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Arts and Crafts: Find your passion and the joy of creating a work of art here at On2In2™
Stan Reinshagen, inspiring artisan & hobbyist

My father was an ardent hobbyist. You might also call him a “generalist” because he didn’t focus on a specific hobby or category of interest.  He was a music lover and amateur musician (trumpet), gardener (vegetables), BBQ master (with a killer secret sauce), meister mechanic, weekend golfer, and smooth social dancer (the waltz).  While he didn’t have a creative arts background or formal training and never thought of himself as “talented”, a few hobby classes taken while serving in the US Air Force sparked a passion for the creative process, and he spent many happy hours in his private studio (the garage), exploring his varied interests and testing his handcrafting skills while working on a variety of arts and crafts projects. 

Dad made really beautiful things in ceramic, wood, metal, and leather.
All are treasured pieces.  Most importantly, he found joy in creating, and inspired our family to love ‘making things’.  Let his story inspire you — Make your soul grow.

To help you get started on the search for your passion and the joy of creating a work of art, below is a list of arts and crafts hobby categories for inspiration (including a few links to topical articles) as well as Zola’s arts & craft photo gallery, and there’s a collection of video documentaries on the Art Works and Creative Perspectives channels that include insightful stories from artisans about their work, motivations, and approach to the creative process.

But, please….before buying a bunch of hobby supplies, do a little research and consider the things required for the crafting (time, money, work space, tools, supplies, basic skills and physical abilities) and what you’d like to try. Then, start small.  For example, it doesn’t take much to start coloring, and many find the creative process of ‘coloring within the lines’ to be relaxing and therapeutic.  Find FREE adult coloring books → HERE.  Also, look for arts & crafts instructional classes offered in your community by colleges, museums, art galleries, recreation centers, and local artisans.  If that doesn’t work for you, search libraries and book stores for crafting books, and do some googling.  You’ll be amazed at the variety of instructional books, online courses and ‘how to’ videos available.

 

 

The Arts & Crafts Idea List

Candle and Soap Making

Ceramics/Pottery

Crafting

Digital Art

Glass:  Cutting and Blowing

Jewelry Making

Model Building (replicas of cars, planes, ships, railroads)

Leatherworking

Paint/Watercolor/Sketch  

Paper:  Papermaking;  Decoupage

Photography

Recycled Plastics Art 

Sand Sculpting

Textile:  Sew/Knit/Crochet/Embroidery/Weave

Welding and Metalworking

Wood: Woodworking;  Woodcarving/Whittling;  Woodburning

For more crafting inspiration, click/tap these links:
Watch: Art Works
Rubberband Art
Watch:  Photography
Watch:  Digital Arts 

 

 

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Art Transforming Trash

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“The opposite of beauty is not ugly… it’s indifference.” — Richard Lang

There are many complex issues involved in the elimination of pollutants from the environment, but there’s at least one problem easy to identify and understand — trash.  Take just one walk on a beach, and you’ll quickly see the ugly truth.

More than 8 million tons of plastic makes its way into the Ocean each year, and the stuff doesn’t go-away or disappear.  Just one plastic bag takes 1,000 years to decompose.  Much of this garbage can be seen floating on top of the ocean surface.  Between California and Hawaii, the “Great Pacific Garbage Patch” is more than double the size of Texas, and it’s just one of many similar floating debris patches.

Ray Ives, a retired Royal Marine and commercial diver, saw even more during his 40+ years of deep sea diving,……“You can’t believe some of the things people dump in the sea.  It’s like the biggest rubbish dump in the world”.

Artists are using their creative talents in amazing ways to help make positive change as their works of art bring attention to the plastic pollution problem the world faces and inspire all of us to “rethink plastic”.

Gyrecraft is a short film about crafting objects at sea, in the past with whale’s teeth and in the future with plastics collected from Ocean waters.

