peacock blue

2012-01-30T16:58:00.000-06:00

Tuesday we pack up and leave the River of Stones behind. I wish I had written down the stones I saw every day like the song of House Finches I heard on a sunny day or the white fur on the back of squirrels' ears I saw up close today. I though I could just commit small stones to memory but that notion has me treading on thin ice. Oh, and what about that bright red fish house on the lake? Or the photo of little Dr. Erica on her second Christmas morning that surfaced in the desk piles where she's in red from head to toe? Red in winter, a motif, as well as white on the ground and a pale blue wrapped around my heart like a scarf because another season is half over. Melancholies see small stones everywhere, every day, but sometimes the stones are so incredibly lovely that they defy words.

2012-01-22T10:22:00.000-06:00

Off my deck one morning I captured these tree tops standing in the cold. A small stone to keep in my pocket was their apparent happy greeting of the sun and persevering, waiting it out. I'm reminded of this same truth whenever I see four legs, paws or feathers visiting our yard during the day.

Bean the cat seems perturbed as she watches me pack up the last of the Christmas decorations. No more sneaking around, chewing on the tree or sitting in the empty boxes. Life can be like that. Since she won't allow anyone to pick her up or hold her, there'll be no explaining the facts to this serious little feline.

'you can't keep Minnesotans off the water'

2012-01-19T10:19:00.000-06:00

Minnesotan ice fishermen are jumping for joy since we've finally been in the single digits this week, weather wise [I was meaning not I.Q.-wise, but then again, who in their right mind would sit on the ice waiting for a fish to come by?]. Now at least one or two ice houses can be spotted on the local lakes...usually many more like these on White Bear Lake. Driving by at night some lanterns can be seen shining on the ice, or is that a television screen?

More seasonal skies @ Skywatch Friday.

I've been to the mountain top. . .

2012-01-16T15:25:00.002-06:00

Never, never be afraid to do what's right, especially if the well-being of a person or animal is at stake. Society's punishments are small compared to the wounds we inflict on our soul when we look the other way.

Martin Luther King, Jr. (1929-1968)

minister, civil rights activist

note to self: look up from the computer once in awhile!

2012-01-12T16:04:00.002-06:00

One is apt to overestimate beauty when it is rare. Mark Twain

I was working on the computer early one morning this week when I was blinded by this gorgeous sunrise You catch a glimpse of the lake near us in the first picture, both taken from the frosty deck.

It occurred to me that even if I don't see beauty as it is happening, it is still happened.

Elementary, my dear.

Stop by Skywatch Friday for more breathtaking sky views.

the quality goes in before the name goes on

2012-01-10T16:34:00.001-06:00

If the title's promise rings a bell, you're of a certain age. Remember the ads for Zenith radios and televisions gave us or our parents that assurance? And so its been since 1923 when the Zenith corporation was incorporated in Chicago. The rest is our history.

The letter Z finishes up this round of ABC Wednesday sponsored by Z for Zenith. Happy listening.

urban antics

2012-01-07T13:16:00.000-06:00

On the day after Christmas we took a walk around Erica's neighborhood in Philly and had to stop as these girls meandered from the bushes in some one's yard and walked in front of us. Proof that chickens can live in the city [sans roosters, that is] and ever since Buddy hung around our apartment building I've been smitten by them. . .more about him here.
Feathered friends links to Camera Critters.

yellowing paper

2012-01-04T08:03:00.000-06:00

RittenhouseTown is the site of

the first paper mill in British
North America, founded in
1690 by William Rittenhouse,
America’s first Mennonite
minister and founder of the
Rittenhouse family. It is also
historically significant as the
birthplace of David Rittenhouse,
an important 18th century
statesman and scientist and the
site of an early American
industrial village.

More from our visit to Erica in Philadelphia. For ABC Wednesday this yellow door fits the criterion for today's letter du jour: Y. It is the entrance the Rittenhouse stone house circa 1787 at the small Rittenhouse Town in Fairmont Park, Germantown.

See more Y's, both old and new,@ Mrs Nesbitt's ABC Wednesday.

cannoli man revisited

2012-01-02T14:51:00.005-06:00

On the day after Christmas we wandered the streets of South Philadelphia in the 9th Street Italian market. Loaded with boxes of cannoli and babas, fresh ravioli and olives--all the things that seem just a bit more authentic to this Italian than the very same things that can be found in the Twin Cities--it is always a magical visit. This district includes a large residential area around and through the market streets--like this store front which reflected the typical Pennsylvania red brick row homes built flush with the sidewalks as well as vintage and antique accordions.

I am grateful for the strong feeling of belonging and history that I feel when I visit this part of town. I'm not really a stranger there. I hear familiar accents in the voices, young and old and can always find warm brown eyes of my paisans. So, today I skip this 'heritage' stone across the river.

Cannoli Man

She took to the road early, turning her face East

Away from the small railroad town where her immigrant grandfather
Sold groceries to cowboys and laborers

But no one recognized her name.
Arriving in her youth, she tentatively placed her feet down as divining rods
On the narrow cobblestones Paul Revere rode.
No one there had shared steerage with her family.

Dinner tables piled high with Sunday's best were long since covered with asphalt
in the city with broad shoulders.
Only drowsy, wine-soaked eyes met hers along the Chesapeake.
Bowing her head, she passed the old flagship church in South Philly.
True north she found his store at the edge of the market,

Falling out from the rest of the buildings like a torn piece of lace.
Shiny cannoli tubes, stock pots, strainers and randomly hung
Yellowing photos of boxers past their prime, Mussolini and the Pope
Her hand closed around his cigar stained, sausage fingers, his sweater's
unraveling cuffs

Comparing origins, he had, in fact, heard her name before.
Turning to her Irish immigrant husband, the shopkeeper asked,
Did you get permission to marry one of our girls?

A familial smile parted her lips as
The small Calabrian dove in her breast
eased it's fluttering--
folded back its wings,
and calmly closed its eyes to rest.

Linking to River of Stones,2012.

W for 'wishes'

2011-12-20T15:28:00.002-06:00

In honor of double-you, ABC Wednesday's letter du jour I send best wishes to my bloggie friends for a wonderful holiday as we celebrate Christmas, Hanukkah and a new year ahead.

May peace and plenty be the first,

To lift the latch to your door.

And happiness be guided to your home,

By the candle of Christmas.

