Cathy Zielske's Blog

Raise a glass for clean water

(Before you read any further, please know this: I have an agenda and I'm going to ask you for money. You may stop reading now if that sort of thing isn't your bag.)

First, watch this:

The story of charity: water - The 2009 September Campaign Trailer from charity: water on Vimeo.

I realize there a countless charities in the world that need time, money and help to succeed in all of their respective and extremely worthy goals. I fully and completely understand this.

But as I watched this video last week for the first time, I was struck by two things: first, the power of a single person with an amazing idea and two, most obviously, the things that I take for granted every day when I go to make a pot of my beloved half-decaf, half-caf coffee: clean water.

And I was extremely moved.

People with ideas like this inspire me. People with ideas like this make me want to do whatever little bit I can do to help them succeed with those ideas. People who think beyond what they might initially deem possible are heroes, plain and simple.

Because I was so inspired I immediately went and signed up to run a clean water fund-raising campaign. Why? Because I have you and I have this blog and I am insanely lucky to have a platform to talk about anything. Period.

And I got to thinking of it like this: what if 1,000 of my readers, rather than giving up what they might get for their birthdays, took just 5 dollars that they might spend on products for a few scrapbook pages and gave it to charity: water? That comes out to $5,000. And $5,000 will fund one fresh water, life-giving well for a community in a developing nation, enhancing both the quality and safety of the lives of those who live there.

Five bucks. 100 percent going to the goal of clean and safe drinking water. 100 percent tax deductible.

My challenge to you? Give up what you might spend on a few layouts and raise a glass to clean water.

You can donate via my campaign page which is here. And, you can learn more about how the funds provide a range of water solutions in developing countries here.

 

What do I get out of this? The same thing you get. I feel good and I feel like a global citizen.

I also get to feel like every now and then I can use my blog for something a little more than simply vacation stories and rants about my chubby mid-section. And I get to thank all of you for reading as well as getting involved.

Learn more about charity: water here.

I have 86 days left in this campaign.

I love the idea that scrapbookers, and then some, can provide a clean glass of water a half a world away.

One in six people don't have access to clean water. I feel very blessed and fortunate to live in a country where this isn't a part of my daily existence. How about you?

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As an added incentive, at the end of this campaign, I'm going to draw a winner from the names of those who've contributed, and give away a totally awesome box of scrapbook goodies to someone.

Just because.

Thanks everyone. And thanks for reading.

I'll keep you posted on the progress.

Guess who's the guest designer over at Studio Calico?

That would be yours truly. Studio Calico's September kit goes on sale today. Check it, and my pages out.

A crazy thing happened…I got the kit and made four layouts. Four. In one day. And because I'm on the spare side of product usage, I have tons of product to make more pages.

I just felt super inspired. I think because I was making pages in my preferred size (8-1/2 x 11) and not for publication, but for my own albums. Love it when that happens!

Check it out and thanks to Studio Calico for having me.

Okay people…wrap it up and move along

As much as I'd like to milk the vacation wrap-up forever, it's time to git 'er movin' along. So today, I present the final installment of What I Did on My Summer Vacation aka The Recap Trifecta, if you will.

Above? Dan at the Mineview in the Sky, just outside of Eveleth. Did you know they mine up on the Iron Range? As in, dig in the earth mining? WHO KNEW?

And when they finish, sometimes the mine will fill in with water and look like this?

 

(At this point on our road trip, I said to Dan: "You know what makes road trips SO much easier? Living in the age of the iPod." To which he replied: "You know what else makes it easier? The fact that we didn't bring Bushwick Bill along for the ride.") Note: This is an extremely old inside road trip joke between me and Dan. No offense to Bill and the Geto Boys.

In Chisolm, we saw the Iron Man statue:

 

And then it was onto Grand Rapids, the childhood home of Judy Garland, where we saw the house she lived in until she was three years old.

 

We visited the Judy Garland Museum right next door and saw bits of memorabilia from her life, like this carriage which was the actual one they used in the Wizard of Oz when they rode into the city:

 

 

And Dan couldn't help himself at this stop's "Insert Head Here" opportunity, as he carefully channeled each of the character's key traits:

 

Then it was onto the Greyhound Bus Museum, in lovely Hibbing. Did you know Greyhound started in Minnesota? Well, now you do.

