Oak Creek Canyon :: West Fork

West Fork of Oak Creek Canyon • Sedona • Arizona

Soft Shell Crab Menu

City Blues and Brights

That we can be "City Lights!!!"

City Blues & Brights—City Lights

It's a morning glow – the kitchen at dawn.
City blues. The kitchen at dawn.
Come on, get up, wake up!
            It's a brand new morning!

Look out the window, look at the sky...
Watch the stars fade
            the night stars
             lights of night fade
          take some stars into your heart
Quick! Look up in the sky – look quickly.
          quietly, softly, look
            while still there's time
Circle some stars circle some stars
          to bring them into your heart

You're up, you're awake. You’re ready
You're ready, you're alive
          It's a brand new morning!
          It's a beautiful morning!
Hold onto the morning, day is breaking
        night is over
This is the sunshine place
It's a city bright

Take that heartful of stars you've
          borrowed from the sky
there's a basket over there
          set some of those stars
            into that basket
You'll need them in the darkness of your night.

Day's breaking
Day's broken all over the city
City blues     the city at dawn

Sit and savor the sunrise
            savor the day
bask in and savor the kitchen at daybreak
Watch that basket of stars
          guard that basketful of stars
Are the stars still in your heart?
          Delight in them    Hold them dear
          And share them
            Share them...

City blues, urban blues that is.
Sun's up     Morning's here

Morning's ready! There's a city out there
A big city out there A Great City
          get on out there and scratch for
            life
          hold on, hold on
      hold on.     Don’t let go.
Keep those stars in your heart
          and give all of them away.
There’s lots more where those came from.
This city will be a sunshine place.

Day's done, it's end o'day
Watch those stars in your heart,
            in that basket
Morning's over, so's afternoon
          it's evening now
            night's closing in...

It's sundown. Night's right at hand
Watch those stars in that basket,
            on that table
Watch them closely
          night's...almost...here

What promise will you offer the night?
What answer will you give to the night?
Night has dawned upon all of us
Night's here now
Now is the season of night
          sleep

You made a covenant with the day
The stars you show are its sign
Will your covenant enfold the night
            as well?

It's night now, darkness time
Stars in the basket on the table
Stars in your heart
          In your heart       Sleep quietly
            ...now...
Morning's on the way


© leahchang

Xtraction Café To Go

Xtraction Café

Pioneer Day 2024

Emigration Canyon • Pioneer Day 1847 • Salt Lake City
"This is the place" • Pioneer Day 2024 • Wednesday 24 July
The Days of '47 • Celebrate Utah

Life. Style.

Life. Style. Dwelling Place, Living Space!
©suntreeriverdesign.com

Rhinoceros Drawing

• Rhinoceros at the San Diego Zoo

• World Rhino Day now is 22 September every year.

Urban Cats

California Day

• Here's an alternate version of California Day.

Five Minute Friday :: Make

• Five Minute Friday :: Make Linkup

We talk about making an event like a party or a wedding; sometimes we make up our face to enhance it; we make up with someone after one or both of us has been offended. But when Kate asked, What about you? Do you enjoy making things as much as I do? Perhaps this is enjoyment is because we’re made in the image of our Maker, the greatest and most creative Creator of all, it was the kind of creative making her picture of watercolor paints is all about.

Here's the website for art and design I've made: suntreeriver design. Sun, tree, and river are persistent scriptural images.

Humans and some other animals are tool makers who get stuff done. Susanne Langer wrote about humans as symbol makers who understand a degree of abstraction that indicates something other than an object itself. But beyond tools and symbols, in God, who stretched the spangled heavens, Catherine Cameron sings, "we, your children in your likeness, share inventive powers with you." She describes us as "children of creative purpose, serving others, honoring you." That poetry echo Kate's words!

Especially in the kitchen i do well with basic tools, though I'm only a toolmaker in an extreme emergency. As educator and theologian I'm about symbol a lot. At times I try to unpack a symbol; other times I assume people instinctively know what a given sign or symbol is about. By the way, sign and symbol are closely related and sometimes used interchangeably.

