Apparently, You CAN Take It With You / Tuesday, August 30

That is, you can have the idea of it, lasered into granite, as your grave marker. 

So this begs the question .... assuming you were to be buried, and that "traditional" headstones were no longer an option, what would you choose for yourself?

(Right now, I'm thinking jazz hands on an enormous coffee cup with an MP3 player propped against a camera next to it.)

My View Upon Waking / Monday, August 29

Taken from my mobile phone, I wanted to be sure to capture this image before he moved. 

The older he gets, the less conventional postures Bob takes when sleeping. 

As of late, this has been my view upon waking. 

No sweet kitty face.

No tail wrapped around my wrist.

No fanged mouth, open and softly snoring, framed by soft, orange fur.

Oh no, my friends.

I get the ass end.

The drumstick in the air.

I like to think of it as the kitty equivalent to, "rock on!"

Crazy Little House That May or May Not Have a Labyrinth For A Yard / Sunday, August 28

At the the corner of 32nd Ave S and 42nd St S in Fargo, a little yellow house and it's ... er ... landscaping takes up an entire corner lot.

Sorry, I really don't know what to call the maze-y stuff.

Is it still a labyrinth if a leprechaun can see over it?

Wait.

What's shorter, a leprechaun or an elf?

With no signage to indicate the "why" of its presence, I could only assume its purpose was to serve as an invitation to explore.

Even if I didn't know which magical creature lived here.

Naturally, I accepted.

I even followed the pavers creating a path "in".

Of course, I was waylaid by the maze. 

Once inside, I admired the ... uh ... the being inside of it all. 

And the crazy, but seemingly durable angles.

So, so many angles. 

I was totally charmed by the window box flowers.

I've always wanted a window box.

Even fake flowers are sweet in such a box.

It's such an interesting little place.

Especially since it's situated on one of the most well-traveled intersections in the metro area.

And under these behemoths.

May you discover a little unexpected whimsy in your own landscape.

And when you do?

I hope you explore it.

With or without the mythical, magical creature of your choice.

A Modern Day "Yes, Virginia" / Saturday, August 27

When Sarah and Greener (HI, SARAH! HI, GREENER!) roadtripped to Yellowstone to visit Sarah's park ranger/brother, John, (HI, JOHN!) Sarah said to Greener, "I just want to see a bear doing jazz hands."

A few days later, the girls made the obligatory trip to the park's obligatory gift shop. 

There, they found the most un-obligatory thing you'd expect. 

Yes, Sarah.

Apparently, bears really DO do jazz hands.

Recycling The Pole / Friday, August 26

Not that kind of pole, ya perv. 

At least, I hope not. 

Neigh! / Thursday, August 25

Every Girl Needs A Bauble Of Her Own / Wednesday, August 25

I was surprised to find a package in the mail late last week addressed to yours truly. 

I couldn't remember ordering anything.

What I found inside was mighty enticing.  

 Just For You Jewelry And Beads was a familiar brand. Had someone sent me a present?

Holy cow, somebody kinda did!

Based on a conversation some months back, Tamra, the lovely and talented owner of Just For You, had splendidly, beautifully, perfectly created something I've wanted for a long time now.

Something to remind me to think big. Really big.

To rebel a little.

And to remember that what makes me different, makes me "Me".

My favorite number, cast in copper.

Before I met Tamra, every artisan I had spoken to told me it couldn't be done. 

Phrases like, "commas and decimal points don't exist for this kind of piece" were oft spoken.

Tamra wasn't havin' it. 

And now look. 

All I can say, is RAWK ON!

Thank you, Tamra. I absolutely LOVE it, and I can't wait to share my new ideas with you!

I Should Maybe Listen Next Time / Tuesday, August 24

Maria: Hello?

Me:  Hey -- it's me. Do you have any of those zucchini from your garden left at the store?

Maria: Sure do. One monster one. You want it? 

Me: Yeah, if you don't mind. 

Maria. It's really big. 

Me: Well, you know that's how I like 'em!

I proceeded to the store. 

And immediately looked around for a car seat to put this baby in!

I figured I'd better shoot it next to something to demonstrate scale, but I couldn't find a Shetland pony.

Thanks, 'Ria -- it (or at least half of it) was delicious!

And maybe next time? I'll take you seriously when you say somethin' is big.  ;-)

Sea Nettles at Sea World / Monday, August 23

I was waylaid today.

Sidetracked. 

Bunny trailed. 

Off the map. 

You get the point. 

No? 

Oh. 

Okay, well, let me lay it out in no uncertain terms.

I failed to take a photo today. 

Wait. 

That's a lie. 

I took one on my phone, but it's already on the Book of Faces because it was one of those, "as we speak" kind of things to share with my friends. 

All four hundred eighty four of them. 

You're not alone.

I'm still confused by that whole idea.

Another idea that gives me pause is that three (count them: THREE) pieces of my heart are all now residing in Florida. 

(HI, KY!)

(HI, VIC!)

