In Which Learning Golf Was a Gift

Growing up, my parents were two of the best people around. They got married when they were 15 and 17; they were 16 and 18 when my sister was born; they were 21 and 23 when I was born. They were great parents to my sister and me. They taught us right from wrong, and they helped lead us to become the people we are today. They were still married, still mushy, and still went on dates until my father passed away at the too young age of 45.

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Dad’s Army days in Germany

I remember as a child when I first began wearing glasses. I was holding my mother’s hand as I walked, and I looked down to my feet. I noticed that my feet were a lot closer to my face than normal, which caused me to think I had magically shrunk. My family members have held my hand, literally and figuratively, for as long as I can remember. 

Today is the 15th anniversary of my father’s passing. I’d like to share one of the the most important lessons my father taught me as child:

Play Golf.

My father was the most intelligent person I have known. He taught me how to play golf. This lesson has been one of the most important lessons I have ever learned. This may sound like an irrational thought, but I have fully considered this. Through golf, my father and I became friends. Spending time on the golf course allowed me to know the man I have called Dad. From golf, I learned the value of “family”.

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Dad, my sister, and me in my grandmother’s kitchen

As I remember Dad today, I remember the fun he had in life. I remember his stories, his adventures. I remember how he and Mom met. I remember the speeding tickets and the police officers asking to see what was under the hood. I remember watching the Braves with him. I remember rooting for Dale Earnheardt and Dad rooting for Jeff Gordon.

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Dad in Atlanta, with Jeff Gordon’s car

I remember Dad.

I love and miss you Dad. We think of you every day, and know you are looking at us from Heaven, encouraging us, laughing with us, and crying for us. Thank you for being you. Thank you for being Dad.

Anyone feel like playing 9 holes?

Conversations with Riley #21: Vacuum Shenanigans

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RRRRR!

Me: <vacuums>
Riley: Whatcha doin’?
Me: Vacuuming – it makes the place cleaner.

–Later–

Riley: licks kennel floor
Me: whatcha doin’?
Riley: Vacuuming! See, I even sound like you! RRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!

The Maze Runner: Makes Your Mind Run

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Courtesy of the official movie website

This week, I decided to give The Maze Runner a trial run (see what I did there?). It was a last minute decision, and I was sure I was about to see another knockoff Hunger Games movie (I’m looking at you Divergent). 

I was wrong.

The Maze Runner is an intelligently written, and well acted, adventure mystery. Full of unknown actors (though the actor playing Gally did look like he could Chipper Jones’ son), I was very pleasantly surprised. This movie does a great job of asking the question, “What is home?” Gally really raises a great question. He was a great catalyst in the movie and lent credence to  a theme other than just “teens versus monsters”. 

Home is different for each of us. We all come from different walks of life – we all acclimate to our surroundings as we grow – we all internalize and identify with our environments. Even prisoners.

Do you ever wonder what life would be like elsewhere? Do you have the curiosity of Thomas, the main character, or are you content with a static environment? Themes like these are fantastic motivators and instigators of internal and external challenges. The Maze Runner does a great job of characterizing these challenges, while not skimping on the action.

This movie was definitely not Divergent; it wasn’t even Hunger Games. This movie lived and breathed on its own, and succeeded.

Quote of the Day 6-Oct-2014: On Living With Loss

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Courtesy of Ms Lamott’s Facebook Page

“You will lose someone you can’t live without,and your heart will be badly broken, and the bad news is that you never completely get over the loss of your beloved. But this is also the good news. They live forever in your broken heart that doesn’t seal back up. And you come through. It’s like having a broken leg that never heals perfectly—that still hurts when the weather gets cold, but you learn to dance with the limp.”

Anne Lamott

Classic Serenity

Ever since I began delving into photography as a hobby, I’ve been most attracted to taking shots of nature. I find great pleasure in finding out-of-the-way locales like this one:

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The really amazing fact about this – I wasn’t in the middle of a park; I wasn’t in the middle of the country. This is a picture of the West Fork Trinity River in the very heart of the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex. I love finding places like this, even in the heart of a sprawling urban environment: places totally devoid of signs of civilizations – no power lines, no roads, no airplanes in the sky.

