All words have a meaning, but good ones come with more than one,
When we picked the Pica name we took on quite a sum.
The many things a Pica is may be more than you think
So we thought we’d share with you all these handy links

Pica means a family of magpies, and a publisher of old
Red-wine grapes that wind and grow in the region of Garonne
There’s a city found in Chile, a pianist named Joe,
and the pathway to your brain through which the blood does flow
The urge to eat things not quite food goes by Pica too
But we hope you stick to food, good health it brings to you!

There are Institutes of Art in Portland and in Perth
And the heat shield on a spaceship so very far from Earth,
If you should twist and turn the ‘c’ into a ‘k’
And head into the mountains, way up above the fray
You may find a cousin to the rabbit, with ears just like a mouse
Who live in rocky hillsides, and whistle when they’re roused

But what we meant, in any case, was the measurement of space
Six picas in an inch to grant us design grace.

Micah Ellis

For the past few years I have had the benefit of witnessing countless children enjoying the winged tricycle out my office window. Every summer the hordes of tourists descend on Belfast, Maine. Every child that sees this tricycle has to sit on it and ring the bell. Usually this is a 10-15 minute event. I hear the wonderful sounds of laughter and screaming children as they take turns trying to push the pedals and make those wings go up and down, up and down. I can think of nothing better to brighten up a rainy summer than happy children.

But on this particular day I looked out my window only to see a co-worker screaming with delight. In this instance a picture really is worth a thousand words.

Don’t forget to stop in Belfast on your way up the Maine coast and check out all the bike installations throughout town.

Timm Schamberger / DDP

We regularly get people asking us what our hold music is. It isn’t often that people like to be on hold. Since we added Dave Brubeck’s Take Five as our hold music, people have regularly commented on it. Sometimes even asking to be put back on hold so they could hear the rest of the song. The following is a short story on Brubeck’s Take Five album that appeared on NPR.

Dave Brubeck: An Unlikely Hit, 50 Years Strong

All Things Considered, June 12, 2009 – In 1959, jazz pianist Dave Brubeck topped the pop charts and shook up the notion of rhythm in jazz with an odd-metered song called “Take Five.”
Only trained musicians might understand exactly what gave the Paul Desmond-penned song its flow. It was all in the time signature: five beats to the measure, a departure from more traditional four-four time in jazz. It was cutting-edge and cool — a song millions would scoop up and savor. In an interview with Michele Norris, Brubeck explains what made the time signature so difficult.

“You were brought up playing in four-four,” Brubeck says. “Everybody could walk to it and dance to it. Put an extra beat on it — everybody’s tripping.”

Fifty years ago, “Take Five” appeared on Time Out, a title that served as a double-entendre. Those in the know knew it referenced the mood and the music’s meter.

At age 89, Brubeck has slowed down, but he’s still playing and writing music.

“The more you get to play, the better it is — just play as you can while you can,” Brubeck says. “I can’t wait for the next job so we can play.”

www.youtube.com/watch?v=WuS9DjM6ZdA

www.youtube.com/watch?v=DNQ5O4fYMtg

www.youtube.com/watch?v=zni0TAgUORU

www.youtube.com/watch?v=ekoCaaxgHUw

www.youtube.com/watch?v=zxeOCrRBELw

www.youtube.com/watch?v=R-yiyjSOjEI