Incredibly, these were the only photos on my camera from our recent trip to Florida. What with the cold weather and limited pool time, there wasn’t much opportunity to photograph. However Joe and I took a bike ride along my running route to see some sights generally considered to be the other-side-of-the-tracks. There’s a lot of texture in this part of Florida.
The last time I looked at the thermometer it was -18 F. But it was too much effort and much too cold to turn on my headlamp again so I watched my breath unfurl into the night air. I could see the full moon through a frosty hole in my sleeping bag. I watched a satellite move slowly across the sky and a little star flash red, yellow and blue. The wolves were howling from the other side of the river where we had skied earlier in the day. One low and mournful howl slowly filled the night air and then another higher, yippy and then the whole pack joined in. There must have been a half dozen wolves raising their heads to the moon a couple hundred yards from where we lay. There was no other sound. Everything else in the world had frozen solid. I could hear the blood in my veins. I imagined the wolves running on our ski trails, stopping to sniff our tracks before slinking into the woods. I tried to keep my eyes open to see one crossing the river under the full moonlight.
We were camped on the Kawishiwi River, east of Ely at the edge of the Boundary Waters Wilderness. I was double bagged in down and cozy enough to enjoy the moonlight and ponder everything that had ever happened in the world.
I saw my little daughter’s eyes looking into mine. I saw, as I often see, myself dancing with her. I am holding her and swaying to music in the living room while Megan is watching us from the kitchen. My tiny little baby daughter has her head on my shoulder and then she gives me a level eyed gaze and looks deep into my eyes, straight into my timeless core. At that point I am two years old and she is 38, taking care of me as much as I take care of her. Or she is 28 and I am 64 and we are dancing together on her wedding night. Or she is 52 and I am 88 and she is taking care of me in my old age as I take care of her now. I can see our lives stretch out together and the future is written in the surety of her gaze. We’re a pack. We run together through the woods.
And then I thought of the new little critter coming into our lives in September. I wondered what the little cub would be like. And how it would feel to be a full, bonafide pack. I could hear the wolves running almost silently through the woods, only the sound of their huge paws pushing through the snow and their breath unfurling behind them in the moonlight. They are running together for the rest of their lives, nuzzling, playing, fighting and nurturing one another, the blood dried on their fur. The moon was so bright and so full I wondered if I would have moonburn in the morning when I got out of my sleeping bag and put my cold boots on. I fell asleep as the warm nuzzle of a wolf pup pushed me deeper into my sleeping bag, making those little wolf pup noises, and looking into my eyes with eyes that look like mine.
Arty Ice House Adventure 2010 from Pale Morning Dunn on Vimeo.
http://www.artshantyprojects.org/
We have been planning a winter weekend get-away to Duluth for some time now with the family Heydt. Nate and Alina surprised us with WILCO tickets for the night we arrived, and the weekend just got better after that. We caught up with old pals from our Duluth days. We ate great food thanks to Alina and Pizza Luce. The cousins mixed it up and seemed to have a good time together. We caught up with buddies Dave + Holly Jorde. Nate and I skied Magney, Snowflake and the Sucker River. Incredible pretty! It was one of those Duluth weekends that makes you reconsider your current address. The sky was bright blue. The great lake was full of pancake ice. We found a lifetime of trails to explore. And there’s a new sushi restaurant that is reportedly excellent.
Ski Day + Dog Sleddin’ from Pale Morning Dunn on Vimeo.
There has been a remarkable change in the angle of the sun lately. It’s intense! Especially when it reflects off the snow into our kitchen in the early afternoon. Spring can’t be too far away. Updates:
Birthday slippers. Thanks Mom + Joe.
I love my wife. Thank you honey. It’s our Golden Anniversary, too.
It’s important to spend time relaxing.
Due to a scheduling oversight, M. Frannie was obliged to join her father today at his place of employment instead of the her regularly scheduled day school. Not to worry however as she quickly found her niche as the administrative assistant!
Oh what fun she had with the intra-office telephone system! And how she worked her yogurt sticky fingers so nicely on the computer keyboard! And when she tired of her station at the front desk where Curious George played on video, she kicked over the trashcan and peered at her father’s boss from the edge of his cubicle! And what detailed notes she left on Post-Its littered across the floor! Hey – red pens draw on desktops and on fingertips! she explained to everyone on the second floor.
After snack time and some water she described her need to explore the office complex with grunts, shrieks and general leg kicking. A new employee certainly has the right to see the lay of the land. So her father granted her a hall pass by opening the office door. M. Frannie bolted with the pent-up energy of a toddler straight across the hall into a business meeting! Luckily she froze at the sight of 40 strangers seated in front of a PowerPoint program, and so her father was able to retract her without notice.
Moments after reviewing the Employee Handbook she quit. Her father drove her home before lunchtime, opting to work from home. She slept as the truck bounced westward after an exhausting first day at the office.
The first winter sliding session of young M. Frannie’s life occured last weekend. She didn’t much care for it, frankly. Here she is above standing on the sidelines while kids (admittedly, older kids) joined their fathers in downhill merry making. She did give it a go. Once. And she made clear that once was enough. No tears or harsh words, mind you. Just a firm “No papa. All done. All done.” once we reached the bottom of the hill. And so we were.
Nevertheless she was bundled up like a trooper and we had a fine time walking to the sledding hill and back to the Keobounpheng residence where brunch awaited. Not yet 21 months old and she took her first downhill slide. ‘Atta girl. Next year we’ll be on skis undoubtedly.
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