It wasn’t rage that shaped him, but the slow burn of inevitability. Stone gathered around his form the way old grudges gather around a name, layer by layer, until even the sky forgot what he once was. Flame carved the rest — blue, cold, deliberate — a fire that didn’t roar so much as whisper its intent. And somewhere between the crack and the spark, a wolf opened his eyes.
He did not rise to hunt. He did not rise to serve. He rose because something ancient and unfinished refused to stay buried. The world moved on, learned new fears, worshipped smaller gods. But he walked out of the dark like a memory with teeth, carrying the quiet certainty that monsters aren’t born — they’re awakened.
The 1960 DiDia 150 is a one-of-a-kind, hand-built luxury car designed by Detroit clothing designer Andy DiDia. Taking seven years to complete (1953–1960) and costing over $150,000 (around $1.5 million today), the car was known for its bold, unconventional style. It became the dream car of singer Bobby Darin, who drove it to the Academy Awards and featured it in movies. Darin donated the car to the Museum of Transportation in 1970, three years before his death. The vehicle features a V8 engine, a 125-inch wheelbase, and was originally built in Detroit, Michigan.
In the Shadow of the Sword: My Unhealthy Love Affair with Arthurian Legend
Look, I don’t know what they were putting in the water back in medieval Britain, but something about knights, swords, and love triangles gets me every time. There’s this foggy, dramatic world where chivalry clashes with betrayal, magic meddles with fate, and everyone’s either nobly dying or making wildly bad romantic decisions. Naturally, I’m obsessed.
Give me Camelot, give me Arthur (the himbo king with a destiny complex), give me Merlin muttering cryptic nonsense in a cave somewhere. And Guinevere? Queen of tragic love and complicated feelings. It’s basically a mythological soap opera with chainmail.
But here’s the thing—these stories aren’t just dusty old legends. They still hit. Hard. Arthur’s idealism, Merlin’s weird wisdom, Guinevere’s heartache—they’re all just medieval stand-ins for our modern messes. Love, power, sacrifice, the occasional magical sword—it’s all still painfully relevant.
So yeah, I keep coming back to Avalon. Not because I’m looking for answers (spoiler: nobody has those), but because getting lost in all that drama and destiny is half the fun.
I never anticipated the response to the story. It blew me away. It was just a little idea I came up with, and I decided to write something. However, the comment that struck me the most was my brother’s comment that he wanted to see more artwork featuring pink ferrets and angry platypuses. I told him there was an image already with the story. He nodded as he peered over his glasses.
“I want to see what they would like now, seeing you are better with computer art.”
I laughed and said I would, but I never got around to it. Well, the prompt appeared again. Now, I need to reimage the graphics for the story. So, I sat down and created a roster for the Rico Strong Traveling Pink Ferrets and Angry Platypus. I will probably rewrite the story, but we start with the graphics first.
My health has been particularly challenging this year, so I haven’t been able to get out and take pictures. During my recovery, I’ve experimented with AI images. Although, after months of using AI, I still feel my initial reservations about AI images, I’ve found myself enjoying the art I’ve been able to create. In the spirit of photography, I’ve created a series of images that may fit this challenge.
For me, AI images will never replace actual photography. I enjoy the entire process of photography too much. I sit on the bed of my pickup, drinking coffee from a thermos, before taking a bite of the sandwich I packed.
Here is some concept art of pathways…
Here are a few photorealistic images I created for challenges in another community:
Yesterday, before the sky opened up and unleashed all kinds of nastiness, it was a beautiful serene day. Though, it was a little on the hot, I pulled out my phone and took a few shots. It felt good.
What are the most important things needed to live a good life?
DAILY PROMPT RESPONSE
Typically, questions like these, I would have some philosophical response intended to make you pause and consider the state of the world. But, it isn’t that kind of day.
Everything I need is right there in that photo. At least that’s how I feel at the moment. Tomorrow’s another story, now isn’t it?
When I found these photos, I had chucked them up as a loss. There wasn’t anything I was going to use them for. I’m surprised I hadn’t deleted them. Then, this morning I saw this challenge and remembered I had these shots.
Most of the time, my brothers and I don’t have any problems. We deal with the normal issues in this strange, cryptic thing called life. However, from time to time, an asshat appears out of nowhere. It’s almost like they waiting in the shadows for the precise moment to be a nuisance. It’s quite difficult to avoid asshats because you can recognize them from sight. However, once open their mouths, they are now easily recognizable.
They say things like, “How are guys related?” Or some other variant of dumbness.
I felt good the other day and decided to take a walk at a local park. It was spur of the moment thing, so I didn’t have my Nikon. I whipped my trusty Samsung and started snapping away. Before I knew it, I was looking up at the picturesque sky because I had tripped over the pavers, falling right into a nearby flower bed. I looked around to see if anyone had noticed, and the entire affair was witnessed. Is it a requirement for someone to witness someone fall to be a fall? Otherwise, a firm denial works. Here is what I got before I bit the dust.
i listened to track as collected myself. A Stevie can do wonders for the soul.
