by Amy | Dec 10, 2014 | Blog, The Art of Living
As the winter really settles in over Practically Canada, the grumbling tends to start. Oh, boy…here comes six months of frozen misery. For those that don’t complain {especially for those newish to the area} it can be a very uncertain time. What do you do all winter? It’s true, activities do have to be altered a bit, and you might need to get creative. However, this doesn’t have to be a time of woes and frostbite.
I’ve put together a quick list of 30 awesome things you can do right here in Practically Canada to fill these winter months. Some are Christmasy and time sensitive…those are first. Others are here until the thaw. And if this isn’t enough, you can review last year’s list of 40 fun things to do during the cold season. Here we go…37 Things to do in Minot this winter. {Maybe it’s better to say…in and around Minot…but you get the idea…}
1. It’s a Wonderful Life, a radio play–put on by the MSU theatre department. I love this story and tickets are cheap–only $6 for adults. More info here. Runs 12/11-14
2. Minot Symphony Orchestra’s Christmas concert–I’ve never heard a negative word breathed about the MSO. Their holiday concert will feature Christmas classics, followed by select scenes from the Nutcracker {performed by the Rinat Mouzafarov Institute of Dance & Ballet Theater}. More here. Concert 12/11
3. Historical Society Christmas Tea–This is the first year that the Minot Historical Society will be hosting an old fashioned Christmas Tea and Caroling. Will it be spectaular? I don’t know. It’s the first year. But I do know that events only get better if they are supported by the community. And I know that it’s better than sulking at home because you hate winter. So give it a try, and sip some tea, darn it. Tea on 12/13 2-4pm
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4. See the Canadian Pacific Holiday Train roll through town. Bundle up for one of my favorite holiday events! Music, dazzling lights, a concert, and {of course} an appearance from Santa. See their website here for complete dates and details. It rolls through Minot on 12/16.
5. Drive through Oak Park to see light displays. It’s not the Girswold house, but it’s still fun to see all the lights, and kiddos love it! Just a $5 donation per car that supports the Sertoma Club of Minot. Runs through 12/31. Info here.
6. Catch a concert from the Minot Chamber Chorale. See dates here.
7. Skate at the Maysa Arena. Rental is cheap and skating is cheap too. Check here for open skating hours.
8. Get skating lessons at Maysa Arena from the Magic City Figure Skating Club. Learn a new winter skill. Go to their website for links to coaches, classes and events.
9. Skate for free on weekends at the State Fair Grounds! You heard me. If you own skates it is FREE. Otherwise, just pay rental. Details here.
10. See a play by the Mouse River Players. Schedule here.
11. Paint along with a local artist at the Taube Museum’s “Paint the Town Red” series. Here’s their website, but the most current dates aren’t up. I have {from a good source} that painting classes are happening on Dec 16, Jan 27 and Feb 24. You have to register, so call them to be sure.
12. Take a class or simply pop in and paint ceramics at Margie’s Art Glass Studio. {During December she’s offering fused ornament and glass blowing ornament classes.}
13. Learn to cook something cool at a class from Gourmet Chef.
14. Take your kids to story time with Ms. Danielle at Main Street Books. They offer several day time story times through the week and an evening story time on the first Thursday of the month.
15. Cross country ski in Minot at Oak Park, or at Lake Metigoshe State Park, or Cross Ranch State Park.
16. Escape for the weekend by renting a cabin…like we did last winter. The North Dakota tourism site has this list of 7 great, cozy cabin getaways.
17. Ski at Huff Hills or the Bottineau Winter Park.
18. Tube the lazy way at Bottineau Winter Park {a conveyor belt pulls you back to the top of the hill!}
19. Take the kids to Minot’s “Discovery Center,” the first phase of a permanent children’s museum. Admission is only $4. Supporting this mini-museum will help raise funds for a bigger, awesome, permanent museum for Minot’s curious kiddos.
20. Sled with the locals at the hill at Magic City Campus {Minot High}
21. Build your own hot cocoa at Sweet & Flour. It’s the best in town.
22. Go to open mic night at the Beaver Brew. Check their website for dates.
23. Get midnight breakfast, or what is rumored to be Minot’s best milkshake at Schatz Crossroads. Yes it is a truck stop. Yes, the locals have told me it’s a well kept secret and totally worth hitting up.
