This painting of the famous Biblical scene (Zacchaeus climbs a tree to catch a glimpse of Jesus) is possibly my favorite Bible story of all time. Hmm. There aren’t a ton of Biblical stories I actually *love* but this one is special, religious context aside.

I love the idea of this short but powerful man risking his entire reputation – and the superficial respect of his peers – to perform an act of faith. Can you imagine anyone in Congress doing something purposeful that would make them look foolish in front of the media? (Well, excluding various scandals…)

My friend, Joel Whitehead, painted it and gifted this incredible piece of work to me. Every time I stop and look at it, I am stunned.

If there were a fire in my house, I think this would be the first thing I grab. I love it. I love seeing it my home. I’d go visit in a museum, where, incidentally, most of Joel’s paintings belong.

My 4 foot Pillsbury Dougboy needed a tuxedo for a special event. What can I say? The boy likes to shop.

Wow, that title sounds like a great morality play.

However it is not – it’s a true story.

On Halloween night, I was visited by both characters.

I was mowing the lawn last week when I discovered that the cantaloupe vines that had grown erratically across the backyard since July (I planted as a fluke to see if they’d actually grow) were harboring a secret…

Five of these little guys were artfully concealed by nature’s thick, broad foliage. I didn’t see them until I accidentally mowed over one of the fat leaves.

Good try, nature. But I busted your ass.

This is the 2006 grape harvest. (What is pictured on the table is about 1/3 of the actual grapes harvested from my backyard.

Alesia (grapes model pictured) was visiting for the weekend from Chicago, so we tried various unsuccessful attempts at grape jam. Too runny, too thick, too goopy. In one batch we re-invented fruit roll-ups! Quite tasty.

This picture was taken almost 10 years ago when Andrea and I were touring Italy, but since the subject matter is a bit older and hasn’t changed much in 1000 years, I figured an old pic might still be interesting.

I remember holding him in my arms

terrified he would slip through my fingers

this fragile life.

He is a grown man, now.

From my backyard

Okay, this photo is a little old… (2004), but I thought it would be fun to show my non-Minnesotian friends that uh…yes, it really is this much of a Big Freakin’ Deal when it comes to the traditional Winter Carnival.