Folks,

 Just wanted to pass this on to anyone who may be interested.  I got an e-mail today from Mission.  She is doing well and managing quite nicely so far.  The warm weather seems to agree with her.

She will have internet access again soon, but until then she asked me… Read full post »

 If you missed the first installment, it's here.

For our cruise, we booked a single shore excursion for each port.  We thought it would be a good way to see the islands.  It isn’t.  Don’t get me wrong, the excursions we booked were great and we had a lot of… Read full post »

 

For almost ten days, my life was one of leisure and adventure.  My wife Carol and I decided to celebrate our twenty-fifth wedding anniversary by escaping the oncoming winter of Vermont and rushing headlong into the balmy waters and inviting islands of the southern Caribbean.  We step… Read full post »

I'm back.

 

NOT that you'll notice for a few days.  I have been a busy guy.  :-D

To fill you in, my wife and I decided to celebrate our twenty-fifth wedding anniversary by taking a cruise to the southern Caribbean.  We sailed from Fort Lauderdale on November 4, with two… Read full post »

Folks,

I've been here on Open Salon now for more than a year.  I started at the tail end of the beta period, and I must  say that things don't look quite the same.  Now, that is neither good nor bad; it just is.  I have met so many incredibly talented… Read full post »

It started this summer, as most romances do.  From the moment I saw those luscious curves, that exquisite beauty, the conclusion was foregone.  I could not afford to begin this affair, but I felt powerless to stop it.

Here then is the photo expose of my torrid but brief affair this… Read full post »

If you are down because it's Monday, if you're down because (in the U.S. anyway) the days are getting shorter and the nights are getting colder, if you're down for ANY reason on Earth, please spend the next eight minutes of your day watching this:

 

 

 

 

With… Read full post »

I wanted to post some more foliage shots, but I haven't processed them yet.  So, to start of your weekend with a roar, I thought I'd post some foliage shots that are a little more jazzed up.  I hope you enjoy these.

 

 

 

  … Read full post »

 

 

I awaken to butterscotch and electric blue raspberry,

A rebirth of my soul.

 

 

Translucent syrup of glittery dew and the buzz

Of insects happily attending a smorgasborg.

 

 

 

 

Hot cinnamon skies and atomic fireball suns… Read full post »

 Photo courtesy of Mat G.2007 on Flicker:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/aeguy63/2796912433/

Some Rights Reserved.

You can find Part I here, and Part II here.  This will be your final stop.

 

 

Part III – The Night Train

 

Brian entered the office and was quick… Read full post »

 

I took yesterday off so that a major life change could occur.  Victor left for his first year of college out in California, and we went through the high-stress preparations as the packing done on Tuesday turned out to be problematic on Wednesday morning. … Read full post »

You can find Part I of this tale here .

(For those of you who might not know that's a link: http://open.salon.com/blog/bill_s/2009/10/09/night_train )

 

Part 2 - And Now

March 2009

Brian Engstrom was on his way up.  He’d spent the last five years… Read full post »

 FOREWORD:

This is a tale that will be told serially.  Sorry, but it is simply too long to try and fit into a single post IMHO.  I hope you'll take the ride along with me.

 Part 1 - Then..........

 

September 2001

The classroom appeared to… Read full post »

 

 

                                        “The Ice Dancer”

 

Li… Read full post »

                         YESTERDAY

 

     Yesterday, in a stone forest,

     I finally found my life.    

 … Read full post »

We're peaking!  We're peaking!  Are you peeking????  :-D

OK, for those who are still interested, who will be traveling through or to Vermont this week, here is the latest in the fall foliage report:

 

 Map courtest of WCAX.COM

As you can see, a good portion of the st… Read full post »

 

 

 

I. Cord Of Life
(Anderson/Bruford/Howe/Squire)

A man conceived a moment's answers to the dream,
Staying the flowers daily, sensing all the themes.
As a foundation left to create the spiral aim,
A movement regained and regarded both the same,
All complete in the sight of seeds… Read full post »

Here is an update to the fall foliage report for Central Vermont;

 IT'S FOLIAGE TIME!!!!!!!

I took some new shots yesterday afternoon around my office, and again this morning on the way in to work (I was late so that I could bring you the latest - that's how dedicated I… Read full post »

Dear President Obama,

 

I’d like to start off simply mentioning that I am one of the folks that voted for you last November.  When you spoke about hope, about the need for real change, it resonated with me.  I’d watched my country helplessly slide towards the abyss for… Read full post »

Some folks have asked me about the expectations for fall foliage this year.  My answer so far has been, "Well, we are expecting leaves to change color again this year.  Your guess is as good as mine as to when it will happen and how fast."

Actually, foliage usually starts the… Read full post »

 

 

Well folks, we've made it through another week.  There's a crisp chill in the air this morning here, and the mountains are starting to drag out their fall fashions in preparation for the last party of the season (typically called FOLIAGE around here).  Summer's gone, and the l… Read full post »

 

 

 

* Republican Party symbol courtesy of http://standupforamerica.wordpress.com/2009/02/22/the-direction-of-the-republican-party/

 

We’ve been having an on-going debate here in Vermont since last July.  Like everywhere else, we have projected budget…

Read full post »

There are a wide variety of people who post on Open Salon.  There are the casual bloggers who use it as a journal; the political and current events journalists; the creative writers that are sharpening their skills; photographers, painters, cartoonists, sculptors, potters - the list goes on and… Read full post »

*UPDATE:

I did not have time when I posted this to check the woman's name on Open Salon to see if anyone else had already found it.

Someone did.  So, if you are inclined to watch the video, I would direct you to a post by Ariana Paz   as she found… Read full post »

I’ve always wondered what life is all about.  We’re taught there is a beginning, a middle, and an end.  The beginning has always been fairly concrete, the middle a little ambiguous, but the end – the end has always been downright hazy, a mirage shimmering in the desert hea… Read full post »