Irish Blessing

stand tall and reserve your sap

2011-12-15T12:24:00.000-06:00

I caught this sunrise over Owasso Lake early last month. The lake was covered with snow and likely slowly freezing underneath. In December the lake still hasn't completely frozen, much to the dismay of the ice fishermen. The trees are now completely bare, all the better to hear the message below:

Message on the Winter Air

Long shadows on blue snow

Warm sun stepping around trees

Life’s mysterious light and dark.

Trees standing tall

Uncovered faces in the wind

Snow collecting in the cleft of boughs

Sap deeply stored.

Feetless birds, round as tennis balls

Perched facing the warming sun

Random song--

Reassuring their own kind

Reaching limb to limb,

Barren bark remembers melting snow

Turns to buds in spring.

Stand tall, reserve sap,

Accept visitors,

Wrap the bird song like a scarf .

See more unique sky views @ Skywatch Friday.

word-less Wednesday

2011-12-14T07:44:00.000-06:00

listening for sleigh bells

2011-12-12T12:19:00.001-06:00

Red and green for Christmas--who doesn't love to see them getting along so nicely? Above is a painting made by Karl Larsson of his daughter decorating their tree. I see her red stockings, red stripes in her apron, cap and shawl as well as a few ornaments. A quietly festive scene.

Called Out in the Snow by Mela Koehler who was part of the The Wiener Werkstätte (Vienna Workshop) in the early 20th century. I love the lines and movement especially from the floating scarf and ribbons, not to mention the bright red gloves and the big red bow in the girl's braid. A happy scene.

I don't know who made this bucolic scene but it has hung in my kitchen for a long time. The lambs near the fire always make me smile as does the white cat sleeping in the window. Then there's the red stockings, towel and fire's glow. A warm scene.

More red creativity @ Ruby Tuesday.

holiday delights

2011-12-10T17:17:00.000-06:00

One cannot fix one's eyes

on the commonest natural

production without finding

food for a rambling fancy.

Jane Austen

'pink moon is on its way'

2011-12-08T13:50:00.000-06:00

I happened upon this surprising sunrise along Snail Lake early one morning in December. The lakes are slow in freezing this year--usually the fish houses are on the lakes by Thanksgiving. This one is on its way but some water remained that morning, reflecting the electric sky.

I gladly share this scene @ Skywatch Friday along with Pink Moon by the late, great, Nick Drake for your listening pleasure.

wordless Wednesday

2011-12-07T11:51:00.000-06:00

decking those halls

2011-12-05T16:26:00.002-06:00

'Tis the season of lights and almost Tuesday, which means linking a photo to Ruby Tuesday where red is the color of the day. On our Christmas tree blue decorations far exceed red. The red star on the left is from David's childhood tree which makes it really, really old. On the bottom is a blown glass 'candy apple' on a stick with us since the girls were little.

Not really red, except maybe if cats were inclined to blush. . .this is Bean making a hasty exit after being discovered under the tree for the millionth time today. Note 'the look.' Bad cat.

More fun @ Ruby Tuesday!

Perhaps the best Yuletide decoration is being wreathed in smiles. anon

I begin just where I left off. . .

2011-12-01T13:29:00.003-06:00

early winter's brooding sky brim full with dirty cotton clouds

shooting colors from the east as the curtain lifts over the lake

and you know how I feel about silhouettes of trees

I'm linking this glimpse of daylight to Skywatch Friday with its many sky views.

'I like trees because they seem more resigned to the way they have to live than other things do. I feel as if this tree knows everything I ever think of when I sit here. When I come back to it, I never have to remind it of anything; I begin just where I left off.'

Willa Cather

welcome home!

2011-11-28T17:21:00.001-06:00

Destination: Dayton, Ohio and a visit to the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force--all four hangars full of history from the Wright Bros. to modern day stealthy-ness. We attended this year's Operation Welcome Home, a celebration for those who served in Southeast Asia and during the Vietnam conflict, as well as all other branches earlier in November. . .their goal: to give the SE Asia veterans the proper welcome-home celebration that they never had over 40 years ago.

We spent two days in the museum and the events as part of the OWH. Very few planes are festooned with red, but I did capture a bit of red here and there.

World War II P-40 tiger shark squadron plane

Linking to Ruby Tuesday--fly over and take a look.

sisters and shadows

2011-11-22T15:31:00.000-06:00

Earlier this month I spent a day at the Monastery of St. Benedict in St. Joseph, Minnesota for a quiet time in the spirituality center on the campus. The sisters of the order of St. Benedict were my elementary teachers in Idaho so it was a bittersweet visit for me to this monastery so far away from my childhood. Fifty years have passed and my memories of strict German nuns are with me still. To my surprise and delight I found this community of mostly middle-aged to retirement age women thoroughly filled with faith, gracious, caring and able to minister to us who grapple with every day life in the 21st century. During free time I wandered the grounds to a small vineyard and a huge garden spot, earth recently turned, ready for spring. The shadow in my photo is cast by a tall octagon shaped martin house and thriving bittersweet.

Time is a great healer. And what was a quick decision to face my fears left me with a light heart.

I'm linking my experience to ABC Wednesday whose letter du jour is S.

"A sign of God is that we are led

to a place we did not intend to go.”

Anonymous

from summer hats to woolen mittens

2011-11-06T08:45:00.000-06:00

My aim is to put down on paper what I see and what I feel in the best and simplest way. Ernest Hemingway

Behold the autumn version of the pink Coneflowers the little Goldfinches and Chickadees feasted on all summer, now with a light dusting of our first real frost. I'm adding these to the bouquet of Today's Flowers here.

quilting with John Muir

2011-11-03T10:54:00.000-05:00

Climb the mountains and get their good tidings. Nature's peace will flow into you as sunshine flows into trees. The winds will blow their own freshness into you, and the storms their energy, while cares will drop off like autumn leaves. John Muir

Like quilt pieces, the blue sky fits neatly in with the leaf patterns. Beautiful autumn days stick around well into November. Look up into more skies at Skywatch Friday.

pied piper in St. Paul

2011-11-02T07:56:00.000-05:00

Across from the St. Paul farmer's market this musician plays his pipes for passersby, hopefully a profitable venture. Visitors stop and talk to him between tunes and he discusses what kind of pipes he plays. I, however, hurrying by didn't hear what he said so I won't even hazard a guess to what kind they are. Therefore, I leave the mystery for you to solve.

