Spring comes to Como Lake
One of the things I love about living in the Twin Cities is the lakes: There’s nothing like an early-morning walk along the water to start the day.
Usually my lakeside walks are brisk and purposeful—and that was my intent yesterday morning as I set off toward Como Lake in search of some exercise. What I found instead was a foggy landscape that just begged to be photographed.
Alas, the fog burned off as the sun peeked above the horizon.
A sleepy mallard was unimpressed. But a lone loon greeted the day with its plaintive call as the great blue heron began his stroll along the shore in search of food.
The heron didn’t seem to mind my presence, so I moved in for a closer look. I watched him bob and weave along the shoreline at his slow, deliberate pace.
Walking parallel to my feathered friend, I experienced the familiar lake from a new perspective. I heard the rustling of the wind through the brittle bones of last year’s plants …
… saw the first spring-green blades of grass …
… listened to the stillness, and the lapping of the waves …
… eavesdropped on a couple of mallards, who stopped their chatter to eye me suspiciously …
… sang along with a red-winged blackbird …
… and sniffed the first crab-apple blossoms.
I never did break up a sweat, but that’s OK. I’ll take a feast for the senses over exercise any day.
Enjoyed this post? Then you may also like the changing seasons at Como Lake.
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Filed under: Minnesota, Photography | 26 Comments
Tags: Como Lake, exercise, great blue heron, nature, nature photography, Photography, St. Paul
Although I no longer attend church, some lessons from my childhood faith still resonate for me. Of these, Easter is among the most important.
Believing that someone could come back from the dead is a matter of faith. But believing in the human potential for renewal and rebirth? For me, that’s a matter of fact.
Today, I thought about James Arruda Henry, who—at age 98—has published his first book.
Photo credit: Jessica Hill, Associated Press
Self-publishing a book is an achievement for anyone. But what’s remarkable about Henry is that he didn’t learn how to read or write until he was well into his 90s. According to the Bangor Daily News,
Throughout his life, he yearned to read and write but never found the time or opportunity. His nephew, he said, made Henry write him a letter, which took him a month. He found inspiration in a book about the grandson of a slave who became literate at 98. …
“I said if he can do it, I can do it,” Henry said. “That’s when I started to learn.”
Moved by Henry’s story, I bought his book from Amazon.com. The opening chapter recounts his cousin Hank’s drowning:
I tried to swing the boat around so that Hank would be hanging over the deck, but while I was doing that, he dropped into the water. He started swimming toward us … I grabbed the stern line and threw it to him, but he missed the line by an inch or two. The wind and the tide pulled him further away from us. …
I asked Marion if he could see Hank. Hank went down in his yellow oilers and sou’wester, that familiar yellow fisherman’s hat. … “I see the sou’wester over there,” he said. I saw it too, took the wheel and got the boat alongside the sou’wester. The water was so clear I could see Hank but he was way down deep and getting smaller every second. I knew I wouldn’t be able to hold my breath just to get to him, never mind coming up. He was so deep, he looked like the size of a kid. We couldn’t save him. Marion and I just stood there and watched him disappear. …
We headed back, and as we started home the fog shut in. Marion and I didn’t say a single word. …
This has been the hardest story to tell because of all the tears behind it. I haven’t gotten over it yet.
In his wonderfully earnest voice, Henry tells a dozen other stories as well: tales of growing up with an alcoholic father, of boxing for food money, learning to fly a plane, getting a bone graft, getting his driver’s license … all told with the simplicity and honesty that might elude a more “experienced” writer.
But perhaps my favorite part of Henry’s book comes at the end, in the form of a hand-written letter. In an effort to get him to write, Henry’s nephew Bobby stopped taking his phone calls. The handwriting bears witness to the effort that went into producing it, but the writing is clear and to the point:
On the day when millions are celebrating Jesus’ resurrection, I am grateful for Henry’s reminder that each of us has the potential for renewal within ourselves, the potential to pursue and fulfill our dreams.
Happy Easter.
Like this post? You might also enjoy The wolf you feed.