Studio Swine went on a 1,000 nautical mile journey through the North Atlantic Gyre, from the Azores to the Canaries, collecting plastics as they sailed.  (The North Atlantic Gyre is one of five large systems of circulating ocean currents.  The vortex of currents traps man-made marine debris into a large, dense floating debris zone called  the ‘North Atlantic Garbage Patch’.)  Using a specially designed ‘Solar Extruder’ machine, the plastic pieces collected during the trip were melted on board ship with heat from the Sun, creating a ‘sea plastic’ material used to create art works.

 

In the short video, Sea Chair, watch as a stool is built on a boat from the plastic collected in a fisherman’s nets.

 

Since 1999, Richard and Judith Selby Lang have been visiting a special spot at Kehoe Beach at the Point Reyes National Seashore in Northern California, collecting plastics that have washed up on shore. The Lang’s then take their treasures home, wash and sort the items, and create works of art.  Over the years, they’ve collected tons of the stuff, learned a lot about ocean pollution, and discovered each little bit of found plastic has an interesting story to tell and provides an insight into human culture.

 

Aurora Robson is a multi-media artist known for her work with waste materials, and the founding artist of Project Vortex a collective of creatives who work with plastic debris as a medium and support organizational efforts to reduce the amount of plastic littering the oceans and shorelines of the world. She has said the intention of her art is “to take something negative, try to change the direction it’s going, and turn it into something positive”.

 

Inspired to create your own “environmental art”, but not sure how to start?  David Edgar creates marine life art forms from plastic bottles, and his instructional fish project video is a how-to guide for beginners. In the demonstration, you’ll learn that creating a sculpture requires scissors and a couple of simple tools, and reshaping plastic can be accomplish with heat from a hair dryer.  Really, the possibilities are endless because unfortunately, so is the trash.

 

Information/Resources:

Point Reyes National Seashore  Point Reyes is a peninsula surrounded on three sides by the Pacific Ocean, supporting a large diversity of species throughout the food chain and ecosystem.

One Plastic Beach  The Lang’s offer workshops, presentations, art sales, commercial and residential artwork commissions

Aurora Robson  See more art and media

Washed Ashore – Haseltine Pozzi, an artist and longtime art teacher, made it her mission to collect garbage that washes up along the Oregon coastline and use it to create large art sculptures in an effort to bring awareness to the enormous amount of plastic pollution in oceans and waterways and inspire change.

Project Vortex is an international collective of artists, designers and architects creating art works with plastic debris in support of projects that intercept plastic waste in innovative ways and help water cleanup efforts.

Plastic Ocean by Tan Zi Xi – an inspired art installation simulating the environment of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch created the experience of being immersed in a space covered with trash.

Healthy Seas – a joint venture of non-government organizations and businesses dedicated to cleaning ocean of litter and recycling it into new products such as socks, swimwear, textiles and carpets.

International Coastal Cleanup Day is celebrated annually the third Saturday in September.
(Save the Date:  September 21, 2019)

Plastic Oceans Foundation – a non-profit organization with a mission to engage people through education and media projects, campaigns and global partnerships

Underwater sculpture museums contain breathtaking works of art that seek to encourage environmental awareness and appreciate the breathtaking natural beauty of the underwater world.You’ll be surprised to see what lies
beneath the waves – Art Underwater 

 

 

The Ocean is an essential life force, and we must stop its destructionOur Oceans are suffering from many decades of
abuse and neglect, but each of us has the power to help heal it 

 

 

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Digital Art

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“The advantage of digital is obvious:  You don’t have to clean anything up”— Pat Scott

 

Digital art is a new media art category of art works that have been created or presented by the artist using some form of digital technology – these are the electronic tools, systems, and devices that generate, store or process data, such as computer programs, mobile devices, online games and applications.

The early days of digital art, at times called ‘computer art’ and ‘multimedia art’, can be traced back to the late 1960’s when engineers Billy Klüver and Fred Waldhauer joined artists Robert Rauschenberg and Robert Whitman to form a group called Experiments in Art and Technology (EAT) with a mission to promote collaborations between artists and engineers.  The result was a series of innovative installations and performances using emerging technologies, and as technology evolved over the decades, so did the art.

