograph with it. Exercise it. You use it or you lose it, then you grow up to be a curmudgeonly photographer who doesn't believe others should use it either. The world is a pretty vast place but it gets pretty small very fast when you limit yourself to just what you can see with two eyes.

Life in the birdcage indeed.

Theresa Villiers, Shadow Transport Secretary, speaks at the 2009 Conservative Party Conference in Manchester, Tuesday October 6, 2009. (Photo by Paul Toeman)

Free for editorial and/or personal use only. No sales, no commercial use.

Image ©Licensed to Parsons Media. 02/10/2022. Birmingham, United Kingdom. Conservative Party Conference 2022 Day One. Prime Minister Liz Truss appears on the Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg show. Picture by Andrew Parsons CCHQ / Parsons Media

Image ©Licensed to Parsons Media. 02/10/2022. London, United Kingdom. Conservative Party Conference 2022. The Prime Minister Liz Truss on the Laura Kuenssberg show at the 2022 Conservative Party Conference in Birmingham. Picture by Andrew Parsons CCHQ / Parsons Media

One of the most radical introductions from one of the most conservative of automakers - the 1997 A-Class. The A-Class market a transition to a much smaller Mercedes-Benz model, the deployment of front-wheel-drive, and hatchback profile.

The A-Class was also highly innovative within its configuration, a dual-level sandwich floor prefigured the fitment of hybrid batteries or hydrogen fuel cell, neither of which technologies evolved to a commercial level within the seven year lifecycle of the W168 range.

Commercially, the A-Class was viewed as an entry into the dominant VW Golf class, but within the footprint of the smaller Polo class. The additional space realised by a wide cabin and a tall profile. A longer wheelbase variant, increased by 170mm was made available at the time of the 2001 facelift.

Powertrains were new, development of a 4-cylinder gasoline family ranging from 1.4L to 2.1L, and a 1.7L diesel engine.

The W168 range was replaced in 2004 by a similarly configured W169, which rode on the longer of the W168 wheelbase length.

Brigham City, UT

Chairman of the Conservative Party Eric Pickles on Twitter, Monday 14, 2009.

Photo By Andrew Parsons. Free for editorial and/or personal use only. No sales, no commercial use.

Model: Helmi

Style: Nita-Karoliina Lappalainen @teampulpfactory

Styling assist: Mirella Rautiainen

MUAH: Daria Radchenko

Mostly Hating Tories

What shall I do on this fine day?

There’s so much on my list

A mix of work and rest and play

I’m sure you get my gist

And maybe I’ll compose a rhyme –

But my unwritten law is

That every day I’ll spend my time

Mostly hating Tories.

I’ll go to work, some bills I’ll pay

That’s if I’m feeling rash,

To see her through to payment day

I’ll lend my friend some cash,

I’ll probably make my kids some tea

And read them bedtime stories

Of homeless piggies one, two, three

And why they hate the Tories.

I’ll hate them for the bedroom tax

I’ll hate them for the cuts,

For living off the workers’ backs

I’ll hate their very guts,

Look, see the depths to which they’ll sink,

They don’t know where the floor is,

That’s why I’ll spend my day, I think,

Mostly hating Tories.

What’s that you say? That hate’s not nice?

Please love thine enemy?

Well yeah, I tried that once or twice

It doesn’t work for me,

And if you think that’s not fair play

Remember this, you must:

The Tories, they will spend their day

Mostly hating us.

A history of evil done

Will justify my hate,

I still detest the Tory scum

For Section Twenty Eight,

Nye Bevan built the NHS

So he knows what the score is:

And he said vermin come out best

Compared with bloody Tories.

I’m sure I’ll find time to revile

That UKIP and its drivel

And I’ll locate a little while

To loathe a lonesome Liberal,

I’ll maybe pause to show regret

For Labour’s missing glories

But save the fiercest fury yet

For mostly hating Tories.

