Close Encounters...with SILLINESS

Sound board playing music in "Close Encounters' movie

Painting....OR...Making alien music?

...what?   Well, it is all just a bit silly, but that's a good thing, right? So, a couple nights ago, while I am deep into one of my favorite Science Fiction series (Foreigner by C.J. Cherryh) Phil decides to watch "Close Encounters of the Third Kind" movie. I don't care how many times I have seen it, the communication that takes place through MUSIC***, at the end always chokes me up.

If you ENLARGE this photo, you'll see our sign.

Today we are returning to the on-going task of dealing with the deteriorating deck paint  -- sanding and priming it for painting. You have to understand, sanding and painting a deck in Hawaii is NOT like painting a deck any place else we've lived. First you have to wait, and wait, and wait, for a brief drought and here, at 140 inches of rain annually, that isn't easy. Next you have to wait until the dew dries in the early morning. You can't paint if it is too hot or the surface is over 90 degrees -- so you also have to wait until the clouds form -- but not enough to rain.

Our rooftop message to any aliens passing over.

So, above a photo of Phil doing a touch up job with the primer. After I took this photo, the pattern seemed quite familiar -- in fact, reminiscent of the sound board from the end of the Close Encounters movie! Then I remembered the photo we sent out for the holidays this year -- with the ALOHA to ALIENS on the roof! Guess we are just a musically-alien family cuz here's another photo...of me...painting up some wood for a landscaping project that just happens to look like an alien xylophone. 'Live long and prosper!"


(If you need to refresh your memory -- here's a 2-minute musical sequence from the movie:
CLICK FOR MUSIC!

"Never underestimate the healing power of silliness and absurdity."  Steve Maraboli

Saturday Silliness

WHAT IS IT??  Topo map of a cinder cone?  Nope.  Yesterday we were cleaning up the front porch, in anticipation of the arrival of some long-time friends from Humboldt County, when we excavated this penciled sketch on the front porch.  BUT WHAT IS IT??  Well it is actually an fine, architectural drawing of the plans for our lanai and hot tub!!  No kidding!! 

When we needed to build a small box to protect the battery on the front porch that runs the solarized water pump, this small piece of siding happened to be just the right size.  Although we decided to go ahead an paint it, we thought it was a delightful example of creative thinking.   When we sat down to discuss the idea with our contractor, he just grabbed a piece of left over siding and began to draw a few ideas. Before painting it, however, we decided to take a picture of it -- just being silly.

 
And, here's another silly picture of our decrepit lawn mower, that probably cost $100 four years ago, and believe it or not, after a few minor repairs (costing less than $25) it still runs.  It is totally rusted out, the blades are dull from knocking chunks of lava -- BUT IT STILL WORKS!!  My grandpa always said he could fix anything with bailing wire and duct tape.  Every time we go to Home Depot, we gaze longingly at the row of spiffy mowers; then we laugh because our mower, ugly as it is, works just fine (this week anyway.)