More than anything, my artistic making gives me the greatest joy because whether I'm teaching art, creating a design for display, announcing an event, branding a product or brightening a space, it's for Cameron's "creative purpose" of serving others by enhancing their lives and honoring the Creator God, Source of all creativity.

My header image is a watercolor I call Sky Horizon.

# # #

Cornbread Salad

Mexican Cornbread Salad

Make 12 side dish servings

Ingredients

• 1 9 ounce package Cornbread Mix
• 1 4.5 ounce can chopped Green Chilies
• 1/2 cup Mayonnaise or Aioli
• 1 cup fresh Cilantro, chopped
• 1/4 cup Lime Juice
• 1 teaspoon ground Cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon Salt or to taste
• 1 head Romaine or Iceberg Lettuce—best finely shredded
• 1 15 ounce can black Beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 15 ounce can black Olives, rinsed and drained
• 1 11 ounce can whole kernel Corn, drained
• 1 8 ounce package Cheddar or Monterey Jack Cheese, shredded
• 1 large Red Bell Pepper, finely chopped
• 6 Plum or Roma Tomatoes, chopped
• 3 green Onions, chopped
• 1 pound cooked Chicken, chopped


Method

• Prepare Cornbread Mix according to package directions, adding Chilies.
• Cool and crumble.
• Make Dressing Mix by combining Mayonnaise, half of the Cilantro, and the next 3 ingredients in a food processor or blender until smooth.

Layer a 4 quart bowl with

• 1/2 of the Lettuce and 1/2 of the remaining Cilantro,
• 1/2 of the Cornbread, 1/3 of the Dressing Mix, and
• 1/2 each of Beans, Olives, Corn, Cheese, Bell Pepper and Tomatoes.
• Repeat layers.
• Top with remaining Dressing Mix and Green Onion.
• Chill.

• Category: Sides & Salads

• Recipe from Jennifer Jones

Tabouli

Ingredients

• Cucumber, diced
• Several Roma tomatoes, diced (remove seeds if you have time and are so inclined)
• Parsley, finely chopped 1/2 to 3/4 cup
• ½ cup bulgur wheat
• 1 or 2 or more green onion(s)
• Lemon juice
• Olive oil
• Allspice (optional)
• Cinnamon (optional)
• Salt to taste


Assembling

Pour hot water over the bulgur and let soak until soft and most of the water has been absorbed. Mix diced veggies by hand, add the bulgur and mix some more, add lemon juice and olive oil to get the right flavor and consistency. Add spice(s) and salt and mix a bit more. Refrigerate, eat, and enjoy.

Taos New Mexico Pumpkin Bread

Raised not quick! not my original recipe

• active dry yeast – 1 tablespoon
• brown sugar – 1/2 cup
• warm water (105° – 115 F°) – 1 1/2 cups
• fresh eggs – 2
• pumpkin purée – 1 cup
• salt – 1 tablespoon or less
• white or yellow cornmeal – 1/2 cup
• unbleached all-purpose or bread flour – 5 1/2 to 6 cups
• cornmeal and flour for dusting and sprinkling

---

1. Sprinkle yeast and a pinch of brown sugar over water in a large bowl; stir to combine and let stand until foamy, about 1 minute.
2. With a whisk, add eggs and pumpkin to yeast mixture.
3. Add remaining brown sugar, salt, cornmeal and 2 cups of flour.
4. Beat hard with a whisk until smooth – about 3 minutes.
5. Add flour 1/2 cup at a time with a spoon until a soft dough forms.
6. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead vigorously for about 5 minutes to create a soft, smooth, elastic dough.
7. Add enough remaining flour for dough to hold its own shape. Place in a greased bowl, turn once to grease top, and cover with plastic wrap or a linen towel. Let rise at room temperature until doubled, about 1–1 1/2 hours.
8. Gently deflate dough and turn out onto a lightly floured surface. Form into one large loaf and place on a greased or parchment-lined backing sheet sprinkled with cornmeal and flour; cover loaf loosely with plastic wrap or towel and let rise 30 minutes or until doubled in volume again.
9. Sprinkle top of loaf with flour.
10. Slash loaf decoratively with a serrated knife; place in a preheated 450° oven, reduce oven temperature to 375° and bake 45 to 55 minutes, or until loaf is lightly browned. Cool on a rack before serving.