Linking to ABC Wednesday.

2011-10-31T05:12:00.003-05:00

On a late autumn, Halloween weekend we made probably our last pilgrimage to Wisconsin along the St. Croix Scenic River route to spot Tundra swans on their way south along the flyway in Alma. Too early. So that meant more time to visit my favorite bakery, the Smiling Pelican Bakeshop in Maiden Rock. I've posted about this spot before and for once we got there before the lady in front of me bought the last scone and the couple before her bought the last piece of pie--all by about 10:00 am. We went home with pumpkin pie and snickerdoodles. And a vintage, Depression Glass cake stand, Lyre pattern. You see, the baker, Sandy has started a collection of old cake plates and sells a couple as well. Here's what greets you as you step in her shop, once you inhale all the goodness which puts a smile on your face:

These shelves are above kitchen work area as well as above the bread display above. Its a magical place. I felt like I'd walked into a story book setting. . .

Happy Monday Halloween!

slow days of autumn

2011-10-27T13:49:00.001-05:00

I saw these amazing reflections on Sucker Lake this week. The trees of many colors stand guard over the lake where loon eggs were hatched, swans stayed on the secluded part of the lake, pelicans and cormorants clustered on a sand bar, herons and egrets fished the banks. We've had bright autumn days with plenty of time to remember summer.

Visit Skywatch Friday for more of the season.

I'm speechless

2011-10-26T11:36:00.000-05:00

water is as water does

2011-10-23T06:38:00.000-05:00

Back when ducks were hatching I caught this pair of new wooducks sunning themselves. Note the nub of their soon distinctive feather 'helmet' on the back of their heads. Have you ever seen an ugly baby?

There's a spot along White Bear Lake where dog owners let their dogs exercise by swimming after the illusive tennis ball. The dogs are 90% Labs so this photo of twin white Labs tells that story well. Plus an old hippie's pony tail made me smile and reminisce. . .

A new week begins with a view of animals and birds @ Misty Dawn's meme, Camera Critters.

Aren't diamonds forever?

2011-10-20T14:17:00.003-05:00

Last days of summer at White Bear Lake. The morning was trying to break through the clouds. I loved how the sun sparkled on the water--a sight I want to remember come January.

Sail over to Skywatch Friday for more skies to enjoy.

All that is gold does not glitter,
Not all those who wander are lost;
The old that is strong does not wither,
Deep roots are not reached by the frost.

J.R.R.Tolkien

Wednesday in a word: Newman

2011-10-18T13:59:00.002-05:00

Found: a photo of a very young inductee into the U.S. Navy, Paul Newman. Need I say more? More handsome N-words @ Mrs Nesbitt's ABC Wednesday.

The problem with getting older is you still remember how things used to be. ― Paul Newman

from flower to fruit

2011-10-17T08:33:00.001-05:00

I may be stretching the concept of Today's Flowers a bit, but you get it, don't you? Nature's beauty is complete from start to finish.

See more flowers and such @ Today's Flowers.

Skywatch Friday from the North Woods

2011-10-13T15:34:00.000-05:00

These are sky views along the upper north shore of Lake Superior between Grand Rapids and the Canadian border taken in September. The shoreline is so impressive with rocky outcroppings and pine trees but no beaches. Its easy to imagine how this rugged shore could be dangerous for ships.

I've included this view of the lake because if you enlarge it and look toward the bottom of the photo you can catch a glimpse of lake rocks because the water was crystal clear and an incredible blue that day.

More incredible skies here.

'Happiness is an angel with a serious face.'

2011-10-11T15:42:00.003-05:00

sculpture, 'Head of a Woman' - 1912 and 'Blue Eyes' [portrait of Madame Jeanne Hébuterne] - 1917

While visiting Erica earlier this year I saw this art at a Marc Chagall exhibit at the Philadelphia Museum of Art which included some work by his contemporaries, in particular Amadeo Modigliani.

'Portrait of a Polish Woman' - 1919

ABC Wednesday's letter du jour is M for Amedeo Modigliani, an Italian painter & sculptor who lived from 1884-1920. He studied in Italy but made his more famous work while in Paris in the Left Bank bohemian Montparnasse with contemporaries like Picasso and Chagall. His work is easily recognizable in the painted figures with elongated bodies and mask-like sculptures. Sadly he died at 36 from drug and alcohol abuse, and finally, tuberculosis.

Visit Mrs Nesbitt's ABC Wednesday for many more uses of the letter 'M'
title quote by Modigliani

hanging on to autumn

2011-10-09T18:57:00.000-05:00

From my walks in the autumn woods in September are wildflowers too lovely to forget, even the bane of my existence, Goldenrod.

I still have some die hard herbs and annuals hanging on for dear life. Since our days have been near 90 degrees lately, I haven't the heart to pull them up yet. Photographing flowers make me happy so I am grateful for a place to post them each week @ Today's Flowers, a virtual flower shop meme.

Happy Week!

Friday: truth and beauty

2011-10-07T08:27:00.000-05:00

Happy Autumn Weekend!

from Linnea Designs 2011 calendar

October mornings

2011-10-06T13:27:00.000-05:00

O hushed October morning mild,

Thy leaves have ripened to the fall;

To-morrow's wind, if it be wild,

Should waste them all.

The crows above the forest call;

To-morrow they may form and go.

O hushed October morning mild,

Begin the hours of this day slow,

Make the day seem to us less brief.

Hearts not averse to being beguiled,

Beguile us in the way you know;

Release one leaf at break of day;

At noon release another leaf;

One from our trees, one far away;

Retard the sun with gentle mist;

Enchant the land with amethyst.

Slow, slow!

For the grapes' sake, if they were all,

Whose leaves already are burnt with frost,

Whose clustered fruit must else be lost--

For the grapes' sake along the wall.

Robert Frost

More beguiling October skies @ Skywatch Friday.

L is for Louis, love and lines

2011-10-05T08:51:00.002-05:00

I couldn't let ABC Wednesday's letter du jour go by without posting about one of my favorite Abstract Expressionist/Color Field painters, Morris Louis. He was part of the band of mid-century painters like Kenneth Noland and Barnett Newman, and many more who used this style of painting broad fields of flat color.

