Saturday Night's All Right for T.V.

Saturday night is t.v. night for the entire family here at Rancho Ramirez since MeTV started broadcasting here a couple of months ago. Saturday night hasn't always been a pretty bad night for television in our home but not anymore! The evening's lineup of retro entertainment begins with an hour's worth of the 1960's t.v. series Batman, followed by Lost in Space and the original Star Trek series. The curtain closes with some classic Universal Studios horror movies courtesy of Svengoulie.













 

Somethin' to Think About

Just Keep Swimming...

Being Doc Ed is a lot of fun. Edu-taining the kiddos is great and sometimes I get some "thank you" gifts from the school teachers. The one pictured above was given to me by the teachers at Schulze Elementary School where I started the month doing two Doc Ed shows for the third grade students.

I was given a bag of treats that contained yummy "Goldfish" crackers and best of a kit with multi-colored sticky notes along with a calendar. On the outside cover was this parable: 

A man on the beach where thousands of starfish lay dying in the sun saw a girl tossing them into the sea, one by one.

"Why bother?" he asked."You wont make much of a difference."

Tossing yet another starfish into the sea, the girl said," I made a difference to that one." 

I don't see the school kids as starfish dying in the sun but I do hope I'm making a positive contribution to their lives. I'd  like to think I am. Not every child sitting at my presentations will be interested in the science aspect of the show. That's okay.  As long as I put a smile on his face I'm happy but if I can spark an interest in science in one child while making him smile and laugh all the better.  It's like that cliche' that says "If I can reach just one of them then I've made a difference." It went something like that. 

What I didn't anticipate when I started going to the schools as Doc Ed almost five years ago (jeez!!) was how the kids would make a difference in my life. As one get older life has pummeled you a bit as you struggle to make something of yourself and give meaning to your life. Sometimes I feel a little like one of those starfish dying in the sun. But whenever I walk into the presence of those school kids to do a show I'm back in the mighty sea swimming and feeling quite alive.   

A Month in the Life Of Doc Ed

Its almost summer vacation but Doc Ed still a few more schools to visit. That's me at Mission Academy earlier this month doing a show for the kids in their cavernous cafeteria. 

The mascot for Mission Academy.

I was at Jackson Keller Elementary School this past Thursday and will be there a couple more time before the month is through.

The cozy spot where my presentations took place at Jackson Keller. Four in all that day! Whew!! And three more to go. Many of those include the new kindergarten Doc Ed show. Very cool!

I made a couple of visits to Big Country Elementary which is on the southwest side of San Antonio, edu-taining the kiddos from kindergarten through fifth grade.  

May Sky #3

A Walk in the Park

I took this one on our walk this morning. With the rain we've had the last few days the wildflowers are giving one last show before the heat of summer arrives in a few short weeks. I don't know what kind of flower those are but they are quite beautiful.

Goodbye Maurice Sendak

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maurice_Sendak

May Sky # 2

Circus Memories- After P.R. Visit to Franks Paint & Hardware, 2001

When the circus played in New Haven, Connecticut  back in 2001 Pammy and I were at a P.R. directly across the street from a hardware store. Since I could never resist a hardware store I had to check it out especially since it was  locally owned and not a "big box". The owner was there and we got to chatting with him. He was very friendly and personable. We ,quite naturally, left with a bagful of hardware goodies for yours truly rung up by Frank himself!. If you happen to live in New Haven and are in need of handyman supplies check out Frank's. Tell 'em Pammy and Al sent ya'.

Slapstick Theater- The Bangville Police (1913)

 

Sunday Morning Matinee- Star Trek Convention NYC 1973

When You Go Down to the River

Pammy and I take our walks at a couple of parks one which is Brackenridge. Our walks take us along the banks of the San Antonio River nearest the headwaters. The day after Easter Sunday when many a local San Antonians camp out there for three days we came across this sight. A couple of weeks later we took the photo below. Troubling.  

Flower Forest