So Far So Good....

You will love this clip. Watch the whole thing. So far so good...LOL.

$104.3 million sculpture by by Alberto Giacometti

A life-size bronze sculpture of a man by Alberto Giacometti was sold Wednesday at a London auction for 65 million pounds ($104.3 million) — a world record for the most expensive work of art ever sold at auction, Sotheby’s auction house said.

It took just eight minutes of furious bidding for about ten bidders to reach the hammer price for “L’Homme Qui Marche I” (Walking Man I), which opened at 12 million pounds, Sotheby’s said.

The sculpture by the 20th century Swiss artist, considered an iconic Giacometti work as well as one of the most recognizable images of modern art, was sold to an anonymous bidder by telephone, the auction house said.

Sotheby’s had estimated the work would sell for between 12 to 18 million pounds.

The sale price trumped the $104.17 million paid at a 2004 New York auction for Pablo Picasso’s 1905 “Boy With a Pipe (The Young Apprentice).” That painting broke the record that Vincent van Gogh had held since 1990, and its sale was the first time that the $100 million barrier was broken.


“L’Homme Qui Marche I,” a life-size sculpture of a thin and wiry human figure standing 72 inches (183 centimeters) tall , “represents the pinnacle of Giacometti’s experimentation with the human form” and is “both a humble image of an ordinary man, and a potent symbol of humanity,” Sotheby’s said.

The work was cast in 1961, in the artist’s mature period. It is rare because it was the only cast of the walking man made during Giacometti’s lifetime that has ever come to auction, Sotheby’s said. It was bought by Dresdner Bank in the early 1980s.

The last time a Giacometti of comparable size was offered at auction was 20 years ago. That sculpture was sold for $6.82 million, a record for Giacometti works at the time.

Oh Say Can You See......

This is a wonderful rendition of the National Anthem...you will enjoy it...

The Cat

Monarch Butterfly

This photo by Lincoln P. Brower shows millions of Monarch butterflies huddled together in the fir forest in Michoacan, Mexico in which they spend the winter. The golden hue is created by the Monarchs. Immediately adjacent is the scarred earth stripped bear by logging.

In autumn about 100 million Monarch butterflies start their migration from Canada to the south. The insects navigate according to the position of the Sun, adjusting their calculations as it appears to move across the sky.

Maui No Ka Oie......

 

Maicey took Gramme and Popa to Maui with her on vacation. Daddy was at a conference
and we entertained Maicey all day and night. It was terribly difficult duty.....we had to drink MaiTai's all day......

 

 

 

 

Bet your kids know more Ragtime then you.......

Have your kids watch this. They will all recognize this ragtime music.
This is the theme to Animal Crossing and Yoshi's Island video games.

"K K Ragtime"



http://www.WestCoastRagtime.com

Everybody gathered around enjoying Tom Brier's piano playing! It was GREAT! This all took place during the Annual West Coast Ragtime Festival in Sacramento, CA in mid November of 2008.

"K.K. Ragtime" is the title of this melody and the composer's name is Kazumi Totaka. The piano arrangement is by Ron O'Dell and Tom Brier embellishes upon it brilliantly as usual!

Ukulele Lady

This recording is sung by Daphne Walker, a famous singer from New Zeland.


Sounds fun on an old player piano. These use to be something that a lot of people had in their homes along with hundreds of rolls of songs. The paper was punched with holes and the piano would read the holes in the paper and play the notes.
My aunt had an old player piano and you would set with your feet at the base of the piano and pump a pedal as hard as possible to provide the power for the piano to play. The one in this recording is powered by electricity.

Maicey at Christmas 2009

 

Maicey at Christmas. Getting ready to go shopping.

IZ - Somewhere Over the Rainbow....

Kamakawiwo'Ole - a very famous figure that is credited with renewing the spirit and pride of the Hawaiian people. He had a beautiful clear voice that is very enjoyable for listening. He died in 1997.
At the end of the video you will see the return of his ashes into the ocean and the joy and love of the Hawaiian people.

You will enjoy his version of "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" possibly more popular than the version by Judy Garland. ....Enjoy...... You might also recognize the song from American Idol; as one of the contestants sang this verson last year.


WITH ORIGINAL SOUND! Official 'SOMEWHERE OVER THE RAINBOW' Music Video by Israel Kamakawiwo'ole

download @ http://www.myspace.com/danielavideo
buy album http://www.amazon.com/Facing-Future-I...

Israel "Iz" Kaʻanoʻi Kamakawiwoʻole (May 20, 1959 -- June 26, 1997) (pronounced [ka-maka-vi-vo-ole]) was an Hawaiian musician.

He became famous outside Hawaii when his album Facing Future was released in 1993 with his medley of "Over the Rainbow" and "What a Wonderful World", which was subsequently featured in several films, television programs, and commercials.

