Valerie – Page 5 – Valerie's Voice

Minnesota Mosaics Guild

When I think of mosaics, Lakewood Cemetery Memorial Chapel is the first place that comes to my mind.

On of the mosaic angels in the Lakewood Cemetery Memorial Chapel.

Inside the chapel is a magnificent display of mosaics, made from 10 million tesserae (marble, stone and glass) tiles, creating angels and other beautiful figures on the walls and overhead on the domed ceiling. They are stunning.

And then, I think of Duluth MN, where there is a great mosaic panel along the Duluth Lakewalk.

The mosaic mural on the lake walk in Duluth, MN.

On of the scenes on the Duluth mural, depicting the quarter inch tiles used in the mosaic.

It is made of ceramic tiles and illustrates different Lake Superior scenes. It’s fun to see this amazing public art display.

The letters to create this sign was fun to see. Each letter is a mosaic.

So, when I noticed the Paradise Theatre in Faribault was hosting an exhibit by the Minnesota Mosaics Guild, I was excited to check it out. There were several pieces on display…all of them impressive and one-of-a-kind.

These are two mosaic letters, i and l, from the word Guild.

There were three pieces in particular, that stood out to me.

“A Sunday Afternoon” by multiple artists.

The first one was a mosaic made to capture the painting A Sunday Afternoon (on the Island of La Grande Jatte by George Seurat painted from 1884-1886). It was larger than the others on display, and the picture was divided into 18 equal sections, each section representing a portion of the painting.

Four sections from The Sunday Afternoon painting made into individual mosaics.

Each section was a mosaic created by a different artist and had its own form of medium to re-create a portion of the painting. Then it was assembled together, like a quilt, for a spectacular piece of artwork.

“Counting Sheep” was another a delightful mosaic that used glass, metal, paper, ceramic and shells. It was detailed and creative, with an old watch incorporated into the picture.

An old small pocket watch is a piece of the “Counting Sheep” mosaic.
Part of the back drop is made with pages from a Bible.

One of the mosaic’s sheep, up close…button nose, shell ears etc…

I would have liked to bring this “Counting Sheep” mosaic home with me.

“Bouquet for Mom” was bright and colorful, and stood out. It was made of stained glass and beads.

Other great works:

“The Blue Willow Bunny”, using dishes/china, glass, beads, by Lisa Van Wyn.

“Mane Avis Tessellis”, using stained glass and broken dishes, by Maureen Rath.

It was fun to read an open invitation from the Minnesota Mosaics Guild to anyone who is interested in this art form, to join the guild and create…whether you have any previous experience with mosaics or not.

“I want to ride my bicycle”, glass and slate, by Laura Lee

The exhibit was not large, but it packed a lot of creativity into one room.

“Madness is meaningless”, glass, slate, stone and shell, by Laura Lee.

Mosaics are a whimsical, and amazing art form.

The Lightning Bug

My simplistic rendition of a firefly since I cannot capture their images with my camera. 😉

We are seeing a delightful show each night in the field behind us, put on by a multitude of lightning bugs (fireflies) so I wrote a poem…



The Lightning Bug

On a summer’s evening
I’m a witness to small wonders.
A dazzling light display
When darkness descends upon the earth.

Beautiful, twinkling lights.
One here, one over there~
A multitude dancing 
Filling the wide-open space.

Bringing joy and wonder
By the simple act of being who they are,
Doing what they were created to do.
The lightning bug.

Valerie Bollinger 2025

And, we had an added perk last night as we watched the full moon rise. It’s so amazing. I love the moon.

7/10/25 Moonrise. In reality the sky is much darker than the picture shows.

Along the Sakatah Singing Hills Bike Trail

The other morning we biked on the Sakatah Singing Hills Bike Trail in Faribault. To our delight, we were gifted with several bird and animal sightings.

As we drove to the bike trail, we passed an egret near a pond, standing tall and beautiful.

A little later I saw a majestic eagle flying overhead. I never tire of seeing eagles.

On the trail, we noticed a pretty bluebird going into its house, several red-wing blackbirds flying by, and heard cardinals singing.

Sandhill Cranes are large birds and are usually with their mate.

We stopped to watch a lone sandhill crane look at us and then walk across a field…I wonder where his mate and friends were? (Two days later we saw a pair of Sandhill cranes in a different field.)

We saw several bunnies darting in and out of the grasses along the bike trail. We spotted a “spotted” doe, and saw a snake slithering across the trail (not too thrilled about that!)

As we passed a farm field, I noticed Holstein cows running down an incline in the fenced in farmyard. That was an unusual sight…running cows.

All this time we’re pedaling our bikes down the paved trail, getting some exercise as nature put on a show for us, complete with music from the birds serenading.

The Circle of Life

I begin last Sunday afternoon, sitting outside on a hillside overlooking a lake, listening to music in the background, visiting with friends.

