Category: *Having My Say
On Just About Everything
Mosaic of Life #53 – Four Things That Draw Me In…
Now that I am beginning to populate this new artsy site, I have discovered that there are certain types of artsy that draw me in more than others. Those are Containers, Flowers, Texture and Reflections. I am a regular visitor of historic sites and almost all of them have an old-fashioned general story filled with containers. Flowers are probably the main reason for RJsMosaics. Their beauty, variety, and mind-boggling intensity fascinate me. The closer I look, the more I am entranced. Texture, specifically brick walls, as shown in today’s M53-mosaic. I don’t really understand this one, so I will let it go … Continue reading Mosaic of Life #53 – Four Things That Draw Me In…
Mosaic of Life #52 – The World’s Most Beautiful Junkyard
As soon as I saw this place, I immediately stomped on the brake petal. I knew I HAD to have a picture of it. It has remained on my wall since that April day in 2015. When I read my first book about the “Mountain Men” as a teenager, I have always dreamed that in a previous life I was a mountain man. When I say the movie “Jeremiah Johnson” in 1972, that thought was permanently welded into my mind. As the picture says, it was taken near LaFruto in southern Colorado. Like so many other times, the only regret … Continue reading Mosaic of Life #52 – The World’s Most Beautiful Junkyard
Mosaic of Life #34 – The Reenactors
I spent most of my roadtrips in 2020 going to reenactments, and I must say the guy in the picture above is my favorite for authenticity. I often wonder what he does in the 21st century version of himself? There will eventually be many posts reporting on specific reenactments, but for this one I just want to point out some of the best of the best reenactors. Continue reading Mosaic of Life #34 – The Reenactors
Mosaic of Life #38 – Wordless Wednesday – Sheer Beauty
Mosaic of Life #5 – Piano Flowers — The Analog Approach
I seriously started my Artsy project in mid-2023. For a few months, it was almost exclusively freehand doodling. That got my confidence up that I could at least do some rudimentary hand-to-eye things. Maybe I should include some of those sketches on my artsy wall, but I kinda think of them as “pre-artsy”. As almost everyone knows, to be good at anything takes PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE. Some of the things I attempted in those first three months were just plain awful. They stayed out of the trash can about 3 seconds after they were done. But, they were learning experiences. The … Continue reading Mosaic of Life #5 – Piano Flowers — The Analog Approach
Mosaic of Life #51 – Old Quebec, Canada
A major stopping point during our 2011-month-long trip across eastern Canada was Old Quebec. It was the part of Quebec that has been completely restored back to its 1600s roots. That is except for the 21st century add-ons. Above is a picture of the main square in that area. Old Quebec was a very festive place as shown in the picture gallery below. The painted murals on the walls were of the magnitude and beauty I have ever encountered. I ended up spending quite some time just trying to take in the details. Even though I could not hear them, … Continue reading Mosaic of Life #51 – Old Quebec, Canada
Mosaic of Life #12 – Artsy Bird – 1st Vector Attempt
I need to show you my early attempts at vector graphics, so that you know how far I have come since then. This was my first serious attempt at using a combination of vector and raster graphics. The photo from which this originated was of a bird in the birdbath at our homestead home of 20+ years. At first, I was going to do the whole scene, but then decided to Simplify and just concentrate on the bird itself. All the various colors you see are filled-in vector shapes, while all the scratching used a raster app. I don’t think the result … Continue reading Mosaic of Life #12 – Artsy Bird – 1st Vector Attempt
Mosaic of Life #49 – Story About “On The Mountain”
In looking at my first twenty posts here at RJsMosaic, I see it is about time for another story. I do love telling stories, so here goes. To get a full 30-year pension, I moved to New Jersey in 1996 as that was then where my job was going. When I hit my 30 years in 2000, we moved back to Indiana and bought an 80-year-old farmhouse on nearly 3 acres of land. Most importantly, it had a 24 x 48 ft barn that allowed me to start my own furniture making business. I was only 54 at the time, so … Continue reading Mosaic of Life #49 – Story About “On The Mountain”
Mosaic of Life #9 – Stone Walls
I have always been fascinated by stone walls. This one was at one of my favorite places to visit at Pleasant Hill Shaker Village near Lexington KY. This mosaic was made via the analog method using marking pens. It was very tedious work drawing all the stones, but I think the result is one of my favorites in the analog mode. I will limit this post to artsy, and reserve the story of Pleasant Hill for a future post, or posts. Continue reading Mosaic of Life #9 – Stone Walls
Mosaic of Life #47 – A Favorite Homestead Picture
This picture was taken in January 2014 This picture was taken at our 21-year homestead that I left almost 3 years ago. Due to my deafness and resulting loss of balance, snow was always a hazard for me. Over my life … Continue reading Mosaic of Life #47 – A Favorite Homestead Picture
Mosaic of Life #46 – The Story of Firsts…
All of us have plenty of firsts in our lives. It starts out with probably the first time you wet your diaper, and ends with the first (and only) time you will meet your maker. I’m sure I will have many posts here at RJsMosaics about firsts, but I want to use this one to tell you about the year I most likely had more firsts than any other. That year was 1970. Let’s get to it… I know this is a pretty crude image above, but it is about the only photo I have of my very first car. It … Continue reading Mosaic of Life #46 – The Story of Firsts…
