Christmas Eve @ Teachín Ircink's.

 

 

Honestly, every get-together with my family is like this. It just so happens it's Christmas Eve and there's a scrumptious spread on the dining room table. And there's a Christmas tree. And presents & lights & snow. And my mother's wearing Santa's cap. Other than that - it's "business" as usual. So thankful. Candids & random shots.

 

James "Jimmy" Anthony.

 

Dolores "Dee Dee" Regina.

Jeffrey James.

Jason James.

Molly (left) & Zol.

 

Jas' lighting expertise #1.

 

Jas' lighting expertise #2.

 

Deer hide drying.

 

Brother Jas' terrarium - without the animals.

 

Pre-Christmas Eve prep @ Glen Mar. it's obvious i suck at selfies.

A fowl feast. duck, pheasant & partridge in a pear tree & orange sauce.

 

Jas' honey.

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Dust pans & chairs & Hippie Tom, oh my!

Hippie Tom opens up his property, Serendipity Antiques (which is just outside of my hometown, Waterford) four weekends a year to the public. I stopped by today for a looksee. Overwhelming. Way too many people. I need to schedule a private visit with HT. I like to "pick" in private.

HT's popularity has swelled due to his recent appearance on "American Pickers". Here's the MJS article...and a few pics I snapped.

Hippie Tom loves dust pans.

Hippie Tom loves chairs.

Hippie Tom loves gnomes.

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Separated at Birth? Red Poppy and Faux Red Poppy.

My mom asked me to take a picture of the red poppy blooming in the yard. Apparently it's a rare occurrence, which is why she has some fake poppies in the garden as well. Which one's the faux red poppy?

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Long jump.

Count steps. Approach and accelerate. Hit mark. Upward and outward momentum. Extend arms and keep legs forward. Land forward.

Long jumping at the Waterford Club Invitational yesterday (W-Club Invite).

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"Kids say the darndest things." #2.

So I'm on the last leg of my 4-mile walk on the bike trail and I see a boy and girl playing in the woods alongside the trail. I said to the boy, "It's fun back here, isn't it?" He says, "Yeh." "I used to play out here when I was your age," I said...and I continued. "You know, while you kids are playing, you should pick up some of the paper and crap that's scattered about."

The girl says, "Well, we just moved here." And I say, "That's nice. Even more reason why you should pick up the litter. You're new here - you need to earn the right to enjoy your new neighborhood."

Click here for Kids Say the Darndest Things #1.

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A winter eden.

My brother shooting floo floo arrows outside of the Village of Waterford.

A feather-hammer gives a double knock.

This Eden day is done at two o'clock.

An hour of winter day might seem too short

To make it worth life's while to wake and sport.

- excerpt from "A Winter Eden" by Robert Frost

If you're familiar with the sport of archery, then you'll have an even fuller understanding on why this stanza of Frost's poem fits this picture like a glove. And...we finished at almost 2 o'clock. Jas and I hit 4 targets each. If I were a pheasant (or the Sherriff of Nottingham) next weekend, I might be fearful.

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Our first wintry snowstorm.

Wisconsin got its first big snowstorm last night. 6-10 inches thereabouts (depending on where you're at). As I'm faced with four months of winter, there's really no way I can put off my walking regime that I started in California 3 1/2 years ago (15-20 miles per week). So I took a 2+ mile walk down the bike trail just to get a feel for walking in the snow. Click on READ MORE! for a few more pics.

Sounds of the Winter

by Walt Whitman

Sounds of the winter too,

Sunshine upon the mountains - many a distant strain

From cheery railroad train - from nearer field, barn, house,

The whispering air - even the mute crops, garner'd apples, corn,

Children's and women's tones - rhythm of many a farmer and of flail,

An old man's garrulous lips among the rest, Think not we give out yet,

Forth from these snowy hairs we keep up yet the lilt.

It's hard to let go of fall - even if you're a leaf.

We shoveled once last night and once again today. I've said my first winter home in 11+ years would be novel - at least the first winter. It's good to remain optimistic, no?

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Origami No. 19. Big fish don't mean shit.