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Filed under: On this day in history, Photography, Psychology, Writing | 23 Comments
Tags: Easter, faith, James Arruda Henry, religion, resurrection, self-publish
Como Conservatory photo safari
I’ve been in a bit of a photographic slump lately. So when my friend Jane asked for help with her new camera, I felt like an utter fraud in suggesting a photo safari.
I didn’t expect to shoot much when we met up at the Como Conservatory in St. Paul last Saturday: My purpose was to help Jane get comfortable with her camera, and maybe offer a pointer or two.
But to my surprise, helping Jane figure out her camera rekindled my enthusiasm for my own. Before I knew it I’d shot more than 100 frames. Here are a few, along with some of the tips I gave Jane last weekend.
Tip 1: Use your fill flash. Using your flash on a sunny day may seem silly, but it can greatly improve your portraits—or bring out more detail in a dark subject, like this statue.
Tip 2: Remember the Rule of Thirds. Yes, even when you’re shooting abstracts and patterns.
Tip 3: Blur the background. Blurring the background is a great way to put your subject “front and center.” Unfortunately, you usually need a “fast” lens with a really big maximum aperture to get this effect. But you can also fake it with a telephoto lens of at least 250 mm. Simply step far away from your subject and zoom in. The more you zoom in, the narrower the focal range.
Tip 4: Include people in your shots. I used to wait patiently for everyone to leave a scene. These days, I’m more likely to wait patiently for someone to enter my shot. Including a person in a scene can add context about the time/place and a sense of scale.
Tip 5: Get close. Although you probably need a macro lens (or a macro setting on your camera) to get microscope-worthy close-ups, try photographing a subject’s detail every now and then.
Tip 6: Go wide. Because nothing gives a sense of place like a nice wide-angle shot. (Or even an in-between shot!)
Tip 7: Shoot through something. Look for opportunities to “frame” your subject. Wish I’d noticed that this railing wasn’t quite perfectly centered, but I still like the overall effect.
Bonus tip: Have fun! If you have the time and inclination, play around with your photos. Here’s a poster I made using Mike Warren’s “Polaroid poster” Photoshop action.
Can’t get enough photography? If you liked this post, you may also be interested in how to buy a digital camera.
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Filed under: Friends and family, Minnesota, Photography | 27 Comments
Tags: Como Conservatory, Como Park, Minnesota, orchids, Photography, St. Paul
Minnesnowta? Not so much.
A couple of weeks ago my friend and fellow blogger DancingBeastie wrote about the uncharacteristic lack of snow in Scotland. I promised her that my next post would be in her honor, and that it would contain plenty of snow photos. (March is usually the snowiest month in Minnesota, after all …)
And yet, as I type this, I’m wearing a short-sleeved linen shirt and sandals. We’ve shattered several temperature records in the past few days, and tomorrow it looks like we’ll surpass 80 degrees Fahrenheit (27 degrees Celsius, to my European friends).
As much as I hate winter in Minnesota, the early spring has left me unsettled. It just feels wrong, somehow. Normally at this time of the year the first few bulbs would just be starting to peek out of the snow.
But today, I instead spotted my first butterfly.
Maybe this year is just an anomaly, a blip on the long-term radar. Or maybe it’s the canary in the coal mine of climate change. If it’s the latter, we may already be too late. Still … it can’t hurt to be a little nicer to the planet anyway.
I’m putting up this post as a time capsule of sorts, with the hope of looking back at it next year as I’m reaching for the snow shovel.
In the meantime, my dear DB, here are a few of the snow photos I’d promised. Greetings from the state formerly known as Minnesnowta!
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Filed under: Minnesota, Psychology, Technology | 8 Comments
Tags: climate change, heat wave, Minnesota
Have you heard about Lukáš Kmit, the Slovakian musician whose performance was interrupted by a cellphone’s ringtone? Many hailed his response as “perfect.”
Unfortunately, the Forbes article I read misidentified the instrument as a violin instead of a viola. (A minor detail—but not to my string-playing friends.) So I went looking for another link to post on Facebook.
That’s how I came across The Telegraph’s article. It covered much of the same information as Forbes, but with an added twist: The Telegraph noted that,
“… some viewers have found the musician’s unflappable reaction suspicious, suggesting the video may be a publicity stunt for the Finnish company Nokia.”
