a front door, a message, and a yard, in support of ukraine and the pollinators
—
one of the reasons i love walking so much
is for the surprises waiting to be discovered along the way
when walking through the neighborhood
i travel with eyes wide open
people are so creatively expressive
flower pot art
a snake in the grass
smiling and made of latex, upon closer inspection
a front yard mini vineyard
a tiny village
—
“this world is but a canvas to our imagination.”
-henry david thoreau
last night i had the great pleasure of going to my favorite theater
where one of my favorite authors, ann patchett
was appearing
while on a book tour for her latest book, “tom lake’
which happens to take place in northern michigan
a place dear to my heart.
ann is a prolific novel writer
a wordsmith of the highest order
who has a way with the human story
always using her literary magic to somehow weave her characters together
in unexpected and wonderful ways.
she was funny, smart, down to earth, and very relatable
talking about her books, writing, book banning, life,
offering support for other authors and books she knows and loves,
because she knows it can make all the difference for them,
the joys and pains of book tours
and being an independent bookstore owner
(her other avocation).
when i finally had the chance to meet her
i handed her my very used copy of ‘bel canto’
my favorite book of hers
she opened the cover, signed her name, and wrote:
‘thank you for bringing a well-loved book.’
—
“i have been accused of being a pollyanna,
but I think there are plenty of people dealing with the darker side of human nature,
and if I am going to write about people who are kind and generous and loving and thoughtful, so what?”
-ann patchett
The annual summer festival, a celebration of the Upper Peninsula’s quintessential cultural cuisine held in the Keweenaw Peninsula village of Calumet, Michigan, is hosting a Pasty Olympics on Aug. 19 from noon to 4 p.m. The zany new competitive event is “probably a world’s first,” according to its website
In addition to the long-running festival’s traditional bake off and pasty eating contest, this year people can vie to win “eternal pasty glory” through an array of Olympic-style competitions that add a strongman-style element to Pasty Fest, “speaking to the history and culture of pasties and the Keweenaw’s copper mining history,” organizers said.
“Expect opening and closing ceremonies and the spirit of competition to prevail!” said Leah Polzien, Main Street Calumet executive director.
One of the new events, the Pasty Relay, involves teams racing to craft a giant pasty — using pool noodles for rolling pins and mops to apply egg wash — with awards for fastest time, most appetizing and best team costumes.
Meanwhile, contestants in the new Pasty Pull are challenged to “harness pure pasty power” in an attempt to pull a truck as fast as possible down a 100-foot track along one of Calumet’s historic streets.
A new Pasty Fest Art Prize competition, featuring two dozen pasty-themed works of art, is already underway. The art includes pasties immortalized in paintings, mixed media, crochet, and even a tiny copper pasty sculpture. Anyone can view the art in the online virtual gallery and vote for their favorites through August 18.
—
“the pasty is the yooper burrito of the upper peninsula.”
-daily mining gazette (said by a naval recruiter in the u..p. in the early 90s)
—
ann arbor pride fest 2023
—
so happy to live in a city that takes pride in all people and celebrates everyone.
—
“festivals promote diversity, they bring neighbors into dialogue, they increase creativity,
they offer opportunities for civic pride, they improve our general psychological well-being.
in short, they make cities better places to live.”
-david binder
not my actual grandson or car, but similar, especially if you didn’t have your glasses on
—
my eldest grandchild
got his
*Level 1 Learner’s Driver’s License
this week
how is this even possible?
—
* teens with a Level 1 License may only drive with
a licensed parent, guardian or designated licensed adult age 21 or older.
(soon to be a fully licensed independent driver within a year or so)
—
“it’s kind of major, learning to drive. i feel like it kicked up other stuff in my life.”
-noah baumbach
Sanders will once again produce its famous dessert toppings after taking a pause last year because of manufacturing challenges and extremely high demand. They will start manufacturing with its famous milk chocolate and caramel fudge – the two best-selling flavors.
“We truly appreciate the love that customers in Michigan and beyond have for our products that spans the generations and has been a part of family traditions for nearly 150 years,” said Jennifer Bauer, Chief Marketing Officer for Second Nature Brands. “That is why we committed to resuming manufacturing of our toppings as soon as we could. It is because of the support born in our hometown that Sanders is the fastest-growing chocolate brand in the country.”
Sanders expects to begin re-selling the toppings at stores in mid-August and by the end of August, they will be available on the Sanders website.
Life is good, and even better very soon.
“that august time it was delight. to watch the red moons wane to white.”
-algernon charles swinburne
—
image credit: *kevin henkes, ‘kitten’s first full moon’
*one of my fav authors/illustrators of children’s books
national park of american samoa
–Got plans for today? If not, you might consider heading to a national park in honor of the three-year anniversary of the Great American Outdoors Act, a bipartisan law that helps protect, improve, and sustain our public lands, as well as Bureau of Indian Education-funded schools. The U.S. Department of Interior is waiving entrance fees for all of the federal land it manages to mark the anniversary, making Friday the perfect time to visit one of America’s national parks or wildlife refuges. Find a park near you.
—
my morning view from my hotel in san jose, costa rica at the beginning
a magnificent welcome
my morning view from my hotel-ish in the jfk airport area, new york, usa, at the end
even the boy scouts need help finding their way from time to time at jfk airport
2.5 hours in tsa security
dogs alerted to hiking shoes worn in the rain forest
they took my shoes for a while
later dropped them into a random plastic bin for me to retrieve with no explanation
planning in my head to work out an alternate flight
miracle flight delay at last minute
ran for ages and somehow made it on just in time
i’m not known for my running skills
but i was motivated
right on time
bus transfer to ann arbor
with the kindest, most positive, happiest driver i’ve ever encountered
helped an older blind woman board bus one step at a time
moved her personal things so that should could sit in a front seat
helped a very elderly man who did not speak english to secure a ticket and hook up to wi-fi
yelled out, “i’m not tryin’ to not listen to your conversation here,
but i’m overheatin’ and need to turn on the air so i may not hear you!”
apologized for now planning to be 5 minutes late to arrive in ann arbor
did not blame the delay on the people she stopped to help
got on her radio and gave us updates like an airline pilot
told us she was passing trucks, so she could go a couple of miles faster,
as per company policy, to make up the time
as we approached ann arbor
she shared that she makes it a point not to go over curbs
even with all of the city’s myriad construction detours
told us the she really is a hippie at heart and loves ann arbor
reminded me so much of the comedian, melissa mcarthy
a blond version
with her big hair clip, gloves, vest, reflector sunglasses
and best of all
an incredibly big heart and enthusiastic demeanor
born to do this job or any job with people
upon arrival in ann arbor
she told us not to worry
she would get all of our luggage our from the underbelly of the bus
did so with a smile, got right in there to grab our things, and wished us well before she headed off
a magnificent ending.
—
many thanks to all who followed me on this journey
—
“remember that happiness is a way of travel – not a destination.”
roy m. goodman
leaves in the rain
lovely homemade breakfast
pollinator hotel in the forest
fresh-picked peppercorns
cool water swimming pool at the rainforest hotel
local cat rests with la tortuga sculpture
shadow of a rainforest fern
rainforest hotel lounge
retro lighting and paneling
playing jazz standards and christmas music
the coatis and their families
often joined us for meals
a hut deep in the rainforest
offering a place for the workers to rest
a palm tree on the pacific ocean nods to the end of a day.
—
“i love to mix everything together. it’s really my way to see beauty.”
-alessandro michele
I didn't have my glasses on.... 