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Diamonds & Light (Summer Solstice)

QuoinMonkey — Sat, 21 Jun 2008 01:43:16 +0000

At Diamonds they say, "Come for the caffeine, stay for the camaraderie." Diamonds Coffee Shoppe -- Your Atomic Coffee Stop -- is located in the Arts District of Northeast Minneapolis. It's a great place to write. To Dawn and Lucy, it's not just coffee, it's a philosophy.

Three of us were there last Wednesday evening to write and do art. It was our weekly creative project meeting, part of our dedication to our practice. Our small group of four alternate between the studio in the Casket Arts Building and Diamonds a few blocks away.

Last week the Pop-A-Lock guys were there; 8 of them formed a circle in the hall next to us (across from the vault), and had their business meeting. As fate would have it, one of them had helped me change a flat tire a month ago over in Brooklyn Park. The world gets smaller every day.

Diamonds Coffee Shoppe
1618 Central Ave NE
Minneapolis, MN 55413
(612) 789-5282

Hours:
Mon through Thurs - 6 AM to 10 PM
Fridays 6 AM to 10 PM
Saturday 7 AM to 10 PM
Sunday 8 AM to 10PM

There were three things on my mind tonight. The first was an end of week meeting with my Gemini friend ybonesy. All went well; we are right on track. The second is Diamonds. I downloaded the photos I took last Wednesday. Maybe there will be a Fotoblog to follow. The third?

Summer Solstice. Liz and I are going to a Solstice celebration tomorrow night at a friend's house. Fire and water. In Minneapolis, the longest day of the year passed a few hours ago at 5:59pm. When is Solstice in your part of the world?

Below are some links that might help. I was looking at archived photographs of the same date last year; the peonies were well on their way. This year the ants have opened only three blooms. Spring is late in coming. I welcome the light.

Time for Summer. Have a diamonds and light Solstice.

HELPFUL TIME LINKS FOR SOLSTICES & EQUINOXES

Times listed for Winter & Summer Solstices (and the Equinoxes) beginning in 1900:

Holoscenes - Textures of the Earth: Seasons From 1900 To 2099 (LINK)

In the Midwest, we have to subtract 6 hours from UT to get Central Standard time (and 5 for Daylight Saving time (LINK). See also Holoscenes - Textures of the Earth - Special Projects (LINK)

Here’s how to translate UT time to our time, wherever we are:

Earth & Sky: How Do I Translate Universal Time To My Time? (LINK)

Here’s a final link to different systems of time:

U.S. Navy - Systems of Time (LINK)

-posted on red Ravine, Friday, June 20th, Summer Solstice 2008

the lawrence tree haiku

QuoinMonkey — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 01:01:54 +0000

ponderosa heart
O'Keeffe shrouded leaves with stars
standing on her head

-posted on red Ravine, Wednesday, June 11th, 2008

-related to post, haiku (one-a-day)

-inspired by post, lack of oxygen haiku

lack of oxygen haiku

ybonesy — Fri, 06 Jun 2008 21:24:49 +0000

Wild Iris, Pecos Mountains, NM, photos © 2008 by ybonesy. All rights reserved.

at nine thousand feet
they say the air is thinner
like breathing naked

-related to post haiku (one-a-day).

Funeral Pyres & Beach Grass

QuoinMonkey — Fri, 30 May 2008 18:16:38 +0000

It's one of those gray days in Minneapolis. A storm kicked up her heels last night, a gale force blowing through my dreams. Mr. StripeyPants is draped over a soft brown blanket next to me on the couch. I grabbed my small red greenroom eco notebook of haiku. There they were -- the scratched syllables of a day on Lake Michigan.

I looked at the photographs from the writing retreat a few weekends ago. The funeral pyre popped out at me. After we arrived at the little cabins in Wisconsin, we learned that the matriarch of the family-owned business had passed away earlier in the week. She was in her 90's.

The family gathered to pay their respects. And when we walked on the beach that morning, we passed a tall wooden spire, a testament to her memory. At lunch, an adolescent boy in a black suit paced the pine needles next to our cabin, crumpled paper in hand. He glanced down to the page, out over the blooming tulips, then, lips moving, back to the page.

After dinner, and a day of silence and writing, we looked out the picture window to see the funeral pyre burning. Moths to the flame, we could not help but step out to the porch. We talked quietly among ourselves, but mostly, we stood still and watched. Bearing witness.

It was humbling. In a few minutes, it started to rain. At the same time, a gust of wind burst through the skirts of the white pines and blew out to sea.

Then, complete stillness.

Later in the evening, we were chatting by the fire, and what sounded like gunshots echoed across the beach grass. Fireworks. That's the way I want to go out. A gangly fire on the beach. Wind blowing my ashes out to sea. Rain to quench my thirst. Giant starbursts in a Full Moon sky.

