FOTOFRIDAY

FOTOFRIDAY: Where There’s Smoke

Posted on: Friday, June 16th, 2023
Posted in: Rants & Roadkill, FOTOFRIDAY | Leave a comment

Lovely murky sunset over Lake Okoboji, courtesy of Canada and their wildfires.

Are we living in the end times? Hell, yeah. I thought that those of us of a certain age would take a spaceship to Heaven before all that. But any more, it’s hard to find any good news about planet destruction slowing down. It’s too damn bad. Cuz this place was Eden, and bazillions of innocent species do not deserve to be wiped out. Humans do, though; we’re the intelligent ones. And look what we’ve done with all them smarts.

My personal thanks to those who still think global warming (a better label than ‘climate change’) is a hoax. And to the cultures who don’t give a hoot about overpopulation. But let’s minimize the anger, enjoy the pretty sunsets that vital getaways provide, and drink a toast to, well, Planet Toast. While we still can.

Cheers!

FOTOFRIDAY: Forgotten Photos Fire Foggy Memories

Posted on: Friday, June 9th, 2023
Posted in: Travelog, Unplugging, FOTOFRIDAY | Leave a comment

Where? Vegas, of course. Why? Vegas, of course. (And…for the memories, thanks…)

A few nights ago, I found myself at home alone with the puter in my lap. A rarity, as I become ever-better at seeking real interaction and unplugging. A flash hit me: I’ve hardly looked at the 1,000s of photos I’ve taken since 1-1-23. And I’ve taken trips to picturesque places. This pic came up, from a fancy eatery in LV—and reminded me why we take the pics. The room, the dinner, the smells, the views, the company…all came back.

Note to self: Take more, better, remind-ful pix! (And don’t forget to look at them, even if it means screens…)

FOTOFRIDAY: The many colors of Carmel

Posted on: Friday, May 12th, 2023
Posted in: Travelog, Unplugging, FOTOFRIDAY | Leave a comment

This young explorer seems delighted to be in magical Carmel. Who wouldn’t be?

I snuck away for a late winter vakay last week. To charming, colorful Carmel-by-the-Sea, on the coast of NoCal. The weather did NOT offer that tropical glaze that we Northerners crave when winter won’t end. But the stunning beauty of the place quieted any complaining. As did the unique boutiques, the friendly folks, and the laid-back vibe.

My tech tools and toys took an overdue unplugged break, too…except of course for some irresistible pictures like this one.

Oh, to be a carefree boy once more, like this lad lost beside the sea. Then again, one often feels forever young when ambling a pristine beach and observing a fearless, curious seeker. A future BreakAway artist? No doubt!

FOTOFRIDAY: The Many Faces of Vegas

Posted on: Friday, January 20th, 2023
Posted in: Travelog, FOTOFRIDAY | One comment

Las Vegas has variety. Enough to make your head spin! (Photo of your MYBA host, Kirk Horsted, as taken by son Jesper Horsted.)

Because my son plays for the Las Vegas Raiders, I finally made it there for a game and some quality time with my boy. Since the game was the season’s last for the team—and they didn’t make the playoffs—I was gifted with family hangout time after the game for a few days. While not my first rodeo in Vegas, I was, naturally, blown away by the place.

You want attractions and entertainment you had no idea existed? Go there. AREA15 (“A Wanderland of Art, Music & Amusement) is where my faces photo happened—and offers just one example of a venue that will both delight and overwhelm.

So…a more thorough (though not tell-all!) travelog with some pics is in order and will post on these pages in coming days. (Working title: What happens in Vegas?) For now, the photo above offers a teaser-metaphor. Because indeed, your head spins when there. Stimuli abounds such that one rarely knows what to look at. A silly grin can happen, sometimes for unidentifiable reasons.

BUT…As travel destinations go, well, it’s an acquired taste. Some people love it—millions have moved there! In fact, the population has grown nearly 7-fold since 1980, now sitting at nearly 3 million!  And who knows how many tourists are there? It felt like another 3 million.

It’s always good to BreakAway and experience new things. And Las Vegas DOES know how to throw a mean party. But after leaving Las Vegas, I also had to agree with Saint Dorothy: There’s no place like home.

FOTOFRIDAY: What Are You Thankful For?

Posted on: Friday, November 18th, 2022
Posted in: Sabbatical Shuffle, SoulTrain, FOTOFRIDAY | Leave a comment

A year ago, I travelled to Portland, OR to watch my daughter play college soccer. THANKS to other parents, I was driven to the out-of-town game, introduced to tailgating under tarps in the rain, and screaming into frosty air throughout 2 wins in 2 days. Thanks, folks!

