Nature in Black and White

For this photography swap on Swap-Bot, I chose to focus on nature in black and white. All of the images were originally taken in color, but I felt like the color detracted from the pattern and detail of the object. So, I changed them to all black and white images.

The first image is one that I took on April 28, 2019, in Seward, Alaska, of jellyfish. Watching them float and swim was mesmerizing. Inside their bell-shaped body is their mouth. They both eat and discard waste from this opening. They digest their food very quickly because they could not float if they carried a large, undigested meal around.  

To me, the black and white image shows how delicate the jellyfish are and better illustrates their bodies.

The image below is of milkweed seeds with their fluffy floss (what looks like a tail on each seed). I took this image on October 15, 2021, when opening milkweed pods and spreading the seeds. It was a beautiful fall day, slightly overcast, with a nice breeze to carry the seeds off to their new destinations. 

In color, this image has greens, browns, and whites. It has a lot going on. However, when you remove the color from the image, the pattern of the floss and its wispiness shows better. 

Each year in March, we get rainstorms that turn to ice overnight. This image, taken on March 5, 2022, shows the layer of ice covering the woven-wire fence. Imagine this on everything - trees, buildings, the ground, and roads. It's a rather precarious drive until the sun melts the ice. I removed the color from this image because I wanted the focus to be on the icicles and the ice-wrapped wire. 

This image was one I took on April 30, 2008, of rocks at Interstate State Park in Taylors Falls. Although the rocks are slate-gray, it was better to remove the color so that the lichen (on a couple of the rocks) didn't distract from the arrangement of the rocks and the lines between them. 

On June 2, 2021, I was taking photos of the gardens and took this image of leaves with raindrops on them. When I downloaded the photos, I noticed that the leaves appeared to make an "A" - the initial of my first name. I preferred the image in black and white because there were many muted colors in the background from other flowers and plants, the green of the leaves of the "A," and the clear raindrops. The black-and-white version seemed cleaner and more focused on the image I wanted to show.  

I go either way with clouds - sometimes I like the image in color and other times I like them in black-and-white. In this case, I prefer black and white. The clouds had such dramatic shades - from the dark black to white depending on where the sun was and how big/deep the clouds were. This image was taken on August 21, 2007.

As I was taking the dogs for a walk on the afternoon of October 23, 2019, I saw this bright purple thistle with green base.  The thistle plant was huge - probably a good 4'-5' tall. This one flower stood proudly above the rest. Although I love the colors purple and green, what I wanted to focus on was all the little spikes on top and the tightly-clustered spikes below that. 

Photos from Grand Marais

Last week, Olivia and I attended a workshop with Layne Kennedy through North House Folk School. On the last day of class, we shared 11 photos that we took during the trip. Below are my 11 photos. 

Sailboat coming into Grand Marais harbor.

Phyllis.

A father loading a canoe for his family into West Bearskin Lake.

Cascade Falls.

Olivia with one of the Norwegian Fjord Horses at a farm on the Gunflint Trail.

Rose at a photoshoot in a 1980s prom outfit.

High Falls at Grand Portage State Park.

Olivia walking along the Lake Superior shore near the Kadunce River.

Wooden dishes at Grand Portage National Monument.

Steve walking along the cobblestone beach at the Grand Marais Campground.

Girls jumping into Lake Superior on a very hot day.

Hiking Waterfalls in Minnesota

I came across the book Hiking Waterfalls in Minnesota - A Guide to the State's Best Waterfall Hikes by Steve Johnson. There are quite a few waterfalls that I would like to see that are mentioned in the book. Some of the waterfalls I have already been to and pictures of them are included. I hope that I have the chance to see all of these waterfalls within the next couple of years:

- Minnemishinona Falls - .8 mile, easy, from Mankato, follow US 169 north to US 14. Head west on US 14 to CR 41. Go south on CR 41 (Rockford Road) for 1.5 miles to Judson Bottom Road. As the road curves right, the parking and falls area is on the left. In St. Peter.

- Caron Falls - .8 mile, easy, in Caron Park in Faribault.

- Hidden Falls - Nerstrand Big Woods State Park - .8 mile, easy, 970 170th Street East, Nerstrand.

- Little Cannon Falls - .4 mile, easy, From US 52 in Cannon Falls, exit at MN 19 and head east for .7 mile to the Cannon Valley Trail parking lot area. Cannon Falls. 

- Vermillion Falls - .2 mile, easy, in Vermillion Falls Park, Hastings. 

