. . .left blooming all alone – so I had to pick it on November 2nd and it is still blooming in the house.
Tis the last rose of summer . . .
November 8th, 2010Faberstrasse
November 7th, 2010
This is the front room of the house or apartment where my father and mother lived in Magdeburg, Germany in 1937-38. The grandfather’s clock on the left is the one my father gave to his landlord in Paris in gratitude for all the landlord had done. The rest of the furniture was lost to thieves who robbed a storage garage. The two oil paintings and most of the silver came safely to the United States after the war. The decorative tile stove was used for warmth during the winter. I don’t know what happened to the old-fashioned radio.
This composite picture was a new challenge in using Photoshop CS5. I think it worked ok!
Flower power?
August 20th, 2010
Two photos of my father as a soldier in World War I. On the left, he is a very proud cadet in the fall of 1914 when he was so anxious to get into the war before it could finish without his help. On the right, he looks much more solemn, almost sad, in stark contrast to the flowers on his helmet and roses tucked into his shirt front. His uniform still looks like an enlisted man’s outfit. He wears leather trousers over his boots with spurs. In a letter home, he spoke of riding through rain that was so heavy it soaked through those leather pants. The right picture was probably taken in the spring of 1915, perhaps during a leave at home before reporting to the Eastern Front.
FLOWERS
July 29th, 2010This year finally the rains came bringing an abundance of vegetation. With a wide choice of pastures, the rancher delayed putting his cows onto the property. So no one munched the grass or trampled the flowers in our meadow.
Grass taller than a four-year old.
A Gunnison's mariposa lily in the meadow.
White poppy with yellow spider
Brown-eyed Susan, yarrow and clover
Amiens Cathedral
July 15th, 2010
I never realized that stonework in cathedrals was painted in bright colors in the middle ages. When we went to the sound and light show at Amiens cathedral, we saw a reproduction of the original brilliant hues that awed the medieval crowds. Digital image projections on the gray stone statues create an unforgettable spectacle.
Beaver
June 14th, 2010
A friendly beaver decided to set up housekeeping in Garnet Lake, but his dam-building and aspen-eating skills were not very much appreciated. So the game warden came up, captured him and will move him to a new home! Bye, Bye, Beaver!
Old Dog, New Trick
June 13th, 2010
On one of our walks up at Slate Creek last week, Roxy couldn’t figure out how to get around the cattle guard. All of a sudden she casually walked across it! Now she is an expert – not bad for a nine year old dog!
Laura Ingalls Wilder’s friends
June 11th, 2010
The old Keystone School is now a museum, featuring Laura Ingalls Wilder memorabilia. The kids had fun dressing up as Laura’s friends.While T was busy writing on her slate, Z enjoyed wearing his suspenders and cap while he read an old primer. We also got to see the real little shepherdess and an impressive picture of Laura’s family, including a very bearded Pa.
We finally finished reading together “The Long Winter”, and it was a very lo-o-o-ng one! Amazing how the Ingalls family survived on bread and water for over two months. And those repeated blizzards made me feel icy cold! Almonzo risked his life getting wheat back to the starving people of DeSmet. Gave me new appreciation for our modern conveniences and easy life.
Water, Water Everywhere
June 1st, 2010
Whitewater canoeing down flooding Castle Creek was a fun challenge, but this time the canoe did not capsize, fortunately. It would have been a cold swim! Hard to believe little Castle Creek could flow so much water. 
Even the spillway at Garnet Lake was overflowing for the first time in ten years. We had to ford Slate Creek before crossing the bridge to get to the lodge. The water was at least 4″ deep and forty feet wide. 
Serendipity
May 18th, 2010
I was looking for some old pictures to include in the dvd I am making of my father’s life and ran across this picture which fits perfectly into my story. Henry R was a crippled polio survivor who lived just down the street from where my father had a room when he first moved to Bethlehem. Henry would spend most nice days out on the sidewalk in front of his house. He was a very bright man with a degree in mathematics who tutored college students in math. Dad probably met Henry when he was sitting outside, as he is in this picture. Of course, Dad loved to discuss math more than anything else, so he and Henry quickly became friends.