That Saturday, I wrote these haiku. And to the matriarch -- though I did not know you, I know The Grandmothers. And for a few days, I knew the place you called home. Rest in peace.

standing in the sun
waves crashing all around me
pale face, flushed and hot

puffy cirrus clouds
spread cream cheese over the land
gulls dive for crayfish

summer's in the wind
the moon fell into the lake
jack-in-the-pulpit

waves gently roll back
in a giant concave bowl
anchor beach grasses

sun's reflection glares
afraid of my own dark thoughts
dead fish rolls to shore

monkey mind is fierce
I don't know what I'm doing
morning turns and breaks

funeral pyre burns
wind gusting across the lake
all eyes were watching

no understanding
of that kind of letting go
not for me to know

-posted on red Ravine, Friday, May 30th, 2008

-related to posts: PRACTICE - Blossom Moon - 15min & haiku (one-a-day)

refraction haiku

QuoinMonkey — Wed, 07 May 2008 17:55:52 +0000

Refraction, downtown Minnesota Central Library, March 2008, during Talk of the Stacks. Ali Selim and Will Weaver discussed the making of Sweet Land. The moment this photograph was taken, they were sitting to the left, signing books. The curved blue lines are the Fifth Street Towers. Photo © 2008 by QuoinMonkey. All rights reserved.

blue light refraction
bending waves around windows
bookish writers grin

-posted on red Ravine, Wednesday, May 7th, 2008

-related to posts: haiku (one-a-day) and Night Owl

A Year Of Living Dangerously

ybonesy — Tue, 08 Apr 2008 02:31:11 +0000

QuoinMonkey: I can't believe it's been a year since we launched red Ravine!

ybonesy: Me neither. It's felt more like ten. (laughs) Just kidding. But I am amazed at how much energy it takes and how some days I have the energy and other days I don't. Fortunately, one thing I've learned is, what goes out eventually returns.

QM: Yeah, I know what you mean. The blog has become part of our practice, and just like with any practice, sometimes you get fried and have to refuel. It's nice to be in it with a partner. When you're down, I've got your back. When I'm down, you've got mine. Could you ever imagine doing this on your own?

yb: No way. There's the daily or near daily posting and maintenance of the blog, and then there's the whole putting yourself out there part. For me, that exposure is the piece I might not be able to deal with if it weren't for the fact that you're out here, too.

QM: That's so true. Hey, I want to say that I really I appreciate you. Even though we are different people and have different styles, we work well together. And I value our differences.

yb: Thanks, QM. I appreciate you, too. After a year working together so closely, I've come to value the time you take with things, the quality you put into everything you do. Now when I do a post, I take more time with it. I look at the spacing and layout and wonder, what would QM think about this visually?

QM: I do that, too. I'll post something because I think, ybonesy would do it now. And you take risks, which encourages me to take risks in areas I might not otherwise.

yb: One year later I can honestly say, I'm glad we did this. You're right -- it is a practice. It keeps me moving and producing every day, every week. It inspires me creatively. I have to say, it's even influenced me in terms of getting my writing room together and thinking about my personal style more seriously. What do you think? Are you up for one more year?

QM: (laughs) Yep. One more year, one day at a time. I gain so much from our faithful community of readers. Creatively, the practice of keeping an art and writing community blog going, fuels my individual creative projects. Count me in. What about you? One more year?

yb: Absolutely! I'd miss the blog and our blogging community -- and working with you! -- if I didn't have it. Hey, the other question I have is, What two or three things would you like to accomplish in Year 2?

QM: I’d like to integrate red Ravine into the rest of my creative projects, move it to the next level -- with our readers out on the Internet, and with my teaching, writing, and art on the ground in Minneapolis. I’d also like to take more public risks in my writing. We know who our readers are – the same people who will be reading our books. So I’d like to take more risks, while still honoring the mission and vision we set for red Ravine. What are your goals?

yb: Similar ones. The integration with the rest of my stuff -- that's key. And taking to the next level both the blog and my own writing and art. Oh, and speaking of taking risks, this might be the year to figure out what to do about our identities. Do I become ybonesy, or does ybonesy become me? Can we be interchangeable, and how do I assuage concerns I have about safety and Internet identity? Lots to figure out.

QM: Yeah, I’ve been thinking about identity, too. Especially as I’ve been moving into the new art and writing studio and want to share what I’ve learned on red Ravine. I’m open to clarity. If we stay as committed as we are now, and continue to treat this work as a practice, the answers will come. We won’t be tossed away.

Piglet Bearing Gifts (red Ravine's 2007 Guests)

QuoinMonkey — Mon, 24 Mar 2008 01:08:44 +0000

I'm afraid the photograph of Piglet gives me away -- I'm a little late posting this piece. I had wanted to get it out in January. You know what they say about the best laid plans.

Still, it wouldn't be right to go without acknowledging our 2007 Guests. We'd like to offer our gratitude to the writers and artists who submitted their work to us in 2007. It has made the red Ravine community a richer place to visit. Please accept our heartfelt thanks.

We are well into March and ybonesy and I have been doing Spring cleaning. We've got some changes planned for 2008, and a few surprises, too. We went live nearly a year ago this April. We are still here. The experience has been rewarding, challenging, thrilling, and humbling.

