Pictures with even numbers of items

Pair of yellow flowers near Siren, Wisconsin

Brothers playing music at
Memorial Park in Bayfield, WI

I've heard tell that it is always best to compose pictures or pieces of art with an odd number of items.  It seems to be more soothing on the eyes.  So, just as a test, I figured I pair up a bunch of even number items from pictures I took this past week.  

What do you think?

Tug boats in the Duluth, MN harbor

Iron Ore docks at the harbor in Duluth, MN

Lake Superior Gulls

Recently enjoyed a visit to Duluth, Minnesota.  They have a wonderful boardwalk right along the harbor for all to enjoy.

One of the fun aspects to the boardwalk is watching the gulls that like to congregate there.  I learned from one of the locals that since Lake Superior isn't actually a sea, the gulls shouldn't really be classified as seagulls.  Rather they should be called baygulls... aka "bagels".

Something not so serious to chew on this morning!

Fishing boat turning back to nature

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The Eagle 

I enjoyed many summers of my youth working in Cornucopia, a small harbor on the south shore of Lake Superior.  Johnny Sveda, aka "Kerchunk", one of the old commercial fisherman was still working his nets when I was there in the 1970's.  He would go out early in the morning in his fishing boat, The Eagle, hoping for a catch of  Lake Trout, Whitefish, Herring and or Ciscos/Chubs.  You could often see his boat returning, surrounded by a flock of seagulls, scavenging the fish innards that were thrown overboard, as he filleted fish on his way back into port. 

Kerchunk was a large, stout man who aways had a mouth full of chewing tobacco, which he would regularly invite me to enjoy.  Seeing the brown stains around his mouth and missing teeth, I refrained. I always admired his tough work ethic and generally friendly disposition and his occasional dirty limericks.

On a recent visit back to Cornucopia I noticed Kerchunk's boat, The Eagle, was on exhibit at the beach.  Despite being roped off and sitting high off the ground, the boat was decomposing.  

While there are still a few commercial fishermen working on Lake Superior's south shore, I'm confident that there will never be another like Johnny Sveda.     

R.I.P. Kerchunk.

Nature at work deconstructing

Decaying wall

Sink

Nature is being allowed to reclaim Brozie Resort, a rustic series of cabins on a lake near Siren, Wisconsin.  The resort was closed some 40  - 50  years ago.  It was fascinating to wander around the abandoned cabins and see how mother nature has been at work.  Even the asphalt roof shingles were being worn down by the elements and vegetation.

The porcelain fixtures may last many hundreds, or perhaps thousands of years.  A couple of aluminum fishing boats and minnow buckets were hanging tough, but remains of a wooden boat were barely visible above the earth, that was firmly making its claim around the wooden hull.

Roof decomposition

It is amazing how with "differed maintenance" nature can almost totally reclaim a place. What might your place of residence look like in 50- 100 years if you totally let it revert back to nature?

Bow of boat being overtaken by the soil

More of life's paradox

I discovered the following list of paradoxical statements from Newark Mayor Cory Booker's Facebook page:

1. To create wealth: create value for others.
2. To obtain freedom: adopt discipline
3. To gain tomorrow: sacrifice today
4. To be secure: take risks
5. To lead: serve
6. To get up: lift another
7. To get revenge: forgive
8. To win: find the lessons in loss
9. To fly: fall often
10. To change the world: change yourself

Webmaster in his domain

While visiting a cabin in Wisconsin I came across this peculiar spider's web that resembled a cave or drain.

It was exciting to see the webmaster also come out and make a showing.

Zen garden

Bird silhouette

Rocks, branch and reflection

Early Sunday morning Bassett Creek Park reminded me of a Zen garden.