I Spy With

I Spy With My Little Travel Eye

the beginning of a series!

It's about feeling grass between your toes, sand rushing over your bare feet, fresh breezes, watching trees sway, an unexpected walk in nature, places you've never been to, or places you see with new eyes, notice works of art around you, from the human hand or nature, just keep seeing, breathing, doing and cherish the absolute feeling of being alive.

Oops

Please, don't look down!

A step towards what you fear is a mile towards mastering it.

Matshona Dhliwayo

From my downtown collection.

I Spy Some places in Minneapolis.

Lighten up. Brighten up. Smile.

A. D. Posey

There's an upside to everything.

Remember 

The Kindness Rocks?

Now go get some paint little man.

Does he realize he's hiding in plain sight?

Hold on to your heart and life will give you wings.

A. D. Posey

I spy this from my own garden box.

I spy a sight upon our lovely

St. Croix River

Waiting for my ride with ticket in hand!

(where I recently took a river cruise

on the St. Croix!)

Get high on water.

and the moral to my spying is

"There's always a reason to look up."

A. D. Posey

Be the energy you want others to absorb.

All That We Share

Welcome to 

SATURDAY'S CRITTERS

on Sunday

with highlights from this year's Renaissance Festival 2019.

"What I know for sure is this:

You are not built to shrink down to less,

but to blossom into more.

To be more splendid.

To be more extraordinary. 

To use every moment to fill yourself up."

Oprah

"Sometimes we spend so much time and energy 

thinking about where we want to go

that we don't notice where we happen to be."

Dan Gutman

There's so much more to a book than just the reading. 

quotes Maurice Sendak

and

It's how I feel while attending a Renaissance Festival.

There's so much more than just being there.

Oh my goodness, haven't you ever met a Grey Elf Before?

"Elvish singing is not a thing to miss,

in June under the stars

not if you care for such things."

J.R.R.R Tolkien

Thoughts on

 dressing up.

It's not just people doing it!

"Dogs are not our whole life,

but they make our lives whole."

(take time in life to greet those that enter your day.)

Precious beauty captured in stonework.

You know someone is special when their absence

 is felt deeply within.

It is good people who make good places.

Anna Sewell

You always hear incredible new names for dogs

 at a Renaissance festival.

 Like the pup following behind Karina. 

Meet

White-Fluff-Dragon!

So many slithering friends to meet!

"The snake stood up for evil in the garden."

Jack Frost

Of course you know there's a dragon on your shoulder? 

Someday if not already, someone will create a 

Renaissance Festival Museum.

What a sight that will be. 

"Museums are places 

where we're taught to pay attention."

Yet

Isn't that how we should 

 experience everywhere we go?

Unexpectedly

My dear friend, Debbie doing what she does best!
Here helping Cierra with the final touches.

I really miss those days in Cierra's kitchen altogether.

A baby shower at Brit's Downtown Minneapolis.
My daughter in law Cassandra (expecting) 
on the left, my daughter, Cierra
 and Debbie!

Honestly I consider my long time friend Debbie as my bestie.

Best friends are the people you do

 anything and nothing with 

and still enjoy your time.

They're our unbiological sister/brother.

Debbie and I were both in our twenties when we met. She trained me a job as a savings consultant/personal banker at Midwest Federal Savings and Loan.  I was a divorced mother of a four year old boy (she thought was the most adorable) and she was single and dating the love of her life.  

Our friendship evolved over the years. Even when we didn't work together any longer we still remained good friends and she quickly became very close to my family. She was my partner in adventures (I loved to drive, she didn't) and I always brought up to new experiences and discoveries that she was eager to join too.  All I had to do is ask, do you want to join me? Oh heck yeah, she'd always reply. We've traveled to California, Vegas, Illinois, San Francisco, abroad, day trips to little towns near here.  Even to England where my daughter was interning in London.  Off to England we flew. Just last year we spent a few days seeing the sights of beautiful Duluth and Lake Superior. She loved the fact that she was a native of Minnesota and yet I being a Michigander originally always knew more things and places from here then most Minnesotans. We tried to fill up our book of adventures. Always. 

Of course she was my bridesmaid in my second marriage, and aided and guided me through every baby/marriage showers, baptisms, graduation parties, dance recitals, funerals, many holidays, and far too many family birthdays or gatherings to mention. We told and shared everything between ourselves. When her mother died my father died five months later and every May since 2000 we'd visit both her parents and my father's graves at Fort Snelling.  I'll continue that tradition, only without her now.

So very sadly I will forever miss my dear friend, Debbie. 
 In reality she was an extension of me. 

Last Saturday evening we suddenly lost her during her rehabilitation period.  The unfortunate reason her life went from perfectly normal began with an infection in her foot over a month ago. In the hospital things spiraled downward and sepsis entered. Apparently it never left her and other ills arrived.

Here are just a few moments through the years.
Often Debbie wasn't one for having her photo taken.

