Imagine for a moment you are child.

You go grocery shopping with your parents.  You look around and marvel at all of the wonderful things that are offered at the market.  You help them fill the basket with all kinds of good food products and follow them up to the check stand to pay.  A debit-card is swiped, a receipt is taken, and you make your way out of the store.

In the parking lot you spot an object shining in the sun.  Without any prior knowledge of the perception of money, you pick up a coin.  With it in hand, you look up to your parents in amazement and think, What is this treasure?!

They look at you with bright smiles and say, It’s a tool.

With an assist to their leaves, trees are the original solar panels.

Plant life, things such as trees have been a vital renewable resource existing on earth as far back as the human species can reflect on its history.  Trees have virtually limitless uses as a harvested product, at the same time rooted in the earth, vital to life, as we know it.

Take a break, a good deep breath, and just a few minutes to think about trees.  Of all the things that come to your mind about them, take a moment to leave a comment here with your list of all the uses and thoughts about trees.

And as you continue to take those good deep breaths of fresh air, while you type up your list here @RankinImages Blog with all appreciation from its author, keep in mind it takes around seven mature trees to produce and supply enough oxygen for each and every human being.

Imagine millions of years ago.

The place many know as Central Washington is a giant flood plain, rich in forests and wildlife.  Atop the foothills and Cascade Mountain basin roam prehistoric animals and quite possibly the early humans who hunted these creatures.

Well if you are familiar with this area it proves the point “The only thing constant in life is change.”  And, for some reason or another, everybody’s somehow in the middle of it.

Blink, fast forward to today.  The same area in Central Washington is now a vast desert, now rich in it’s volcanic soil and water run-off from those same Cascades.  Yep, everything is different, and now many dedicated archeologists are working in the region to unlock some of history’s mysteries, and to help describe slices of life, what it was like around here many, many years ago.

Well, the site might look a lot like a set from an Indiana Jones flick.  A hot desert setting, shaded canopies, excavation, buzz from dedicated workers.  Only at this site, there is no sign of Map Rooms, Nazis or The Ark of the Covenant.

Instead, the division of labor is now dedicated volunteers, professors, teachers and students facilitated by private funds and Central Washington University.  They are using high tech devices like shovels, spades, skewers, small brushes and sieves to uncover the ground around ancient bones.

The discovery, they are working to recreate, and document the life of an ancient Mammoth.

An ambitious sales rep is en-route to a favorite spot to celebrate with friends.

Earlier, with nothing flashier than a ballpoint pen found on the counter that morning and a bunch of ducks put into row, an interesting deal is to be inked.  Yep, that rep, is armed with honesty combined with the ability to see connections and put them together, akin to solving Rubik’s Cube with the utmost efficiency and precision.

With knowledge and access to top-notch movers, shakers and decision makers; bankers, lawyers, accountants, insurers, media execs, marketers, lawmakers, educators, IGOs, NGOs, non-profits, manufacturers, distributors, developers, programmers, printers, art communities around the world, these constituencies from all walks of life and all angles of the game. This person is well connected and prepared, ultimately proven, on-point.

The spot is good as is the energy.  Everybody’s gathered to celebrate, for what he or she doesn’t yet know.   The executive humbly raises a glass…

“There’s something for everybody. A toast to Rankin Images!!…”

Click, you push a button and a lid/tray opens. You insert a 120mm plastic disc into a machine where a motor begins to spin it like a record. At the same time, an optical reader/writer starts to process the data inscribed/burned on the disc. The information will charge through processors, circuits, wires, and radio waves en-route to ears and eyes, all for your audio/visual enjoyment.

Ahh, the importance of this medium, first CDs then DVDs, and now HD versions like Blue Ray Discs have been major players in the music, computer, movie, and video game entertainment industries since the original format was introduced in the 1970s. Yep, it’s difficult to imagine what life would have been like without the advent of polycarbonate layers and laser beams.

From older to the newest generations, those of you who enjoy your music, movies, Wiis, X-Boxes, and Playstations alltogether can appreciate CD technology. They have, at least not yet, been turned into dinosaurs by the quickly developing mass-storage capabilities of hard-drives, flash based memory, and high-speed bandwidth for streaming information to and from wireless/solid-state devices in the palm of your hand, vehicles, or in your home.

Thanks for visiting Rankin Images. Take a moment to leave a comment and share your thoughts about CDs and technology…

Here at Rankin Images we like to recognize and pay tribute to the beauty of things.  A wise man once said, “If you look for the good in things, looking to find it, you surely will.” Abraham Lincoln

The other evening there was a History’s Detective show aired on PBS.  In the episode, about a rail car re-purposed as a house, blueprints of housing developments were investigated from post WWII, during the Baby Boomer years. Yes, millions of homes were needed for a rapidly growing population.  With the advent of cheap oil, and the automobile The Burbs became a reality.