Where,1960 @ Hirschhorn Museum

Dalet Chaf, 1958 @Walker Art Center, Minneapolis

No. 28, 1961 @ Walker Art Center, Minneapolis

Louis lived in D.C. where he banded together a group calling themselves The Washington Color School during the 1950's & 60's. He died at age 50 from cancer attributed paint vapor exposure.
I love what he left behind.

More L words today @ ABC Wednesday. They will make you smile.

why I love Minnesota

2011-10-03T11:08:00.000-05:00

Last weekend I celebrated my birthday on the back of the motorcycle, again. But this time it was to avoid the cake blindness caused by so, so many lit candles. The birch trees were magical. Riding in the early evening when the sun was shining on them, their leaves were suspended and the wind made them seem to glitter like sequins. Every so often a bright red maple would jump out at us. Autumn beauty plus amazing desserts made this birthday memorable. Life is good.

More good times can be seen @ Mary's meme, Ruby Tuesday.

the sky's the limit

2011-09-29T12:06:00.001-05:00

Blue skies I'll remember from bike trips in September as we slide into October.

a contemporary art gallery called 'Swan Song'
Maiden rock, Wisconsin

orthodox onion spires
Thunder Bay, Ontario

Visit more skies from unlikely places all over the globe @ Skywatch Friday.

wax not, wane not

2011-09-26T06:53:00.000-05:00

Autumn is sneaking around trying to act inconspicuous and though leaves are turning, Cosmos are as hardy as ever. I caught these in Maiden Rock, Wisconsin yesterday under a pure blue sky. Take that, Fall!

Stop in the virtual flower shop Today's Flowers for a nice start to your week.

up before the birds

2011-09-22T16:18:00.002-05:00

This is the view from my deck this morning facing east as the sun came up through scattered grey clouds.

Across the street, facing west, was that same sun shining on the tops of trees. At first glance they appear to be autumn-kissed but, in fact, are still very green.

Visit Skywatch Friday and be dazzled by skies from all over our planet.

Winter is an etching,

spring a watercolor,

summer an oil painting

and autumn a mosaic of them all.

Stanley Horowitz

life's a mystery

2011-09-21T07:04:00.001-05:00

ABC Wednesday's letter du jour is J--as in James, my dad. He was born last century in 1910 at home in his mother's kitchen and lived to be 83.

The story goes that his given name was Vincenzo. When his Italian mother called him home to dinner, Vinnie sounded like Jimmy. So he became a James. I don't quite buy it, and now all of his siblings are gone too, so I guess Jimmy it is. A moot point.
More J words, mysterious or not, here.

2011-09-19T15:45:00.000-05:00

I found these lovely sweet peas growing in the 'parking lot garden' at the Duluth Grill, an organic, homemade-food diner where the wait staff can be seen wearing t-shirts that say: organic food from our parking lot.

My favorite shade of red too. More favorite reds at Mary's meme Ruby Tuesday.

praying for rain

2011-09-15T11:31:00.002-05:00

September's full moon floating over Lake Superior last Saturday--a peaceful sky view from Grand Portage Chippewa Reservation, Minnesota near the Canada border.

The next day as we rode back to the Twin Cities I took this [shaky] photo from the motorcycle of the sky approaching Duluth. The clouds were full of smoke from the wildfires burning in the Boundary Waters Canoe Wilderness Area near Ely and the sun was fiery amber. What a contrast with the North shore's blue skies and beautiful sunsets. The fires are still burning.

See more skies of note @ Skywatch Friday.

ice, its not just in cubes anymore

2011-09-13T17:16:00.015-05:00

You will never know how hard it was for me to download this collage showing winter's many sides. I can't even say the word winter without shuddering. But, art elevates and I'm willing to sacrifice!
Noteworthy are the Olympic ice skating trials at the Oval in Roseville, Minnesota a few years back, Pashka's frozen pawprint, an auger used for ice fishing, Bean dreaming of summer and a child's book illustration of Dutch ice skater.

Mrs Nesbitt has challenged us to post I's today for ABC Wednesday. Her wish is my command.

summer sees red

2011-09-12T17:51:00.000-05:00

I saw red all weekend in the Lake Superior Northshore woods where the leaves have barely started to turn. Rose hips and berries look ripe and ready to sustain the forest diners too. See more autumnal reds @ RubyTuesday.

But even alone it was beautiful and he fed the fire to cut the night chill. There it is again, he thought, that late summer chill to the air, the smell of fall.
from Gary Paulsen's novel Hatchet.

from the land of sky blue water

2011-09-08T14:45:00.001-05:00

More blue skies, from Wisconsin this time. We visited Crex Meadows in Grantsburg where we saw fields full of feasting Sand Hill Cranes as well as ducks sailing around the wild rice paddies, above.

This level prairie terrain was once a glacial lake bed. The water that was once diverted for settlers and industry has been reclaimed here making it a perfect wild place with big, open skies.

Visit Skywatch Friday for more beauty.

Oh Happy Day

2011-09-07T08:35:00.002-05:00

Its Wednesday and this is my 700th post [I know! can't shut up] thus the fair spotted one happily leaping along. I'd like to think in joy, but I know better.

Another great H-word is represented by this guy I captured at Como Lake on a walk this weekend. Two other great blue herons were just leaving, disgruntled and barking like dogs, when I came around the bend to see this guy, no worse for wear, holding his/her ground.
More happy @ ABC Wednesday.

2011-09-03T15:47:00.005-05:00

We still have flowers in bloom in spite of the cool evenings. Morning rains have kept them well hydrated. I found this Datura on a walk this morning.

Goldenrod is now in full bloom in Minnesota. Though I pay a price later for tromping through the woods full of their pollen, last week I hit the jackpot--can you see who is ~~hiding~~ lounging in the tall grass?

Labor Day links for Today's Flowers and Camera Critters. Thanks to all the workers, those of us relaxing and those who will be working on Monday!

Skywatch Friday: take it easy

2011-09-01T11:57:00.001-05:00

Behold, my kinda' sky: blue, calm, nicely tinting the lake below it. September on one of Minnesota's 10,000 lakes has a melancholy aspect that maybe only I can see, but. . .

