Valerie's Voice – Page 72 – Musings on Life

Colored Glass

The Minnesota fall has been warm and wonderful. There have been many days to go outside to play, or work, or a little of both…(balance!)

So I went outside one, fine day to clean off our deck. I picked up a shiny, orange glass dish sitting on the table and took a trip down memory lane as I remembered where it came from.

Back in junior high, maybe – I’m not sure how old I was, I bought this orange dish for my parents to give them on their anniversary (I must have borrowed money from my dad to do so – ha!) but I can clearly see this dish displayed on shelves in the J. C. Penney store at the Apache Plaza Mall, near my childhood home in NE Minneapolis (the mall no longer exists.) It was sitting on a clear, glass shelf with other beautiful glass pieces. I sometimes marvel at the things I remember (and the things I have a hard time recalling!)

Years ago when my mom moved into an apartment and downsized she asked me if I wanted the dish back, so I took it. I couldn’t believe she saved it all those years. But what I thought was interesting is that even back then, when I was so much younger, I was attracted to colored-glass. Little did I know I’d collect colored-glass vases and dishes in antique stores as an adult.

My colored-glass collection on old Singer sewing machine wrought-iron stand. I replaced the broken cabinet with a clear glass shelf to display the colored-glass pieces. A string of lights help show it off after dark.

I especially like green glass but all colors attract me. I find fun things to do with them…use them in place settings to serve ice cream or dessert, put single stems in the vases to decorate a place setting… it’s even a joy to wash them and see them shine.

A few of my dishes in an Amish-made cupboard with clear, glass doors.

An Iris in a lavender colored-glass vase.

As I collected other items off the deck to bring in for the winter I took inventory of a blue, glass ball hanging off the pergola (also from my mother), along with a red glass flower hanging for decoration, a glass hummingbird feeder, and a white glass globe with a candle inside on another table.

So hard to capture this beautiful display of colored-glass…

In April 2014, when I first started blogging, I had a post about colored-glass on a different site. I copied an excerpt from that post and copied it below…

“…While exploring the town, our stroll down Main Street took us into an antique shop where I found a bright, orange, glass basket that would go well with a new picture in our dining room. When I went to the counter to purchase it, the clerk asked, “Do you like color?” Well, yes, I do! It was an unexpected but interesting question. I do enjoy color…in everything: flowers, in nature, in décor, in clothing, in all of creation. And I enjoy scouting antique stores for colored glass and I occasionally find a piece to bring home for my colored-glass collection.

I’ve been thinking of that question a lot these days as I notice Spring bringing new life and color all around me.”

The orange basket on my African tablecloth on my dining room table.

I made the star-shape glass piece in the window at a fused-glass art class.

I think porcelain and pottery are beautiful too, but give me a colored-glass piece any day.

Even More Color and Shapes

We went to the Balloon Fiesta on two different days. The second day we followed the same routine to see the Special Shapes Rodeo, an event featuring special shaped balloons. Again we arrived before dawn to see the Dawn Patrol and watch the balloons ascend. Below are only a few photos from all we took. It was too hard to pick a favorite (well…maybe the Armadillo). They were all amazing.

Humpty-Dumpty had a great fall…but stayed afloat at the Balloon Fiesta.

The Holstein cow is huge…and you can see the scarecrow on the ground being inflated.

The Scarecrow air-born, along with penguins…and a bandit and a British “Bobbie” getting ready to ascend.

The lady with the “Tutti-Frutti” hat ascending, a British Guard getting ready for take off and Uncle Sam still on the ground.

I love this fish’s smile…with a Mexican Dancer close by. The other balloon has ocean critters hanging from it.

A huge balloon in the shape of a dog. Note the basket size compared to the balloon.

This Man on Motorcycle balloon is so huge it doesn’t ascend often. When it does it, only goes across the field. It was fun to see it inflated.

Another huge balloon…boy in a wheelchair. I don’t think it goes up very often either.

This boy balloon enjoying the festival with lots of hot-air balloons reflected in his glasses.

More Color

I love color… in all forms: a Minnesota autumn, colored glass, crayons, flowers and hot-air balloons to name a few.

Way back in high school I remember a friend using the descriptive “colorful as a balloon man at the circus” and I thought it was clever…but now I’m thinking “colorful as hot-air balloons at the International Balloon Fiesta in Albuquerque, New Mexico” is better.

My husband and I had the unique experience of seeing the 46th annual Balloon Fiesta. We were with another couple who had lived in New Mexico for several years so they knew the routine.

