A FATHER'S DAY SUGGESTION....

Are you looking for a unique gift for Father's Day? Do you have a father or a husband that is a baseball fan? You might be interested in this unique, limited edition poster created by my graphic designer brother, Josh Harwell. It features my grandfather, Ernie Harwell's famous poem on baseball. I am including an excerpt here written by my brother that explains his love for baseball and the poster in his own words:

“I guess what I love the most about the game though is all the memories of my childhood and the connection it has for my family. My grandfather, Ernie Harwell, had the privilege of calling the Detroit Tiger games for 42 years, so I grew up listening to him, going to games with him and loving all things baseball.
One of the many perks of my baseball family is that Grandpa was always giving us baseball related items that he received. One such item was the album Terry Cashman’s "Talking Baseball". My brother and I listened to this for hours on end, and I can still sing you most of the songs word for word.
You see, wedged in between all the wonderful baseball songs on this album was my Grandpa reading his definition of baseball. (I can also still quote this… just ask my wife!) I loved listening to this poem/essay, and last summer, when Grandpa was diagnosed with inoperable cancer, I instantly knew I wanted to make a piece of art from that essay as a tribute to him.
I really enjoyed creating this piece of art. It was a privilege to create something special for a man who was always giving of himself to others, and I put all of my heart and soul into it. I really debated about offering this poster for sale, but I decided that in the end it was something I wanted to share with all those who loved baseball and my Grandpa. He enjoyed sharing his life and love of the game with everyone, so a poster in tribute to him should be about just that.
The 18 x 24 poster is pictured in the heading of this post. It’s limited first edition signed and numbered by myself and printed on 80# cover. If you are interested in purchasing one you can find them on my Etsy site.”

PARIS AT NIGHT

(PHOTO BY JOSH HARWELL)

I was looking through my files and came across this photo of the Louvre by my brother Josh. It brings back some magical memories of walking through Paris at night with both he and my sister a few years back. I was the one who insisted on the three of us walking several miles back to the hotel....they have never let me forget it, as my sister needed to find a restroom and it took us much longer than I had projected. LOL. Good times and priceless memories - the photos that resulted aren't too bad either, as my brother is very talented. Do you have any travel photos that bring back a flood of memories for you?

FLASHBACKS FROM ROME

Photo- Josh Harwell
This photo of this vintage Fiat was taken by my brother Josh, who is an amazing photographer and graphics/web designer who just launched his own blog. While clicking through his photos, I found myself remembering some funny things about our family trip to Rome in 2000. It's amazing how photos have the ability to transport you back to the sites, smells, sounds and great memories.

Photo - Josh Harwell

Ok, this is one of those quirky things you never forget. Across from the apartment we stayed in, there was this tiny little fountain with this statue we dubbed "mossy guy" that was adjacent to the sidewalk and apparently quite a famous landmark in the neighborhood. I found a reference to him on the web, so you can see him in context. Hope you have better luck reading Italian than I did!

This is me all poofy-headed on the balcony of our apartment on Via Babuino before the advent of the flattening iron. There was a Greek Orthodox Monastery and Church across the street (note beautiful church in background). My dad had secured a place online in a great neighborhood and close to everything. Small problem when we arrived - the surly agent who rented us the apartment had lied a little in his description of the place. You should've seen us trying to get our luggage up to the place in the elevator, one bag at a time! I wish I had my mom on video trying to ask the non English-speaking landlady for a washcloth. Hilarious. Well, we certainly learned the name for it-"asciugamani" I think it was. I am probably spelling it incorrectly, but Italians don't use them. Well, we survived with insufficent toweling and our hair was dry after using our blowdryer for about an hour on half-power. Word to the wise - never bring US appliances and try to use them with adaptors. If you don't blow a fuse (like I did) you will only get a dribble of electricity. Why am I telling you this? My readers are all savvy people who are smart enough to stay in hotels and not try to live an authentic experience in a flat.

The bones of the apartment were gorgeous, but the furniture looked like something that had been hastily snatched from the Goodwill for the American chumps. My sister and I slept on this sleeper sofa that wreaked of vomit and had very hard buttons sewn onto the mattress. I tried to sleep between them, but inevitably ended up with one boring a hole into my hip bone. The linens were like 20 thread count and the blanket was one of those woolen numbers people spread out for a tailgate party. Prickly. My sister spiked my water bottle with Italian beer from the fridge (thanks, Sis) and by the end of the week, I had almost figured out how to do a load of laundry in the womb-sized washer. I had at least learned not to hang my underwear on the outside line too near the eaves. Pigeons like to leave surprises on clean laundry. They think it's funny. My jeans took about 3 days to dry, but had soaked up so much pollution by then that it smelled like I had never washed them! LOL. We had a terrific time and I came home thanking God for a full size washer and dryer. Yes, we Americans are spoiled. But it's always a good thing to go outside our own world and experience the good and the bad about the way other people live. Just don't forget your camera!

ARTIST'S PORTRAIT * JOSH HARWELL

Today I am featuring a profile on my talented younger brother, Josh. He is a gifted graphic/web designer and photographer. He has a great gift for finding and capturing beauty in out of the way places.

Kona, Hawaii

Where were you born? Motor City

Rural Georgia

St. George Island, FL

What was your least favorite subject in school?
English – I could never quite grasp sentence structure.

Savannah, GA

Rosemary Beach, FL

Are you married? Any children?
I’m married to a wonderful wife, and we have no kiddies at the moment, but talk to me again in a year or two.

Watersound, Florida

What's is your greatest challenge?
Staying creative in a busy, demanding and sometimes monotonous environment.

Rosemary Beach, Fl

Kona, Hawaii

What/who would be your dream commission/client?
Anyone who knows what they are looking for and trusts me to do what they hired me to do.

Kona, Hawaii

If you could only shop at 1 place, where would it be?
Target

Savannah

Your favorite color:
Blue

Food?
Mexican

Florida Panhandle

Your dream travel destination?
Bora-Bora – One of those little huts over the Ocean with the glass bottom floor.

Florida Panhandle

Josh is one of those people who has a special aptitude for anything mechanical or technical, but, amazingly, has a very artistic side as well. He has taught everyone in the family what little we know about computers and I often have to call him for technical assistance! Did I mention he's very patient? In recent years, he has increasingly developed his love and gift for photography (no pun intended!) He has had his work published, even on the cover of school textbooks! Besides his photography, he has created an amazing portfolio of digital graphics work as well. Josh and his wife, Leigh Anne, reside in suburban Atlanta, Georgia.