Art for Everyone

Spoonbridge and Cherry (Oldenburg), Minneapolis Sculpture Garden

Today, on my walk to The Wedge Co-op to pick up some groceries, I popped into the Walker Art Center to catch their Claes Oldenburg exhibition before it ends its run in January. Afterwards, it struck me there were learning moments for my nephews (5 and 6). This blog entry is for them.

Our Traditional Tree

Life, Phase 3, is an opportunity to simplify. Simplification will become a necessity when, one day, we move from our current home to something more manageable.

Japan's Islands off Islands

Sakurajima, active volcano off Kagoshima, Southern Japan, March 2013

The winter is setting in, and won't budge for another four or five months: it's time to think about travel to warmer places like Southern Japan.

Selling LEGO

As LEGO Technic creations go, this vehicle is as basic as they come. For me, it represents a point in a process I've been following with my two nephews (5 and 6): I'm trying to discover if they have the potential to be interested in LEGO.

Travel Gear: Handheld GPS

Eurostar, Northern France, heading straight for the English Channel at 183 MPH

If I could only bring one piece of electronic equipment when traveling, it would be my handheld GPS.

Artful Living

Who reads this stuff?

Here's some random quotes from Artful Living magazine:

Where your stay is part of defining who you are.
You can join the crowd, or you can leave it behind.
Eat. Shop. Sleep.
Own Chicago. Know the right people.
Make a statement with every second.
"I never thought I would receive so many compliments every day."
As unique as you are.

Who needs this stuff?

Decoding a Crane

What are we thinking?

I'm in Japan. A lone crane swoops low over a large, exquisitely landscaped pond. There are two other bystanders; they smile contentedly as the crane reinforces a common bond, evoking fragments of mysticism, national treasure, longevity, good fortune, origami, the number 1,000, childhood memories, and current dreams. I'm seeing a crane swooping over a pond and feeling contented, too.

Travel Gear: Portable Router

In Japan I like to go off the beaten path where guide books are not helpful. Daily research using the Internet becomes essential for me to navigate that often-opaque country.

I use a portable wireless router because most Japanese hotel rooms have (free) wired Internet, but no wireless Internet. I've set up my router with exactly the same SSID as I have at home. Thus my phone, tablet, and camera immediately connect to the Internet because they "think" they are at home. Pictures automatically upload from my camera to Google+ on the Web, without any fiddling.

Superior Trail 2013

Photographs do not explain why I hike. Gorgeous vistas and little mossy vignettes float in and out of my consciousness, but they do not define the experience.