 

 

Aidan fell hard for a boy, but alas, road trip romance never lasts.

 

Then after a quick lunch at Zimmy's (a restaurant celebrating all things Bob Dylan, who also hails from Hibbing), we hit the road again.

We saw more big things on our way to Bemidji:

 

Even the biggest of 'em all: Paul and Babe.

 

Dan and I even had a chance to pose for a prom-like picture right between Paul's knees. Who wouldn't want this shot?

 

Then it was off to see the headwaters of the Mighty Mississippi River. Did you know it starts in Minnesota and that you can walk across it? Well, now you do.

 

 

As we turned our compass Southward, we found more statues:

 

(Note: her McCain shirt was in the laundry this day. FYI.)

 

(There's your big bird, babe.)

And I managed to capture some truly magical moments of sibling togetherness.

 

We worked our way back down to Nisswa, where Dan's grandmother's cabin was waiting to greet some energized and happy travelers. But not without a few more stops.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

On our way home, we stopped in Garrison, on Lake Mille Lacs, and while we were about to leave, I saw a cute young couple with a baby, and the Dad was taking a picture of his lovely wife and child in front of another giant fish. I asked if he wanted me to take their picture. As I was framing the shot, I asked him: Do you want the whole fish or just the family? To which he gave me my favorite quote of the entire trip:

The family is more important than the fish.

Amen, brother. Amen.

And here's also to finding a magical vacation in your own backyard.

What I Did on My Summer Vacation, Part Deux

When we last left our weary travelers—wait, it was only Day 1… they couldn't have been weary already, could they?—they had just landed in Duluth, where they stayed for two lovely nights and enjoyed all that the fine fresh water port city had to offer…

(I have to switch to non-third person narrator mode, or it's going to get too weird, too quickly.)

I present yet another big bird somewhere out of Duluth:

 

No, I won't tell you what Dan actually said when he saw this thing, but you can fill in the blanks. (It rhymes with 'rock'): There's your big ______, babe.

Next up, Pierre the Pantsless Voyageur in Two Harbors:

 

 

Just where I've always wanted to really be…

Next stop: Gooseberry Falls State Park.

 

Is it just me, or does this shot of me and Cole have a titch too much Awkward Family to it? Something about the way he's leaning desperately and uncomfortably away from me.

Here's a cute girl:

 

And here's a cute but stuck-on-a-ledge Dad, processed using the Pioneer Woman's Seventies action:

Then it was onto the Split Rock Lighthouse in Two Harbors. Gorgeous views of both Lake Superior and the lighthouse itself.

 

Inside the Visitor's Center, we were forced to stop for an "Insert Head's Here" shot. Unfortunately, there was no one handy to shoot all four of us:

 

And that, my friends, is why Photoshop can be the traveler's best friend:

 

Then it was time to point our compass due West as we left the coast and headed directly into the heart of the Iron Range. Our first point of interest: Rocky Taconite.

 

Welcome to the land of iron ore and tall trees, weary travelers! 

Side note: This was my first visit to Minnesota's Iron Range. In my mind, I pictured a bleak, vast wasteland, the color of, well, iron. I was shocked at the lushness and stunning beauty of my adopted home state. Honestly, the topography is so different from the southern part of the state where we live. It was absolutely gorgeous. The drive along the National Forest Highway 11 was one I would do again in a heartbeat.

Our final stop for this leg: Eveleth, Minn., home of the US Hockey Hall of Fame:

 

And home to the world's largest hockey stick and puck:

 

 

Whew…all this travel has got me tuckered out. Tune in again for more tales from the Road Trip that Will Provide Endless Possibilities for Blog Fodder for All of Eternity.

Coming tomorrow: mining pits, Bob Dylan, the Greyhound Bus Museum and Judy Garland, just to name a few.

There's nothing more exciting than other people's travel photos

Welcome to What I Did on My Summer Vacation, Part One.

This year, we opted for an economical getaway and decided to vacation in our own backyard: to tour around the great state of Minnesota in search of history, kitschy photo opps, and general family bonding time.

Using the book Weird Minnesota as one of our travel guides, we planned a trip that would take us up Highway 61, through Duluth and beyond, then to head west through the Iron Range and back down to the Brainerd Lakes area where our family cabin is.

