on my way to vote in the primary election yesterday
in the midst of many signs
one stood out.
—
“in an election, one needs both hope and audacity.”
francois hollande
Aug9
Tag Archives: michigan
Aug3
small enough.
swimming off of belle isle in the detroit river
with the city keeping watch in the background
—
belle isle is the country’s largest city island park; at approximately 948 acres, it is larger than new york city’s central park. both were designed by famed landscape architect frederick law olmstead. the island officially opened in1845, when it became known as belle isle. in 2014, it became michigan’s newest state park and is being lovingly restored to it’s original splendor.
—
“detroit is big enough to matter in the world
and small enough for you to matter in it.”
― jeanette pierce
—
https://www.belleisleconservancy.org
Jul31
early.
and what better reason to wake up early?
—
“i can’t seem to shake waking up early.”
-stewart rahr
—
at sleeping bear dunes national lakeshore,
glen lake, empire, mi, usa
Jul30
all in the same boat.
“we did not all come over on the same ship,
but we are all in the same boat.”
-bernard baruch
—
summer on glen lake, empire, michigan, usa
Jul29
return.
and what could
possibly go wrong
or incredibly right
with 8 adults, 6 kids, 2 cats, 1 dog
and an occasional bear
all back in one place again
on beautiful glen lake?
—
“it’s well known that he who returns never left”
― pablo neruda
Jul24
here we go.
50 years ago this week
we were in the midst of a detroit riot
we have come such a long way
still have a way to go
but here we go.
—
“since its founding, detroit has been a place of perpetual flames. numerous times the city has suffered riots and each time the city has burned to the ground. the city’s flag acknowledges as much.
speramus meliora; resurget cineribus:
we hope for better things;
it shall rise from the ashes.”
― charlie leduff
detroit free press – 1967
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
Apr2
rain or shine?
cold, morning rain does little but make one anxious to reach their destination, even if that is work or school. this innovative student solved the problem of hands free walking on one such campus morning in 1969. “U-M engineering student gary keck of detroit is too unconventional to raise an umbrella. he wards off the morning rain with a stylish sombrero. ole!”
—
“optimists are neither in denial nor naïve about challenges and difficulties in life.
they simply attend to and acknowledge the positive.”
– eric kim
—
credits: oldnews.aadl.org, ann arbor townies
Mar22
dock porters with heart.
my brother, scott
who never stops raising money for research and awareness
in honor of my nephew, hazen, gone way too soon
so that others may stay.
—
thank you to his mackinac island dock porter brothers from so many years ago.
—
“say not in grief: “he is no more”, but live in thankfulness that he was.”
-hebrew proverb
Mar11
“i’m a reflection of the community.” tupac shakur
amidst the more than a million people without power days
our local library
has been opening at 6am
and closing late
acting without anyone asking
as an ad hoc community center
in order to offer
a safe and welcoming haven to all
full of
electricity and books and computers and games and story times
a friend to all ages
stay as long as you like
take as much as you need
on a morning visit
during my current nomadic existence
i sat with 2 high schoolers
an old couple
college roommates
a gaggle of 3 year olds
and a family
all here for the same reasons
a bit of respite
a cup of coffee
a bite to eat
a wealth of good company
a comfortable chair
and
an awful lot of warmth.
—–
“a library outranks any other one thing a community can do to benefit its people.
it is a never failing spring in the desert.”
― andrew carnegie
I didn't have my glasses on.... 