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#44 – One Man’s Trash…

RJ Walters

I know I am using plenty of clichés here, but I think you get the idea. Go to the big city, and they spend big bucks to keep the above flower out of their lawns. Being basically a country boy, I love the diversity of a country lawn. It is not just one boring plot of the same old grass. I remember when we first moved into our country homestead in 2000, there was a yard pump in the side lawn with wild violets around it. When I left in 2021, almost the entire 3 acres were covered in violets … Continue reading #44 – One Man’s Trash…

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The Effects Of SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder)

RJ Walters

Spring has sprung. It is in the 80s today and the flowers are blooming. Maybe the time of dread and pessimism is finally over for another season. I need to get some big doses of Spring to flush the rest of it out of my brain. Being that RJsMosaic is about the feelings of Spring, I need to swallow it up in huge doses in the coming weeks. I have had more than my share of pessimism this last winter. I think that has something to do to my bouts with SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder). According to the NIH (National … Continue reading The Effects Of SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder)

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#78. Lego Beauty

RJ Walters

I have found out that Lego is not just a bunch of blocks, but instead it is a creation yet to be discovered. It took about 4 hours to build this 771 piece LEGO Icon Succulents. It was a very peaceful 4 hours. Yes, I know this is a “kit” that has probably been sold to thousands of different people. But this is just what I needed almost a year ago to finally push me in a different direction. It was the beginning of the process, and I’m certainly glad it happened. Continue reading #78. Lego Beauty

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#20 Shaker Seeds

RJ Walters

During my travels, I have visited many historic sites. I think Shaker sites are my overall favorite, especially the one closest to me near Lexington, KY, called Pleasant Hill Shaker Village. There are no longer any active villages, but many have been preserved as national historic sites. My initial introduction to Shakers was their furniture, but garden seeds were probably what they were actually more famous for. Continue reading #20 Shaker Seeds

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#74 – Chaos (Double Memory)…

RJ Walters

This mosaic was taken on the shores of the Great Lakes. Indiana only has a minute segment of shoreline, but what it has is beautiful indeed. It is at the very southern end of a 317-mile Lake Michigan. Most of the weather in this part of the country comes from Canada, so I suppose that is the reason that many of the rocks and pebbles accumulate at the southern end. To me, this mosaic kinda looks like organized chaos. I especially love the blue rocks scattered among the others. Continue reading #74 – Chaos (Double Memory)…

*, Having My Say, Will Rogers2 Comments

HMS – The Thing About Stupidity…

RJ Walters

If Stupidity got us into this mess, why can’t it get us out Will Rogers 1932 For this morning’s edition of “RJ-on-the-weekend” I want to talk about Will Rogers. I have been reading him since I was a kid, and that is many years ago. For all you people that don’t know anything about what happened before 1980, I intend to give you a generous snort of Will and his words here, but first I need to tell you a little about him. Will was born way back in 1879 in Indian territory now known as Oklahoma. His roots were … Continue reading HMS – The Thing About Stupidity…

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#73 – Old Fashioned Containers Tell A Story

RJ Walters

One of my favorite things to look for when I visited local or regional museums were containers. Back in the day before TV commercials, magazines, and such, the primary way to get attention to their products was by creative packaging. This picture was taken in the Dayton Aviation Heritage National Historical Park. I will give you more details about the park in a future mosaic. For this mosaic, I just what to focus on the containers I found there. Each one tells a story of it’s own. Continue reading #73 – Old Fashioned Containers Tell A Story

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#70 – Red and Green & White All Over

RJ Walters

One of the advantages of living in a college town is the number of artsy sources in the community. Last month I visited the IU Biology Dept green house for the first time. I was warned ahead of time that it is a “working” green house, so expect hoses and wet concrete. Most of the flowers were one steel-grated tables, not elaborate presentation as most conservatories are. But, that was perfectly fine with me. Continue reading #70 – Red and Green & White All Over

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#28 – Surreal Landscape

RJ Walters

The last time I was at the Grand Canyon was when this picture was taken in 2005. I have been there on two other occasions. What was special this time was that we stayed in the lodge on the south end of the canyon. We could lie in our bed at the national park lodge as see the canyon about 50 feet away. It was like the other two times I had visited there in that it just didn’t seem real. The grandeur of it was just beyond imagination. One of the “woulda, coulda, shoulda” things I regret not doing … Continue reading #28 – Surreal Landscape

Life Stories5 Comments

#71 – Guadalajara Grill – Tap & Pop

RJ Walters

During my time in the business world, I made several trips to Guadalajara, Mexico, otherwise known as GDL. I’m sure I will have several other mosaics about those times, but for this one it is about the Guadalajara Grill and how I got “popped” there. If you want to go to THE “party” place in GDL, this is it. I can’t remember how many times I have been there. Every time we had a “new” person join us on the trip, we always took them to the GDL Grill. One of the traditions is to get the “Special” appetizer platter … Continue reading #71 – Guadalajara Grill – Tap & Pop

Life Stories4 Comments

#68 – Name Changes…

RJ Walters

I know the title of this post title is kinda cryptic. It is a story about how I have changed my name over the years, to match where I am in my life. It’s strange to me that something we have to carry with us throughout our lives, we have no control over. I am ⅛ Native American, and I kinda like the idea that they don’t name their children until some particular characteristic exhibits itself. I asked my mother why she named me “Rodney Joe”, and she being a pretty extreme narcissist, admitted that she didn’t give it much … Continue reading #68 – Name Changes…

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#27 – Heinz Museum – Pittsburgh

RJ Walters

When I planned on visiting the Heinz Museum in Pittsburgh, I imagined it would be all about ketchup and other condiments. Yeah, that was included, but a big majority of the contents were about documenting history. During my visit I discovered that the museum is an affiliate of the Smithsonian Institute. If you want to see a video of the museum, click HERE The museum in itself made the two days in Pittsburgh well worth the visit. But there are other sites you must see if you visit that city. The Primanti Brothers Bar & Pub, which is only a … Continue reading #27 – Heinz Museum – Pittsburgh

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#8 – High Plains Barn & Silo

RJ Walters

I mentioned a few posts ago that I am hankering to do another purely analog mosaic, but before I do that I need to close out my early attempts in that mode. I have been across the high plains States numerous times, but like Indiana, many traveling through the High Plains just breeze through it without stopping. The most prominent thing about this area of the country is that it is WINDY. Maybe I should stop here and give you my definition of “High Plains”, that is Nebraska, southeastern Wyoming, and South Dakota, and central Kansas. In hindsight, it was … Continue reading #8 – High Plains Barn & Silo

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#68 – A Rose Is A Rose… Into The Depth

RJ Walters

I love looking into the depth of a flower. How can anything so beautiful come from something so simple? Because I reside in a RetCom (retirement community) I see beautiful flowers every day. Since there are over 200 residents here, someone has a birthday or other even to celebrate almost every day. I thought I would show you where this single flower came from. Below is the source photo. Can you pick out the flower I choose? Continue reading #68 – A Rose Is A Rose… Into The Depth

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#32 – Veggie Flowers Are…

RJ Walters

Just because I am trying to nurture my artsy side here at RJsMosaics doesn’t mean that my logical engineering side is stifled. I decided to use the 2017 photo of my veggie garden to highlight the yellow flower that is prominent at the top of the picture to show you the beauty of veggie flowers. Yes, they are for the most part very short-lived and die off quickly when the veggie, in this case zucchini, starts maturing, but that doesn’t decrease their beauty. I think that veggie flowers are just as beautiful as the flowers that were in my wife’s … Continue reading #32 – Veggie Flowers Are…