• Picture from Sarah R on Flickr

Strawberry Rhubard Crunch

A while ago I got a copy of this wonderful garden dessert creation in the weekly supermarket ad; they credited Michelle Davis and all recipes, and so do I. This serves 18 (very small portions, of course).

Ingredients

• 1 cup white sugar

• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

• 3 cups sliced fresh strawberries

• 3 cups diced rhubarb

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

• 1 cup packed brown sugar

• 1 cup butter

• 1 cup rolled oats

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).

2. In a large bowl, mix white sugar, 3 tablespoons flour, strawberries, and rhubarb. Place the mixture in a 9x13 inch baking dish.

3. Mix 1 1/2 cups flour, brown sugar, butter, and oats until crumbly. You may want to use a pastry blender for this. Crumble on top of the rhubarb and strawberry mixture.

4. Bake 45 minutes in the preheated oven, or until crisp and lightly browned.

Public domain Rhubarb picture from Wikimedia Commons

Whimsies :: Determined 2

Whimsies :: Earth Must Provide

Whimsies :: Promise

Whimsies :: There Is A Place

Whimsies :: We Are Stardust

indigo summer 2024

summer scene city sounds
new morning
after a nightlong rain

colors of this
new july day
ease into indigo quiet

breakfast on the deck
over dry tan sand

under rain laden leaves
of sheltering trees
cloudburst!

lunch at that restaurant
at the end
of west main by vine

brights dazzle off windows
of the house
at the end of that street
at the edge of that park
clear skies hot sun

another desperate white
hopeless silent night
yearning music
restless talk

longing for tomorrow's dawn
waiting on hope

night fades into
sunrise birdsongs

beach scene
hot sand tan sand
breaking waves

another desperate white
hopeless night
longing for tomorrow's dawn
still waiting in hope for hope

# # #

Rocky Mountain Low

Fresh fall of Rocky Mountain powder
Very Dry Day
California dreaming...of California
from a blizzard balcony

end o'day caramel slag
Pride's Crossing
Proud's Lossing
proud losing

Mountainy Rocks dusted with freshly fallen snow
Intermountain Westward dreaming
reassembling
Seven illustrated Canyons
of Salt Lake City
Protégé's prodigious Nautical Décor
Unfolding unusual Energy

To Write Love • TWLOHA

• To Write Love On Her Arms website

• Hope Is Real.
• Help Is Real.
• Your Story Is Important.

Over the years I've created several TWLOHA designs. One of four colorways, this version won a Best In Class and a First Place Blue ribbon at the San Diego County Fair.

Dawnwashed Blues

Patterned after the liturgy of the hours, but now in remembrance and anticipation of Easter dawn, there's a Christian tradition of Morning Watch. Shorter nights were divided into three watches, longer nights into four. The fourth and last segment of the night watch – the morning watch – is from 3 to 6am. During this final watch of the night, darkness gently eases into the quiet early light of Easter dawn and God's Glory softly splashes over all creation.

Here's a reflection about that hour of…

dawnwashed blues

during each night's final watch,
darkness gently eases into
quiet early light of daybreak's dawn
God's Glory softly splashes
over drowsing creation

yesterday's final light of day
followed by a slender slice of moonglow
held no starshimmer
during middle night's intensely indigo blues
today's hushed daybreak
whispered itself over creation’s
night's end watch anticipating dawn's first light

a sunup-washed sky shined with light-washed sheen
dawnwashed new morning blues made
fresh-sprung break of pale day blues

Blogoversary • 22 years

Blogoversary 2024

• In the Beginning…

Welcome to my twenty-two year blogoversary! Yay, me!

In this mid-July, I didn't have any real time to create graphics for this event, so my banner features an old photograph I've edited and used at least a dozen times, with lovely watercolor plants by Spasibenko Art from Creative Market as the footer.

