Summer Time Outdoors

Summer fun begins when school is out and no more studies, that is for some kids. Schools now offer the kids summer school which might include catching up on hours to graduate or learning new skills and attending classes that need improvement. Other kids go to summer school just to be with their friends and have fun. Many schools plan outside activities like going to the park, swimming pool, or going to places to see the fire department, police headquarters and meet the people who serve their community. Some kids participate in crafts and games at school, but overall most kids enjoy their time at summer school. Some of the sports outside still are going on in most areas. Boys and girls are involved in playing T-ball or baseball, while parents and grandparents cheer them on.

It is just part of summer and being outdoors, even when it is hot and muggy. This is a good time to meet other parents and your neighbors that you don't always see. Usually, you will share a bag of popcorn, candy, ice cream and soda with your kids or grandkids, what a great time to be together. You, of course, will want to take the camera to be able to take that special picture or video of your kids or grandkids. What memories you can make with them for being there at that special time when they catch the ball or make a home run.

As summer season continues the outdoor sports like swimming, riding bikes, going to camp and just being around their friends is important to them. While dad and mom are packing and getting the car ready to go on vacation. The kids are getting their special toys ready to take with them. Some families will plan to go to spend their time at an amusement park or to the beach, while other families are getting ready to go camping and spending time up in the mountains and enjoying the outdoors and scenery. Summer is a busy time, but can also be a great time to enjoy the family and be together. Taking time with your family is so important today since days seem to be so busy and our schedules are so full with work and other activities. Our kids and grandkids grow up so fast and leave home to go off to school or take a job away.

Autumn Leaves Are Falling

Autumn is a wonderful time. It is the end of the beginning. In Spring, everything comes to life after being dormant through the cold winter months. Then Summer arrives and everything blossoms and grows. Finally, Autumn is upon us and the trees shed their leaves waiting for the next time they can come back to life. The autumn leaves are changing colour, the air is crisp and clean in the early morning, the sound of rustling leaves as they float through the air moving as if they are ready to travel to wherever old man wind takes them... these are the sounds and sights of Autumn. Autumn is a perfect time to get out and go for a walk, or even better take your dog with you. This is also a great time for photography. The amazing colours of the leaves turning red, orange and gold, and the way the light shines through the canopy of leaves makes for some truly amazing shots. Action shots of dogs (big or small) romping through piles of leaves, wriggling ecstatically on top of the pile, trying to catch falling leaves in their mouths or running along a path with the sunlight behind them.

These make for some amazing shots! Taking advantage of the spectacular backdrops and scenery that the Autumn leaves provide, can make a picture of your best friend so much more interesting. It may even be worthy of having the honour of hanging on your wall, and not just your Autumn screen saver on your computer, tablet or phone. With the new age of digital cameras and phones with cameras we now take more pictures than ever before. Years ago we were limited to how many pictures we could take, based on how much film you could afford and the cost of developing the film..unless you were lucky enough to have your own darkroom! Taking 36 pictures in a week used to be a lot, but now with almost everyone having a cell phone and those phones having a high definition camera right in their phone it's nothing to take 36 pictures in a matter of minutes.

Our cameras and phones consistently hit their limits and we have to go through and delete hundreds of pictures that we never would have taken had it cost money for film and developing. It is estimated that people take at least 100 times as many pictures now as opposed to the old film and developing days. Why not? There's no reason why we can't have amazing shots of our furry friends, and Autumn is a great time of the year to capture some wonderful memories of them. But then again, Winter is only a short time away so we can get ready for some amazing shots of our fur baby's trying to catch snow flakes instead of leaves, and enjoying their first-time diving into piles of snow! Actually, it sounds like there really isn't a bad time to take pictures of our best friends! Jack Devon has been taking photographs for the past 10 years. He is an avid nature photographer, that uses both DSLR and point and shoot cameras. While patiently waiting for the perfect shot,

Craters of the Moon: Lava and Cinders

The Earth had been jittery for several days. She shuddered with anticipation. Then, clouds of sulfurous stench hissed out of a widening gape. Fountains of lava shot skyward from the fissure and heaped cinders and blobs around themselves. The prevailing south-westerly wind carried the volcanic dust and skewed the growing cinder cones toward the northeast. Suddenly, as though they had been shut off, the fountains dropped back into the crack. The earth ceased her trembling: only hot hissing remained. But the earth was not finished. A coal-black cinder cone bulged outward on its flank and broke open a new wound. Lava blood spilled out haltingly. The earth mustered herself and sent lava gushing to the surface. Fragments of the cone broke off, and the torrent rafted them away. As the lava's crust cooled from incandescent to dark, arteries of lava flowed underneath, pushing the flow along. Like honey, lava spread across the landscape.