Ernest Hemingway mentions the contrast between spring and fall he experienced in Paris in

A Moveable Feast:

With so many trees in the city, you could see the spring coming each day until a night of warm wind would bring it suddenly in one morning. Sometimes the heavy cold rains would beat it back so that it would seem that it would never come and that you were losing a season out of your life. This is the only truly sad time in Paris because it was unnatural. You expected to be sad in the fall. Part of you died each year when the leaves fell from the trees and their branches were bare against the wind and the cold, wintry light. But you knew there would always be the spring, as you knew the river would flow again after it was frozen...

Visit more skies @ Skywatch Friday, after which I hope you'll set down your burdens and enjoy the Labor Day weekend with my best wishes!

word-less Wedn.

2011-08-31T10:18:00.000-05:00

2011-08-30T17:38:00.002-05:00

Same gate but two different seasons,

months apart from each other. Open more gates at ABC Wednesday here.

Be nice to nerds.

Chances are you'll end up working for one.

Bill Gates

summer skies

2011-08-25T12:05:00.000-05:00

Green calm below, blue quietness above. John Greenleaf Whittier

Minnesota farm roads and ominous clouds--a skywatcher's dream! More beautiful skies to see at Skywatch Friday.

F is for goldFINCH

2011-08-24T10:14:00.000-05:00

Around here they're called wild canaries, but are part of the finch family. They frequent our feeders and we've enjoyed watching their feathers turn to this bright yellow from their duller colors during the winter. Their eggs hatch toward the end of summer which has filled the feeders and airways with bright, flitting bits of color and commotion. Capable of flying and singing at the same time [something to admire and emulate], they love thistle when it goes to seed. These photos aren't the best but I was glad to catch a glimpse of this guy's thistle-down frenzy. Not dainty, yet so acrobatic.

Another famous Finch. . .Atticus

More fun words at ABC Wednesday.

2011-08-22T14:49:00.004-05:00

I had only heard about this drive-in and yesterday on a late-August, early-early fall Sunday afternoon we rode around Lake Minnetonka and on to Delano, a little farm town west of Minneapolis. There it sat in all it's pink glory! The Peppermint Twist drive-in is pretty famous in these parts, and was even featured on the Food Network a few times. Its all about bears, famous red raspberry shakes, free juke box and car hops. To keep things in the red family, there's Dave on the right waiting for me, as usual.

We had soft ice cream cones and played Roy Orbison, Jan & Dean, the Sufaris and Beach Boys on the juke box. Did that date us sufficiently?!

I'm thinking about Ruby Tuesday for more delicious reds.

hazy, crazy days of summer

2011-08-18T14:20:00.003-05:00

A perfect day in August:

lazy morning clouds at sunrise burning off into a hazy blue sky the rest of the day.

We treasure these hazy mornings and clear days up north knowing fall is in the air, showing itself in the cool morning air.

More cool skies can be visited at Skywatch Friday.

Farewell, Klaus!

2011-08-16T17:43:00.000-05:00

Time you enjoy wasting is not wasted. John Lennon

beauty and the beast

2011-08-15T14:57:00.001-05:00

You thought maybe I was kidding?

These are all photos I took on walks last week, gathering bits of August to remember...then I ran into this guy guarding his house and bird feeders. Scary. Sometimes life is just too funny, eh?
Have more red fun @ Ruby Tuesday.

Johnny Depp meets Skywatch

2011-08-11T11:01:00.002-05:00

Sunday the motorcycle took us to WineHaven Winery in Chisago City for a wine tasting. O.K., so the first state that comes to mind when you think wine isn't usually Minnesota, but this winery only imports grapes for their Chardonnay and Pinot Noir and the rest come from this beautiful little valley.

Below is the sky view across a corn field leaving the winery. All in all a perfect day for a ride, a sip or two of rhubarb wine or honey mead, a jazz trio backed by incredibly blue skies and lakes.

See more skies from all over our dear planet @ Skywatch Friday.

Wino Forever

Johnny Depp's tattoo once read 'Winona Forever'

D is for Damson

2011-08-09T19:55:00.001-05:00

as in plums. I took this photo when I lived in Chicago. Walking through Hyde Park to catch the train each day, I always passed one house with a small plum tree next to the front gate. Season by season I'd watch them grow from blossoms to these beauties. Then one day, just like that, when I'd walk by to admire them, they'd be gone! Probably already in jars on the counter.

For more tasty D words visit ABC Wednesday.

2011-08-08T08:01:00.002-05:00

Hesitate in August.
Be shy.
Let your toes tremble in their sandals.

Ann Sexton

Here's to a new day in a new month full of golden possibilities. Enjoy--and do let your toes tremble!

more beauty here.

a sailor is an artist whose medium is the wind

2011-08-04T18:06:00.001-05:00

For Skywatch Friday I give you an illustration of our summer--and maybe yours too: humidity (note the hazy trees), white skies and a hot wind. I took this in July at White Bear Lake.

Happy August!

quote by Webb Chiles

delicious C's

2011-08-03T13:14:00.000-05:00

Canna Lilies (a divine color; I've only known red before), cleome and a cosmos or two--

along with a bite of my Creme Brulee. If you want more C's to make you happy, check out ABC Wednesday.

a little gift on Tuesday

2011-08-02T14:38:00.002-05:00

farewell to July, so long River

2011-07-31T13:24:00.002-05:00

In the scheme of things, having a nose like Jimmy Durante isn't all bad. I mention this dubious insight because for the past couple of summers more and more Pelicans have been visiting the lakes nearby. I love watching them glide in the air, usually in pairs, and meander slowly looking for fish. Its easy for me to identify with the beak, being Italian and all. Having spent a large part of my life wishing I looked like somebody else in one form or another, it occurred to me that even though by our societal standards a pelican is homely, therefore not valuable, ~~blather~~ the fact that they aren't pretty doesn't seem to matter a bit to them.

My last stone I'm skipping across the river is raised in honor of these fish-eating, beautiful birds who don't seem bothered by how they look. In fact, the only thing on their mind is fish at the moment. Its all good!

Forrest Gump-ing along

2011-07-30T15:41:00.003-05:00

July is quickly exhausting itself and I am left with two small stones that have been hiding in my pocket. Namely sublime and ridiculous.