I enjoy taking two types of photos more than any other composition; candids and close-ups. In these photos are close-ups of a project my brother worked on last fall. He was working on a fuel tank for a motorcycle. I kept getting in the way of photographing the entire process. I complained about not being able to catch the shot I wanted. Sometimes, you get lucky a find something you weren’t looking for.
I love to drive. It is one of the most relaxing things for me. However, I usually can’t take pictures of what I see while on the road. Here are a few I was able to catch.
One of things I enjoy about photography is the ability to make the mundane into something interesting. Well, it works out that way sometimes. I compare it writing. Sometimes you just can’t get a sentence the way you want. Or you write this complicated sentence when a simple will do just fine.
So, this is what I come with for today…
Top of a toolbox
I was walking into an office and saw this toolbox. Nothing about it is unique. I’ve owned several of the years. However, that day I just stopped snapped a photo. I wondered what I would do with it. I’m sure I’m not finished with it either. Well, at least I don’t think so.
As I look at this picture, I’m drawn to the symmetry of the pattern and the surface’s texture. I also notice a slight reflection of the adjacent building I hadn’t noticed before. At any rate, to me, what I’m seeing just illustrates the point I’m trying to make.
Insomnia has a hold on me, so I decided to play around with image generation. I used the text from the post In the Wee Hours and it generated the following images. I enjoyed difference within each image, but the general concept is the same.
I haven’t been taking many photos for the last few months. However, last month, I snapped a couple of decent images. They aren’t my best work but call it me working my way back into it.
I love this challenge. Although, I probably have never done it correctly. I find it challenging to find a photo that truly speaks for itself. However, each week, I attempt to discover the undiscovered.
Over the last several weeks, I have been playing catch-up. Since retiring, I’ve sat back and enjoyed the wonderful world of blogging. I don’t have to tell you about the fantastic posts from around the world. When it came to finding images for this post, I had to do a little digging. Trust me, that was the fun part. Here is what I discovered.
Random shot of a body of WaterWater Fountain Wallclock Texture
I was trying to get my camera to focus during a shoot and had no idea I accidentally snapped this shot. I remember hearing the shutter. I immediately went to work and did not pay attention to all the pictures.
I was doing research last week and discovered groundhogs are also called woodchucks. So, here is one of the first pictures I took of my woodchuck, “Emmitt.” He was so shy back then. We’ve come a long way together over the years.
Woodchuck
This last photo fits several categories. It basically depends on the mood I’m in at the moment. So, today, As I gaze upon this photo of me and a few of my granddaughters, I think “Weirdo’s”.
When I hear the word tools, I immediately think of the various instruments I’ve used over the years for countless projects. So, for this post, I wanted to look at things a little different. Today, I will not only display tools, you know standard one’s people know. I’m display some pictures of things created by various tools.
Brother preparing a fender for painting.
Pop working on a car Me mixing old and new techniquesUs wondering if crazy idea was going to work A new fuel primed for paint Brother airbrushing
As a tradesman we use so many tools and sometimes we have to make the tools we need in order to complete the job. We use a sander in body work. I use a different type of sander in woodworking. Those drivers you see in the picture of the wood project, in that shop I’ve used those drivers in various other projects, such as mechanical, hydraulics, electrical, and pneumatics.
Writer of all things:
As a writer, one of my most important tools is a laptop. I do most of writing, research, and general clowning on it. Also, I edit video and photos on it. I love my laptop and iPad, but the tool I use for writing the most are books. I can’t describe how valuable books have made a better craftsman, writer, and visual artist.
Visual Arts
Cinematography
As a visual artist, I spend a ridiculous amount of time behind the camera. In cinematography, I’m involved in aspects of filmmaking, such as Pre-production, production, and postproduction.
Still Photography
Initially, I doubted my abilities as a still photographer. So, I would hire a photographer for location scouting and various shots I needed. I found myself arguing with them more than getting any work done. This disagreement occurred because I had vision in my mind, and they weren’t capturing what I wanted for the project. Each of them were good photographers, but I couldn’t get them to understand what I wanted.
One day, I worked on a project where I was just a camera operator. I got an opportunity to work with a couple of still photographers. One photographer handed me a camera and said ” show me”. I started taking pictures. Now my framing and composition was a little off, because I was used to video where we would just cut out the useable portions. They gave me some tips and told to go buy a camera and the rest is history.
The most important tool I have learned over the years is that every skill I learn is another tool in my toolbox. I just have to remember to be patient enough to use the right tool for the job.
Memoirs of Madness 