Saturday, December 30, 2006

The Fog...

Pretty lonely, huh?   

    It was really freaky creepy foggy here this morning.  It was the kind of stifling blanket of gray that brings a certain tranquility to the world around me, and considering life has been somewhat noisy as of late, I had to grab my things and scamper out into the world to soak up a little silence --just me and the fog. 

    I don't know about you, but I think long walks in the fog really do a lot to help get one's thoughts in order.  There's a definite isolation to wandering around in the pea-soup fog.  I find the peace and quiet pleasant and certainly a welcome escape from the clamor of the busy holidays.  And, since tomorrow's the start of New Year's Eve, I think this might be the last truly remarkably silent day of 2006.


    One of the perks with living where I do is the nice, big park just a hop, skip and a jump down the road (and yes.  It does have more than ONE tree).  It runs along Lake Michigan up to the city of Milwaukee, and when the fog rolls in, it comes in with a weight that can be heavy, dense and almost suffocating.  And, considering this is December in Wisconsin, normally this sort of fog would cover every surface with a thick veneer of ice to cripple the city.  However, it's warm today, there's no wind, and the sun is just a dismal, weak disk of light hanging upon a bleak canvas of gray.   If anything, this is the sort of weather I'd expect on any morning in late May rather than the second to last day of 2006. 
     

    Now, obviously, a stroll in the park this close to New Year's Eve wouldn't be complete without my mind bouncing back upon the last year.  And, it's been a fun year for the most part.  I started this journal in February without any real notion as to where it would take me.  And, like a foggy road winding its way through a very silly world, I still can't see where the hell it's taking me, but it is fun, and there have been some wild, rollicking laughs along the way. 

    I suppose I could go back and scour the archives and mountain of words that comprise this silly place to pick out the "best and the brightest posts" of the past year; however, the ones I like are probably not the ones you like and vice-versa.  So, I will simply leave you to find your favorites, and, perhaps in your searching, you might find some new ones. 


    As for 2007, I have no idea what the year ahead has in store for me.  As some of you know from reading around here, I am writing a novel, and I hope to have it finished by June.  It's been a heck of a lot fun writing it so far, but after writing myself into a metaphorical corner, I decided that I needed to step away for a time to recharge whatever creative batteries I may have.
  I am certainly going to need them since my protagonist is sitting in a jail-cell waiting for me to figure out just how in the hell to bust him out.  He's trapped in lock-down while I've been sitting with my feet up enjoying this thing called life.   Poor bastard.  But, when it's finished, trust me, you will be the first to know. 
      
   
    Anyway, I'm pretty much just babbling at this point since it's the end of the year, and I feel like I've not shut my noisy mouth for months and months.  Plus, I need these word things in this entry to make the layout look nice.  But, I think you all have heard enough of my prattling noise this year, haven't you? 

    So, I hope you like the pictures.  If you'd like to see the full-size (or fuller size), I have them stored on  a Flickr photostream.  If you want to see the life size, well, get a plane ticket to Milwaukee, and I'll drag you to the park with me.  Hopefully, I can somehow keep that Flickr thing kind of organized.  On the other hand, I'm so organized, I keep my cans of cat food next to my cans of other things, and on more than one occasion, I've opened a can of Fancy Feast when I was making tuna salad. 

    I've told you many times that I was dumb and stuff. 
   
    Aside from that, my last resolution of '06 is to actually do Scalzi's Weekend Assignment.  I may get to it tonight since I am staying inside like a good boy and saving myself for tomorrow.  What can I say?  I'm old, and as much as I really have this itch to go out and tear it up like a frat-boy tonight, I know there's a pretty good chance that if I do go out, my liver will divorce me in the middle of the night and take the first Greyhound to Utah where it would probably be a lot better off.

    Anyway, enjoy the Saturday.

-DP  

15 comments:

  1. I miss foggy beaches. Great photos and I am glad that you started this journal. It's been a fun read. But remember when your mom would tell you that you couldn't do something so you would feel compelled to absolutely do it to the max? Well, that's how it is with alcohol in Utah. Drinking out of Spite and "nah-nah-you're-not-the-boss-of-me" can be just as liver-damaging.
    Happiest of New Year's to you, buddy,
    Cin

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  2. Cool pix. How do you get your pix & text like that? Pix on the left & text on side??? Do you do it in something first & then copy & paste in??

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  3. Your prattling is what keeps us knumbsculls coming back for me, are ya kidding?  You have a gift for words and humor - so keep it coming!  Your photos are very good and I enjoyed stopping by for a visit today.  I too will be staying in from the noise and wild partying of New Years because well, I was one of the drunken idiots driving blindly home from some crazy party and I don't want to meet an old me on the road - nor do I want to go to an old people's party where the music is so bad you need to scratch your nails against a chalkboard for relief ... sheesh.  

    Happy sitting home to you.

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  4. Dan,

    The pictures are really great... And, I hope you find a way to get your protagnist out of jail!  I look forward to seeing your Weekend assignment!

    Happy New Year!  If you do drink... get a bottle of milk thistle extract pills, take it before and a few days after... it helps a lot, your liver will thank you!

    be well,
    Dawn

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  5. cool fog pics!!!! you are good snapping photos!

    patty

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  6. Hi Dan, love the pics. You're right, fog can be really creepy in a welcoming sort of way. Happy new year my friend. B.

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  7. I love the fog at times.   Thanks for sharing these photos.   People forget that there is also beauty and solitude in fog and trees.  What a long strange trip it's been.....   trucking along.   Have you visited jail cells to figure it out?  I'm more likely to feed my cats tunafish, then vice versa. :)  Happy new year, Dan.  -- Robin

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  8. These photos are amazing...  Makes me want to go out right now and savor the peace and serenity of the silent night air.  Thank you for sharing your walk with us.

    Michelle

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  9. Sorry I haven't been by for a couple weeks. Christmas, family, cooking & all that.  I hope your stocking was filled with everything you wanted and more.  These pictures Dan....a-m-a-z-i-n-g!!  That first one, I would love to have blown up and framed.  It is art.  I hope to find time to go back & read all I've missed.  Perhaps see some more of your photos.  I used to be a faithful walker even in the winter I never missed a day or night.  My favorite walks were in the fog and the snow. It rarely snows enough to really enjoy here, but walking in a heavy snow ... like walking on cotton where there is nothing but silence. Funny that fogginess can clear a clouded mind.  Hope you have a warm,safe New Year's Eve and that it blessed with all the good that life has to offer.
    Barb  

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  10. HI!
    Spooky yet beautfiul woods! good luck with your novel Dan!
    natalie

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  11.  I love your pictures and know the park you speak of.  Very spooky but neat.  Good luck on the novel.  Since I don't have TV and spend hours reading it is wonderful to hear of new writers and new books to read.  Sometimes I fear they will become a thing of the past.

                    Julie

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  12. Wow!  I love those pictures.  I checked out this entry twice before I even read what you wrote.

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  13. Hey Dan...it's been awhile since I've come by to see you. Great pictures.  Very spooky.  It'd be great to walk through that park in the fog. '
    Hope you had a good New Year.
    Pam

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  14. NIce pictures and I love your writing. I've been lucky enough to vacation in Wisconsin and it is a beautiful state....Sandi

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