The Republican Party is convening in Cincinnati to promote Donald Trump as it’s adoptive son. The stage craft, the hype is palpable. The rest of us are expected to endorse Trump with a collective huzzah on November 11th. I was reminded of a striking statue at the Detroit Institute of Arts. The statue was…
A highlight of the trip to Detroit was a concert at the DTE Energy Music theater, one of the foremost venues in the country. We had lawn seating for three storied Rock N Roll bands, Cheap Trick, Joan Jett and the Blackhearts, and Heart. All have been inducted into the Rock N Roll hall…
After arriving in Holly Michigan we saw an advertisement for the Oakland County Fair. The kid in me hates to pass up a visit to a county fair. What is more iconic than a Ferris wheel, even a double Ferris wheel? Our first stop upon entering the fairground was the pig races. Actually the…
We were tired and hungry after spending the better part of the morning at the Detroit Institute of Arts. Our spirits were full, satisfied. Our bodies craved nourishment. A quick cell phone search revealed that a restaurant with a suitable bill of fare was close at hand. We crossed the street, walked about a…
Spent a day in Detroit. So much to see in this Motor City. Promised myself that I’d return in the future; maybe the Grand Prix of Detroit on Belle Isle in the spring; or the Heidelberg Project, a neighborhood rising from the ruins of American politics as usual. The day was spent at the…
A mid summer visit to Kraklauer Creek. Wildflowers and everything else is at the apogee of life. At that point does a plant pass from the everyday mundane into the realm of sculpture? Sculpture is made to touch. And this is but a sliver of life that simultaneously “happens.” A friend recently…
So, which plant would you designate as cultivated, and which a randomly growing, “volunteer” weed? Would either plant “know,” have any sensibility of the distinction? Is it a matter of beauty? Though distinct in vegetative form, and shape of blossom, each is beautiful in it’s own way. Where is the dividing line of…
Ahh, Summerfest, the annual music festival on the Milwaukee lakefront. Anticipation of Summerfest keeps me going in the dark and often bitter Midwestern winters. It’s all about the music, –nine performance venues! Music and beer. Ok, non-alcoholic libation is for sale too. I thought of the ancient god of wine, of ritual madness, fertility,…
Everything is context. The severe weather missed us. A gentle rain had fallen over night. I walked over to the garden. The dark wet earth framed the lush, soft green of the young tomato plants. I noticed some weeds that survived the hoe, making their come back. I pulled a few, throwing them to…
For the past 5 or 6 years I have put in a small vegetable garden. It’s a month to month process of work, and I have the help of multitudes. What I mean is the presence of the botanists who developed the “Better Boy” hybrid tomato plant, the chemists who worked out the method…