Somehow, people continue to visit, risking that long walk to the bottom. Believe it or not, it's when our energy is flagging, that we feel the most gratitude to our dedicated readers. Especially those who dare to join the conversation with their comments.

Just in case you missed any of our Guests in 2007, I've added links to each of their posts below (our 2008 Guests can be found on the sidebar). Revisit if you wish. Let them know what you think.

Deep bow. And thank you.

April 2007

25 Reasons I Write by Judith Ford

Til Death Do Us Part by Laurie L.

Fuchsia High Tops by dzvayehi

Continue Under All Circumstances by Teri Blair

May 2007

On Candy by Barbara Rick

PRACTICE - Place - 15min by mimbresman

A Place To Stand - Greenwich Country Day School by Nat Worley

Help Wanted by Sharon J. Anderson

The Art Of Love by Juanita McDermott

Wishing You A Peaceful Heart - An Open Letter To Cindy Sheehan by Beth Bro Howard

June 2007

Killer Water, A Desert Rat Chronology by mimbresman

My Father’s Smile by Beth Bro Howard

The Devil Came Down To Austin by Carolyn Flynn

July 2007

From A Poetry Virgin by Shira

Everyone Has A Story by Annelise

Dreaming Of Frida Kahlo by Laura Stokes

August 2007

Thornton Wilder & Bridges by Teri Blair

Abandoned Is... by Elizabeth Statmore

A Letter To Agnes Martin And A Surprise Reply by Joanne Hunt

September 2007

Writing The "Remembering Grace Paley" Piece by Elizabeth Statmore

40 Days, 8 Flags, And 1 Mennonite Choir by Teri Blair

Interview With Author And Teacher Robert Wilder - Part 1

Interview With Author And Teacher Robert Wilder - Part 2

October 2007

The Turning Point: Two Poems by Alissa King

Under Your Voodoo by Sharon Sperry Bloom

The Unanswered Question by Beth Bro Howard

Inner Rhythms by Gail Wallinga

November 2007

Poetry: Garden by 94stranger

Kindness by Marylin

Coffee Rorschach, Part I by OmbudsBen

Coffee Rorschach, Part II by OmbudsBen

December 2007

Alone Together - The Beginning Of The Petroglyph Practitioners by Jeanie Bernard, Katherine Reynolds, Sally Sontheimer, Melissa Studdard

The Petroglyph Practioners On, "I Want To Let Go Of..." by Jeanie Bernard, Katherine Reynolds, Sally Sontheimer, Melissa Studdard

(Whose B-Day?) Going To New York by E. Elise

-posted on red Ravine, Sunday, March 23rd, 2008

Plane Talk

ybonesy — Thu, 28 Feb 2008 05:31:36 +0000

I get up at 4:10 am, the latest possible time I can rise and get dressed, make a cup of coffee, brush my teeth, warm the frost off the car, and still make it to the airport 45 minutes before my 6 o'clock flight.

The plane is almost empty. I sit alone on row 12, over the wing. Something about soaring west, away from the sunrise yet still into the light, away from freezing cold into a temperate environ -- makes getting up that early all worthwhile.

We reach cruising altitude. On the tray table in front of me are:

pens and doodling journal
writing notebook
cell phone on airplane mode
coffee and cream in a styrofoam cup
plastic glass with tomato juice and ice

Plane acoustics are like large restaurant acoustics. A din -- combination of the pressurized cabin air, the murmur of men talking a few rows back, the jets. It is perfect white noise.

I dread trips that contain any of the following: multiple stops, change of planes, crowded coach seats, more than two hours. But a hop in a near-empty plane from Albuquerque to Phoenix is perfect.

Even the stale plane smell is absent. Even the bumps are forgiven. Airline attendants are just the right amount of attentive when the passenger load is light. Everyone leaves everyone else alone.

The moon is still out as we bank over the sprawling city. I see it hanging just above the tip of the wing.

I am self-sufficient. I have everything I need in my leather case and rollaway bag. The plane empties quickly. Walking through the airport, I am still protected in my bubble. Strangers traveling don't make eye contact.

In the three hours since leaving my home and driving my rental car to the exit booth, I have said only five words:

"Coffee, four creams"
"Thanks"
"Ba-bye"

Certain plane rides are so ordinary, they are special.

On Eating December Snowflakes

QuoinMonkey — Mon, 24 Dec 2007 16:10:15 +0000

A Charlie Brown Christmas, snippets on YouTube by FlyingForGlory

Patty: Try to catch snowflakes on your tongue. It's fun.
Linus Van Pelt: Mmm. Needs sugar.
Lucy Van Pelt: It's too early. I never eat December snowflakes. I always wait until January.
Linus Van Pelt: They sure look ripe to me.

I love to watch the snow fall. I'm a huge fan of Winter. I'm also a big Peanuts fan and watch A Charlie Brown Christmas every single year (you can't beat Vince Guaraldi's score). The snow theme captures the best of both worlds for me. I'm not apt to take Lucy's advice though. I love December snowflakes!