Up at 4:30 a.m., on the road by 5 a.m. to join hundreds of other cars all heading towards the Balloon Fiesta field. After parking the car – and remembering surrounding landmarks to find it again – we walked in the chilly morning air wearing our jackets, gloves and hats and entered a fair-like atmosphere with booths selling food and souvenirs, all lit up in the dark. There were hundreds of people already there. We bought some hot coffee at one booth, and a breakfast burrito – with green chili of course – at another, and then walked on the field to watch the Dawn Patrol balloons set up. The Dawn Patrol are the few balloons that take off early to check weather conditions to determine if it’s OK for the other hundreds of balloons to take off that morning. These few balloons look like giant fireflies in the dark sky because the balloon lights up from each blast of flame that shoots hot air into the balloons.

Once the Dawn Patrol gives the “go-ahead” the other balloons are laid out on the field and hot air is blown in to inflate the balloon. The balloons are turned upright with the large basket for the pilot, passengers and the gas burners attached underneath the balloon.

When the pilot has determined it’s ready to fly the tether is loosened and the balloons begin to rise. People get excited and clap as they watch the balloons gently float up, up, up into the sky. It’s a very festive atmosphere and a very impressive sight. By now the sun has started to peek over the mountains and the Mass Ascension continues for about an hour or two until all the hundreds of balloons all ascend. It’s truly an amazing sight to see, and wonderful to be a part of this special event.

For many years I have wanted to go to the Balloon Fiesta, held every year the first two weeks of October, so it was fun to finally be there on the field. It met my expectations. The balloon designs are so varied and the colors are so vibrant. The first day the Mass Ascension included balloons of many shapes and sizes, but more traditional shapes. The next morning we repeated the routine and joined even more crowds to see the Special Shape Rodeo.

A few (very few) photos from the event:

Here’s a little perspective of the size of these balloons.

Spectacular!

Color

At the Santa Fe Ski Basin: 11,000 ‘ above sea level.

We just returned form a six-day vacation in New Mexico. The landscape is so different from Minnesota, as it should be, and that is why it is fun to venture out and see an area of the country so different from where we live. We had a great time.

In New Mexico the quaking aspens turn bright yellow in the fall, but by this time in October many have lost their leaves. There were still several bright ones popping out among the Ponderosa Pine and Pinon trees on the mountains. We visited two cities: Albuquerque, 5,312 feet above sea level and Santa Fe, 7,199 feet above sea level. The landscape is filled with small scrubs dotting the rocky and sandy soil with Sangre de Cristo mountains as the backdrop. The sky was such a crisp, deep blue. It was beautiful to see and fun to be in the Southwest.

All the while I was wondering if I was missing the mixture of reds and burgundy, yellows and golds, lime-greens and oranges; the colors of the trees in Minnesota during autumn. I was happy to wake up at home in Minnesota to lots of sunshine with many trees still in their autumn glory and fall color all around.

Happy Birthday Zoey!

It is my grand-daughter’s third birthday today, October 10. My son and his wife were married three years ago but recently had a more traditional wedding to renew their vows and incorporate traditions from Lobolo, an African wedding ceremony, and American wedding ceremonies, including a big reception. Unfortunately we were unable to attend.

Here is photo of their two beautiful children all dressed up for the special occasion.

Ezra – 18 months old.
Zoey – 3 years old on October 10.

And another photo from that special day…

Celebrating Life

I’ve felt much sadness from the news of the shooting in Las Vegas earlier this week. I think of all the parents grieving over their beloved children, no matter what age the children are. I believe God is grieving over this violent act too.

So I am ever more grateful to be able to give both my sons a hug this week. Our oldest son lives in the cities, our younger son lives in Mozambique, Africa but is here in Minnesota for a visit. I am grateful for these two wonderful, healthy, young men and their families.

We have had a nice visit with our youngest son, the father of two of our three grandchildren.

We went for a hike and ate a picnic lunch at Nerstrand Big Woods State Park,

and sat around a bonfire in our back yard under a full moon, along with sharing meals and stories together…and a little shopping for gifts to bring to his family back home.

He met his five-month old niece for the first time too. We are celebrating life!

The End of NIght

I finished reading The End Of Night; Searching for Natural Darkness in an Age of Artificial Light by Paul Bogard. Folks on the BWCA trip recommended the book. I requested it from the library and when I picked it up I wondered how a 270 page book on artificial light could possibly hold my interest, but it did. Simply put, it addresses light pollution and it’s affect on our planet, our bodies, our lives. It was written in 2013…who knew there are groups out there advocating for better type of lighting in our cities (all over the world) so we don’t “drowned out” the Milky Way?

I started reading the book at the cabin up on the north shore. While having a campfire on the rocks our last evening, the sky was clear. It was a new moon, therefore there was no light competition for the stars. I have always paid attention to the phases of the moon, especially when we go up north. After the campfire I suggested we get in the car and drive to the top of the hill on Sawbill Trail and turn out the car lights to stargaze. We did. On the hill we were far away from artificial light: no city lights, no cabin lights, no headlights…and it was spectacular to see the beautiful dome of stars.