Since those early EAT experimental days, digital technology has revolutionized the way art can be made, distributed, and viewed.  Instead of traditional art materials such as paint, brush and canvas, artists can now paint with light, sound and pixels on a screen or multimedia projection, and the resulting creative works of art are simply amazing.

You’ve got to meet Pat Scott.  She’s a talented, tech-savy digital artist, and BTW, Pat is 98 years old. All her life, she has created art, but after moving to an apartment in a retirement community, Pat became concerned her paints would make a mess. So, she decided to try something new–digital art. Now, Pat enjoys using Photoshop and apps to draw portraits and create greeting cards.

Watch as Pat tells her inspirational, joyful story of a life enriched with creativity and innovation in this short (3 minutes) documentary “Try Something New:  Digital Artist Pat Scott” from Julie Caskey.

 

CREATIVE INSPIRATION 

In Try Something New, Pat Scott mentions she was inspired after reading about David Hockney using digital technology to draw and paint, and looking at his iPhone Drawings, it’s clear the reason for that creative spark.

David Hockney's iPad art drawings of flowers

David Hockney iPad Art, ‘Fresh Flowers’ © David Hockney

David Hockney (born in 1937) was an important contributor to the 1960’s pop art movement, and today, he’s considered one of the most influential British artists of the 20th century.  He began sketching flowers on his iPhone in 2009, and later on an iPad, experimenting with the variety of brush techniques and colors of a painting app, Brushes*.  His ‘Fresh Flowers’ exhibit (2010-11) included 300 iPhone and iPad drawings viewed on mounted devices and projected screens.  Later, Hockney included iPad landscape drawings in both the 2012 “A Bigger Picture” and 2013-14 “David Hockney: A Bigger Exhibition” exhibits.  Learn more about the artist and 200+ works of art via the Tate website.  See a list of current and upcoming Hockney exhibits → here.

Continue the creative art inspiration by watching→   Art Works and Digital Arts video channels, On2In2™ collections of videos FREE 2 WATCH, On-Demand

*Editor’s notes:

It was fun experimenting with colors and brushes using digital art tool Brushes Redux app.
“My Yellow Boat” Zola’s first digital art sketch experiment

♦ The Brushes app (updated & renamed “Brushes Redux“) is designed specifically for iPhone and iPad, and can be downloaded free from the App Store.  Inspired by Pat Scott, I gave the app a try, and discovered it’s really a lot of fun, and only a little imagination, not art or tech expertise, is needed to create a work of art.  There are many other art drawing and painting apps available for Apple products via iTunes as well as android apps for smart phones and tablets via Google Play.  So cool.  Recommend you give one a try, too.  You’ll also want a digital art brush/stylus for drawing on the screen of your phone or tablet.  Amazon has a variety at prices starting at $10+ for you to check out here → SHOP Digital Art Brush Stylus   (Zeester Media LLC may receive a small commission for a purchase you make via the Amazon SHOP link. This in no way affects the price you pay for the purchase.)

 

Coloring books offer fun and creative expression for everybody at any age.Not ready to go digital?  Try coloring books!
We’ve got freebies for fun here→  Art Therapy

 

 

 

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The digital art feature photo is a still shot from the video “Try Something New:  Digital Artist Pat Scott”

My Tree Swing

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Grandfathers are for loving and fixing things.
                                                                                       — author unknown

The tree swing my DIY grandfather made for me became my happy place.
Swinging © Zeester Media LLC

I was only 3 years old, but I still remember the day my grandfather installed a tree swing for me on a branch of one of the big pecan trees in the front yard. And, I remember the events leading up to that day as well as the feeling of pure joy while swinging in a very special swing.

Guess I was having a little trouble adjusting to the new baby sister situation in our house because my mother had her hands full, and I was feeling somewhat ignored as do most children when first realizing they are no longer the center of their parents’ attention.  The final straw for me was when I asked my mother to swing me in the baby swing she had set up in the kitchen.  It looked like so much fun, and I wanted to try it out.  But, my mother said “no”, I couldn’t sit in the baby’s swing because I was “too big and would break it”.  Of course, she was right, but I was more than just a little upset, and wondered why this baby got all the fun and attention.  Life was becoming a drag.    

