"Everybody's A Star... Including Captain Marvel!"

Not the guard mentioned here...

Good TGIFriday Day, y'all.

Gosh, it's been over a week since we completed our tour of Edwards, AFB. But I remember what I consider a rather cute incident that occurred as we enter the North gate of that high security airspace.

Over my "career" as an Air Force artist, I've entered, with or without an liaison, many an air base gate. The guards there are a courteous, smartly dressed, but rather intimidating maitre'd's, so to speak.

Usually dressed in camo fatigues, they are bristling with gear strapped to their person. Flak jacket, intercom, holster and pistol, "go to hell" sunglasses, billy clubs, ammo belts, and all kinds of intimidating equipment and topped smartly to the right side of the head a security forces beret... All to welcome you.

And, rightly so!

But, on our last day of the tour, we stopped to show our identification cards and was greeted by a female guard dressed in the standard security forces outfit.

Now, maybe the other guys did or didn't notice, but I sure did.

As the the guard returned our I.D.'s to Colonel Pestana, and crisply shared salutes, I noticed this guard was wearing a bit more makeup. Certainly understated, but noticeable to someone like me who kinda overdoses on all the testosterone that exists among the sights, sounds and smells of airplanes.

I even had to voice my observation to the guys.

"Gee, I guess I should've awakened a bit earlier this morning to apply my face before breakfast," I said with no response!

It all came to light when our schedule was a bit adjusted. Greeted by museum curator, Tony Moore, and apologizing for the crazies and being late, Tony mentioned, as two F-15's and one F-16 screen across the sky, that, today the base was being invaded by a Hollywood film crew shooting scenes for the new film,"Captain Marvel."

It suddenly appeared to me why the front gate security guard was so, so... so feminine!

Everybody is a star including me... First cup!

Copyright 2018/Ben Bensen III

"Aw, So Cute... Iitty-Bitty, Teeny-Weeny Ball of Trouble!"

Awwwww!

Good "earless chocolate bunny" Monday, all bodies!

I hope everyone enjoyed their Easter/Passover Weekend and saved a bit of that chocolate bunny "for later!"

Our little nest of baby bunnies has broken camp and absconded in the night except one. There always seems to be one in the group that just doesn't get the memo till it is too late.

I let our dog, Pierre le Pooch, out Easter Sunday morning to do his 'le Poop thing, but got distracted straightening up le Kitchen only to hear le screams emanating from the garden below le kitchen window.

( I beg for your patience as I am taking French lessons online... Can't you tell? )

"That damn dawg is harming those baby bunnies again. I can't let him out of sight for a moment," I said to myself as I ran out the back door to see the damage done.

"HEY YOU, get away from that, that... that clump of grass there!"
"HEY!"

Sure enough, Pierre had somehow found the one loner bunny hanging around waiting for the rest of the gang to show up!

My wife finally came out to inspect the bunny and do her "Aw, so cute... so soft, little biddy this, and little biddy that" Mommy kinda thing as I dragged "le pain in the ass" back inside the studio!

Later in the day, she

came back out to do some gardening and found the little biddy, teeny-weenie, so soft to pet with a fuzzy white tail... so cute bunny had split town!

And, if you think this is the end of a beautiful little 'le story, forgetaboutit!

Somewhere on this property romps five or six furry little bunnies and Pierre is determined to seek and destroy them. And, where is that little hussy of a mother? Probably, out entertaining another alpha male in the bushes somewhere!

Nature...h'rump!

Second cup!

Copyright 2018/Ben Bensen III

"It Was A Cold,Blustery Day, All Day!"

Good "Cyber" Monday, all bodies!

The goldfinches are back. Guess I better check the feeder!

I finally got something completed yesterday while the Saints were losing. This painting is, in sketch form, one I started at the World War Two museum airshow under the protection of the gigantic B-29's wing.

It was a cold, blustery day, all day!

On the Sunday of the Three Rivers Art Festival, November 12th, I decided to bring my easel and attempt to finish the painting, demo-style, but all I did was smear the paint in transit home that evening.

Anyway, I finally finished and am pretty happy with the 9"x12" oil painting of a Navy C-45 transport named,"Texas Doll."

First cup...

"Just Be Glad!"...

C'est La Vie!

Good Sunday morning, y'all.

I'm early this morning for a change.
I don't see why not. I'm sitting here with that old matchbox hole trying to figure out exactly what I accomplished yesterday. I slept a lot!

