Polaroid

Tall, dark and handsome, what else does he need? Oh yeah, maybe some Poladroid! Some beachy portraits from my family's day at Little Bow Lake with some editing help from this sweet app. Even if you're not a fan of the "retro" photo quality, the little polaroid camera that appears on your desktop and shoots out your photos to allow them to "develop" in front of your eyes is so worth it. Download it here.

Prairie Life

We passed these stunning animals on the way to the family farm in Stavely, Alberta.  Yes, that's right, family farm! Turns out, I come from a line of cowboy-boot-and-buckle-wearing, true-blue ranchers making a hard-earned living on the sea of prairie grass.

After being tucked away in the hills of West Virginia for quite some time now, there was an amazing sense of openess and freedom that overwhelmed me as I stepped into the prairie. The sky has never appeared so wide, nor the horizon so distant. 

We visited a creek tucked away in a hidden valley well below the serenely flowing prairie grasses.  As the creek winds its way through the tree-shaded valley, it eventually widens and increases in enough depth to create a small swimming hole. 

Smooth, sandy cliffs contain the far side of the creek in this area, creating a soft contrast against the rich azure sky.  These cliffs host hundreds of bird's nests as well as flocks of avid cliff jumpers. Swallows and leaping children fill the air.

I love the stories of my Nana and Papa coming here as children.  I imagine them splashing in the crisp, tan water, oblivious to the way their live's paths would flow together.

Both of them with no idea of the way their children and grandchildren would travel for miles to reach the fabled swimming hole where their grandparents once swam after a long, hot week on the farm.

It makes me look forward to the day when I will look back and smile at the things I never could have guessed would happen. A day when my past is remembered by my children and grandchildren.  Perhaps another day on the prairie.

Summer Reading

Just finished:

This book was beautifully written. The author gave care to each word, artistically building witty and insightful descriptions of the life and mental state of a collegiate runner consumed by his sport.  I found myself laughing at the subtly humourous passages and reading unusual and delicious descriptions out loud to anyone around me.  Be warned, Once A Runner contained a lot more profanity than I expected, showing up in most of the dialouges. However, it didn't detract from my enjoyment of the work.

A gem from the novel:

"It is simply that we can all be good boys and wear our letter sweaters around and get our little degrees and find some nice girl to settle, you know, down with...Or we can blaze! Become legends in our own time, strike fear in the heart of mediocre talent everywhere! We can scald dogs, put records out of reach! Make the stands gasp as we blow into an unearthly kick from three hundred yards out! We can become God's own messengers delivering the dreaded scrolls! We can race dark Satan himself till he wheezes fiery cinders down the back straightaway....They'll speak our names in hushed tones, 'those guys are animals' they'll say! We can lay it on the line, bust a gut, show them a clean pair of heels. We can sprint the turn on a spring breeze and feel the winter leave our feet! We can let our demons loose and just wail on!"

Now who wouldn't want to go for a run after that?

Still ebbing away at:

I've been reading this book since December, but that doesn't mean it's slow reading. It's just really, really long-- and justly so, her life has been one long adventure.  Madam Secretary is (in my limited scope of reading), the best autobiography I've delved into.  This book has all of the components:  fascinating foriegn policy, touching personal accounts, and wildly funny anecdotes involving some of the world's greatest leaders. I've been so inspired by Madeleine Albright that after reading about her experiences at Wellesley College, I went ahead and applied.

Just started:

A classic!  I can't believe I haven't read it before.  It's a short book (a novella), and reads somewhat like a story book with no chapters to break up the prose.  I think I will finish it quickly and the move on to:

I have a deep love for futuristic dystopian novels that I hope this will feed.

And then:

It's been sitting on my shelf long enough that I want to break into it and let the story free.

 Hopefully I can get through most of these this month so I can fit in the rest of my list!  Dad and I are watching The Great Gatsby tonight, I'll see whether it inspires me to read the book or not.