Kinderdijk

(Note: a polder is the land that is reclaimed from the sea by the pumping action of the windmills in the Netherlands. The miller's family lived inside the windmill, and were usually pretty poor; but the miller had a strong bond with his mill, and often passed on the job to a son. This painting is in oil, 10 X 8.)
"I love the wind," says Papa.
His hands fist around the ropes
to shift the blades
beating above us
in the gray sky.

Here in the polder,
the windmill and Papa
are partners--
pumping the sea
to the horizon.

"I hate the wind," says Mama.
Her hand fists around the spoon
to stir the soup.
It is too weak
to keep us full until breakfast.

Here in the polder,
the windmill and mama
are rivals,
paddling to the rhythm
of Papa's heart.
Linda G. Paulsen 2010

Painting Europe

With 1400 photos to choose from, why did I start with these? 'Cause I love windows. 'Cause I had limited time and pastels were a good choice for these images. 'Cause my student wanted some simple projects and I modeled these in class. And, I am working on an oil piece that takes longer, so hang in there. These are: "Coloring the Castle" --window from Nuremberg, "Looking Out, Looking In"--window from Budapest, and "Whisper of Light"--from evening along the Rhine River.

Heroes Have Heart

Here are some photos of Jeff, Jacob and Steven, the triathlon team that took on the Battle of Midway, 2010. Jeff swam a mile in Deer Creek Reservoir, then Steve pedaled his bike 22 miles, followed by Jacob running 10 K. Each finished with honor and big smiles. And those of us that came to cheer were equally gratified. This was one of the memorable events of our family's history. Jacob and Steve have shared running competitions, before, but never has anything of this magnitude in challenge and cooperation been attempted until now. Jeff joined, this time, making a team of 3 remarkable guys, each of whom trained for months, tested their limits, and conquered: a terrific model of endurance and unity. I love my men. They don't need to do something like this to impress me. But this was very special. It will stand, I hope, as a pattern of cooperation and effort that will be a standard for all of our posterity. This is the stuff of family legend. There were heroics in the spectator section, too. It was a long hot day, especially for Ami and Shannon who are pregnant. And the kids were troopers. Wow! And Thanks for making me proud.