The Ukazoo Journey-“Snapshots and Memorabilia” Week 7

The Ukazoo Journey-“Snapshots and Memorabilia”

Seventh week of Ukazoo Art Exhibit

“Blue II”

With the box of mail from the Post Office containing all the accumulated mail from the Journey to Ukazoo now empty, I turned my sights to today’s newly arrived postal offerings. Most were of the typical bill and ad variety but, lo and behold, nestled in the mix, was another manila envelope. This one was Postmarked-Vermont, and I couldn’t mentally connect that location with anyone I had met on my Journey.

The manila envelope offered the now familiar contents, a photo and accompanying letter.

I recognized the name of the sender immediately, Enzo, one of the six gentlemen I had met during my stop in North Tonawanda, New York. (Slide 28)

Enzo’s letter related, that the group deciding to visit the New York Finger Lakes region before heading home proved to be a highlight of three stops they made since leaving their unforgettable Niagara Falls episode.

At the lakes, they pooled together their money and purchased another rowboat. This time, all agreed to check the maps to avoid any rapids or waterfalls. Their on-the-water time, however, was limited by persistent cold weather, heavy snow blanketing the area over the week they had spent there, and the lakes, surrounding shallow streams, and slow moving rivers icing up.

The letter concluded:

“The day before our departure the weather changed dramatically as a bright sun and warm front greeted us that morning. Later that afternoon, we hiked down to a favorite scenic spot where several streams and brooks all converged with a fast flowing turbulent river. The visual treat of the merging waters was made even more captivating by the breaking-apart ice, riding swift currents between the snow covered banks.

Marco, still the quiet one, took some wonderful pictures and Theo, remembering our water connection, wanted to sent this particular picture to you.

Thanks again for your help with being our drop-off and pick-up driver for our boating adventure in North Tonawanda and for keeping us in sight to make the call for help during our ill-fated capsizing.

If you get a chance to drive through Vermont in any future trips be sure to stop in and say hi, you’re always welcome.

Enzo”

Art notes:

All images and text are copyright Craig L Haupt

Postings of “Ukazoo Journey” Slides are every Monday Evening.

New arrivals to the “Journey” please view:

FaceBook: Craig L Haupt – “Journey to Ukazoo Album” or

Blog: http://www.craiglhaupt.com – “Journey to Ukazoo”

See “Slide One” for a brief synopsis.

Ukazoo Art Exhibit of New Art Works, March 15, to April 12, 2014, at Ukazoo Book Store, Towson, MD 21204

Informal Closing Reception-Saturday April 12, 6:00 to 8:00 P.M.

The Ukazoo Journey-“Snapshots and Memorabilia”

Posted by Craig L Haupt

The Ukazoo Journey-“Snapshots and Memorabilia”

Fifth week of Ukazoo Art Exhibit

“Blue Sphere, Green Man”

Regarding the Ukazoo Art Exhibit Opening Reception held Saturday, March 15, 2014.

A few days ago I wrote an open letter to members of a Thursday evening painting group I am associated with.

Thursday, March 13, two days before the Ukazoo Art Exhibit Opening Reception they offered to bring a dish to share and/or a bottle of wine to the Reception. I didn’t refuse.

The letter I sent to painter’s group, expressed that I was overwhelmed by their offer of support and help with the Art Exhibit and how wonderful it was to know such a exceptional group of painters/friends.

The same sentiments can be said of all the family, friends, and guests that attended the Opening Reception, Saturday, March 15th.

I have a small place and with the setup I have to work on art, the space is not conducive to entertaining company. Under these circumstances, the art exhibits I host, have become my vehicle for not just sharing the art I create but more importantly “my party” to connect with family and with friends I have met over the years. It also allows me to meet additional guests new to my artwork.

With hosting this event, I hope I didn’t make too many social grafts as I met/didn’t meet, introduced/failed to introduce, or cut short a conversation here and there to meet a new arrival, etc.

I enjoyed the evening immensely and regret not being able to spend more time with each of you.

Thank all of you for attending.

Last, but not the least, one unfortunate event of the evening was the absence of two close friends, Mac and his wife, Laura. Mac had helped me that morning hanging the artwork for Saturday evenings exhibit and later that evening, just five minutes before leaving their home to attend the opening, Mac was rushed to the hospital due to having a mild stroke. I was made aware of the situation during the reception, and the duration of the evening, while enjoyable on one level, was shrouded by a cloud of concern with his condition and knowing I would be informed if things would have taken a serious turn. I drove directly to the hospital after the exhibit to visit Mac and assured he was doing much better with additional testing still to be done.

Thanks to Todd and Lois for giving me updated information on Mac’s condition and location.

On a Ukazoo Journey “Snapshots and Memorabilia” note, I found another photo I took while visiting an Art Gallery in Bowling Green, Ohio.