Only about two thousand years ago - a mere tick of the geologic clock - an event similar to that just described occurred at Craters of the Moon National Monument in south-central Idaho. But that wasn't the only incident of volcanism here. A large weakness in the earth's crust, known as the Great Rift, has permitted molten rock to well up from deep within the earth on several occasions. The park's visitor center is an ideal place to start your exploration of this seemingly bleak lava land. The center contains books and exhibits pertaining to the geology, history, and biology of the park. A video displays recent eruptions in Hawaii that were similar to those that occurred at Craters of the Moon centuries ago. Across the road, visitors can camp among the volcanic rock and cinders at the only campground (no hookups) and enjoy an evening campfire program during the summer at the nearby amphitheater.

After you've obtained a map, a campsite, and extra water (the visitor center and the campground are the only sources), you can begin your drive along the seven-mile loop road to explore the area. Just past the campground, the road turns abruptly to the right as it reaches part of the young North Crater Flow. Beyond the curve, a paved interpretive trail awaits those wishing to see the lava up close. Along this trail, you'll see the Triple Twist Tree - an ancient, gnarled limber pine. By counting the number of growth rings in this tree, scientists estimate that this flow may have occurred two thousand years ago, making it one of the youngest flows in the park. You'll learn the two types of basaltic lava flows are found at Craters of the Moon. One type is called pahoehoe (pronounced pa-hoy-hoy; a Hawaiian word meaning ropy). A cool yet pliable crust formed on top of this flow, which pushed the crust into pleats. The other kind is aa (pronounced ah-ah; Hawaiian for "hard on the feet"). Aa lava, which is less gassy and more sluggish than pahoehoe, forms spiny chunks on its surface as it flows. A short distance beyond the parking area is the North Crater Trail. This trail will lead you up the crater where the lava flow originated. Continuing on, you'll turn left off of the loop to reach the Devil's Orchard. Geologists believe that this is the site of an ancient cinder cone that has been reduced to bits and pieces by erosion. You may take a self-guiding trail - which features numbered markers keyed to a booklet - through the chunky remains.

You'll learn about the geology, the bird life, and lichens and other plants. Lichens are an association of fungi and algae that can live on bare rock. Look for the purplish dwarf monkey flowers that carpet the ground here in the early summer season. If you continue along the loop road, you'll reach Inferno Cone. A short, steep trail leads to the summit of this mass of cinders. The peak provides a good vantage point for viewing the many cones along the Great Rift to the southeast and northwest. Standing at the summit, you can feel the full brunt of the park's incessant southwesterly winds. Big Cinder Butte, one of the largest purely basaltic cinder cones in the world, is the tallest cone to the southeast. From late spring to late summer, many of the more than 200 species of plants native to Craters of the Moon dot the slopes of the cones. Dwarf buckwheat, with its pom-pon-like flower clusters, and bitterroot, whose bright white petals contrasts sharply with the dark centers, are particularly common. Spatter cones are the next interesting formations along the loop. Nowhere else in the continental United States can you find a better example of spatter cones than at Craters of the Moon. These were formed when the earth threw out blobs of lava that stuck to one another. One of the cones here contains ice year-round. This is because lava rocks nearly always contain gas bubbles, which act as insulators.

A spur road off of the loop leads past frozen cascades of lava to the Tree Molds Parking Area. From here, you'll take a trail out to the tree molds, which formed when lava flowed over trees and then cooled, often leaving the rock with the impressions of the burning trunks' bark. You might take the Wilderness Trail from the parking area into the seldom-visited Craters of the Moon Wilderness Area. You'll need a free permit to enter the wilderness area if you're backpacking. The Wilderness Trail branches off of the Tree Molds Trail drops steeply down to a pahoehoe flow and crosses the flow. Rock cairns mark the path across the undulatory, pleated surface. At the far end, you'll find an old dirt road that extends for about four miles into the wilderness. If you follow this road, you'll enjoy mild hiking through wide-open scenery with just a little bit of dust and cinders to be concerned about. After you cross the wilderness boundary, you'll pass between Big Cinder Butte and Half Cone, and then continue on through Trench Mortar Flat.

The flat's name was derived from lava tubes that formed like the tree molds, except that the lava shaped itself around standing tree trunks. After you round Coyote Butte, you'll come to Echo Crater - one of the better campsites in the area for backpackers. We camped at Echo Crater on our first and most recent visits to this wilderness. During our first visit, we set up camp on the rim of the crater and day-hiked from there in search of waterholes, fissures, and other features that we noticed on the topographical map. On our last night there, we heard and saw prairie falcons flying around the crater. After we watched them awhile, we discovered that they were a male and female taking turns hunting and guarding their nest on the Echo Crater rim. On a visit during the 1980's, we reached Echo Crater around dark. The wind was its normally persistent self, so we camped inside the crater for protection. As it happens, the crater is shaped like a crescent - a high western rim sloping to a lower eastward opening. As we began to cook our dinner, the moon rose a full, flaming, orange-red ball, casting its light across our campsite and into the crater.