This is my Aunt Yolande on the left at her wedding reception in Idaho. That was mid-century and just last Thursday she passed away. She was in her 90's and was the last remaining member of her family of 5 brothers and one sister. Imagine how I looked up to someone so elegant who had been in New York City learning to model at the Barbizon, who always wore pretty clothes and sat with her left hand in her lap whenever she was eating. The only magazines she had in her house that I remember were Vogue and Harper's Bazaar. She was my Godmother, who studied opera and raised three adopted children, never missed Mass and continued to be the matriarch of the family after her parents died. As in every life, there was plenty of good and a lot of close calls, prejudices, feuding and exclusion. I remember it all. The last time I saw her she told me she was afraid to die, mainly because she thought it must be so painful. I'm hoping not.

Now for that little scratchy pebble called Ridiculous. . .I stopped to take this photo last week because I've seen a lot of things growing out of this topiary dog, but never a squirrel masseuse. Maybe he's just asking for directions.
Maybe its the heat and I just thought I saw this. This is one for Camera Critters.

'stupid is as stupid does'

open season for Orbit

2011-07-28T17:04:00.000-05:00

This is what summer days should look like. A calm lake, blue skies, a fishing pole and

and a dog that can fish the bank for you. This guy, named Orbit, was 'walking' quickly back and forth in the shallow water looking for fish. His owner said he loves to fish. He didn't catch any while I was there.

Skywatch Friday where you can see the catch of the day!

a stone's throw from the lake

2011-07-28T07:36:00.001-05:00

Yesterday was hot and humid, [surprise]--with a really warm wind. I went for a walk in an older neighborhood. This lovely house with a ecclectic front porch and these lacy curtains caught my eye. They seemed to have a life all their own, celebrating the breeze off the lake.

b for blue, me for you

2011-07-27T05:58:00.002-05:00

ABC Wednesday's letter du jour for Round 9 is B and for me that usually means blue. Today I give you my glass totem in blue. On our way home from our trip to Winnipeg last month we meandered through the historic town Fergus Falls, along the Otter Tail River, where along a boulevard in front of a lovely old house a collection of these handmade 'totems' were for sale. The artist uses all manner of old glass, molding them together atop an upside down bud vase. They easily slip over an electrical conduit pipe and voila, a light-catcher in my flowers.
Visit ABC Wednesday, Round 9 for more B's

small stones buzzing

2011-07-24T17:21:00.000-05:00

I am reminded of the tireless industry of insects, birds and animals during the dog days of summer. The yellow Common Mullein blooming now always seems to have some insect buzzing around or a bird resting on top.

Again this season bees are struggling with more viruses causing major colony collapse across North America. I overheard two beekeepers at the local farmers market saying that many beekeepers are 'sharing' bees from each other's hives, trying to keep the hives balanced. So, I was happy to photograph this bee and wishes it well on its journey back to the hive..

To make a prairie it takes a clover and one bee,

One clover, and a bee,

And revery.

The revery alone will do,

If bees are few.

Emily Dickinson

Visit Today's Flowers.

sweet smooth stones

2011-07-23T08:11:00.000-05:00

stones.that.soothe

A tough, hectic week leaving me feeling inept, childish, sweaty...these sandpipers must have been sidestepping the pebbles like the ones that had lodged in my shoes.

Their message: keep moving and notice that your shadow moves with you.

Thank you, dear feathered sages and I guess I'll be grateful to those irritating pebbles.

Skywatch blues

2011-07-21T14:38:00.000-05:00

To see the summer sky is poetry.

Emily Dickenson

After five days of record breaking heat index numbers today dawned cool and breezy with bright blue skies--not those heavy, yellow things full of humidity. Ah summer. . .at Snail Lake today.

See more skies from all over our dear planet @ Skywatch Friday.

like a rock

2011-07-20T17:07:00.000-05:00

This morning I was clocked on the head by a big pointy rock--instead of the usual smooth and warm stones I've been collecting.
Rounding the bend around the lake I saw two little creatures, seemingly in repose at the edge of the road. By the time I reached them and got my wits about me I realized that they were two very young racoons both hit by a car, likely following mom or dad back from a midnight drink in the lake.
Heartbreaking. indelible. image.

Sighing, I have thrown this ~~rock~~ stone back in Owasso Lake.

happy Wednesday

2011-07-20T07:49:00.000-05:00

ABC Wednesday begins anew with the letter A for Alcea, or better known as Hollyhock. I don't see them in gardens as much as I used to--I took this photo in Chicago visiting Audrey last year. And a black one at that.

riddle me this:

2011-07-18T16:29:00.000-05:00

What do you see first: a 1956 Chevy BelAir or the Pizza Man?

Me too!

Looking for more red? visit Ruby Tuesday.

when is a stone not small anymore?

2011-07-16T11:00:00.004-05:00

Yesterday when I schlepped up the stairs to the baggage claim to meet Dave's flight I heard the unmistakable sound of live piano music. At the top of the escalator an upright piano lives next to a sign saying, 'I'm a piano. Play me!' The reason I love the piano and don't play is a topic for another ~~lifetime~~ day but suffice it to say that I stopped and stood listening to a young woman sitting straight backed on the very piano bench, wearing flip-flops, weaving a lovely melody for at least ten minutes. Then she stopped, looked at her hands, rose, put on her backpack and I saw her walk away pulling her roller-suitcase behind her. I did thank her because she had indeed stirred my week-weary soul.

Redemption comes in strange places, small spaces
Calling out the best of who we are

[lyrics from Sara Groves' Add to the Beauty]

Happy weekend, fellow stone gatherers!

gathering of days

2011-07-13T14:18:00.000-05:00

stones in a pile:

the light coming through the birch trees
standing like soldiers

rain, rain, and more rain leaving a heart-shaped bit of fungus growing on my deck

lacy light patterns on the shady walkway

put your small stones one on top of the other and see what they say to you

ABC Wednesday zips along

2011-07-12T17:28:00.000-05:00

If you have men who will exclude any of God's

creatures from the shelter of compassion and pity, you will have men who will deal likewise with their fellow men.

St. Francis of Assisi

Z is for zinnia. The National Garden Bureau has chosen Zinnias as their Flower of the Year. Visit their site for 53 colorful views of different zinnia varieties.On a local level I planted these to attract butterflies or hummingbirds.
Z also marks the end of the alphabet for Mrs Nesbitt's ABC Wednesday. To every alphabet the end must come.