Then, my grandfather came to my rescue.

He appeared one day carrying a couple of tools, rope and a piece of wood, and said “come with me”.  Then, I watched as he set up a simple, but amazing tree swing.  A swing just for me.  No babies allowed.

Over the years, that tree swing became my happy place, and a reminder of my good fortune to be so loved by an understanding, DIY grandfather who knew exactly what I needed.

 

My Swing © Zeester Media LLC

Benefits of Swinging       

Swinging is a lot of fun, but there are also big benefits, both physical and emotional, for children as well as adults. 

Motor Skills.  Swinging requires using legs, arms, and core in a way that helps a child’s development of gross motor skills (locomotion, balance and coordination) and fine motor skills (hand, arm and finger coordination; grip strength; and arms and legs circling motions).

Feels Like Flying.  Finding a sense of balance and spatial orientation while the body moves about in different positions takes a bit of physical exploration, and swinging is a sensory experience like no other because flying through the air on a swing helps a child learn to respond to movement and gravity and develop balance, coordination and body awareness.

Inspires Imagination.  A swing is the perfect activity for imaginative play— maybe you’re a bird, on a magic carpet, or flying high in the sky like a superhero. 

Uplifts Spirits.  There’s just something about the easy rhythmic movement under a tree, breathing fresh air and feeling a gentle breeze that seem to trigger feelings of pleasure, relaxation and calm, and there’s also a rush of excitement when swinging faster and higher.  This magic works for people of all ages.  

It’s a Good Workout.  Keeping a swing in motion burns off a few calories (200/hr) and helps condition ligaments, tendons, muscles and joints.  The swinger controls speed and height of swinging, so you can do as much as you like at your own pace.  For more challenging adult workouts, try kneeling or standing on a swing.      

Grandfathers are for loving and fixing things
Opa & Me © Zeester Media LLC

In memory of Ben F. Kneupper “Opa” (1903-94), small business owner, barber, florist, volunteer fireman, gardener, baker of pies and cookies, fixer-upper handyman, cancer survivor, devoted family man, and much loved grandfather.  He inspired all who knew him with his ability to overcome adversity and find joy in the everyday. ❤️

 

 

 

Want to build a tree swing? 

Below are links to helpful ‘how-to’ information and DIY instruction, plus shop for tree swing assembly kits. 

Children’s Tree Swings – A Guide To Good Practice, written by Monkey-Do, produced by London Play (downloadable pdf) — Expert advice on the safe sitting, installation and use of children’s rope swings in trees.   

How to Make a Rope Swing, WikiHow

How To Make A Tree Swing, step-by-step DIY instruction on building and installing a backyard tree swing

SHOP Check out variety of tree swing assembly kits that can make construction easier here →    TREE SWING KITS and SUPPLIES  *Zeester Media LLC may receive a small commission for a purchase you make via this Amazon link.  This in no way affects the price you pay for the purchase.

 

A bike ride is more than fun and good exercise -- the real power of a bicycle is that it opens up the world for exploration.A bicycle is so much more than a toy — The Power of a Bike 

 

 

 

 

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Why Not Now?

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Vivian Stancil was 50 years old, blind, weighed more than 300 pounds, and was terrified of water when she decided she would try swimming lessons.

 

Learning to swim will change your life, and it's never to late to start swimming lessons.
Dad’s two star swimmers at Landa Park pool

I was lucky.  I grew up around water — lakes, rivers, streams and a large, spring-fed community pool.  The summer I learned to swim I had just turned 7 years old.  My dad (a former lifeguard) considered swimming an important life skill as well as a recreational activity.  So important, in fact, he took two weeks vacation time from work to give me and my sister an intense course of daily swim instruction after he determined we had not learned enough taking beginner classes.  

I did become a confident swimmer after dad’s training, later working as a life guard and swim instructor during summer breaks just as he had done and enjoying water skiing and scuba diving.  Even tried windsurfing, but struggled with directional control, resulting in too many wild one-way rides. Boating was a favorite family pastime (also the family business), and some of my best childhood memories are summer vacations at the beach with family and friends.  