In church recently I talked with a woman who had just returned from “up north” and mentioned how her young son was amazed to see so many stars in the night sky, unlike what he sees at home. This is one reason of concern in the book.

Reading the book brought back a couple of memories. One evening, when our boys were younger, we were camping in northern MN with two other families. The air was still and the sky was clear. After dark, we all hiked to the small lake in the campground and saw the stars reflecting in the calm, unruffled water. It was a stunning scene and one I have thought of several times through the years.

Another special outdoor, nighttime memory is walking with a friend when the moon was full. At first we joined organized hikes with a naturalist, but after a few months we just started walking on our own on nights when the sky was clear and the moon was full. It was great and we had enough light from the moon to walk the path without flashlights.

I love light, as most people do, but this book gave me a new appreciation for our need for darkness too, and for our wonderful, magnificent night sky.

Great Conversations

It’s been a very busy week since we arrived back home from the north shore. It’s been filled with an unusual amount of amazing conversations and interactions and I believe God orchestrated them as my transition back to life at home. Some of the dialogs were planned, but some were unexpected. Most were face-to-face but a couple were by email. I have been blessed by each and every one and am so very grateful for the richness each person adds to my life. I’m truly in awe and very thankful.

A Haiku:

Great conversations

Adding richness to my life

Giving thanks to God.

Movement at Temperance River State Park

One beautiful afternoon during our stay up on the north shore, we walked along Temperance River towards Lake Superior, from the parking area to a wooden bridge that crosses over the river to the other side of the park. While on the bridge we looked downstream to the mouth of the river and there was a young man fly-fishing. As we looked upstream, towards the water falls, our son and his wife alerted us to watch for fish jumping out of the water trying to swim against the flow. It was fun to spot several fish jumping over the course of a few minutes. Some types of fish return to the stream of their birth to lay eggs. To accomplish this, they must swim upstream against the current of the stream. It looked like a tough job.

If you observe closely you can see a fish jumping in this 9 second video. Click link:

IMG_8497

The fish jumping was one of the interesting movements we saw that afternoon.

The other interesting movement we witnessed was on the rocky beach of the state park.

I didn’t have opportunity to get a good photo of this lone dancer on the rock, but I wanted to capture the memory.

We continued hiking to the lake and found a semi-shady spot to sit down and read our books on the rocky beach when I noticed on the other side of the beach a woman dancing by herself on an outcropping of rocks. I was far enough away so she didn’t know I was watching her, but there were others close-by and she would have known they were there, but still she danced with abandonment.

And it brought me much joy.

I sensed her enthusiasm and love for the beauty surrounding her and she was expressing it by dancing. I try to express these feelings by writing and photography but part of me wants to secretly find a hidden beach somewhere and dance to my heart’s content!

“Let all who come to Love rejoice, let them sing for joy! And protect them, so that those who live in your love may dance in your light!”

An excerpt from Psalm 5 from the book Psalms for Praying by Nan C. Merrill

It’s hard to say good-bye…

09/21/17 The sun did it’s beautiful thing again this morning with no clouds to obstruct our view. We leave for home today and I’m sad to say good-bye, although I’m so grateful for the time we had up here in this amazing place. I’m praising God for this incredible beauty.

Our adventures this year included hikes up Oberg Mountain (two times), Britton Peak, Shovel Point, Temperance River (several times, different areas), bike rides on the Gitchi-Gami trail, drives along Hwy 61 and inland roads, eating delicious meals right at the cabin overlooking the lake. We took time to read, reflect and just plain “sit around and watch the lake”. We pieced together a jigsaw puzzle, enjoyed campfires on the rocks… explored new places.

It was wonderful to be with our son, his wife and our five-month-old granddaughter.

Three seagulls on the rocks outside the cabin.

There were many seagulls in the air and on the rocks, an eagle that flew by several times, hummingbirds at the cabin feeder and a few ducks floating along.

It was fun to see this barge heading out to sea, sailing past a beach we were exploring for the first time.

We always enjoy having a jigsaw puzzle out on a table to slowly piece together during our time in the cabin. There are many puzzles available at the cabin. I chose this Tall Ships puzzle to remind me of my kayak trip watching the Tall Ships parade last summer.

We saw a lot of fall color on the inland trees this year, and we had several varied weather patterns: wind and rain and rough seas, and some gorgeous, clear, autumn blue skies…all makes for a wonderful week on the north shore of Lake Superior.

Our lunch spot…can’t find a restaurant with these views!

We’re going home relaxed, renewed, rejuvenated and rejoicing.

Sigh…it’s so hard to leave, but my heart is full.