Valentine's Day in Stillwater

The owner of Reve 324, a new bistro in Stillwater, and a photo of their Valentine's Day cheesecake special. Check it out.

Happy Accident

This is our breakfront. The Ansel Adams poster came from a thrift store. The poster is advertising something called "The Mural Project" -- a series of extraordinary photos of major National Parks views done by Adams, probably in the '50s. A few weeks after finding the poster, we were in Stillwater, 30 miles away, and came across the first edition of the book "The Mural Project" in Chestnut Street Books. Happy accident.

What Cezanne would see on our table

Cezanne said it took a lot of experience to reduce a painting to pure emotion. It took a lifetime. This photograph reminds me of Cezanne's still lifes.

Poinsettia

A reminder of Christmas hangs around after the Feast of Epiphany.

Are you lookin at me?

These guys are brothers. Really.

One of my better rose photos

Sara got these last Sunday to brighten up a deep freeze moment in the winter.

The light and what we do to it

The hydrogen fusion of the sun produces white light, which is a mix of every hue. We blow glass, craft knick-knacks, pot plants, coat candle wax with red pigment, loom green silk and splash paint, black, on breakfronts and walls, to tease out the specific hues of light. But our work isn't done yet. We pose our things and snap them, and wring yet another wink of pleasure from the bits of specific color.

The spirit in the tree

The tree raises its skein of life against gravity, and the sun abides the winter dawn in its arms.

Winter Tree

We had just had a new snow fall. I went out looking for a good snow tree. As I saw this out my driver side window, the van in front of me started swerving into my lane, and the guy following me was too close to stop. I realized all this as I held the Nikon up to snap the photo. In an instant, the van sliced across my lane into the curb on my right, and the guy behind me started fishtailing, his rear end just missing the van as we ploughed past it. I forgot I had taken this photo until today. It brought back wild memories in the skein of its serene snow- laden branches.

What's not to love about Winter Storms

Hanging over our driveway this morning.

Autumn knock-out

The oak in our front yard is a hold-out. It still has a full crown of big leaves, but they are dipped in crimson and doomed to fall. I plucked a couple and tried out a close-up bargain lens to get this shot. Says Fall!

Tow Me!

Click on the photo to enlarge and read the warning on the yellow curb...it is reflected in the Maserati door, in reverse.

Dawn does a searchlight

The low morning sun lights up the bottom of this cloud cover.

Downtown Autumn tableau

Thrivent Financial Building reflects the Government Center and Capella Tower as a backdrop to trees in various stages of undress. Preparing to sleep through the Winter, as many of us would.

The Barn in Autumn

The cliche sometimes is all you need.

The tree

While we were in Jordan I looked for the one best tree of the day. This was it.

Autumn Vines in Jordan MN

The brilliant colors of vines on an old brewery in Jordan Minnesota.

Sara and Jon in Albert Lea

Sun and Moon

Wall at the Japanese Garden/

Cat owner's peculiarities

It is a strange thing about cat owners (and new parents)-- they think their darling defines the standard for proportions and appearance, and measure all other cats (and babies) against that standard.