But, more important than water sports and recreation, I learned from dad to love and respect the water.  It wasn’t until leaving my water-centric childhood home that I began to understand not everyone has the same opportunity to learn to swim and so many people have absolutely no experience in or around water.

Somber Stats 

A 2014 Red Cross survey found that 54% American adults either can’t swim or don’t have basic swimming skills, and only 56% of those claiming to know how to swim can perform all five basic water safety/competency skills:  1) the ability to step or jump into the water over your head;  2) return to the surface and float or tread water for one minute;  3) turn around in a full circle and find an exit;  4) swim 25 yards to the exit;  and 5) exit from the water without using a ladder.

The Red Cross survey also revealed that nearly half of Americans say they have had an experience in the water where they were afraid they might drown, and according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), an average of 10 people die every day in the US from unintentional drowning. Twenty percent (20%) of those deaths are children aged 14 or younger, making drowning the second-leading cause of unintentional injury death for children and sixth for people of all ages.

There are similarly grim statistics reported throughout the world.  In both Hong Kong and England (each surrounded by water) – one in five can’t swim.  According to government statistics, approximately 60,000 people drown in China every year.  The World Health Organization (WHO) has identified Africa (a region where children are taught to avoid the water, not how to swim) as having the highest rate of drowning deaths in the world (8 drownings for every 100,000 people), and Lake Victoria is considered one of the most dangerous spots with an estimated 5,000 drownings each year.

FACE YOUR FEAR – CHANGE YOUR LIFE

For non-swimming adults, fear and access were the main barriers to learning to swim as a child.  That fear then carries on through adulthood and develops more issues of embarrassment and disinterest, causing serious risk to personal safety and an inability to enjoy the water.  But, these things can be conquered with some inspiration, determination and swim lessons from a certified instructor.  

Why not now?  It’s a great question, and Vivian Stancil reminds us all that it’s never too late to learn to swim or take on any challenge.  

Information/Resources:

Recommended Reading → *Swimming Lessons: Life Lessons from the Pool, from Diving In to Treading Water” by Penelope Niven. [At age 44, Penelope needed a change, and decided to learn to swim.]   *Zeester Media LLC may receive a small commission for a book purchase you make via this link. This in no way affects the price you pay for the purchase.

Find local Red Cross ‘Learn-to-Swim’ providers
Adult learn-to-swim instructors – US Masters Swimming search tool
Vivian Stancil Olympian Foundation – Drown-Proof/Swim Clinic (April 28, 2018, Riverside, California)
2014 Red Cross Water Safety Survey Results – study conducted using a representative sample of American adults
Learn to Swim England   The Amateur Swimming Association found that 20% of men and 22% of women over the age of 14 in England can’t swim.
Why do so many Africans drown? by Julian Hattem (April 27, 2017) NPR Goats and Soda
8 Health Benefits of Swimming + 5 Tips to Help You Swim Better by Jesse Miller, Jen Reviews (July 9, 2017)
When Death Rocks Your World, Maybe You Jump Out of a Plane by Hanna Rosin, NPR Health (March 9, 2018) – A personal essay on facing “one single deep, visceral, nausea-inducing fear of heights” when her mother asked her to jump out of an airplane.

 

Synchronized Swimming is a demanding aquatic sport and art form, and you can watch the competitions live streaming On2In2™Synchronized swimming is like watching ballet in the water, but watch closely.  You’ll discover it looks much easier than it is, and competition is fierce.

 

 

 

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Word Play

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Many of us have felt that urge to write ‘something’ at some point in our lives.  Some follow through on the idea, while others never quite get started or start but never finish because creative writing is a challenging endeavor requiring passion and perseverance.

“Creative writing” is described as the process of creating a literary work of any type, including memoir, essay, short story, novel, poetry, and screenplay.  While some aspire to write a best seller, the joy for many writers is in the writing process, its practice and development, or they have something to say and hope to have an impact on the lives of others.