"You might be a big fish
In a little pond
Doesn’t mean you’ve won
‘Cause a long may come
A bigger one"

Lyrics to Coldplay's "Lost!". I'm not a fan, per-se. But I enjoy some of their songs. Heard this song in a coffeehouse today. Made me think.

Made me think about my home. Wisconsin. Waterford, specifically. And my family and friends there. And my theater friends in Iowa. And my friends in Illinois and Minnesota and Indiana. Arizona. And those I cherish here in California. LA. Tinseltown. Hollyweird.

It's about keeping everything in check. Knowing who you are and realizing that the world doesn't revolve around you. Tough order in a town like Hollywood where it IS all about the stars. It's about being comfortable in your own skin. It's about adapting, but keeping your own skin close by - just in case you need a reality check. It's about a lot of things. Mainly, it's about you being you.

It's also about sticking to your guns, something the actor Gary Sinise told me (in a letter). It's about having an opinion no matter what others tell you. It's about having convictions and being real and not taking shit.

ABOVE: A picture of a picture in a picture frame. Me as Tom Wingfield on stage at Theatre Cedar Rapids in Tennessee William's, "The Glass Menagerie" (1995). Took it when I was home for Christmas in 2007. Ovation winner for Best Actor in a Play that year. Big fish.

Appropriate song for Hollywood. Everybody here is a rock star. Eveyone's a wannabe. Everybody's somebody. And they don't all love you. Is that a bad thing? I guess it depends on the person you are on the inside. There's nothing wrong with wanting success. To be somebody. We all wanna "slay the beast", a poignant phrase coined by my musician buddy, Nick Perkins, in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Most of us have our own agenda. Our nut to crack. Our rice bowl (dated racist term but fits).

Funny, as I'm writing this the Violent Femmes' song, "Gone Daddy Gone", popped on the radio. It appeared on their debut album in 1982. They're from Madison, Wisconsin. They were huge while I was attending college in the 80's. Big fish? Maybe.

Then again, aren't we all big fish in some small way? Just watch where you swim.

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Heard in Waterford, Wisconsin.

"What the fuck..."
- my father, upon seeing film of downtown Cedar Rapids under water

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Vacation: Part 1 - A Walk Down the Bike Trail in Waterford.

From 6th grade on, I grew up in the Village of Waterford, about 25 miles south of Milwaukee - out in "the sticks". There's a bike trail that runs 10 miles into Wind Lake. So, the day after I arrived home, I headed out on a 6-mile walk (round trip). It was around 80. Gorgeous day. Lots of fields and barns. Well, that is the country, ain't it?

(Wait! There's more...)

Old Norway Church (1843). It's only used for special occasions now (there's a new church to the left). It was the first Norwegian Lutheran congregation in the state of Wisconsin. I ran into two sister planting flowers on their parent's and brother's graves and got to talkin'. Their brother just got back from Vietnam and got killed by a drunk driver. Makes one sick.

This was the oldest gravestone I could find, dating back to 1795.

You can see the statue to Col. Heg and his memorial plate in my Memorial Day post. We used to come up to the park a lot when we were kids to see the Civil War Reenactments.

Col. Heg's boyhood home. OK - time to turn around and head back home.

Oops. Almost stepped on this baby painted turtle. As big as a half dollar piece if that. I picked it up off the bike trail and set her down on the other side out of harm's way. Right away when I got home, my dad and brother (founding members of the Izaak Walton League) asked, "What direction was she facing when you picked her up?" (if they're facing west you take them to that side of the trail) and Jason said, "Why didn't you bring it home?". Liberals.

Got a mile or two to finish here, so I best kick'er in high gear. It's almost been three hours since I left. Mom's probably worried. As a matter of fact, she called me to see where I was.

Mothers.

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Memorial Day

On this day we honor those who gave their lives in service to our country - our fallen heroes. Near my hometown in the Village of Waterford (Wisconsin), there's a park named after a Civil War soldier who emigrated to Wisconsin from Norway, then served in a Wisconsin regiment and died in the Battle of Chickamauga. His name is Colonel Hans Christian Heg.

And on this day I honor him. More on the park later.

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