Duxbury Beach (MA) Driftwood

I actually took this in July of 2001... but was reminded of it recently. It's part of a series of pictures of a fantastically large piece of driftwood on a fantastically perfect summer day in New England... In those last innocent days before 9.11.01.  I'll post some more in the series later, but for now, appreciate the skin like quality of the wrinkling at the base of the curve not only on the left which is obvious, but on the right as well.  Let the calming colors of the soft sands and blues, and leggy sensuality of the shape and feel the (unusually dry, not humid) warmth of the day...

Awake, Asleep

1."My job right now is just to make sure that everybody in the Gulf understands, this is what I wake to in the morning and this is what I go to bed at night thinking about."
05.27.10 President Obama on Oil Disaster


2."President Obama wakes up in the morning and he goes to bed at night thinking about how to make people's lives better- how to create that enivronment for creating jobs..."
01.20.10 White House Spokesman Robert Gibbs regarding President Obama & Employment


3.“As President, my greatest responsibility is the security of the American people. It is the first thing I think about when I wake up in the morning. It’s the last thing I think about when I go to sleep at night. “
09.11.09 President Obama marking 8th Anniversary of September 11 attacks.


4."As President, my greatest responsibility is the security and safety of the American people. As I've said before, that is the first thing I think about when I wake up in the morning, it's the last thing that I think about when I go to sleep at night. And I will not hesitate to use force to protect the American people or our vital interests."
08.17.09 President Obama on Afghanistan & Pakistan


5."... I read your letters. The stories I hear are the first thing that I think about in the morning; they're the last thing I think about at night. They're the focus of my attention every waking minute of every day."
07.23.09 President Obama on Employment


6."In the midst of all these challenges, however, my single most important responsibility as President is to keep the American people safe.  It's the first thing I think about when I wake up in the morning.  It's the last thing I think about when I go to sleep at night."
05.21.09 President Obama on Guantanamo


7."I will be judged as commander-in-chief on how safe I'm keeping the American people. That's the responsibility I wake up with and it's the responsibility I go to sleep with."
04.29.09 President Obama on Enhanced Interrogation


8."I come here as a Mom whose girls are the heart of my heart and the center of my world -- they're the first thing I think about when I wake up in the morning, and the last thing I think about when I go to bed at night."
08.25.08 Michelle Obama at Democrat National Convention


Thanks to Sean Hannity, Brett Baier, and Free Republic for their excellent reporting on this, from which I shamelessly borrowed!