There are two other shows I make sure not to miss over the Holidays: Mister Magoo's Christmas Carol and A Christmas Story. I'm sad to say that Bob Clark, the director of 1983's A Christmas Story, died unexpectedly earlier this year (see Remembrances on NPR). His cult classic will live on.

I've also been inspired by a couple of snow posts by fellow bloggers. One is on Joe Felso: Ruminations, 13 Ways Of Looking At Snow, a tribute to Wallace Stevens. And Snow Sculptures at Leslie's Blog, complete with vintage black and white photographs. You won't be disappointed.

It's Christmas Eve. This is my last post for a few days. I'll be checking in once in a while for comments. But what I really want to say is thanks for writing with us and visiting red Ravine. We are grateful for your presence here. And thanks to my faithful blogging partner, ybonesy, for holding up the other half of the sky.

It's still and silent outside the window this morning. The storms of yesterday have passed. The day Moon is clear. Liz pointed it out to me off the deck this morning on her way to work. And have I thanked you enough Lizzie for all of your patience and support around my crazy writing life?

Finally, whoever is reading and writing with us, however you celebrate this time of year, I hope your Holidays are sweet.

-posted on red Ravine, Monday, December 24th, 2007

Alone Together - The Beginning Of The Petroglyph Practitioners

Guestwriter — Mon, 17 Dec 2007 18:48:37 +0000

The story begins like this...Five hundred years ago, the large petroglyph rock that marks the border of the courtyard of the Mabel Dodge Luhan House in Taos was placed there by the Tiwa Indians to help anchor the energy of the Pueblo Mountain, from whose Blue Lake they trace their origins as a tribe.

The petroglyph rock has had an additional function over these years. It has been used as a navigational guide for extraterrestrial visitors because the site also marks the entranceway to other dimensions.

— Lois Palken Rudnick, Utopian Vistas: The Mabel Dodge Luhan House and the American Counterculture

This rock that sits in the courtyard of the Mabel Dodge Luhan House in Taos was the inspiration for the formation of a writing group by four participants of Natalie Goldberg’s writing workshop, Living Color, held at Mabel Dodge Luhan House in July of 2007.

The four women -- Jeanie from North Carolina, Melissa and Katherine from Houston, and Sally from Rome, Italy -- now come together by email the first and third Monday of each month to share their writing.

They follow the rules of writing practice as Natalie Goldberg teaches it. They write for ten minutes without interruption, their hands move across the page without stopping. They don’t comment on each other’s work; they provide a short recall of what they remember after they read each piece.

They call themselves the Petroglyph Practitioners in recognition of what writing practice, and the rock in the courtyard of the Mabel Dodge Luhan House are meant to offer -- flight into other dimensions of the self, of the mind, and just possibly, the Divine.

But it’s best if the writers speak for themselves. Below are quotes from their writing practices on how they formed the Petroglyph Practitioners.

On my first night in Taos at Natalie Goldberg’s writing workshop, I walked out to the quiet courtyard for a view of the night sky and was hit with the aloneness of being with the crowd of ancestors who have written and painted in the Mabel Dodge Luhan home. As I opened the screen door I expected to see many people with writing notebooks, books, paper, and paints expressing their dreams yet there was a silence that haunts the breeze. I find the evocative colors of lanky hollyhocks, the dust of these faded red walls, and an empty wooden bench that calls me to sit a while and meet these ghosts that stay here because it is the place they call home.

—Jeanie Bernard

When I went to Taos I thought I needed a break, but what I really needed was to meet the mountain — and to meet the immutable within myself. I needed awareness of my interconnectivity with ants, sun, dust, hollyhock, and, yes, even other humans. I was already traveling with Katherine, but I learned her on a whole new level — what was before an intellectual friendship became also a spiritual friendship. I met Jeanie and Sally, and Sally helped me make sense of a meditation experience I’d had years before.

—Melissa Studdard

We wanted the practice to do what the stone was meant to do -- open a portal into our minds, into our hearts, into places we needed to go. We finally hit upon a name. The Petroglyph Practitioners. We set rules. We would each submit a piece on any topic we wanted the first and third Monday of every month. We would each provide recall of each piece and share that response with the entire group. We would not edit our writing practices beyond punctuation and spelling errors. We would stay true to the practice as Natalie had taught it. If we wrote shit, that’s what we sent that day.

—Sally Sontheimer

That was an amazing night as Sally took us by flashlight and led us to the rock that had been there all this time. I had no idea it was there. I do know that Natalie always had us do walking meditation near that rock every year I had been there. Now I understood why. I felt a deep connection with Sally and Melissa that night. At the end of the week we decided to join together as a virtual writing group along with Jeanie, Sally’s friend, and we formed the Petroglyph writing practice group.

—Katherine Reynolds

We sit that last day anchored to the idea that we need each other to ground our practice and navigate beyond. For us, this solid rock shores us up for more writing. We talk of ways to sustain our desires, to witness our words and to prop us up. We make our plans: we write, we read, we recall and we dream…alone and together.