- Hidden Falls - .6 mile, easy, from MN 5 at the Mendota Bridge, head north across the Mississippi River. Exit on Mississippi River Boulevard and head north for 1.3 miles to the park entrance. 

- Minnehaha Falls - .4 mile, easy, Minneapolis. 

My parents, Sophia, Olivia, and I went to see Minnehaha Falls on June 11, 2011.

It was where my parents had their first date. 

- St. Anthony Falls - .5 mile, easy, Minneapolis.

- Fairy Falls - .4 mile, difficult, Stillwater. Off of MN 95. Go on 96 west for about .1 mile to CR 11 (Boom Road). Turn right onto Fairy Falls Road and turn left up the hill to Orwell Avenue. Turnout parking is available on Orwell. Look for the footpath heading into the woods directly across from Orwell Avenue.

Sophia, Olivia, and I went to Fairy Falls on June 1, 2008.

- Marine Mills Falls - .2 mile, easy, Marine on St. Croix.

Sophia, Olivia, and I went to Marine Mills Falls on June 1, 2008.

- Curtain Falls - Interstate State Park - 1-mile lollipop loop, moderate with steep steps, Taylors Falls. The tiny waterfall depends on snowmelt and seasonal rains. 

- Big Spring Falls and Wolf Creek Falls - Banning State Park - 1 mile for Wolf Creek and .2 mile for Big Springs Falls, moderate, Sandstone. 

- Swinging Bridge Falls and St. Lous Falls - Jay Cooke State Park - .3 mile, easy.

Sophia, Olivia, and I went to Jay Cooke State Park on June 4, 2013.

There once was a swinging bridge at this site, but flooding took it out.

It has since been replaced.

- Oldenburg Cascades - Jay Cooke State Park - 1.4 mile, difficult. It's near the Oldenburg Point picnic area.

- Kingsburg Creek Falls - 1.4 mile lollipop loop, moderate, Duluth. From I-35 in Duluth, take the Grand Avenue exit and head south for one mile to the zoo entrance. The trailhead is at the northwest corner of the lot.

- Falls of Miller Creek - .8 mile, easy, Duluth. From I-35 in Duluth, take the 27th Avenue exit. Turn left and follow 27th Avenue for eight blocks to 3rd Street. Turn right and go one block to the Lincoln Park entrance on the left. 

- Falls of Chester Creek - .4 mile, moderate with some steep sections, Duluth. From Superior Street in Duluth, follow 15th Avenue to its blend with Chester Park Drive. Continue on Chester Park Drive to the parking area for Chester Park. From the main parking area, follow the stone steps on either side of Skyline Parkway down to the creek and the trail. The waterfalls start here and continue downstream. 

- Falls of Tischer Creek - 1.2 mile loop, easy, Duluth. From London Road (MN 61) in Duluth, follow 32nd Avenue North to its junction with Congdon Park Drive. At East 1st Street, turn right to reach the creek. Follow the craggy stone steps down to the creekside trail.

- Falls of Amity Creek - Amity and Lester Parks - .8 mile for the first waterfall and .1 for the second and third falls, easy, Duluth. From London Road, follow North 60th Avenue north to East Superior Street. Turn right. After two blocks, turn left on Occidental Boulevard. Park in the turnout. Follow the rustic path about the creek. The second waterfall is .4 mile north on Seven Bridges Road. Bike or drive to the bridge. View the falls from the bridge or social trails. For the third waterfall, follow Seven Bridges Road .9 mile to a turnout on the east side of the road. Follow the trails to the river. 

- Falls of Lester River - Lester Park - .6 mile, easy to moderate, Duluth. The lower trailhead is at the junction of 61st Avenue East and East Superior Street.

- French River Falls - .2 mile, easy, Duluth. From Duluth, follow the MN 61 Expressway for 6.5 miles north to Ryan Road, just before reaching the French River bridge. Park along Ryan Road. 

- Trestle Bridge Falls - .7 mile, easy, Duluth. From Duluth, follow the MN 61 Expressway for 6.5 miles north to Ryan Road. Turn right on Ryan Road and follow it .3 mile to Scenic Highway 61. Turn left, cross the French River bridge and park in the lot on the right, at lakeside. 

- Schmidt Creek Falls - .1 mile, easy, Duluth. From Duluth, follow the MN 61 Expressway for 6.5 miles north to Ryan Road. Turn left on Ryan Road and go .5 mile to a right turn at Old North Shore Road. Cross the French River and shortly turn right on CR 290. Follow this gravel road for .4 mile to a dead end at Schmidt Creek.