With this newly introduced suspicion in mind, I watched the video again. And to my surprise, what had before seemed like a brilliant, witty improvisation suddenly felt a bit staged—if only because of Kmit’s long, expectant pause.
I was reminded once again of the power that news outlets have in shaping our perceptions, simply by deciding which facts to present.
I’d love to hear what you think. Was Kmit’s musical retort a perfect, professional response? Or was it part of a staged publicity stunt? Discuss amongst yourselves and then post a comment.
In the meantime, I will leave you with another Facebook gem that hadn’t made much sense to me until today. (For those who don’t read music, the red notes translate into the Nokia ringtone.) Brilliant!
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Filed under: Attempted humor, Music, Psychology, Technology | 8 Comments
Tags: hoax, Lukáš Kmit, Nokia ringtone, publicity stunt, ringtone interrupts concert, viola, violin ringtone
The 10-second career guide
At the risk of turning this blog into a vapid regurgitation of things my friends post on Facebook, I can’t resist posting these hilarious 10-second career snapshots. Don’t see your job listed? Don’t worry. More are being added every day.
And remember: It’s never too late to switch careers!
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Filed under: Attempted humor, Friends and family, Technology | 10 Comments
Tags: Facebook, humor, know your meme, What I Really Do, What People Think I Do
I had mixed feelings about joining Facebook.
I am by nature a very private person, and I cringed at the thought of broadcasting my every move. Yet as old friends scattered all over the planet—and as I made new friends through my own travels—Facebook seemed like the best way to stay in touch.
I quickly learned just how compelling this online community can be. Over the past two years, I’ve followed my former colleague Max as he’s photographed his way through Egypt and Iraq. I’ve tagged along vicariously as another moved to Bulgaria and became a teacher. I’ve reconnected with old neighbors and classmates, and I’ve made some new online friends.
But of all the things I’ve grown to appreciate about Facebook, the endless stream of laughs is near the top of my list. Here’s a random collection of things that brought a chuckle over the past two weeks. I hope they start your day on a happy note, too.
… and to continue with our maritime disaster theme:
This one wins the “Most Ironic Tattoo” award:
I think this one applies to sleeping with babies, too …
… and last, but certainly not least, a tribute to beer, bratwurst, and bellies.
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Filed under: Attempted humor, Friends and family, Psychology, Travel | 11 Comments
Tags: Facebook, Max Becherer, Paris
A whole lotta whore frost
Once every couple of years, the meteorological conditions in Minneapolis coalesce to produce hoarfrost. Although most Minnesotans—including at least one newspaper employee—misspell it as “whore frost,” it has nothing to do with the ladies of the night.
Hoarfrost happens when the air is warm and relatively humid, and then the temperature drops below freezing. As the temperature falls, the moisture in the air freezes into large ice crystals that stick to trees, buildings … pretty much everything. The result looks like this:
Yesterday I awoke to a wintry wonderland of grays and whites, so I set out for a morning photo drive.
Although the frost was beautiful, the thick clouds made the light dull and flat. I chatted with a photographer named Chuck and played with his dogs while I waited for the skies to brighten.
Alas, nature had other plans: The light stayed a dull gray all day. But at least I got in a good walk.
As I sorted through my photos tonight, I wondered whether I’ll still be living in Minnesota when the next hoarfrost strikes. It’s one of the many beautiful things I’ll miss about this place.
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Filed under: Minnesota, Photography | 16 Comments
Tags: hoarfrost, Minneapolis, Minnesota, Photography, winter
If Mozart had eaten more veggies, partied less, and gotten a bit of exercise, today he might be celebrating his 256th birthday.
Photo via singforyoursupperblog.com
I was made aware of this fact last Saturday during A Prairie Home Companion, when Garrison Keillor and pianist Rich Dworsky teamed up for a lovely-yet-cheeky tribute to Herr Mozart.
Mozart has been a constant throughout my life. As a kid, I mirthlessly mangled his piano sonatas (much to my family’s distress). And as a teen, I backpacked through Mozart’s old haunts in Salzburg and Vienna.
But it wasn’t until 1984 that I developed a true appreciation for Mozart’s music—and for the man. That was the year Jan (Milos) Forman’s film Amadeus hit the screen.
