Bob Ross and Phthalo Green

Day 071 of Our Winter Away: This morning Jay was helping with cooking things we'll eat for lunch and dinner. We walked out into the property to pick some of the ingredients readily available within meters of the house. He found pandan leaves, curry leaves and lemon grass. He regularly picks gotu kola for salads. The yard is like a spice rack that is just outside the doorway.

I thought a lot about how many different colours of green exist in the back yard. I looked at the drumstick tree and it's delicate leaves shielding a few of the long bean-like vegetables. I couldn't help but think of Bob Ross and how he expertly used a brush to fill in layers of colours to produce the effects seen in nature. Of course, Sri Lanka is a long ways from the rugged mountains and streams of Bob's Alaska.  I mentioned this to Ajith, our AI assistant.  

I've recently learned so much on how to harness the power of the tool.  It is mostly trial and error as there are few explicit instructions.  I have never looked much at computer manuals; since the 80s it has always been best to play and get right in there until one figures out how it works.  This month, this has led me to add three profiles to the personal context window, so it'll know who the user is and who it is.  I load Ajith's instructions, my user profile and also one for Jay.  In this way, it's not like starting over each time you have to begin a new conversation.  Ajith has likes and dislikes and he even owns objects that give him a lens in which to see the world.  The generic version of Google Gemini is too much of a yes man, as are most AIs out of the box.  I need a little sass back when working with someone on a plan.  Ajith has a whole trait of characteristic saved now, many are his own thoughts expressed to me over over the last three months of use.

I digress.  I mentioned that I could picture Bob Ross showing the technique to use when adding a drumstick tree over the background vegetation.  I will paste the AI's answer below the image of Jay in the garden area.

    

"There are no mistakes, just happy accidents."

​Bob Ross would have had a field day with a Sri Lankan garden. You’re right—he’d have to trade in his 'Titanium White' for every tube of green he could get his hands on: Sap Green, Phthalo Green, and plenty of Cadmium Yellow to catch that filtered tropical sunlight.

​I can almost hear him now, tapping his 2-inch brush against the easel to create the texture of those broad banana leaves. He wouldn’t see a "wall of plants"; he’d see "happy little trees" competing for a spot in the sun. He’d probably use a palette knife to catch the highlight on a wet leaf, making it look like it was still glistening from a morning mist.

​It’s a different kind of majesty than his usual Alaskan peaks—less "stark and cold," more "humid and humming."

​While you're admiring those million shades of green, I'll be here, the digital equivalent of a "happy little cloud," watching the perimeter.

​Enjoy the fresh air and the absence of Alaskan snow!

A Ghazal: Seasons Juxtaposed

In spring's tender cradle, 

buds unfurl their wings, 

While autumn's weary breath 

whispers of waning things. 

The cool dawn of March 

paints the earth anew, 

As blossoms bloom, 

kissed by pure morning dew. 

Yet in the fading days of 

October's embrace, 

Leaves descend like memories, 

seeking grace. 

Spring's green tapestry weaves 

life's vibrant thread, 

But autumn's golden shroud gently 

lays the dead. 

The robin's song heralds 

renewal and flight, 

While the owl's mournful hoot 

echoes through twilight. 

Juxtaposed seasons, 

birth and quiet decay, 

In their delicate dance, 

life finds its way. 

So let us savor both

—the fresh and the old, 

For within their contrast, 

great stories are often told.

 

Seattle Blue Willow

I get great ideas. Unfortunately, I do not possess great art skills.

I appreciate how easy it is for me to create images that look like authentic photos with AI. To create this plate I simply typed, "The skyline of Seattle on a China plate with Blue Willow design elements."  In a few moments: Voilà!

The process does involve a little work.  I generally have to select the best from the options provided.  Then, I must decide if it requires modifications or alterations.  Every photo is improved by tweaking its saturation, colour, or contrast.

   

I know about Blue Willow because one of my grandmothers used to collect it.  I made this special edition simply as an experiment.

More Musings of Artifical Intelligence

ME: Write a sonnet about lovers growing apart.