I had met a couple just as I arrived and Harlan, the husband, not an art aficionado, let his wife Harriet to do most of the wandering around.

I saw Harlan a little later when I wandered out to the Galleries sculpture garden. With several of the garden sculptures being interactive pieces and Harlan finding one of the these sculptures having a small incorporated shelf that looked inviting, he sat down to wait on Harriet. Settling in, Harlan showed little movement as he blankly gazed ahead while engaged with his own internal meandering thoughts.

Becoming such an unmoving part of the sculpture, several people had inquired with the gallery owner that if the price of the sculpture included “Harlan”, they were interested in purchasing it.

I took this picture just before Harriet, ready to leave with a newly acquired small painting, had quite a laugh when she found Harlan. Still sitting in much the same position as she last saw him an hour ago, Harriet jokingly informed him that the sculpture was interactive not in-active.

Art notes:

All images and text are copyright Craig L Haupt

Postings of “Ukazoo Journey” Slides are every Monday Evening.

New arrivals to the “Journey” please view:

FaceBook: Craig L Haupt – “Journey to Ukazoo Album” or

Blog: http://www.craiglhaupt.com – “Journey to Ukazoo”

See “Slide One” for a brief synopsis.

Craig L Haupt’s Ukazoo Art Exhibit of New Art Works, March 15, to April 13, 2014, at Ukazoo Book Store, Towson, MD 21204

The Ukazoo Journey-“Snapshots and Memorabilia”

Posted by Craig L Haupt

The Ukazoo Journey-“Snapshots and Memorabilia”

Fourth week of Ukazoo Art Exhibit

“Island of Spheres Surrounded By Sea Serpents”

The next manila envelope at the bottom of the now almost empty box of mail had a confusing Postmark with just a series of letters and numbers which read “DZT4736L^-^B471c”.

Opening of the envelope produced similar contents as the envelope I received from Idaho, a letter and accompanying photo. I recognized the author of the letter immediately-“Henri”, the dad of the waylaid family I met outside of Roswell, New Mexico (Slide 10).

Besides opening greetings, Henri informed me that their communication equipment had finally been fixed (a found “bobby-pin” inserted between two circuits provided an electrical pathway to the main signal relay system) and contact with home had been restored.

Henri’s letter went on. “Back ‘Home’, relieved to hear our voices after 66 long earth years, our parents then held a bake sale to raise enough money to buy and send an upgraded star system computer app to chart a return course, plus, by Shipping-Pods, enough fuel for the return trip. ‘Home’, being a planet of vast areas of water, with a network of domed cities resting on numerous islands. Enclosed is an aerial photo from our long awaited approach to our home/city, ‘B471c’, which translates to your language as “Island of Spheres Surrounded by Sea Serpents”.

Henri explained, “One evening, when the city was build, four thousand earth years ago, a group of young space cadets were flying back from a flight-school graduation party. Noticing, that from above, the curled red connecting bridges to the smaller perimeter security spheres looked like the tongues of sea serpents ready to eat the spheres. Over the next several years, what began as comments said in jest, the residents’ gradually adopted the name for our city.”

Continuing to write, Henri, also noted that the space travel went smooth, but they did make one stop. A ’must’ stop for the family.

“During our earlier years in New Mexico, we ordered ’Delivery’ from a place we had heard about called “Spaceburgers” because of their “first order-free delivery” offer, but, while wonderful burgers and fries, we could never afford the $11,345.14 delivery charge for any subsequent order. The intergalactic trip home wouldn’t have been complete without stopping for another of their universally famous burgers and fries. The kids also had a great time meeting the local inhabits of the planet.”

“Wish you the best with your upcoming Ukazoo Art Exhibit. Keep well my friend.”

Henri and Family.

Such a coincidence, I will have to write back one day about my getting to eat one of those famous “Spaceburgers” (Slide 15)

This is the picture they enclosed.

Art notes:

All images and text are copyright Craig L Haupt

Postings of “Ukazoo Journey” Slides are every Monday Evening.

New arrivals to the “Journey” please view:

Blog: http://www.craiglhaupt.com – “Journey to Ukazoo”

See “Slide One” for a brief synopsis.

Ukazoo Art Exhibit, OPENING ART RECEPTION of New Art Works, Saturday, March 15th, 2014, 5:00 to 8:00 P.M., at Ukazoo Book Store, Towson, MD 21204

The Ukazoo Journey-“Snapshots and Memorabilia”

Posted by Craig L Haupt

The Ukazoo Journey-“Snapshots and Memorabilia”

Third week of Ukazoo Art Exhibit

“The Butterfly”

As I worked my way to the bottom of the box of mail, sitting flat were a couple of manila envelopes. I opened the first one, post marked Idaho.

