The Bench At The Crest Of The Hill

 He walked the 1,428 steps from the trailhead to the crest of the hill 

                         Slowly, casually

There was no rush, and even if there was 

          He didn't believe he could bear to rush

The bench, which was in reality a flat boulder with a rectangular shape

                   Wasn't going anywhere 

The crest of the hill allowed one a spectacular view of the area

       For miles in all directions

In the morning one could sit and watch the sunrise in the east

                        And in the evenings watch the sunset to the west

The flat boulder was large enough for four people 

             To sit together comfortably

Though he had never sat there with anyone other than her

                  When they would sit and talk for hours

She had considered the bench their 

                                 Ringside seat to the world

And a place of sanctuary, of retreat 

                        Where they could hide together in plain sight

At least once a week, usually late Wednesdays, after noon

             When it was rare for anyone else to be there

They walked the 1,428 steps together

                     Sometimes enjoying the tranquility of silence

Sometimes chattering like jays

                   Always reveling in one another's company

Now, as he approached the boulder alone

                                   He looked off into the distance

Through misty eyes he searched out familiar landmarks

              Johnson's creek flowing south the Solomon range to the east

The Dominion school grounds north and the Fuller bridge west

                        Unconsciously he ran his hands through his hair

As he recalled the times they tried to find their home

          Realizing that the house he was searching for  

Was no longer their home

                                Only his

                       

                            

Falling Down The Infinitely Deep Rabbit Hole Of Human Behavioral Studies

For some people successful people are a source of envy

For others, successful people are a source of inspiration

Why is it that?

What are the factors that determine whether one becomes envious or inspired?

Why does one person witness someone doing something at a high level and become so annoyed by it that all they can do in response is belittle and begrudge the high level performer? 

Why does one person witness someone doing something at a high level and find it motivating to the point that it drives them to emulate the high level performer's success?

The motivating factors for people to do anything, whether it be altruistic or egoistic, have been explored, researched, studied - however you want to define the efforts made to figure 'em out - for millennia.

Learned academics from Aristotle to Kant to Mill to Maslow to McClelland have espoused upon virtue and vice, self-interest and impulse, power dynamics, resentment, self-esteem and self-actualisation, intrinsic and extrinsic motivations, situational and institutional forces...ad nauseum.

But none of that is what I'm curious about here.

I'm curious about the "why" two individuals will witness the high level success of a third person and have decidedly different reactions to it. 

One will have a positive and the other a negative.

Biologically, human beings are 99.9% identical. Does that 0.1% difference factor into the "why"?

23 years ago, when the human genome project was completed, geneticist came to the conclusion that the collective human population was basically comprised of identical twins.

Living as we do in the postgenomic era one would think it might have behoved an academic researcher or two to research the "why".

The mechanics of brain function at the cellular level - electrochemical signals sent and received between cells, the synapses between neurons, etc., seems to be well understood (according to what I've read on the 'net, and we all know the 'net is 100% trustworthy), so is it safe to assume that the actions and reactions of individuals can now be dissected and studied and then directed?

For the greater good, that is. 

The Zajonc - Ledoux theory proposes that many emotional reactions can occur before any cognitive assessment of the stimuli can be made - in other words, I feel therefore I am. 

But that doesn't explain the "why" of whether the reaction is positive for one and negative for another.

It's been written (and argued over) that an individual's perception of an event can be affected by levels of emotional sensitivity, whether they are introverts or extroverts, their diet, their core values (moral compass?), and even their sleep patterns, which then creates an individual negative or positive impression of what they experience.

Is that it? Is that the "why?" Is that what really makes one person hear a particular song and become inflamed with the idea of becoming a musician and another person hears the same song and switches the station or just turns the radio off?

That can't be it. There has to be something else at play.

I gotta get back to work.

You Can Change Most Anything About Your House...But You Can't Change Your Neighbors

Salad Bar

The Fantastic Tractor Collection Of Russ Englebrecht, Part 2

   The other day I posted pics and a little information about a truly amazing collection of vintage and modern tractors that one man, Russ Englebrecht, has accumulated over the past fifty years.

