good harbor grill
good help wanted
—
‘whatever you are, be a good one.’
-william makepeace thackeray
—
glen arbor, michigan, usa, October 20
Oct12
Author Archives: beth
Oct11
rain on the lake.
up north
not quite so far
lower peninsula
the weather changes its mood
deciding to rain on the lake
—
‘for after all, the best thing one can do when it is raining is to let it rain.’
—
glen lake, empire, Michigan, usa, October 2025
Oct10
‘creativity takes courage.’ – henri matisse
a colorful marble orb spider, not unlike this one, came down on its web
(and not on anyone’s hand, the spider above is a model/actor)
appearing as we were having a glass of wine outside before dinner
it lowered itself down checking us out
with excited and mixed reviews from the group
not long after
we moved inside
while some of us
were in the kitchen finishing up dinner preparation
the rest of us were left to our own devices
in the living room
with more beverages
and a tray of appetizers
i thought it would be a great idea
to fashion
a marbled orb spider hanging from its web
out of leftover pieces from the tray
everyone pitched in
when it was finished
it seemed a challenge
to decide which was more lovely
the outside real spider
or
the inside interpretive spider
art and beauty
are very personal choices
as we all know
—
‘life is like art. it’s all interpretive.’
-robert holden
‘
Oct9
I’m with the banned.
read.
don’t stop reading
read every book
in spite of banned books week
read every week.
—
‘write what should not be forgotten.’
-Isabel Allende, Chilean-American author
Interesting note:
“When the Viennese government compiled a Catalogue of Forbidden Books in 1765, so many Austrians used it as a reading guide that the Hapsburg censors were forced to include the Catalogue itself as a forbidden book.”
―
—
art credit: Alicia Martin, Spain-based artist’s sculptural installation at Casa de America, Madrid
Oct8
it’s official.
yep.
my shirt has arrived
i am now officially part of the team
must be all the research
i did on my recent visit to the UP
the team knows i’m all in.
—
‘if we knew what it was we were doing, it would not be called research, would it?’
-albert einstein
Oct7
her place.
she had found her place at long last
confirmed by the thumbs up
(happened upon in the streets of Ann Arbor)
—
‘she could not then know that, even for the squarest peg,
the right hole may ultimately be found’
Oct6
‘it is what we know already that often prevents us from learning.’- claude bernard
i’m always fascinated
by how we continue to learn new things every day
it’s a part of what keeps life so interesting in my opinion
while all of us know people
who believe they already ‘know it all’
I learned a long time ago it’s just not true
I also learned that for all of the many things I learn
there are also things that I forget
so hopefully I learn more than I forget
should I just call it even then?
or odd?
—
“if we remembered everything,
we should on most occasions be as ill off as if we remembered nothing”
-Aaron S. Benjamin, Successful Remembering and Successful Forgetting
—
image credit: Harvard Medical School, Daydreaming Brain
Oct5
if you sell it, they will sleep.
‘for sale – text ‘bed’
—
when out walking
I came across this unusual setup
a bed for sale under an open tent
in someone’s yard
an outdoor showroom of sorts
makes it easy to see
no potential customers
have to trod through your house
maybe a winning strategy
hopefully no sideways rain
or sleet or snow
fingers crossed
this will be
a quick sale
a perfect fit
just what someone is looking for
will they want to sleep out there one night?
see if it is comfortable?
will they want to jump on it?
—
‘we are not saving lives.we are selling dreams.’
-marco bizzarri
*Marco Bizzarri is an Italian businessman, and was president and CEO of Gucci 2015 – 2023. He previously was president and CEO of Stella McCartney and Bottega Veneta.
Oct4
we have the choice.
in honor of the passing of Jane Goodall and National Poetry Day
—
stand on the bridge
hem of heaven
holding beauty, awe, reverence, wonder
daily decisions to engage, bother, contribute, care, participate, listen, be alive
actions more than words but they both count, add up or diminish
be kind, offer a smile, a warm embrace, enthusiasm, delight, empathy, connection
gift of life
open daily.
“we have the choice to use the gift of our life to make the world a better place
-or not to bother”
-Jane Goodall
—
gallup park, ann arbor, michigan, usa – october
Oct3
U.P.
my first trip ever to the upper peninsula of michigan
having lived in the lower peninsula since a young age
unsure what to expect
but excited to see what was waiting
did things I’ve never done
hiked farther than ever before
through fairy woods
beautiful landscapes
camped in close quarters and in more natural settings
discovered the wonder of trees that somehow grew through rock
visited parts of the same waters, rough and calm
both beautiful
new places, people, wonders, the northern lights
loons swimming, eagles flying, pasties to eat, rocks and rocks and rocks
islands, Great Lakes, rivers, water and more water
discovering and learning things every day
my two new favorite phrases;
‘town is a strong word.”
and
“it’s the same, but different.”
which I will now use forever.
my travel partners and I
learned more about each other
even though we’ve known each other for years
we supported and encouraged each other
each with a different style and level of experience
(‘m more of a walker and quirky motel fan
than I am a camper/hiker)
but we did some of each and it was a great mix
we had some really great talks
some deep, some just nuts and deeply funny
I love it up there.
the Mackinac Bridge taking us back to the Lower Peninsula
—
‘once you have traveled, the voyage never ends,
but is played out over and over again in the quietest chambers.
the mind can never break off from the journey.’
-pat conroy
—
upper peninsula, michigan, usa – September 2025
I didn't have my glasses on.... 