I'm amazed, impressed, astonished that I've kept on keepin' on this blog at least two or three times a month along with a weekly scripture reflection on Urban Wilderness Lectionary Project. Maybe you know City Paradise began as safe storage for miscellaneous notes on classes I'd taught and participated in; it continued as simply the unedited notes I used to facilitate adult Sunday School before Covid; then I challenged myself to develop a more formal essay on one of the lectionary readings for each Sunday?

I'm disappointed, surprised, grieved by still not getting opportunities I truly need, yet I quit blogging and publicly sobbing about that at least a decade ago.

As always, I remain full of optimism, denial and hope. And ya know what? Hope wins every time!

Please stay tuned…thank you.

# # #

Five Minute Friday :: Capacity

• Five Minute Friday :: Capacity Linkup

Boxes, dishes, buildings, digital storage—you name it: container capacity is an essential practical concern. When you're baking at home or in a commercial kitchen the capacity of your measuring cups and spoons needs to be accurately marked. The pan for your cookies, cake, pie, or casserole must properly fit your ingredients and allow for expansion. When you pack a box to send overseas or across town, capacity must be correct for all the items and usually for some cushioning, too. In addition, box measurements must align with capacity stated by the shipping company, whether USPS, UPS, Fedex, DHL, or another.

With the twin container ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach practically within hailing distance, I pay attention to all sorts of capacities related to international shipping. Default container length has increased from twenty feet to forty; you can imagine the increased weight and size they can handle. Then there's the ship's physical capacity in terms of weight, length, depth, and height; capacity of the water to contain how many ships at one time; how many can dock at once.

Aside from baking, shipping, and other everyday notions, as Kate observed, all of us have limited physical and mental capacity to do what we'd like to do, to pursue and attain our dreams. Each of us contains gifts God has given us for the good of community and creation.

In Jesus' time and place, people believed all resources were finite, so everyone assumed a zero-sum existence. If the rich got richer, the poor must have gotten poorer. If someone's social status increased, someone else's had to have decreased. Capacities were fixed and limited! If you believed that to be the case, wouldn't you hesitate to share your time, your talents, your financial treasures?

In his first act of public ministry recorded by Luke, Jesus announced the time of Jubilee when debts will be canceled, when all creation will thrive in shalom-filled "enough." When that time arrives, saving, investing, and stockpiling won't be considerations.

God has given us and we've received capacious talents and gifts, and we've been called to contribute. Do we fear our capacity is limited, the world's needs unlimited? Or do you believe God's capacity to give is unlimited and unchecked, that God will keep on giving to you so you can keeping giving to your community, your family, your church, your friends, the world around you?

# # #

Citizen Schools

On a corner of the Shawmut MBTA RedLine station in Dorchester—summer 2000.

The acronym for Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority - sometimes called "The T" - is pronounced exactly as it's spelled and commonly referenced as such.



Veronica Citizen Schools

Cape Cod House

Updated and Original

A Cat Is Watching

• A Cat Is Watching: A Look at the Way Cats See Us by Roger A Caras on Amazon


A Cat Is Watching was the earlier of Roger Caras' pair of books about most people's most familiar companion animals, domestic felines and canines. He writes from lifelong knowledge—sometimes specifically about the Cats of Thistle Hill Farm. Caras' stories and observations are engaging, and even as someone who has lived with cats and known cats for a long time, I learned some new information.

Black and White photographs and drawings enhance the book and I love the chapter headings that each feature a line drawing of part of a cat's anatomy! Including an extensive index also was a smart move. This is the kind of book you might enjoy on a rainy afternoon or evening or carry to the beach for some pleasure reading. A Cat Is Watching definitely is worth finding at the book shop or yard sale, or borrowing from the library more than once.

• my amazon review: felines and friendships

A Dog Is Listening

• A Dog Is Listening: The Way Some of Our Closest Friends View Us by Roger A Caras on Amazon

This is the second of Caras' pair of books about most people's most familiar household companions, domestic felines and canines. For the title, the author picks up on the very very well-known phenomenal acuity and range of dogs' hearing. The book design is identical to that of A Cat Is Watching, and in this book also, I love the line drawings featuring snippets of dog anatomy for each chapter heading. Chapter 12 describes and lists members of each (at the time of writing and publication, 1992) American Kennel Club-recognized groups of dogs: Terrier; Non-Sporting; Herding; Sporting; Hound; and Working.