—Jeanie Bernard

She said petroglyphs were believed to be portals to other dimensions and that the Natives believed this and this is why the petroglyphs were considered sacred. I remember her telling me that that is why I always felt like I was home at Mabel's. She told me that I didn’t need to move to Taos, but that it was always good to visit these places around the world because all petroglyphs feel like home. They connect us to the Source, The Over Soul, or as I choose to call it: God.

—Katherine Reynolds

I find that the rhythm we have set for ourselves is good; it’s neither so frequent that we feel stressed about it, nor too distant to lose interest. We all submit on time. We share emails in which we say how much we enjoy the sharing. We aren’t supposed to comment, but we do, just a little bit. We share support for one another, share a thought, give a pat on the back. Did the name live up to our expectations? For my part, I’d say so and I think the others would agree. Something new and unexpected always comes through for me. I discover myself, and I also discover the others by reading their work.

—Sally Sontheimer

Since then, we have all kept our obligation to the practice — we have shared humor, shame, defeat, happiness, spirituality, intellectual obsessions, family secrets, dreams, beliefs, insecurities, friendship, and respect. I have learned from these women how to listen, how to share, and how to grow my heart.

—Melissa Studdard

I’ve learned to honor the writing that comes out in each of us because it connects us. Katherine, Melissa, Jeanie, and I -- we are the Petroglyph Practitioners, united in being there for each other, united in wanting to explore every other week together what it means to be human.

—Sally Sontheimer

            Petroglyph Practitioners in Taos, NM, in front of the
            petroglyph rock for which their group is named, July 2007,
            photo © 2007 QuoinMonkey. All rights reserved.

-Related to post The Petroglyph Practitioners On "I Want To Let Go Of...".

Sitting In Solidarity

QuoinMonkey — Tue, 04 Dec 2007 18:15:33 +0000

In writing practice this morning, ybonesy and I both wrote about sitting in solidarity with our writing friends at the Mabel Dodge Luhan House in Taos. Most Decembers, Natalie holds a writing retreat during the period around December 1st through December 8th. In Zen, this time is called Rohatsu Sesshin and marks the enlightenment of the Buddha, Siddhartha Gautama.

Rohatsu means in classical Japanese twelve-eight, because December eighth is celebrated in the Far East as the day of the Buddha's enlightenment. Zoketsu Norman Fisher from Green Gulch Farm (in the lineage of Shunryu Suzuki-roshi) explains Rohatsu Sesshin something like this:

Sesshin is about pulling our whole life together -- right here into this one body and mind and right here on this little square of black cushion. All of our life, past, present and future, is right here and right now. Our whole life. All our many lives. All of everyone's life. The life of the planet. The life of the stars. All that we are and all that everyone is and was and wanted to be but couldn't be. All our successes and failures. All we wanted and didn't want. All we overlooked and grieved over and lusted over and abandoned. None of that is elsewhere. It's all right here right now on this cushion.

Of all the sesshins of the year this one is the most intense of all because it's the one...that imitates the Buddha's time of sitting under the enlightenment tree. So in a way our whole sesshin is a kind of ceremony of enactment of this event and we are all playing the Buddha under the Buddha's tree, enacting an event that happened almost two thousand five hundred years ago. Two thousand five hundred is just one of the many ways of saying right now. Right now, actually, Right Now, as you are listening to words that I am speaking, Buddha is sitting under the Bodhi tree making strong effort for awakening. In each and every one of your bodies, in each and every pore of each and every one of your bodies, there are infinite Buddhas -- each one, right now as I'm speaking, literally and actually making this kind of effort.

It's a time of deep practice, a time where we enter the cave-like darkness of winter and look inwardly to the truth of the existence of our own Buddha Nature, and the awakened nature of all beings.

But sitting in Taos is not about Zen. People of all faiths and religions come to study with Natalie. It is about practice. Beginner's Mind. About repetition and opening. It is about getting out of your own way, vowing to make greater effort, to go the extra mile, and through that effort, trying to requite a debt of gratitude to those, in life and in Spirit, who have helped us along the way.

In Taos, we practice sitting, walking, and writing. We sit like the mountain. We anchor our breath to the bottom of our feet. We chant and sing. We are silent. We write.

The practice of our writing is backed by a 2500 year old tradition of watching the mind. It is powerful. At times, life changing. We are grateful to Natalie for creating writing practice, for the gift of her teachings, for passing them down to us.

Many of our writing friends are sitting in Taos: sitting, walking, practicing, deepening, learning the true secret of writing. ybonesy and I wanted to hold a place for them. We sit with them in quiet reflection and community. And in doing so, we sit with the world.