- First Falls - Knife River - .2 mile, easy, Duluth. From Duluth, follow the MN 61 Expressway for 13 miles northeast to the wayside and historical marker just past the river bridge. A trail at the west end of the parking area leads to the river and waterfall.

- Middle and Lower Falls - Gooseberry Falls State Park.

My parents, Sophia, Olivia, and I went to see the 

Middle and Lower Falls at Gooseberry Falls State Park on September 7, 2010.

Olivia and I also did ice climbing on a frozen waterfall at 

Gooseberry State Park on February 26, 2014. 

Sophia watched us as we climbed.

- Upper and Fifth Falls - Gooseberry Falls State Park.

- Split Rock Creek Falls - Split Rock Lighthouse State Park - 3-mile loop with tails, easy with one short, difficult climb to the top of Day Hill. 

- Beaver River Falls - .5 mile, easy to moderate, Beaver Bay. The falls are visible from the MN 61 bridge in Beaver Bay. Park at the Beaver Bay Wayside at the Lax Lake Road and MN 61 intersection, or along the highway shoulder. 

- Upper Beaver Falls - 2 miles out and back, moderate, Beaver Bay. From Beaver Bay, turn on Lax Lake Road (CR 4) and head north about .8 mile to a parking area for the Superior Hiking Trail. Start on the gravel road.

- Glen Avon Falls - .2 mile out and back, easy, Beaver Bay. From Beaver Bay, turn north on Lax Lake Road (CR 4), heading north for 1.6 miles to CR 3. Turn left and follow CR 3 for 1.2 miles to a skinny dirt road on the left. Pull in on this dead-end road and park within sight of the river.

- High Falls and Two Step Falls - Tettegouche State Park - 1.4 miles out and back to High Falls; 1.8 miles out and back to Two Step Falls, difficult, Silver Way.

Sophia, Olivia, and I saw the High Falls on June 4, 2013.

- Cascade Falls - Tettegouche State Park - 1.6 miles out and back, moderate, Silver Bay.

- Illgen Falls - Tettegouche State Park - .2 mile out and back, easy, Silver Bay.

- Falls of Manitou River- George H. Crosby Manitou State Park - 2.4 mile loop, difficult.

- Falls of Caribou River - 1.4 miles out and back, moderate. From Little Marais, follow MN 61 north for 5 miles to Caribou Falls State Wayside at mile marker 70.

- Two Island Falls - .4 mile out and back, easy. From Schroeder, follow MN 61 south for 2 miles. Near mile marker 77. Park on the side of the road or in the gravel parking area on the lake side.

- Cross River Falls - 100 yards out and back, easy, Schroeder. Park on the lot on the west side of MN 61, across from the Cross River Heritage Center in Schroeder. The waterfall is in clear view directly from the Highway 61 bridge at the Cross River Falls Wayside.

- Falls of Temperance River - Temperance River State Park - 1.8 miles out and back, easy to moderate, Schroeder. 

- Upper Falls - Poplar River - .8 mile out and back, easy, Lutsen. From MN 61, turn north onto CR 5 (Ski Hill Road) and head up to the ski area. Look for the gondola parking area. Hike the gravel road to the start of the trail. A Superior Hiking Trail sign leads the way to the South Oberg Trail and then to the falls. 

- Lower Falls - Poplar River - 100 yards or so, easy. Lutsen. From MN 61, turn south onto Resort Road and follow it to the east side of the lodge at Lutsen Resort. A sign for the River Trail leads to the waterfall. 

- Thompson Falls - .3 mile out and back, easy, Lutsen. From MN 61 in Lutsen, follow Caribou Trail (CR 4) north for 17 miles all the way to its end at the junction with FR 153, locally known as "The Grade." Turn right and head east for 2.4 miles to FR 158 (Bally Creek Road) and turn right again. About .2 mile south is a turnout and sign for Thompson Falls on the right. The trail to the falls leaves from the parking area.

- Cascade Falls and The Cascades - Cascade River State Park - .5 mile out and back, easy to moderate (with stairs).

- Hidden Falls - Cascade River - .8 mile out and back, easy. From MN 61, .8 mile northeast of Cascade River State Park, head northeast on CR 7 for 1.9 miles to CR 44. Turn left (north) and go .5 mile to CR 45. Go left and in 2.5 miles look for a parking area at the Cascade River bridge.