Along the way, we sought out stuff like this:

 

The Lindstrom Tea Kettle Water Tower, Lindstrom, Minn.

Our rule was if it was large, kitschy, made of fiberglass, or had holes where you had to put your head through, we stopped. Or, if they served booze.

 

In Rush City, we found a big fish:

 

In Pine City, we found a huge voyageur:

 

And in Mora we found a Dala Horse, which led to the catch phrase of the trip: "Where's your Dala Horse, babe?" spoken ala the guy from the Two A-Holes sketch from Saturday Night Live.

 

One of the other trip rules? No fast food. Sorry Mickey D's, but the Zielskes took a vow to eat in local cafes and off the path eateries, such as the lovely Sportsmen's Cafe in Mora:

Following lunch, we posed by more statues:

 

And filled up our tank at the Frank Lloyd Wright designed gas station in Cloquet:

 

Along the way, there was plenty of time for Cole-created sight gags:

 

 

Until we finally arrived in our first official stayover stop: the beautiful fresh water port city of Duluth, Minn.

 

 

We did a clever re-enactment of the famous lift bridge:

 

We walked around on the rocky shores:

 

We saw and toured a big boat (There's your big boat, babe.):

 

We took lots of pictures:

 

And we broke a few laws:

 

Duluth is a place I could SO live from June through August.

 

 

 

Throughout our first day we kept track of memorable quotes from assorted family members, and captured such gems as:

Aidan: "Why is Cole changing again?" Mom: "He doesn't like who he's become?"

Dan: "Do cowboys just call their hats 'hats'?"

Cole, informing us whether or not he would get out of the car at our stops throughout Day 1: "If there's a gift shop, I'm so there."

And so ends Day 1. Stay tuned for more Zielske Vacation Shenanigans, coming soon to this blog near you.

An amazingly super awesome blog post coming soon

I just have to wade through 1,000 or so snapshots, four feet of laundry, and a good three or four cups of super black coffee.

Deal? Deal.

Having a great time. Wish you wore pants.

Pierre the Pantsless Voyageur near Two Harbors, Minn.

Peaceful travel mornings

Photo from yesterday afternoon; words from yesterday morning…

A hotel with free internet is a delightful thing.

It's 7:39 on a Monday morning. Dan is off somewhere running, both kids are soundly sleeping, and me? I have a slightly bitter cup of coffee, a comfy bed and I just watched an enormous ship pull past the lighthouse in Canal Park from my lake view room.

Back in the day, I might have been scurrying around on a road trip morning to sneak outside for that first morning smoke. But now, in my wiser, more evolved era, I simply sit in a hotel bed, completely at peace with the world around me.

It's such a very, very good thing to get out of town every now and then. I look forward to sharing lots of photos and other thoughts when I return next week.

Here's to a peaceful morning, wherever that may find you.

Still time to register

Me: The Abridged Version starts in just a few weeks and there's still plenty of time to register. Class officially starts on September 3rd. All of your questions have been great and I'm looking forward to seeing many of my blog readers in class.

Right now as this posts, I'm waking up somewhere in Northern Minnesota, hoping with all of my might that our next stop will have wireless internet.

Have a great Monday.

Girl in the yard

I have nothing overly clever to write today. I'm moving a bit slowly this morning thanks to three and half glasses from an absolutely divine bottle of Nera d'Avola last night at warm and lovely gathering of old friends. Still, I wanted to share a few shots of my girlie from yesterday.

Maybe the depth of field was a little short on this, and the exposure is completely different from the previous shot, but I love it when she's in the mood for pics.

 

As she was getting dressed for the party, she decided to raid my closet and go all "Cathy." She said, "Look Mom, just like you... jeans and all."

The weird thing is, there was one shot we saw in the bunch, and we were both like, "Wow. It's me/you." I never see me in Aidan. I see a combo of me and Dan, but I don't really see me that often. On this one, I did, and so did she.

 

It's the jawline. It's MY jawline. Maybe not the chin aspect, because mine has a bunch of this annoying extra stuff underneath it now, but this profile... the jaw, the chin, the ear and the neck: MY GOD! She IS my child afterall! SUCH a relief to finally believe it.

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Next week, the Zielske family is taking off on a great Northern Minnesota road trip. Posting will be light depending on where and when I can find internet access. I hope to return with many good, highly entertaining tales and scrapworthy fodder.