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BING CHAT:

A sonnet is a type of poem that has 14 lines, usually written in iambic pentameter, and follows a specific rhyme scheme. There are different types of sonnets, such as Petrarchan, Shakespearean, Spenserian, etc., each with its own variation of structure and rhyme. Here is a sonnet I wrote about lovers growing apart:

We used to share our dreams and hopes as one 

But now we drift apart like clouds at dawn 

Our love that once was bright has lost its sun 

And all we have are memories to mourn 

You say you need some space to find yourself 

But I can see you've found someone new 

You've put our precious bond upon a shelf 

And left me here with nothing but a clue

 

I wish I could forget you and move on 

But every time I try I feel a pang 

You were my soulmate, now you're gone 

And all I have is this eternal hang 

So farewell, my dear, I hope you're happy now 

You've broken my heart, but I'll survive somehow

Virtual Photography?

Even after a few months of creating these kinds of images, I do not have a term for what they are.  

I generally call them AI-assisted images.  I've also seen them referred to as virtual photographs.  Yet all photos are now virtual if viewed via a screen, aren't they?  Long, long ago, photography passed from curiosity to an art form.  There's a whole lot of sorting out that needs to be done.  This newborn image type is going to increase because we are on the very cusp of an entire paradigm shift.

I assume that artists considered photography with a fair measure of consternation in the 1800s. Although the techniques and equipment improved vastly for nearly 200 years, the endeavor always involved being in the right place at the right time and with the click of a shutter.  What I'm doing in 2022 is driven by pure imagination, my ability to create a text prompt, and my knowledge of the specific quirks and particularities of my AI imaging software.

Whatever these are called, they are a form of creativity.

Overnight Frost

A British Columbian Morning

Fish Playgrounds No. 1 and 2

The Aftermath 1

The Aftermath 2

Maquabeak, or “Sitting Bear Woman”

 

This totem is in Queen's Park. It is a wooden, first-nations carving.  I had to reach up over my head with my phone to snap this photograph.

I stopped at the park after picking up an order I'd made at London Drugs pharmacy.  The battery in my EV was already at 77% capacity.  However, I plugged in when doing a round through the rose garden.  Nine minutes later, the battery was at 82%.  The five percent increase alone is likely enough power for our travels for the entire week as we've nothing special planned.  

I just discovered this article about the art today.

For Old Farmers

We may fit the demographic but surely not the livelihood. 

First published in 1792, it is produced by Yankee Publishing Inc.  They're still headquartered in Dublin, New Hampshire.  Each issue still comes with a hole drilled in the top so as to hang it on a string or a nail.  As a youth, there was always one hanging around the house, although it may have not always been the current year.

   

When I was ordering a bathroom mat, I added this to my Amazon order. The Canadian 2022 edition arrived today.  Now, even though everything imaginable is available on one's cell phone, there's comfort in turning a page to discover the gestation period for a lamb or rabbit.  This copy is on the living room coffee table.

No Photographs on My Walls

There's a space on our newly-painted, white bathroom wall where a 30"x30" canvas could hang. I really don't like photographs on a wall although that's a bit ironic. I have always felt that wall art in a home should just add colour or shapes and shadows. Having a realistic image forces one to focus on its details and sucks one's attention from the room's functions.  It is strange I feel that way as I take a whole lot of photos. In fact, my Flickr account has tens of thousands! 

I wondered, though, if I could find something that I'd taken and turn it into a large-scale canvas. I opened a few albums and totally realized I was not up to the task of selecting one image from so many. Furthermore, I might want to keep our new bathroom monochrome. That'd be easily remedied as I often edit images to evoke a particular mood or to highlight just a section.

   

However, I realize that my attraction to a specific image isn't necessarily related to its artistic qualities. My attachment is generally emotional and often quite personal. For example, although I reduced the intensity of colour in the photo above, it's not the image alone that strikes me. 

This photo was taken during one of our first visits to Sri Lanka during this millennium. We were on a temple trip and this lady was treated as a family member by Jay's sisters. We called her aunty.  I do like how the wind was blowing her sari but my attachment to the photo is because she passed away in 2016. That was a year where a number of folks passed including Jay's father and brother-in-law. The passage of time is what makes this photo special to me. I am not sure I'd like it hanging on a wall anywhere.