In the late 1990's, we were exploring mapped features that form in lava flows, like lava tube caves and lava bridges. Lava can flow like a river and with the lava on top exposed to the cooler air, a crust can form which solidifies and stops moving. But a lava crust is a good insulator, so the still hot lava underneath can continue to flow. Eventually, the still-liquid lava can drain away leaving a tube behind. If a part of the roof eventually collapses then there is a lava tube cave. If another part of the roof collapses near another collapse, the solid crust overarching the space between them is a lava bridge. On the Craters of the Moon map, two lava bridges are listed, the Bridge of Tears and the Bridge of the Moon. We went to the Bridge of Tears and camped next to it and also explored Moss Cave and Amphitheater Cave, which formed along the same lava tube as the bridge. We had heard rumors that the Bridge of the Moon might have collapsed and we wanted to go to the area where it should have been and see if we could find it. Not being able to find it could be taken as a sign that it had collapsed.

After camping at Bridge of Tears, we set out on a hiking path that would take us straight toward the Bridge of the Moon's mapped location. After starting out, we had to skirt around an elliptically shaped depression. We noticed that at the opposite end of the depression, there appeared to be an opening. So we decided to take some time to explore it. It turned out to be a cave with two side-by-side openings. The map didn't show this feature, so we took notes about it, including its GPS coordinates. We continued on to the Bridge of the Moon's mapped location, but couldn't find it. We started back out of the wilderness but spent one more night. Upon hiking out the next day, we turned in our write-up about the unmapped cave to the rangers at the visitor center and asked if this feature had ever been described before. It turned out that it hadn't, see we got to name it. Because we are twin brothers and the cave had two openings, we called it Twin Cave.

It will never appear on any maps, however, because the Park Service is trying to protect caves from vandalism and doesn't want to give away their locations. In August 2016, we went back to the Craters of the Moon wilderness to visit "our" cave after almost 20 years and discovered that one of the openings had gotten larger due to parts of the roof collapsing, but the other seemed to be about the same as before. We took what we call a "twin selfie" by the entrance to post on our social media pages. The dirt road into the wilderness peters out by the time it reaches two cinder cones situated past Echo Crater - The Sentinel and The Watchman. South of here, in 1879, J.W. Powell and Arthur Ferris of Arco, Idaho, left a marker at Vermilion Chasm during a scouting trip to determine whether the Craters of the Moon area had sufficient water to support livestock grazing. It didn't. Then, in 1921, Robert Limbert, W.L.

Cole, and a dog ventured north from Minidoka to explore this virtually unknown region. During their journey across the aa flows, they could hardly sleep at night because of the sharpness of the lava. The dog cut his feet, so the men had to carry him. After running low on water, they managed to find waterholes by observing the flight of doves. In spite of these hardships, the two men were enthralled with this land, and they gave many of its features the descriptive names that they are known by today. Thanks to Limbert's reports, photographs, and lobbying, and an article he wrote for National Geographic, Craters of the Moon was declared a national monument in 1924. Back on the road, after rejoining the loop, you'll continue on toward the Caves Area.

Pahoehoe flows advance via channels or tubes beneath a cooling crust. As the eruption subsides the lava may drain out of the tube, leaving the crust to support itself. Indian Tunnel is an example of a lava tube in which much of the overlying crust has collapsed. Because of this condition, you needn't carry a flashlight to explore the subway-sized Indian Tunnel. Just outside the tunnel, a ring of rocks is all that remains of a windbreak where the Shoshone Indians once camped while hunting deer and other wildlife of the park. You will need a flashlight to explore the other cave, however. Boy Scout Cave is especially interesting. Throughout the year, this cavern contains a thick layer of ice, which may be covered by a layer of water in the summertime. Craters of the Moon is also famous for being a part of NASA's effort to send men to the actual moon. Several of the astronauts came here to study the area as an example of what they might encounter when they landed on the moon. Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/9753990

A Saturday Morning in Nigeria

I see two girls with buckets of water on their heads; one is green, the other is black. I see a woman by the well, she's fetching water from the well, and scolding her child for whatever crime he committed. Mothers are gods. Some men are gathered in front of a house, holding a meeting of some sort, or probably just gossiping. "E ra epo e s'ebe" (Buy palm oil and cook your soup). Her voice is the traditional advertising tool, she's taller than most women around. A woman holding a yellow keg just passes me by.

Down the street, I see a man struggling with his bike, the thing just doesn't want to work this morning. I see a shirtless child, probably a girl or boy, its rounded tummy is not enough proof of either gender. The street is littered with dirt. There's a constant noise A woman is grinding pepper. I'm wondering if there are no really aged people here unlike where I come from, I've barely seen any. I check the front of each house, but there are none. The weather is a bit different, rain drizzled a bit yesterday, I like that. It makes a good Saturday morning.

I see one very fine girl, I've seen her around a few times. We make eye contact once I look off my phone. She's probably wondering why I'm all sucked up in my phone, or probably hoping I'll approach her. Anyway... A man is coming behind me, he's making ridiculous sounds with his slippers, he's dragging his feet, I hate that. I'm thinking of going to the next street, maybe I'll see some really aged people. But come to think of it, I've not seen a car on this street.. Wow! I'm thinking about my project, too. And also, I'm thinking of how Lagos streets will be contrastingly busy. I'm thinking of how things would be if I had a car, I certainly wouldn't be walking around aimlessly. I'm thinking of the writing brand I'm working on.

