theotherpages

[theotherpages]

⌘ Reminder of the Season

From the final edition of W N P:

⌘ Reminder of the Season

for the children of Gaza, and Ukraine, and all the other disrupted places in the world

Be happy. There is too little happiness In the world today. Be blissfully happy Enjoying family and friends.

But don’t be blissfully ignorant. Be reminded that, While you enjoy the niceties Of your first world celebrations, There is a third world out there, A world where there are people Who are more like you Than you realize, Who scrape by on scant food, Huddle together for warmth, And hide in fear Of forces they can never Dream of controlling.

Be happy. Revel in the peace And spiritual comfort Of your home, you Bastion against the Dark and the snow, And the winter’s Wailing winds outside.

But recognize that Much of the world now Knows little of peace, And that millions Of refugees must Spend this season Sheltering in place, In shattered cities, Or in squalid camps or Bolt-holes that offer Little real shelter from The bombs and the bullets, The tanks and the missiles, The cold and disease And starvation.

Be happy. Sing songs of joy, Songs of merriment, Songs of times long gone Or merry gentlemen, And hope that your singing And the sound of laughter Will keep your troubles Far away. Miles away.

But know that there are Thousands of adults, And thousands of children, Wishing only for silence. Whose dark nights are filled With the flash of explosions And with the screaming Of the last sound That they will ever hear, The screaming of Projectiles plummeting To earth, and the screams Of their loved ones, Watching the lives Of their families Ripped from their hands.

So be happy, And appreciate that There is too little happiness In the world today. Be blissfully happy And hold your children tight.

But don’t be blissfully ignorant. And when you wake up Tomorrow, don’t sit idly by. Raise a voice for the voiceless. Give them a chance, However so slender, At a life, and maybe, someday, If the fates allow, A little happiness of their own.

--Steve Spanoudis

#gaza #the other pages #theotherpages.org #poetry #poems #the republic of dreams #ceasefire #wednesday night poetry #peace

[theotherpages]

Beautiful Images, Part I

Today we are diving deep into the photo archives, to the original Beautiful Images collection created when the site when public in 1994. These are all images taken in the 1980's and 1990's using film cameras.

They were printed, then scanned at high resolution, but unfortunately when we moved from an (unofficial) site on a corporate server to https://theotherpages.org on a public server, images were highly compressed and reduced to save bandwidth. Here are some of those original images, (mostly) resurrected using Topaz Gigapixel and a few other tools. Not perfect, but surprisingly good all things considered. --Steve

- The Clematis is from my former home in Lexington, Kentucky

- The towers and steeples of Prague was taken by Amy Shipman

- The Snow Tunnel is one I took as my spouse and I escaped Yosemite after a HEAVY April snowfall (snow chains required)

- The eastern rim of the Grand Canyon in sunset, was taken by Teresa Bzdyk.

-Jama Masjid Mosque in Agra, India was taken by Jim Rioux.

#the other pages #theotherpages.org #travel #nature #photo #photography #garden #grand canyon #yosemite #snow #prague #czech republic #kentucky

[theotherpages]

Beautiful Images, Part II

Another Deep Dive into the photo archives, to the original Beautiful Images collection created when the site when public in 1994. These are images taken in the 80's and 90's using film cameras.

They were originally printed, then scanned at high resolution, but unfortunately when we moved from an (unofficial) corporate server to https://theotherpages.org on a public server, the images were highly reduced to save bandwidth. Here are some of those original images, (mostly) resurrected using Topaz Gigapixel and a few other tools. Not perfect, but surprisingly good all things considered. --Steve

- Sculpture, Hammersmith Gardens, Newport Rhode Island, by Louis Spanoudis

- Azaleas inside the Conservatory at Eden Park, Cincinnati, Ohio, by Steve Spanoudis

- Sunset, east arm of Grand Traverse Bay, Michigan, by Louis Spanoudis

- Inside Colone Cathedral. Colone Germany, by Steve Spanoudis

- The Nylon Pool, a submerged sand bar adjacent to Bucco Reef, Tobago, West Indies, by Steve Spanoudis

#photography#photo#theotherpages#travel#nature#garden

#sunset#germany#Michigan#tobago#trinidadandtobago#hammersmithgardens#colognecathedral

#theotherpages.org #the other pages #photo #photography #travel #nature #garden #sunset #germany #cathedral #tobago #nylon pool #trinidad and tobago #cologne cathedral #hammersmith gardens

[theotherpages]

Beautiful Images, Part III

Our third Deep Dive into the photo archives, to the original Beautiful Images collection created when the site when public in 1994. These are images taken in the 80's and 90's using film cameras.

They were originally printed, then scanned at high resolution, but unfortunately when we moved from an (unofficial) corporate server to https://theotherpages.org on a public server, the images were highly reduced to save bandwidth. Here are some of those original images, (mostly) resurrected using Topaz Gigapixel and a few other tools. Not perfect, but surprisingly good all things considered. --Steve

- Catamaran Sail and sky, Traverse Bay, Michigan, US, by Steve Spanoudis

- Middle and Lower Yosemite Falls, Yosemite N.P., California, US, by Steve Spanoudis

- Cecile Lake, Ritter Range, California, US, by Amy Shipman

- Rock formations, Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona, by Teresa Bzdyk

- Old Fashioned Pink Shrub Rose, by Steve Spanoudis

#the other pages #theotherpages.org #travel #photo #photography #roses #sailing #grand canyon #yosemite #gardening #hiking #mountains

[theotherpages]

A reminder for those in the U.S. that there is no better season to start reading Roger and Phoebe. Available on Kindle Vella. If you haven't read a Vella serial before, you'll get enough tokens to read the entire series for free. It's written in short episodes that are easy to read on any mobile device. Also, be forewarned, this one is not rated G.