24. Learn to curl! The Minot curling season has already started, but you can contact the club to arrange an event for your organization or private party. Or, stop in and watch a game from the club house.
25. Stay in and read. Did you know Minot’s public library offers eBooks? You know what that means? You can check out a book for your eReader right from the library website. No cold air exposure whatsoever. Getting a library card is as easy as showing proof that you live here.
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26. Learn to dog sled. Yes, you heard me right. Visit Prairie Isle’s website for more.
27. Catch a class at the Minot Adult Learning Center. They offer all kinds of classes, from PowerPoint to yoga to watercolor…it’s a little known resource that offers lots of fun stuff. Some classes are one session and let you walk away with a finished product, like a wreath, pie, or paining. Here is the fall schedule to give you an idea of what is offered. New classes will start early in 2015. If you have a skill you’d like to share, they are always looking for good instructors.
28. Go to a hockey game. The Minotauros play all winter long. Schedule here.
29. Go to a game at MSU. It might not be the Big 10, but it’s still fun to take in a college game every now and then.
30. No gym membership? No problem. Get your cardio in at the MSU dome. It’s open to the public for walking and jogging. Mom’s even bring strollers…or just let their little ones jog ahead to wear them out. It’s totally free, and a great way to get out and be active while the world around us looks like Elsa’s been turned loose on it. Here‘s the public walking schedule.
31. Get your laser tag on at Planet Pizza. It’s a pretty good set up. If you go on a week night, or after 9pm…you’ll hit a sweet spot when there is no line of sweaty middle schoolers. Also, if there isn’t a line and you joke with the attendant, chances are he’ll give you bonus minutes of playing time.
32. Ice fish. Now, I’ll be honest. I’ve never been…and I don’t have a deep desire to try it. However, a friend called me out last night for not including it on the list. She loves it. And this winter time only activity does, indeed, deserve to be on the list. Woodland Resort has full equipment rentals. They are in Devil’s Lake, not too far from Minot.
33. Pretend it’s summer with indoor water slides at Splashdown Dakota.
34. Go bowling. Bowling is fun…but no one ever thinks about bowling. Minot only has one alley, but it’s big, smoke free and it turns galactic-glow-in-the-dark on weekends. Games are reasonable. And they offer a military discount. So…yeah. Here’s the North Hill Bowl site.
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35. Take a weekend trip to Fargo to explore the city and catch a flick at the historic Fargo Theatre. They feature a classic film series, indie movies, foreign films {they showed Belle!!}, and movies that don’t always make it to Minot. The theatre also boasts live performances too.
36. Rent snowmobiles and go riding. A rental place is tricky to come by, but…if you are military you can rent on base. I haven’t found a rental place for civilians yet. If you know of one–leave it in the comments.
37. Skate outdoors at Corbett Field or Polaris Park. The rinks are open now, and warming houses will be open as of December 15th.
PS–you should also follow the Things to Do in Minot page. They are the BEST at keeping me filled in on what’s happening.
by Amy | Dec 8, 2014 | Blog, The Art of Art
I’ve struggled for years to come up with an answer for this question: What do you do? Or…from the especially confused: So what exactly is it that you do?
I still don’t know how to put it into words. I do all kinds of things. Lots and lots of random things for lots of people, and lots of causes. And that’s fine. I like it that way. Even as the photography season slows down a bit, I’ve been plenty busy with the million and one other fun opportunities that Practically Canada is throwing my way.
One such awesome, fun, random activity was the Wild About Water Festival that happened a few weeks ago. Before Thanksgiving even. I know, shame on me for not getting this post up sooner. What is the Wild About Water Festival? In short, it’s a program for elementary school students that teaches them about all things water. Water in our bodies, how it effects health, ecosystem stuff, the water cycle, water shed, flooding, river history…you get the picture.
The next thing you are probably wondering, is how I fit into this equation. If you’ve spent time with me you know I’m not especially sciency. I’m a lot of things…but I’m no Bill Nye. So, you can probably imagine my surprise when the kind folks from Ackerman Estvold, a local engineering firm, contacted me about doing a short, art-centered presentation for the even. I was a little nervous, but I love kiddos and a kind word from the Minot Area Council of the Arts seemed to have given them confidence in my abilities, even if I’m not a rocket scientist. So I agreed. And…Just like that, I can now add “5th Grade Science-Art-Speaker Thing” to my list of skills. I think it should go between Nesquick mascot guide and Christmas tree shearer. {Both real, paying jobs that I’ve held at one time or another.}
I spent the weeks between our meeting and the festival preparing a short spiel about the basic natural water cycle…and pairing that spiel with a talk-and-draw mural that progressed with my words. I’d go through the steps of the water cycle, drawing a landscape and coloring it in with water color crayons {which are totally awesome BTW}.
Then, when the cycle was ready to start over, I swapped crayons and marker for water and a sponge. This time I asked the 5th graders {a multi-hundred crowd that although young and adorable also wielded the ability to make me a little nervous} to shout out the steps as I used the water to bring our drawing to life…because water brings things to life. Get it?
I had two major prayers going in. One, that the other adults there–history teachers, water treatment employees, and others who seemed much more legit than me–wouldn’t tell me afterwards that I’d gotten the cycle totally wrong and ruined hundreds of children’s water education. And two–that the kids wouldn’t think I was horribly lame.
I think we can all remember an elementary school presentation that was awful and the topic of recess mockery after it was over. I didn’t want to be that girl.
I must have practiced my water cycle talk a hundred times in the days leading up to the festival. I’d make Derek listen to it before bed. I’d say it in the shower. I’d recite it while I drove. On the big day, my palms were a little sweaty when I started. And I’m sure I messed up a couple times. But things went fine. The kids were impressed when the crayon turned to water color paint. Some even stopped me afterward to tell me that 1) “That was awesome. and 2) I talk like Princess Anna from Frozen. {I get that a lot–it’s an odd compliment.} And the grown ups seemed to think it was pretty okay too.
I had an amazing time. All of it was fun–from getting to know the folks at Ackerman Estvold, learning up on water, making new friends, and having the opportunity to draw, talk and joke with a crowd of kids…to learning the water cycle in a new way. I love art, and I’m very glad the Minot community strives to make it a part of the education experience. I’m so happy to have been a part of the Wild About Water Festival. Sharing my very varied skill set to do as much as I can, for as many as I can, for as long as I can is my heart’s greatest desire. And I thank all involved for letting me share in this amazing and important event.
**PS–a big thanks to Ackerman Estvold for giving me photos from the day!
by Amy | Dec 4, 2014 | Blog, The Art of the Moment
The day has finally arrived…Christmas photo day! Today I’ll be sharing my favorite shot {or in some cases shots} from each mini session I did over the last several weeks. I don’t like to be a photo spoiler…so when it comes to Christmas photos I send them to the clients first. Then I only share one {or two} here on the site…in case they are surprising family and friends with images for Christmas.
Anyway, today is the big day. I’m showing off my favorites. So grab some cocoa. Turn up the Bing Crosby, and enjoy!
If you follow the Facebook page, you will recognize these two cuties from the preview I posted last night. I love that Momma brought cookies, milk and Christmas jammies!
This little elf is on the sassy side. At first all she did was roll her eyes at me. Really, she rolled them! But after a bit she cracked a smile–and I’m so glad she did! Adorbes! {You can see more of this sassy pant here with her cousins.}
Can I just say that I’m in love with this sister shot?? I love everything about it.
Have you ever seen a baby with cooler hair than this? I haven’t.
This dog’s name is Wrinkles. She is adorable and had no problem wearing antlers and a sweater. Seriously! What a hunnie! {See more of Kate and Jake…sans pup, here.}
If you are wondering why this precious ginger baby is grinning so brightly….it’s because this guy was behind me cracking her up!
I loved working with this couple. And my heart fluttered when she texted me to say that she’s getting canvas prints of her images!! Love that.
On my first day of shooting a plastic snowflake hanging from the ceiling got tangled in my messy bun and I ripped it off it’s fishing line. Little did I know that was a God-send. Give an anti-smiler a snowflake to hold…make a reference to Frozen…and they are putty in your hands.
This pistol hated the idea of having a photo taken by himself. But he loves his momma…and playing hide and seek with snowflakes.
You’ve seen these two before. They get real giggly when they have to kiss under pressure. Which cracks me up. They also claim that they aren’t photogenic…but I don’t buy it.
This is a great photo. It’s snuggly and Christmasy and warm.
This is an even better photo because these two adults appear to be afraid of the faux snow I gave them to throw. I warned them it was just glitter.
Remember Wrinkles and how well behaved she was? This is Max. He is about the size of a bear. And he was terrified of my kitchen floor, basement stairs, and sitting still. This is his best shot {sorry his face has a flake in it!}. The poor guy was so scared his daddy had to carry him up the stairs and out to the car like a baby. A very big, fury, intimidating baby. Pretty much one of my favorite moments of mini sessions.
This guy insisted on giving me “the look.” The look that says, “Lady, I don’t know who you are…and you haven’t earned a smile from me…and I don’t find you funny.” Lucky for us, he is ticklish. And his parents know the sweet spot. I adore this image.
And speaking of ticklish, laughable moments, how about this one? Presh.
Or this one? I love catching the antics of grown ups trying to get kiddos to smile.
Look at this blue eyed beauty! She was a gem. It took a little work, but those giggles were worth it! And although she tried to eat the Christmas lights, I’ll forgive her–because…just look at her. How can you not?
This tiny man wins my fictitious award for best dressed toddler. So stylish. And that look on his face. So sweet.
Oh, are we talking about sweet things? What about Santa Baby? Love that face!
Someday this photo might be seen as embarrassing for her. But right now, in this moment, she loves that purple-bear-snow suit and she isn’t afraid to show it. Ridiculously adorable.
I have no words to describe how much a adore these facial expressions. What a moment. What a trio. What a smoulder…
You’ve seen this gang before! Every time we work together it’s a hoot! With four kiddos the room is bursting with personality, and I love every second of it.
I love that this super special group of girl friends got together for photos. This is my absolute favorite of the bunch. Doesn’t this photo just remind you how precious friends are?
There is something special about sibling photos. And I love this one. It’s fully of personality…and a little mischief!
And last, but not least…as Thanksgiving tradition holds, it’s the Allender family Christmas portrait. These are my adorable parents, and their very spoiled, very lovey dog, Lady. Yes, she is wearing a scarf and a wreath. No she doesn’t mind. All she wants is to kiss my mom’s face.
Thank you to ever single family that chose me for their Christmas portraits. I had a absolute blast and I hope you did too. Thank you for coming to my house, laughing at my jokes…and not being too creeped out by my very un-legit set up. I love you all and I will personally recommend you all for the Nice List, if Santa asks.
Merriest, jolliest, happiest of Christmases to all of you.
XO
Amy
by Amy | Dec 1, 2014 | Blog, The Art of Gathering, The Art of Living
I really hope you had a happy Thanksgiving. I know I did. This year I have so much to be thankful for…which, I guess, is true every year, but this time around I’ve been acutely aware of all I have and just how blessed I am. I’m walking {mostly pain free}, I just got the o-k to start jogging, work is good, I’m crazy about Derek {nothing has changed in that department}, the family is healthy, and Mom and Dad were able to make the trip up to Practically Canada for the third time to celebrate with us.
That’s just a few. My list could go for ages. I’m sure yours could too. And that’s a good thing.
Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays. Maybe because it happens on my own turf. We don’t travel, usually Mom and Dad come up to us. There’s much less stress, I get to make lots of food, I sleep in my own bed, and it’s an occasion that calls for board gaming while the food coma is wearing off. I love it. I also love that my Minot bestie, Katie and her husband Sean usually join us too.
This year, I went a totally different route with lots of things. Different brine, different turkey, different pie, different stuffing. I was nervous. But let me tell you…this is the best turkey {and pie} I’ve ever made. Here’s the secret. Start by reading this article from Alton Brown {my culinary hero.} I used his brine recipe, and lots of his handy tips. And–I learned the science behind cooking a turkey.
Next, while shooting a newborn session for the Rockwells {remember the maternity session}, Sarah’s father asked if I’d ever heard of “spatchcocking” a turkey. Nope. And, no, I’m not making that word up. It’s kind of weird…but it makes lots of sense. You cut the back bone out, then roast the turkey on a cookie sheet. Laying it out flat let’s all the meat cook faster and more evenly. To let you know just how fast…I cooked up a 14lb bird in about 80 minutes! Martha explains the technique really well. Just be sure to put some water in the pan and set the bird up on a bed of onions so the juices don’t burn up!
I rubbed the turkey down with compound butter. What’s that? It’s a treasure in butter form. Try this recipe from Alton Brown. Or this one from Miss Information Blog.
Now, pie. I make a killer apple pie. Someday I’ll give you the recipe for that. But in the mean time–let me show you this gorgeous recipe I used from Southern Living. A little time consuming, but entirely worth the effort.
I should have taken better food photos. But alas–I was too eager to eat. So, I only have these crummy Instagram shots. My bad.
Perhaps one of my favorite Thanksgiving traditions is whipping out the big, fancy camera {which we usually have set upon the tripod for the timered shot of everyone at the table} for some after-dinner photos. I’ve told you all the details and all the foody stuff. Now, I’ll force some random photos on you, that {hopefully} invite you right into my living room, into our holiday.
{I’ve just got to say…I’m the absolute weirdest in photos. Why am I holding my cup like that? Why??}
by Amy | Nov 28, 2014 | Blog, The Art of Art, The Art of Design
Happy Black Friday everyone!
I hope you all had an amazing Thanksgiving with lots of amazing food…and of course, pie. Now, it’s still on the early side here in Practically Canada. Not quite 9am. And I realize some of you might be out shopping already. But I thought I’d post early with a special holiday treat from me to you.
Four sets of hand drawn printable Christmas gift tags. They are now for sale on my Etsy shop, or by visiting my shop page here on the site.
They are printable, formatted to an 8.5x 11″ sheet. Six tags print to a page and since they are square, they’re easy to break apart. I recommend printing them on white or cream colored card stock. Once you purchase and download the file you’ll be able to print as many as you’d like.
And–best of all…I’ve got a coupon code on the Facebook page. It makes these suckers super cheap. {And all the other items I have cheap too.} Because I like you, and I want you to have awesome gift tags for all your awesome gifts. So be sure to check the page and like it while you’re there.
Happy shopping, today!
Amy
by Amy | Nov 20, 2014 | Blog, Crafts, The Art of Projects
Last Christmas, I made a few infinity scarves. They went over really well with the friends and fam. I found a few tutorials online, I combined a few steps. I’m sure you could find other tutorials out there too. But this is my version, and I’m glad you’re taking a look.
The first thing you need to know is that this is easy. It’s quick. And you don’t have to be a pro with a sewing machine to make it happen. Just a couple straight lines. Really, it’s easy.
Here’s what you’ll need:
1.5 or 1.75 yards of fabric–Flannel works great, but I’ve also used some thick, slightly stretchy knits that have worked nicely too
Pinking shears
Pins
Sewing machine
Thread
The length of fabric really depends on how you like your scarf. I like them tight to my neck, so I tend to favor a 1.5 yard cut. If you like it looser, go with a little more length. That cut of fabric will yield two complete scarves, so this is a perfect crafternoon project. You and a friend can each buy a cut of fabric and swap patterns. Or–since it is the gifting season–you can make one and gift one. Anyway…
Step One:
Lay your fabric out on a flat surface. Unfold it and cut down the middle length-wise {so you have two pieces about 27″ across} Use the pinking shears to prevent it from fraying loose from the seams you’ll be putting in in a minute.
Step Two:
Fold the “right sides” of the fabric together, and pin the open edge. {Side note…the tutorial is a demo of a different scarf than the one in the intro image}
Step Three:
Leave a 2″ gap at the end of the fabric, then sew all along the open edge. Remove the pins as you go, stop about 2″ from the other end. Back stitch at both ends.
Step Four:
Turn it, so the right sides are out again and you have a tube of fabric. Fold that tube in half and line up the open ends. Follow me here…You’ll have four layers of fabric stacked on top of one another. Take the middle two and pin them together.
Step Five:
This is where it gets a little tricky. But not too tricky. Get the outer two layers out of the way and start to sew the layers you’ve pinned together. Start at the very end. Back stitch. Keep going all the way around. Just try it. It makes more sense once you’ve done it.
Step Six:
When you are done, you’ll have a circular tube of fabric with just a little hole. {That’s the 2″ gap we left earlier.} Tuck the fabric that is sticking out back inside. Now, you can hand sew the gap…or, if you are lazy like me, fold the seam together and use the machine to sew really close to the edge.
After that you are done! It really is super easy. I wear the ones I’ve made all the time. Here’s me at Eddie Bauer last Christmas. They were making balloon hats for some reason…but who am I to say no to that?
Happy crafting!
by Amy | Nov 18, 2014 | Blog, The Art of Living
This morning I was out of gas. The kind of out of gas that makes me happy I live on a hill and the meat of the city of Minot, ND is in a valley. I pretty much coasted down the hill to the physical therapy office. Because when it’s 0 degrees outside and dark and you’ve got an appointment at 7:30am, there is very little motivation to leave the house early to get gas. So I ran the risk and coasted the hill.
After said appointment, I high tailed it to the gas station. There’s one in town I really like. They give you a discount for paying in cash and they pump the gas for you. Very nice in the winter.
Today, I didn’t see anyone around, so instead of being high maintenance, I hopped out of the car and went in to pay, then pump myself. As I walked up to the door an employee stopped and said he’d pump for me, but told me I could wait inside until he was done to pay. So I did.
Also waiting at the counter was an older man. Mid 60’s-ish, short {just barely taller than me}, African American, gray hair and mustache. He was wearing a worn leather jacket, a newsboy cap and a scarf. I don’t know why, but I also noticed his wedding ring. Just a plain gold band, obviously worn, it’s sheen pretty dull dressed with years and years worth of scratches. The kind of ring that’s worn by a man who’s loved the same woman for a very long time. Sometimes I notice those things. Probably because I love people. And I love stories. And sometimes I like to imagine who people are and what their story is.
As I was pondering this ring, a gas station attendant walked in. “I think it’s going to be a nice day,” she told us. “Not too windy. Looks like it’ll even be sunny in a while.”
“It’s already too cold for me. I’ve had enough of this winter and it’s only just started. What do we have? Another seven, eight months left? Nah, nah–it’s already getting old.” The man chuckled at himself. I was on the verge of asking him if he was new to Minot, but then he went on. “It’s not the cold that’s so bad…but the wind. I’ll tell you, I don’t think I’ll live to see another winter as bad as 1982.”
The door dinged as the attendant walked out. There was silence, but not much. I love talking to strangers. I guess it’s a lesson I never grasped as a child.
“What happened in 1982?”
He told me this tale. It’s so unbelievable, unfathomable, my mind can’t even grasp it. I wouldn’t have believed it, had he not had the scars to back up his story.
Winter. 1982. The winter is fierce. The wind is wicked and wild. Snow has fallen, but it’s much too cold to stick to the ground, so it blows incessantly with the wind. The windchill drops below -90. He recalled a news report stating that the wind chill was -93. Who knows what the ambient temperature was. Cold, no doubt. Arctic.
Because it was so bitter cold, buildings were in danger. Pipes were freezing, furnaces going out. One night, in the winter of 1982, while the wind whipped at -93 degrees F, this man and a friend went to their church to check on the furnace. He said as they were walking in, he reached out to his friend, to steady his arm. His coat sleeve rode up, just a few inches, exposing a thin slice of flesh between glove and jacket.
At this point in his story, he reached his arm out, reenacting the moment. He exposed that piece of arm for me and ran his finger across it.
“That’s where it got me first. It only took a second.”
“What, frostbite?”
“Sure, you can call it that. Happened so fast. It burned like nothing I’ve ever felt.”
In that split second, the wind and fridgid air burned his skin. To this day, on the dark skin of his arm, you can still see the mark. It looks like a rope burn, subtle, faded…but there.
“My biggest mistake was wearing my watch that night. I just didn’t think to take it off.”
“Oh, was it on your arm when it was exposed?”
“Nah. It was on the other arm.”
I gave him a confused look. Not understanding why a watch on a fully covered arm made any difference. But he went on:
“All of a sudden, I felt pain on my wrist. Like a bee sting. That’s the only way I can describe it. I flinched and rubbed at it, just instinct, I guess. But what had happened, was–the metal backing of my watch had frozen to my arm! When I ripped at it, it tore the skin clean off.”
I’m telling you–I couldn’t fabricate this story if I tried. I would never in my wildest imaginings think that these things could occur. Much less in a matter of seconds! He reached out his other arm–where he still wears his watch–scooted the watch up, and there it was: another scar. He reached up to his face and pointed to the fleshy spot where nose and cheek meet. The air burned him there too, but it didn’t leave a mark.
At that point, the door dinged again and the girl came back in. He paid. I paid. We left.
I’ve been fascinated all day by that crazy tale and I just couldn’t wait to get home and have a second to write it out for you. Lucky for me, and Practically Canadians everywhere, in his lifetime he only remembers that happening once. But the fact that it happened at all is just wild. I’ll probably never see him again, but in my mind that man is now kind of a legend. I won’t forget the winter of 1982 any time soon…and I wasn’t even born to witness it.
The moral of the story is, be safe. Don’t expose your skin if the wind is -93˚F. Don’t wear a watch.
I’m just crossing my fingers Derek and I have moved away before Minot gets another winter like that.
Amy
***Disclaimer. I wasn’t alive in 1982. There are no records kept of historic wind chills. I’m not sure if this happened in Minot, or another Practically Canadian location…or the actual Canada for that matter. But. This is a true account of what he told me today. And if nothing else, boy is it entertaining.***
by Amy | Nov 17, 2014 | Blog, The Art of the Moment
I’ve been sitting at my computer for 20 minutes now. I’ve typed up nearly a dozen intro paragraphs for this post and all of them seem to fall flat. They’ve been deleted and retyped over and over and over. Why so many rewrites? Well, the thing is, the family you see before your eyes was such a pleasure to work with, their children so darling, so witty, the photos so pretty…I just can’t come up with a hook for this post that describes that to you sufficiently.
So I’ll say this: This is the Sorensen family. I was nervous when mom, Nichelle {yes, I love that name too!} told me they had five kids ranging in age from 12 to only a few months old. But as soon as the crew unloaded from the car for their family portrait session, my worries melted away at seeing these lovely strawberry-blonde kiddos. I love the personality in this family. It’s diverse and intoxicating. Everyone had great attitudes {even the littlest of the bunch} despite the chilly air–there was a mad dash for jackets between shots–and the notorious North Dakota wind. I had such a great time with this gang and I am just so very pleased that they picked me to capture the art of this moment together.
My experience has shown me that among siblings {especially in large families} there is usually one that really likes to be photographed. This, is that child for the Sorensens. And if you look at the other photos, I think it shows. I’m a fan of all kids–but there is a special place in my heart for fellow posers like myself. {As a child I was the kid who loved getting photos taken, and I hated being told how to pose–I had plenty of ideas on that myself!}
They say pictures are worth a thousand words. I’m not sure about a full thousand. But I can attest to the fact that every photo has a story. I don’t share them all, but I will share this–because it is irresistibly cute. I snapped lots of photos of the family on this day. Lots and lots were taken in an attempt to try and get a “natural smile” on this little one’s face. She was the coldest of them all. So it took a little coaxing to get her to sit and smile with the rest of the family.
At one point she asked for a treat after they were done. She has awesome parents, who said, of course she could have a treat. Then they asked her what she’d like. What did she think they should get as a reward for smiling pretty?
A piece of gum. Just one. Adorable. Kids crack me up. Their minds are so candid. I think it’s very endearing. She smiled very pretty, and I hope she got that piece of gum she was so excited about.
This was a seriously fun group to work with. I hope you love your photos as much as I do. And I really hope there’s one worthy of the wall or a Christmas card in here. Your flash drive is on the way!
Amy