Not to be attached to external forms, not to be unsettled within, not to think this and that, not to be cluttered with extraneous things, not to think about gain and loss and whether we are happy or sad. This can be called Zen.
-Shodo Harada Roshi

If you lose the spirit of repetition, your practice will become quite difficult.
-Shunryu Suzuki-roshi

Mountain is mountain and earth is earth
That’s all.
You shouldn’t say anything extra.
You should not put any fancy decoration.
Mountain is mountain, that’s all.
-Shunryu Suzuki-roshi

In the beginner's mind there are many possibilities, but in the expert's mind there are few.
-Shunryu Suzuki-roshi

-posted on red Ravine, Tuesday, December 4th, 2007

Day Of The Dead Birthday Celebration

QuoinMonkey — Sat, 03 Nov 2007 16:25:43 +0000

We went out to dinner at Mysore Cafe in Uptown to celebrate a friend's birthday last night. It was All Souls' Day, day after All Saints' Day, and both days following the Celtic rooted celebration of Halloween. The Indian vegetarian buffet was hearty and we stayed until closing, laughing, singing, telling stories, and chanting. (Yes, chanting.)

The highlight of the celebration was when we broke into Happy Birthday To You a total of 9 times over the course of the evening. There was the Traditional melody (1) when we picked the birthday girl up at her house. (She slipped into the car, and we slipped into harmony.)

Then there was the celebratory, we-found-a-parking-spot-right-in-front-of-the-restaurant Happy Birthday (2). Followed by the Marilyn Monroe to JFK, soft-puckered-lips Happy Birthday (3) before we got out of the car. We sang the Traditional version again after dinner (4), and (at the special request of the birthday girl), the low toned, Gregorian Chant Happy Birthday (5) filled the room right before we left the restaurant.

We spontaneously broke into Happy Birthday four more times on the drive home. The first was the Beatles Birthday (song) (6) when we got into the car after dinner. Then the Traditional Happy Birthday To You (7) when we pulled up in front of our friend's house to drop her off.

There was the Johnny Depp pirate version for Halloween (8) when she got out of the car, and, as she stepped around the corner to go up to her apartment, we rolled down the windows and sang one more Traditional Happy Birthday in 4 part harmony (9). Let's see, yeah, I think that's 9.

We had a blast. But what I really want to say is that today, November 3rd, is the 1 Year Birthday of our first post for red Ravine. Though our blog didn't yet have a formal name, ybonesy and I started planning and writing for red Ravine well over a year ago.

Our WordPress launch date is April 7th, 2007 (and our stats only go back to April), but we've been at this labor-intensive, sometimes crazy, most times supportive, endeavor for well over a year. And though we have those days when it seems like too much, for the most part, after over 50,000 hits, we are going strong!

So Happy Birthday, ybonesy! It's the one year anniversary of our formal writing for red Ravine. And if you'd like, I can see if my friends would join me across the miles in the Happy Birthday melody of your choice. (Too bad we can't do a podcast!)

Happy Birthday, red Ravine. Long may you rock!

-posted on red Ravine, Saturday, November 3rd, 2007

July Guests On red Ravine

QuoinMonkey — Sat, 03 Nov 2007 03:40:32 +0000

We're well into Fall, and our July guests have rotated off the Guest Writers & Featured Artists widget on the sidebar. You can still locate their pieces by typing their names into our Search bar. Or by clicking on Guestwriter or Guestartist under Contributors on the sidebar.

Thanks to our guests on red Ravine who support and expand our efforts to create a dynamic writing and art community blog.

Here are our July guests and links to their pieces:

If you'd like to be a guest on red Ravine, read our Submission Guidelines For Writers & Artists. The link is on the sidebar under How To Submit. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us at info@redravine.com anytime. Thanks for reading!

-posted on red Ravine, Friday, November 2nd, 2007

-related to post, Where To Find Our Guests

Mmmmmm. Dig In!!!

QuoinMonkey — Fri, 26 Oct 2007 23:11:32 +0000

Vanilla (sans flecks) for ybonesy. She makes me smile every day.

-related to post, White Bread Revival

The Parking Is Free

QuoinMonkey — Thu, 25 Oct 2007 00:36:59 +0000

It's been a long couple of weeks. Mr. Stripeypants has started to eat hard food again and seems to be on the mend. (Thanks for all the good energy any of you might have sent his way.) I'm up writing and preparing a post for tomorrow. But for tonight, easy does it.

Mickey's Diner In The Rain was shot outside Mickey's Diner late last Tuesday night after Ann Patchett's talk at the Fitzgerald Theater a few blocks away. If you're around these parts, you might want to catch a bite to eat.

Otherwise, it was quite a lively day at the bottom of red Ravine. Stop by any time. The parking is free.

I wanted to keep her as much for myself as for her. We had a wonderful time that visit. Even when Lucy was devastated or difficult, she was the person I knew best in the world, the person I was the most comfortable with. Whenever I saw her, I felt like I had been living in another country, doing moderately well in another language, and then she showed up speaking English and suddenly I could speak with all the complexity and nuance that I hadn't even realized was gone. With Lucy I was a native speaker.

But Lucy was never going to live in Nashville. Even if it might have saved her life, it wasn't the life she wanted.

