Clik here to view.
A winter solstice de-light
Although it’s already been weeks since we had our first snow in Minnesota, today’s winter solstice marks the official start of winter — and the shortest day of the year. I had every intention of...
View ArticleClik here to view.
The Christmas Truce of 1914
Today marks the centenary of my favorite Christmas story. It happened in 1914, only five months after the beginning of World War I. The British soldiers who huddled in the trenches must have been...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Which wolf will YOU feed?
With one possible exception, I don’t believe in making New Year’s resolutions. If something in our life needs fixing, why wait until January 1? But I’m a huge believer in the power of our small,...
View ArticleClik here to view.
On being Freshly (im)Pressed
I was surprised on Thursday when I awoke to a bunch of comments awaiting moderation. Then the page views started piling up by the hundreds, as did the new subscribers — and they were all coming here...
View ArticleClik here to view.
A moment of silence
Originally posted on Soundlandscapes' Blog:WHAT A DIFFERENCE a day makes! Shortly before 11.00 this morning I arrived in Place Jean-Paul II, the open space in front of the Cathédrale Notre Dame de...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Et maintenant, on est Nico …
On Sunday, an estimated 1.3 million people marched in Paris — the largest gathering since the city’s liberation from the Nazis — to show their solidarity and support for free speech. Some 40 heads of...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Spoiler alert: Marcel survived.
One of my favorite things about blogging is connecting with other curious, creative people — especially when those people become real-life friends. I wrote about graphic artist Carolyn Porter last May...
View ArticleClik here to view.
(Fool)hardy Minnesotans
Last weekend I took advantage of the unseasonably warm weather to have a walk around Como Lake in St. Paul. One of the ways you can determine the temperature in wintry Minnesota — apart from timing how...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Stumbling stones into the past
During my first visit to Freiburg, one of the things that most impressed me was the meticulously cobbled streets. So precisely cut are the stones that you can walk on them for hours without tiring —...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Minnesota’s own “Petit Prince”
It’s not often that my life in Minnesota and my love of France intersect in a single image, but that’s exactly what happened when I logged into Facebook today. Isn’t that brilliant — and hilarious?...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Is retouching … cheating?
I’ve had a running conversation with my photographer friend Craig for some weeks about processing digital images. For whatever reason, I’d come to think that “real” photographers produce great images...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Paris (redone) in black and white
It’s funny how conversations and events sometimes conspire to get you off your [creative] butt. First it was the ongoing discussion with a photographer friend who encouraged me to “digitally darkroom”...
View ArticleClik here to view.
My favorite imperfect tile
A couple of years ago our house flooded and we had to rebuild everything — right down to the bathroom tile. Our tile-setter was a frenetic Russian named Alex. At first I had mixed feelings about him:...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Springing ahead (and how!)
On Sunday we “sprang ahead” by setting our clocks forward one hour. For most Americans, the switch to Daylight Saving Time is a sign of spring. But in Minnesota it usually seems like a cruel joke: The...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Happy International Day of Happiness
Today is the third annual United Nations International Day of Happiness. I was going to write about a U.N. study’s findings that Social isolation is as potent a cause of early death as smoking, and the...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Write like a virtual Hemingway
Ernest Hemingway worked at the Kansas City Star for only six months, but the newspaper’s style guide forever shaped his writing: Use short sentences. Use short first paragraphs. Use vigorous English....
View ArticleClik here to view.
A fond farewell to the barn
April is National Poetry Month.* I was going to leave this fact unacknowledged, because — though it’s heresy to admit it — I don’t like most poetry. Poetry can be sumptuous and evocative. But too many...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Ruhe in Frieden, Gundi
As I write this my friends in Freiburg, Germany are gathering to remember the woman we called Gundi. I only vaguely remember the first time I met Hildegund Dörflinger, because I was already wobbly on...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Roaming through Roman Paris
I’m always happy to offer Paris travel tips (check out a first-timer’s guide to Paris, a walking/photography tour, and my list of 10 small museums.) But I was truly intrigued when a blogfriend asked me...
View ArticleClik here to view.
What the hail?!
“In Minnesota it’s not May 3rd today; it’s the 54th of February.” I was pretty winter-weary when I posted that on Facebook two years ago. The winter of 2013 was rough. But what a difference two years...
View Article