- Rosebush Falls - .2 mile out and back, easy. The Fall River bridge is located 2 miles south of Grand Marais on MN 61, near mile marker 107. Park on the highway shoulder. A skinny trail at the north side of the bridge leads through the woods to the falls. 

- Falls of Kadunce River - 1.7 miles out and back, moderate. From Grand Marais, head northeast on MN 61 for 9 miles to the Kadunce River State Wayside. Cross the highway to the Superior Hiking  Trail spur trail, which leads to the falls. 

- Lower Falls - Judge C.R. Magney State Park - 1.4 miles out and back, moderate.

- Upper Falls and Devils Kettle - Judge C.R. Magney State Park - 2.3 miles out and back, moderate to difficult. Grand Marais.

- Portage Falls - .3 mile out and back, moderate, Hovland. From Hovland on MN 61, head north on the Arrowhead Trail (CR 16) for 13 miles to Shoe Lake Road. Turn left and park in the turnout on the left. Hike back across the Arrowhead Trail and take the skinny trail into the woods and to the falls.

- High Falls - Grand Portage State Park - 1 mile out and back, easy. 

- Middle Falls - Grand Portage State Park - 5 miles out and back, difficult. It's about a 3.5 hour hiking time. 

The Art of Noticing - Book Notes

 There's a book that I read recently that had some intriguing ideas about creativity. The Art of Noticing - 131 Ways to Spark Creativity, Find Inspiration, and Discover Joy in the Everyday by Rob Walker had many ideas that I would like to try doing. 

Since the pandemic began back in March with a lockdown, I've struggled to get in a regular pattern of creative exploration and doing things that I enjoy - like pottery, sewing, writing, and quilting. 

Iris folding.

I'm hoping that by doing some of the activities in this book, that I will start doing these things again. (However, pottery will need to wait until the art center opens again.)

- My ambition is to provoke them [students] into thinking about what they notice, what they miss, why it matters, and how to become better, deeper, and more original observers of the world and of themselves. 
- A broad range of professions and pursuits relies on the creative process. The scientist, the entrepreneur, the photographer, the coach: Each relies on the ability to notice that which previously seemed invisible to everybody else. 

- The stimulation of modern life, philosopher Georg Simmel complained in 1903, wears down the senses, leaving us dull, indifferent and unable to focus on what really matters.

- In the early 1950s, writer William Whyte lamented in Life magazine that "billboards and neon signs," and obnoxious advertising were converting the American landscape into one long roadside distraction. 

- "A wealth of information creates a poverty of attention," economist Herb Simon warned in 1971. 

- Polyconsciousness is what one researcher termed the resulting state of mind that divides attention between the physical world and the one our devices connect us to, undermining here-and-now interactions with actual people and things around us.

The girls next to one another...but, unfortunately, in their own worlds.

- When you actively notice new things, that puts you in the present...As you're noticing new things, it's engaging, and it turns out...it's literally, not just figuratively, enlivening. (Ellen J. Langer)

- Windows are a powerful existential tool....The only thing you can do is look. You have no influence over what you will see. Your brain is forced to make drama out of whatever happens to appear. Boring things become strange. (Sam Anderson)

Thanksgiving window stars.

- The quieter you become, the more you can hear. (Ram Dass)

- Appreciate the random participation of others in our lives. (Speed Levitch)

- Our life experience will equal what we have paid attention to, whether by choice or default. (William James)

Ideas for noticing:

 - Conduct a scavenger hunt.

- Spot something new every day.

Lake Waconia - someplace new I visited in October.

- Take a color walk

- What are the colors that you become aware of first?

- What are the colors that reveal themselves more slowly?

- What colors do you observe that you did not expect?

- What color relationships do you notice?

- Do colors appear to change over time?

 - Start a collection (e.g., search images to hunt and document: arrows, public clocks, manhole covers, geometric shapes, specific architectural details, footprints, signs and objects prohibiting specific behaviors)

- Count with the numbers you find. The game is to find unexpected shapes, sizes, and contexts. Start at 1 and work your way up or start with 100 count down. 

- Document the (seemingly) identical - a developed named Jacob Harris regularly takes pictures of blue cloudless sky - near-identical squares of blue. He calls the series "Sky Gradients." Other ideas - sidewalks, parking lots, grass, tree trunks - both human-made features and natural ones offer endless possibilities.

Seed pods on a tree in the backyard.

- Look slowly. An example is Slow Art Day. Look at five works of art for ten minutes each, and then meet together with someone over lunch to talk about the experience. The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York concluded that its patrons spend a median 17 seconds in front of any given painting. 

