Wednesday, July 11

Sunset Memory

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Spoke with my buddy Mick Ranck today. He was, um, startled by the portrait quartet I posted on Sunday. I'm glad that some of you are giving me cover on this week's postings. I kind of hope that there's an artistic thread that sews my week of Fourth of July postings together. Heck, I know that this stuff is art, I just hope it's seen as my art. That somewhere here in all of this that You can sense an authentic-voice-of-Ted, a style, a life-view which makes it a tad unique? Which communicates what I think and feel in a way that's got some value. After all, that's what art is about, right?

Which brings me to today's post. I know from Google Diagnostics how many hundreds upon hundreds of visitors come by here each week and that an astonishing large portion are from way beyond our American borders. And I know that you know that we celebrate our independence each year on July 4th. So I wanted to let you visit pieces of The Rancks' annual party. But instead of showing crowds, flags, and grills loaded up ... I find instead I'm showing dogs, girls, and now today... at twilight a boy of summer.

Every country's annual patriotic celebration is at heart wonderfully romantic. And it's about boys, girls, and dogs. Because it's about a legacy. It's about an idea that we are passing off in celebration to our youth. Just as self preservation is the primary direction to a species... so too is it primary to a culture. In celebration and ceremony we communicate group memories. And maybe some are as simple as a handsome boy, with a great big ball, basking on a carpet of grass that's a-sparkle in the dazzle of a memorable sunset. Maybe it's as simple as the hope that the kids will have many more of these feelings that our celebrations are all about. Eh?

2 comments:

Debra Trean said...

A very sweet sunset memory image indeed. I am glad the 4th is over as it is upsetting to our animals. I wish to thank you for such elegant words and for taking the time to look at my stuff. Your support is very much appreciated. It is already almost the weekend and I hope yours is glorious and relaxing ours will be about 104.

Ted said...

104? That's a notch on my meat thermometer! Leave a hot dog out in the 104 sun and it'll be done before you can get the ketchup and mustard, right?

Still, imagine how we'd vex if it snowed this week, eh? Now that's be annoying.

And yeah.... the way we blow things up on July 4 - it does startle the horses. But I understand that they are ver smart animals. You've got to teach them to look up at a bursting firework - as it spawns out into a neon dandelion and go, "Ohhhhhhhhhhhh!"

Hmmmm.... now that'd be a trick they ought to add to the next horse competition, eh?