Life at Cape Flattery Lighthouse

In March of 1778 Captain James Cook sailed the waters of the North Washington Coast where there was an opening along the coastline. He named the place Cape Flattery because he thought he had been flattered into thinking it was a passage into The Strait of Juan de Fuca. In his logbook he wrote "In this very latitude geographers have placed the pretended Strait of Juan de Fuca. But nothing of that kind presented itself to our view, nor is it probable that any such thing ever existed." Ten years later Captain John Meares managed to confirm the existence of the Strait of Juan de Fuca when he visited a small island that sits about a half mile off Cape Flattery.

There he met Tatooche, chief of the Makah Indians. He named the island after Chief Tatooche. The chief used the island as his base during summers when he hunted whales and caught salmon. In 1850 William McArthur had just finished surveying the west coast and recommended a lighthouse be established on Tatooche Island. In this way the vessels could enter the strait at night and not have to wait until daylight.

In 1854 Congress was convinced to allocate $39,000 to build lighthouses on Tatoosh Island and on New Dungeness Spit. The government had paid $30,000 for all of the Makah's traditional lands except for a small reservation at Neah Bay. The Makah Indians were quite angry with the white people who purchased their land and gave the construction crew a hostile reception. This was because several hundred of the Indians had been killed by an outbreak of smallpox in 1853 brought on by the disease bearing "Bostons". During the summer the Indians continued to use the island for fishing and whale hunting. In order to protect themselves the construction crew built a blockhouse of rough-hewn timbers before they started construction on the lighthouse.

There was always one member of the crew on guard duty but there were no more issues with the Indians other than a few missing tools and supplies. On December 28, 1857 the first-order Louis Sauter Fresnel lens light was first illuminated in the sixty-six foot tower of Cape Flattery lighthouse. This tower was taller than most of the Cape-Cod-Style lighthouses. Its white light had a focal plane 162 feet above the sea. Cape Flattery lighthouse was the fourteenth established on the west coast. The pay for a lighthouse keeper was poor and the weather conditions were miserable.causing many keepers to resign. In 1861 there was a visitor to the island who saw the rundown condition of the lighthouse. He saw the leaky roof and the moss growing on inside walls. Wind even blew across the chimney causing smoke to invade the living quarters.

The keepers were provided with extra fuel and the district engineer was commanded to find a permanent solution. In 1873, after several years of deplorable conditions and inept keepers, the lighthouse dwelling was declared "not fit to be occupied" as the walls were moldy all year long. Congress appropriated $18,000 to build a new duplex with six rooms on each side. The rooms in the lighthouse which were formerly keepers quarters were now being used for storage. Some very interesting things happened on this island. Francis James was the first principal keeper. One day he became angry with an assistant and threw coffee in his face. The two men decided to settle the argument with a gunfight. They took three shots at each other, called it a draw and shook hands. Later, another assistant confessed to removing the bullets.

Due to the "frollicking" nature of the bachelor keepers it was decided that keepers with families were more dependable and in 1894, with families coming onto the island, it was determined that more living space was needed. and the lighthouse was once again made livable. October 27,1900 assistant keeper Nels Nelson and Frank Reif lost their lives in a small boat during a storm. Their bodies were found over a week later on Vancouver Island. In 1900 John W Cowan and his wife and seven children arrived at the lighthouse and stayed on for 32 years experiencing many exciting times. The children attended school in Portland while staying with relatives.

They spent the summers at home on the island with their parents. Eventually there were enough children on the island to warrant a school. On February 18, 1911 Cowan saw a vessel struggling in angry seas between Tatoosh Island and Neah Bay. He was able to rescue two navy radio men, but was unable to save three others including his own son Forrest. There is a story, not verified, that a seventy-mile-per-hour gale hit the island in 1921. It blew Mr. Cowan across the island for about 300 ft while he clung to vegetation before crawling to safety.

The family's bull was listed as "lost at sea". Everyone was very surprised and plied him with extra rations when he swam ashore. The Cowan family was evidently much beloved. When they left the island after retiring in September of 1932 their fellow islanders were in tears. Second Assistant Keeper Ole Rasmussen was another casualty while returning to the island in a small boat. Heavy swells capsized his craft and he was struck in the head.

The weather station was closed in 1966. 1977 brought automation of the light station. A modern beacon was installed to replace the tower's Fresnel lens in 1996 The Makah Indian Tribe now controls the decommissioned Cape Flattery Lighthouse and the island. It is well worth the trip to drive to Neah Bay, get out of the car and hike the o.75 miles to the tip of the cape where you can view Tatoosh Island and the lighthouse. This happens to be the western most point in the continental US.

