Passion

Passion ( Happy Valentine's Day)


I've talked before about passion, passion for your work or life.

Today I'm thinking about passion and love.

I mean it is going to be Valentine's day and, of course, 50 Shades of Grey is coming out in theaters.  I believe there's some passion in that movie.

Do you marry your passion? Or is passion so intense that it can only be in small doses?

Does passion for something or someone make your life easier? Or harder?

I found this quote and while it intrigues me I also think "Ah! This relationship would be work."
But worth it? Probably.

I want a trouble maker for a lover,

blood spiller, blood drinker, a heart of flame,

who quarrels with the sky

and fights with fate,

who burns like fire on the rushing sea.

-Rumi

Or maybe we should look at Trollope's view of passionate love.

Passionate love, I take it, rarely lasts long and is very troublesome while it does last. 

Mutual esteem is very much more valuable.

-Anthony Trollope

Hmmm. He may be right but it sure sounds boring.

How about

Unless it's mad, passionate, extraordinary love, it's a waste of your time. 

There are too many mediocre things in life.

Love shouldn't be one of them.

-Dreams for an Insomniac

I like that one.

I don't have any answers. Not sure what's right. But I like to think about it.

the sun loved the moon so much 

he died every night 

to let her breathe

Throw Back Thursday

Throw Back Thursday: The best of the last two years.

November brings the SECOND anniversary of Project Sixty x Sixty.

Wow!

Out of the sixty challenges I set forth for myself two years ago, I have completed 42 of them. Two of them are halfway done.  Sixteen remain to be finished. I've done a couple of "honorary" ones- things I didn't know needed to be done, but once I did them, I realized what experiences they were.  I have thirteen months to go.
Better get on  it.

To celebrate, I am going to repost some of the most popular posts from the last two years on the November Thursdays.

If you like what you read, please "like" or "share". If you love what you read, please find me a publisher. (No. 11: Get something published.)


From: 14 October 2013

Honorary No. 61: Visit Bishop's Castle

No. 61: Not on my list but it should have been:
Visit Bishop's Castle

Let's talk about passion.

Not the "Fifty Shades of Grey"kind of passion but passion for what you do in your life.
(Although, hey!  I'm game if you are to discuss Fifty Shades, also.)

Few of us are lucky enough to find our true passion. Even fewer manage to make it their life's work.

Part of this Sixty by Sixty Project is to inject some passion back into my life. I feel I've become complacent and I don't want to spend the rest of my life just "going along".

While friend Cherrilla was here we went to Bishop's Castle in Rye, Colorado.

Wow!   Talk about someone finding their passion. Jim Bishop has certainly done that.


This is his castle.

Jim's story starts in 1959 at the age of 15 when he purchased 2 1/2 acres of property surrounded by the San Isabel National Forest.  He cleared the land on the weekends and built a family cabin. He married in 1967 and decided in 1969 to build a stone house on the land. He chose stone because "rocks were plentiful, everywhere and free"*.

Once he started building his stone house, people told him it looked like he was building a castle. Sometimes it can just be an off hand comment, a picture, or a thought that will spark a person's passion.

That's what happened with Jim Bishop.   

Cherrilla and Jim Bishop discussing how he got started.

He is there most weekends still working on his castle.

He heard "castle" enough that he started looking at pictures of castles.

And he kept building. And adding stones.

As he added stones, he added iron work.  

Jim Bishop is a high school drop out with no formal education. No education at all in design, architecture or engineering. 

He supported himself by working in his family's ornamental iron work shop.

This castle has been 100% built by him, with no outside help. 

Every stone. 

Every bit of iron work. 

It is a passion, a feat of engineering and an inspiration. 

The iron work is amazing. 

The turrets are connected by iron walkways and circular stairs take you up the inside and outside of these towers. 

The castle is 160 feet at it's highest point and people are free to climb the stairs up that high if they dare.

(Perspective: 160 feet is about 16 stories high.)

 Me. Holding on for dear life.

People are also able to walk out on the many ledges and walkways that DO NOT HAVE ANY RAILINGS.   That would explain this picture of me with the death grip on the iron work. I am probably 100+ feet in the air and if I had stepped back- well, bye bye.

The castle is a construction site. It is not finished and according to Mr. Bishop, it never will be.

