coming together
long past the calendar date
to celebrate a dear friend’s milestone birthday
as if no time has passed.
—
“our birthdays are feathers in the broad wing of time.”
-jean paul
Jun11
Tag Archives: friendship
Apr30
les voyageurs.
on my frequent walks to the river
each time passing this sign
i wondered –
often someone chopping wood
putting up canoes, cooking outside
peaceful communal living
until i learned the intriguing backstory
and understood
the amazing spirit of this society.
—
Society of Les Voyageurs
As the oldest continually active student group on the University of Michigan campus (founded in 1907), the Society of Les Voyageurs upholds a long-standing tradition of convening over the love for nature and the out of doors. The Society owns a cabin on the Huron River just north of downtown called Habe Mills Pine Lodge that was built in 1927 to house the Society, its activities, as well as those members who choose to live there. The group also hosts potluck dinners every Sunday at 6pm, followed by a program from a professor or a community member pertaining to learning more about the out of doors. The group is known to embark occasionally on casual outings such as hiking, backpacking, rock climbing, caving, cross-country skiing, etc.
—
*”si le voyageur n’espere rien, il ne verra ce que voient les yeux.”
-eric-emmanuel schmitt (franco-belgian playwright, novelist, film director)
*(If the traveler does not hope for anything, he will only see what the eyes see.)
argo park, ann arbor, michigan, usa – april 2021
Apr19
please don’t ask for extra glasses.
it is my great pleasure to introduce you
to humor writer and fellow blogger Barb Taub’s latest book
PLEASE DON’T ASK FOR EXTRA GLASSES
it’s a rollicking tale of friendship, fun, travel to India adventure and misadventure
all taken with a tiny grain of salt and huge dose of humor
it’s a wonderful multi-cultural mashup of history, color photos,
travel tips, shopping advice, food suggestions, language and negotiation skills,
and chock full of ‘I wish we’d known that/what not to do lessons’
even if you never plan to travel to India, you’re sure to enjoy this read.
—
“she generally gave herself good advice, though she very seldom followed it.”
-lewis carroll
Oct25
reaching out.
one friend shares her flower with another
—
as a teacher of young children
i am always struck
by the natural way
that children connect with each other
reaching out
with genuine kindness and kinship.
—
“anyone who takes time to be kind is beautiful.”
-author unknown
Aug5
coffee talk.
nothing like a bit of coffee talk between friends
to restore your balance and make for a great day.
—
“as long as there was coffee in the world, how bad could things be?”
-cassandra clare, City of Ashes
—
art credit: ryan conners, painting, midsommer 2019, cat art
Aug2
warmth.
when in london many years ago
i happened upon these two in a park
struck by the natural warmth between them
i took this picture without their knowing
hoping i could somehow capture
the closeness
the easy comfort
between them
in that moment in time
it was simply impossible to do so
but every time i look at this
it makes me feel that warmth again
just for a moment.
—
“there is a certain phase in the life of the aged
when the warmth of the heart seems to increase in direct proportion with the years.”
-john phillips marquand
Dec9
losing it.
(not me, a reenactor, but we do have similar pj’s and hair)
—
many moons ago
when i lived a very busy life
single-mother, college, 2 jobs
I had family and friends over
to celebrate my daughter’s graduation.
the day started early
somehow everything came together
the party went well
my divorced parents got along
none of the food burnt
the cake turned out
everyone was pretty happy.
as the day wound down
there were just a couple of guests left
who wanted to stay to watch
the very end of a championship basketball game
we expected it would wrap up very quickly.
what are the odds
it broke records and went into triple overtime?
at a certain point
I could no longer stay awake
and tried the usual methods to end the day
yawning, cleaning up, sighing, talking about tomorrow
finally it was so bad
that I put my pajamas on and laid down on the floor
the game continued
the guests continued
at last there was a win and we said our goodbyes.
the next day,
I woke up went to work,
went to my class,
went to my other job
where my friend thanked me for a nice party.
I went on and on about how exhausted I was
due in part to these late guests
who just did not get the hint
that I needed to sleep
no matter what I said or did.
she nodded sympathetically
as I dramatically reenacted the entire end of the night
she listened quietly
until I finally had it out of my system and was done
and then she said,
“beth, that was us.”
epilogue:
we still are good friends and continue to laugh about it all these years later.
I am still not a good late-nighter and have a foggy memory.
—
“the guest who outstays his fellow guests loses his overcoat.”
~ chinese proverb
—
image credit: littlejayz/huffington post
Dec4
chips.
happy international cookie day
—
“in the cookie of life, friends are the chocolate chips.”
-salman rushdie
—
image credits: liebherr.com, handletheheat.com
Jul28
chatting.
friends meet under the bridge
and relax into an after-dinner chat.
—
“I’d be smiling and chatting away,
and my mind would be floating around somewhere else
like a balloon with a broken string.”
-haruki murakami
—
Ann Arbor, mi – summer 2019
May30
big and small.
kinder big and small sharing a friendship.
—
“you have been my friend. that in itself is a tremendous thing.”
-e.b. white – charlotte’s web
I didn't have my glasses on.... 