Category Archives: fun

destination: fun.

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when you have a barbie head on your dash

and a beachball in the back seat

it’s clear you are headed

for destination: fun.

 

“you must not ever stop being whimsical.

and you must not, ever, give anyone else the responsibility for your life.”

-mary oliver, wild geese

*yoopers.

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It took a month to make some of the incredible snow sculptures that were part of the annual Michigan Technological University Winter Carnival. Phi Kappa Tau extended its winning streak to five years with a huge rendition of Willy Wonka’s Chocolate Factory. (Photo: Daniel Staelgraeve | Michigan Technological University)
what you do in the winter (and sometimes in may),
when you go to college in the upper peninsula of michigan
* yooper – a native or inhabitant of the upper peninsula of michigan
 “i wrote, and sometimes, when i was stuck, i hit the road.
i ate pasties in the upper peninsula and hush puppies in cairo.
i did my best not to write about any place i had not been.”
– neil gaiman

“well, i didn’t vote for you.” – peasant to king arthur (monty python and the holy grail)

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an adventurous visit to the michigan renaissance festival

way back when

in days of yore

i took my daughters

to this very shire

 all of us dressed up

now my grandsons

have picked up where we left off

 as brave knights

“look, it’s my duty as a knight to sample as much peril as I can.”

– Sir Galahad (Holy Grail)

people enjoying the day

being whoever they imagine themselves to be

villagers from far and wide are all welcomed here

no matter their dress or look or form

 and what could be better than spying a kilted warrior brave enough to pick up his own hot latte?

“live every day as if it’s a festival. turn your life into a celebration.”

-shri radhe maa

down the rabbit hole.

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walking through the city

i noticed

 a lot of people

 dressed differently

than the usual weekend attire

how fun to discover

that people from all over

of all ages and stages

had come to town to be part of

an ‘alice in wonderland’ immersive experience.

also fun to imagine them crossing paths with the families

who might be nervous

dropping off their child at the uni 

visiting our city for the first time.

“what kind of city is this?!”

“this wasn’t in the brochure.”

“do you think they’ll be safe here?”

and this was only day one.

“when I used to read fairy-tales, I fancied that kind of thing never happened,

and now here I am in the middle of one!”

-lewis carroll, alice’s adventures in wonderland/through the looking-glass

apples to even more apples.

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opening day – tis the season! 

“if you never tasted a bad apple, you would not appreciate a good apple.

you have to experience life to understand life.”

-leon brown

 

 

 

image credit: mlive

dare to dance.

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on this day in 1959, hawaii officially became the 50th state

 always wanted to visit

but the closest i’ve come

is when i was young and my dad announced

he wanted to buy a little radio station in kauai

i quickly got ahold of a hawaiian dictionary

 forced/encouraged the family to learn the alphabet during dinner

only to discover it was just a fantasy job wish for him

years later, as an adult

i took hula lessons with close friends

we were not good at it

got into the spirit of the dance

did not get asked to perform in hawaii

but we had a a blast

you never know

where and when this skill will come in handy

plus, it’s impressive on a resume

 i’ve yet to make it to hawaii

 only a matter of time

third time’s the charm

aloha!

“dare to dance, leave shame at home.”

(A’a i ka hula, waiho i ka maka’u i ka hale)

-hawaiian saying

 

 

art credit: vintage hawaiian poster

belt.

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while at the airport waiting for a flight to arrive

 the voice of a cheerful tsa agent came on the intercom:

” attention, attention, all in the terminal!

if you are walking around

with your pants falling down around your knees

come back and see us at the tsa checkpoint,

we have your belt right where you left it!

 i figured this guy

 working a double shift this weekend

 dealing with a lot of unhappy, delayed, and cancelled customers

has a boss who’s putting out fires

or off for the log off the long holiday

 just wants to have fun and make the best of things

bravo.

“my belt holds my pants up, but the belt loops hold my belt up.

i don’t really know what’s happening down there.

who is the real hero?”

-mitch hedberg

hangin’ tough.

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unexpected fun
when my friend won tickets
  to a new kids on the block concert
‘the mixtape tour”
with other ‘retro’ bands of that era
salt-n-pepa, rick astley, and en vogue
bands i haven’t seen or heard
since i took my daughter and her friend
30ish years ago
not my dream music but great to be 
in the midst of a  really happy crowd who still loved them
and who knew i’d spend my friday night dancing with nkotb?
“keep calm and hang tough.”
-new kids on the block

run amok.

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dirty damsels – 2022 mud run

(i’m the muddy one in the pink, or the 2nd from left if easier)

we ran, climbed, crawled, carried weight, went over, went under, stayed the course, used ropes, tripped,

slipped, offered hands, got stuck in mud, slid underwater, crab walked, balanced, fell down, finished as a team

all with my daughter, granddaughter, and group of friends

not afraid of the mud

certainly challenging, but so fun.

“we sit in the mud… and reach for the stars”

-ivan turgenev

different.

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 this building

recently sold

interior updating work has begun

someone has a whimsical creative streak

and one of these chairs is not like the others. 

 

“creativity involves breaking out of established patterns in order to look at things in a different way.”
– edward de bon