Author Archives: beth

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About beth

Ann Arbor-ite writes about enjoying life with all of its ironies and surprises.

sporktacular!!

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got these for my grandies

soon to set off for a camping trip 

on manitou island

where they’ll have only whatever they can carry in

this utensil will help to take care of at least 4 things

knife, fork, spoon, and ?

 

“every contrivance of man, every tool, every instrument, every utensil, every article 

designed for use, of each and every kind, evolved from very simple beginnings.”

-robert collier

lottery.

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i stopped to fill up with gas

and grab a cup of coffee

when heading out of town

and home once more.

as i paid and told

the very happy and chatty clerk

to have a good day

he glanced across the street

at the beautiful view he sees each day

and thanked me for reminding him

because every day was good

and especially today

because today was the day

that he was going to win the lottery

but somehow i thought that he already had.

“i count myself lucky,

having long ago won a lottery paid to me 

in seven sunrises a week for life.”

~robert brault

grape and grain.

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whiling away the day

at the casual and welcoming

houses of grape and grain

“come, gentlemen, i hope we shall drink down all unkindness.” 

-william shakespeare, the merry wives of windsor

 

 

 leelanau peninsula, michigan, usa – summer 2018 

where hobbies, hijinks, and capers go bad = my childhood #5

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while many kids of my era ate glue, paste, chalk, and crayons

i was busy with my own unusual eating habits

because we played outside for hours and hours

in the fields and open spaces of our neighborhood

most every day

i supplemented by ‘indoor diet’

with my own outdoor natural food diet

often consisting of:

pulp from a freshly fallen tree stump

rich, black, loamy soil

and baby ants.

not sure why i was drawn to each of these things

or why or how i stayed healthy

must have been all of the snow i ate in the winter months

but i’ve learned not to eat baby ants

and i’ve since moved on to chocolate, pasta, and flamin’ hot cheetos

 apparently i was one of the original clean eaters

quite by accident.

 

 

“eat food. not too much. mostly plants.”

-michael pollan -‘in defense of food: an eater’s manifesto’

 

light.

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relaxation –

the process of an electron releasing a photon of light (energy)

and falling back down to a lower energy level. 

 

 

 

on traverse bay, michigan, usa – summer 2018

calm in the storm.

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windows open

to the breezy rain

 stormy waters rolling onto shore

and i’m soon to be 

sleeping by a dock in the bay. 

 

“water is the driving force of all nature.”

-leonardo da vinci

 

 

traverse bay, traverse city, michigan, usa – summer 2018

 

facts.

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joyful young scientist

teaching and demonstrating

for even younger scientists

ends his hands-on physics and chemistry lessons

with a show-stopper

a fog-shooting cannon

crafted from a garbage can

and the crowd realizes how much they love science

and simply cannot get enough. 

“facts are to the mind what food is to the body.”

-edmund burke

 

 

 

ann arbor public library, pittsfield branch

energy.

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some whiz around at the art fair

buzzing amidst lots of creative energy.

some wind down in a hammock

amidst the shady trees

zapped and looking to recharge.

 

“we should all relax about life

because you don’t have a clue as to what’s really going on.”

-barry sonnenfeld (american cinematographer)

 

 

university of michigan diag, ann arbor, michigan, usa

uphill.

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ann arbor art fair is coming today.

bring it!

“it is easier to go down a hill than up, but the view is from the top.”

-arnold bennett

 

photo credit: ann arbor/scio hill- 1980s,*eck stanger-ann arbor news, aadl archives, ann arbor townies

*Eck Stanger, chief photographer for the Ann Arbor News for 40 years, landed the job because he was the only News employee able to read the German instructions for his secondhand Speed Graphic camera. Or so the legend goes. Over the course of his four decades as photographer – and the News’ sole photographer during its first 12 years–“one-shot Stanger,” as he came to be known–captured famous statesmen, princes, and presidents, as well as eminent artists, musicians, scientists, and athletes. But he spent most of his time capturing everyday Ann Arborites with skill and a keen eye.

summer’s quiet.

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came upon this peaceful man 

sleepy with quiet thoughts

on a quiet noon

spent in bandamer park

ann arbor, mi. usa

 

“summer quiet thoughts on summer quiet noons.” 

-ray bradbury, now and forever