The Forbidden Fruit

      Man has been fascinated by dreams for centuries and some religions have their roots in dreams. The word apocalypse has been associated with death, destruction, and the end of the world. However, it actually has the same meaning as revelation. It means a revealing of something unknown by mankind. This revelation comes to us in a state of unconsciousness. I have always been fascinated with my own dreams and I am just starting to realize how much I can learn about myself from my dreams.
     Last night I had a dream that I was riding my BMX bike and soaring through the sky as I hit some conveniently placed ramps along the way.  The overall feeling of the dream was a great sense of freedom.  I met a nice old lady and parked my bike as she invited me into her house to taste her experimental fudge recipe. I remember the feeling of warm southern hospitality as she invited me into her home.  She handed me this square of fudge and said "taste this and tell me what you think." Without hesitation I took a bite. It was the best fudge I had ever tasted. I could not stop at just one piece. I had to have more, and as I was shoveling down another piece, I suggested she enter her newly acquired recipe into a contest because it would surely win.
     The biblical references in this dream are hard to ignore. As I travel through unknown territory I stumble onto the Garden of Eden. My garden was a humble southern home with a nice little old lady who had discovered a fudge recipe that had the power to tempt even the strongest of souls. To be tempted is human. To over indulge is dangerous.
      The story of Adam and Eve was not written to explain the origins of man. It was written to explain original sin. It is a story that forces us to confront our temptations and realize that sometimes dangerous addictions can be in the form of things that seem harmless. When these forbidden fruits begin to disrupt our lives, and the lives of our friends and family, they become harmful to our spiritual growth.
     The goal is to recognize what these things are and begin to learn to moderate them. I believe that balancing all the things that are important in our lives is the key to happiness. Cutting out those things that are harmful is important as well. I have always known this but have just had times in my life where my weaknesses made me vunerable to bad influences. In this particular instance my dream was a subconscious reminder of the temptations I will constantly face in my conscious life. They attack when you least expect it and before you know it your knee deep in $#&T.

2011 Chicago Blizzard

Portrait of Libby

Adventures of Libby Harvey

     I have compiled a series of clips from my niece Libby's trip to Chicago. I was responsible for taking Libby sledding on the first day. The first clip is of her sledding adventure. I will admit when we first arrived at the hill I was concerned that it might be a little much for a 4-year old. I would say this hill, from top to bottom, was close to the size of a 4 story building. She was by far the youngest child out there.  I started her off only half way up the hill and was reluctant to let her go. She did not share my concern and was ready to graduate to the summit immediately. There are also some various clips from the many museums we visited. Enjoy.

Portrait of Boopers

I made some portraits of my nephew.  He is a fine specimen. 

Visit from Niece and Nephew

My Niece and nephew came to visit this week from Nashville and we have taken them to the Swedish-American Museum and the Natural History Museum. Here are some pictures from both museums. I am working on a video that I will post at the end of the week.

My latest work

     I created this drawing of my niece and nephew for my sister to give as a gift to her mother and father in law. I was asked at the last minute if I could complete this drawing by Christmas. I had to work fast and there are some things about it I would do differently if I had more time. I also do not have any good drawing materials and had to do it on computer paper with a number 2 pencil. I was thinking about the artist James Hampton who was an African American artist who worked as a janitor and used scavenged materials to create religious art. If he can create something out of nothing then so can I.