Forum Activity for @harold-powell

DEJA-NEW: Take a picture of a picture, from the past, in the present

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The link below is to an excellent site and a wonderful idea! Old houses and historical places speak to us. There is a "feeling" we get when we're in the presence of history. Perhaps the air is more rarefied here-- on my side of the pond--where, even our oldest cities. are relatively young by Welsh standards. This shallow rootedness is exaggerated even further, I think, by an attitude once held by our emigrant forebears who tended to look upon " new " as a virtue in and of itself. Not too long ago it was fashionable to demolish "old," once beautiful, ornate architecture and replace it with something "new" even if the replacement was but a shadow of it's former self. I remember from my childhood hearing " old timers " say, "Tear it down! It's old--it reminds me of the Old Country!" Frequently beautiful structures were razed to the ground only to be replaced by cheap, styrofoamand tin charactertures of their former selves. Thankfully, that trend has finally, at last, been reversed and restoration has become the new "new."

Your personal history probably lies hidden inside dusty old boxes under your bed. Pull out a photo, go to the location where it was taken (sorry, techies, Kodak did not embed GPS coordinates into their negatives or prints back then) and take a picture of the photo again!

Who knows? You might find yourself standing next to your grandfather like the man in the photo below. History waits to repeat itself!

Here's the website: http://dearphotograph.com/

updated by @harold-powell: 11/11/15 10:38:43PM

What Did You Get For Christmas?

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Hmmm...I believe THAT Engelbert Humperdinck may have reincarnated as the 1980 version of Mr. Darcy.

What Did You Get For Christmas?

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Ever since my little 8 year old granddaughter, London, was old enough to speak, I have asked her a rhetorical question over and over and over, "Whatever happened to Engelbert Humperdinck?"

At first she just shrugged her little shoulders then after years of repeatedly hearing the same question again and again she developed her own standard reply, "Oh....P-a-p-a...!" Then, one day we were all watching the movie "The Princess Bride" and the villain in the plot was introduced as "Prince Humperdinck." London gasped aloud and looked at her mother in amazement. "Yes, London, there really is an Engelbert Humperdinck and his name is just like Prince Humperdinck in this movie...

So, about two weeks ago, trying hard to think of a special present to buy her Papa for Christmas, London suddenly announced to my daughter, "I know what I want to buy Papa for Christmas! Take me to Barnes and Noble!"

You can imagine my surprise yesterday when I unwrapped my Christmas present from London and inside was a beautiful hard-bound volume entitled, "Engelbert: An Autobiography."

I have to say: It was one of the sweetest, most thoughtful gifts I've ever received! But Phyllis, my wife, seeing my predicament added, "Now you ARE going to read this book, aren't you? YOU KNOW she will ask you soon if you've found out what happened to Engelbert Humperdinck!"

I said, "I can do that right now. All I need to do is read the last few pages. That should tell me everything I need to know!" I flipped to the very end of the book and skimmed through the very last pages. "Oh no..." I announced, "...he died in 1994! (he didn't but even my wife and daughter gasped) "But..." I continued, "it says here that he has since become reincarnated! And that his name now is Justin Bieber!"

My son-in-law burst out in laughter and London once again scolded me saying, "Oh P-a-p-a...he's not Justin Bieber! I heard Justin Bieber singing at the skating rink and Justin Bieber is a girl!" What can I say? She was was probabiy right on both counts! I guess Engelbert Humperdinck wasn't really dead, he was just mostly dead. Have fun storming the castle!

Rev. Eli Jenkins Prayer by Dylan Thomas

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As sung by the Dunvant Male Choir:

The words:

Rev Eli Jenkins' Prayer - Dylan Thomas (from Under Milk Wood)

Every morning when I wake,
Dear Lord, a little prayer I make,
O please do keep Thy lovely eye
On all poor creatures born to die

And every evening at sun-down
I ask a blessing on the town,
For whether we last the night or no
I'm sure is always touch-and-go.

We are not wholly bad or good
Who live our lives under Milk Wood,
And Thou, I know, wilt be the first
To see our best side, not our worst.

O let us see another day!
Bless us all this night, I pray,
And to the sun we all will bow
And say, good-bye - but just for now!*

updated by @harold-powell: 12/15/15 12:24:52PM

Ceres Waving Good Bye until next Spring

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Mobile Phone: Samsung Galaxy S III (Android Jelly Bean 4.1.2)

I didn't use the zoom feature which is a digital zoom only. I took the picture at maximum resolution then used Photoshop to select the targeted areas then reduced all 3 images down to to the same width of 650 pixels.

Aurora, the goddess of dawn, is my favorite Romandeity. She greets me most mornings from my office or living room which both have large double windows facing East.

Two days ago my wife snapped this photo of Aurora from our front door. The only woman I know who can rival Aurora's beauty at that early hour is the one who took the photo!

Ceres Waving Good Bye until next Spring

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High atop the Missouri Capitol Building in Jefferson City is the Roman goddess Ceres. Her arm is outstretched as if she is waving goodbye. Her Greek name is Demeter and she is known as the goddess of agriculture. Her name is where we get the word "cereal."

She had a daughter by Zeus named Persephone. Persephone was blessed (or cursed depending on your point of view) with breath-taking beauty! So great was her beauty that she was the desire of all men who beheld her. One day while gathering wild-flowers, the earth beneath her opened up and Hades, Zeus's brother, rose up out of the chasm and dragged her to the Underworld where he raped and held her against her will.

Ceres was so distraught that darkness and famine fell across the land because it was at her hand that all vegetation including agricultural products sprang forth. Zeus, seeing that Ceres' grief could lead to the the extinction of all mortals on Earth, interceded with his brother Hades and arranged for Persephone's release. Hades, however, did not relinquish his captive "bride" without conditions. At his insistence, Zeus and Ceres promised that once each year Persephone would be returned to him in the Underground and that she would remain there with him for a duration of three months.

So, each year, per that agreement Ceres, waves goodbye to her most beloved and beautiful daughter on the first day of Winter. Her sorrow for Persephone is evident as all plant life wilts and lies dormant over the next three months while she grieves her daughter's absence. But, come Spring, when Persephone is released once again, Ceres' tears become life giving rains and all the Earth turns green and once again the wild flowers grow. We will miss you Persephone.

updated by @harold-powell: 11/11/15 10:38:41PM

Competition: Unique Tour of North Wales - Win a Place For Two on the AmeriCymru North Wales Tour

American Welsh History

Ceri, I've already nominated one person but another great Welsh-American wasFreddie Welsh(Frederick Hall Thomas) lightweight boxing champion.

Competition: Unique Tour of North Wales - Win a Place For Two on the AmeriCymru North Wales Tour

American Welsh History

Technically, I should be eliminated from the contest because my family's roots are in South Wales not North Wales.

Competition: Unique Tour of North Wales - Win a Place For Two on the AmeriCymru North Wales Tour

American Welsh History

Also, I posted earlier about Fort Belan and those nasty American ships stalking the waters off Wales during the Revolutionary War but I think it may have just posted the information on my Facebook page.

Competition: Unique Tour of North Wales - Win a Place For Two on the AmeriCymru North Wales Tour

American Welsh History

Hmmm... Expats don't count?

Chief Justice John Marshall

I will not argue the merit of Marbury v. Madison but it was a turning point in the country's history.