SUNSET 2/16/08

Sunset Serenade for Security at JFK

This couple was returning to Dublin. We had the good fortune to be standing in line with them when the sun went down. Many thanks!

Sunset Serenade for Security at JFK

It was a race. Was the sun going down before we reached the security checkpoint in line, or not? Norman said it was the first time he wished the line would move more slowly, and I agreed. I was a little nervous about ringing bells while waiting in the line to go through security. There’s no argument about the timing for the bell ringing so if it’s inconvenient (i.e. approaching the part where you are required to remove your shoes) then we would have had to leave the line, ring the bells and return. There’s nothing suspicious about that kind of behavior.

Anyway, when the time came I turned to the people in line behind us and invited them to join us in observing the sunset (even though we couldn’t see it) by ringing some bells. They were a young couple from Dublin, Ireland and they were so sweet to ring the little bells with us. So there we were at 5:29 PM standing in the Delta Airline security line at JFK airport, jingling away.

It was fun to ring with strangers who so obviously enjoyed it, Thank you guys, and I hope you try more of this at home. This is a very good project for a Jr. High school Math class, by the way.

SUNRISE 2/16/08

Cold Bells by the Williamsburg Bridge

It's pretty cold here to jump right out of bed and go stand by the bridge to ring a few little bells. Norman is a good sport and excellent bell ringer. Thanks, Norm.

SUNSET 2/15/08

Cowbells on Broadway in Brooklyn


Here we are in the evening on Broadway in Brooklyn. Again- right next to the Williamsburg Bridge. Cowbell time!

As the World Turns

The day begins and ends about 15 minutes earlier here. New York is the first of several places in the next few weeks we can begin to track the effect of longitude on the length of the day and the timing of the sunrise and sunset. Any guesses?
Next stop Frankfort. Then Barcelona. Then Tel Aviv.
Predictions? Explanations?

SUNRISE 2/15/08

Bells in Brooklyn by the Bridge


First day in New York. Williamsburg Bridge in the AM. Mostly jet lagged and tired. It’s so much noisier here. It’s nice to ring those loud little bells and hardly make a dent.

SUNSET? 2/14/08

Happy Valentine's Day from 35,000 feet



My row mate kept an eye on the sun and gave progress reports every once in a while. Our best guess for the time of the sunset was around 5:30. As it turned out, we were flying over Minnesota. My row mate was born there and he recognized it on the seatback map.

Ringing in the Plane #1

Today's flight was the first of about 1/2 dozen plane flights I plan to take over the next few weeks. By the end of the series of flights, my dream is to have everybody on the plane ringing bells at either sunrise or sunset.
Have you ever tried to figure out the exact time and place at any given moment when you are in an airplane? Try it. It's easier to judge when the sun is going down than it is to tell the time.


First we tried to take pictures out the window. Those photos captured a nice image of the wing of the plane, but you can't tell much about the position of the sun. So then I ran to the back of the plane where the flight attendants gather, hoping to get a shot from one of those little side windows. Big mistake. The attendants pounced on me, yelling "Get away from the window! You can't go near the window!"
So then I ran back to our row because time had run out. We watched the map channel on the seat TV and rang our bells. The quiet ones. Some people noticed but in the end it was less of a celebration than a job neatly and efficiently done.

SUNRISE 2/14/08

Malcolm's Girlfriend



Look very quickly in the beginning at the distant fence. She's hard to see, but there she is again. Same place as before. That stare down kitty. She is my cat's sweetheart.

SUNSET 2/13/08

Strangers in the Dream



Saying goodbye to the day and my friend with the quiet little song.

SUNRISE 2/13/08

Bird and a Wire



This is a pretty fair representation of what's happening both in my head and in the yard at this moment in the earliness.

SUNSET 2/12/08

Te Quiero Siempre



Bell Lullabye

SUNRISE 2/12/08

Stare Down This Cow



We are looking at the new cowbell while I am ringing the old one. Doesn't this scene feel familiar? Looking at that cow face reminds me of that little cat from the other day who just sat there and didn't move either.

SUNSET 2/11/08

Cowbell in the Fog

My Lucky Day and Foggy Night

I can't multi-task. On the way home I stopped to pick up some dinner I had ordered. While I was sitting in my car waiting for my food to be ready, I was talking on the cell phone. While chatting away, I put my keys away in my purse, got out of the car, locked the door and started to cross the street before I realized I had left my purse on the car seat. My bag of bells was also on the seat.

Fortunately I had my wallet in my pocket so after I picked up my dinner and called AAA I decided to try to find a bell to ring. Just in case. It was nearing sundown and I had no idea how long it would take the AAA guy to come. Again, I was lucky enough to be parked in front of a hardware store so I went inside and asked if they had any bells. They didn't have much of a selection, but they did have a cowbell. With a picture of a cow on it.

This must have been my lucky day, because the AAA man came and got my car open in time for me to grab the camera and run to the corner. So that's the new cowbell ringing in the fog this evening.

SUNRISE 2/11/08

A Typically Lovely Morning



Listen...

SUNSET 2/10/08

Bouncing Off the Window



Shooting at a neighbor's window, catching the last bit of color from the sun.

SUNRISE 2/10/08

Pat and Brenda Ring in the Morning



The mornings are picking up! Pat is the third guest so far this year to join me in the sunrise ringing. It's nice to have company. So who else is out there ringing the sun up?