Steel Kaleidoscopes

Endless Summer

Little neck clams. Jumbo shrimp. Lobster.

A glass of chilled, crisp Santa Ynez Valley Sauvignon Blanc.

Brilliant sun splashing on the deck next to the covered pool.

Laughter. Love. Peace.

Life is good.

Congratulations, Red Sox

Captain Jason Varitek shares some bubbly with the Fenway Faithful who hung around to watch the Orioles beat the Yankees on the center-field scoreboard last night, which clinched the Red Sox' first division title since 1995.

Only in Boston.

(Photo courtesy of Barry Chin.)

The Everlasting Gobstopper

When you return the gobstopper, good things can happen.

Lake Katrine, 1972

Skipping school.

Walking down Leggs Mill Road toward the Esopus Creek.

Pockets stuffed with Big Buddies, Charm Lollipops and York Mints.

Steelers Wheel's "Stuck in the Middle with You" blaring from the AM portable radio.

Swinging from the rope.

Jimmy Wetzel and Bob Scully show up.

Talking baseball. The pros and our own personal batting averages.

These new-fangled things called cassettes.

Mosquito bites and aggressive horseflies.

One-hundred splashes.

Full Moon (Almost)

Looking out back last night at 7:43 p.m.

Top 10 Workout Songs

You're in the gym and just not into it. No sweat ... yet.

A tune comes on and you step up the pace. You add more weight to the barbell. You do an extra set. You're thinking killer abs.

These are the songs that get you there:

10. Mofo - U2
Relatively unknown track from an album ("Pop") that was panned by critics. But this instrumental tingles your senses. Get ready to build some muscle and burn some fat.

9. Song for America - Kansas
If you saw Steve Walsh in his prime, you'd understand.  Kansas' lead singer did handstands on the piano and had abs like no one in the industry. This song flows with energy.

8. Dreams I'll Never See - Molly Hatchet
A Sentimental pick. When I was 20, I pumped iron with my friend Paul and we always found an extra gear when this song came on. " ' Cause I've got dreams, I've got my dreams."

7. Welcome to the Jungle - Guns 'n' Roses
Slash's frenetic opening chords so familiar and powerful that the unstoppable New England Patriots use this when the team is on defense.

6. Hard as Steel - George Clinton & the P-Funk All-Stars
The female background singers whisper inspiration while the band keeps a funky, rhythmic beat. Clinton knows how to establish groove.

5. Hammering in My Head - Garbage
Shirley Manson singing "sweat it all out" is inspiration enough to keep moving — whether it's lifting weights, working abs or jumping rope.

4. You Shook Me All Night Long - AC/DC
"Knocking me out with those American thighs" is perhaps one of the all-time great rock 'n' roll lyrical phrases. Angus Young's opening riff transcends generations.

3. Around the World - Red Hot Chili Peppers
Flea, John Frusciante, Chad Smith and Anthony Kiedis show their best within the first 20 seconds, perhaps the most intense opening ever of a rock track.

2. More Human Than Human - White Zombie
The opening riff is downright primal. If you're hyping up for an athletic activity, there's not much more you can do. Except look for more RHCP.

1. Give it Away - Red Hot Chili Peppers
The entire track sounds like a rubber band about to snap, yet it doesn't. So the pressure, pull and tension prevail somehow within a wall of thunderous sound.

Burnt Siena

The crayon paints like wax, melting in the September sun.

Large black crows, the size of small dogs, patrol the dew-draped yard.

A helicopter whirs over the fairgrounds, the fireworks over until July.

MP3 random play strings together Aimee Mann, Led Zeppelin and Beth Orton.

A yellow jacket and a dragonfly skitter low to the ground.

And the crayon paints like wax, melting in the September sun.

Girl Authority

Zoe "Preppy Girl" moves to the forefront during Girl Authority's set yesterday during KidsFest at Wachusett Mountain in Massachusetts.

Girl Authority, which made their debut in 2006, has two releases on Zoe Records, a subsidiary of Rounder Records. The band is comprised of nine girls, between the ages of 10 and 15.

The Archer

The archer was the best in his field. He stood tall day in and day out, zinging those arrows to the center of the bull's-eye.

Toxophilites came and went, admiring the accuracy of the archer.

Then one day the archer was asked to shoot at a second concentric ring. And, because he was a good sport, he did, alternating between one ring and the next, still finding the center of the bull's-eye.

Soon after, he was asked to shoot at three concentric rings, zinging those arrows left, center and right.

The archer zeroed in on the three targets day after day, in the early morning through the late evening. He was there on weekends, zinging those arrows at his three targets on sometimes as little as four hours sleep.

While the other toxophilites were picnicking in the park and having dinner with their families, the archer was on the field, earnestly working at perfecting his craft. His accuracy slipped a bit, stirring the ire of some toxophilites, who began quietly gathering behind the archer.

At first the zings were subtle in the archer's back. But then they packed more force. With three or four arrows in his back, the archer began to lose his passion. His accuracy was still good, but it didn't matter. The arrows in his back were poisonous, and it was time to move on to a new field, a new game, with a new appreciative fan base to admire his preparedness, commitment and form.

The archer walked away with his head held high, his back already feeling better. He headed toward a new vista, with deep green grass, azure skies and crystal blue water. The sun was shining again.

And back at the  original field the toxophilites wondered what happened to the archer. And their existence was on a downward spiral. They realized the archer was an intangible key to their culture.

But the archer, from a distance, simply smiled as he consistently zinged those arrows into the heart of a new bull's eye. And his back never felt better.

Quote of the Day

"There is no key to happiness. The door is always open."

— Anonymous