Mad Macedonian

Sit Spot Challenge 2011: Day 7 - A Quiet Spot in an Urban Oasis

Hi, everybody, and a very pleasant good morning to you, wherever you may be...

I am The Mad Macedonian! Writer, Blogger, Poet, Humorist, Cyclist, Walker, Photographer, Cat Lover, Genealogist, and more!

It's day 7 of the 2011 Sit Spot Challenge, and I'm getting close to nature in middle of Huntington Beach, right in the heart of Orange County.

If you missed the start of this adventure, then check out this post, and follow the link at the end.

Yesterday afternoon I walked along that path, to the north of the Amphitheatre, that I took a picture of earlier in the week.

The lake snakes a bit eastward, becoming clogged with plant life, and an excellent hangout for Birds looking for a bit of privacy for doing whatever Birds like to do. ;-D

At the end of the path this quiet, private, little space with a tree that is perfect to sit on, is there for anyone to stake claim to to read, work on a laptop, or contemplate their navel, or meditate, with nothing but the sounds of nature around you.

Sit Spot Challenge 2011: Day 8 - Take a Bite Out of Your Natural Surroundings

Sit Spot Challenge 2011: Day 6 - Ducks, Road Crossing, and Leaps of Faith

Hi, everybody, and a very pleasant good morning to you, wherever you may be...

I am The Mad Macedonian! Writer, Blogger, Poet, Humorist, Cyclist, Walker, Photographer, Cat Lover, Genealogist, and more!

It's day 6 of the 2011 Sit Spot Challenge, and I'm getting close to nature in middle of Huntington Beach, right in the heart of Orange County.

If you missed the start of this adventure, then check out this post, and follow the link at the end.

On a warm Wednesday afternoon, as I'm sitting at what I've nicknamed "The Podium" of the Amphitheatre pondering the leaps of faith I have to take as I move forward with my life...

 

A nearby pair of Ducks are pondering wether it's safe to cross the trail back to the safety, and comfort, of the lake.

You would think they would know this by now, as they no doubt have gone back, and forth, between the lake and the nearby grass area, numerous times in the past. ;-D

 

Between grooming themselves, and looking both ways first...3 times...it took them a good 10 minutes to cross the trail. ;-D

My computer classes are continuing and I'm learning to make a Slideshow with Photoshop Elements, as well as continuing to learn to make a PowerPoint Presentation.

The computer classes, including on Word, and Excel are, I believe, important skill building efforts for the future.

The Slideshow involves a presentation about my Cats, & their blog, and I may be able to post it on YouTube, we shall see. ;-D

Sit Spot Challenge 2011: Day 5 - Fireside's American Artist Makes Splash

 

Hi, everybody, and a very pleasant good morning to you, wherever you may be...

I am The Mad Macedonian! Writer, Blogger, Poet, Humorist, Cyclist, Walker, Photographer, Cat Lover, Genealogist, and more!

It's day 5 of the 2011 Sit Spot Challenge, and I'm getting close to nature in middle of Huntington Beach, right in the heart of Orange County.

If you missed the start of this adventure, then check out this post, and follow the link at the end.

Yesterday was interesting. ;-D

I was intending to get up close, & personal, with some of the residents of Central Park, when...

 

As I was preparing I saw a Dog who thought a Stroll in the Park is just Ducky...but the Ducks...not so much. ;-D

If Victor Wooten had been a Dog, and written some thing called "The Canine Lesson", he might have written the following...

"Any Dog who can get a group of Ducks to express themselves freely is powerful...

 

Because he, or she, allows them to recognize their collective and individual power to ignore them...

 

Even as the Dog knows he, or she, is the one in charge.

This is beautiful to some and frightening to others.

Welcome to the World of the Dog." ;-D

 

When I encountered the very friendly, and energetic, Winslow Homer Hatfield AKA "Fireside's American Artist", and his Human, the painter/photographer Cathryn Hatfield, of Fountain Valley, all I knew was that, as she explained, He is a 10 year old Welsh Springer Spaniel with a Website, and a Blog.

When I visited the main website website I was blown away, and it was then I learned about Winslow, & Cathyrn.

Wow!

As Cathryn explains on Winslow's blog, that she has kept up since Dec. 2009..."Winslow is an outdoorsman at heart, and by blood....I am an artist and knew that my Welsh Springer Spaniel would be a studio dog, keeping me company while I painted and letting me know when we needed a break."

