This happens more and more with each passing year, but it felt like the fast forward button was being held down all summer. Ready or not school already resumed this week, which was bittersweet. This summer break saw me scrambling more than most. My son’s annual trip with his paternal grandparents fell apart at the […]
Places
Not Forever
School’s Out…For Summer Today is my son’s last day of school. Not forever, and not even until Fall really. But every year I get the Alice Cooper song stuck in my head. I am still annoyed the Minneapolis Public Schools start each new school year the week before Labor Day. I would rather have my […]
Here Comes the Sun
Playa Del Carmen My son and I travel a fair amount and have generally gone out of town for his Spring Break. That wasn’t the case for 2015. I had just switched jobs after a full decade with my previous employer. And my son and I spent a couple nights of his break at Children’s […]
Cliché, But True
They Grow Up So Fast Once upon a time we had the best neighbors in the world. The parents were great company and their adorable daughter was slightly older than my son. The two spent a lot of time playing together and it was great. But they moved away as their family grew and they […]
Bayfield, WI
The Island Awaits You Last weekend we headed North to Bayfield, WI for our lovely friends’ wedding. I’ve been up there a handful of times and adore it. This visit was even more fun, having a bunch of our friends there with us. And since I wasn’t the official wedding photographer I was able to […]
Achieving hygge
The Geography of Happiness This year has been one of transition for me. At the beginning of 2015 I left my employer after ten years, though I had been happy there much of the time. My role was changing – again – but the future was far too nebulous. I’m not a big fan of […]
Northward Equinox
Springing Ahead The Walker Art Center’s Sculpture Garden has long been one of my favorite places in Minneapolis (along with the Walker itself). I clearly remember my first visit, on a field trip with my suburban (but nearly rural) school. It just felt magical. Like a creative oasis. I started visiting on my own as […]
The First Citizen of Minneapolis
The Ancient Oak Last winter seemed to be never-ending. There were far too many of those soul-sucking Polar Arctic Vortex days with dangerous windchills. So severe that classes were canceled on multiple occasions. A rare thing for Minnesotan schools! This winter has been far gentler (knock on wood). Mild enough that I was able to […]
Famously Gloomy
Salt and Light Last weekend we attended the annual Winter Kite Festival on Lake Harriet. The weather has been remarkably mild, which makes the winter more bearable. But it’s been awfully overcast. And the mild temps might not hold so I’m adding to my previous list of activities to get us through until Spring: Each […]
History Not Memory
Injustice Anywhere is a Threat to Justice Everywhere Today we observed the birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr. Listening to the radio this morning I was reminded that many Americans – myself included – were born after his assassination in 1968. But I’ve told my son that when I was in high school, MN schools […]