As someone who loves dogs but doesn't know them the way I almost instinctively "get" cats, I especially enjoyed and appreciated the history, anecdotes, and stories in the book. Similar to A Cat Is Watching, this book give the reader a sense of what's it's like to live with dogs who adore you rather than with cats who demand to be worshiped. A Dog Is Listening fully is worth any animal lover's acquiring, reading, and re-reading.

• my amazon review: dogs in the household

Designing B2B Brands

• Designing B2B Brands on Amazon


This beautifully planned, strikingly designed, and solidly produced book of a couple hundred pages amounts to a seminar in the highly integrated development and presentation of Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu, a global brand I'd previously not known about. The Google short version of their mission tells us, "Deloitte services include audit, consulting, financial advisory, risk management and tax."

Indeed there are some differences between Business-To-Business and Business-To-Consumer branding; a comprehensive, up-to-date, panorama of a single firm is just that, and won't approach or touch upon every imaginable identity communication concern you may have about your own service or consumer product. Nonetheless, whether you're an MBA, an MFA, or work with branding in another capacity, these "lessons" the subtitle describes can be appropriated well and applied to good effect in many other cases. Following contemporary design trends, the book's open layout, excellent typography, and use of [literal] "white space" conveys a sense of leisurely opulence and purpose. Designing B2B Brands has found a place alongside the books I consult for inspiration and return to for advice.

• my amazon review: design seminar

Zoë's Cats

• Zoë's Cats on Amazon




Cats from her rural setting in Cornwall illustrate and provide narrative in Zoë Stokes' book of exquisitely detailed, full-colour, mostly realistic felines. You can leave Zoë's Cats on a table or nearby shelf, pick it up, read a paragraph or two, enjoy a cat view, and find yourself ready to return to mundane tasks. You might want to buy this book as a gift for yourself or a cat lover; the recipient will not be disappointed in the least!

• my amazon review: lovely gift

Five Minute Friday :: Specific

• Five Minute Friday :: Specific Linkup

I love the word specificity! Kate had wise observations about how specific a parent feels about each of their offspring, how specific God feels about us, and how in both situations we receive care, concern, and even a kind of love specific to our needs. Despite overwhelming human parental and divine love for each one, that specificity is very individual.

I'm thinking of how generic I tend to get if – for example – someone asks what I want for lunch. Fact is, despite strong food preferences, I'll happily eat almost anything I'm not allergic to. I don't like people to go to excessive trouble or expense for me at home; when we're in a restaurant and someone else is buying, it becomes both wanting to stay in their price range and not wanting to see someone else's order and wish I'd gotten theirs instead of mine (even when we're each springing for our own).

Yet from my experience hosting, cooking, preparing meals for others when we haven't already predetermined the bill of fare, I totally get the crazy frustration of generic rather than specific responses when I ask what do you want? How do you want it prepared? How much would you like? Please, be specific!

If you ask me what I want, fixed how, and how much of it, here are some pictures of specifics that would please me very much. Thank you! Next time when it's my treat, I'd really appreciate specific requests.
# # #

June 2024

• June is a happy reason to use this beautiful picture again! I can't credit the source as well as I'd like, but the original's from the almost defunct blog, that's what mariel said. Mariel's replacement blog's not active, either. Just the smell of the summer can make me fall in love. Yes!

• As my summary blogs for April and May explained, I started a gap half year mid-December, taking time to reflect and imagine. I'm still catching up with my weekly scripture blogs.

• Urban Wilderness / City Paradise for June

• United Nations World Oceans Day 2024: Saturday 08 June – Awaken New Depths

• Here's a reflection about my original Bethel

• There's another Bethel in my world—along the Miracle Mile in LA!

• Juneteenth 2024 – Wednesday 19 June

• Summer Solstice – Thursday 20 June 2024 – Just saying' No picture this year.

• Strawberry Full Moon – Friday June 21. This illustration from a few years back always has delighted me.

• This house is from a series I created of my original Truro.

• Read about it!

• Now there's another Truro…