He serves as one of her wonderful creative inspirations, and to see her paintings, and photos, of him, is to experience the joys of being a life long companion with an animal, be it Dog, or Cat, or any other animal one may live with.

Check out:

Winslow's World: The Adventures of a Hunting Dog in Suburbia

Cathryn's Beach Artist Website where you can enjoy more of her cool Oil Paintings.

 

The Ducks were, obviously, in no mood to chat after all that excitement and, even when I return, today, and try to tell them what I learned about their visitor...I seriously doubt they would be impressed. ;-D

So, my 20 minutes more than over with...I headed home.

 Sit Spot Challenge 2011: Day 6 - Ducks, Road Crossing, and Leaps of Faith

 

Sit Spot Challenge 2011: Day 4

 

Hi, everybody, and a very pleasant good evening to you, wherever you may be...

I am The Mad Macedonian! Writer, Blogger, Poet, Humorist, Cyclist, Walker, Photographer, Cat Lover, Genealogist, and more!

It's day 4 of the 2011 Sit Spot Challenge, and I'm getting close to nature in middle of Huntington Beach, right in the heart of Orange County.

If you missed the start of this adventure, then check out this post, and follow the link at the end.

Yesterday, required us to make like Lewis & Clark, and make a map of the area around our Sit Spot. ;-D

 

We had to walk 100 paces in each direction, North, East, South, and West, and make note of something interesting about this.

That was easy enough to do.

 

As for what kinds of vegetation, and trees, and soil, I couldn't say.

There are both paved, and dirt, trails all throughout the park, & a huge Lake.

If there is a site that gives this information I havn't found it. ;-D

 

 

 

With Interconnecting trails, restrooms, a cafe, and many picnic tables, and park benches through out, and major streets to the west, & east, it's impossible to get lost in Centrl Park. ;-D

To the north of The Amphitheatre one crosses the paved trail, & enters a narrow dirt path into the trees.

To the east one heads into the grass, & brush, & comes up against a tree. ;-D

To the south one walks acrss the stage, & up the steps to above the stage, and across the grass to some trees.

From there, to the west, is a glimpse of some parking, and the Central Library.

 

To the west, beyond the paved trail, is the SE shore of the Lake, and one can approach it much to the annoyance, amusement, or just plain indifference of the Ducks nearby. ;-D

Mapping all this took a bit more than 20 minutes, but it was interesting. ;-D

 Sit Spot Challenge 2011: Day 5 - Fireside's American Artist Makes Splash

 

Sit Spot Challenge 2011: Day 3

Hi, everybody, and a very pleasant good afternoon to you, wherever you may be...

I am The Mad Macedonian! Writer, Blogger, Poet, Humorist, Cyclist, Walker, Photographer, Cat Lover, Genealogist, and more!

It's day 3 of the 2011 Sit Spot Challenge, and I'm getting close to nature in middle of Huntington Beach, right in the heart of Orange County.

If you missed the start of this adventure, then check out this post, and follow the link at the end.

Hanging out in Central Park is an exercise in, well, an exercise in exercising! ;-D

Exercising the mind, body, or soul, and sometimes a pair, or all three at the time. ;-D

Sunday Morning in Central Park is a time to see, & be seen, as Dogs of all shapes, and sizes, and colors, take their Humans out for a morning stroll. ;-D

Not everyone who comes here is in physial shape to Crow home about...that's why they come here...to get that way with enough physical exertion to last them a lifetime...if they survive. ;-D

As I pedaled along the trail in the Alvin M. Coen Campground section of the NE part of the park, I saw the local animals silently bear witness to all this health-conscious activity.

Whether the Edgar Allan Poe story wannabe  was silently saying "Nevermore", I do not know as I was not close enough to inquire. ;-D

 Nearby anotehr critter was scampering about, stopping once to observe the passing Humans.

 

 

Whether it thought them all rather Squirrelly, I do not know. ;-D

I pedalled on to The Amphitheatre, and settled down, with my notepad, to observe, and ponder the passing scene.



As I sit, around 10am, I have a front row seat to the passing parade.

But it's not just Dogs, and their Humans, male and female, young and old, out here.

It's the Ducks, and other Birds, in, and around the Lake, it's the Squirrels in the grass, and along the trail, and the occasional Crow...

