Liz Shoots The April Moon, Minneapolis at night, Minneapolis, Minnesota, April 2012, photo © 2012 by QuoinMonkey. All rights reserved.
It’s hard to get back into the practice of writing for red Ravine after two months away. Where have I been? The business of life. And love. Art and passion. Mr. Stripeypants was sick for a time, a bug he contracted during surgery. He’s fine now. I was sick for three weeks, then it was time for Art-A-Whirl. Liz and I spent hours in Casket Arts Studio 318, talking art and writing and authors. Explaining panoramas on brushed metal and the latest installment in the Writers Hands Series. After Art-A-Whirl, I am so energized by the people that stop by that I want to spend every waking moment in my studio.
My mother went to Georgia without me this year. I missed traveling with her; she continues to research the family tree. I take it up, too, in my spare time. I will never lose my passion for history — the people, places, and things that lived before us. While I was away, the seasons changed. Quickly and without apology. What would normally be Spring has bloomed as Summer. We lost a few limbs on the two cedars in an ice storm. An arborist is coming to give the oaks and cedars a trim on Monday.
Where have I been? I went to see Anne Lamott at a bookstore. And Leslie Marmon Silko at the downtown library. I photographed the clouds with my Droid. I stood on a bridge and shot the Moon with Liz. We are working on a business together. It’s slow and steady, like the Turtle I am. I am working on the project plan. Liz digs into business details. We will meet with a designer soon to begin work on our website. More to come.
I can say I missed you. I did. When I come back to this place, it is like coming home. I have a guest piece coming up soon. And a new Writing Topic. While I was away, red Ravine turned five. Five years and a million hits. I didn’t know when I started writing and posting my art here that years would fly by. That I would be exposed for the gaps in my practice. One year, I took a photograph every single day. Another, I wrote Writing Practices all day long. One year, there was a haiku a day. In 2012, I take time to breathe. And expand within my own absence. I have not lost my gratitude for you. There is no way to explain where the time goes. I always come back to the things Natalie taught me. Continue. Continue. Continue. Get up. Jump back in.
-posted on red Ravine, Thursday, May 31st, 2012
One of my favorite views of Philadelphia is from a similar position. Across the bridge from amtrak is a gorgeous cityscape, like this one.
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It’s fun to find places where you can see a whole city. Liz downloaded an app that helps to pinpoint when the Moon will rise from a certain position. We were using it the night we were shooting the Moon in this photograph. I was thinking about Harrisburg and all the bridges there. I have some great photographs of the bridges. But I never thought about driving to the other side and seeing what photographic angles I could access for the city itself. I bet you could get some nice photographs of Harrisburg from across the Susquehanna.
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thats an amazing app.
i was mesmerized by the moon last night.
oh, i do. i have beautiful ones i took for a project. i’ll send a couple your way, see how you like them. they are framed by the nature i found at the park.
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I love that app. Liz and I were just thinking about using it for the Full Moon this week. I think Liz said there was a Venus transit coming up. Would love to see some of your bridge shots of Harrisburg.
We were at the Stone Arch Bridge last night for Pre-Northern Spark events.and the Moon was amazing. So was the light. It was much like the angle of Fall. Beautiful evening! Wish you lived closer so we could take you to Northern Spark next weekend. You would love it. BTW, you have a good view from the 3rd floor, closer to the sky. 8)
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Hi QM. I stopped by here the day you published this post; tried to leave a comment then but it didn’t work. Hopefully this time it will.
This post resonated with me, the business of life consuming all the time. I’ve not been writing nearly as much as I want nor need. I’m trying to get back into it myself.
Mostly, though, I wanted to congratulate you on red Ravine’s fifth birthday. Wow, can you believe it?! I’m so glad it’s still alive and happening. It’s beating to a new pulse, a new pace. It seems right.
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yb, I can’t believe it’s been five years! Longer if you count the planning and that spark of imagination that set her afire in Taos. All evolving out of the practice. red Ravine does beat to a new pulse, slow and steady. I am okay with it. I have been trying to complete a couple of pieces all week. Perhaps I will finish them this weekend. It’s hard to nestle all the creative impulses into daily routines. What works best for me at the moment is to compartmentalize. I seem to rotate from one creative endeavor to the other in solid chunks of time. Multitasking has fallen to a low spot on my list. I am not fond of it. Leading up to Art-A-Whirl and the few weeks after, I have been focusing on my art and planning for the business I am working on with Liz. The writing ideas are always there, and part of my photography, too. But the practices are different. Yet in many ways the same. Hard to explain. But I know you know what I mean. I am so appreciative of what I learned from Natalie. It has carried me a long way toward integrating the creative into everyday living. I find I just have to keep going, sometimes on very little sleep. This is the life I have chosen for now. It’s ever evolving. Thank you for stopping by. Hi to New Mexico. I have had a longing for the ocean lately. I’d love to spend a month on the Oregon coast. Mountains and ocean. When you live in the Midwest, you have to seek them out. Ever the seeker.
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It almost all sounds wonderful to me, the living of a full and good life. I’m glad that in the end, all is well. 🙂
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Robin, thank you. Good and full. That is how it feels. Sometimes a little too busy. I’m still longing for a walk on the beach somewhere. A week to just sit in the ocean air. Can’t see it happening anytime soon. I guess it’s one of those things you have to plan. Tonight I am tired but going to work on red Ravine a little bit. I appreciate you stopping by. From the bogs where you take your beautiful photographs. I feel like I know the place.
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Stopped by today when I realized I hadn’t been to red Ravine in months. I can’t say why–living my life, keeping up with my daily blog posts on two blogs now, being tossed away in general. But, I do know that I have missed this place and the people who write and comment.
Happy birthday to red Ravine.
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Bob, thank you so much for the well wishes. You don’t sound tossed away; you sound busy writing and living. I like to think that red Ravine helped to inspire a few other writers and their blogs along the way. If that is true, nothing could make me happier. I miss having you stop by, too. I’ve been busy living and working and trying to integrate a new business venture. It all takes time. I’ve been trying to get a new Writing Topic posted. Maybe when I get it up, you’ll want to write with me. Stay cool down in Kansas City. Was it really over 100 degrees there today! Steamy up here in the North Country. Crazy hot and humid.
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The weather people have predicted another week of temperatures near or above 100 with heat indexes over 100. Even the native plants have browned up in the last few days. I water every morning with water from my rain barrels. It’s been about a month with no measurable rain, but the rain barrels have provided water for the last four weeks. I haven’t even used water out of one of them. I’m hoping it will last until the next rain.
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