Mosaic of Life #7 – Indy Skyline – In Pen & Ink
If you read the previous post about “Analog Artsy” you probably get the idea that I will likely avoid this technique in the future. There is some truth to that, but some of the creations I made even impressed me, and I am a hard person to impress. One of those is the Mosaic #7 above of the Indy Skyline. I spent the better part of the day doing this one. As usual, it started out with a photo that I traced the basic features I wanted to convey. From there it was all freehand. Since this picture was to be “pen … Continue reading Mosaic of Life #7 – Indy Skyline – In Pen & Ink
Mosaic of Life #29 – I Know Artsy When I See It
And this is definitely artsy. These Artsy Ladies were in the Nicholas Conservatory & Gardens which is located in Rockford, Illinois. When I visited in 2017, the Bruce Monro Light Exhibit was the current attraction. This was in the beginning phase of my search for artsy. I don’t know if these ladies were part of that exhibit or a permanent part of the conservatory, but they did fit very well into landscape of the dome. They were about 5 feet tall and made of glass, but I can’t imagine exactly how they were actually constructed. The conservatory itself is certainly in the top three I have … Continue reading Mosaic of Life #29 – I Know Artsy When I See It
Mosaic of Life #23 – Digital Artsy – The Tools – Part 2
/im A few posts ago, I told you about how I spent 3 months doing analog artsy and then 3 months doing the digital version. This is the second post defining the digital version. (Click HERE if you want to see the first post). When I seriously started studying digital artsy, I had high hopes that I would find something that I totally enjoyed doing, and indeed I have. Of course, being a techie, I had some previous experience with digital tools, but this time I looked far and wide for just the right tools. I think I came close to … Continue reading Mosaic of Life #23 – Digital Artsy – The Tools – Part 2
Mosaic of Life #18 – The Digital Stage Of Artsy – Part 1
This post is the second part of my six-month experiment with becoming artsy. I have already told you about the doodling/analog stage, so this is about the digital stage. The mosaic picture above is one of the first attempts at digital art. It started out pretty much the same as an analog pictures, in that I traced the basic outline from a photograph I had taken years before. But, this time it was done by manipulating layers in a digital app. The picture was put on the bottom layer and the penned outline was made with an iPad and digital pen … Continue reading Mosaic of Life #18 – The Digital Stage Of Artsy – Part 1
Mosaic of Life #43 – The Big Hair 80s
No, I’m not talking about 80-year-olds, but instead the 1980s. The first half of the 1980s, I was knee-deep in my bachelor days. I had been working as an engineer for 10 years, and had made enough money to afford some luxuries in life. But, coming from humble roots, I for the most part, was still a spend thrift. All my furniture, except for the bed, was hand-me-downs from various relatives after I graduated from college. I still use an electric skillet that an aunt gave me. It is now over a hundred years old, but works great, so I simply … Continue reading Mosaic of Life #43 – The Big Hair 80s
One Of The Most Important Rules In Retirement…
I’ve been retired for almost 24 years now, so you think I would have just about learned all the things I needed to know about retirement? I’ll let you in on a little secret that I learned from a guy … Continue reading One Of The Most Important Rules In Retirement…
Mosaic of Life #6 – The Last Rose
In today’s artsy post, I give you the Last Rose, and the story behind it. When my future wife asked me out on a date in late 1985, it totally surprised me. A few months before, I had totally given up the idea of dating. Due to my Aspie traits, all the attempts at dating from the years before that were disasters. I think I said “yes” to her asking me on a date more out of shock than anything else. Long story short, I asked her to marry me a few months later, and like me on that our … Continue reading Mosaic of Life #6 – The Last Rose
Mosaic of Life #1 – Doodling & The Analog Stage Of Artsy
I seriously started my Artsy project in mid-2023. For a few months, it was almost exclusively freehand doodling. That got my confidence up that I could at least do rudimentary hand-to-eye coordination. I have created a collage of these sketches above, and they are on Mosaic Wall. As almost everyone knows, to be good at anything takes PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE. Some of the things I attempted in those first three months were just plain awful. They stayed out of the trash can for about 3 seconds after they were completed. But, they served a purpose. They were learning experiences. The first … Continue reading Mosaic of Life #1 – Doodling & The Analog Stage Of Artsy
RJsMosaic Is A Celebration Of Life…
This site is a celebration of life and the many pieces that make it up. Most of us go through life dreaming of the big things, but in reality, life is mostly made up of the little things that happen every day. RJsMosaic is about celebrating those small things as well as the big ones. It is also about celebrating the things that make us the unique people we are. It is about our special talents, achievements, and stories of our lives. It is about appreciating each day the Lord gives us. If this appeals to you, I invite you to … Continue reading RJsMosaic Is A Celebration Of Life…
Lessons Learned
One of the perks of retirement life is that we finally have time to achieve any talent you desire, and for our mental health, it is critical that we do exactly that. Quite literally, we must all regularly study something … Continue reading Lessons Learned
Mosaic of Life #36 – Who Knew I Would Some Day Become A Flower Child?