 

The poem “Where We Dwell” was written by Arian Foster, professional athlete and poet.                        Video from Todd Martin

 

If you’re feeling it, explore and learn more from these online resources: 

⇒  Modern Poetry – FREE to Download  This Yale College course, taught on campus twice per week for 50 minutes, was recorded for Open Yale Courses in Spring 2007.  It covers the body of modern poetry, its characteristic techniques, concerns, and major practitioners. The authors discussed range from Yeats, Eliot, and Pound, to Stevens, Moore, Bishop, and Frost with additional lectures on the poetry of WWI, and the Harlem Renaissance.

⇒  FREE online creative writing courses are offered by Open University:  Start Writing Fiction & Writing What You Know

⇒  Wesleyan University offers via online classes that focus on elements of three creative writing genres, short story, narrative essay, and memoir. [Access to some video lectures and assignments are free so that you can evaluate a course offering prior to purchase.  If the course fee is beyond your budget, financial aid may be available.]

⇒ Find More FREE Creative Writing Classes – a list of online creative writing courses offered free by top universities and educational websites (provided by learningpath.org)

⇒  9 Simple Activities to Inspire Your Writing, by Emma Johnson, Writer’s Edit (online literary magazine created for writers and book lovers)

 

Robert Fullerton found inspiration to write poetry in the shipyards of Govan, Scotland.You’ll find creative inspiration from Robert Fullerton’s story of life in the shipyards, how he learned to write, and his creative process, A Thousand Sparks 

 

 

 

Poetry reading for On2In2™ inspiration is liveTake a look at the On2In2™ article Contemporary Poetry. You’ll find both live and recorded readings featuring unique and inspiring literary voices of today.

 

 

 

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The Dull Men’s Club

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Dull Men Have Hobbies

In “Born to be Mild” from Aeon Video, members of the Dull Men’s Club share thoughts and experiences about finding enjoyment in everyday life and ordinary things and a passion for slow paced adventure, including roundabouting and escalator riding. Proving Dave Barry’s theory that  “hobbies of any kind are boring except to people who have the same hobby”, their stories are engaging and funny.  Plus, you could find inspiration for a unusual hobby to pursue.

 

BORN TO BE MILD –“There’s a lot to be said about being dull.”

In case you’re wondering—–yes, there really is a Dull Men’s Club (for the “dull and the proud”) and a book, “Dull Men of Great Britain“.  The club website is full of hobby ideas in various categories (e.g. “Safe Excitement”), and provides helpful informational resources for unusual leisure activities.

 

A collector's passion can get out of control at times, but it's also a hobby that many people enjoy.FREE To WATCH – A diverse group of engaging collectors
share their stories about lifelong passions for objects
in this collection of short videos:  Collector Confessions 

 

 

 

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Feature photo is a clip taken from the “Born to be Mild” video

Sol Invictus

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Since the launch of the Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) in 2010, humans have had an unprecedented close-up view of the Sun, and the images captured are breathtaking, revealing a red-glowing Sun ablaze with flares, filaments and eruptions. The short video, SUN, by Michael König, is an edited time lapse sequence of SDO images obtained between the years 2011 and 2015.  It will change forever how you see the Sun.

Editor’s Note:  Solar Orbiter, an European Space Agency (ESA)-led mission with strong NASA participation, is due to launch from Cape Canaveral, Florida on Sunday, February 9, 2020 at 23:03 EST. Over the course of Solar Orbiter’s mission, it’s expected to provide unprecedented views and insight into how the Sun works as well as investigate the Sun-Earth connection for a better understanding of stormy space weather.  For more information about the mission and launch (including live streaming) go to ESA – Solar Orbiter → Here   

There are billions of stars like our Sun scattered throughout the Milky Way galaxy, and many are bigger and brighter.  What makes the Sun uniquely superior (at least from the human perspective) is that it has made life on Earth possible, providing warmth and energy and holding the solar system together with its gravitational pull.

Just like all the other stars, the Sun is a big ball of gases.  It has a radius of 432,168.6 miles/695,508 kilometers (1.3 million Earths would fill the Sun’s volume), with a surface (photosphere) temperature of about 10,000°F (5,500°C) [carbon such as diamonds and graphite will boil at that temperature].  Above the photosphere is the chromosphere and the corona, where it is even hotter (3.5million°F/2million°C) and features such as flares and sun spots appear.

