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Mosaic of Life #43 – The Big Hair 80s

RJ Walters

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

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Mosaic of Life #6 – The Last Rose

RJ Walters

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

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Mosaic of Life #1 – Doodling & The Analog Stage Of Artsy

RJ Walters

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

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RJsMosaic Is A Celebration Of Life…

RJ Walters

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…

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Mosaic of Life #36 – Who Knew I Would Some Day Become A Flower Child?

RJ Walters

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?

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Mosaic of Life #22 – Pure Lard

RJ Walters

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

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Mosaic of Life #25 – My First Out-Of-State Adventure – 1953

RJ Walters

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

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Mosaic of Life #17 – Ft Bridger Rendezvous

RJ Walters

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

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Mosaic of Life #35 – Ouray… My Way

RJ Walters

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

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Mosaic of Life #16 – Into The Depth

RJ Walters

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

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Mosaic of Life #2 – The Beauty Of Flowers…

RJ Walters

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…