Enclosed was a letter and a second, tad smaller, manila envelope. I opened the letter and a smile crossed my face. The letter was from one of the Park Rangers I met during my stay at the Nature Observation site in the Idaho Panhandle National Forest.

An Interlude: For those new to the Journey to Ukazoo, this ‘Stop’ was Slide 20, “Caterpillar”.

Leonard, one of the on-site rangers, wrote to give me an update on the rare caterpillar they had secured during my stay. Leonard mentioned that everyone was doing well and once the ‘very hungry’ caterpillar was acquainted with his new surroundings and unlimited access to his favorite food, Leonard busied himself with standard protocol to file a report on the Caterpillars’ capture/exchange events and agreements that had ensued. It was during the Caterpillar’s metamorphosis into a Butterfly that he received a follow-up email from the ‘Higher Up’s’ in Washington, informing the Park Rangers, once finishing our observation, we were to disregard our promise to “Bob” and his friends of releasing the Butterfly.

The Government email continued to inform us, we would receive, arriving by a military helicopter courier, an Army issue parcel of supplies/tools and an enclosed Six Chapter, 44 page SOP (standard operating instructions) booklet. According to this email, once we took procession of the parcel, the butterfly would be sedated using chloroform and a very, very small hankie. Upon sedation, using six Army issue, 1 3/16” plastic straps and following the SOP’s Chapter two, 17 step instructions on the correct procedure to fasten the straps to each leg, the Butterfly would be safely held on an Army issue 8” x 8” muted green foam-core board.

We were then to insert Butterfly and board into the Army issue 8 1/2” x 8 1/2” combat-tested clear plastic case with uniformly spaced air holes and attached combination lock. Once locked, burn the paper slip containing the secret combination and bury the ashes in a three foot deep hole using the supplied standard Army issue folding shovel. Pack the plastic case in the Army issue 10 1/2” x 10 1/2” cardboard box with aligned matching air holes. Per Chapter five, seven-step instructions, fill the surrounding one inch void borders with Army issue green packing peanuts-adhering to the Step Six warning not to impair air channels. Return any unused packing peanuts along with shovel in the separate self addressed mailer.

Once accomplished, affix the supplied mailing label and return the box to Washington for further extensive testing of the Butterfly, related to any military weapon advantages’ that can be extracted.

Well, Leonard’s letter went on, all the rangers and park personnel, involved in the agreement/promise with “Bob” didn’t hesitate to voice their opposition with breaking their word. A plan formulated and we used the Park’s backhoe to rip a hole out of the corner of the building that housed the “just released Butterfly”. We took a picture of the jagged gapping hole and sent it off to Washington with a letter explaining how, during the night, an equally ‘very hungry’ renegade alligator chewed a hole in the side of the building and ate the caterpillar before he morphed into a butterfly. Thus, we are extremely sorry to write, we will not be able to sent you anything other than return of the parcel and SOP booklet. Furthermore, request additional funding to launch a new, but we fear unfruitful, search for a replacement of the now devoured caterpillar.

Closing, Leonard’s letter mentioned that before the “release the Butterfly” party, which “Bob”, his friends and their wives attended, we took a few pictures of the Butterfly. Enjoyed your visit here and sending you one of the pictures. Since we told our ‘higher up’s’ a fib, please keep all this between us.

As I have, on a few occasions during the Journey to Ukazoo, been asked to keep something ‘under my hat’, rest assured a secret is safe with me.

This is the picture of the Butterfly they enclosed in the smaller envelope.

Art notes:

All images and text are copyright Craig L Haupt

Postings of “Ukazoo Journey” Slides are every Monday Evening.

New arrivals to the “Journey” please view:

Blog: http://www.craiglhaupt.com – “Journey to Ukazoo”

See “Slide One” for a brief synopsis.

OPENING ART RECEPTION of New Art Works, Saturday, March 15th, 2014, 5:00 to 8:00 P.M., at Ukazoo Book Store, Towson, MD 21204

The Ukazoo Journey-Snapshots and Memorabilia

Posted by Craig L Haupt

The Ukazoo Journey-“Snapshots and Memorabilia”

First week of Ukazoo Art Exhibit

“Purple Haze, White Flower”

While unpacking, I was looking through the pictures I had taken during my journey to Ukazoo and turns out there were a few extra pictures I had taken and put aside.

All of my four stops in Maine during this journey, have been at Inn’s I have frequented in previous years and have become good friends with the hosts of these inns.

During my stop in Damariscotta Mills, Maine at the Mill Pond Inn, I was put to work.

The Mill Pond Inn visits have become rather unique, in that every time I have driven to Maine to stay there, I make sure I include my carpenters tool box in my packing list. Somehow, on my first visit to Mill Pond Inn several years ago, Billy had asked for a hand with a small project around the Inn and I assisted. Since then, it has become an ongoing ritual that when I get there, Billy always has a few projects lined up for the both us to work on.