Funny: As I stumbled on this picture today, I had to dig into (what’s left of) my memory. Where were we, again? (A coffee shop on the way to Willamette.) Why are there other references to our soccer team? (Other parents must have gotten there first.) What am I thankful for? (My post-it says: Jesper and Elsa.)

The world is crashing and burning with things to worry about. Fortunately, “there is so much to be thankful for” also. In this season of thanks, remember to say “thank you” often. And remember to go through your old photos now and then. You’ll be thankful you did.

FOTOFRIDAY: Just Another Villa in Italia

Posted on: Friday, October 14th, 2022
Posted in: Travelog, FOTOFRIDAY | Leave a comment

Where DID they get all those statues?

When Autumn hits, my mind turns to Europe, as most of my time there seems to have been when summer ends, the tourists have retreated, the countryside is humming with harvest excitement (and treats), and the locals are throwing parties and fests all over—as they’ve done for centuries.

This lovely little villa comes from such a place and memory. Somewhere in Tuscany, surrounded by countless charming towns and vineyards. Such sights blur as you drive around until you feel like you’re hallucinating on some idyllic Disney ride.

I actually think I snapped the shot from a moving car. Probably on the prowl from one winery to another. Doesn’t really matter where…

FOTOFRIDAY: Summer, Like the Lake Lily, Will Fall

Posted on: Friday, September 30th, 2022
Posted in: SoulTrain, Unplugging, FOTOFRIDAY | Leave a comment

One month ago to the day, the lakes (the lucky ones!) were abloom with these indigenous lilies that take your breath away and beg loudly to pose in the sun.

The lovely White Water Lily, so common on MN lakes and vital to their ecosystem, has now ceased blooming and begun its descent into, well, fall. My kayak has lots of lily friends, so we hang out quite often. They host a great environment for meditating (meaning: catch a tan…and some vitamin D). Who needs the trendy lotus, wherever they are?

I snapped this pic with the iPhone 13 and did a bit of editing later. I still find myself in discussions (debates?) of 35mm, film, digital, phone camera brands, what have ya. Sure, my opinions can make a modest splash like the waves around the lilies. But in the end, a good shot is a good shot.

IMHO, this is a pretty good shot. FBOW, I have hundreds of lily portraits. The lilies always shout, “Take a picture of me.” Then the ones over there shout louder, “No! Me!” And so it goes. They all deserve their moment. And I love staring at the images later, when the blooms have begun to sink slowly to the muddy bottom, rather like a SAD reaction to fall…

But hey, we’ve got the pics to reminisce. And remind us that this whole annual upheaval remains as natural as the lily’s fragile cycle. Did you know these blossoms each last only one day? Well, now you do!

The seasonal changes can feel almost violent here in MN. We try to like the drama; helps us know that time is passing. Like life itself. So seize the day. And snap that picture.

Speaking of weather violence, the BreakAway staff sends love and hope to the people and nature of Florida. Sanibel…Captiva…the Keys… Manatees, pelicans, dolphins showing off alongside our sailboat… So many still-palpable memories. And surely many fine pics, dating back to my first visit (for a spring break) in 1980…

May all that precious nature somehow survive and revive. Keep the faith.

FOTOFRIDAY: Low Cut Connie…Incomparable Creative Combustion!

Posted on: Friday, September 9th, 2022
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Meet Adam. Leader of …a band? A dance party? An improv troupe? A bunch of giddy prodigies? Yes!  

Most people don’t know this band. But I do…

Adam Weiner and his band (Low Cut Connie). helped me live through Covid. And I told him so. Among the brilliant things he and they have done: When Covid hit and his tours got postponed, he performed over 100 1-2x/week livestreams from his spare bedroom in South Philly.

That show was called Tough Cookies, one of many his brilliant branding and performing offshoots. A cult grew, from all over the world. We wrapped our virtual arms around each other, took catharsis and livestream spectacle to new levels, and left each show with a euphoria and faith that, YES! We are Tough Cookies…we still love life…and We Will Survive!

TOUGH COOKIES is a concert, a church service, a support group, a strip club, a punk club, but mostly a SOUL MUSIC VARIETY SHOW.

Now the band is back on the road. Thank God. Because live music may be the ultimate BreakAway, where your worries wash away through the cosmic gift of song and verse and dance and risk.

Low Cut Connie, who embodies all that magnificently, did a two-night stand at the MN State Fair last week. The lucky crowd had an unbridled blast, even if newbies’ eyeballs popped out and groupie dancers collided.