Safety is in your own hands.  A few ropes help keep you from plunging to your death.

 Stairs to no where.

A window to the main room.

Never the less, the element of danger just makes things more interesting. And the beauty of the work overwhelmed most of our desire to stay out of the hospital.

The main room had an amazing vaulted ceiling.

There is a dragon that breathes fire on most summer weekends. When there is a fire in the fireplace, smoke comes out of his nostrils.

Note that I took this picture from ABOVE the dragon. 

Very, very high in the air. 

Unsecured. 

Stained glass windows decorate the lower floors.

Again, let me repeat.
One hundred percent constructed by Mr. Bishop by hand with no education and no out side help.
He rigged pulleys and "come-alongs" to hoist things into place.

We had a fabulous time exploring Mr. Bishop's passion. Although I will say we were more than a tiny  bit nervous standing on steel grating 100 feet in the air. As you can see in this picture, Cherrilla and I were hugging the wall and my right hand was probably clasped tightly around a rock behind Cherrilla's back.  And for the record, I've never been afraid of heights.

But not to worry.

Mr. Bishop has all liability issues covered.
Signs are everywhere and we signed the guest book which apparently meant we waived all of our rights in case we dropped to our deaths.
The guest book was an old school note book.
I had to search to find an empty page to write on.

As we left Mr. Bishop, age 69, was back at work, moving rocks.

Although I suspect for Jim Bishop this has never been "work".
This castle has been his passion.

And we could all use a little passion in our lives.

__________________________________________________________________________________________

Thanks for reading. Please share, pass on the link, like the Facebook page, send me some love. 

No. 2: Go to the Orange Show

No. 2: Go to the Orange Show


First: The Back Story

The Orange Show Monument in Houston is the creation of one man, Jeff McKissack.  His goal was to honor the orange, healthy eating and hard work. He did this by building a  "maze of walkways, balconies, arenas and exhibits decorated with mosaics and brightly painted iron figures. "  *  

Orange Show Entrance

It wasn't painted orange because someone told 

Mr. McKissack "orange wasn't a very good color."

McKissack was born in 1902 and had many jobs including trucking oranges, welding in a naval shipyard and delivering the mail in Houston.  He never married but did propose once to a woman. She turned him down and after that he decided he could not afford a wife and never tried again. (Poor baby.) 

A conglomeration of wheels, metal birds, and mosaic tiles (with sayings meant to encourage healthy living and the love of oranges) makes up the show.  Started in 1956, Mr. McKissack worked alone on his project until he died.  He opened his exhibit to the public in 1979 with the anticipation that 90% of the U.S. would want to come. When the crowds failed to appear, he quickly went downhill and died 7 months later. (Again, poor baby.)

 The wheels were a big theme.

Mosaic sayings, tile work, lots of welding.

The Orange Show Center for Visionary Art is the foundation in Houston that runs The Orange Show and also keeps the Beer Can House open. The Big Guy and I went to that before his 21st birthday.  One man covered his entire house and yard with beer tabs and lids.  Because, why not?
They also organize the Art Car Parade, which was No. 3 on my list to visit. Cars turned into visions of art.

Our Experience:

So anyway, last Thursday morning the Big Guy and I went exploring the mazes of the Orange Show. I was totally inspired by all the mosaic sayings tiled into the walls. I was also a little bewildered by the fact that the whole place was supposed to be honoring the orange. It didn't seem to have too many orange references....but maybe that was just me.

 The Big Guy admiring Mr. McKissack's handiwork.

 Loved these mosaic hearts.

Isn't this bit of mosaic tile work sweet? 

Afterwards we wandered down to Smither Park that is under construction at the end of the street. It is also part of the Orange Show foundation. Being built in honor of John Smither, a supporter of folk art and the Orange Show, the park has a wonderful back wall of mosaic tiles anchoring swings, a pavilion and a giant fish grotto. It's going to be magnificent once it is done.

 I found my throne! 

Can't wait until it's finished. 

 A mosaic bunny with sharp pointy hair. 

Not a park for small children!

Isn't he wonderful? 

A mosaic clam.

The Take-away:

I am always intrigued by people whose passion inspires them to create.