Dearest Anngora, my cynical pirate of the elusive heart, my self-winding watch, my showpiece, my shoelace, how are you?

-from Ann Patchett's memoir, Truth & Beauty, A Friendship, Harper-Collins Publishers, 2004

-posted on red Ravine, Wednesday, October 24th, 2007

Almond Joy (Not That You Asked)

QuoinMonkey — Sat, 13 Oct 2007 04:50:33 +0000

Writer's Hands III, hands of Candyfreak author, Steve Almond, signing a copy of his latest book, (Not That You Asked) Rants, Exploits, and Obsessions, Minneapolis Central Library, downtown Minneapolis, Minnesota, October 2007, photo © 2007 by QuoinMonkey. All rights reserved.

It's late and I'm tired. But I wanted to write a short note. I just got home from Thai dinner, stimulating conversation, and late night writing practice with two of my writing friends, Teri and Bob. Bob drove all the way from Kansas City, Missouri, to visit and write with us.

And last night, Liz, Bob, Teri, and I went to the Minneapolis Central Library to see Candyfreak author, Steve Almond, read from his new book (Not That You Asked) Rants, Exploits, and Obsessions. He was grounded, stimulating, generous with his time, and did I mention, fun? (Check out The Original Smarties Necklace wound around his wrist as a bracelet!)

There will be more to come about this author on red Ravine. But for now, get out and hear Steve read and speak. Buy his books. You'll be inspired and motivated to action. And best of all, you'll go home wanting to write. And change the world.

Thanks to Steve, Teri, Liz, and Bob for making the night a memorable one. Without the support of other writers, what do we have? And, Bob, have a safe journey home. And don't forget the magic word - Hemingway.

-posted on red Ravine, Friday, October 12th, 2007

-related to posts, Homage To A Candy Freak and WRITING TOPIC - CANDY FREAK

Natalie Goldberg - 2000 Years Of Watching The Mind

QuoinMonkey — Wed, 03 Oct 2007 13:32:49 +0000

After listening to Natalie Goldberg's new interview on ThoughtCast, ybonesy and I wanted to pass the information along to our readers. But we first wanted to take a moment to reiterate our gratitude for the teachings that Natalie has passed down to us. Our vision for red Ravine was born out of our writing practice and years of study with her.

Natalie invented writing practice. And in the interview, she talks about how Writing Down The Bones: Freeing The Writer Within broke a paradigm about writing. It started a revolution in the way we practice writing. The world was listening. Since 1986 the book has sold over one million copies and been translated into fourteen languages.

I listened to the interview again last night as I was preparing to write this post. Jenny Attiyeh interviewed Natalie in her home in Santa Fe. Natalie seems both relaxed and energetic. And ybonesy and I were talking about how good it is to hear her voice when she talks about confidence, building a strong writing spine, and learning to trust your own mind.

But I think I learn even more when she discusses her relationship to failure, success, loneliness, continuing to love after betrayal, and her study of Zen.

Writing practice is not Zen. But it is rooted in Zen. And Zen is a 2000-year-old study of the mind. Writing practice is the study of your own mind. And when we read literature, we are studying the minds of other writers. These are the things Natalie has taught us.

red Ravine is not just about writing practice. But writing practice is part of the structure of red Ravine. And something we are proud to pass along. We are grateful. We are part of the writing lineage.

And that's why I have taped to the computer screen in front of me three things Natalie learned from Katagiri Roshi and now passes along to her students:

Continue under all circumstances
Don't be tossed away
Make positive effort for the good

Deep Bows all around.

-posted on red Ravine, Wednesday, October 3rd, 2007

Diebenkorn Leaves Taos - Museum Walking Lives On

QuoinMonkey — Tue, 25 Sep 2007 18:50:52 +0000

When I was in Taos in July, we carpooled over to the Harwood Museum of Art to see Diebenkorn In New Mexico. When I was looking through my Taos photos last night, I realized I had wanted to do a post on Richard Diebenkorn after I got back. Time has rolled on without me.

The exhibit is moving to the San Jose Museum of Art and will open there Sunday, October 14th, 2007. If you are in the area, it's worth checking out this period of Diebenkorn's life (1950 - 1952).

It was in 1950 that Diebenkorn enrolled in the Masters of Fine Arts program at the University of New Mexico, leaving behind a teaching position at the California School of Fine Arts (now known as the San Francisco Arts Institute). It had been at the California School of Fine Arts that Diebenkorn crossed paths with artist, David Park, who became his mentor and friend.

Natalie wrote about Diebenkorn in her book about painting, Living Color: A Writer Paints Her World. (It's one of my favorites. Read Chapter 1, How I Paint at this link.) So she was thrilled to take the class of 50+ students to the Harwood to see his work. In preparation for the visit, she told stories about her chance meeting with Helen Park Bigelow and a series of strange twists and turns that led her to learn that Helen was David Park's daughter.