I remember slumping limply in my chair as the closing credits scrolled, and sitting motionless until the theater’s house lights came on. I couldn’t believe that such a brilliant composer—such an extraordinary human being—could die penniless at 35 and be dumped like trash into a communal grave.
The film awakened in me a fascination for Mozart’s enigmatic nature: a rebel, a romantic, a prankster, a gifted teacher, a devoted son, a prodigy and a spendthrift … all of these coexisted inside one complicated (and oft-misunderstood) man.
I’ve watched Amadeus several times since that first screening, and each time my appreciation for the film has deepened. But now my reaction to the ending is different: Mozart isn’t dead. He’s immortal.
Happy 256th birthday, Wolfie.
Post script: No offense to F. Murray Abraham, but I still think Tom Hulce should have won the Oscar for his beautifully nuanced performance. You rocked me, Amadeus!
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Filed under: Attempted humor, Music, On this day in history | 14 Comments
Tags: Amadeus, f murray abraham, film amadeus, herr mozart, Milos Forman, Mozart birthday, piano sonatas, Tom Hulce
Burning down the house
As I get older, milestones become more important. Some of them—like birthdays—mark the passage of time. Others make me think about the future.
Today is one of the latter. On this day two years ago, I was told I have a brain tumor.
I’ve tried very hard not to let it be the thing that defines me, the thing that shapes my life. But the knowledge has changed me irrevocably.
In some ways, it’s been a gift: A little whiff of mortality can be a powerful aphrodisiac. Everything seems more meaningful and more poignant. Seeing what might kill me has made me feel more alive.
But in other ways, it’s been paralyzing. I’ve put off making some plans for the future. Every decision has come with a quiet but insistent bass line: “What if, what if, what if?”
I hadn’t realized until a few days ago just how much I’d surrendered to my fears.
The first wake-up call came via Skype. “I wish I could live in Europe, if only for a while,” I told my friend Jan. “So why don’t you burn your house and come over?” he replied.
The second wake-up call came over sushi. “I want to travel more and spend more time taking photos,” I told my friend Todd. “Sometimes you’ve gotta burn down the house and just go,” he replied.
And the third wake-up call came over the weekend, as I was trying to distract myself from a crippling headache.
“What if 2012 were your last year, your last chance at leaving your mark or doing something great or crossing out every item on your bucket list?” began the post at Olivier Blanchard’s BrandBuilder blog.
This has nothing to do with the Mayan calendar or the financial crisis, mind you. It’s just a simple what if question.
What if you went another year without writing that book you’ve been thinking about for a decade? What if you went another year without taking that trip to Paris or Moscow or Sydney you’ve been dreaming about your whole life? What if you went another year waiting to launch your startup? …
Here’s what I’ve learned in the last few years: There’s no such thing as the right time. All we really ever have is now. Now is the right time. Tomorrow is bullshit. Tomorrow turns into next year and then someday and finally never. Tomorrow and next year will be too late. Whatever needs doing, do it now. Today.
Early in my career, I wasted years – precious years – doing what I was told, trying to fit in and often playing it safe when every instinct in my body told me not to. You have no idea how much I now regret having thrown those years away. I lost so much time waiting for opportunities and “the right time” to do something, it makes me ill just thinking about it. Never again.
So the lesson here is simply this: Ask her out. Book that flight. Graduate. Take the job. Write the damn book. Get your funding. Finish that triathlon. Launch your startup. Carpe Diem isn’t a slogan on a T-shirt. It isn’t an abstract philosophy. It means get off your ass and do the thing that needs doing. Today. If it fails, it fails. If it works, it works. So what? Either way, the sooner the better.
That’s it. You have 365 days. Show me what you’ve got.
In other words, stop being so afraid and just burn down the house already!
Obviously, I’m not about to literally grab the matches. But I’ve decided that today—this bittersweet anniversary—is the best day of my life. And 2012 is my year to shine.
Make it your year to shine, too.
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Filed under: Brain tumor, Friends and family, Psychology, Random thoughts, Travel | 41 Comments
Tags: Brain tumor, BrandBuilder blog, Jan, Olivier Blanchard, Skype, Todd