   Today I follow up that post with pictures of Mr Engelbrecht's even more impressive collection of toy tractors...a collection that numbers into the hundreds if not thousands.

   Russ not only collects toy tractors, but he also rebuilds and restores them, much like he does with his collection of actual tractors.

Russ amidst his pride and joy

   His toy tractor collection is primarily focused on miniature reproductions of John Deere vehicles, but is definitely not limited to such. He has an incredible variety of toy farm machinery that covers nearly every inch of flat surface in his workshop.

   The man is much more than a simple collector, as he is an extremely talented craftsman as well, devoted passionately to the complete restoration of any and all toy farm equipment he can get his hands on.

   Methinks collector and craftsman are not sufficient terms to describe Mr Englebrecht, for he is so much more - he is a dedicated conservator, a resourceful engineer, a master mechanic, a highly skilled fabricator, and above all an ardent preservationist. 

   It has been my good fortune to have met and become acquainted with a very large number of fervent collectors of various items, from comic books to period antiques to automobiles, but what Russ has achieved is on a rare level, comparable to the work of Patrick Acton's matchstick sculptures in Gladbook, Iowa. 

   This visit to Strasburg was pretty magical for me, as there is nothing I find more inspiring than encountering people with a singular dedication to a craft or creative avocation. 

   If you ever find yourself in the area I highly recommend paying Russ a visit - he's a most gracious host and fairly easy to find - just look for the large field full of tractors.

 

The Fantastic Tractor Collection Of Russ Englebrecht, Part 1

   The radio was off as I didn't want to be distracted by anything as I ruminated over a fairly serious question I'd asked myself while I was driving through the small town of Strasburg, Colorado on a sunny Sunday afternoon.

   But distracted I became, as I caught sight of a large yard filled with tractors of various ages, sizes and intended uses, and of course that meant I had to stop for a closer look.

   It is no exaggeration when I state there were tractors everywhere, as they were indeed, everywhere. Most of the them appeared to be John Deere tractors built in the past 100 years or so, but there were a few other makes, and a few much newer (and still in use) makes and models.

   The tractors (and other farm machinery) were all parked in neat, orderly rows on a lot that measured 14 acres. I know the size of the lot because shortly after I started taking pictures of the tractors I met the man responsible for the collection, one Russ Englebrecht, life-long resident of Strasburg and avowed tractor enthusiast.

   The number and variety of tractors Russ had collected over the past 5 decades is quite impressive, as is the care he has taken of them. After he came over and introduced himself he told me the history of his collection, and then showed me to a couple of buildings that contained a few of the gems of the collection, and a number of tractors that he had fully restored.

   In the first building we toured Russ showed me a number of tractors that he had fully restored and has displayed at various local fairs and parades. Russ is one of those people that cannot sit still - but he's not the fidgety sort, he's the hyper-productive sort. The sort that does more before breakfast than most people do in a day.

   He travels all over the country looking for old tractors that he can save from the scrap heap and give new life to - the tractor featured on the left of the photo above was a rusted old hulk he rescued from a farm in San Diego.   

   You'll have to excuse the dust, but when you live in a dry and dusty area of Colorado, dust is a constant, even in non-drought years.

   The tractor in the picture above is over 100 years old and has been fully restored. It's the oldest fully functional tractor in the state.

   The pictures I've posted today are just the tip of Russ's tractor iceberg however. Tomorrow I'll post pics of a much, much larger collection of tractors that Russ has collected...and restored, and built.

   Much larger, but also much smaller.

Taking The Squirrel's Priorities Into Consideration

 

There is a squirrel in that tree that just won't stop 

scurrying through the branches and leaves

The squirrel's on a mission that much is clear

But what it's about isn't 

C'mon squirrel slow down a little bit

Life is grand and you're missing it

Oh, wait - maybe you're working at hiding

Your winter stash from potential thieves

And I'm the one who's being the half-wit