For generations and hereon

Our class and those before us

Grew up to know which side we’re on:

The side that’s not the Tories,

So when I die, do this for me –

Inscribe and sing in chorus

Here lies Janine, her life spent she

Mostly hating Tories.

by Janine Booth

Here: bit.ly/3BZ0Mah

Conservative Party HQ Lunchtime Menu

Deprived shrimps

Money-glazed smirked ham

Scorn fritters

*

Battered electorate,

with a basket of crushed hopes

and slow-cooked fatigue

Half-baked notions,

idling on a soft bed of privilege,

served with a thick faux pas sauce

Kids in blankets,

deep-famished, with a deprivation of vegetables

and a relish reduction

Toads in the hole,

with golden hand-outs in a thick rich gravy

(self-serving only)

*

Eton Mess

Fudge (ten different flavours)

By Bill Bilston

Here: bit.ly/3zWAm6t

Artwork ©jackiecrossley

© All rights reserved. This image may not be copied, reproduced, distributed, republished, displayed, posted or transmitted in any form or by any means, including electronic, mechanical, photocopying & recording without my written permission. This image is not authorised for use on your blogs, pinboards, websites or use in any other way. You may not download this image without written permission from me. Thank you.

#496: August 16th, 2007

One of many windows from the north facade of IBM's HQ in Denmark.

In contrast to other cars of the era, the chassis was hung beneath the axles, thus lowering the centre of gravity and thereby improving its roadholding and driveability. This is known as ‘underslung’ technology.

It makes the car itself, as well as its exterior, more sporty. However, this long-distance car is fitted with a rather conservative body. To accentuate the carriage design, the windows have been beautifully cut and the interior includes curtains.

As a marketing stunt, the first fifty cars produced by the Regal Motor Co. of Detroit were recalled in 1908, one year post production, to be swapped for the new model at no extra cost. Regal was a very successful marque and the firm established an excellent reputation during its short existence.

The endurance tests that the cars underwent resulted in much positive publicity. Lack of materials after the First World War caused the factory to close down in 1920.

Louwman Museum

Den Haag - The Hague

Nederland - Netherlands

March 2013

Image ©Licensed to Parsons Media. 05/10/2022. Birmingham, United Kingdom. Conservative Party Conference Day Four. Birmingham ICC. Prime Minister Liz Truss, accompanied by her husband Hugh O'Leary, walks across the bridge from the Hyatt hotel to the ICC to deliver her speech to the Conservative Party Conference in Birmingham. Picture by Andrew Parsons / Parsons Media

Visit of a Masai village in Kenia.

The Masai tribe: this warrior tribe of nomadic pastoralists are descendants of Nilotic and Cushitic people originally from north of Lake Turkana over 10 centuries ago. Their life is dominated by their herds of their cattle and livestock. They often move hundreds of kilometers with large herds of livestock in search of water and rich pastures. Their diet is based on fresh / curdled milk and meat from their livestock. Centuries ago the Masai were feared as ruthless conquerors and cattle rustlers who invaded other tribal areas in search of bigger grazing land and more cattle. The Masai are also famous for drinking a mixture of cattle blood and milk during ceremonial rites. An arrow is shot at close range to punture the jugular vein of the cow. The blood is drawn into a skin gourd and later mixed with milk to be drunk by the gathering. The animal is not left to bleed but is carefully tended to, till it fully heals.Their rites and traditional ceremonies are taken very seriously, and it is not common to allow outsiders to attend. Elders play a very important role in the community and society at large. There is then the 'moran' or warrior age group, men who have been circumcised and been initiated into this group and are expected to safeguard the herds of cattle from theft or attack.

Cattle are the mainstay of the traditional Masai way of life, and their importance is embedded deep into the hearts and minds of these peoples. So much so that one of the traditional Maasai beliefs was that God sent all the cattle down to earth only for the Masai. This long justified their cattle rustling activites on surrounding tribes, who they believed had 'stolen' any cattle they had from the Maasai. Social structures in the traditional way of life reflect the principles of a male dominated society with polygamy being a norm. Wife inheritance subject to certain conventions, was also practised. The traditional Masai dwelling , known as the 'manyatta', was infact constructed by the women, using a wooden structure and a plaster made of cowdung and mud. Several of these manyattas could form a household for a maasai family headed by the man. Although remnants of the traditional Masai way of life still remain, there are inevitable changes on a large scale. There are several eminent members of the Masai community in different spheres of life in Kenya. The more traditional and conservative members of the tribe still do live almost like they used to say 80 years ago, but the majority of the community is accepting change and are embracing education. Permanent settlement is also becoming a normal way of life for many Masai.