As I continued learning more about photography, I absolutely fell in love with back & white shots as well. There is a timeless quality that taking  a B&W shot adds – and this quality adds quite a bit of serenity to the scene laid out in front of you:

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I think I like photography as much as I do, not just for the art I can create, and the fact that I can share the results with others, but also because I can find unique vistas like this. I can travel to places I’ve never been hidden just past places I frequent, and still find something new. Finding places like this is like winning a scavenger hunt that Mother Nature set before you.

I hope you enjoy looking at these as much as I enjoyed finding them, and sharing them.

 

Quote of the Day 3-Oct-2014: Makings of a Hero

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Courtesy of Ms. Atwood’s Facebook page

“Heroes need monsters to establish their heroic credentials. You need something scary to overcome.”

Margaret Atwood

In Which Pageants Destroy Our Souls

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Say it proudly

“Here she comes, Miss America!”

And the great news – she got a really great scholarship from the leading scholarship provider for women in the country! How awesome is that?!

I mean, it’s fantastic that there is an organization that provides $42,000,000 in educational scholarships to women every year! As John Oliver says, “it’s unbelievable!”

I wish I were a little more like John Oliver – because it was so unbelievable that he didn’t believe a word of it, and you shouldn’t either. I didn’t know about the Miss America scholarships before I watched this video, and I cannot recommend strongly enough that you watch it too. You will laugh from the humor and the absurdity that he uncovers in this extremely insightful video. 

I have known some amazing and strong women in life. I have known some incredibly intelligent women as well.

Women are not the enemy; women are not inferior to men; women are not sex objects. In keeping with the “scary” theme of October, the mentality that women are are these things should really give you a fright. This is an entirely and completely asinine mentality.

Women are the equal of men. They deserve to be treated by society in a manner fitting to who they are. I’m not saying anything earth-shattering: we all know this to be true. The United States is can be a great place to live, but we often are blinded by this. We often think that we are perfect because our society has been successful, and that there is no way we could possibly improve. This is a frightening misconception; it’s a nightmare from which we need to awaken. The United States is not a utopia.

We won’t erase sexism overnight, just as we won’t erase racism, or religious persecution overnight. What we can do, however, is to commit to improving ourselves, and by extension we can improve our culture. This can be done. As long as you keep placing one foot in front of the other, and as long as you continue the walk down this path. We should hope (and expect) to leave our children and grandchildren a more beautiful culture. 

Please share your thoughts in the comments below. I’d love to hear your experiences, both positive and negative. Let’s talk about the issues we face, for by facing them we can overcome them.

 

 

Conversations with Riley # 20: Ghost Hiders… er… Busters

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Picture Courtesy of Wikipedia

<smoke detector announcing battery is low>

Riley: What was that?
Me: Battery is low on the smoke detector

<smoke detector announcing battery is low>

Riley: WHAT was that?
Me: Oh I guess you haven’t heard that before
Riley: IT’S A GHOST! <hides>

<I brave heights to take the battery out>

Riley: Who you gonna call?
Me: It wasn’t a —
Riley: I ain’t ‘fraid of no ghost!!

In Which October Has Begun

Today is the first day of October. I look outside this morning and see a cloudy sky. I walk outside this morning and feel cool temperatures. The leaves haven’t begun to fall yet, though I know they will.

I love this time of year.

Historically, spring as the been the season for rebirth. For me though, fall is a time when I can spread my wings and venture back outside – I can try new things, experience new adventures, and meet new people. I feel reborn every year once October arrives.

Changing gears a touch – I’d like to start this month of ghosts and goblins by sharing a picture of the dreaded Ninja Santa! After all, ninjas are so sneaky, they celebrate Christmas on Halloween!

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Who is this masked man?!

On a related note – any unique costume suggestions you might have for me this Halloween will be duly considered. I might even post a picture of the costume I wear at the end of the month for you all to go wide-eyed at… So pick well! Leave your suggestions in the comments below, or email them to me at thedingowashere@gmail.com.

I want to thank you all, those who read these “growlings”. You are part of my adventure. If there is anything you all would enjoy seeing me write about, please let me know as well. I want you all to enjoy this journal as much as I enjoy writing it. Who knows – with Halloween fast approaching we might even get a fright out of learning what I think on various subjects!

Featured image courtesy of the city of Frisco, Colorado.

Quote of the Day 1-Oct-2014: Welcome October and Ghosts

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Courtesy of Stephen King’s official site

“…Monsters are real, and ghosts are real too. They live inside us, and sometimes, they win.”

Steven King