--Steve

#kindle#kindlebooks#vella#kindlevella#theotherpages#rogerandphoebe#Halloween#adventure#adventurestory#lovestory#roadtrip#progressivepunk#music#books#reading#stories#urbanfantasy#series#serial

#theotherpages.org #the other pages #kindle #kindle vella #vella #adventure #urban fantasy #serial novel #serial fiction #episodes

[theotherpages]

#theotherpages.org #the other pages #poetry #poet #poems #wednesday night poetry #wnp

[theotherpages]

Cerulea, Episodes 1 & 2

OK. The first two episodes of Cerulea, my latest online serial, are up on Kindle Vella and available for reading. I think I've got the voice right. As E.L Doctorow said, once you have the voice, everything else falls into place. Or so I hope. Enjoy. More to follow.

An urban (suburban?) fantasy about life interrupted. Cerulea must navigate the not-so-ordinary hurdles life throws at her after both parents disappear. She has two brothers to look after, three riddles to solve, college planning and high school graduation coming up, a girlfriend who wants to get more serious, and a an absurd number of unexpected dangers suddenly complicating life. Fortunately, she has (more than) a few skills and lessons from her parents to fall back on. She'll need them all.

#theotherpages.org #the other pages #adventure #kindle #vella #kindle vella #serial fiction #serial #self discovery #fiction #serial novel #cerulea #urban fantasy #episodes

[theotherpages]

Dragonfly in a Phosphorescent World

Today's Dose of Unreality. Created using MidJourney AI with post in PSP and Topaz.

#theotherpages.org #the other pages #art #ai art #ai #ai artwork #midjourney #nft #nftart

[theotherpages]

#poetry #theotherpages.org #the other pages #poet #poems #fall #autumn #october

[theotherpages]

The James Museum, Part 7

The James Museum. See previous posts for more detail.

–Steve

#theotherpages.org #the other pages #florida #museum #museums #native american #native american art

[theotherpages]

The James Museum, Part 6

The James Museum, Part 6 of several. So much to see. See previous posts for more detail.

–Steve

#the other pages #theotherpages.org #florida #museum #museums #native american #native american art

[theotherpages]

The James Museum, Part 5

So much to see. See previous posts for more detail.

--Steve

#theotherpages.org #the other pages #florida #museum #museums #art #sculpture #painting #native american #native american art

[theotherpages]

Cerulea and the Meaning of Everything

OK, so we have a new working title, the first episode is processing on Kindle Vella, and the second episode is ready to submit. "Cerulea and the Meaning of Everything," (formerly "Stars and Alligators").

And MidJourney and I have come to agreement on a first-pass portrait of our new antiheroine after less than thirty iterations. This is a project that has been percolating in the background for several years. As for the outline . . . well, we'll see where it goes from here.

Stay tuned.

--Steve

#the other pages #theotherpages.org #writing #fiction #kindle #kindle vella #the republic of dreams #spanoudis #cerulea

[theotherpages]

Liking the Skin You're In

Today's Visit to The Other Pages Archives: Green Iguana, Key Biscayne FL, October 2006,

from https://images.theotherpages.org with some post enhancements for clarity.

"An iguana is an animal you have a hard time making an emotional attachment to - though it makes a fascinating photo subject. This is one of a pair I took shots of on the Key Biscayne causeway off Miami, early one October morning. I liked the emerald shades of green, the amazing detail brought out by the bright sunlight, and the calm, sentinel-like expression on the iguana's face. --Steve"

#miami #theotherpages.org #the other pages #florida #wildlife #nature #outdoors #reptiles

[theotherpages]

Resting Place

Today's Visit to The Other Pages Archives: Hammock and Leaves:

Dublin, OH, July 2006,

from https://images.theotherpages.org with some post enhancements for clarity.

"Bright Green leaves from a Silver Maple resting on twisted blue-green hammock ropes above a summer lawn. From Linda's back yard. It reminds me a little of an M.C. Escher drawing.

--Steve"

#theotherpages.org #the other pages #nature #garden #ohio #outdoors #zen

[theotherpages]

The James Museum, Part 4

More images from the James Museum in St. Petersburg, Florida, U.S. in May. Part 4 of several.

Its collection is very well presented, and centered around an architectural feature that mimics an arroyo in the desert southwest.

The Native American art collection - which makes up most of the museum - is quite good, and well worth a visit. Some pieces are exceptional. More to follow.

--Steve

#the other pages #theotherpages.org #florida #museum #museums #sculpture #art #native american #native american art

[theotherpages]

The James Museum, Part 3

More images from the James Museum in St. Petersburg, Florida, U.S. in May. Part 3 of several. Its collection is very well presented, and centered around an architectural feature that mimics an arroyo in the desert southwest.

The Native American art collection - which makes up most of the museum - is quite good, and well worth a visit. Some pieces are exceptional.

More to follow.

--Steve

#the other pages #theotherpages.org #florida #museum #museums #art #sculpture #native american #native american art #painting