Being in a RetCom (retirement community) now, I see plenty of bouquets at the front desk ready to be delivered to one of the residents. I can’t help but take a quick photo of them when I am there. The purple flower in the middle reminded me of the many cacti I saw on my Arizona adventure in 2022. Thus, the name “Purple Cactus”. In the 1960s, I was in college and working 40-hour weeks to pay for it, so I didn’t have the time to participate in the many Peace demonstrations during that period. I missed out, but I … Continue reading Mosaic of Life #36 – Who Knew I Would Some Day Become A Flower Child?
Mosaic of Life #22 – Pure Lard
Back in the “Good Old Days”, no respectable household would be without at least a 25lb can of “Pure Lard”. I can remember dad buying lard a pound at a time, but that was about it. Lard is simply animal fat that is rendered, after it was cut off the butchered animal. Rendering was a process of putting the fat in a large kettle and boiled, and then straining it through a sieve. Sounds scrumptious, doesn’t it? You might be asking why I have a picture of a lard can? It’s because one of my hobbies is documenting old containers of … Continue reading Mosaic of Life #22 – Pure Lard
Mosaic of Life #25 – My First Out-Of-State Adventure – 1953
I can still remember in 1953, when I was very young, taking a family vacation out west. It would be a couple of years later that Mom decided to abandon the family for greener pastures. Greener, meaning more money. Anyway, back to the story. I remember our first major stop was the Mitchell Corn Palace in South Dakota. This was the first time I had ever been out of Indiana, so everything seemed strange and exciting. I couldn’t imagine a building made from corn. One of the things that surprised me were the sides of many of the barns was the image as shown … Continue reading Mosaic of Life #25 – My First Out-Of-State Adventure – 1953
Mosaic of Life #17 – Ft Bridger Rendezvous
Since an early age, I have been fascinated with American history. The fur trapper rendezvous, especially the original one started in 1825 at Ft. Bridger, Wyoming, was put on my dream list of destinations. I was fortunate enough to visit it in 2018. 60,000+ people attended the 2023 version. Getting there was one of those “If Not Now, When?”. My µRV fabrication was complete, and my wife was having a period of a degree of wellness, so I believed I could leave her by herself, with emergency help nearby, for the week it would take for the 2800-mile round trip. The above picture … Continue reading Mosaic of Life #17 – Ft Bridger Rendezvous
Mosaic of Life #35 – Ouray… My Way
I came across Ouray, Colorado on a month-long Western U.S. trip in 2009. It is on the tip of the Rocky Mountains between Grand Junction and Durango, Colorado. I didn’t know anything about this town of 1000 or so beforehand, so the beauty of its setting totally surprised me. Afterward, I learned that Ouray is called “The Switzerland of America”. We spent a few hours there having lunch, doing our laundry and browsing a few stores. When I took this picture above as we were leaving town, I thought to myself, that maybe we should go back and discover more about the town. … Continue reading Mosaic of Life #35 – Ouray… My Way
Mosaic of Life #16 – Into The Depth
This picture was taken in 2009 of one of my wife’s many flowers she grew every year. I believe it is of the center of an old-fashioned day lily. One of the major themes of RJsMosaics is the beauty of flowers. I have taken hundreds of pictures of flowers, and many will likely find their place in my Mosaic project. The above image is the first one. (My digital cameras like my Sony RX10, and iPhone 14 just don’t do a very good job at close up, so I have resurrected my Canon EOS 6 DSLR with a macro lens … Continue reading Mosaic of Life #16 – Into The Depth
Low Expectations…
I still remember reading the book Great Expectations in my early teenage years. It was a book written by Charles Dickens in 1861 about an orphan named Pip. It was unusual in that it was written in a first-person narrative. … Continue reading Low Expectations…
Mosaic of Life #2 – The Beauty Of Flowers…
As the first post on this new blog, I thought I would show you the first serious attempt in my Artsy Project. I have decided, at least until I get bored with the subject, to concentrate on the beauty of flowers. I am going to try to avoid all the complicated stuff about flowers and just focus on their beauty, and maybe their generic names. Until now, I couldn’t tell you my favorite flowers, as I didn’t know their names. I do have a couple of garden books that I bought from ThriftBooks. One is about how to photograph them … Continue reading Mosaic of Life #2 – The Beauty Of Flowers…