From childhood, his family called Israel by his Hawaiian middle name, Kaʻanoʻi, the "beloved one". His name would later become the title name of his first solo album, Kaʻanoʻi, and also foretells the greatness of this "cherished one". It is interesting to note here that part of his name, anoʻi, when simplified to noʻi may be a contraction of the Hawaiian word, nohi. Nohi means "bright-colored, vivid, as the rainbow" (see Hawaiian Dictionary, Pukui and Elbert). Nohi, rainbow, beloved one, and cherished one are powerful symbols in his life. Iz's recording of the song "Somewhere Over The Rainbow" would become renowned throughout the world and continues to garner high acclaim. The song has come to be known as Izʻs "signature song", the most renowned of all his songs.

Kamakawiwo`ole was nicknamed "The Gentle Giant" by his admirers. He was described as always cheerful and positive, and he was best known for his love of the land and of the people of Hawaiʻi. Through his consummate ukulele playing and incorporation of other idioms (such as jazz and reggae), Iz remains one of the major influences in Hawaiian music over the last 15 years.

DEATH:
Throughout the later part of his life, Iz was obese and at one point carried 758 pounds (344 kg) on his 6 feet 2 inches (1.9 m) frame. He endured several hospitalizations and died of weight-related respiratory illness on June 26, 1997 at 12:18 am at the age of 38. Thousands of fans gathered and cheered as his ashes were scattered into the Pacific Ocean at Mākua Beach on July 12, 1997.

Christmas 2009

Dax and Katie had a beautiful tree for Maicey's first Christmas. All of her grandparents/aunts/uncles and cousins came for the day
Dax and Katie finally found something to read....hope they read them to Maicey and not just look at the pretty pictures.

Dax thought he hit the jackpot but soon found out all of those gifts were for Maicey......
Katie Uncle Matt and Uncle Aaron
Aaron, Alicia and Amanda Christmas 2009.
Maicey Christmas 2009
Amanda Christmas 2009

Crystal Cave

Cueva de los Cristales (Cave of Crystals), Chihuahua Desert, Mexico

Among the largest crystals known to man, the beams of selentite found deep below Mexico’s Chihuahuan Desert are breathtaking. Nearly a thousand feet below the Earth’s surface and in one of the country’s most productive silver and lead mines, Cueva de los Cristales was discovered by a pair of brothers working for the Naica mine.

The glistening beams are the product of calcium sulfate saturated groundwater filtering through the numerous limestone caves of Naica for hundreds of thousands of years, warmed by the resonating heat of the magma below. Preliminary research suggests the crystals to be at least 600,000 years old and the process of accretion was only halted in 1985 when, unbeknownst to cave workers who lowered the water table with industrial pumps, drained the cavernous cathedral of crystals.

Over 140 of the expansive crystals have been documented with estimations of their numbers around 170. Along with the cave of crystals, the mine is also home to others caves named for their peculiar formations: Eye of the Queen, Cave of Candles, and Cave of Swords. The largest crystal discovered to this point was a massive 37.4 feet. Good luck finding a museum to fit any of these examples in. Efforts are being made to preserve the cave to prevent looters and such from ruining its pristine formations.

Ice Palace

26th Harbin International Ice and Snow Festival at a park in Harbin, Heilongjiang province, China.
Visitors to Harbin's popular ice and snow festival should dress in layers -- and don't be surprised if you're digital camera acts up because of the cold weather.


The buildings seen at Harbin's annual snow festival celebrating snow and ice are made from blocks of ice.

Tallest Building in the World.....

Today Dubai hosted the inauguration of the tallest building in the world, Burj Dubai. The building is 168 stories high and reaches 2,684 feet into the sky.

This is truely an amazing building.....over 1billion dollars to construct.

Burj Dubai is the world's tallest building, tallest free-standing structure, boasts the highest occupied floor, the highest outdoor observation deck and the world's longest-traveling elevator (1,640 feet in 2 minutes). (excerpt from CNN).

The building includes 5-star Armani Hotel which offers 160 guest rooms across 10 floors. The 430,000-square-foot hotel, designed and furnished by Italian fashion designer Giorgio Armani, features eight restaurants, a spa, swimming pool, library, fitness center and business center, as well as 30,000 square feet of conference and banquet space on "mirror-smooth marble floors," according to the Armani corporate Web site.

How we Get Great Gas Mileage.....

We might not be going anywhere in a hurry but we will be getting great gas mileage.

How to Make a New Year's Resolution

Tradition dictates that every 365 days, you should try to kick bad habits and start your life anew. So sit down with a cup of coffee, a paper and a pen, and reflect: What kinds of New Years Resolutions will you make for yourself this January 1st?

1. Create a Plan

Setting a goal without formulating a plan is merely wishful thinking. In order for your resolution to have resolve, (as the word "resolution" implies), it must translate into clear steps that can be put into action. A good plan will tell you A) What to do next and B) What are all of the steps required to complete the goal.


2. Create Your Plan IMMEDIATELY

If you're like most people, then you'll have a limited window of opportunity during the first few days of January to harness your motivation. After that, most people forget their resolutions completely.

It is imperative that you begin creating your plan immediately.

3. Write Down Your Resolution and Plan

myGoals.com exists to help you formulate a plan, which we then help you stick to. But even if you don't use myGoals.com, commit your resolution and plan to writing someplace, such as a notebook or journal.