Though I missed Helen's August lecture at the Harwood last summer, her introduction explains:

After the Diebenkorns returned to the Bay Area from New Mexico, they and my parents became best friends. I was married and living nearby, and it was during those years, the fifties, that my three children were born. I was in and out of my parent's house, where I saw Dick and Phyllis often, and got to know them and love them and also got to know and love Dick's works. Through my father, Dick and the third player in that important friendship, the painter Elmer Bischof, those years gave us what became known as Bay Figurative Painting, and the emergence into national recognition of David, Dick and Elmer. As I observed the three young painters, Dick and Elmer in their thirties and David in his forties, their passion for work left deep impressions. For my Harwood Talk I will share stories and insights from those years, with a focus on the friendship, competition and recognition the three painters shared.

The last few times I have visited museums with Natalie's classes, she has had each person slow walk around the exhibit and view the work (it was O'Keeffe last December in Santa Fe). When she rings the bell, we stop - and choose our favorite painting, the one we would love to take home, by standing directly in front of it. Then we describe what we like about the piece.

It's another form of practice that Natalie teaches, to slow down and take in each piece of art in silence. I call it museum walking. Other people viewing the exhibit usually join in with the class. It's a great exercise in seeing.

And, for me, I find that the painting I like the most is not necessarily the same painting I could stand to live with for the rest of my life! There are many things to consider when choosing art for one's walls.

Diebenkorn In New Mexico was organized by the Harwood and highlights a little-known period of Diebenkorn’s work. But it was a time that had a lasting impact on his career.

The exhibition brings together 50 paintings, works on paper, and sculpture that have never been seen together before.

We'd love to know which piece you'd take home. But be prepared. Museum walking makes the guards quite nervous.

-posted on red Ravine, Tuesday, September 25th, 2007

-related to posts: Mabel's Dining Room, A Reason To Be In Taos This Summer

June Guests On red Ravine

QuoinMonkey — Tue, 18 Sep 2007 22:22:34 +0000

Summer's almost over, and our June guests have rotated off the Guest Writers & Featured Artists widget on the sidebar. You can still locate their pieces, however, by typing their individual names into our Search bar. Or by clicking on Guestwriter or Guestartist under Contributors on the sidebar.

Again, we'd like to thank all of our guests who have written with us on red Ravine. Each one of them has supported and expanded our efforts to create a dynamic writing and art community blog.

Here are our June sojourners and links to their pieces:

We're also excited that our Submission Guidelines For Writers & Artists have been published. The link can be found on the sidebar under How To Submit. Don't pass up this great opportunity to see your work in print!

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us at info@redravine.com anytime. And thanks for reading!

-posted on red Ravine, Tuesday, September 18th, 2007

-related to post, Where To Find Our Guests

F. Scott Fitzgerald's Birthday Celebration

QuoinMonkey — Sun, 16 Sep 2007 18:24:20 +0000

Last April, I went to see Galway Kinnell at the Fitzgerald Theater in downtown St. Paul. As my friend and I left the theater after a magnificent night of interviews and poetry, I turned and snapped this shot.

I am fortunate to live in the Twin Cities, a place that is a big supporter of writers and the arts (including funding). The Fitzgerald Theater is the oldest existing stage venue in the city of St. Paul and the home of American Public Media's, A Prairie Home Companion with Garrison Keillor.

When I interviewed my 8th grade English teacher in Pennsylvania in June (after having not seen her for almost 40 years), she told me she loved A Prairie Home Companion and had visited the Fitzgerald Theater in Minnesota. She didn't know at the time that I lived here. I instantly felt a renewed connection. Memoir research leads down many vibrant roads.

Liz was perusing the City Pages at dinner the other night and informed me that on Monday, September 24th, the St. Paul Central Library is sponsoring a celebration of the birthday of F. Scott Fitzgerald. Fitzgerald was born September 24th, 1896 in St. Paul, Minnesota, and did you know he was named for his famous relative, Francis Scott Key?

You can find everything Fitzgerald at the Princeton site, F. Scott Fitzgerald Papers. And there's more information at All About F. Scott Fitzgerald and the University of South Carolina's, A Brief Life of Fitzgerald.

I saw The Great Gatsby at the Guthrie last year with Liz and her Mom. It was fun to see the play; I learned a lot about Fitzgerald. But I'm almost equally fascinated by his wife, Zelda Sayre Fitzgerald , a writer and artist with a privileged and tragic life. The intimate dance of love between F. Scott and Zelda seems complicated and dark.

Details of the celebration of F. Scott Fitzgerald's birthday at the St. Paul Central Library are below. There will be readings of his work by Michael-jon Pease. And Lynn Deichart's Jazz Quartet will play.

The Jazz Age of the 1920's had a big impact on Fitzgerald's life, the period when he became famous for The Great Gatsby and friends with Hemingway. I wonder if they ever bumped into Mabel Dodge?

Celebrate F. Scott Fitzgerald's Birthday
Monday, September 24th, 7p.m.
St. Paul Central Library
90 West 4th St.
St. Paul, Minnesota

For more information call: 651-222-3242.

-posted on red Ravine, Sunday, September 16th, 2007