Thursday, May 31, 2012

End of May Miscellany

It's gorgeous here, once again...  bright, sunny skies, a few clouds, birds singing, squirrels and baby cotton-tails running around, and my kits sitting on the patio in the sunshine, taking all of it in.  I've already taken care of two different households, and will depart to walk the red kids soon.   ...  Jim ran the Bolder Boulder in 54 minutes on Monday, while Kathy easily made her guessed walking time.  Our trash is usually picked up on Tuesday, but was set back to yesterday because of Memorial Day.  Usually the recycling or compost is picked up before 7:30 a.m., and the trash is grabbed between noon and 2.  Yesterday, the recycling was picked up around noon at one house, and three at the other; the trash was picked up at 5:30 at the first house and has yet to be grabbed, as of now, at the second house.  With the raccoons in the neighborhood, it made for an interesting morning.  ...  Archaeologists believe they may have found a broken jar of "anti-freckle cream" on the island of Kiribati in the Pacific Ocean, and think that it might be something left from the possible crash of Amelia Earhart.  A three day conference regarding the last flight of Earhart begins Friday.  ....  Zoe Ripple, the CU grad who was shot during a home invasion, says she is "disappointed" that she is now being charged with felony trespass, after being shot by the frightened home-owner.  Give me a break!  Her alcohol level was  twice the amount needed to be charged with being drunk.  She claims she thought she was at the home of a friend - but she doesn't remember anything after leaving a bar at 1:45 in the morning, and being shot at 3:26.  She was driving a vehicle while she was that drunk.  She could easily have killed other motorists, or folks on the sidewalk.  She could have parked her car and died from alcohol poisoning.  There are all sorts of scenarios that might have happened.  - A woman was recently put in jail for 33 years after her 8th time of  DUI; this time she struck and killed two young parents and their infant.  To escape being arrested, she dove into a local reservoir and tried to swim away.  She was caught.  When pulled up into the boat, her first question was, "Who did I kill?"  Drunkenness has been a problem of civilization from day one - maybe we should finally start implementing some DUI laws that have teeth.  .... Back home on the island, the Island Roxy Theatre is getting a new life.  Renovations are being done, and the theatre will begin showing movies next week - and they have also booked their first musical endeavor, a string quartet.  Go, Roxy!  ....  Louis J. Feuchter, 1885-1957, was a renowned Baltimore artist who painted maritime scenes of the Chesapeake Bay and Eastern Shore.  The Museum of Chincoteague Island is presenting an exhibit of his work in paintings in oils and watercolors, as well as many sketches. These works provide a visual record of the vessels that plied the area waters in the early 1900s.  The works are privately owned and have never been exhibited publicly before. They have been loaned to the museum specifically for this exhibit which runs for three weeks only, opening Saturday, and running through June 24.   Feuchter's artistic talent was recognized early in his life, and he was admitted to the prestigious Maryland Institute of Art when he was 12. In the 1940s, he was commissioned to paint the murals in the Mariners' Museum of Newport News. Today, his works are featured in many museum collections.  The museum is open Tuesday through Sunday from 11 a.m.-5 p.m., and closed on Mondays. Admission is $3 for adults; children 12 and under are admitted free with accompanying adult.

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