4. Think "Year Round," Not Just New Year's

Nothing big gets accomplished in one day. Resolutions are set in one day, but accomplished with a hundred tiny steps that happen throughout the year. New Year's resolutions should be nothing more than a starting point. You must develop a ritual or habit for revisiting your plan. myGoals.com helps you stick to your plan by providing email reminders that arrive when it's time to work on a given task.

And finally...

5. Remain Flexible

Expect that your plan can and will change. Life has a funny way of throwing unexpected things at us, and flexibility is required to complete anything but the simplest goal. Sometimes the goal itself will even change. Most of all, recognize partial successes at every step along the way. Just as a resolution isn't accomplished the day it's stated, neither is it accomplished the day you reach your goal. Rather, it's accomplished in many small increments along the way. Acknowledge these incremental successes as they come.

Happy New Year......

H ours of happy times with friends and family
A bundant time for relaxation
P rosperity
P lenty of love when you need it the most
Y outhful excitement at lifes simple pleasures

N ights of restful slumber (you know - dont' worry be happy)
E verything you need
W ishing you love and light

Y ears and years of good health
E njoyment and mirth
A angels to watch over you
R embrances of a happy years!

Dengozo..by Ernesto Nazareth...

Watch this one....it's only about a minute long.
I don't think you will see this on Dancing with the Stars.



Nazareth was a famous composer from Brazil. His music was international and often
thought to be Parisian but only because it was performed so widely in Paris.
This little clip is Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers (I know you thought that was Linda and Mike) performing a tango called The Maxixe. Maxixe (pronounced Ma-chee-ch)

Ernesto Nazareth (1863-1934) was born and lived throughout his life in Rio de Janeiro. Raised in a modest home, he began piano lessons with his mother and then studied with family friends Eduardo Madeira and Lucien Lambert. His unusual talents were recognized at an early age when, at fourteen, his first piano composition, the polka-lunda Voce bem sabe was published.

During this time musical life in Brazil was a rich tapestry of imported European art music and indigenous folk music performed by the chorinhos. The chorinhos were serenading bands who played a variety of string and wind instruments including guitar, mandolin and ukelele, flute and clarinet. These street musicians improvised on traditional Brazilian folks melodies and rhythms very often flavored with “blues-like” tunes known as choros. For Nazareth, these musical currents were among the ideas which charged his own imagination at the keyboard.

Be who you are.......

Be who you are and say what you feel because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind.
-Dr. Seuss

Merry Christmas

Quote For Today:

"Christmas - that magic blanket that wraps itself about us, that something so intangible that it is like a fragrance. It may weave a spell of nostalgia. Christmas may be a day of feasting, or of prayer, but always it will be a day of remembrance - -a day in which we think of everything we have ever loved."

~ Augusta E. Rundel

Through Edens Gate (Cakewalk)

Cory Hall plays the piano. Cory is a piano scholar that studies Bach and other great composers.
He teaches at the University of Florida.

WHAT IS A CAKEWALK.........?
Its origins in slavery and the plantation south, the Cakewalk was the sole organized and even condoned forum for servants to mock their masters. A send-up of the rich folks in the "Big House," the cakewalk mocked the aristocratic and grandiose mannerisms of southern high-society. Much bowing and bending were characteristic of the dance, which was more a performance than anything else. Couples lined up to form an aisle, down which each pair would take a turn at a high-stepping promenade through the others. In many instances the Cakewalk was performance, and even competition. The dance would be held at the master’s house on the plantation and he would serve as judge. The dance’s name comes from the cake that would be awarded to the winning couple. The sayings "Easy as a piece of cake" and "It's a cakewalk" originated from this dance.

Antique Santa.......

This is a very old Woolson Spice Co. card, showing a gorgeous colorful Santa with his bag of toys. He's leaning over the moon and looking at an ocean scene below. Such a whimsical piece, notice how Santa is hanging stockings on the Moon!

Ann....

I don't know who shot this photo but I'm sure that is my sister on her way to Florida to visit the grandkids.....
Hi Ann......you look great. HAVE A MERRY CHRISTMAS......
We love you............

Our advise to Tiger Woods.......

"If a relationship has to be a secret, you shouldn't be in it."

That advise is number 14 on a list of "48 Things Life Taught Me".
The list was written by a 90 year old lady....years ago.

I think her advise is still applicable today. We may have wonderful and powerful
gadgets and things.......but all the same morals and values apply today
that were relavent 100 years ago.

Oh, and one more thing Tiger. This is number 15 on the same list.
"Everything can change in the blink of an eye. But don't worry; God never blinks."

We hope that all this turns out for the best for Tiger, his wife and children.

Santa Painting.....

A great painting by Mike Beeman of Cheyenne, Wyoming. This painting is one of
the Daily Painters Art Gallery.

A Special Vintage Christmas Card....

Here is a beautiful old vintage Christmas card, thank you Graphics Fairy.....

Merry Christmas...Mike and Linda

 

Maicey and Santa 2009.....

 

Who is that Raindeer????