Author Archives: johndiestler

I can’t leave it alone. Gotta try reworking. And I’m really only using two different brush styles. Okay, the last one is my grandson’s.

I wanted to revisit Egon with my Apple Pencil.

I wanted to focus on the Mucha women, mostly their expressions, so I removed the background.s. Then I could see the faces, and naturally I took some liberties to make some changes. Changing color and line weight was a good … Continue reading →

Steve Jobs had very strong opinions. Way back when the Newton was a thing, he liked it but couldn’t stand that it had a stylist. “It could get lost!” Well, yes, Steve. It could get lost, and it did get … Continue reading →

I finally upgraded an old iPad that cracked a screen. On the way to better vision, its getting hard to see detail. the doctor says its all good but I struggle. So i busted for a 12.5 iPad Pro, and … Continue reading →

“The Big Island Today I stepped on new earth. Earth that rose from magma, Mother giving birth to child, As unlovely to look at as can be imagined. Yet time will pass and the child Will change, gaining the Rainaments … Continue reading →

I’m back in the land of new earth. Dirt that is younger than I am. Yes, I know, composting trees, brush and vegetables creates new earth. But this place belches new earth from the core of the world. The Big … Continue reading →

Diogenes was noted for holding a lamp during the day, saying he was looking for an honest man. He often disrupted the teachings of Socrates and Plato, by bringing food and drink to their lectures. He even criticized Alexander the … Continue reading →

Jerusalem We have been back for two or three days. Somehow with the international date line, we may have missed a day. The last few days were a blur but I will try to summarize. It was a great trip, … Continue reading →

Jerusalem I’ve been here several days, and I will stay several more. It is a city of contrasts. In many was it is like most modern cosmopolitan centers. It has traffic, noise, the bustle of people. It also has history, … Continue reading →

Jerusalem The city is filled with wonder, places of history, places suspected of history. When the British general Charles Gordon was here, he brought a piece of land that he felt was important. People had said that this was Golgotha, … Continue reading →

Okay, I have three things to ponder; living water, being hopelessly trapped and living the good life. I am currently in the Judean Wilderness, it’s not sand dunes, it’s ankle twisting, barren brown desert rock. It’s an intimidating place, made … Continue reading →

This is a place of conflict. Conflict in the past, and likely conflict in the future. We were brought to an outpost that looks over the natural path for an invasion of Israel from Syria. It was used in 1948, … Continue reading →

The church in the air. I am in Capernaum, the famous village on the shore of the Galilee Sea. It is the town of Peter and his fishing home port. There is a ruin of a Beit Knisset, or synagogue, … Continue reading →

On the shore for several days. Ruins, boats and a kibbutz. Largest body of fresh water below sea level. It’s the truth, but I’m not certain of the meaning. Clearly in scripture this was an important area. Even in a … Continue reading →

Many people believe that something unique happened here. They believe that Joseph, the carpenter had his shop here, and raised his family. They believe that his wife Mary was visited by an angel and something wonderful was told to her. … Continue reading →

My readings of crusader history always mentioned Acre. I did not know that it was known before, and later, as Acco. We are in Acco, on the shore of northern Israel. The area is beautiful, the sea is warm, enticing, … Continue reading →

We are on the famous Via Maris, the Way of the Sea. For thousands of years, people, traders, and armies, moved from Egypt to Lebanon, and Phoenicia to Damascus, keeping the Mediterranean on the left, or the right, depending on … Continue reading →

Landed in Tel Aviv on Saturday early evening, I bet it took two hours to get off the plane, through passport, and through baggage. And then it was another hour to get to the hotel up north. We are on … Continue reading →

In less than a week, actually in four days, we will climb into a tube, breathe recycled air, rise in the atmosphere. and the Earth will spin beneath us. It will spin showing us the Sierras, it will grow dark … Continue reading →

Something has gone wrong. It’s okay, nothing works forever, it isn’t a perfect world. And we have gifts, talents, abilities… We can fix things! All we have to do is to have the right perspective. We need to approach the … Continue reading →

It was a good day, all my children remembered, and wished me well. Mostly they remembered good things, some even great things. Some things were suspicious. For a lot of years I had a later start in my day, so … Continue reading →

At the moment of the physical death of the body, the ancient Greeks thought that the essence of the person was separated from the flesh. The eidolon. First, we know that death is complicated. Sure, the heart stopping is clearly … Continue reading →

I dunno, I think I was a sophomore in high school, so that would be 1964, or there about. I had spent the summer going without the monthly haircut. It wasn’t long by today’s standards but wow, it was long … Continue reading →

The power is off… again! The utility company warned us that it would cut power in case of fire danger. There is no fire, or fire danger. Power is just gone in a patchwork pattern through the countryside. We have … Continue reading →

Okay, so this is basic driving 101. If you hit a pedestrian you immediately fail the driving test. Seems fair. If you fail to yield you also immediately fail the test, even if you didn’t hit anyone. Ha, and if … Continue reading →

I have a headlamp. I haven’t always had a headlamp, but I was told I should get a headlamp. Because it is dark in Hezekiah’s Tunnel. I am going to walk through Hezekiah’s Tunnel… well, wade through the tunnel. There … Continue reading →

I’ve been thinking again, Always a potentially dangerous activity. A friend of mine is considering retiring from the same college where I retired. He put in forty years, adding his years as a student. I put in forty years, adding … Continue reading →

I’m very happy with how the songs stood on their own, without the melodies. Voetica Poetry Spoken — Read on voetica.com/voetica.php

Their great-grandmother… Their great great grandmother…

Gosh, apparently it’s less and less as time goes by. Well, I once knew, but then I didn’t. In most cases it is not a matter of dementia. At least not yet! It is just that I had a certitude … Continue reading →

Who was he? Where was he? When was he? These are very good questions for the patriarch of three of the worlds great religions. Unfortunately it is not clearly answered by the historical evidence. We have not found a cuneiform … Continue reading →

I have never really thought about who the first author was. I suppose I’ve always known that it was knowable, I just didn’t know it. Hmm, knowable. That implies that there are things unknowable. That seems to be a fact. … Continue reading →

1. My friends are gone, my hair is gray, I ache in the places where I used to play- Leonard Cohen, Tower of Song 2. I wanna be safe, safer than I am now- Ilya Anderson, Personal 3. Second floor … Continue reading →

Humans are remarkable. We have the ability to observe reality and document its existence by writing it down, freezing it for all time. This includes the things we see in the physical world, and also things in the emotional world. … Continue reading →

Such a simple word, and everything about it is complex. The most famous of the Greek myths is the story of Pandora’s Box, or more accurately, Pandora’s Jar. (Jar was mistranslated to box). Hesiod is credited with telling the story … Continue reading →

I’d like to say that I’ve been thinking about challenges. I have not. I avoid the thought because I am completely overwhelmed, inundated, and surrounded by challenges. And the list grows by the minute. The list ranges from, “Will I … Continue reading →

I’ve been thinking about encouragement for a few days. Actually, not true, I’ve been thinking about it for several years. I’ve come to the conclusion that it is an incredible healer in most, if not all, circumstances. Weirdly, most of … Continue reading →