- Look up and then look farther up - this means slowing way down or stopping moving altogether.

- Repeat your point of view - occupy the same spot for 15 minutes every day and study passersby. 

- Look out a window - spend 10 minutes looking out the window you most persistently ignore. 

Two deer who frequently have visited our yard this Summer and Fall.

- Reframe the familiar - make a Polaroid-size frame, acrylic with a dry-erase surface - like portable windows. Hold the frame up to an object or scene and write a one- to two-word description on it (e.g., beautiful, vacant, cloudy). Then shift the frame to focus on a different subject, leaving the original description. How does the earlier description influence what you're looking at? 

- Cover 4'33" - John Cage composition in 1952 involved a 4'33" "song" of no music. Set the timer on your phone for 4 minutes and 33 seconds. Set it to vibrate or chime, place it somewhere screen-down, and don't watch the clock tick. Close your eyes and just listen. 

- Make an auditory inventory - collect sounds and write down what they are. 

- Digital silence - observe a week of digital silence. 

- Stand - "Standing with Saguaros" project - stand for an hour in the proximity of one of the cacti there. You can also sit. Adapt to your area. Pick one thing and really attend to it for an hour. 

- Spend a day of traveling your hometown without spending a dime. See what happens when you take money out of the equation. How does it change where you move, what you look for, how you orient yourself. 

Staying by the hummingbird feeder for a long time yielded some photos 

I enjoy looking back upon now that the hummingbirds have migrated south.

- Play Big-Box Archaeologist - look for and document products you couldn't dream up if you tried as you go through a big-box store. What is the most absurb product you will see? The most poetic? The saddest? The one most revealing of 21st century America? The funniest?

- Read the plaque - read public plaques. They often tell fascinating stories hidden in plain sight. See readtheplaque.com for examples. 

- Apply the SLANT method: Sit up, Lean forward, Ask and answer questions, Nod your head, and Track the speaker.

- Ask five questions, give five compliments - this requires an alert attentiveness toward other people and what they're saying.

- Find something to complain about - without complaining, there can be no progress. The trick is to treat negativity as a means, not an end. 

- Meet a friend halfway - pick a friend and calculate the exact geographic midpoint between where the two of you live. See geomidpoint.com. 

- Be alone in public - it's not a penalty to spend time alone. It's an opportunity - to exist totally free of anyone else's expectations or your smartphone. 

A stand of pine trees on a trail that I 

explored by myself one morning.

- Care for something. Caring is at the very heart of it all. These exercises help you decide what you want to care about - and thus what and whom you want to care for and attend to.

A river in Wisconsin that I have enjoyed visiting several times.

5x5 - September 2019

This month for the 5x5 swap on Swap-Bot, there were five questions to answer - each requiring five answers. Below are the questions and my answers.

Besides Swap-bot, what are 5 websites you visit most often?

- Flickr.com and my page on Flickr

- The Lions Club with which I'm involved.

- Pinterest and my account on Pinterest

- Library

- Facebook

Name 5 places you'd take someone from out of town.

One of the places I would take someone from out of town who was visiting Minnesota is Split Rock Lighthouse in Silver Bay, Minnesota. After being retired in 1969, the lighthouse became the focal point for Split Rock Lighthouse State Park; and is a National Historic Landmark.

Kayaking on July 12, 2014.

The visitor also would be able to see Lake Superior which is a huge lake. The lake is so big that it could contain all the other Great Lakes as well as three more lakes the size of Lake Erie.

Taken on April 15, 2011.

Another place I'd take someone is Lake Itasca. It is a small lake in comparison to Lake Superior. However, it is the headwaters of the Mississippi River and one of the most important natural locations in the state of Minnesota.

Taken on September 5, 2012.

While seeing Lake Itasca, there is plenty to do and see in Itasca State Park, which is the oldest park in Minnesota. In addition to hiking, Sophia, Olivia, and I have enjoyed camping and relaxing at one of the historic cabins in Itasca State Park.

Taken on September 5, 2012.

While touring around the St. Paul area, I would take someone who is visiting from out of town to the Cathedral of Saint Paul which is a National Shrine of the Apostle Paul. A lot of people locally call it St. Paul’s Cathedral. It is one of the most beautiful buildings in the state.

The copper dome of the cathedral makes it one of the most recognizable cathedrals in the United States.

The building, which is an example of Beaux-Arts architecture, is comparable to the great cathedrals of Europe. The cathedral is listed as a landmark on the National Register of Historic Buildings. This is also the cathedral where my father was ordained as a Deacon in September 1990.