And a beautiful green Hummingbird suddenky, unexpectedly, hovers inches before my startled face, sending me frantically to pick up my camera, turn it on, aim, and sho...it!

Damn! Why, Oh Lord, did you choose to tease me so?

As if to say, "Because I can, My Son..." the minute I set my camera down the creature returns for another Fly-by. ;-D

So I return to watching bicyclists, solitary joggers & walkers, parents pushing babies in strollers, & keeping track of toddlers on their first bicycles.



The people are not just being watched by other people, as I said.

All through the park the denizens of the Natural Community that call this place home, are busily going about their business only to occassionally stop, and take note of what the two-leggeds (Especially the mre "Nutty" ones, and their domesticated companions, are up to.

Even in a well travelled Public Space such as this Human, and Critter, alike, need to be wary of some of the people who occasionally hang out here, from the Homeless, and Mentally Ill, like this character, to those with criminal intent on their agenda.

Most of the time, however, life in this park is just Ducky. ;-D

Finally, my 20 minutes are up, and I head on out on my bicycle to catch the bus.

 Sit Spot Challenge 2011: Day 4



Sit Spot Challenge 2011: Day 2

Hi, everybody, and a very pleasant good afternoon to you, wherever you may be...

I am The Mad Macedonian! Writer, Blogger, Poet, Humorist, Cyclist, Walker, Photographer, Cat Lover, Genealogist, and more!

It's day 2 of the 2011 Sit Spot Challenge, and I'm getting close to nature in middle of Huntington Beach, right in the heart of Orange County.

If you missed the start of this adventure, then check out this post, and follow the link at the end.

One great aspect of blogs like mine, and that of my Cats, Nikita & Elvira, is that we engage you in stories.

As my Sit Spot e-mail for the day explains:

"Hearing stories is an ancient part of our psyche, and  something that our ancestors did consistently, especially on cold winter nights around a fire. Telling stories was also a part of that cycle and something many modern people have forgotten how to do. Telling our stories gives us reflection time, significance, and offers learning opportunities to our families and communities."

On this blog, my retired bike blog, and with the Cats, we use investigative journalism, story telling, humor, poetry, and photography, to inform, educate, entertain, and stimulate the mind.

I arrived at my chosen spot, The Amphitheatre, on this cloudy morning, to find a man walking up, and down, the steps, in a solitary exercise routine, and as he went on his merry way down the trail in the park, I sat down, and made myself at home.

As I rode my bike through the park to get to my spot I passed men, and women, young, and old, walking, or jogging, alone, or with a companion, and even several people being walked by their Dog, sometimes 2 Dogs. ;-D

I have a lot on my mind, these days, being unemployed, and unsure of my future, and taking computer classes to increase marketable skills, and to help me learn new skills that might help me do more as a writer, and blogger.

Sitting here, and watching the passing scene, is a peaceful, relaxing, way to pass the time, and I can write in my notepad, read a few passages in a book, read a section of the newspaper, or sit lost in thought, pre-occupied with sellf analysis, or giving myself an internal pep talk.

I wonder what the people passing by must be thinking about me, and my purpose here, as they gaze at me in passing?

Do they see me as, relaxing neighbor, contemplative writer, or solitary weirdo to be watchful of as they use the park trail?

Ah, to be able to read peoples minds. ;-D

Finally, my 20 minutes are up, and I head on out on my bicycle to catch the bus.

Sit Spot Challenge 2011: Day 3

 

 

 

 

Sit Spot Challenge 2011: Day 1

A few days ago I announced that I was going to participate in this years Sit Spot Challenge, just as I had last year:

Sit in the Same Spot for 20 min., for 30 Days Straight? I did in 2010, & will again, Can You?

And so it has begun, as people across the country, and around the world, participate, and find ways to share the adventure.

So, where did I choose, this year?

 

Yesterday, I went to Central Park In Huntington Beach, the largest city-owned park in Orange County covering over 350 acres of land.

Upon my arrival I proclaimed to one, and all...

Hi, everybody, and a very pleasant good afternoon to you, whatever you may be...

I am The Mad Macedonian! Writer, Blogger, Poet, Humorist, Cyclist, Walker, Photographer, Cat Lover, Genealogist, and more!

