Reach

The go getter, go gets.

Unicorn

Do you want to decorate your pumpkin?..I ask my five year old. She initially responds we can't it's too early they will get old..I say no let's just draw on them.. She says ok. I say what would you like to draw. She says a unicorn, but "can you draw one for me because I don't know how." I say of course I can help, so I make an outline of what I thought was a perfectly good unicorn.. she jumps in .. no not like that .. I say "that looks like a unicorn no..no...she says.. "you forgot the wings."

Sunflower Cloud

I wanted to tell you that you have everything you need. Look over the field and watch the airplanes land on the grassy hill. The sky is turning to a light violet. Take a moment to watch the clouds float over the lake. Remember you have everything you need. I am on my way home to make some popcorn and hear about your day.

Useless Comparison

Los Angeles. Cross-processed Agfa film.













Minneapolis. Kodak Portra NC film.

"I'll call ya, everything is under control."

5 not 15

Somethings act like markers or lets say points on a timeline, pins on a map. Take a second look. Take a picture of a wall in your house and put it in a drawer for five years. In five years that picture might mean more or less. You might have a new wall to look at or might have misplaced the photo. I have had this photo stashed in a small box buried in the basement since 1994. I guess I should have looked after five years not 15.

Christopher: The Devil and the Details.

They say the sun was just beginning to cut over the hill when the three cars collided. Witnesses say it was the worst accident they had ever seen. The local paper ran stories about it for a week but never mention the five people involved. I never saw the scene but like many I had a vivid picture of it running in my head like someone was holding a fisher price slide viewers up to my eyes. Speculation began to spread like wild fire thru school and town. Everyone was talking about the "crash" and about the rumor that someone survived the crash. I overheard a woman in the Sunny Mart say," I drove by that accident and I tell you no one could have survived... if someone did they had to make somekind of deal with..well with someone." Only a handful of people saw Christopher that morning, a few cops, myself and Mae's crew. Of all the people in the world why did it have to be Mae.

I study the flashing slides and hover over every detail until I feel a little ill. I see the twisted metal shine in the golden morning light. Everything is quiet and I think if I stay still enough I will be able to imagine where Christopher climbed from the wreckage. The wheels from the car are still slightly moving, there is the faintest trail of white smoke and a trickle of black oil running down the pavement...where is he... what car...I hear a faint sound in the distance that starts quietly and then erupts into the period bell. Math class in five minutes with Mr.Evans. I guess you'll have to wait Christopher like I have to ...

Where 2?

I have been watching the rooftops. Watching the smoke rise from the different chimneys the different pipes. On the coldest days the smoke is much denser and looks like small clouds of cotton stretched from a spool. On warmer days the smoke is transparent and looks like water rolling over the surface of the sky. Where 2 now? What to do today?

Evil Eye

Waffles.Boots.Cups.Vines.Tea.Sweaters.Syrup.Newspaper.Paint.Cold.Sun.
Leaves.Roofs.Towns.Smoke.Trains.Trucks.Vampires.Boats.Sunflowers.
Mixes.Pine.Tail.Tin.Roast.Pan.Bubbles.Photo.Sandwich.Lemons.Pea.
Two.Girls.Run.Sit.Dog.Clouds.Left.Right.New .Old...Everything makes me think of you.

More Pink.

I love the silver and blue ball candy decorations that go on these things. When I was younger I would sneak them while my mom and I made Christmas cookies. I noticed my daughter likes sneaking them too.

1.2.3.Tell me What you See.

Sometimes all you ever really need is some pink frosting.

Cotton

I woke up one weekend to find the house to myself. Everyone was away and I had the run of the house. Time to be productive I said..Time to be productive. Well, I did nothing except clean, watch something on the computer or t.v. I can't really remember and then I imagined how long it would take for me to clean every surface of the house with cotton balls. A day? A week? A month? A year. I realized that by the time I might come up with some arbitrary time for the cotton ball cleaning that there would be a fresh cover of dust on the kitchen floor I just finished and that one side would be cleaner than the other side but not really clean, just less dirty.

Christopher: I wanted to tell you how this would be...