One of my favorite places in Minnesota is Grand Marais and the BWCA. I have taken many trips up north with the girls, alone, and once with my parents. It is one of the most beautiful places to visit in Minnesota.

Taken on June 5, 2013

Although a lot of people go up north for fishing and canoeing, we have mostly visited this area to hike and do photography.

Taken on June 6, 2013, at Honeymoon Point in Grand Marias 

along the Gunflint Trail.

We also have had fun boating...

Taken on June 4, 2013.

kayaking...

Taken on June 5, 2013.

and horseback riding.

Taken on July 10, 2014.

There are deer, wolves, Canada lynx, bobcats, moose, fox, and black bears that live in the BWCA. One year when we were staying off the Gunflint Trail, we had a young black bear who visited us while we were having dinner. We heard some clamoring going on outside the door of the home we were staying in. The bear had gone through the garbage; and had walked up the steps to another area of the yard.

Taken on July 9, 2014.

A final place I would take visitors to is the Taylors Falls area where Interstate State Park is located. There are large rock formations throughout the park and along the St. Croix River (which separates Minnesota and Wisconsin).

Taken on May 25, 2013. 

The formations and deep potholes (25+ feet or more deep) were made by a combination of lava and glacial movement. This rock, pictured below, was one that the park ranger showed us as an example of how rocks could be smoothed through this process.

Name 5 books you've read or would like to read.

I went through my Goodreads account which has a list of books I want to read and books I have read. There are still quite a few books on my list that I would like to read. So, I ordered five books from the library on September 13th:

The Bluebird Effect: Uncommon Bonds with Common Birds by Julie Zickefoose
The Chimps of Fauna Sanctuary: A True Story of Resilience and Recovery by Andrew Westoll
The Christmas List by Pete Nelson
Every Day Is a Holiday by George Mahood
The First Phone Call from Heaven by Mitch Albom

Some of the books the local library has on its shelves. Others need to be ordered from libraries throughout Minnesota. I'm excited to read these books over the next month or so.

Name 5 teachers you've had over the years.

Adama Sow - my pottery teacher who I've been learning from since August 2018. He has taught me how to make bowls and mugs on the pottery wheel; and given me guidance when I've needed it with hand-building.

Glazing leaves I found and pressed into clay on September 12, 2019.

I glazed each of the leaves a different color to see 

which ones showed the veins of the leaves the best.

Chaiki O'Brien - who teaches SAORI weaving. I've taken multiple classes from Chaiki which I've enjoyed. She is a patient and encouraging teacher.

SAORI weaving I did on May 12, 2018.

Eileen Gavin - my all-time favorite professor when I went to college. She understood that not all students are good test-takers and created alternative ways to test students' knowledge.

She gave me the opportunity to show my knowledge through my strength at the time: research papers. These were much more meaningful for me and I was able to share what I had learned through writing rather than showing what I could memorize.

Jonis Agee - a creative writing professor who I had in college. She pushed me to explore different forms of creative expression including short stories and poetry. I knew I had done a good job with one of my creative writing stories when I had many of the students crying. It showed me the power of words; and how they can take someone to another place and time in their imagination by listening to a story.

Sr. Eleanor Lincoln - one of my English professors in college. She told me when I was a freshman that my writing was not college-level writing and that I needed to use the Writing Center. Reluctantly, I went so I could learn to write and express what I was learning.

By junior year, I was an student-instructor in the Writing Center and writing for the school paper; and by senior year, I did an independent study with St. Eleanor about Shakespeare. My final project was a research paper on which I earned an "A." My writing, she said, "had greatly improved" during my college years.

I am so grateful for her honesty and encouragement during my freshman year. Because of her, much of my professional career was related to writing. I wrote countless proposals seeking funding for non-profit organizations in North Carolina, California, and Minnesota.

I was able to start my own non-profit because I was able to secure funding.

Through all these organizations, artists, educators, composers, high school students, and children all were served.  

List 5 words that start with the same letter as your First Name.

Alpaca

Taken on May 17, 2007.

Archeology

 Taken on June 9, 2012.

Autumn

Olivia raking leaves on October 14, 2007. 

She was 4 years old.

Artistic

Sculpture at Frank Lloyd Wright's Taliesen West. 

Taken on July 7, 2017.

Accident

Looking at an x-ray of my neck injury after a car accident in November 2018 

with my chiropractor. Taken on December 7, 2018.