Public Art in Lanesboro

There is a lot of public art in Lanesboro, Minnesota, starting as soon as you enter town, in the parking lot close to the downtown area.

One of several haikus posted in the general parking lot in Lanesboro.

On each lamp post in the parking lot is a plaque with haikus posted for people to enjoy. The haikus are responses to the Lanesboro Arts Poetry Series. What a fun way to welcome people to town.

The plaque reads: 1893 Chicago Bridge Co.

We walked away from the parking lot toward town on a path that led us over the Root River on an historic bridge, now a pedestrian bridge, built in 1893. The bridge leads you to a side street in town. And there, on the side of a brick building, is a wonderful public art display of four mosaic panels.

1 of 4 mosaic panels. The bike trail and rolling hills and farm fields near Lanesboro.

Mosaics have always intrigued me. I’m fascinated to see images and pictures created from small, colorful tiles, or stones and other such elements (in this case some pieces of mirrors). 

2 of 4 mosaic panels. An eagle over land and river, a big-wheel trike in the foreground, and flowers.

These panels were the results of an Artist in Residence project in 2017.  The artist, Bailey Aaland, involved the community in making these panels which, I think, adds a special touch.

The plaque explaining the mosaic public art pieces.

According to the artists plaque, she offered mosaic making sessions to community members, mirrors were donated by local residents to be used in the mural, and participants, working off Bailey’s outline, “helped shape the design throughout the creation process.”

3 of 4 mosaic panels. Tractors and bicycles on land, near river.

The results were four very creative, beautiful depictions of the surrounding areas of Lanesboro…the bike trail, the farm fields, the bluffs, the river.

4 of 4 mosaic panels. A bridge, fish, land and river.

It’s a wonderful display, showing off the area, and the collaborative work of the community, for the enjoyment of all people.

A mural in an empty space on Lanesboro’s main street.

Another public art piece in Lanesboro is on the main street, in an empty green space between buildings. It is a colorful, painted mural of the town’s name, providing a photo op for many people. There are picnic tables in this area too, offering space for people to gather together to gather to visit, eat or rest. During our overnight stay there was a community event held in this outdoor space. 

Little Lending Art Cupboard: on wheels…rolled out onto main street for folks to borrow art supplies.

To encourage art, instead of a “Little Free Library” there was a “Little Lending Art Cupboard” in this same community space. The cupboard is full of art supplies, and was on wheels so it could be set out during the day and taken in at night, or kept out of the rain, and moved around town to different locations I suppose. It encouraged people to “Take what you need, leave what you can. Because everyone needs a little art in their life!” The Art Cupboard was created by Girl Scout Troop 47985. What a great idea. I haven’t seen that before.

It was delightful to take in the variety of public art displays created with the intention of sharing them with the Lanesboro community and its many visitors.

Cardinals

Below is a poem and a haiku I wrote for an assignment in my writing group. The cardinal is my favorite visitor to our yard, but I love to see them anywhere!

The cardinal in our birdbath.
Take Flight 
 
The cardinal flies past the window and I know it’s melodious sound. 
For me, it is a love song, letting me know I am loved. 
His bright red color is like red lips kissing, touching the heart
And every time I see it I adore it more.
Through him God says, I see you, I know who you are and you are loved.
It reminds me what is important…family, faith, friends.
The fly-by is like a messenger delivering many thoughts saying
I am free, you can be free, take flight, be the adventurous person you are.
But then I sit back, a little anxious that I am being silly...
And writing this poem is like forbidden fruit and not worth anything. 
 
The cardinal at the window feeder.

Another assignment was a writing exercise and I ended up with three words: travel, fly and cardinal. I needed to use those three words to write a haiku.

Traveling by wings
A cardinal can bring much joy-
A bright red fly-by.

Summer Haikus

My friend and writing companion, Sheri Eichhorn, and I have a lot of fun writing haikus for just about any word. Haiku is a writing pattern of 17 syllables divided into 3 lines of 5, 7, and 5 syllables. Here are a few summer time haikus…I wrote a few and so did Sheri.

Shade from the hot sun
Wonderfully delicious
and very welcomed. (VB)
Bright, sunny flower in a garden in Colorado.
Sparkles in the night
There is magic in the air
Twinkling fireflies. (VB)
Fireflies at night
Blinking in the forest glen
It is enchanting.(VB)
This is a unique card, received from a friend.
Bicycles ask us
to be both the passenger
and provide the fuel. (SE)
Two wheels on a frame
Around and around they go
Bicycles are fun.(VB)
Bicycles never 
run out of fuel until
you climb off the bike. (SE)

And since this is the summer of the pandemic, a few haikus about that…

A “masked statue” in Golden, CO.
Pandemic. That word...
it hurts to hear it, it hurts
to know—it lives here. (SE)
Global pandemic
Novel coronavirus
Took us by surprise.(VB)
The distance we’ve come
from normal with this virus
feels too much too far. (SE)

Home Again

We arrived back to an empty house, after helping our son and his family move out of our home, to Colorado. We miss them.

A few haikus about our trip…

Adventure awaits
To Colorado they move
We will miss them so.
Our own caravan
Three vehicles together
All heading westward.
The view of the beautiful apartment complex where our son and family have settled.
Unload, unpack, rest
Moving is a lot of work
They are settled in.
Hiking in the park
The snow starts gently falling
Spring in the Rockies.
The spring/winter beauty of Rocky Mountain National Park.
Three moose on the move
Catching a glimpse through the trees
Many elk and birds.
A few of the many elk we saw in the park, and in town.
Visiting good friends
Retired and moved away
Fun to reconnect.
The Twin Sisters, a view from Ft. Colins, CO. Photo by Jayne L
The house is quiet
The children have moved away
It feels so empty.
An empty bedroom.
Our last day with the grandchildren before their move to CO.

Wounds, Healing and Scars

I’ve been thinking about wounds, healing, scars…

First we get a wound: stabbed, cut, or an incision, and it hurts. 

The wound will get better…it will heal…but not instantly. It takes time – and it depends on the severity of the wound. But, most often, it will heal. Our bodies are amazing that way…truly amazing when you stop to think about it. 

The saying goes “time heals all wounds”…this I believe, but the question is…will it leave a scar? Some do, others do not. You never know, you just have to wait and see. 

Not only does this apply to our physical beings but our emotional beings as well.

Atlantic Ocean, Nazaré, Portugal. 2016

I have always liked this quote by Isak Dinesen, “The cure for anything is salt water: sweat, tears or the sea.”

Although those three elements are not a cure for everything physically, I think it may be true for emotional healing.

This idea is goes along with a haiku my friend and writing partner, Sharon Ginter Eichhorn, wrote on healing and nature:

Healing is aqua
Corralling the sky and sea
Into gentle hope.