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It’s 1960. My maternal grandfather, my Aunt Madge, my brother, and I had been summoned to “the Kremlin.” Madge consistently referred to her brother’s Glasgow home as “the Kremlin.” This reflected her disconnect with her brother, Malcolm. He was clearly keeping his distance from the rest of the family, possibly for good reasons. The backstory… Continue reading The Time I Was Summoned to “The Kremlin”

Today I did my annual bike ride to Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport, MSP. On previous rides to the airport, I’ve visited Terminal 2. This time I wanted to take my bicycle to Terminal 1. However, it’s not possible to cycle to Terminal 1 without running afoul of the law. MSP has two terminals: Terminal 1-Lindbergh, with 117… Continue reading MSP Terminal 1 by Bicycle

It took an invitation from a friend for us to do it. Last week, Dwight and I found ourselves picking up trash from a main drag that runs through our neighborhood. All the way back to childhood, I’m grateful for friends appealing to my better instincts. Sometimes appeals to people’s worst instincts are strong motivators.… Continue reading Taking It to the Streets

When she was a child, my mother was acting up. My grandmother pointed to a little girl sitting passively across the room: “Why can’t you be like her?” My mother retorted: “Nobody is paying attention to her.” She was probably a little older than the toddler uncomfortably propped on the chair in the photograph at… Continue reading The Show Had to Go On

Since my last visit to South Korea in 2017, I have come to crave the comfort of Korean-style rice bowls: rice topped with little heaps of meat, vegetables, and a soft-cooked egg. Yolk permeating rice is one of life’s great pleasures. The photo at the top of this post shows a fine example awaiting my… Continue reading Bibimbap: Korean Comfort Food

[wp_quiz id=”1823″] I have nothing against love hotels as places for courting couples to get some privacy for a couple hours, or a traveler to get a cheap bed for the night if they can wait until late night to check in. I have issues with other uses that involve exploitation. I took the photos… Continue reading Love Hotel Amenity

[wp_quiz id=”2011″] There are about 40 of these devices scattered around the Minneapolis and St. Paul downtowns, and the campuses of the University of Minnesota. This one is across the road from the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. It consists of a box, an antenna, and a solar panel. The antenna is always drooped, as… Continue reading Drooped Antenna on a Pole

October 1983, Hawaii Big Island: I stand against an expanse of blackness, some of the newest terrain on Earth. I set the self-timer on my Canon AE-1 film camera, then dash into the field of view for a self-portrait. “Selfies” would have to wait until the 21st century. I walk around nearby Halemaumau Crater as… Continue reading Standing at the Edge of Creation