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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
I didn't have my glasses on.... 