Best of all, the explosive band had even more fun than us. Which is way more contagious than Covid.

Little Richard meets Mr. Rogers

~ The New Yorker

To paraphrase Star Tribune’s critic Jon Bream, “Low Cut Connie is part Springsteen, part Meat Loaf and 100% rock and roll.” Right on. No wonder The New Yorker dubbed him Pandemic Person of the Year.

I second that emotion. And will treasure my Covid-show memories, 1-1 moments with the band, and recent photos worth more than 10,000 words.

Rock on.

FOTOFRIDAY: Picture Roulette…Returning to College

Posted on: Friday, August 26th, 2022
Posted in: SoulTrain, FOTOFRIDAY | Leave a comment

A new student steps through the historical arches and into the metaphorical portals of her life-changing BreakAway for higher education.

In my world, the mind is racing, the desk is a neglected mess, and this sunny day screams for some overdue yardwork. So I let my puter roll like a shot machine to choose this FOTOFRIDAY. Imagine my surprise when, out of 70,000+ digital images, the Gods landed on the August 2015 weekend I took my favorite (and only) son to college at Princeton.

Cosmic? Just this morning, my favorite (and only) daughter left to fly away to college at Lewis & Clark (Portland). I was not a part of this posse—just one of the many perks and pains of a broken family. My house seems quiet and empty already, though I try to avoid the verklempt. But no matter what, I STILL BELIEVE IN EDUCATION. Emphatically so.

Learning. It’s complicated. And getting complicated-er. Thanks to Covid, more than 50% of the students in MN high schools are now wa-a-a-a-ay behind standards for math and well, everything. Meanwhile, Biden is wiping out $280 billion in student debt. Nice. For those with the lucky timing to qualify—not me, not my kids, no one I know. Education costs a lot.

Is it fair? Of course not. Life is not fair. College teaches that. And so much more—the most memorable and meaningful having little to do with books, and more about inspirational teachers, best friends that last forever, card games and cold pizza at midnight, and mastering the art of juggling competing demands and emotional thunderstorms.

College remains, without question, one of the ultimate potential BreakAways of a lifetime. Imagine: 4 years of Ivory Tower living and learning, somewhere away from home, with new besties and lovers and beer bashes at your fingertips. Oh sure, there are risks and jerks and a million things that can go wrong. But smart students learn: It’s what I make of it.

That’s what BreakAways are all about. Most of us envy you these youthful learners. So hey, students: Take this precious gift seriously (moreso than yourself). Open your minds to weird opportunities and people. See the world. Change the world. Turn those roots into wings and help fly us all into a better future.

We’re counting on you!

PS And above all, have fun.

FOTOFRIDAY: Sailing into a Yachty Sunday of Yore…

Posted on: Friday, August 12th, 2022
Posted in: Sabbatical Shuffle, Travelog, FOTOFRIDAY | Leave a comment

If the wind is right, you can sail away…and find serenity. ~Christopher Cross

When in San Fran recently, I snapped this pic, and these sailboats blew up a priceless flashback from my memory bank…

Years ago, I found myself in San Francisco on a glorious, sunny Sunday. With friends who lived there, new and old. The two main sailors had been dear friends since Day 1 of college, and had become master sailors as youth on Lake Superior. Both had embarked on major voyages—including one who’d traversed over from Europe with parents and six siblings!

  • SUB: California daydreamin’

Being spontaneous, free-living Cali types, they mused, “What a day! We should go sailing!” So we did, thanks to a boat rental firm they both knew and used. In no time, we were crashing through heavy waves and winds, ditching monstrous barges, and dodging the smart-ass, daredevil windsurfers who would dart in close to splash us (and loved to ride the barges’ tsunamis).

We started deep in the bay, running gradually against a stiff wind toward the bridge and sea. Though we had to be back by dark, Captain G said, “What do ya say, we’ve GOT to get under that bridge, right!?!”

  • Keeping an unevel keel

We all agreed, cheered the ballsy challenge, and braced ourselves. Then we tacked, leaning sideways, back and forth—sometimes barely making forward progress—and confronting evermore angry barges as the bay got skinnier and each beast seemed determined to nonchalantly wipe us out like a rambunctious boy playing with toyboats in the bathtub.

Did we make it? Of course we did. Just as the sun went down, naturally. So we enjoyed a boisterous group hug while staring up at the legendary Golden Gate Bridge, turned the vessel about, and raced back to the marina by dark (almost)—thanks to now having…the wind at our backs.

FOTOFRIDAY parable summary: The bigger the memory bank, the richer the life.

Please keep investing.

Happy sails…