The Good News at the Right Time

When you have a Damascus experience like Paul, it changes your life radically. Before, Paul killed Christians; now he supports the other side 100%. He is driven to use all his energy to tell people about Jesus. When you meet Jesus face to face, everything changes to completely. No prison can stop Paul. No stick that hits his body, no shouting or spitting by a soldier will stop him. His passion to save others from eternal fire burns constantly and nothing can put it out, 4... that God will open doors for telling the mystery of Christ, even while I'm locked up in this jail. Pray that every time I open my mouth I'll be able to make Christ plain as day to them. I'm embarrassed by my own little fire. It is so easily extinguished or put out.

So easily I keep quiet and rather say nothing, because nowadays we have to give everyone space to believe as they like. I take my hat off to a number of teachers in my son's school. They saw the need to help dads to connect to their sons and started a movement called Engage. Any father and son are welcome. They know many are not Christians. They are careful and try not to offend. But they are not afraid to say exactly who they believe in. Even the head boy who talked directly to the young boys stated clearly that he had made a choice for Jesus in his life. How wonderful it was when this same head boy concluded the evening with a prayer and blessed everybody. Here one could see that today there are still people like Paul who cannot keep quiet.

The secret must be revealed. The risk doesn't matter, whether it is imprisonment or the government or losing your friends, every person must hear the good news. I think they know how to tell the right thing at the right time. Yes, they are sensitive and give space. But that doesn't mean that they don't speak up. By hook or by crook, the secret must out! I realise that we cannot make it work on our own. Paul knows that too. I suspect that Paul's personality is more a "turn or burn" technique, and, therefore, he asks for reinforcements.

 We are too weak. Either our fire is extinguished or we are insensitive and drives people away before we get a chance to give the message. God must help us. We need God's Spirit to guide us so that we can say and do the right thing at the right time. May it be so. May we be sensitive to the guidance of the Spirit. Let us strive to follow Paul's example. May we be like the teachers at my son's school and burn like the head boy to tell the good news and may God's Spirit guide us to do it in the right way at the right time.

Museums and the Marathon Man

The Washington Post article by Christopher Ingraham (June 13th, 2014) says it all "There are more museums in the U.S. than there are Starbucks and McDonald's - combined." Quite accurately we think of museums as important cultural and educational institutions; however, they are also quiet superstars of the entertainment industry. According to The American Alliance of Museums (AAM), with over 800 million live visits annually, their attendance exceeds that of all theme parks and major sporting events combined. But America's museums are much more than popular and numerous; they are cultural and educational gems that play a vital role. They are community elders that tell the stories of our American neighborhoods.

Mamie Bittner with The Institute of Museum and Library Studies (IMLS) stated in the Washington Post article: "Many of these institutions, particularly in small towns and rural areas, are historical societies and history museums. We are in love with our history - at a very grassroots level we care for the histories of our towns, villages and counties," The story of how I came to visit and admire so many small museums begins nearly eight years ago when I faced a scary scenario. Diagnosed with prostate cancer my doctor's instructions were clear and blunt.

"We caught this thing very early; lose some weight but by year's end take care of this." Taking care of this meant either an operation or radiation. He was confident that either procedure would be sufficient; nevertheless, I was scared as hell. When you hear that diagnosis, "you have cancer", a thousand things race through your mind all at once, yet somehow the whole world stops at the same time. What are the treatment options... I have to research each treatment... I have to research the surgeons... what if I don't make it... what happens to my wife... what happens to my family... I want this thing out of me... how do you research this stuff... I want this done before the end of the year... why me... why not me. My mind was racing, racing, racing. Who do I tell? When do I tell them? Should I tell them? My mind was just racing, racing, racing. It was June 2010.

I was 54 years old, a professor, husband and father. Earlier that year my wife had been hospitalized for 34 days. Should I tell my wife? Would this aggravate her condition? She was already worried about being unemployed. Do I tell her? Our three sons were all in high school and doing reasonably well; the oldest would start college in the fall. Out of worry would my oldest boy forgo his athletic scholarship to stay home with his ailing parents? Even if he did go to college, if he knew I was battling cancer how would this affect him academically? Who should I tell? Do I tell my boys? Do I tell everyone? Do I tell no one? I once heard somewhere that "we grow up and become our parents." How true that is.

Although it didn't occur to me at the time, I'd seen this situation play out before in 1969; I was 12. One day my dad asked me to come with him to his doctor. This was strange; he had never asked me to go to a doctor with him before. We went to St. Nicholas Park, Mount Morris Park, Central Park, baseball games, museums and grocery stores. On Sundays we walked to newsstands to buy the New York Times and Daily News. Afterwards we'd come back home and eat big southern style Sunday breakfasts - smothered chicken, smothered pork chops, grits, gravy and biscuits, never rolls - always biscuits. We did a lot, but he had never asked me to go to a doctor with him. I should have known that something was up, but I didn't. The doctor's appointment took place on an early evening. The office was located on the first floor of an apartment building and it was dark outside. I sat in the waiting area while my dad met privately with the doctor. That day his doctor told him he had six months to live. My dad a tall, quiet, dignified WWII vet said nothing.

