i wonder
how many things
this chair
has been
to the people
who spent time in it
a comfort
a fort
a refuge
a tower
a snack bar
a hiding place
a favorite choice
a sick bed
a vantage point
an escape
a place to rest
a playscape
held together by tape and hope
so many stories to tell
now the chair sits silently
who knows what’s next?
—
“bring out….. the comfy chair!!!”
-graham chapman, Monty Python’s Flying Circus, The Spanish Inquisition
Midsummer or Estival Solstice is the 1st day of summer when the sun reaches the highest point in the sky.
The term solstice is derived from the Latin words Sol (sun) and Sistere (to stand still) because the sun’s position at noon does not appear to change much during the solstice and the surrounding days, unlike at other times where the Earth’s tilt causes the sun’s path to rise and fall from one day to the next.
—
“this is the solstice,
the still point of the sun, its cusp and midnight,
the year’s threshold and unlocking,
where the past lets go of and becomes the future;
the place of caught breath, the door of a vanished house left ajar…”
― margaret atwood
*refugee rescue, painting by stephen burgess, winner of the 2017 ms amlin world art vote
Every minute 20 people leave everything behind to escape war, persecution, or terror. World Refugee Day is an international day designated by the United Nations to honor refugees around the globe. It falls each year on June 20th and celebrates the strength and courage of people who have been forced to flee their home country to escape conflict or persecution. World Refugee Day is an occasion to build empathy and understanding for their plight and to recognize their resilience in rebuilding their lives.
—
“refugees are mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers, children, with the same hopes and ambitions as us—
except that a twist of fate has bound their lives to a global refugee crisis on an unprecedented scale.”
—
* Stephen Burgess, a driving instructor from Buckinghamshire in the UK, won the 2017 MS Amlin World Art Vote organized by National Open Art, for his stunning painting of Libyan refugees being rescued at sea.
Burgess was inspired to create his picture, Refugee Rescue, after watching a TV documentary about refugees crossing the Mediterranean to try and reach Europe.
His painting is based on an image taken by a photographer on board an Italian Navy helicopter and vividly captures the moment hundreds of Libyan refugees were rescued at sea.
—
source credits: united nations, separatedchild.org, evening standard
fun day with colleagues in detroit
starting on the detroit river
visiting the only mailboat in the world with its own zip code
still waiting for someone to claim this bag
then off to the detroit river fire boat
and one of the oldest fire stations in the city
sculpture in riverside park
featuring steel from the old joe louis arena
made my detroit’s nordin brothers
and on to detroit’s central station
brought back to life
and lovingly restored
by ford motor company
soon to be their new world headquarters
so many people in the city, working hard
keeping it running and building it back
—
“i think detroit is where muscle meets brains.”
-*dan gilbert
—
*Dan Gilbert is an American billionaire, Detroit businessman, and philanthropist. He is the co-founder and majority owner of Rocket Mortgage, founder of Rock Ventures, and owner of the National Basketball Association’s Cleveland Cavaliers. Dan Gilbert cofounded what would become Quicken Loans, the largest mortgage lender in the U.S., in 1985 at 22 years old. He and his companies have invested $5.6 billion to purchase and rehab a swath of buildings in downtown Detroit, with a plan to create 24,000 jobs.
i spot the sun.
—
“easy to spot a yellow car when you are always thinking of a yellow car.
easy to spot an opportunity when you are always thinking of opportunities.
easy to spot reasons to be mad when you are always thinking of being mad.
you become what you constantly think about. watch yourself.”
—
poetry credit: unknown at poetry matters
what a lovely experience – attending a taping of singer-songwriter Devon Gilfillian performing at *The Leon Loft, featuring soulful songs from his new album Love You Anyway , a bit of Marvin Gaye, and some of his other favorite originals, all while chatting with local radio’s Rob Reinhart in between songs. a portion of the session aired live on ann arbor’s 107one and will air later, in its entirety, on Rob’s Acoustic Café show. this was an intimate setting, 75 seats, perfect acoustics, all close to the stage, tickets won on-air or by invite only, an eclectic mix of music lovers. meeting up outside, then moving in to share this space and time on a weekday afternoon.
