Malibu morning picture of the day - Friday, March 27, 2015

Dear Family, Friends, and Gentle Readers,

Friday is here. Today's picture looks pretty much like the last four days, Blue on Blue.

Supposed to be in the high 80s and low 90s today. Again, unseasonably warm. No second look at the horizon today--it's all the same.

In the parking lot of the Starbucks near my employer in Malibu, there is this tree that keeps getting lopped back year after year. It's only allowed to get just so tall and so spread-out. As a result it limbs are all rather chunky and thick. As a result of that it's a very sturdy platform and cranes like to perch in it. Here it is.

Today I counted about seven cranes in it. You can see a few.

Yesterday I said that if you are repeatedly cut back by the vision of others, you lose the integrity of who you are and how you might express yourself if left unchecked. This tree will now never look as its DNA intended, even if they just let it grow on its own from here on out.

On the other hand, other things (like cranes) will be attracted to its strength which has developed because of limitations imposed on it.

And if you park under the tree and a crane craps on your windshield, you have no choice but to clean it up. The splash circumference is pretty large.

Just played a concert with my employer's wind ensemble group last night. The director has favored pieces by a composer named Rossano Galante. They're very heroic and he always scores for no less than five trumpets, so they get pretty loud and brassy (3rd, 4th, and 5th trumpet parts are not given a break--we ALL have to go up above the staff at some point). His style is very cinematic, so you'll feel like you're at the end of movie when you give it a listen. Here's the publisher's version of it if you're curious.




The concert went well, but like many events at my employer, attendance is low because it's such a hassle for anyone to get to Malibu, especially at night. In the numbers game, the band won by a margin of 2 to 1 (so if WE liked how we played, it was a win--I think we did).

Hope you have a wonderful weekend in store.

Love,
Pops