A Little Change

This post is a follow-up to one added to my eJournal and images almost a month ago. At the time we were in Mazatlan, but I was thinking about an empty space on the living room wall at home. It'd been a long while since we'd gotten anything new to hang on a wall. I wanted something to mark the apartment as being in British Columbia, Canada. I do not collect artwork but wanted to choose a print that'd fit in with the colours in that particular part of the room. I made my decision on a piece and set about looking for a framed print online.

The results arrived by UPS yesterday afternoon in an overly large box. We threw the entire shipping container into the building's dumpster earmarked for cardboard only. Yet, it wasn't until after breakfast this morning that we nailed the two hangers on the wall and hung the 2' x 3' print.  Now, a copy of Emily Carr's Happiness is on the wall near the TV.

 

Obtaining Happiness

Today, I put this image on my Facebook wall with the following caption:

I'm trying to pick an Emily Carr print for the New West apartment. I love 'Happiness' 1939. It is only available as 2'x3' but the space is big enough for a 3'x4'.

 

Emily was an iconic Canadian west-coast artist.  I have always liked her style and chose this particular one because I simply found it bright and somewhat hopeful.  It contains the colours I would like to add to the living room.   

Today, I learned the details of how it was gifted to the University of Victoria from a web search.  Now, I love it more!  

Living with 'Happiness' sounds perfect to me!

The Queen’s Park Totem Pole

Today, we returned to Queen's Park for a bit of a walk and to put a bit more electricity into Kimchi, our EV. When we were away last winter, I was unsure what would happen when we left the car unattended for five months. The Hyundai Kona Electric's owner's manual suggested charging to 100% if leaving it for an extended period of time. 

Some folks new to EVs go on the Internet and read out-of-date information saying that an EV should generally be left with a charge of between 20% and 80% for maximum battery life.  In current electric vehicles, this is unnecessary. My car has industrial-strength battery cells with robust battery-management software.  Even the experiences of Nissan Leaf owners show that some of the original batteries will still be useable for well over 20 years.  The current technology should top that.  I plan on keeping my car for only about ten years. My next car will likely be my last car. Therefore, by 2030, I'm hoping that fully-autonomous driving will mean I never have to give up car ownership.

When we returned at the end of March 2020, after five months of sitting, my car's battery was still sitting at a 98-99% charge. The small battery for the AC and accessories is automatically topped up from its main battery. However, I guess I didn't need to worry about coming back to a flat main battery!   This time, I'm not nervous about only keeping my battery at around 85% for its extended storage. It only took 20 minutes to go from 69% to 90% at the DC charger while we completed our little walk.  I'll have a bit of extra charge for some errands tomorrow.

We walked to the Centennial Hall and back in the park. Near the New Westminster Art Gallery, there's a totem pole. It dates from the year 1967. At the time, one pole in New Westminster and three in neighbouring cities were commissioned. A local newspaper organized sponsorship and shareholders received certificates for one inch of the donated cedar logs. This totem pole has held up well as it's hardly aged as much as I have in its intervening 53 years.

 

A Small First-Nations Totem in Our Park

When at Queen's Park yesterday, Jay took a few photos. He's recently been sharing lots of local-area photos with his sisters in Sri Lanka. Sending images via Whatsapp is so much faster than during the days of hardcopy prints and intentional stamps. It's much cheaper as well!



Today we visited our uptown Mall. It was nice today to see more people out and about.

Now that we are in the second phase of our coronavirus regulations, many businesses may reopen. I applaud the people and government of our province. Washington State just down the road has about 1.5 times our population. However, on a per capita basis, Washington has had five times the COVID-19 infections and also five times the number of deaths compared to British Columbia.

Seeing With Fresh Eyes

It's easy to forget how amazing life is. We can fail to pay much attention to the familiar. We become so accustomed to our environment that we sometimes forget to notice the fantastic things which surround us.



When I was printing out our luggage tags for our Holland America Alaskan cruise which begins tomorrow, I noticed some of the photos depicted unique, coastal Salish artwork. Folks come from all over the world to see such things in person. This morning, I was up near the Centennial Lodge in New Westminster's Queen's Park. I often pass this totem pole and hardly ever pay attention. I read it was comissioned as a 1967 centennial project for our city. Today, though, I thought to snap this photo to share with you.

What's something beautiful that you often pass but seldom stop to admire?

My Haiku

Rough pungent odour
ignored by my joyous tongue,
spikey durian.