—
“art is how we decorate space; music is how we decorate time.”
-jean-michel basquiat
—
*At Leon, we mix art with audio, design with technology, and business with bohemia. We’re a group of artists, designers, engineers, and craftsmen who are dedicated to producing the finest quality bench made American audio. For over 20 years, we’ve been meticulously handcrafting a full palette of custom speakers and technology concealment solutions that bring sound + style to any space. Leon products are available world-wide, exclusively at high-end audio/video retailers. And because music is our first love, we have a dedicated performance space, the Leon Loft, at our headquarters in Ann Arbor, Michigan. In this intimate, live performance venue, we’ve had the privilege of welcoming some of today’s biggest recording artists for a live recording of Acoustic Cafe with Rob Reinhart. For more information about the Leon Loft, visit leonloft.com
a sure sign –
a bike hurriedly tossed on its side
no doubt someone excited to play
if i had to guess
i’d say there is a child on summer vacation
somewhere nearby.
—
“youth comes but once in a lifetime.”
-henry wadsworth longfellow
a lot to celebrate
in recent days
kicking off the city’s summer festival season with a funk band
elementary school moving up ceremonies
baseball game for a birthday
wedding shower lunch
high school graduation party
happy to be a part of it all.
“the greatness of a culture can be found in its festivals.”
-siddharth katragadda
After their LGBTQ pride flag was stolen twice in recent weeks, a pair of Ann Arbor churches are responding the only way they know how — giving away more flags.
St Aidan’s Episcopal Church and Northside Presbyterian Church, which share a building in Ann Arbor, are launching a “Need A Flag, Take A Flag” event today. The event will feature 300 LGBTQ pride flags and allow anyone in need of a flag to take home their own handheld versions.
Although the event is in part a Pride Month celebration, the inspiration for it comes from the theft of the churches’ own flags. On April 3, church leadership received an email saying someone had removed the flag and thrown it into the bushes. On June 1, the churches reported the replaced flag had been stolen completely.
“I still haven’t found it,” said the Rev. Thomas Ferguson, vicar at St. Aidan’s Episcopal Church. The Rev. Jenny Saperstein, pastor at Northside Presbyterian Church, told Ferguson, somewhat tongue-in-cheek, that whoever took it must have needed a flag. “She said, let’s answer this with something positive,” Ferguson said.
The churches, which often partner on social justice issues, will have 300 flags available and plan to order more if they run out. Launching the event on a Sunday allows the entire congregation to get involved with the advocacy, Saperstein said. “It’s really this church community that stands for that,” Saperstein said. “Not just the pastors.”
Hearing affirming messaging from churches is especially important for marginalized communities. “We’ll hope to change hearts and minds with love,” Ferguson said. “We’re not going away, and we’re not changing our stance here with the oppressed.”
—
Donde termina el arco iris,
en tu alma o en el horizonte?
Where does the rainbow end,
in your soul or on the horizon?
― Pablo Neruda, The Book of Questions
—
source credit: jordyn pair, mlive, ann arbor news
when i went to have my fingerprints redone
as part of a routine teacher employment screening
that happens every few years
i wasn’t really prepared
for the fingerprint tech
with her no-nonsense voice
barking out my name from a backroom
where i was waiting with a random group of people,
“BETH!”
walking in
she began talking at me
through her plastic protection shield
telling me to relax
big, scary nails
shaking out my hands
i tried to connect with a bit of small talk
telling me not to tell her anything
not printed on my paperwork
or i’d have to start the process all over again
beginning with making a new appointment
telling me not to ask her to repeat anything
just do what i was told
“are you hearing what i’m telling you?”
“kind of..”
from that point on
she spoke at me using an even louder voice
former military/law enforcement/bad prison experience?
was i going to have to drop and do 100 push-ups?
i feel like she has a story..
almost felt like it was a hazing
or a police sting operation
did they know about my parking ticket from way back in grad school
that may have gone unpaid
when i was hoping for amnesty?
—
“values are like fingerprints. nobody’s are the same, but you leave ’em all over everything you do.”
-elvis presley
I didn't have my glasses on.... 