What an opportunity, to actually have your own piece of land, a yard and maybe even fruit bearing trees, and a garden.  Well, as long as the climate was suitable and there was plenty of water to go around, gardening is a hobby now enjoyed by billions of people around the world.

But in a fast paced and rapidly changing environments, one where you can walk into a grocery store of abundance, really almost anything you can imagine under one roof, why would we want to take the time to grow produce or garden for ourselves?

Maybe it could be those 105F/40C degree-days.  When everyone is talking about how hot it is, the sun is really doing some of its best work. It could also be a time, when you take a minute to walk around a piece of the earth that you look after each season. One where you have planted seeds, plants, and trees, worked your hands in the soil, and faithfully watered and followed up on all of your hard work.

The garden, like you, is alive.

Whether it’s commercial agriculture or your own, home-grown sustainable gardens, this column is for you. And thanks to the hot and sunny days combined with the right amount of water, they really do work magic in the grand scheme of things.

This week’s column is dedicated to all who share/appreciate the value of the Maritime roots in the context of world history.

According to Webster’s Dictionary, an interesting relationship noted here between two definitions of a word:

dis.place.ment noun

1 the moving of something from its place or position

2 the amount or weight of fluid that would fill such a volume in the case of a floating ship, used as a measure of the ship’s size

As far back as we reflect upon the history of our world, throughout time their necessity, though unique to each, ships have transcended culture, race and religion. The demand to transport people, goods, really any consumable you can imagine, will point you to The Earth’s waterways, and the importance of all to do with ships.

Like last year here @RankinImages, this week, a special note for all of the people involved with, or wanting to know more about, The First Tee.

This organization is all about helping young people lead positive lives.  Students working together with their coaches reinforcing valuable skills they will utilize, not only on the golf course, also in everyday life.  Here are some examples:

1.  Be Patient:
Stay calm while you wait and give yourself lots of chances to succeed.

2.  Be Positive:
Enjoy what you are doing regardless of the outcome.

3.  Ask for Help:
You can learn from others when you ask them to give you a hand.

Of course, at the same time, the kids have lots of fun at the park or on the links, meeting new people and making new friends while engaged in the entertaining and educational golf activities. As the youth of today will certainly become the leaders of tomorrow, positive experiences gained now are surely to be reciprocated in the future.

Much like today, The First Tee of Yakima was pleased to welcome its newest volunteer coach, and LPGA Professional, Paige Mackenzie. With the generosity of her time combined with her enthusiasm for The First Tee, she helped put together a memorable clinic open to all students, coaches, and the public.

She shared some of her life’s stories of hard work, dedication in addition to her excellent golf skill and personable manner. Yep, she’s “good people” and you can tell it brings her smiles to pay that positive attitude forward to the future generations.

Today, @ a home away from home, The Yakima Valley, as Paige shared some of her personal thought processes that have brought her much success, communicating many she feels congruent with The First Tee and its 9 Core Values.

Do you remember learning how to count?

What a gift, thank you teachers, for the learned ability to recognize numbers, those building blocks really, that quantify much of our structure in life.  Get to know mathematicians, numbers must dance around in their heads as they see connections and derivatives of such complexity, their work, has helped humankind to better understand and explain the world around us.

Even time and space, as we record history, or just look at our calendars or watches, are charted and referenced by numbers.  Yes, these same numbers could signify albums sold or career touchdown throws, at the same time, mediated, those followers, and fortunes, ultimately earned with unbridled talent, focus, and strong work ethic.  RIP Michael and Steve.

Or a bunch of Zeros and Ones that could come together to produce what you are looking at right now, think about it for a minute, life is digital.

Especially on this day, @ the 12th hour, 34th minute, and 56th second on the calendar date of 07.08.09, to note an interesting and rare alignment of numbers.

“O Canada, we stand on guard for thee.”

This week a special shout out to the good neighbors to the north.  Yes, The first week of July marks two important dates in the US and Canadian histories.  Independence Day on July 4th and Confederation or Canada Day on July 1st are, for lack of better words, the birthdays of two free and allied Nations in North America.

But what do Americans and Canadians really know/think about each other’s country?

Well not many Americans learn about Canadian history, their Film Board and media systems that help comprise its national identity and stories of its people.  And in Canada, for example many American films, media broadcasts, combined with cable and satellite technologies have transcended its boarders throughout the years.

Hmmm, I guess images of a Maple Leaf or Hockey Action could be considered fairly generic stereotypes of a country that is much more culturally rich than meets the eye.

But, at least, it can extend a hand, a friendly gesture, or maybe just lead to good discourse.  This, so we will always continue working hard to better understand our neighbors and continue to respect each other and what makes national identity so delicate yet so powerful at the same time.