Jeff McKissack found a way to channel his passion and energy into an homage to the orange and healthy living..
John Milkovisch, the creator of the Beer Can House, found a way to insulate his house, recycle his beer cans and - bonus!- create a fabulous work of folk art when he started nailing beer can tops rather than tossing them.
Jim Bishop of Bishop Castle in Colorado (I visited here) took his abundance of rocks and knowledge of welding and built himself a true castle.
Passion. We could all use more of it.

(Also, welding seems to be a very useful talent if you want to create a giant work of art!)

No. 2 marked off the list.

Honorary No. 61: Visit Bishop's Castle

No. 61: Not on my list but it should have been:
Visit Bishop's Castle

Let's talk about passion.

Not the "Fifty Shades of Grey"kind of passion but passion for what you do in your life.
(Although, hey!  I'm game if you are to discuss Fifty Shades, also.)

Few of us are lucky enough to find our true passion. Even fewer manage to make it their life's work.

Part of this Sixty by Sixty Project is to inject some passion back into my life. I feel I've become complacent and I don't want to spend the rest of my life just "going along".

While friend Cherrilla was here we went to Bishop's Castle in Rye, Colorado.

Wow!   Talk about someone finding their passion. Jim Bishop has certainly done that.


This is his castle.

Jim's story starts in 1959 at the age of 15 when he purchased 2 1/2 acres of property surrounded by the San Isabel National Forest.  He cleared the land on the weekends and built a family cabin. He married in 1967 and decided in 1969 to build a stone house on the land. He chose stone because "rocks were plentiful, everywhere and free"*.

Once he started building his stone house, people told him it looked like he was building a castle. Sometimes it can just be an off hand comment, a picture, or a thought that will spark a person's passion.

That's what happened with Jim Bishop.   

Cherrilla and Jim Bishop discussing how he got started.

He is there most weekends still working on his castle.

He heard "castle" enough that he started looking at pictures of castles.

And he kept building. And adding stones.

As he added stones, he added iron work.  

Jim Bishop is a high school drop out with no formal education. No education at all in design, architecture or engineering. 

He supported himself by working in his family's ornamental iron work shop.

This castle has been 100% built by him, with no outside help. 

Every stone. 

Every bit of iron work. 

It is a passion, a feat of engineering and an inspiration. 

The iron work is amazing. 

The turrets are connected by iron walkways and circular stairs take you up the inside and outside of these towers. 

The castle is 160 feet at it's highest point and people are free to climb the stairs up that high if they dare.

(Perspective: 160 feet is about 16 stories high.)

 Me. Holding on for dear life.

People are also able to walk out on the many ledges and walkways that DO NOT HAVE ANY RAILINGS.   That would explain this picture of me with the death grip on the iron work. I am probably 100+ feet in the air and if I had stepped back- well, bye bye.

The castle is a construction site. It is not finished and according to Mr. Bishop, it never will be.

Safety is in your own hands.  A few ropes help keep you from plunging to your death.

 Stairs to no where.

A window to the main room.

Never the less, the element of danger just makes things more interesting. And the beauty of the work overwhelmed most of our desire to stay out of the hospital.

The main room had an amazing vaulted ceiling.

There is a dragon that breathes fire on most summer weekends. When there is a fire in the fireplace, smoke comes out of his nostrils.

Note that I took this picture from ABOVE the dragon. 

Very, very high in the air. 

Unsecured. 

Stained glass windows decorate the lower floors.

Again, let me repeat.
One hundred percent constructed by Mr. Bishop by hand with no education and no out side help.
He rigged pulleys and "come-alongs" to hoist things into place.

We had a fabulous time exploring Mr. Bishop's passion. Although I will say we were more than a tiny  bit nervous standing on steel grating 100 feet in the air. As you can see in this picture, Cherrilla and I were hugging the wall and my right hand was probably clasped tightly around a rock behind Cherrilla's back.  And for the record, I've never been afraid of heights.

But not to worry.

Mr. Bishop has all liability issues covered.
Signs are everywhere and we signed the guest book which apparently meant we waived all of our rights in case we dropped to our deaths.
The guest book was an old school note book.
I had to search to find an empty page to write on.

As we left. Mr. Bishop, age 69, was back at work, moving rocks.

Although I suspect for Jim Bishop this has never been "work".
This castle has been his passion.

And we could all use a little passion in our lives.