The Birch Walk
At the retreat house at DeMontreville, right outside Stillwater, Minnesota there are loads of beautiful, quiet places and space to think, meditate, be silent. I’m not sure what this narrow walk between the birch trees is for but it’s compelling symmetry is really appealing to me. It was nice to walk through this. Really inexplicably, indescribably […]
200,000
I caught it. I mean, over the years I have set out on a drive thinking I would soon see 100,000 or 150,000 or 123,321, and gotten busy thinking about something else and looked down to find 100,006, or 150,003, or even 123,322. Not this time. I actually am not sure what the deal is; but, […]
Thanksgiving Menu Idea
Thanksgiving is approaching — and that means a lot to me. A lot. Thanksgiving weekend is one of my FAVORITE weekends of the year. I look forward to Thursday dinner, Friday night and a “Mad Money” gift exchange with my children and family. The rest of the weekend is a get-ready-for-Christmas time that I love. This weekend […]
I Love Graffiti
I love Graffiti. I can’t help it. I know it’s probably destructive in some sense, I guess; kind of like sticking bubble gum under your desk at school. Someone might spend a lot of money cleaning it up but it really doesn’t harm anybody — just means somebody left a relatively harmless remnant of being ‘naughty’. […]
The Gift of Karate
There are two critical creative forces in my life today — recovery and karate. Recovery saved my life; karate gives me one way to honorably show up for it. I got sober in 2001 — had been crushed by alcoholism. I spent most of 2002 on crutches and a cane – couldn’t walk fifty yards without […]
Tractor Crossing
On your way to the Fargo Dome, right on the main drag, before You pass the end of the runway at Fargo International Airport; there’s a sign warning about tractor crossing. It’s close to the Ag School at North Dakota State University. The NDSU Bison beat the South Dakota State Jack Rabbits on Saturday — […]
Emily
From the category, “Old jokes Minnesota men tell while driving up north to the opener”…
Hummer
Up north last week at Deer Trail Resort in Longville for about the 40th year in a row, the Hummingbirds were out in force; as they are every years. I spent most of my life not noticing — despite the fact that I’ve been a bird lover since third grade, when I had a teacher who […]
Gas
Back at Deer Trail resort for the not-sure-how-manyith time. I remember the very first time I was up here; might have been in the mid-1960’s. Here was a resort with an outdoor screened in snack bar, huge stone grill, playground; all the extras. The resort we had stayed at during the summers before we stayed […]
Just enjoy it.
The last two weekends up north have been really special when it comes to skies; although I guess it usually is. This weekend on Saturday a big storm front blew through. A few hours later we were out fishing and afterwards Tom took the camera and went outside and took some photos of the sun going down. […]