The Sun will one day run out of energy and die as all stars eventually do, first swelling to a size large enough to engulf Mercury, Venus and perhaps Earth as well before collapsing and shrinking down to its burned-out core (becoming a ‘white dwarf’).  Scientists have predicted the Sun has approximately 6.5 billion years remaining in its lifecycle.  So, there’s still some time to enjoy life under the Sol Invictus before packing your bags and taking off to a new home planet.

“So we here on Earth, we actually live in the atmosphere of the Sun.” —- Dr. Nicky Fox 

In the November 15, 2017 NASA Gravity Assist podcast, Jim Green, Director of Planetary Science at NASA, is joined by Dr. Nicky Fox from the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Lab, for a conversation about the Sun — how hot is it, what are solar flares, and how does space weather affect us here on Earth?– and NASA’s  Parker Solar Probe—a mission to “touch the Sun”.  Just click/tap the play button ▶️ to listen to the audio recording.

 

 

TOTAL SOLAR ECLIPSE
August 21, 2017

A solar eclipse occurs when the Moon passes between Earth and the Sun, causing the Sun to be totally or partially obscured for a viewer on Earth.  A total solar eclipse occurs when the Moon blocks all direct sunlight, turning day into darkness within a narrow path across the Earth’s surface (a partial solar eclipse appears in wider area alongside the path of the total eclipse).

Everyone in North America can experience the total solar eclipse on August 21, 2017
2017 Total Solar Eclipse Path, NASA

It was the first total solar eclipse to move across the entire US since 1918, and eclipse watchers were able to take in the ‘total’ experience on August 21, 2017 as it entered the US from Oregon (crossing between Lincoln City and Newport), and exited in South Carolina between Georgetown and Charleston.  For information and 2017 total solar eclipse resources, go to ⇒ NASA Total Solar Eclipse 2017

⇒ Watch The US National Park Service in collaboration with NASA, the National Institute of Aerospace, and Southwest Community College, hosted a special event and live broadcast of the 2017 eclipse as it passed over Clingmans Dome in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.  If you missed the live stream broadcast or just want to see it all again, click/tap the “Watch Again” button or select from the posts on the video players below ↓

 

⇒ Another viewing option is provided by The North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences.

Information/Resources:

Sol Invictus (“Invincible” or “Unconquered” Sun)  From 274 AD, Sol Invictus was the primary deity of the later Roman Empire and favored by Roman emperors, Aurelian (270-275 AD) until Constantine the Great (306-337 AD),  Wikipedia:  Sol Invictus

Sun: In Depth, Solar System Exploration, NASA website

Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) Launched on February 11, 2010 on a mission for NASA’s “Living with a Star” Program, the SDO is a spacecraft containing measuring and imaging equipment that orbits the Earth at an altitude of 22,238 miles (35,789 kilometers), allowing almost continuous observation and study of the Sun.

NASA’s Parker Solar Probe successfully launched on August 12, 2018 from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida.  It will travel directly into the Sun’s atmosphere with a never-before mission to “touch the Sun”.

Since its launch 20 years ago and 2004 Saturn orbit insertion, the Cassini-Huygens spacecraft has provided images that have led to significant discoveries.Discoveries of Cassini’s exploration of Saturn are a sight to see!

 

 

 

 

Apollo 17 photo taken December 13, 1972 on the lunar surfaceMore cosmic wonders & mysteries can be explored here → →  Galaxies   The Universe   Moon   Stars    Cosmos Channel

 

 

 

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Feature image of solar prominence is courtesy of NASA/SDO/AIA/Goddard Space Flight Center, Public Domain

Love Stories

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“The course of true love never did run smooth”
                           —Shakespeare, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Act 1,Scene 2

Love is a complicated subject ♥ full of comedy and drama, and that’s what makes it such a provocative story line in these On2In2™ selected videos — FREE to WATCH, On-Demand.        

[Editor’s Note: As with all media content within the On2In2™ website, this video channel is intended for adult audiences, not children. The content of some videos includes expletives and erotic scenes.]