From the helping with relocating a dishwasher to their outdoor bar, fixing a door, to working on putting together the stage for local bands playing at the annual Damariscotta Mills Fish Ladder Restoration festival, I have enjoyed time spent being a part of these projects.

This past stop (Slide 33, “For You My Love, Flowers”), the project, Billy and I were working on, was getting some under-brush cleared out near the waters edge. Jack also lent a hand while his wife, Myrna, their three daughters and Brandy were in the town for lunch.

I worked my way behind a rather large dense bush and spotted several flowers that were not common to the area. I took this picture of one small flower with the close-up lens and then continued with the clearing out project. I had forgot about it till now.

Besides the unpacking from my journey, I also had to work with getting artwork ready for the Ukazoo Art Exhibit.

What was to be just one Two Month long Art Exhibit at Ukazoo Books, featuring new Oil paintings and Watercolors has changed in format to become Two separate Exhibits. In order to respond to requests of seeing Art images and the corresponding stories from the Journey on display, 16 selected images and the matching text were installed yesterday, February 16th at the Ukazoo Bookstore. Thank you Mac, for your help. These images/stories will be on display till March 14th.

The Second Exhibit will start on March 15th. I will change the Exhibit to display the new art work previously planned and have the Opening Reception. Hope to see you there, to either see anew, reconnect, or meet those for the first time.

Art notes:

All images and text are copyright Craig L Haupt

Postings of “Journey to Ukazoo” Slides are every Monday Evening.

New arrivals to the “Journey” please view:

FaceBook: Craig L Haupt – ‘Art page’, “Journey to Ukazoo Album” or

Blog: http://www.craiglhaupt.com – “Journey to Ukazoo”

See Slide One for a brief synopsis.

Opening Art Reception, Saturday, March 15th, 2014, 5:00 to 8:00 P.M., at Ukazoo Book Store, Towson, MD 21204

Journey to Ukazoo-Slide 37

Posted by Craig L Haupt

Journey to Ukazoo

Slide 37 “Hanging Up My Hat”

From Ocean City, Maryland to Baltimore/Ukazoo, I am only three hours away from completing my “Journey to Ukazoo” and as anxious as I am to get there, I opted to drive North towards Pennsylvania. Over the next few days I did one and two night layovers at a few B&B’s with day trips to museums and sightseeing.

A Thursday visit with a local artist group resulted in an extended stay at one Bed & Breakfast, when one of the artists pointed out an ‘almost touching the ground’ loose tailpipe on the van, that would need replacing.

This morning, after retrieving the van, I did my final packing of the trip. Said my goodbyes to the hosts of the last B&B I will stay in (at least for this journey) and headed home.

I must say I was a little apprehensive that, during my long absence, a rather large “we sell everything you could imagine at prices so low your eyes will pop out” store and accompanying thousand space parking lot, spouted up as my new neighbor.

As I made that last turn, whew!!! No big store, no airport installed, 18 hole golf course, or civic arena for the World Wrestling Federation. In fact, not any changes at all, almost as if I have never been away. Go figure.

I’m home!

I have been on the road for 36 weeks and what started out as a simple journey turned into an experience I will never forget.

Yet, in my excitement to begin my trip, there were some things I did happen to “forget”.

I forgot to put a stop on my mail. My mailbox was jammed solid, so full that the Post Office issued their own stop and taped a note on my mailbox to “bring a large box when you come”.

I forgot to send back my “by mail” movie, thus another note taped to the mailbox, “If you ever get tired of watching that movie, please send it back and we will send another one”. I forgot to take an “intended for a quick chill”, can of Root Beer out of the freezer. I now have the delightful task of chiseling out a root beer frosty from the freezer walls.

Before doing any unpacking, I paused for a moment, reflecting on the first picture I took to begin the journey, me “Steppin’ Out”. It seemed only appropriate to set up the camera to take a picture of me arriving home but there must be something in the air here at home because this picture encountered the same problems as the first one I took on June 3rd.

I still sport a beard and mustache and the hair, or I should say, again, “lack of hair”, is fairly accurate, albeit a touch more gray.

As I get settled back in and make ready for the Ukazoo Art Exhibit, I want to add a note.

Looking over the small mound of mail, I noticed several small boxes and large manila envelopes sporting return address labels from some of the places I stopped during the Journey to Ukazoo. So while the “Journey” has ended, I will, for the eight-week duration of the Ukazoo Art Exhibit, share some additional “snapshots and memorabilia” each Monday.

Thank you.

Art notes:

All images and text are copyright Craig L Haupt

Postings of “Journey to Ukazoo” Slides are every Monday Evening.

New arrivals to the “Journey” please view Slide One for a brief synopsis.

Opening Art Reception, Saturday, March 15th, 2014, 5:00 to 8:00 P.M., at Ukazoo Book Store, Towson, MD 21204