 

I would understand completely if, upon seeing the above photos, you came to the logical conclusion that...Nobody gave a Rat's Ass. ;-D

But, we are not talking logic, here, but nature, and the key phrase is "whatever you may be". ;-D

You see, in addition to being home to the Shipley Nature Center the park is rated the top location for birding by various magazines and Huntington Beach’s bird community, and has 2 lakes which are the hangouts for various fish, and water fowl.

There are Squirrels, an Equestrian Center, a Dog Park and, so I've been told, even Feral Cats that hang out at one, or both of the Breakfast/Lunch Cafes on the property.

There is a lot more to see, and do, here, including the Centrl Library, & Disc Golf, but I had to choose one particular spot as a 20 Min. a day base. ;-D

As a writer, and poet, and someone who has, throughout his life, from his school days, and once again in the last couple years, performed in front of, or spoken to, and audience, I chose The Amphitheater, with its stage, and wooden benches, and view of one of the lakes, and the walking/cycling trail.

As my daily e-mail prompt from Sit Spot Central reminds..."People from all over the world are sitting in nature right now having direct and memorable experiences with the natural world."

Last year the Challenge gave me a lot to think, and write, about, and I shared photos of the area I hung out in, and I look forward to the same again, this year....hopefully without the same ending as last time, however. ;-D

So, come along with me as I spend part of each day this month in Central Park.

 Sit Spot Challenge 2011: Day 2

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sit in the Same Spot for 20 min., for 30 Days Straight? I did in 2010, & will again, Can You?

Last April I took a challenge, one that affected me personally, emotionally, and creatively, and, in the end even physically.

If you are a fan of this blog you may remember The Sit Spot Challenge, and the stories, and photos, and thoughts, I shared, and how it ended, with me suffering a seizure at work just as the Challenge was concluding.

You can read the whole series, starting with Day 1 (Follow the links).

Let me explain.

 It is a fascinating exercise being encouraged by the Kamana Naturalist Training Program, and  the Wilderness Awareness School.

The 3rd annual event is from April 1 to April 30.

The 30-Day Sit Spot Challenge is a way for you to connect with the depth of the natural world through one spot in the nature. You do not have to be a Kamana student or a Kamana member to sign up for the challenge....

So what is this notion all about?

You go to one spot in nature over a long period of time, and make observations of what happens in your surroundings.

 

The place must be close to your house and be a safe location, and while the idea is for the spot to be as wild as possible, some folks go into their backyard.

 

When you sign up you will get a daily email with questions and challenges.

 

Consider these "optional activities designed to increase your awareness and hone your senses" as possible writing prompts as you write about your experience in your journal, or on your blog.

 

Not only can you share your experience on your blog, but the site has a public foum where you can interact with other participants.

 

Read my series, from last year, to get a feel for the experience. ;-D

 

As my friend Randy Eady wrote, last year:

 

A richnness comes from the experience. It links us back to our primal rhythms.  A time when we were closer to the earth, to each other and less encumbered with the "needs" of a modern-mediated experience of the world around us.

 

Questions arise; reflection's required;  Frequently, the: "does the world really have to be as complicated as it now is?"  query in one form or another pops up. 

 

As  Dan Corcoran, Director of the Wilderness Awareness School says, "connection through observation to one spot in the natural world has been a routine for humans for a long time."

 

I've signed up, and have a location in mind, for my spot, that is close to where I go for my adult school classes, this coming month, for 4 days of the week.

Learn more, & sign up, here, if you are interested and, if you do, leave word in the comments, and I'll see about linking to all those who participate. ;-D

 

Sit Spot Challenge 2011: Day 1

 

100 Word Musings 2: The Golden String

THE GOLDEN STRING

Back of the bus.
Alone, tired.

A man, with 3 bags,
gets on, sits next to me.

"Coming from work?", He asks.
"No, job hunting", I reply.

He smiles, pulling a long golden string out of a bag, saying, "I've just the thing, but you must promise to roll it into a ball."

To humor him I agree, and he smiled again, wished me a good day, and exited the bus.

Rolling the string I dozed off, awakening, finished ball in my lap.

Dawn, lost, I exit the bus.

A sign in a window beckons:

Fulltime Columnist wanted - Blogging experience helpful!

--------------

Inspired by Sage Cohen putting a quote of a William Blake Poem , and the poetic response by William Stafford, in Chapter 20, Follow the Golden Thread of her wonderful book called Writing the Life Poetic.

Wow! Has it been 6 months since I wrote my first 100 Word Tale?