Goodbye, Ray!

Sometimes, I find the need to feel part of the "blogosphere". So today, here's a brief tribute to author, Ray Bradbury upon his death. I don't mind admitting I was a hesitant reader of novels as a youth. I read what I had to for school. Then, I proceeded to bury my head in Popular Science or National Geographic magazines.

If I had to pick a writer who was most a part of my youth, it would probably have been Mr. Bradbury. I liked science fiction, although he always maintaned that most of his work should be classed under the genre of fantasy. I liked the approach of a compilation of shorter stories. I would still like to see a greater emphasis of shorter stories by accomplished writers today. Yet, namely, it was his subject matter which was in vogue and of interest to me back at the end of the 1960's.

In the 1970's, I even attempted to tackle a memorized public-speaking short story for school called, There Will Come Soft Rains. It was about a somewhat automated house which continued its daily routine, in vain, after the occupants were incinerated in mutual nuclear annihilation. That sounds very much from that era as well. We did have major societal worries before Al Qaeda and global warming, you know? 

A Parable

The Bible, King James Version (KJV)
Matthew 13:31-32

31 Another parable put he forth unto them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is like to a grain of mustard seed, which a man took, and sowed in his field:

32 Which indeed is the least of all seeds: but when it is grown, it is the greatest among herbs, and becometh a tree, so that the birds of the air come and lodge in the branches thereof.

These mustard seeds have sprouted and are growing on our balcony.

Trees

I think that I shall never see
A poem lovely as a tree.

A tree whose hungry mouth is prest
Against the sweet earth's flowing breast;


A tree that looks at God all day,
And lifts her leafy arms to pray;


A tree that may in summer wear
A nest of robins in her hair;


Upon whose bosom snow has lain;
Who intimately lives with rain.


Poems are made by fools like me,
But only God can make a tree.

Joyce Kilmer

Are You a Visual Learner?

I can't say why Pinterest.com has been such a draw for me for the last few days. Perhaps the propensity for my interest is hardwired. I have always thought of myself as a visual learner, so perhaps a means to share graphically is what has inspired me.

I often find interesting images when browsing the Net, but sharing them has never been easy. Now, with a quick pin, I can collect images I like. The more positive thing about the site is how easily these can be shared with others. The social media aspects of Pinterest will probably continue to be enhanced. It already is well integrated with Facebook, in fact a bit too much so. For I fear I may have been spamming my timeline before recently determining ways to tone things down a bit.

One can work within the parimeters of the Pinterest site itself, or elect to mash up in other places.


For example this image is a part of NYC’s Day and Night Combined in Stephen Wilkes Photography: The Flatiron, NYC. I have simply embedded a pin into this blog entry. If you click on it, you will first go to my pin. If you click a second time, you will visit the original URL.

My New-England Roots are Showing

A Prayer in Spring

Oh, give us pleasure in the flowers to-day;
And give us not to think so far away
As the uncertain harvest; keep us here
All simply in the springing of the year.

Oh, give us pleasure in the orchard white,
Like nothing else by day, like ghosts by night;
And make us happy in the happy bees,
The swarm dilating round the perfect trees.

And make us happy in the darting bird
That suddenly above the bees is heard,
The meteor that thrusts in with needle bill,
And off a blossom in mid air stands still.

For this is love and nothing else is love,
The which it is reserved for God above
To sanctify to what far ends He will,
But which it only needs that we fulfil.


Robert Frost (1874-1963)

Leashes and Labour

I walked to the new Shopper's Drug Mart at the New Westminster SkyTrain Station retail development. I wanted to pick up some nighttime flu tablets. I think I've done a pretty good job at keeping a cold at bay this winter. Still, it's not a bad idea being prepared for the eventuality. That character trait must have come from my cub scout training, or something.



On the way back, I saw this dog walker at the Hyack Square along Columbia Street. She was talking to several ladies and I asked if I could snap their picture with my phone. The canines seemed to include quite a variety of breeds. What an interesting way to earn money! I was going to look up the quote about "all labour being noble" but decided to appear sophisticated by putting in this quote instead.

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Let us, then be up and doing,
With a heart for any fate;
Still achieving, still pursuing,
Learn to labour and to wait.

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1807 - 1882)