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Some change is the same.

April 2, 2011 /

I’m getting to know my youngest grandbaby. I’m memorizing her name and… well, – to be honest – not a lot more. She won’t be born until Friday.

Stork delivery

Things just aren’t the same as they were years ago.

Back then, you couldn’t paint the crib unless you were a gambler with those 50/50 odds of blue or pink.

Names?

You could whittle your list down to two favorites, but there couldn’t be a final decision until, you know – the event. Now, the baby’s identity is already well-known before she is born. If the doctor would just tell us her preference, we could order up and enjoy a piece of her favorite cake, right on her birthday.

Technology has changed some things for us. On the other hand, there are some staples that remain.

My step-son had a hurting tummy on Friday and couldn’t get out of his bed for school. I learned later that a miraculous recovery was affected about three in the afternoon. In fact, his road to recovery was paved with such incredible vim, he was still energetically gaming at his internet-connected ‘Nuke’em to the Stone Age’ at 3am.

In my time, that was diagnosed as ‘school-itus.’

Some things remain the same.

Bam! There I am!

April 1, 2011 /

The website article was about a subject that interested me, since I had done a little research on the topic. I could tell the website’s author had done some work as well. I got to the article’s end, and WHAT? There’s my name!

NY Crystal Palace

That was a bit of a surprise, I’ll admit.

It took a couple of seconds, but I figured out the connection. When I was trying to discover some facts regarding an old lighthouse lamp that appeared at first US World’s Fair, I contacted an expert at Cape Hatteras, NC, where one of the early east coast lighthouses was constructed.

In our conversation, it became clear from the surprise in his voice, that he was unaware that the Hatteras lens had appeared at the Crystal Palace, the glass and iron building constructed to house the 1853 exhibition. I sent him some information and images – he sent me what he had – and our path-crossing was complete.

So I thought.

Today, I was doing a little followup work, and a read a webpage that popped up in the search. Not recognizing the header, I read the article about the Cape Hatteras lighthouse lens and the Crystal Palace connection.

A tip o’ the hat to Kevin Duffis for the nice article on the lighthouse, which can be read HERE.

And the acknowledgment at the end is appreciated!

End of the Cave Bear

March 30, 2011 /

Hard to believe, but it was more than three decades ago that the world learned about the Clan of the Cave Bears, the prehistoric group created by novelist Jean Auel.

painted caves

In stock: Painted Caves.

The continuing series has had its doubters as to conclusion. It may seem like decades have passed for readers of Shelters of Stone, who have been patiently – or impatiently – waiting for the next episode.

During the interim, there were rumors that Jean Auel had died, was in serious decline, or had simply quit writing. Not true.

The sixth and purportedly final chapter of the series, The Land of the Painted Caves is in bookstores Wednesday, and early reviews indicate the wrap up may not be complete.

If you are not among those who have plowed through one of Auel’s reported 45 million books sold, here is an overview.

Five-year-old Ayla is an orphaned Cro-Magnon girl who finds herself taken in by Neanderthals in The Clan of the Cave Bear, the first book in the series called Earth’s Children. Through the course of five tomes (they average 700 pages), Ayla finds a mate, gives birth to a baby girl, Jonayla. Ayla isn’t an outcast any longer.

She’s the big prehistoric cheese.

The book jumped in at thte #5 spot on Amazon’s daily bestselling list.

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