Various stages of the sea grape tree provide an interesting ceiling for the distant Gulf background...with some imagination, one could imagine big-headed branch people with knobby legs walking down the beach - ok, work with me!! :)
The Reform Symposium online conference and Matt Damon's speech (see part of it below and link for more) at yesterday's Save Our School's March in Washingon, D.C. yesterday are putting the issues that drive my passions back on the front burner with glimmers of hope. It is time to turn those 'imaginative' thoughts into reality! 4th Ave N & Gulf of Mexico, Naples, FL
I don’t know where I would be today if my teachers’ job security was based on how I performed on some standardized test. If their very survival as teachers was based on whether I actually fell in love with the process of learning but rather if I could fill in the right bubble on a test. If they had to spend most of their time desperately drilling us and less time encouraging creativity and original ideas; less time knowing who we were, seeing our strengths and helping us realize our talents.
~ Matt Damon, Save Our Schools March, Washington, D.C.
Sunday, July 31, 2011
07.31.11
Saturday, July 30, 2011
07.30.11
Amazed at how vivid (thought somewhat dizzying) this reflection was when walking the boardwalk - it is like a new living clone within the pool of water...despite the ripples and blurred distortions! Replication is usually not the desired effect anyway, but simply a base from which to remix and mashup. Clearly, this one click of the shutter cannot be duplicated exactly - but it may contribute to another person's thinking, vision, or idea. Freedom Park, Naples, FL
Friday, July 29, 2011
07.29.11
The beauty of the lotus is multidimensional - its art, science, and soul all coexist to provide overall good karma.
To keep the body in good health is a duty, for otherwise we shall not be able to trim the lamp of wisdom, and keep our mind strong and clear. Water surrounds the lotus flower, but does not wet its petals.
~ Buddha
Lunch with a colleague today and though the conversation was primarily non-work in orientation, there were a few stray mentions of what the new school year will bring. Such talk led to new energy and ideas with a focus on creativity and innovation....not atypical for the beginning of fall semester. Though this lotus will have wilted by then, I hope this photo will keep the enthusiasm alive as the 'reality' sets in!! Naples Botanical Garden, Naples, FL
Thursday, July 28, 2011
07.28.11
Gates are plentiful in Naples - an effort to create ownership, but also creating a division between 'mine' and 'yours'. This gate is somewhat transparent, allowing the illusion of openness and inviting entry, but there are other elements that obviously signal otherwise. As an owner of a private (and very expensive) beach home that sits in public view, I imagine I would also seek to create my own space with such devices.
My thoughts, though, go to the gates that keep out the very people we want to engage...setting up barriers, making folks jump through unnecessary hoops, and generally discouraging forward movement! Unfortunately, most of those gates are within our power to open....and we can't see the forest for the trees....keep pushing away at it though! Naples, FL
Wednesday, July 27, 2011
07.27.11
Appealing? Chiquita has made its mark with the yellow fruit and the famous sticker for decades. Remember the Chiquita banana jingle...both the official one and the 'kid's version'? Not sure what happened to Miss Chiquita...usually part of the label branding, but it is fun to see all of the different marketing campaigns over the years. I suppose there are some competitors (i.e., Dole), but I definitely think Chiquita when I think banana. The positive efforts of branding definitely have a payoff, a true example of 'stickiness'. Naples, FL
Tuesday, July 26, 2011
07.26.11
Illumination comes relatively easy in our powered world...but 'turning on the light bulb' for knowledge, revelation, insight, and wisdom is an entirely different story!
There are very few human beings who receive the truth, complete and staggering, by instant illumination. Most of them acquire it fragment by fragment, on a small scale, by successive developments, cellularly, like a laborious mosaic.
~ Anais Nin
No wonder learning is tough and time-consuming! Now, how do we convince "the powers that be" that it can't be reduced to standardized test scores and school grades? Looks like that illumination will be a slow process, as well! Naples, FL
Monday, July 25, 2011
07.25.11
A penny (or two) for your thoughts?
Taking time to photograph and write on a daily basis has become habit, though sometimes neither one is worthy of much. A penny is not worth much either, but it is probably my favorite US coin, due in part to its copper color. Even if one's photography or writing is not deemed 'worthy' to the general community, it has meaning for the artist/author. So if creation authenticity is evident, is the product justified...even if it is not appreciated by others? And, if yes, is there a limit of submissions? Thinking about all that is on the internet - all the tweets, blog postings, social network statuses...and more! Naples, FL
