Eagles and Artists

We have been lucky to have become acquainted with two superb artists this fall, one in Florida and the other right here in Janesville, Iowa.  Both specialize in carving, but from what I have seen are talented in other media as well.   I have seen drawings, paintings, etc from both of them.  

Here is a life sized eagle carved from a log by Terry Dengler of Janesville.  This was commissioned by my wife as a Christmas gift for me.  I am most pleased, as you might guess by reading my blog post of two weeks ago.  I am not happy with my photo, as it does not really capture the piece very well. 

To the right is a Tiki which Mike Bryan of Palm Bay, Florida carved for us and we gave to one of our daughters for Christmas.  Again, the photo is not the best.

Both Mike and Terry are experimenting with a new carving medium right now and I will let you know about it within a few weeks.    Oh yeah, for big pieces like these, they do most of their work with a chainsaw!

Below is an eagle in a tree across the river from my house, which I photographed a few days ago using Canon SX50 which has a 50X optical zoom.  A tripod is a necessity.

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It is Christmas, not just a holiday!

OPINION:   Below is a response I yesterday sent to a friend who was attempting to be "politically correct" by wishing me a "happy holiday" at the conclusion of an email.

 

Please do not use the term “holiday” when we all know that it is Christmas that we are celebrating.  All those “nattering nabobs” who call it a holiday rather than acknowledging the real reason (and denying prayer and everything else) need to NOT take the holiday off and not be paid for it, etc.  It is Christmas, dammit, not just a holiday!    Those who are offended by calling it what it is, need to get over it, rather than the rest of us denying it so we don’t upset them.  BTW, I’ll bet we are in the majority.   Thanks for reading my mini-rant!

-----rich

Braden responded "Haha. I love it and couldn't agree anymore!  I love it! Merry Christmas and take care Rich!

  

If "nattering nabobs" is not familiar to you, yo can "Google it" and learn about Spiro Agnew, a former Vice-President of the United States. 

Follow-up:
Six hours after I posted above, I read a piece "Huckabee weighs in on Duck Dynasty" controversy.  l have never watched Duck Dynasty, though I know the story of the Robertson family and the bios of at some of the family members.  Thus I had not paid much attention to the firestorm of controversy during the past week.  

Suddenly, I have realized that I have "done a Phil" by expressing my personal opinion, even though it conflicts with the view of what is probably a minority of our population.  But what a loud and vocal bunch they are!  There will be no sanctions against me, but we must all be able to express our opinion without fear of retribution.

That is a central core of the foundation of our country!

Click here to read the Huckabee story from CBS News.com

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The Eyes of the Eagle

I have been fascinated by bald eagles for quite some time.  Ten years ago, when designing our new house, I did not want the overhang on the back porch (overlooking the river) to be too great so "I would be able to see the eagles."  Mission accomplished.  In the winter, when the leaves are gone from the trees, we see eagles nearly every day.  In the summer, we only see eagles when we are not under the trees.

My college friend, Burt, and his wife Marilyn, "retired to Iowa" after 40 years in the Dallas area. (They are both Iowa natives, with family here, including their daughter.)  They live very near the Mississippi River and Burt spends time every winter photographing eagles, primarily near Lock & Dam 14.  Over the last few years, he has sent me some great eagle pictures, but this one may be the best.  It appeared in my email on Friday the 13th (of December).  It is with his permission that I publish it.  After a career as a software developer, he has become an advanced photographer and eagle expert.  The eyes on the original that he sent me really caught my attention, especially when I enlarged it on my tablet.

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40 years of Richway

Yesterday we had a luncheon at Richway to celebrate 40 years of Richway.  At the end, I was asked if I had anything I would like to say.  Me being me, I did.

I went through a brief history, which actually started 41 years ago this month (December) in a two car garage and my basement and in a few minutes took us to the present day with some of the "physical" things.  But, as I explained, that is not the history that is most relevant.  The most relevant history is about people.  There are lots of people who have contributed to our forty years.  Some from the past and some are still part of Richway.  It is all these people who helped us establish "what we are" for our customers.  I recalled groups of people working until 2 or 3 or later in the morning to complete a rush order for a customer (this happened several times), people working New Years Eve to meet our customer's needs, and other examples of "busting butt" for our customers.  We rather routinely went beyond what our customers expected and we still do. 

In return for all that people have given to Richway, we have tried to give something back.  A sense of belonging and contributing to something.  The opportunity to go home at night knowing that they have been appreciated and that their ideas and thoughts have validity.  I have often said that we give people a lot of rope; they can hang themselves or swing just like in a great big swing.  They can laugh and have fun.  It is important to laugh and have fun at work.  We have tried to give opportunities for a sense of accomplishment, self worth, and job satisfaction.  We have not always been successful, but that has been the goal.

Finally, I told them that if you read my blog (this one) you would see recurring themes:  Success takes hard work.  The importance of customer service.  And lastly the story from my mother that has been a guiding principle for me:  To succeed you must do what needs to be done, when it needs to be done, and you must do it regardless of whether you want to do it or not.


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We bust ours to keep you on schedule!