Stephane Halleux, a French sculptor

Yes that sure is a lot of wood Billy

Ella story/brag for the week

When Ella was about 1 and 1/2 years old and just competent at walking she picked up a spear/sword like stick while I was making my patio at our old house. Once holding this stick she got a very serious look on her face and proceeded to execute about 12 different Conan/ninja like motions as if she had been trained and been doing if for years. She would set her feet firmly just wider than shoulder width centering the sword like object before each move was executed. At the time it happened I wanted to go and get someone else to see it or to film it but didn't want to interrupt the oddity. I tried to get her to repeat it later for Susan but it wasn't the same.
Now a couple of days ago Ella and I began sword fighting with a copper pipe and a wooden arrow in my shop. I start out as slow as anyone would with a 4 year old but quickly realized I could fight like I would with my brother Heath. I repeatedly tried to hit her arrow back and forth before lunging at her belly for the mortal blow with my pipe. Each and every time she instinctively would slash her arrow down toward the floor to knock my lunged pipe away effectively rendering my kill thrust ineffective. This battle went on for some time until I pushed the sword fight to a level where I hit her arrow sword hard enough to snap it in half. At this point I had her stunned enough for me to inflict my pretend lethal blow to her midsection with my copper pipe.

Explorer Wade Davis Quote

"The world in which you were born is just one model of reality.
Other Cultures are not failed attempts at being you.
They are unique manifestations of the human spirit."

Of course some cultures have members that are failed attempts at being themselves.

Want to feel happy?/Cowardly lion reincarnated

This little babies laugh is wonderful. Click the title for a video.

Little Girl Giant

Click on the title to see a great video of a really big girl. Note the Elephant giving her a bath.

This video scares me

Click the title or copy and paste this address into your browser for the video. Thanks to Boingboing.net for the link.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kt692UuRMyg

Nigerian tough guys

In Nigeria people don't have pit bull dogs. They have baboons and hyenas. Sad and bad ass all in one.

Ella quote and photo dump of the week

So I am reading a Care Bears book about Sharing to Ella at Bed time tonight when Loving? bear comes up in the story. Ella turns, looks up at me with a melting look and says, "Oh Daddy I love..............Mommy, Carmie and Tia......." I say, "and." And she says proudly, "I can do my Dora soap all by my self." It is tough being a very distant 4th or possibly even 5th or 6th to my wife, the two cats and who knows whom else. For your viewing pleasure here are some picks Ella took with my cell phone back in May. If you have ever taken a pic with a crappy 1.3 mp cell phone camera that you need to hold perfectly still for a few seconds while the pic is taken you will likely appreciate Ella's photos more. If not I hope you just enjoy the angle on life a three year old has. Chairs seem alive, cats and stuffed animals are important and you are wise to keep an eye on the ever dangerous and unpredictable vacuum cleaner.