(HI, BOO!)

The good news is that they're all within spittin' distance of one another. 

Not that I'd spit on any of them.

Not on purpose anyway. 

But you know, sometimes it happens. 

So with my trio of loves tucked safely in my heart, I give you photos from a trip Lee & I took last year to ... (wait for it) ... (wait for it) ... 

Crud. 

You're already there, aren't you? 

<sigh>

You're right. 

It's Florida. 

While I feel guilty that these aren't fresh from the ol' oatmeal can, they were among the very first photos I ever took with my then new Canon!

See?

I knew an exclamation mark would get ya all excited!

It works every time!

Right!

Oh, not then. 

Mea culpa.

Let's just enjoy the photos, shall we? 

There. 

Now doesn't that feel nice? 

Yeah ... me too. 

Junie Girl / Sunday, August 22

I'm totally cheating on Amos. 

And on Bob. 

I can't help it. 

When I look into her eyes, I turn to goo. 

Y'all, meet Junie.

She's Crystal's little girl.

Her picture should be next to the definition of, "sweet." 

She's got some mad snuggling skills. 

And she's not afraid to ask for more. 

Gotta love a girl who knows what she wants. 

I Found Some Kids At The Zoo / Saturday, August 21

Hello, and welcome to my own little zoo!

Wait. 

That's a lie. 

They're my imported zoo. 

In honor of my mother-in-law's birthday, my sister-in-law (HI, CAMMY!) brought the kids into town from her town, many miles away. 

So many miles away, in fact, that there are multiple potty stops involved in the trek. 

And that's just when I'm alone. 

Oh. Sorry. 

I thought everybody wanted to know about my squirrel bladder. (HI, TROY!)

My mother-in-law chose an afternoon at the zoo, then dinner out and dessert at our house on this, the day marking the date of her birth. (The Godfather, anyone?)

I took along the camera, figuring I'd get some great animal shots. 

Here's a pair of Swedish monkey siblings realizing they're being observed. 

Clearly, their fight-or-flight response kicked in.

They began to run.

Which is good.

I don't know that I could take 'em in hand-to-jelly-smeared-hand combat.

(That little one is crazy strong.)

(Like "spider monkey on Kool-Aid" crazy strong.)

Run, little spider monkey, run!

The taller one quickly left the younger one in the dust.

It didn't seem to impede his urge to gain ground, though.

He began to coordinate his stride with the motion of his arms. 

It was magic. 

Of course, by now y'all already know the truth about my zoos:

They're all magic. 

*I'd like to apologize to the memory of Dr. Walter Cannon for the incorrect and borderline lame attempt at a misdirect using his theory. What can I say? Throwing in science stuff amuses me, even at a rudimentary level. Ah, who are we kidding? ESPECIALLY at a rudimentary level.

Caption This / Friday, August 19

Leave a caption in the comments (be sure to include your name) for today's photo.

If this goes well, we might just start having caption contests complete with prizes!

The Faces of Dorm Move-In Day / Thursday, August 18

Much like the first day of kindergarten, shoe-tying was the first order of the day. 

As was waiting in line. 

"This line will be the death of me."

Andrew and his buddy live right across the hall.


Andrew and Mike have been friends since elementary school.

Part of me is pleased.

The other part is terrified.

Miss Hepburn made an appearance.

Our local newspaper, The Forum of Fargo-Moorhead, dispatched photographer Dave Wallis to cover the new status of Mike's hall.

"What new status, Dave? Co-e ...? What now? Oh boy. Oh! And girls? Uh HUH. I see."

I don't want to see.

But thanks.


This guy took the news hard, as well.

The boy child didn't seem to mind the coed-edness of his surroundings at all.

I didn't report my findings to these nice people.

They're the roommate's parents. 

Dropping their child off from Wisconsin. 

That's more than 6.5 miles. 

I checked.

Leapin' lizards, man. 

No way I could handle that kind of distance this semester. 

Maybe 6.5 miles isn't so bad, after all. 

Surely he'll be okay. 

The rooms have locks, after all. 

I also find comfort in knowing he is so obviously in Minnesota. 

Everybody knows about Minnesota nice. 

Besides, who could deny this face? 

Not I, that's for sure. 

But, Son? 

I just want to reiterate: the four basic rules still apply: 

    - Make good choices. 

    - Don't be a headline. 

    - No running naked. 

    - No throwing fruit. 

I love you, Michael James. 

Go forth and make yourself proud. 

I always will be. 

Stumped / Wednesday, August 17

The Last Supper / Tuesday, August 16

Tonight was the Boy's last night at home before heading to college. 

Of course, college in this case is right across the river. 

Six and one half miles away. 

Clearly, a proper family dinner was in order. 

Something that would stick in yer teeth. 

Naturally, Tim was there.

At the very last minute, Greener was able to join us. 

Lee took most of the pictures.

Because this one night, I just wanted to be there.

Here.

With that kid.

With my family.

Six and a half miles feels like a continent away.