Ooee, everything’s alright

Mulch in my driveway.

Flowers in my yard.

Dog laze in the afternoon.

Ooee, everything’s alright. Ooee, everything’s alright.

(Apologies to Country Joe McDonald).

Camper, Innovation, Aachen

Camper Van Moving Along: We took the camper van out for a little spin yesterday. Stopped by Lloyd Bridges and Service Guy Steve said he could fix the bit of plumbing that got damaged at the dealership. No problem. We’ve got an appointment to get ‘er all ready in a coupla weeks. Took Coney for a ride around the block. Just like camping.

Innovation: Thomson and Reuters just merged into Thomson Reuters. The founder of Reuters got his start by sending stock quotes, via carrier pigeons, between Aachen and Brussels. Innovation lives on at Thomson Reuters. I pitched an idea to the company Innovation Board yesterday; however, it was decided that carrier pigeons would not be a part of any of the recommended solutions.

Aachen: Speaking of Aachen, way back in the 8^th century, the pope allowed Charlemagne to take cool architectural treasures from Ravenna since his dad, Pepin, chased the bad old Lombards out of Ravenna and gave the city to the Papal states. Charlemagne, medieval king and starchitect, used the treasures to build a wonderful rustic version of Ravenna’s San Vitale. Here’s a link about Charlemagne’s chapel at Aachen:

http://faculty.cua.edu/Pennington/Religion402/Topic%20Two%20Carolingian%20Church/LectureTwo/PalaceChapelAachen.htm

and here’s a link about San Vitale in Aachen:

http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.sacred-destinations.com/italy/images/ravenna/san-vitale/san-vitale-center-c-paradox.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.sacred-destinations.com/italy/ravenna-san-vitale.htm&h=498&w=750&sz=75&hl=en&start=1&sig2=LjqBX1GGVTiVCNDbxyqvmQ&tbnid=rHdADL0bHKFMwM:&tbnh=94&tbnw=141&ei=F2IKSIqWEIO4iAGO9-n7Ag&prev=/images%3Fq%3DSan%2BVitale%2BRavenna%26gbv%3D2%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DG

"Spring", Camper Saga, & Brilliant Silliness

“Spring”: I’m sorry. My fault. It’s snowing out and I know it’s because I got the deck furniture out last weekend. It was a struggle. Had a fight with the patio table. One of the legs lunged toward my face and dealt a near-fatal blow to my glasses. Got quick out patient treatment from Bennett Optometry and they were glasses-shaped again.

Never Give Up! Never Surrender!: To paraphrase a former colleague, “Chevy Dealership—Idiots!” In the process of checking out our camper van, an Ypsi dealership broke a piece of it. We’re hoping that Lloyd Bridges will come to the rescue since he was so heroic on Sea Hunt. We’ll get there. We’re keeping this little set back a secret from Coney Dog, the true owner of the camper van.

And Now For Something I Think You’ll Really Like: Thanks to Drea for pointing out this brilliant musical piece of silliness:

http://www.rathergood.com/elephants/

On the Road (Almost), Dogs, Penguins & Bunnies

Hitch Up the Wagons: We’re getting the camper van on the road. Jump that battery! Pump those tires! Move it on into the Chevy dealer for a check up. Pinckney, here we come!

Dog Comfort: The ad for the raised outdoor doggie bed said, “Makes your dog feel as pampered as if he were given a place on the couch.” Ha! We’ve got four couches and I still have trouble getting a spot. First come first served and Coney has this uncanny ability to get to the couch first. We won’t even talk about the bed...

When Penguins Fly: Award for best April Fool’s joke goes to the BBC for their short video of penguins migrating to the rainforest for a little R & R, with Terry Jones doing good impersonation of David Attenborough.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=23qDl1aH9l4

Inspired Architectural Detail: Copying The Ann Arbor Observer’s "I Spy" monthly feature, here’s an inspired architectural detail: