Monday, November 06, 2006

Renewal

The weekend before last, I was so upset about the lies and deceit on the "pro-life" side, by the poor strategizing of our leaders on the pro-choice side, and by the general ignorance about abortion on the part of many South Dakotans, that I made myself sick. Really sick: throwing up, headache, the whole thing. And so I was glad to get away for a few days to a place that is restful and relaxing for me, to enjoy the celebration of a momentous occasion in my family, and to, in essence, regenerate.

As I write this, it's the day before the election. We all have a lot riding on this one, and I figure you could all use a little peace and regeneration, too. So, let me share my favorite small town with you, and I hope it offers you the same breath of fresh air and hope that it offered me.

This is the main street:














It lies just up the hill from the harbor. To your left, on the other side of the buildings, is the water, which you'll see in a moment. On the left side of the street is my favorite candy store and a little deli/cafe I like to go to for their amazing desserts. At Christmastime, they often have real gingerbread men. Across the street, on the right, is an artist supply store (the kind in which you can wander for hours trying out pens and looking at notepaper, if you enjoy that sort of thing, which I do) and a toy store - a real, independently-owned toy store, the kind that you will go into not planning to buy anything and exit from with your arms full and your wallet empty.

This is the view out the back window of that deli/cafe ('nuff said):
















And this is the water behind that row of stores, which you can now see on the right. To the left is the harbor. I took this from just up the hill in a little park that lies across the street from the library:
















The light was fading, but I was playing with the settings on my camera and got this picture of the moon, and the next two of the harbor, in the dusk:



















Then, as my son and my mom came out of the children's library to meet me, I turned around and snapped this final shot, which looks mysterious and romantic and like I took it somewhere entirely else:














That's it. Tomorrow is the day. As Mother Jones(?) said, "Pray for the dead, and fight like hell for the living."

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