From the Conservative Agitation editorial to fit 1st of May celebrations 🎈🎉

Creative Director: Nita-Karoliina Lappalainen

Styling assist: Mirella Rautiainen

MUAH: Daria Radchenko

Models: Helmi & Vilma

Necklace: Pitkinen

Jackets: Owusu Brand

T shirts available here : www.section5poa.co.uk/product-category/animalrights/

They gave me some stickers too, just planning how to get a picture of one stuck on our tory MP's ' shop ' door ! Aha, the conservative club too !!!

Copyright Robert W. Dickinson. Unauthorized use of this image without my express permission is a violation of copyright law.

Taken at the Scottsdale Pavilions Car Show in May 2022.

Olympus E-M1X and OM System 20mm f1.4 Pro lens with circular polarizer.

From the Conservative Agitation editorial, Marika magazine.

Creative Director: Nita-Karoliina Lappalainen

Styling assist: Mirella Rautiainen

MUAH: Daria Radchenko

Model: Helmi

A NOTE ON THIS PICTURE: This picture appeared alongside an article in which the author made a case against people across the political spectrum incorrectly using the term Nazi to identify one's political ideology. The correct analogy would be to equate Obama's policies with those of the National Socialist Party.

Do I believe that Obama is a Nazi? No, that is ludicrous, but the article was a hard-hitting critique of the controversy surrounding people slinging the term Nazi around these days, hence the photo was appropriate. If it offends you, look away.

Thanks for reading.

ICC, Broad Street, Birmingham, England UK - www.robertcjones.co.uk

One of my passions about photography is SURPRISE. Often I see a composition which grabs me so profoundly I just shoot. Recently someone asked me if I "set up" my still life material! "Never," I said. (Then I remembered my piece with the rock which I "did" place on the railing . . . see below for this exception!)

Now here is an example of something that would take up pages in my visual journal. I LOVED the contrast of the thin, relatively new (comparatively speaking) "Solomon's" book leaning against the old row of ragged books.

C L I C K

Now, I am NO scholar, but fascinated with research! When I began to read about the The Song of Solomon I was totally blown away by the controversies which abound from this piece. Now I'm wondering if someone did, indeed, set up this still life with the juxtaposition between the torn covers and the newness of the Solomon book!

My dear grandmother's favorite saying was:

“A merry heart doeth good like medicine.”

And I love:

“All the rivers run into the sea; yet the sea is not full.”

~ King Solomon ~

______________________________________________________________________________________

a bit of trivia from the New World Encyclopedia:

"The Song of Solomon (Hebrew title שיר השירים, Shir ha-Shirim), also known as the Song of Songs, is a book of the Tanakh (and Christian Old Testament), which celebrates and interprets human sexuality within a religious framework. The book consists of a cycle of poems about erotic love, largely in the form of a dialogue between a man and a woman (often labeled a "bride" and a "bridegroom" by conservative translators).

While the nature and function of the Song as a religious document remain controversial, it is undeniable that it is, first and foremost, an inspiring and moving example of poetic art.

Through its use of various poetic and literary devices, it manages to create a vivid and compelling world, one that is inhabited by two (unnamed) characters onto which readers are invited to project themselves.

An intriguing element of this text as poetry is that, in spite of the efforts of various scholars and commentators over the centuries, it simply does not require a single discrete interpretation. As such, any ambiguities, double meanings or circular references could have been intentional elements of the poet's overall purpose in composing the text.

Some of the devices used to great effect include symbolism, sensory imagery, and other line-and strophe-level devices (including alliteration and paronomasia)."

Hard to believe that the man enshrined by the memorial at the top of this photo belongs to the same political party as the man now in the White House.