Christopher and I didn't get to speak a word before two cops drove up, handcuffed him and carted him away around the path to county rd d. I rubbed something between my thumb and finger as two detectives escorted me into the school. I noticed Mae with her small group was watching the show. Their eyes fixed on me just until I entered the side door when I know all their heads would be on pivots saying things, like oh my god, did you see Christopher.. Oh my did you see...honestly if I never saw Mae again honestly I would ...Anyway,

the cops set me down in the art room that had a large window overlooking the pond in the front of the school. One detective lowered the blinds as the other started in, "Ok look here, we are going to make this simple, I am sure your a little confu,.I cut in confused! Yes confused. What are you doing with Christopher? The cop is unamused.. Look! I ask the questions..you'll sit and answer or you'll follow him. FINE! I held my wrists together and pointed my palms toward his head. He seemed to look in my direction but his expression changed as he seemed to be interested in something other than my gesture. I turned my hands inward and saw what looked like a pink piece of bubble gum but was more..let's say spongy. He pulls out a walkie and called out,"Jim we're going to need you in here...Now!" He then sits back down and in a very even tone like he was trying to talk me off a ledge,"Look, let me tell you how this will be, Jim will come in here take what your holding in your hand and then I will ask the questions. He takes a small breath."Understand?" Inside I wanted to jump up and smack his condescending face but I just nodded stared down at my feet and wished Christopher would cast another shadow.

Dog Dreams

The Ford Mustang

Yesterday I saw a man sketching a picture of a Ford Mustang as he sat at a local McDonald's eating french fries and a large vanilla shake. What was especially interesting was the detail. It was a street scene that had everything rendered in a photo realistic quality down to the last leaf. The picture was about 50 inches wide and could barely fit on the table. As I held my one year old I asked him,"how are you doing that are you referring to a picture, it's looks perfect like a black and white photography--(i neglected to mention he was using a graphite pencil). Looking up from his work he brushed his silver hair from his eyes and said,"it's just how I remember it looking parked on our street when I was a kid."

A Spot of Blood.

Since, the announcement several stories have been buzzing around the school and for just a moment I decided to shut off and think about something else. I just wanted to be quiet so I cut gym to hide out and take a seat in our favorite spot. It was around 10 and the sun was beginning to warm my shoulders. I looked down and saw my black Carolina's had a thin coating of dust coverings them. The sun warmed patch of dried dirt and bleached grass was neglected by everyone except the burners, stencils, Christopher and I. Their wasn't enough space for the field hockey girls to run around smacking each others shins or the football boys to rattle their heads together so without the attention of the popular ones the grass went thirsty. For all it's apparent short comings the spot was perfectly hidden but had a great view of the track. Christopher and I called the spot the patch. I liked the patch. During Earth Science Christopher and I would hang out at the patch. He would smoke an American Spirit and I would solve all the worlds problems, or maybe just point them out. It always seemed easier and more entertaining to ridicule the other suckers that had to actually run around the track like groups of cattle while coach Shea would yell up into the air 5:55, 6, 6:05..Today I enjoyed Shea's cadence and began to drift away until a shadow crawled over my boots. I looked up to see Christopher. I jumped up and gave him a hug. Christopher seemed a little dazed and looked like he almost didn't know me. He seemed confused like a person sleepwalking or someone just waking up from a deep sleep. Then I saw the blood. Smears and blotches of blood were on his jacket cuffs and collar. He must have seen my reaction since his daze seemed to be replaced with a growing uneasiness. Christopher was just beginning to see the blood.

I wanted to tell you.

I wanted to tell you that it really isn't that complicated. It's all just another layer on top of what you already knew before you started peeling away the surface. I need a coffee.

15 Degrees Below Zero

Not Here and Not There.

Mae didn't know what she was saying but everyone tended to listen to her. I watched from my locker as a small group gathered around her as she made up what she felt must have really happened. Drama. I guess some will use any situation to call attention to themselves. She must be speculating on who was in the car because the voice over the pa said "authorities still haven't notified parents" as for the reason we couldn't hear who was involved in the crash. Let her talk. I still haven't heard from Christopher. It's 9:20 am and I am suppose to be in gym. I am suppose to always be somewhere always every minute I am suppose to be occupied. Right now I just want go find him and sit down to a warm breakfast sandwich at the bagel nosh, with no time, class or Mae to irritate me.

Perfect Logic

When I first moved to MPLS...the first time I notice there were these head shots next to the articles throughout the Star Tribune. I cut them out and punched holes in the top of each picture. Then with a pair of scissors I cut aluminum cans to make what were essentially grommets to provide a little silver accent and strength to the pieces so they could hang on small finishing nails. After a bit I had covered a couple walls and an old storm windows with these little guys.