Brings to mind when my dad use to say things with a bit of a twinkle in his eye that I should be grateful for having shoes with no holes in them. Though I know it was probably true that he experienced stuffing paper in his shoe to keep the dirt and water out, in hindsight, he could always make light of such things. 

My retort was, sardonically,"Sounds like a pulp fiction to me, Dad!"

But nowadays, especially since it nears Thanksgiving, we all need to be a bit more grateful. Thinking rather disgustedly at all the nothing I did yesterday, dad words ring true.

Be glad you could take a nap. Many people can't sleep. 

I did pay a bill and begrudgingly drove it into town. Again, dad's mantra reverberated. "Be glad you have money to pay it. Many folks are robbing Peter to pay Paul. 

I know, dad, and a car with gas in it to take to town.

I managed to take the dog for a walk 'cuz I felt I needed to do something. Be glad that you have a dog that demands you get your fat ass out and walk. 

Be glad that you can walk! Some folks wish they could.

Naturally, as it always occurs in nature, naturally, my walk shows me all the branches and weeds that need to be addressed. Well, be glad you have a really nice home and weeds to pull out. Many people only have concrete!

Leaning over to grab a few chinese tallo saplings that are not native to Louisiana and yank them out of the ground, my hair drops down over my face. I know, I know, I need a hair cut and... 

Okay, okay, I get it. I'll be glad that I still have hair to cut!

Pouring my first grateful cup...

Copyright 2017/Ben Bensen III

"Aircraft Paintings And Sketches At The Three Rivers Art Festival"

Honoring the vets!

"In Our Own Back Yards...

The humble elm...

Good late morning Monday, y'all.

Well, I'm back home and trying my best to get to work in the studio. I'm quite happy with the progress on my spine and SI joint. Started a "relationship" with a Rolfer. She's a bit "ah-oom" like, but she seems very good at what she does.

So funny...

My dad used to have fun whenever he went on trips to various places. He loved to ask simple questions of the citizens of each fair city he visited. He would ask a desk clerk directions to a restaurant that the clerk might recommend, but didn't know how to get there. He'd ask directions at gas stations, grocery stores, restaurants, and any info on points of interest he had read about.

He was amazed at how little people who should know know little or nothing about where they lived.

"Excuse me ma'am, he asked with a smirk on his face, "you come to work here everyday but you don't know the address?"

I was so astounded by the color of fall in Denver, that I just had to pick some leaves off certain trees to ask the natives if they knew the names of the trees the leaves came from. I asked my doctor. I asked his administrator. I asked a waitress at the local Perkins restaurant.

I inquired at the hotel front desk, I asked a jogger returning from an early morning jaunt, a photographer at a state park...

No one seemed to know.

Good thing I didn't ask anyone for the official state bird, or flower or even where the state capital is.

Finally, three days later, I passed by two hikers who were originally from Memphis, TN, but have lived in Denver for over twenty years.

"Oh yeh, the oval, kinda heart shaped leaf is from the cottonwood and those other two leaves, one that is yellow and the one that is red is from the same tree... the elm!"

Wow. As I thanked her for the info and told her a little story about my quest, I laughed and just had to involuntarily smirk at the answer.

Dad was right about how truly little we know about our own back yards.

First late morning cup of CDM...

"You Got Lucky Babe..."

C.F. Payne's illustration of TP got me thinking again of the song,"You Got Lucky!" That smirk that he painted on Tom brings to mind how many of his songs had a twist to it. Of all the great songs in his catalog of songs, "You Got Lucky" is one that really is my favorite. It exposes the main character's weakness very subtlely.

Seems on the surface, the guy is telling his girlfriend where to go... lyrically. But, the synthesizer and the warped guitar ride tell a different tale. Also, I'm a sucker for a minor chord and this song is full of them.

Male braggadocio... "You got lucky babe, You got lucky babe, When I found you!"

It's not so much that the man's ego and pride is hurt as it is his unwillingness to accommodate his lady's needs/ concerns. It comes off as a "take it or leave it" approach to a relationship.

I love the nuances in this song and always look to hear what the music is saying long before I understand all the words. Lou Reed's, "Take A Walk On the Wild Side" is another great example. Randy Newman is another one who loves turning the tables both lyrically as well as musically.

But, I've never read anything about those underlying themes in any rock critique, which leads me to believe that I am alone in this kind of interpretation.

I mean, just listen to Mike Campbell's wammy bar wacked out guitar ride. Maybe, it's just me!

Copyright Ben Bensen III/ 2017