Some Kind of Ecstasy

Some Kind of Ecstasy

Yesterday after work I was watching Garth perform stunts on 

his scooter in the alley, when I heard some music floating over 

the breeze and remembered that Chris Silver was playing at the 

park downtown.

I grabbed Maggie, we abandoned the kids to their own devices 

and walked toward the river for some fun. The early autumn sky 

came in beautifully, our friends were there, and Chris' band was 

rocking.

Toward the end of the night, Chris looked out at everyone and said, 

"This is my community," and it was real and true - and not just for him.

~ Hal

Summer Thunderstorms

Summer Thunderstorms

Our last fling of summer was to drive down through Iowa to Rock 

Island, Illinois for Maggie's 25th high school Reunion. We got up 

very, very early on Saturday morning and made our way down 

through some beautiful farm country while the skies put on a 

dramatic show at sunrise.

We had a wonderful time catching up with old friends and I made a 

few new ones as well. We also spent some good time with Maggie's 

folks, who put up with our coming and going and helped with the 

kids for the weekend.

On the way home we ran into some really intense summer 

thunderstorms rolling east of Waterloo, Iowa. I pulled over and 

got out of the car to take some photos as the leading edge of 

these scary looking clouds bore down on us.

~ Hal

The Pond Out Front

The Pond Out Front

The children and I went down to North Carolina to visit my parents 

this week. There was something of a bittersweet quality to trip for 

me because this coming fall they are moving from their mountain 

home in Cashiers to Asheville.

We did all of our favorite things: played golf and tennis, swam in 

the Chattooga River, talked to the llamas down the road, went to 

bluegrass church service, made a campfire and ate s'mores. The time 

went too quickly.

We spent Sunday afternoon in Asheville, and fortunately the kids 

gave the new place their seal of approval. So... next time we visit, 

we'll start a brand new chapter.

~ Hal

River Falls Farmer's Market

River Falls Farmer's Market

On Saturday morning Maggie and I went down to the farmer's 

market. Our summer schedule has been so irregular this year 

that despite the fact that it's only a few blocks away, this was 

the first time we've been this season.

While we were there we ran into a bunch of friends we hadn't 

seen lately and had a great time catching up.

Naturally I was keeping an eye out for whatever revealed itself. 

I've always loved the explosive, fractal patterns of dill blossoms; 

I found them bunched together like this in a bucket near one of 

the market stands.

~ Hal

Back in the Groove

Back in the Groove

After our trip to the Boundary Waters, it took me a while before I 

really felt like taking photos for the journal again. I still had a lot 

of images from the trip running through my head.

Then a couple of weeks ago, I took my camera in to work. At lunch 

time I went out front and ran across the same patch of prairie plants 

that I took pictures of earlier this spring. The difference was that 

now they were in full bloom.

I ended up chasing this bee around for a while, which I imagine 

was pretty amusing for folks passing by.

~ Hal

Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness

Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness

This is the third year we've taken a summer family camping trip 

to the Boundary Waters. According to the kids it's now a tradition. 

They'll get no argument from me.

We camped with our friends Craig and Shelly, whose children are 

the same ages as Maura and Garth. The fishing was good, and we 

encountered all kinds of wildlife, including a bear that visited our 

camp.

The first two days were cool and cloudy, then the sun came out 

and we took a day trip to this area on Disappointment Lake, where 

we warmed ourselves on the rocks, swam, fished, and enjoyed a 

little bit of heaven.

~ Hal

Family Reunion

Family Reunion

On the last night of the family reunion, the four girl 

cousins (by now sisters once again) danced by the fire, 

then linked arms on the dock.

The moon shone on them, and blessed them as they 

blessed each other.

May this moment last forever.

~ Hal