2011-07-11T07:09:00.001-05:00

weekend stones in my pocket

the moment I caught sight of the first gloriously blue morning glory to bloom

and
the lovely black obelisk for this plant to wind itself around, given to me by a neighbor on the move who had no room to grow things anymore, finding a sunny spot on my 'new' deck

today's smooth stone
the memory of our recent trip to Winnipeg, seeing our friends' car a block away from our hotel, their arms waving out of the windows, and honking their horn in greeting

A scene from the St. Paul farmers market where horses are clopping relays from distant parking lots to the market proper. I never know quite how to feel when I see horses in the city on pavement, in the heat. The market was colorful with rhubarb, radishes, annuals and brown eggs. And red abounds the town.

See more red at Mary's meme, Ruby Tuesday.

Saturday stone

2011-07-09T13:50:00.000-05:00

Love your self's self where it lives.
Anne Sexton

Though it sounds a bit Hallmark-y something has taken up residence in my heart that feels a bit like self-acceptance. I think I am essentially the same person I've always been, in spite of a mounting stack of calendar pages.
As I toss this stone across the river, I wonder where it will settle?

small stones and skywatching

2011-07-07T13:29:00.001-05:00

This awesome view was taken from the motorcycle as we were heading home along the Mississippi. The sunset seemed to have a Gypsy's life of its own behind us which I tried to capture in spite of our speed. More captures @ Skywatch Friday.

Listening to the Brubeck Quartet today playing Take Five for possibly the hundredth time I relived the 1960's in just under five minutes. A perfectly smooth small stone skipping across the river.

word-less Wednesday and one small stone

2011-07-06T11:31:00.000-05:00

Jerry Van Amerongen

throwing a small stone in the river today

The lumbering Great Blue Heron flying along next to my car and then above so I could see his curved neck and feet neatly folded. Slow and deliberate with breakfast on his mind.

Y is for Yarrow--a mensch & yarrow--a flower

2011-07-05T15:45:00.004-05:00

The yarrow is growing wild now along the path around the lake where I walk. Its delicate white flowers are my small stone for today. Hundreds of tiny white stars twinkle on each plant.

'We're part of a long train ride...'

Yarrow is also Peter Yarrow of Peter Paul & Mary, now and then. Who doesn't have a memory of this group if you've alive for at least 40 years? The trio has sung and marched for freedom, peace and understanding, not afraid to speak out against war and civil rights.

Peter wrote Puff the Magic Dragon, among many others. Since Mary Travers passed in 2009, Paul & Peter continue to make music. Visit my post here about the day Mary died and how I knew.

'As we Jews say, `let him be a mensch first; everything else will work out.' Peter Yarrow

See more Y's @ ABC Wednesday.

answer thee me

2011-07-04T15:37:00.001-05:00

These summer flowers were blooming in the flowerboxes of my Winnipeg friends' downtown loft. The geraniums she planted were supposed to be bright red but came out the pink and salmon you see here. A metaphor for life perhaps? See more red or sem-reds at Mary's meme.

Answer July—
Where is the Bee—
Where is the Blush—
Where is the Hay?

Ah, said July—
Where is the Seed—
Where is the Bud—
Where is the May—
Answer Thee—Me—

Emily Dickinson, Answer July

2011-07-04T15:00:00.000-05:00

one small stone: a rainbow as the sun goes down after a storm at dusk

one small stone and a one small bun

2011-07-03T09:34:00.000-05:00

First note the two inch high ears--the small stone I'm tossing in the river today. Amazing.
Along a walk to Caribou Coffee I saw this new rabbit foraging in a vacant lot. Needless to say I almost missed him because he was so one with his surroundings. And don't think I didn't envy his/her lunch of dandelion greens too!

Happy weekend my bloggy friends! Keep watching and listening.

two small stones in one July day

2011-07-02T06:37:00.001-05:00

July 1st small stone: the small, gray frog I mistook for a chunk of broken cement in my flower pot.

July 2nd small stone: watching the 4 newly fledged house finches with their tentative and comical new wings. I can't forget the 4th baby I accidentally scared out of the nest when the others had already left. Its not nice to laugh at other klutzes.

Gather more stones here.

Just play. Have fun. Enjoy the game.

2011-06-30T13:46:00.000-05:00

Thank you, Michael Jordan. My sentiments exactly. On our motorcycle trip to Canada last weekend, I had a lot of time on my hands, time I spent thinking and watching the gorgeous summer skies around me. The clouds were especially playful.

So, what you have to do is match the words to the cloud formation: poodle, prowling cat, seahorse and pyramids. It'll be fun, I promise!

For more fun skies, visit Skywatch Friday here.

word-less Wednesday

2011-06-29T07:17:00.002-05:00

OK, when I say flax, you say phlox

2011-06-28T20:43:00.000-05:00

Have you noticed that all the difficult letters are stuck on the end of the alphabet? Is it a coincidence? Because of that mystery, I am taking the liberty of posting photos for ABC Wednesday's letter du jour, X with words that only have an x in them. Blue flax above, tiny & dear and lavender creeping phlox below along with the odd and engaging Prairie Smoke. Of course, these were both captured in my neighbors' yards, with the admonition 'Don't step on anything.'

In the book of life, the answers aren't in the back. ~Charlie Brown

cel-e-brate

2011-06-27T15:15:00.000-05:00

I give you red from northern Minnesota in anticipation of another snow filled winter [something I am loathe to think about.] These vehicles advertise for a company called Mattracks in Karlstad that manufactures rubber track conversion kits.

From the ~~silly~~ clever to the reds in the summer annuals on my deck. Above are the little, sliver-y blooms on a Nectarine Sage plant on the left, and below a cherry -red geranium decked out for the Fourth of July to come.

Have fun visiting Mary's meme for more reds.

2011-06-23T15:51:00.002-05:00

If you want to build a ship, don't drum up the men to gather wood, divide the work and give orders. Instead, teach them to yearn for the

vast and endless sea.

Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

A cloudy day on White Bear Lake doesn't stand in the way of fishing. And the weather vane atop a gazebo roofed boathouse points to good sailing ahead. See more skies, some might actually be blue, here.

Tomorrow we head out on two wheels to Winnipeg to visit old and dear friends. Stay tuned as I'm sure to have some pics of South Dakotan and Canadian skies to share next week.

