Poetry Foray

I know, I've missed nearly all of Poetry Month (April), but it's never too late to start celebrating. I've read lots of poetry this month, and even started a poem based on the 23rd Psalm. I will finish it sometime, I promise! I also began working my way through Painless Poetry by Mary Elizabeth (a Barron's book). It was a fail for my junior high daughter, but I think it will be a GO for me. I've never learned to analyze and understand poetry, although I do enjoy reading it. I would like to know more. So here I am!

The book segment that I read today challenged me to write a poem using a starter sentence that they provided (1st sentence). My writing is based on a tree that I did see (and photograph) a few years ago, that had literally just been struck by lightning. The photograph shows it the morning after, and it has since been cut completely down.

Lightning just shattered that tree!

Tendrils of smoke, still do I see

wisping from its scattered pieces;

Broken, black, scarred: the tree ceases.

Synchro Swimming

DD12 participated in an introductory synchro swimming class this spring. This is the routine her class performed at the team's spring show last night.

Spool & Cord Gears

This is a pretty cool gadget. You can rearrange the spools wherever you want them on the pegboard, and there actually is a double drive gear (the small black thing behind the red spool). DS8 is laboring hard to turn the crank and get everything moving. He did it!

Racecar for Two

One's a wild driver, and the other looks less than thrilled to be there ;-)

L'il Racecar Driver

Every young man should have a GREEN racecar, right? OK, he won't get far...but it was fun pretending, and playing "pit crew".

More License Plate Art

Two sports cars created entirely from license plates. They were more monochromatic (or is that monostate-ic) than the US maps I posted yesterday, but cool nonetheless.

License Plate Art

These US maps are made from old license plates, with each state being cut to the proper shape from a plate from that state. Even Hawaii makes it into the picture (lefthand photo bottom lefthand corner) with the islands showing the letters to spell "Aloha St."