In all the turgid rhetoric about what would Reagan do...no one seems to be asking what actions Lincoln might take these days.

Visit : www.refordgardens.com/

Excellent ouvrage écrit par Alexander Reford, arrière-petit-fils de Madame Elsie Reford. Cet ouvrage est la traduction française de l'original REFORD GARDENS: ELSIE'S PARADISE.

Les très jolies photos sont de Mme Louise Tanguay.

Arrière-petit-fils d'Elsie Reford, Alexander Reford assume depuis 1995 la direction des Jardins de Métis en veillant à leur préservation et à leur développement. Historien formé à l'Université d'Oxford et à l'Université de Toronto, il a écrit de nombreux articles relatifs à l'histoire du Canada. Il préside l'Association des jardins du Québec et est le cofondateur du Festival international de jardins qui a lieu chaque année aux Jardins de Métis.

Visit : www.refordgardens.com/

Elsie Stephen Meighen - born January 22, 1872, Perth, Ontario - and Robert Wilson Reford - born in 1867, Montreal - got married on June 12, 1894.

Elsie Reford was a pioneer of Canadian horticulture, creating one of the largest private gardens in Canada on her estate, Estevan Lodge in eastern Québec. Located in Grand-Métis on the south shore of the St. Lawrence River, her gardens have been open to the public since 1962 and operate under the name Les Jardins de Métis and Reford Gardens.

Born January 22, 1872 at Perth, Ontario, Elsie Reford was the eldest of three children born to Robert Meighen and Elsie Stephen. Coming from modest backgrounds themselves, Elsie’s parents ensured that their children received a good education. After being educated in Montreal, she was sent to finishing school in Dresden and Paris, returning to Montreal fluent in both German and French, and ready to take her place in society.

She married Robert Wilson Reford on June 12, 1894. She gave birth to two sons, Bruce in 1895 and Eric in 1900. Robert and Elsie Reford were, by many accounts, an ideal couple. In 1902, they built a house on Drummond Street in Montreal. They both loved the outdoors and they spend several weeks a year in a log cabin they built at Lac Caribou, south of Rimouski. In the autumn they hunted for caribou, deer, and ducks. They returned in winter to ski and snowshoe. Elsie Reford also liked to ride. She had learned as a girl and spent many hours riding on the slopes of Mount Royal. And of course, there was salmon-fishing – a sport at which she excelled.

In her day, she was known for her civic, social, and political activism. She was engaged in philanthropic activities, particularly for the Montreal Maternity Hospital and she was also the moving force behind the creation of the Women’s Canadian Club of Montreal, the first women club in Canada. She believed it important that the women become involved in debates over the great issues of the day, « something beyond the local gossip of the hour ». Her acquaintance with Lord Grey, the Governor-General of Canada from 1904 to 1911, led to her involvement in organizing, in 1908, Québec City’s tercentennial celebrations. The event was one of many to which she devoted herself in building bridges with French-Canadian community.

During the First World War, she joined her two sons in England and did volunteer work at the War Office, translating documents from German into English. After the war, she was active in the Victorian Order of Nurses, the Montreal Council of Social Agencies, and the National Association of Conservative Women.

In 1925 at the age of 53 years, Elsie Reford was operated for appendicitis and during her convalescence, her doctor counselled against fishing, fearing that she did not have the strength to return to the river.”Why not take up gardening?” he said, thinking this a more suitable pastime for a convalescent woman of a certain age. That is why she began laying out the gardens and supervising their construction. The gardens would take ten years to build, and would extend over more than twenty acres.

Elsie Reford had to overcome many difficulties in bringing her garden to life. First among them were the allergies that sometimes left her bedridden for days on end. The second obstacle was the property itself. Estevan was first and foremost a fishing lodge. The site was chosen because of its proximity to a salmon river and its dramatic views – not for the quality of the soil.

