lollipops, necklace, menu, glasses, application, hat, baby doll
all in one little corner
tiny bits of life
come and go
left behind
still waiting
still life?
—
‘… life, by definition, is never still.’
-kurt vonnegut
—
leo’s, ann arbor, mi, usa – late summer 2026
baby ballerinas wait backstage for their moment in the sun
emotions are mixed
at last
in the spotlight
shining bright
one tiny dancer goes rogue
decides to solo
sure sign
she is of my clan
love her even more for that.
(here’s to you, grandie B)
—
‘dancing is just discovery, discovery, discovery.’
~ martha graham
founding fathers working on yet another rewrite
—
relaxing into having my hair cut
on a busy, bright morning
sudden burst of excitement behind me
founding father hair!
founding father hair!
founding father hair!
a stylist and her client
up and laughing
looking in the mirrors
taking pictures
happy and excited
after having
her very full head of hair
put into
many many rollers
taking them all out
it had
morphed into
roll after roll of hair
an unusual style
i’ve seen
somewhere before
have to admit
her hair
reminded me of
some of our early countrymen
great way to start the day
happy nod to our forefathers
some of the original influencers.
—
‘“i have heard, indeed, that my predecessor (President Adams)
sometimes decided things against his council by dashing and trampling his wig on the floor.”
-Thomas Jefferson, 3rd US President (in a letter to William Short, 1807)
—
image credits: google images
2 paintings by the same artist, painted 11 years apart.
Top: The Sun Sets Sail, 2001
Bottom: Toward the Horizon, 2012
Artist: Rob Gonsalves, acrylic on canvas
—
Toward the Horizon, 2012, revisits the earlier concept from The Sun Sets Sail, but shifts the setting from a daytime aqueduct and sunset to a cooler, modern, moonlit roadway.
From one perspective, the arches and pillars of a moonlit highway bridge carry a car forward. From the opposite visual interpretation, those exact architectural shapes become the hulls and white sails of ships cutting through the water.
Gonsalves stated that the wonder of life depends on one’s point of view. His paintings suggest that magic is an essential truth of our environment, hidden just beneath the surface of ordinary things.
—
‘art is the perpetual motion of illusion. the highest purpose of art is to inspire.’
-bob dylan
We’ll offer free trinkets and books that bring meld nostalgia with adult interests! We’ll have games and crafts set up for a fun time together!
For adults, 18 and over
Bob Lucas Memorial Library & Literacy Center
bus-ku
great big yellow bus
new shoes bouncing kids drivers
joy tears school’s coming
—
‘you can find poetry in your everyday life, your memory, in what people say on the bus, in the news, or just what’s in your heart.’
-carol ann duffy
walking the neighborhood
totem stands
waiting to be discovered
neighbor’s yard
an artist
who often
has something
to say
with his work
the details here
lightning bolt at the top
red fish
dragonfly
compass rose
238 miles to manistee
in the upper peninsula
how do they connect
what is the message
art puzzle
feels to me like
an ode to our state
michigan.
—
‘you must be absolutely honest and true in the depicting of a totem for meaning
is attached to every line. you must be most particular about detail and proportion.’
-emily carr
*Emily Carr (1871 –1945) was a Canadian artist who was inspired by the monumental art and villages of the First Nations and the landscapes of British Columbia. She was a vivid writer and chronicler of life in her surroundings, praised for her “complete candor” and “strong prose”. ‘Klee Wick’ her first book, published in 1941, won the Governor General’s Literary Award for non-fiction and this book and her other writings are still much in demand today.
stopping to ‘fuel up’
with my six-pack of grandies
on our road trip to the north.
—
“never go on trips with anyone you do not love.”
-ernest hemingway
—
a road food break above, posted ten years ago, 2016
chilling out at the pool, below
now all are in high school/college
to all the grandparents on grandparents’ day
it’s such a great adventure
after a day of remembering and honoring
those who were
lost, helped, survived, changed forever
a calming evening walk in the park
brought soft pastel skies
trees full of life
if you look very closely
you’ll see
a survival flight helicopter
where every minute matters
on it’s way
to rescue
move someone
pick up or deliver something
that will save a life
when i hear one or see one
in the sky above me
i know they literally
hold lives in their hands
the weight of this
heavy
yet fragile
hope is in the air.
—
‘part of my life is saving life.’
-dith pran
*Dith Pran (1942-2008) was a Cambodian-American photojournalist for the New York Times. He was a refugee and survivor of the Cambodian genocide and one of the subjects of the Academy Award – winning film ‘The Killing Fields,’ in which he was portrayed by Haing S. Ngor, a fellow survivor.
*Frederick Buechner (1926-2022) was an American writer and theologian. The author of thirty-nine published books, he has been and continues to be an important source of inspiration and learning for many readers, writers, preachers, and theologians. His work encompasses multiple genres, including fiction, autobiography, essays, sermons, and other nonfiction. Buechner’s books have been translated into twenty-seven languages for publication around the world.
—
beckley park, ann arbor, michigan, usa – late summer 2026
I didn't have my glasses on.... 