We went home and he acted as if nothing had happened. He kept it all to himself. Yet twenty one years later, and long after his doctor had died, my dad was still alive. He told no one this frightening secret for all of those years. Finally, in 1990 he spoke with me about what had happened on that day way back in 1969. When I asked him why he hadn't said anything he had a classic answer, "Hell, I wasn't gonna die to just to make the doctor look good." To this day I still don't know if he ever told anyone else. In 2010, 41 years after my dad was told he had six months to live and said nothing to the family, I became my dad - absent the courage and dignity of the WWII vet. Initially I told no one. I did however listen to my doctor's advice and began power-walking aggressively to lose the weight. I weighed 308 pounds. This was the beginning of a journey.

Little did I know it would transform my health, my body and to a great degree my soul. I elected for a robotic prostatectomy as treatment. Recognizing that I would be hospitalized for several days I was forced to say something to my wife. Every married man knows that disappearing for several days without telling your wife is a guaranteed death sentence; cancer is only potentially lethal. We sat down on the living room sofa on a Sunday around 7pm. It was the evening before I'd be admitted to the hospital. This scenario gave her very little time to dwell on the matter; I had to be at the hospital early the next day. As I had feared, she broke down and began to cry and as soon I uttered the word cancer. We agreed not to tell our sons; we both thought it might cause them to worry. Fortunately the operation was a success.

Neither chemotherapy nor radiation was required. Several months later I resumed my power-walking. Over time a routine evolved. I prefer walking outdoors in parks (no matter the temperature) to treadmills and tracks, mornings are better than evenings, warmups last 5 - 7 minutes, weekday walks last 45 - 50 minutes, weekend sessions last a minimum of 90 minutes and finally, almost all sessions end with 7- 8 minutes of stretching. I walk 4 times per week during cold months and 4 - 5 times per week during warm months, I also found a very reliable partner, music from the 70s, 80s and 90s. My partner also gets along fabulously with an ancient Sony Walkman. Who knows, perhaps this partner is my subconscious whispering to remind me of long lost youth.

While I do not claim to be a very religious person, being outdoors in parks (which are after all tiny forests) sweating, breathing and among the general splendor of God's nature is often a spiritual event. The cancer has now been gone for nearly eight years. Over that time 70 pounds have melted away and my diabetes seems to have disappeared, or at the very least be well controlled. Along the way I began to enter races; I power-walk but compete against runners. Half marathons (13.1 miles) and 10Ks (6.2 miles) are my favorites. Being somewhat vain, before entering my first race I checked the times of the runners to make sure I would not finish last. At first I entered local races. Later a colleague, who is a runner, told me about the Philadelphia "Love Marathon" which I competed in. This lead me to research races in other locations.

Now, I travel to participate I races. However, journeying to different cities only to participate in a single race seemed hardly to be an efficient use of time and travel. I needed another activity to compliment the racing. This is how I developed an interest in small museums. I had some experience with researching museums. Years ago I had begun exploring museums as field trip venues for high school students. At the time I supervised a college program that provided various activities for at-risk high school students.

The American Alliance of Museums (AAM) provided a great deal of information for our program. Later, as I began to look for museums in the cities and towns I would be racing in, AAM and several other museum related organizations such as The Institute of Museum and Library Service (IMLS) and Museums of the World (MOW) have become valuable resources. One fact that immediately became clear is that America is the undisputed museum capitol of the world. According to MOW there were an estimated 55,000 museums located in 202 countries in 2014. IMLS, (a U.S. agency) states there are 35,144 active museums in the United States alone. Assuming these data are accurate, over 63% of the world's museums are located in America. The IMLS 2012-16 Strategic Plan points out "There are more than 4.5 billion objects held in public trust by museums, libraries, archives and other institutions in the U.S." 

The Mind of an Artist

Art Student, Chiamaka Okenwa, answers the question, 'What runs through the mind of an artist before the birth of a true masterpiece?' This is a question that plagues everyone, especially in today's chaotic world where your identity is easily lost. The answer to this question is what I have set out to find in my visit to 'Identities', an exhibition at Denk Spaces. At the entrance to the gallery was a display by the exhibiting artist Erasmus Onyishi.

What had at first appeared to be a mere tangle of wires and clutter took form upon more careful observation as a colony of ants marching up the wall. This mixed media piece, Openly Closed, was perhaps what opened our minds to the existence of other forms of art apart from realism, a concept we had been more or less closed off to. Stepping into the building, eyes began to fill with wonder. Each separate work was a colorful and vivacious expression of the same, special theme: Identity.

The exhibiting artists had identified themselves through their work by their choices of color, line, texture and form, and each work appealed to all of us in different ways. One of Henry Eghosa's expressive works, depicting a woman in the process of dressing in traditional attire seemed to whisper, our culture is our pride.

Stephen Osuchukwu, in his dignified rendition of an elephant herd, drew focus to the matriarch elephant whose leadership position is almost synonymous with its identity. This female cow is the oldest and largest in the herd and is responsible for leading the elephant herd. Their survival rests on her broad shoulders.