To counter-act nature’s deficiencies, she created soil for each of the plants she had selected, bringing peat and sand from nearby farms. This exchange was fortuitous to the local farmers, suffering through the Great Depression. Then, as now, the gardens provided much-needed work to an area with high unemployment. Elsie Reford’s genius as a gardener was born of the knowledge she developed of the needs of plants. Over the course of her long life, she became an expert plantsman. By the end of her life, Elsie Reford was able to counsel other gardeners, writing in the journals of the Royal Horticultural Society and the North American Lily Society. Elsie Reford was not a landscape architect and had no training of any kind as a garden designer. While she collected and appreciated art, she claimed no talents as an artist.

Elsie Stephen Reford died at her Drummond Street home on November 8, 1967 in her ninety-sixth year.

In 1995, the Reford Gardens ("Jardins de Métis") in Grand-Métis were designated a National Historic Site of Canada, as being an excellent Canadian example of the English-inspired garden.(Wikipedia)

Visit : en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elsie_Reford

Visit : www.refordgardens.com/

LES JARDINS DE MÉTIS

Créés par Elsie Reford de 1926 à 1958, ces jardins témoignent de façon remarquable de l’art paysager à l’anglaise. Disposés dans un cadre naturel, un ensemble de jardins exhibent fleurs vivaces, arbres et arbustes. Le jardin des pommetiers, les rocailles et l’Allée royale évoquent l’œuvre de cette dame passionnée d’horticulture. Agrémenté d’un ruisseau et de sentiers sinueux, ce site jouit d’un microclimat favorable à la croissance d’espèces uniques au Canada. Les pavots bleus et les lis, privilégiés par Mme Reford, y fleurissent toujours et contribuent , avec d’autres plantes exotiques et indigènes, à l’harmonie de ces lieux.

Created by Elsie Reford between 1926 and 1958, these gardens are an inspired example of the English art of the garden. Woven into a natural setting, a series of gardens display perennials, trees and shrubs. A crab-apple orchard, a rock garden, and the Long Walk are also the legacy of this dedicated horticulturist. A microclimate favours the growth of species found nowhere else in Canada, while the stream and winding paths add to the charm. Elsie Reford’s beloved blue poppies and lilies still bloom and contribute, with other exotic and indigenous plants, to the harmony of the site.

Commission des lieux et monuments historiques du Canada

Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada.

Gouvernement du Canada – Government of Canada

© Copyright

This photo and all those in my Photostream are protected by copyright. No one may reproduce, copy, transmit or manipulate them without my written permission.

Image ©Licensed to Parsons Media. 01/08/2022. Exeter, United Kingdom. Conservative Party Leadership Hustings in Exeter. Exeter University. Liz Truss, Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs and leadership contender speaks at the Conservative Party Hustings in Exeter. Picture by Ben Stevens / Parsons Media

Model: Vilma

Style: Nita-Karoliina Lappalainen @teampulpfactory

Styling assist: Mirella Rautiainen

MUAH: Daria Radchenko

From the Conservative Agitation editorial.

Creative Director: Nita-Karoliina Lappalainen

Styling assist: Mirella Rautiainen

MUAH: Daria Radchenko

Model: Helmi

Dress: kimeä clothing

Gloves: Vintage

Earrings: vintage

Silver jewelry: Studio martzu

U.S. Congresswoman Cathy McMorris Rodgers speaking at the 2018 Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in National Harbor, Maryland.

Please attribute to Gage Skidmore if used elsewhere.

I think we would be better off ruled by some intelligent creatures rather than Bojo's crew ......

Hasselblad 503CXi - kisarazu, japan

From the Conservative Agitation editorial.

Creative Director: Nita-Karoliina Lappalainen

Styling assist: Mirella Rautiainen

MUAH: Daria Radchenko

Model: Vilma

Jumpsuit: Redemption

Shoes: Balenciaga

I remember it like it was just a few months ago - I was already 3 years old and my Mom, a second generation Alaskan - Dee Lane, and my Dad, a third generation Alaskan - Chic Lane, took my sister Lisa and I over the few blocks from our house on the corner of 3rd avenue down to the Park Strip to watch the bonfire in celebration of hard won Alaskan statehood.