Happy summer weekend, all!

windows: the daydreamer's tools of the trade

2011-06-21T17:40:00.001-05:00

examples of sublime windows in Chicago and D.C.

looking out the window at the Laura Ingalls Wilder Museum in Walnut Grove, Minnesota

So they all went away from the little log house. The shutters were over the windows, so the little house could not see them go. It stayed there inside the log fence, behind the two big oak trees that in the summertime had made green roofs for Mary and Laura to play under.
Laura Ingalls Wilder

More W fun at ABC Wednesday here.

Lazy Libra Leo

2011-06-20T20:21:00.000-05:00

Skywatch Friday from the Land of Sky Blue Waters

2011-06-16T16:10:00.000-05:00

Another photo of the highway running through the Chippewa [Ojibwa*] National Forest from a motorcycle trip a couple of weeks ago. This forest is unique because it has both a mix of northern hardwood forest between the western Minnesota prairies and northern boreal [coniferous] forest to the north and east toward Duluth and Lake Superior. And the sky is always huge here.

*The Ojibwa people call themselves Anishinabe in their own language, which means 'original person.'

Visit Skywatch Friday for more sky views.

'. . .my purse is empty. . .'

2011-06-14T17:04:00.004-05:00

Being an inveterate people watcher, I can't stop myself from a) watching and b) photographing the watchees. These three were admiring Marc Chagall's paintings in Philadelphia this spring. I liked the progression of the smaller work and short lady to larger painting and taller women, with Erica listening and viewing. So, I present you V for viewing, viewers and viewee [me]. Visit ABC Wednesday for more vees.

My name is Marc, my emotional life is sensitive

and my purse is empty,

but they say I have talent.

Marc Chagall

2011-06-13T14:53:00.001-05:00

From red to redder, tis the season of peonies. Ants are busy helping loosen the many petals in each bloom.

A sure sign of spring.

Maedchen mit Pfingstrosen [Girl With Peonies] by Alexej Von Jawlensky, 1909

Von Jawlensky was part of the early 20th century Blauer Reiter movement along with the father of Expressionism, Wasilly Kandinsky, August Macke, Lionel Feininger, Albert Bloch and my favorite, Franz Marc, among others.

family resemblance

2011-06-11T13:46:00.000-05:00

Two Canada geese, like father like son, noshing along the lake. Note the exact alignment of a piece of grass on the right side of each bill. That's what is known as natural precision. . .or goofiness interrupted. See more antics @ Misty Dawn's camera critters.

that was the week that was

2011-06-09T14:11:00.000-05:00

The skies in Minnesota this week ran in extremes. These are four examples of what I mean. Thats factoring in a record breaking 103 degrees on Tuesday and 69 degrees today just for variety. Look up here.

the big blue

2011-06-07T19:55:00.031-05:00

ABC Wednesday's letter du jour is U -- for uncles. I've had many, one who played in the minor league with Joe DiMaggio, one who was a carpenter, another owned a photo shop, two were teachers but my favorite would have to be Uncle Willis, who raised me.
Once upon a time. . .

He had followed Blood and Guts George Patton’s Third Army across Europe and helped clean out enemy concentration camps after the war, but I’ve always thought that Uncle Willis mustered the most courage to drive down our street that day in June, 1963. I saw something blue protruding from the trunk of his car.

Uncle Willis, along with my grandmother, had raised me in a small Idaho town after my mother, his sister, had come home with a new baby in her arms. A separate act of courage, that, because my grandmother had detested the man my mother had to marry. Grandma threatened to disown her daughter if she did marry him. I was born eight months later into a cheerless two-room apartment that smelled of alcohol and abuse. Soon after my birth my mother left my dad, moving back home, a move that probably saved my life as well as hers. Grandma accepted her prodigal daughter back into her home, but my mother eventually moved back with my dad. She promised to come back for me soon. Soon turned into five years, long enough for me to give my heart to the unlikely couple the elderly lady and her adult son.

   When I turned six, I was legally removed from Grandma’s home and sent to live in another town with my parents. My new life began in a 1950’s housing development and first grade at St. Anthony’s School. My mother worked every day, leaving me with my father, who didn’t hold a job. He in turn would farm me out to relatives who could use some help with their ironing or babysitting after school, all sandwiched between physical abuse by my father.
I grew more sullen, lonely for my grandmother and frightened of my father’s belt.   A girls’ blue Schwinn bicycle invaded my daydreams and sprouting wings, flying over the housetops of my neighborhood filled my dreams at night.   I would have settled for a used bike and it didn’t have to be blue, although that was my favorite color.
           Grandma and Uncle Willis made bittersweet visits to my parents’ home in the ensuing years. They couldn’t have felt welcome there but they wouldn’t stay away.    Grandma died when I was in junior high school. I saw less and less of Uncle Willis as he dealt with his grief and moved on into his middle age. During his infrequent visits to our home I would catch him looking at me out of the corner of his eye, sometimes winking at me. He saw the face of a child he had called Noni who had grown up with violence. Many times I saw him shake his head, perhaps from feelings of helplessness and anger. Through those years I know he saw the light go out from my eyes as the abuse extracted its dues from my life. My memories kept me connected to him.
          I never asked Uncle Willis to buy me a bike.   I still dreamt of flying away from my situation but by 8^th grade had given up leaving on a bicycle. What gave him the courage to buy the used blue bicycle he brought to me that day, facing my parents’ disapproval? When had he made the decision? Did it cost him a lot of money? Did I adequately thank him as he lifted it from his trunk that day? Tying my transistor radio to the handlebars, after a few shaky tries, I took off down the dusty road in front of my house. I remember looking back over my shoulder and waving to Uncle Willis.
                                                            I had sprouted wings.

sweet home Minnesota

2011-06-06T17:09:00.006-05:00

We took our first long motorcycle ride of the season this weekend thanks to a break in the rain. Heading north by northwest as far as Detroit Lakes through the Chippewa Natl. Forest we rode for over 500 miles under bright blue skies and puffy clouds across newborn farmland.

Many small farming communities dotted the map, with populations ranging from 50 to 500 residents. In the town of Wadena, in Wadena County, we drove past this deserted drive in theatre. All that remained was this sign for the Wadena Drive In, the projection/snack building and weeds.

The sun was setting behind us and I could catch the rosy red reflections on the back of Dave's helmet. I took this on the move but you get the idea. Also, you can see more reds here @ Ruby Tuesday.

Noni