Monday morning I’m having coffee and catching up with a friend.

Tuesday evening we make a shuttle run to the airport to pick up friends and bring them back to their home in Northfield.

Wednesday was a beautiful evening for a pot-luck dinner and grilled hotdogs and a leisurely tritoon ride on Cannon Lake (toons and biminis…is this Dr. Suess influence?) and we celebrated a birthday.

Another birthday to celebrate on Thursday… flowers and a meal at Cosetta’s… with a lovely trio of multigenerational women.

Friday, being the Fourth of July, is yet one more birthday to celebrate – our country’s. We ate a piece of homemade pie and listened to a concert at a countryside gathering which claims to be the oldest 4^th of July celebration in Minnesota. Later in the evening, we enjoyed a great fireworks show back in Northfield.

But also, death came this week, to a dear friend and we gathered together to remember.

All in a week’s time.

The circle of life.

Grateful.

A Woman in the Cape

The first night on Terceira Island in the Azores, we were walking along the street towards the sea, and an image on a sign hanging over a storefront caught my attention. I was attracted to it. And, I’ve thought about the image many times since. I wrote a poem to capture my thoughts about it.

A Mulher do Capote
(A Woman in the Cape)

Who is this cloaked figure? 
I am drawn to her.
She’s mysterious,
Inviting,
A keeper of secrets,
A listener.
She holds beauty lightly yet it follows her,
She shares it wherever she goes.
She doesn’t need recognition,
But is recognizable.
Beautifully mysterious~
A silhouette to ponder.

_{Valerie Bollinger 2025}

Fairy Gardens and Trees

The house we sold and moved out of is only one mile away from our current twin – home. We often walk the same walking paths. Recently, I walked by our old house and was admiring all the flowers in the gardens I had planted over the years, that were now coming up (and that I no longer take care of). They were fun to see.

The new fairy garden along the sidewalk at our old house.

I noticed a fairy garden in the back garden near the sidewalk. It made me smile. My fairy garden used to be tucked under a rose bush in the same garden. Their fairy garden (more like miniature do-dads) is more out in the open. The flower garden borders the public sidewalk, that leads to the walking trails around ponds nearby. The fairy gardens can be seen by many people walking by.

When our house was on the market, the photographer took a picture of my fairy garden and added it to the house photos on the listing. I’m hoping that is why the new owners created a fairy garden for others to continue to enjoy. I have not found a place to set up a fairy garden at our new house.

On a different note:

While we were traveling last month, our previous neighbors sent a photo of a beloved 30-year-old locust tree in the front yard of our old house. It had blown over in a storm. Fortunately, it fell away from the house and into the street. It was one of my favorite trees we left behind.

Northfield Public Library

I’ve mentioned this before, but I really am impressed with our Northfield Public Library!

I arrived at the library this morning and it was buzzing with lots of folks, including a lot of children in the children’s section. It was wonderful to see.

First, I went to pick up the book I had requested. A great system…you request the book, the librarians find the book and set it aside, you walk in and pick up the book off the hold shelf, and self-check out. Slick.

Then, I went upstairs to ask questions of the librarian and she took her time showing me the new system. I also had a question about WORD docs and she was able to help me with that too. I thanked her and told her how much I appreciated her help and how much I like our library!

On my way out I ran into a friend I haven’t seen for a while, and we were able to chat a bit.

I left the library with a grateful heart…

Miscellaneous Curious Photos and Flowers on the Islands

A beautiful old catholic church (1834) in the city: The Cathedral of Angra do Heroísmo.

I really liked this wooden sculpture of Jesus the carpenter we saw in a church. I’ve never seen Jesus portrayed as a carpenter in a sculpture form before.

A landscape view of San Miguel, the green isle.

There were several types of roosters “strutting their stuff”, on all the islands.

These two parrots, in an enclosed area in a park, were fun to watch.

I like this photo of the exposed tree roots, growing down, down, down into the earth.

This tree was called the elephant foot…must be a nickname! 😉

And then there were so many flowers…these photos capture a few unusual ones…

I loved the way the twilight reflected in these windows.

Painted Doors

For our last dinner together in Funchal on Madeira Island, we walked to the Mozart Restaurant, located on Rua de Santa Maria. This is one of the oldest streets in Funchal.

On our way down Rua de Santa Maria to the Mozart Restaurant.

It is a pedestrian-friendly cobblestone street, with some car traffic. It is lined with small restaurants, cafes and a small art gallery or two. It is also known for its painted doors.

The Painted Doors Project began in 2010 with the idea of revitalizing the Zona Velha (Old Town) area, specifically Rua de Santa Maria.

It invited artists to transform old doors into unique works of art. The project was successful and continues today. It features a diverse range of artistic styles on painted doors, creating a vibrant outdoor art gallery.