Celebrating a happy birthday for my son-in-law
who Debbie thought the world of. She was planning on joining
 me on trip to visit them all this year.

Debbie came for an entire week to a place 59 miles
 from the Canadian border just to be my bridesmaid.

My mother truly liked Debbie too. 

Cierra and Debbie, Deb always teased me that she was Cierra's second mother a title she shared with Aunt Linda!

Debbie was always welcomed at our family gatherings and she made many.

We shared a girl's weekend out! 

Galena, Illinois. Debbie, myself and 
another Debbie also a dear friend from our Midwest Federal Days.

Chatting with a tour guide during our Galena trip.

Dinner in England!

Catching some street entertainment in London.

My daughter captured this photo of us
 running across the street in Folkestone, England.
I have a lifetime of memories from that wonderful England trip!

Here we are at one of our
 Midwest Federal Savings and Loan reunions. 

A gathering at Gary's house.


Debbie was the special kind of person that you felt comfortable with and happy to share time together. A dear and special lady, always filling the room with cheer and my family will miss her just as much as I will.


There are so many ways we miss someone. You'll miss things they did, places and experiences you shared and yet, never forget the one most important thing we share with people we know. We'll miss who we were with them. How much your knowing each other mattered. 

It's not the things in life that are most important, it's the matter within everything. From art on the wall to tears during a movie. Feelings. Appreciating. Lifting spirits. Laughing. Crying. If there's one thing I know that hits right to the center of everything, it's feeling appreciated,
 and letting others know how much you appreciate them.

August Love

and 

of course

SATURDAY'S CRITTERS

Ah yes what I love 

most about

August.

(besides some special birthdays)

The Minnesota Renaissance and

the Minnesota State Fair

Can't you just take in the fragrant steam rising from

the funnel cake deep fryers to the tranquil

aroma of wood smoke wafting through the air?

Bundles of fun and the greatness of culture can be found at both places.

Treat yourself. Make more memories.

"The purpose of life is to live it.

To taste experience to the utmost.

To reach out eagerly 

and without fear for

newer or richer experience."

Eleanor Roosevelt

Those who don't believe in magic

will never find it.

Who doesn't adore a pup in her tutu?

Low and behold I must have dinosaurs on my mind. 

Can you see them too?

 Back behind the low sulking heads?

Inspiring souls

 see what they believe!

When going to the Minnesota Renaissance Fair

the

Wacky Chickens 

are a must to see

and share their stage!

Chickens are like potato chips 

you just can't have one.

Live today like you're getting fried tomorrow!

No not snakes on a plane

but 

Snakes galore here.

Dreams are made to come true.

Always something new at the Butterfly House!

The Minnesota State Fair

Deep Fried foods new and old 

mostly on sticks.

Swedish egg coffee.

Soft and scrumptious chocolate delicacies

unbelievable perfection of

arts, crafts, foods, discussions.

Animal births.

So many animal critters.

Deep Thoughts and memories born.

Cotton candy, Ice drinks, wine and beer flights

and rides for every human condition 

young and old scary and not.

The House of Mirrors

and House of Horrors.

Fruits, flowers, vegetables, politics and new designs.

Tractors and trucks and cars too, new and old.

So many things carved from butter.

Cheese Curds, Carnies, Corn Dogs

and the Human Condition.

All kinds of foods.

Crowds, entertainment big names too.

Just to name a few things at the fair.

We have a great sense of togetherness

we just have to bring it out from within

 and share it more often.

You can always take the human spirit out 

for a whirl anytime you want.

Me

Thank you for spending time with me.

Take good care of you.

Live and Learn with Critters

Hello from my world as I'm joining 

SATURDAY'S CRITTERS

See if you can spot the critter friend I brought along with me.


I've learned to be content with what you have.
More often it's more than you need.
Share, give, repeat.
Never ever be okay with who you are.
Always strive for more.

I've learned that no matter what mood you've fallen into
from daily life and not just directly in your day to day
there's possibly, often something far worse.
Treat everyone you meet with kindness 
and make empathy your main source.

Always be thankful you have life.

Give more flowers.

Offer compliments.

Be thankful.

Stop yourself before it's too late.

Be remembered well.

Your first wealth is health. Always.

Those who think they have no time for healthy eating

and living 

(possibly)

will sooner or later have to find time for illness.

"We keep moving forward, opening new doors,

and doing new things

because we're curious and curiosity keeps us 

down new paths."

Walt Disney

When you're curious you find lots of interesting things to do.

I must share a thought for all those in the remodeling world, 

when you're designing what YOU believe to be best.

Openness is good, everyone seems to be doing it.

But please not at the expense of removing vital and important things that many of us use.

"By all means let's be open minded,

 but not so open minded that our brains drop out."

Richard Dawkins

"I've learned that no matter how serious
your life requires you to be,
everyone needs a friend or family member
to act goofy with!"
Always.

If you can, join some silliness today.

Thank you for making my day by your visit.
Take good care of you.