On deeper reflection we realize that, perhaps, we are a sort of matriarch when we are given leadership positions. Obinna Makata, in his work Beauty Deeper than Cosmetics II, leads us to realize the need to maintain our own unique identities in a world where society dictates what to wear, how we should look and, ultimately, who we become. Another work of his, Of Race and Identity, tells us Africans that we do not truly conform to the label [Black], but our identities are rainbows of color, because there is a splash of something special in each and every one of us. His artful employment of Ankara emphasizes individuality.

Just as each Ankara pattern derives its beauty from its unique pattern, so we derive our own from our difference in identities. Promise O'nali, whose novel style would identify him in the farthest corners of the world, gives us another take on the term, identity. Because who are we, really? It is something to be deeply reflected upon.

 His works, in a cool and simple manner, induce the viewer to observe the intricacy of man's journey through life, and the constant battle to maintain his true self. At the end of this truly inspiring and eye-opening exhibition, I returned almost on a different plane of mind. I had taken away one general lesson. In the words of Mr. Nnoli, "Art is always involved in our lives... It opens the door to our individual creativity."

Mind Mapping for Creating Characters

Whether you consider it using flow charts, whiteboards or even just free association, Mind Mapping has been around for some time now. People have used it for taking notes, brainstorming, and problem-solving. A Mind Map is a tool used to visually organize information or ideas. As a writer, it can be used for solving writer's block or creating a workable outline.

 Today I am going to show you how to create a character sketch. Character sketches can be very basic or incredibly detailed. It can include eye and hair color or blood type and your heroes first kiss. Many writers go online and look for pre-made character sketches that include hundreds of questions that may not apply to your work. This is where the idea of a mind map comes in handy.

For those who are not familiar with the process, don't worry creating a mind map is not complicated. It can be done on a piece of paper, a whiteboard or using software programs. It doesn't have to be expensive. There are several FREE programs that will do an excellent job, including xmind.net, mindmaple.com, and freemind.sourceforge.net. Some of these programs have paid versions, but as a writer, the free versions will do everything you need.

 To create a mind map on any subject there are 4 basic steps. Step 1 - Start by writing a single concept in the middle of a blank page. Step 2 - Add related ideas to this concept and use lines to connect them. Step 3 - Branch off each of these ideas to expand and create new thoughts. Step 4 - Use different colors, symbols, and images to make each branch unique.

To help visualize this process I will use one of my own characters as an example. Every character you create will be different, but if you use these points as a starting place, it will be much easier. My starting point is always very specific. I use my character's name and a photo of what I think he or she will look like. Why do I add a photo? Because as the saying goes, "a picture IS worth a thousand words." Personally, I put the name and photo inside a red circle at the center of the page, like a bullseye. I add new ideas to focus on around my character.

 Each idea is placed in its own circle and connected by a wavy line. Why a wavy line? Because straight lines are boring and analytical, I am trying to tap into the creative side of my brain. I will also use a different color for each circle and the line that connects it, for the same reason. I focus on six main points with each character. These include Family, Friends, Work, Skills, Physical and Secrets. At this point, it might be hard to come up with a photograph for each category, but you can use symbols like a question mark for the section that says Secrets. This is where the fun begins. Under each main point listed, I include 5 additional sub-ideas.

 For example, under Family, I would list Mother, Father, Siblings, Other and History. Each of these would also have their own circle, and I would color that circle the same as the primary idea Family. I can already hear someone saying this won't work for me, my character's parents are dead, or my character is an orphan. So? This is only to spark ideas. If the mother is dead, this will remind you of that and be a memory for your character to ponder about. If she's not, you can describe what he liked or disliked about her the most.

 The same idea applies to Siblings, if he has them he can tell stories of when his brother did this, or his sister did that. If he never had one, did he ever wonder what it would be like to have a brother or sister? You might wonder why I included the word Other. Whether your character's parents are living or not at some point someone else had a major impact on his life. That could be a babysitter, a scout leader or a teacher.

All of us are created by those we have interacted with. History would include things like who was the black sheep of the family, are all the women in this family short, have there always been anger issues? These are the things the character himself may not even realize affect his (or her) way of thinking. I could write an entire article on how your character's family affects the way they act or think or believe. That's kind of the point of a mind map, you can go as deep as you want.

 By keeping it simple, (one word at a time) it allows your mind to keep filling in the blanks. Don't believe me? Just say the word Mother out loud and see what images and thoughts pop into your head. Most of the categories I listed are obvious, but I do want to take a moment to talk about Secrets. Every person on the planet has them and if you think you can create a character without them, you are sadly mistaken. It could be as simple as they never learned to swim, or as dramatic as they killed their own sister. This is also a good place to include habits. For example, if you wrote Taps, it could remind you when he gets nervous he always taps his fingers. If you wrote the word Ring, you would know she twists her ring when upset.

You don't have to write the whole reason why she twists her ring just write the word to keep your imagination going. Key points to remember: 1st point - Keep is simple. One word at a time. You are not writing the story you are capturing ideas to include in the story. 2nd point - Use color. Bright, vibrant colors stimulate the mind. The more stimulated the mind, the easier it is to be creative. 3rd point - Use curved lines to connect thoughts. Why? Because if you just use straight lines, the brain gets bored quickly. 4th point - Add images whenever possible.

