Tag: Quotes

Ben Franklin’s Amazing Glass Instrument

“Of all my inventions, the glass armonica has given me the greatest personal satisfaction.” ~ Ben Franklin

While visiting the Folk Art Museum in Williamsburg one of the scheduled events that sounded intriguing was a multi-media concert of glass instruments. So we made sure we were seated in the auditorium before the demonstration began.

Mr. Dean Shostak was demonstrating three glass instruments. The first instrument, the armonica, was created by Benjamin Franklin in 1761. It is a series of glasses cupped together and you use wet fingers to play it. Each cup produces a different tone. I had not heard of this instrument before. However, it has been featured on Mr. Rogers. Mr. Shostak showed a video clip from one of Mr. Rogers television programs where Mr. Rogers was introducing the instrument to the children.

The armonica. Dean Shostak was playing the instrument which was projected on a screen for better viewing.

Mr. Shostak played several pieces for us on the armonica.

Next he showed us his glass violin. He had it made for him in Japan. It was a beautiful instrument with lovely etching on the sides. He let us come close after the concert to take photos and touch it. There are not too many of these glass violins around. He played one song on it for us. To my untrained ear it sounded nice and much like other violins

Dean Shostak was proud of his glass violin.
The beautiful etching on the side of the glass violin.

The third instrument was similar to the armonica only formatted differently. Instead of the glasses cupped together they were upright in a wooden box, but you still needed wet fingers to play it. I forgot the name of it.

The instrument he was playing was projected onto the screen.

It was a very enlightening, interesting and entertaining 45 minute concert in the Williamsburg’s Folk Art Museum.

On a side note; while we were looking at the dress design exhibit in the art museum we recognized a fellow Northfielder as we turned a corner. We stopped to chat and laughed about our meeting unexpectedly in this place so far away from home.

Movement at Temperance River State Park

At the mouth of Temperance River.

One beautiful afternoon during our stay up on the north shore, we walked along Temperance River towards Lake Superior, from the parking area to a wooden bridge that crosses over the river to the other side of the park. While on the bridge we looked downstream to the mouth of the river and there was a young man fly-fishing. As we looked upstream, towards the water falls, our son and his wife alerted us to watch for fish jumping out of the water trying to swim against the flow. It was fun to spot several fish jumping over the course of a few minutes. Some types of fish return to the stream of their birth to lay eggs. To accomplish this, they must swim upstream against the current of the stream. It looked like a tough job.

If you observe closely you can see a fish jumping in this 9 second video. Click link:

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The fish jumping was one of the interesting movements we saw that afternoon.

The other interesting movement we witnessed was on the rocky beach of the state park.

I didn’t have opportunity to get a good photo of this lone dancer on the rock, but I wanted to capture the memory.

We continued hiking to the lake and found a semi-shady spot to sit down and read our books on the rocky beach when I noticed on the other side of the beach a woman dancing by herself on an outcropping of rocks.  I was far enough away so she didn’t know I was watching her, but there were others close-by and she would have known they were there, but still she danced with abandonment.

And it brought me much joy.

I sensed her enthusiasm and love for the beauty surrounding her and she was expressing it by dancing. I try to express these feelings by writing and photography but part of me wants to secretly find a hidden beach somewhere and dance to my heart’s content!

 

“Let all who come to Love rejoice, let them sing for joy! And protect them, so that those who live in your love may dance in your light!”

An excerpt from Psalm 5 from the book Psalms for Praying by Nan C. Merrill

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“Silence alone is worthy to be heard.”

I have remembered this quote, and repeated it often, since I read it on a sign in a national park out west years ago. (It may be a Henry Thoreau but I could not confirm that.)

I am in favor of silence and quiet. My favorite time of day is early morning; sitting in my chair, in silence, drinking coffee, thinking, praying, reading, getting energized for the day.

There can be silence when standing in awe of beauty. There is the companionable silence of friends together not always conversing. There is precious silence while holding a sleeping baby in your arms.

All worthy to be heard.

“Be still, and know that I am God.” Psalm 46:10

Serenity Prayer – Reworded

 

Mt. Brandon – Dingle Peninsula, Ireland

In church on Sunday, we heard a different version of the serenity prayer:

Show me what is yours to do Lord.

Show me what is mine to do.

Show me what’s what, and make it clear.

This is the traditional prayer:

God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change,

Courage to change the things I can,

And wisdom to know the difference.

Both are worth praying.

Happy Thanksgiving

 

Upon entering our church sanctuary last night for our annual Thanksgiving Eve service and pie social the above quote was on the overhead and I liked it.

I love this day of Thanksgiving, and strive to have an attitude of gratitude all year ’round. There is much to be thankful for everyday.

“Enter his gates with thanksgiving; go into his courts with praise. Give thanks to him and praise his name. For the Lord is good. His unfailing love continues forever, and his faithfulness continues to each generation. ” Psalm 100: 4-5

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At one of the several weddings we attended last summer the bride was unusually animated as she continually looked out at the church full of guests, with a wide grin on her face. She was so excited and was enjoying the moment.

In the pastor’s homily he used a quote which apparently is paraphrased but accredited to Walt Whitman:

“ We were together. I forget the rest.”

It is a heartwarming sentiment and I think it applies to more than young couples in love. To me it says being present and being together is what counts.

Sunsets

 

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“What would you pay to see the sunrise or the sunset if it were not free entertainment?” I heard this saying many years ago but it comes to mind often when I see a sunrise or sunset. I praise the Lord for these free gifts of beauty and “entertainment”.

This sunset photo was taken in the Fjord-du-Saguenay area, northeast of Quebec City where we stayed for three nights on our Quebec vacation.