What Thanks Do I Get? A 100 Word Musing

I'm back now. ;-D

Want to get into the act?

Check out the 100 Word Stories Weekly Challenge Podcast by Laurence Simon.

If my Cats can do it, so can you! ;-D

Creative Meowsings: 100 Word Cat Stories

My 3rd one: 100 Word Musings 3 (A Revival): New Year's Resolution

 

Prompting Yourself to Write 21: 101 I Am's

I first brainstormed this exercise, in a 1 hour, timed, writing prompt on the evening of January, 27, 2004.

I posted it on my first blog on February 1, 2004.

This was years before most of my readers, and Facebook Friends met, or re-connected with (Especially my old High School Classmates!), me. ;-D

This new version has updates marked in red. ;-D

Have you ever sat down, and tried to describe yourself?

If you take the time to think about what makes you, YOU, in your own mind, not what others might say about you, it can be an eye opener, and provide food for thought, and incentives for the future (The picture below, of Nikita, and I, is from 2002!).

1.  I am a 43 3/4 year old man. (I am 50 3/4)
2.  I am single man (Father of two - Cats, that is...Hee, hee!)
3.  I am a Macedonian-American.
4.  I am a bookworm.
5.  I am a movie buff.
6.  I am a Writer.
7.  I am a Poet.
8.  I am a Storyteller.
9.  I am a Journalist.
10.  I am a Family History Researcher.
11.  I am a former Violinist for 10 yrs. during my youth.
12.  I am a published Star Trek author.
13.  I am a much published Comic Book Letter hack from the 1980's.
14.  I am a person with many published letters to newspapers, and magazines.
15.  I am a Bicyclist.
16.  I am a bus rider.
17.  I am a walker and a hiker.
18.  I am a High School Graduate.
19.  I am a College Graduate. The 1st in my Family, and have a BS in Criminal Justice.
20.  I am a product of a single parent home from 10 years old to adulthood. 

21.  I am a former Bookstore Manager of 11 years experience.
22.  I am a friend to many people, all online.
23.  I am a man with many friends, all online.

24.  I am a man with 2 sisters, headstrong, and beautiful, whom I helped look after in my youth, and early adulthood, and whom I still care, and worry about, today.

25.  I am a man with a bright and charming adult Niece (Plus a 5 yr. old Nephew, and 4 year old Niece).
26.  I am a man with Uncles, Aunts, and cousins all across America, and on the other side of the world.
27.  I am a caring person.
28.  I am a man with a peculiar sense of humor.
29.  I am a smart man.
30.  I am a cautious man.
31.  I am a thoughtful man.
32.  I am a man who likes to sometimes be alone, but fears being all alone in the world.
33.  I am a sensitive man.
34.  I am a virgin. (Quick! Someone call the Guinness Book of World Records! Um, hee, hee!)
35.  I am a music lover who favors Classical, Jazz, Swing, and Big Band.
36.  I am a protective man.
37.  I am a man capable of anger, and willing to fight for what he believes, and what is right.
38.  I am a man unafraid to sometimes speak his mind.
39.  I am a Woman's idea of a dreamboat, if only the fog over the ocean would recede so she could see my magnificent sails blowing in the breeze.
40.  I am a worrier, sometimes, but that doesn't worry me, too much.

41. I am a real man who admits he loves Cats.
42.  I am a somewhat decent cook of some things, and am looking to do more (See picture above for proof!).

 

  

43.  I am a Classic Coke drinker.
44.  I am a recovering, 4 cups a day, coffee drinker, who has been dry for 26 years.
45.  I am a non-smoker.
46.  I am a man who has never tried drugs.
47.  I am a man trying to develope a Social Life, just needing to find time to work on it.
48.  I am a man with no medical, or dental benefits, and the good fortune to still be alive and kicking despite that difficulty (I've had both for 6 yrs. now, and hope to keep them).
49.  I am a man with no savings, who lives from day to day, and week to week (I may be unemployed, but I now have Savings, and a 401K).
50.  I am a man with dreams and aspirations.
51.  I am a man who doesn't snore.
52.  I am a man who doesn't walk in his sleep.
53.  I am a rubber stamp collector.
54.  I am a Blogger (As is my Cat!)
55.  I am a Republicrat who votes (I am a Republican, Moderate Conservative, who drinks Tea (Decaf, of course!).
56.  I am a Demopublican who votes (What was I thinking?).