Why? Because if a picture is worth a thousand words, then 10 pictures are worth ten thousand words. By using a word AND an image you engage both sides of the brain without limiting your potential. Once you start using mind mapping to write, ideas will flow one after another. It's actually very hard to have writer's block if ideas come so fast you can't keep up. It may not solve all your writing problems, but it will make things easier.

What First-Timers in a Nightclub Should Know

For every one of us, there might be a first time to enter a nightclub. Most people may have heard many stories, as well as seen the hype, and now they are ready to witness it directly. However, before they go past the ropes, these are some tips to consider: Q: What advice can be given to first time club goes to get inside faster and to take full advantage of their first experience at a nightclub? A: The best thing to do is pay for a VIP table. In doing so, their first time experience will linger longer in their memory than an alcohol sticker shock.

They should remember, though, to come early, bring their ID and have fun with every wow factor offered by the local venues. Q: What additional pointers can other give them in terms of etiquette when standing in line outside the club and inside as well? A: They should always be polite to have good relations with the staff. They should not request for anything that is not legal. Otherwise, they will be removed from the club. Q: Will the saying "money talks" work in a nightclub? Will a tip offered to the staff or security help them get in faster? Honestly, it will not let them go too far.

For faster entry, getting table service is a more effective strategy. Or else, they should plan ahead to get themselves on the guest list. Q: To get on the list, will it be best to speak with a promoter/club host first or talk directly to the club? How will this work? A: Speaking with the club promoter/host is the best thing to do to make sure they will be taken care of. It will be easier to establish relationships, since hospitality is what motivates people. A promoter will get these first timers on the list and even help in getting their table set up.

They will have a VIP host all through the night and to assist them the whole weekend. Q: What should club goers expect during celebrity-hosted nights? Will they expect fans to be there for the red carpet? Do celebrities mix with the crowd? A: During celebrity hosted nights, an ideal spot on the dance floor will let them fully view the night's events. The red carpet can be too fast that it might be over without realizing what the flashes are all about. Many people say that celebrities seldom mix with the crowd, but some have seen it happen.

Perhaps it really depends on their mood. Q: What are the regulations when it comes to taking pictures/videos inside nightclubs? A: GoPro's and large camera equipment are usually not allowed. Anyway, smart phones, nowadays, are capable of taking good quality pictures to share on social media, and are acceptable at all venues. Once you become a nightclub expert, you can now hit the venues in the right way. The above mentioned tips will let you have the best time ever.

American Teen Sensation or American Patriot?

Try to imagine a time when life was much more difficult, and kicking back in the recliner, watching TV, surrounded by all the comforts of home after a long day, was not even a fanciful notion. Rather, vigilance and invasion by a foreign entity of your town or home without notice was what was on the mind of freedom seeking people in this country. Even your own home was not a safe space. Sixteen year old Sybil, another young American patriot would have been a strong voice for Liberty in organizations like Turning Point or the Tea Party today, but it was not to be her time. What made her such an asset to the freedom and reform movement anyway? Well Sybil's father was a ranking Colonel who, in a battle situation needed to muster reinforcements to counter an enemy attack while simultaneously planning his defense.

His troops were scattered over a 30-mile loop of country side and he had no mechanized transportation or radio to help facilitate contact. Left with no one to call upon for help, Sybil, the only capable person available to get out a desperate call for help, decided to respond to what she considered to be her call to duty. Without hesitation, Sybil volunteered, in the middle of the night, and in the pouring rain, to get on her horse, `Star`, and ride, and ride she did! In her selfless act of courage, she rode for what seemed an eternity to notify as many as 400 troops who were ready to do battle to defend a lifestyle only dreamed of by true freedom seeking Americans. Modern day Americans have no experience or even a vision of what it would be like to have a foreign influence coming to our shores to battle us, challenging our constitutional rights and freedoms. We live free in part because of the bravery of men and women like Sybil. None of us will ever know the kind of person Sybil was, or what passions she possessed inside that would allow her ride 30 miles, alone, and risk life and limb to warn others of an invading enemy.

She indeed did help to thwart Americans being slaughtered. This time on American soil where there was no safe space for anyone to hide. You see, Sybil Ludington`s time was during the time of another Tea Party and revolution, some 240 years ago. In the night attack, the British did burn Danbury, Connecticut, an important supply depot for the Continental Army, but because of Sybil, many people were ready and escaped death. Sybil`s gutsy ride, and the message she carried is not widely known, but on April 26, 1777, calling out, in the cold of night, with rain blowing in her face, `Muster at Ludington`s! ` was indeed significant. It was not at all unlike Paul Revere`s ride. Today, Sybil`s heroism is memorialized with only a poem written by American poet Berton Braley, commemorating her historic ride, and a bronze statue, that stands honoring her bravery and passion for freedom, in Carmel, New York.