astronomy double stars

I found an interesting blog on bouble stars called the star splitters,
I think those of you who are interested in double stars will enjoy this site
click on  http://www.bestdoubles.wordpress.com/

Have fun

Michaela

Tanka poems by Kayla

Tanka meaning "short song",  is a name for a short form of lyric verse which originated in Japan over a thousand years ago.  Tanka first became known in the West about one hundred years ago.  I found it to be a perfect form for me to express my feelings and to use to journal.  It's also very handy for text used in hand made books. Here is a Tanka I just wrote after a visit to my old home town.


                                        passing by

                                        strangers live there now

                                        in our old house

                                        where memories of my childhood live

                                        i am the only one left

Tanka poems by Kayla

summer morning

after leaving the boardwalk

i write a poem

and place it in a bottle

for the ocean to read



pouring rain

a robin searches for worms

on the front lawn

i think about that bike trip

to the shore in the rain



a ground hog

stops and looks both ways

before crossing the street

i think of how hard it was

to get our kids to do that



the new fence

around the garden

tore down by kids

i recall destroying

my brother's model car



a little girl

plays with her doll

on the side porch

memories of my sister

holding emily susan



a sparrow

sips dew droplets

in early morning

barefooted i cross the wet grass

to fetch today's paper



a baby rabbit

chewing dandelion leaves

in the front yard

i think about the cost

of yesterdays salad



dark sky

a bright jupiter

rises above the trees

i think of a poem

by walt whitman



cemetery

the names of the dead sink deeper

into the autumn leaves

i sweep them with my hands

uncovering my mothers name



bitter cold outside

african violets bloom

in the warm kitchen

i stand waiting

for the coffee water to boil



for sale

large farm equipment and tomb stones

at the west end fair

i sit on a bench

listening to country music


above the trash cans

above the trees

the stars of orion

lie on their side

in the western sky



chilly winds

the leaves of autumn

tumble down the street

where i've lived

for over forty years



a hawk flies away

mockingbird feathers

scatter in the wind

my thoughts about

how delicate our days are



walt whitman's tomb

seeing leaves of grass

still growing there

i imagine hearing him say

what i assume you shall assume



mausoleum

seeing only darkness

through the peep hole

i look into the past

and into the future

collage art by Kayla

I made the image for this collage from newspaper, the background is paper towel ripped into small pieces then glued to the maple wood ground. I use acrylic medium as a glue,mod podge also works well. I used some buttons for embellishments ....I love buttons !!

                                 

This collage uses the same methods ,the image is unique it's made from a late 1800's Sear and Roebuck catalog, After drawing the image on the very brittle paper , I cut it out using an x-acto knife,then very carefully glued  it onto the background.

mobile art by Kayla

I am interested in the hanging, kinetic art form called a "mobile" invented by Alexander Calder an American artist living in Paris.  for information on Calder click on  http://www.calder.org/


This small mobile is made with simple materials, the horizontal elements are bamboo and the vertical elements are 30 lb Dacron line.  I really enjoy this art form, I love things that move.  When the sun is at the right angle the crystal hanging from the bottom element splits the light into a rainbow.  Its surprising to see all of the different places within the room that the rainbow appears!

Here is another mobile of the same type, one of the unique features of mobile art is that it keeps recomposing itself.  An advantage of using bamboo sticks in a mobile design is that they have a small surface area,so the mobile moves slowly.

Tanka poems by Kayla

passing seasons

worn thin on her finger

a wedding ring

the only thing she owns

after years of serving him



gentle breeze

a spider weaves her web

moving clockwise

she sews her thread to each spoke

weaving a perfect spiral



a cold crisp dawn

a hawk stands

over her prey

feathers roll and scatter

in a field of sunshine



grandson's classroom

an english lesson written

on the blackboard

all the things i should know

to write poetry but don't



in my mind

it suddenly appears

then passes away

the black hearse without a door

moving without a sound



side yard

even the lilac blossoms

seem sad today

how many more springs

will they see?



when we seeded

the field

with clover

you should see the joy

on the faces of the rabbits



the veteran

race car driver

on his final ride

passes by his house

in a hearse



in the basement

she moves slowly

grabbing at the darkness

that makes her hair stand on end

to the fear of what might be there



front porch swing

a mosquito searches

for her meal

she lands on my arm

this little vampire



rising over

the trees this summer evening

the red planet mars

closer to he earth tonight

then 60,000 years ago



cemetery

happy birthday balloons

floating above the grave stones

memories of all the parties

she was invited to but missed



dandelions

spread across the lawn

bursting yellow

the color of the sun

and old piper cubs



every spring

i listen to the tree frogs

celebrating

the anniversary

of our romance



she's 3000 years old

i am fascinated

by her eyelashes

how beautiful

how delicate



not the sweet spring air

nor the sound of tree frogs

nor the scent of honeysuckle

but the memory of you

and our first kiss



native american children

perform a native dance

at the west end fair

they touch me in a surprising way

i am moved to tears



early morning

on top of the mountain

so far from the ocean

yet i hear the lonely sound

of a buoy



God

the universe

dusk in the park

i watch the bats

flying overhead



with the sound

of the train's whistle

thoughts of my father

alive again

full of life



a huge red fire truck

roars around the corner

driven by a man

that i held in my arms

when he was a baby

Fighter kite art by Kayla

One of my other passions making fighter kites.. I enjoy using all types of material for the sail.  I have used mylar gift wrap, Japanese tissue, gift wrap tissue, plastic bag, nylon fabric,  The best material for art kites is tyvek or tissue or any light paper, in fact I have used news paper for art kites.  Most of my fighter kite art is done on a tyvek sail.  The fighter kite shown in the picture is a tyvek postal envelope with acrylic  ink.  The kite size is 1.3 square foot and uses a .050 carbon fiber rod, sometimes I use a bamboo rod for a cross spar and the spine.

                                                 my fighter kite
                                                
                                                 a delta formed from

                                                 two sticks and a sail

                                                 in this simple shape lives

                                                 the spirit of all kites



                                                 on the soccer field

                                                 in a cloudless sky

                                                 a bright red fighter kite

                                                 and my spirit

                                                 dance with the wind



                                                 flying my fighter kite

                                                 tiny violets share the spot

                                                 where i am standing

                                                 on the surface of the earth

                                                 revolving around a star



                                                  am i to end in dust

                                                  then set me free in the sky

                                                  to swirl in the sun's light

                                                  a rainbow colored kite

                                                  dancing with the wind



                                                 today my spirit

                                                 is a pink fighter kite

                                                 flying through the sky

                                                 spinning and floating on air

                                                 a dance with the wind