Favorite quote:  For after all what is man in nature? A nothing in relation to infinity, all in relation to nothing, a central point between nothing and all, and infinitely far from understanding either.
-- Will Durant

Favorite songs:  Imagine, All I Know, I Told You So, Tangled Up in Blue,  What'll I Do

Favorite films:  Annie Hall , Reds, Bull Durham, Hannah and Her Sisters, Vicki Christina Barcelona

Favorite books:  Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry, Roughing It by Mark Twain, The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd, The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen, Firefly Lane by Kristin Hannah

Favorite view:  Ohio River valley taken from Cemetary Hill, Sistersville, WV

  Notes on our environmental challenge: Along with its positive growth for the community, the impact of a new subdivision can have a negative impact on nature.  This juxtaposition is depicted to the left and below.  Artist Robert Urban has created "The Absence of Backyard Music" and "Not Like the Roses" as a result of having read an article about the disappearance of songbirds from developing neighborhoods. Click on the following link to learn more about this artist and see more of his work.  theurbanartstudio.com

  Photo of the John Lennon memorial at Strawberry Fields in New York. Courtesy of artist Tam Hicks. Island Girl Studios

  Magnolia Blossom, aka "Maggie the Cat"