This morning’s reflections — full of gratitude!

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Gratitude for: life; love, family and friends; fresh food, water and shelter.

On the 17th Ann gifted me with a beautiful bowl; with which to continue exploring the “one bowl method;” on yet another aesthetic level.

Filling this beautiful bowl with Ann’s spiced pretzels, seedless grapes and almonds, this morning,
presented such a superb flavor combination in such a visually beautiful way ~ that my eyes filled with tears of joyful gratitude.

We spent that September 17th day strolling the streets of Cedarburg
and generally enjoying a day full of sights, sounds, smells, tastes and chocolate.

The next day Ann presented me with a lovely turtle amulet to mark my returning to sunlit joy.
(seen here in the bottom of the bowl after finishing today’s brunch) Lovely!

Then this past Wednesday Tanya gifted me with an hour long walk along the Menomonee River;

followed by a leisurely lunch;
and a bit of cash which allowed me to purchase a Lodge cast iron dutch oven;
in which to bake this totally successful, no-knead, sour dough bread yesterday.

M-m-m-m-m-m… Feeling so very grateful!

Global Union 2012 – The dancers

Alverno College held their annual Global Union concert in Humboldt Park; on the south side of Milwaukee; this past Saturday – a gorgeous, hot, sunny, late summer day. The music, with its varied ethnic inspirations, always brings many to their feet and sets their bodies in motion. You can see many more of these dancers in this larger gallery.

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Too young! Dear Alisa – too young!

This morning, as I waited for coffee to brew,
I read the following heartfelt words,
written by my daughter, Tanya:

“Farewell my sweetest, my dearest friend.
Farewell, my inspiration, my muse, my confidante….all my love, Alisa.
May your new travels be incredible and limitless.
I already miss you so much.”

beautifully expressing deep love, and heart-rending loss

Alisa, Tanya’s best friend since high school,
mom to two young daughters, Sig’s beloved wife, daughter and sister, friend to so many
— danced to life’s rhythms with the soul of an artist —

Damn these cancers — damn them all.

I photographed Alisa on 4×5 polaroid print film for her high school year book.

A half dozen years ago Alisa borrowed my Linhof Tech IV
in order to practice her own photography, using some of Polaroid”s last run of various print films.

Alisa, Anderson, Strautmanis, Venus: Beautifully, intensely unforgettable

Here – the day she bought my M6 Classic with 28 mm Elmarit

and finally
A soul escaping confinement, Watercolor on paper, Shadowbox, 1980 by George Lottermoser

The road I live on

Within a 4 mile stretch of Mequon Road (WI Hwy 167) you can find 4 Synagogues, Catholic, Lutheran, and Methodist churches and schools, the local public high school, fine dining, a sub shop, Cherry Berry frozen yogurt or Culvers frozen custard, designer clothing, designer shoes, kayaks and other sporting goods, 2 country clubs, 3 banks, and both immodest mcmansions  and very modest little homes — including my own.

I find the images below rather interesting for their visual, conceptual, and in some way, tribal contrast.

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The two women from Madison, WI who delivered and installed Tammy Baldwin‘s political sign on my front lawn.

The women I found, 3/4 of  a mile east of my home, modeling designer clothing:
as I walked home from grocery shopping later in the day.

Leica M8, 28 mm Summicron Asph