local scarecrow goes down in the heat
and perhaps looks forward to a cooler season.
—
“if you saw a heat wave, would you wave back?”
-steven wright
Jul8
Author Archives: beth
Jul7
and then there were ten.
what began with two grandies taking a quiet spin
quickly became a magnet for all to take in.
—
“what you lose in the swings, you make up on the merry-go-round.” – george v. higgins
Jul6
angry beast.
the dinos have had it
and it looks like
they’ve organized
as seen in
this garden in town.
—
“climate is an angry beast
and we are poking at it with sticks.”
– wallace smith broecker – columbia university
—
photo credit: ann arbor townies, k. nyht
Jul5
sparkle brightly.
”blooming under a cold moon, we are like fireworks…
rising, shining, and finally scattering and fading.
so until that moment comes when we vanish like fireworks…
let us sparkle brightly, always…”
-tite kubo
Jul4
4th.
”we must be free not because we claim freedom,
but because we practice it.”
~william faulkner
–
happy 4th of july
and here’s to practicing freedom every day
—
image credit: funnyordie.com
Jul3
parks.
as i’ve been walking and exploring
the parks and outdoor recreation areas around town
i realize how many i have yet to visit
so i’ve decided to walk in each of the parks
in ann arbor
all 159+ of them
to see what is unique about each
with more than
2,000 acres of parkland
50,000 trees
a river, dams, falls, hills, ponds, gardens,
woods, meadows, prairies, and rec areas
found in spaces ranging from
tiny neighborhood green spots to wide open expanses
i see an adventure ahead
with no planned deadline or timeline
so i began the list alphabetically yesterday
and have walked 2 of them so far
only 157+ to go.
—
“parks are works of art just as a painting or sculpture is.”
-thomas hoving
—
credits: ann arbor parks and recreation
Jul2
john k. king.
john wanders through the stacks. by far, the most interesting bookstore i’ve ever spent time in
john k. king used & rare books
is a bookstore out of its time
located in detroit on 4 floors
of what used to be the advance glove company building
filled with over 1 million volumes
completely uncomputerized collections
organized into more than 900 categories
by a team of energetic and helpful staff members
each floor has a manager who is responsible
for knowledge and maintenance of the categories held there
upon entering you are handed a map and directory
you are free to wander you way through the floors
until closing time.
john began collecting and selling books as a teenager
selling them out of the trunk of his car
and he continues to this day
on my recent visit to the store
staff members said he was in his car
headed to cincinnati to acquire a new collection
every time they sell a few books, he takes on more
he’s now purchased the old otis elevator building
behind the store to use as
an annex for his art and rare book collections
this is a store and experience not to be missed.
“i thought i’d go to a bookstore and see what moved me.”
-erik larson
—
credits: john r. king books
Jul1
magical writing.
peaches: “your writing is beautiful. may i read it?”
grandie v: “it’s written in magic fairy language, peaches, so i’ll have to read it to you. it says: fairies, mermaids, and unicorns are magical.”
peaches: “we’re both so lucky that you know magic fairy language.”
—
”if i fall asleep with a pen in my hand, don’t remove it
— i might be writing in my dreams.
-terri guillemetsqe
Jun30
mayor.
chris taylor atop a bit of art at ann arbor’s top of the park festival
—
i had a pleasant surprise
when i opened my front door
and standing there was
my mayor, chris taylor
he was walking around the neighborhoods
talking to people
about the upcoming primary election
we talked for a bit
and i thanked him
for all he’s done
and continues to do
for ann arbor
when he left
and i closed the door
i thought that this is how politicians should be
just walking around talking to people in their neighborhoods.
—
“the true privilege of being mayor
is that I have the opportunity to be everyone’s neighbor.”
-thomas menino
Jun29
mud or stars?
“two men look out the same prison bars; one sees mud and the other stars.”
-beck
—
in honor of international mud day
—
image credit:Winter Window, pastel, 8″ x 8″, 2002 © B.E. Kazmarski
I didn't have my glasses on.... 