Make Way For Tomorrow, And All The Days Yet To Come…
Sometimes I get the feeling that I am just marking off each day as they come, waiting for the end. That is no kind of life. All of us need a purpose for getting up each morning. Just marking off the … Continue reading Make Way For Tomorrow, And All The Days Yet To Come…
More People Are Now Living Alone.
More than 38 millions American are living alone. That statistic has reached a record high. More than 3 times as many as in the 1960s. There are a number of reasons why living alone has grown. One includes the economic … Continue reading More People Are Now Living Alone.
Fixated On A Set Of Beliefs
There are just too many people who seem to be fanatical about one set of beliefs or another in today’s world. But, now that those beliefs are being questioned by more and more people, they are panicked. Many have come … Continue reading Fixated On A Set Of Beliefs
Long Range Financial Planning
Everyone tells you from your youth forward that you need a long range financial plan. But, who in their 20s and 30s is thinking about putting money aside for retirement? I just heard the other day about the most successful … Continue reading Long Range Financial Planning
Why Am I Here?
The title of this post has been a fundamental question I have asked myself throughout my life. But, it seems lately that that question has come to the forefront with the word “Still” plastered across it. I know you are … Continue reading Why Am I Here?
Stopping Diagnostic Tests…
I can remember an article several years ago about a noted surgeon stating that when he turned 75 he stopped all diagnostic tests. He had seen too many times when people who could have died gracefully instead spent their time … Continue reading Stopping Diagnostic Tests…
Ups & Downs
I certainly have my ups & downs, especially in my old age. But, treating each day as a new adventure makes all of them tolerable. Let it go is the best advice around. Continue reading Ups & Downs
A Little Soul Searching… Again
Here I am yet again back under the tree of life, searching for a way forward. I am having problems finding a path into my artsy creativity. I don’t know how many attempts I have experimented with, but none seem … Continue reading A Little Soul Searching… Again
Of Course, It’s Hard…
I have been struggling lately with my Artsy project. My patience is running thin right now. I want to do a better job at being artsy now, not some time in the future. NOW. So, I have to learn the … Continue reading Of Course, It’s Hard…
It’s That Simple
You can make life very simple or very complicated. Some people try to be what others want them to be. Others try to be different just to stand out. In both cases, they are changing themselves to impress others. Neither … Continue reading It’s That Simple
Use Your Imagination
In my engineering days, I had a vivid imagination. Even before that, I spent much of my younger days imagining who, or how, I would be in my life ahead. Now, in my 78th year, I still have an active … Continue reading Use Your Imagination
Waiting In Line…
Waiting in line has never been anything but annoying to me, but now that I am in my final years, it just seems like totally wasteful of my time. I am trying my best to make each day count now. … Continue reading Waiting In Line…
When You Don’t Know How To Be Alone… The Art Of Aloneness
Except for my middle years which were in joyful marriage bliss (well sometimes 🥴) I have been alone in life. I just didn’t seem to understand how not to be alone. To me, being alone was far better than the … Continue reading When You Don’t Know How To Be Alone… The Art Of Aloneness
People Don’t Read Online… They Scan
One of the reasons almost all my posts here at RJsCorner are “500 words or less”, is because of the title above. There is just so much available to read every day, and certainly not enough time to read it … Continue reading People Don’t Read Online… They Scan
My Version Of God
I’m no different from anyone else in the world in regard to making my version of God. The last time I looked, there were about 40,000 different versions of the Christian church in existence in the world. Some say that … Continue reading My Version Of God