There was a great huge pile of wood, and the fire was well underway -- men would run up with all kinds of wood, spare or not, and throw it on the fire. And a whole tree was thrown in too! The tree being dry burned really fast with a great sputtering noise mixed with the festive scent of painted wood all together. As I understand now, there were fireworks hidden in the wood pile that went off from time to time. The United States Senate had voted to make Alaska the 49th state on June 30, 1958.

Just as we arrived from the north side a couple of men were dragging a large wooden box, the size of an outhouse or larger and throwing it on the fire, which was growing quite large. People stood around the fire in a huge circle and it was obvious there had been a bit of drinking going on. Part of a fence was thrown in, sometimes a couple of two-by-fours, or a 8 by 10 sheet of plywood, but mostly old sections of some built things.

My father ran up with his camera just as my Mom was buttoning up my sister's jacket, I think he had parked the car, having just gotten off of work as an architect. She wanted to know what had taken so long. She was pregnant with my brother Ward, born in July of 1958, we girls were born only 11 months apart.

The crowd was growing as the evening was coming in, and singing and hollering and whooping and dancing jigs, in groups of people cheering whenever a new item was thrown on the fire. It was pretty wild and I didn't see many children on the park strip.

Notably the people greeted each other by name since they knew one another! There were a lot of people there.

Later I was taught the "Alaska Flag" song in school. The flag was said to have been designed by Bennie Benson, but the truth was his school teacher designed it to help him submit something, and I think she was happy he unexpectedly won the award with her simple design; she didn't complain when her student got credit for her design.

My mom showed me the Anchorage Times newspaper which read "WE'RE IN!" we kept a copy of that paper for more than 20 years. The heat from the bonfire was so hot it burned our faces and kept us warm - finally my sister Lisa began to get too cold so our folks bundled us off to the house our grandparents built on the very corner of downtown Anchorage where the legal buildings are now, near the statue of Captain Cook.

"8 Stars of Gold on a field of Blue..." I had wonderful teachers. I stayed true.

From the time I was a babe in arms we had a visitor by the name of Yule Kilcher. He was a state senator and one of the most fascinating people I have ever known. I asked him once how many languages he spoke and he took a minute to count them all up and said - "if you include the dialects - it's 47." 47!!! Yule helped to write the Alaska State Constitution, and he stood for liberal causes in a conservative way. People now have forgotten that Alaska was once a liberal state, and it was the conservatives who opposed statehood.

The summer I turned 13 years old Yule took me to visit his farm down in Homer, driving like a mad man around each curve of the road which he knew every bit of from memory. Every where we stopped Yule spoke to the people in their native languages - and what a diverse set of people he knew - it was just everyone - speaking in Norwegian, Lap, Danish, Finnish, German, Russian, and French, and everyone was so happy to see him and asked us to stay if only for a bite, or tea, or sometimes a sauna! It was one of my most memorable life experiences as I met people from all over the world visiting Yule at his ranch, and his children and other family members and neighbors. I credit Yule with changing my world view completely.

So this photo was taken of the US Flag and Alaska State flag in front of the top floor fireplace in the Anchorage Pioneer's Home with the Christmas tree, when I was just visiting my mom for Christmas (thank you to the excellent staff there).

Myself if I were to die today I could honestly say that I have lived a completely unique and unusual life due to being raised in Alaska, and knowing the people I have been fortunate to meet like Senator Bob Bartlett, who was greatly responsible for Alaska becoming a state of the United States of America, Karin and Honorable James Fitzgerald (U.S. Senior Judge) and family - Dennis, Denise, Debra, and Kevin, Glo and Victor Fischer and family - Yonnie, the Listons - Bill and Helen, Mike, Mary, Lissa, Gene Guess and family, the O'Malley's, Ernest Gruening (Governor Alaska Territory), and Alaska State senator Yule Kilcher, his children, Wendell Kay - Eddy Kay, Nick Begich and his family, artist and teacher Alex Duff Combs and his family, the Selkreggs, Governor Bill Egan (who remembered everyone's names and family), Jill Smythe, the Arns family, the Rosenthals, the Jensen family, Kathy 'Willow' Graves, and later folks such as the Browns, Judge John and 'Mama' Kay Reese, Nancy Byrd, the Fairbanks crowd; the Drs. Forbes - John Forbes and Rob, Laura Forbes, the Deans - Doug Dean and Steve Dean, Nick Boseck and his family, the Hale family - Ed, Fred, and Billy, Jim Chase and family, Dennis Savage and his family, Dennis Hartley; the teachers at Orah Dee Clark and East High School, Anchorage Community College and UAA, and other notable people with enormous personalities and strong love for their fellow human beings. Really too many to write about here.