 

 

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It's easy and fun to join On2In2 social networkWe’d love to hear from you!  If you’d like to comment on this post, join the conversation, or share your inspiration, and you have not yet registered as an On2In2™ playmaker, please sign up via the ‘Engage page’.  Don’t worry, it’s pretty quick and easy.

 

 

 

Candy box feature photo is courtesy of Gratisography, CC0

The Power of a Bike

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The people, experiences and emotions involved in a bicycle’s search for new purpose are eloquently told in “The Bicycle“, a short film by Chris McCoy & Adam Neustadter.


 

Bikes from Santa, and a little sister’s smile (Zeester family photo)

I was 8 years old, my sister was 5, when Santa Claus surprised us with two shiny and new bikes under the Christmas tree.  Our first ride!  It was exciting for the entire family.  Mother and Dad took us both out early the next day and taught us how to ride.  I remember being a little nervous about getting on a big bike, but it didn’t take me long to get the hang of it, and then I wanted to go fast and ride forever.  What a thrill to ride all day long —cruising the hood in search of solo adventures, going to the library to hang out, testing my racing skills against any challenger (bikers, dogs & cars), visiting neighbors, and finding new friends.  Many years later, my mother revealed the bikes were not exactly “new”.  Dad had found rusty old, beat up bicycles, and spent weekends repairing and restoring them in my grandparent’s home cellar.  That, of course, made a special gift and cherished ‘first bike’ memories even more dear. 

 

“As a kid I had a dream – I wanted to own my own bicycle. When I got the bike, I must have been the happiest boy in Liverpool, maybe the world. I lived for that bike.”                                                                                                                         —- John Lennon

 

[su_dropcap]A[/su_dropcap] kid with a bicycle is empowered with the ability to travel and explore, building confidence and independence, and learning valuable lessons and lifelong skills with each ride.  However, many children are not able to enjoy the benefits of bike riding  as there are obstacles, financial as well as safety issues that have resulted in a shocking decline in the number of children who ride bikes or walk to school in the US (48% in 1969 to 13% in 2009).  Addressing these problems are community and global organizations dedicated to making bicycles accessible to every child and creating bike-friendly cities and neighborhoods, offering ‘build & earn a bike’ programs, bicycle give-aways, mechanic, repair and safety classes, group touring and activities as well as citizen advocacy projects for walk & bike safe streets.  You can participate in efforts to get kids on bikes by donating time, money and/or used bikes.  Sometimes it’s the smallest thing that can make a big difference in the world.

Here’s a short list of community & global bikes for kids programs and information on bike safety:  

Austin Yellow Bike Project in Austin, TX

The Oasis Bike Workshop in Nashville, TN

Free Bikes for Kids (Minnesota, Utah, Georgia)

World Bicycle Relief

Safe Kids Worldwide (bike safety tips)

Kids Health – Bike Safety

More Information/Resources:
League of American Bicyclists – A non-profit organization that works to create safer roads, stronger communities, and a bicycle-friendly America through information, advocacy and promotion. Established National Bike Month in 1956 to showcase the benefits of biking and “encourage more folks to give biking a try”. [May is National Bike Month, May 14-18 is National Bike To Work Week, and May 18 is Bike To Work Day]

Smart Cycling – safety guide, tips and videos, League of American Bicyclists

 

 

I was 3 years old and life was becoming a drag, then my grandfather came to my rescue and built me a Tree Swing. 

 

 

 

 

It's easy and fun to join On2In2 social network⇒ Join the conversation.  Donna and Marie (@gabby) shared their ‘first bike’ memories with us on Zeester Media’s FB page. Please share your story with On2In2™ and any information that can help get more kids on bikes.  To post a comment on this article or any other website page or post, you’ve got to first be logged-in (look for “Log In/Log Out” at top-right of this page).  Not registered?  We’d love to hear from you.  It’s pretty quick & easy and free to register, just click/tap ⇒ here.

 

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Feature photo of “My first bike, first ride” is courtesy of Zeester Media LLC, CC BY-NC-ND

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