Ed. Note: In a small, intricately handcrafted wooden box our Trask Avenue archival staff discovered the following letter. Its wax seal was already compromised allowing convenient access to the contents. The letter was written to French Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte by one of his most trusted military advisors, Jean Lannes. Among other achievements Lannes was part of the initial group of 18 officers anointed “Marshal of the Empire” by Napoleon in 1804. He commanded French troops with distinction during the early years of the Napoleonic Wars and (more…)
Posts Tagged ‘random’
letter: jean lannes to napoleon bonaparte (1809)
Posted: January 8, 2013 in UncategorizedTags: 1809, history, in the attic, Jean Lannes, letter, military, Napoleon, Napoleonic Wars, random
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moments with strangers 2
Posted: June 11, 2012 in PhotographyTags: imagination, life, lovely Ms. Trask, New Jersey, New Jersey Folk Festival, people, Photography, photos, random, Red, strangers
cute couple
Back in April the lovely Ms. Trask, Red, the sister unit and her brood, and I spent a few hours at the New Jersey Folk Festival. While I do enjoy listening to local bands cut their teeth my secret pleasure is this event provides me with a terrific opportunity to photograph people I don’t know. I like to think you can surmise a lot about a person when you catch them in (more…)
vacation
Posted: May 9, 2012 in TravelTags: across the pond, Blogosphere, humor, humor not so much, humour, lovely Ms. Trask, posting, random, vacation
So tomorrow we head out for a vacation, a spot of holiday as it were. We are jetting across the pond for a spell. Not like a voodoo spell. At least that is what I have been told. You know, I’ve always thought it weird someone somewhere once decided to refer to the Atlantic Ocean as a “pond.” Apparently they had a really skewed understanding of what a pond is. If an ocean is a pond, what does that make a pond? A puddle? And if a pond is a puddle (more…)
gnome homes
Posted: March 25, 2012 in New Jersey, PhotographyTags: Columbia Trail, gnome, gnome home, lovely Ms. Trask, New Jersey, Photography, quirky, random, Red, tradition
#10 Columbia Trail
Yesterday Red, the lovely Ms. Trask, my sister and her handsome brood spent part of the afternoon walking along the Columbia Trail in northern Jersey. It was my sis’ suggestion, a way to get out and enjoy the weather, threatening as it was. She and her running coven regularly (more…)
hoo-ha’s and dimwhittles
Posted: March 22, 2012 in PhotographyTags: albums, art, editing, growing pains without Kirk Cameron, humor, humour, Mickey Rourke, Photography, random, software, Van Gogh, Wilderstein
I was leafing through my digital photo files as one with digital photo files tends to do when I happened upon the thing above created sometime during Dubya’s Reign of Mispronunciation. When I first began diddling with photography back in the olden days of aught 5 I quickly became enamored with the various hoo-ha’s and dimwhittles available in your basic photo editing software packages. (Or was it aught 4? Maybe aught 3? I ought to know, but I asking me to remember that far back is like (more…)
climb
Posted: March 21, 2012 in Observations and CommentaryTags: America, American life, climb, expectation, life, Photography, random, society, success
Welcome to your American Experience, child. It holds great promise. Enjoy yourself, but know that your life comes with my expectations. Embrace the freedom to do what you want. However, above all else remember your ultimate purpose – to (more…)
another day
Posted: March 15, 2012 in FictionTags: fiction, flash fiction, life, luck, New York, Photography, random
Jimmy sat on the bench in Union Square, his bench, keeping alert. He could spot them streaming through the park – the suburbanites hustling to make their escape from gray reality of the city to the warm, muted colors of home. He’d always pick out a few who would toss (more…)
discovering doonesbury
Posted: March 13, 2012 in TrasklandTags: college, comedy, discovery, Doonesbury, Genesis, Gentle Giant, humor, Lamb Lies Down on Broadway, life, Norman, Oklahoma, random, satire, Tangerine Dream, Traskland, University of Oklahoma, USC, work
I believe the comic strip Doonesbury is one of the great achievements in the history of American humor and satire. The fact Garry Trudeau has been able to sustain this franchise while continuing to maintain high quality and relevance for 40+ years is nothing short of astounding. I don’t read it religiously as I once did, but thanks to (more…)
what’s new in fictional music
Posted: March 11, 2012 in Arts, Humorous BitsTags: album covers, albums, fiction, fictional music, graphics, killing time, Manitook Mountain, music, Paradox of Nihilism, random, Rasmus Hardiker
It’s time to get musically graphic, folks.
Earlier today the venerable Anagram King posted this new variation of a viral thingy from a few years ago. It’s a simple, creative and fun diversion, especially when all your writing ideas are still gestating. Create a fictional cover for a fictional album by a fictional band! So let’s all play along, shall we? All you have to do is follow these simple steps. (more…)
within reach
Posted: March 4, 2012 in PhotographyTags: color, colorful, life, New Jersey, Photography, photos, random, summer
There’s a bit of pre-spring restlessness bouncing about my head. The sky is gray, the air continues to hold a noticeable chill, and buds have not quite budded. Yet I know winter’s end is within reach. It’s right there, just beyond my outstretched fingers. Granted, this New Jersey winter (more…)
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