Having left Alaska to seek out world culture I became the student of Dagchen Sakya Rinpoche, a senior Tibetan Lama in Seattle, where my Alaskan childhood served me well - as I traveled Thailand, India, Nepal, to study and observe what I believe is the real final frontier, not Alaska as the saying goes, but the innate nature of our own minds.

On January 3, 2009, Alaska will celebrate the 50th Anniversary of Alaskan Statehood, and I will be there in spirit remembering a fairly warm day of June 30, 1958 when my mom buttoned me up and said "Look at the bonfire Linda, remember it, because some day when you are much older, you will be able to say, 'I was there for the first bonfire, when Alaska became part of the United States of America.'" I remember her black cat-eye framed eye glasses, and the look of joy, pride, and concern on her face as she told me this with her dark brown hair pulled back under a kerchief, she looked into my eyes so closely. And I remember the bonfire.

Someone told me recently that my life stories are like the movie Zoolander except real, so what's not to enjoy?

What I did not understand at the time was how rare my experience is, and how few people would be alive 50 years later who shared that experience. But I can honestly say, 50 years later, that I have lived fully because of Alaska, and because of the Alaskan community who raised me and infused my life with personality and love.

Happy 50 Years to Alaska, to Alaskans every where, to Americans, and to the World in which we live together - congratulations! To my relatives who are now raising the 6th generation of our family in Alaska - congratulations on the twins!

Respect goes out to my elders - my great-grandfather who resurveyed the Alaska-Canadian Border based out of Eagle in 1896, my great-grandfather Isaac Newton Lane - Cherokee from Mexico who was a Pony Express Rider and Alaskan, my grandmother raised in Ketchikan, my grandfather Billy Murry - a tailor, he owned the New Method Cleaners and the Murmac Bar in Anchorage, my grandmother Marion Murry - played organ during the silent movie era, to my parents Roland and Darlene (architect and planner), thank you to everyone who made Alaska more than just a beautiful place, but an amazing event.

Here's the lyrics to the Alaska State Flag Song:

Eight stars of gold on a field of blue,

Alaska's flag, may it mean to you,

The blue of the sea, the evening sky,

The mountain lakes and the flowers nearby,

The gold of the early sourdough's dreams,

The precious gold of the hills and streams,

The brilliant stars in the northern sky,

The "Bear," the "Dipper,"

and shining high,

The great North Star with its steady light,

O'er land and sea a beacon bright,

Alaska's flag to Alaskans dear,

The simple flag of a last frontier.

CHEERS TO YOU! GREAT LOVE -- GREAT PEACE! Do Seek The Treasure!!!

For a historical outline see: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alaska_Statehood_Act

Stephen Harper's campaign a319 sitting on the ground in YOW at sunset.

"Pro-Life" conservatives are obsessed with the fetus from conception to nine months. After that they don't want to know about you..."

Apply liberally

My son Ben Williams meeting Andy Street Mayor of West Midlands. twitter.com/benwilliams2082

Image ©Licensed to Parsons Media. 23/08/2022. Birmingham, United Kingdom. Conservative Party Leadership Hustings in Birmingham. NEC. Conservative Party Leadership Hustings in Manchester. Manchester Central. Leadership contenders Liz Truss MP, Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, and Rishi Sunak MP speak during the Conservative Party Hustings at the NEC in Birmingham. Picture by Ben Stevens CCHQ / Parsons Media

blue?