Winter/Summer-same city?

Some of the nicest perks of a jubilee anniversary are invitations from friends to celebrate with them. One of the sisters in the offices where I work is a jubilarian and our whole staff celebrated this week with a picnic lunch at our waterfront.

Here is our city's bicentennial tower and the paddleboat the Victorian Princess that offers lunch and dinner cruises all summer. It was a glorious summer afternoon and the view was marvelous--as you can see. How can this be the same city that had 144" of snow last winter?


The Place I Want to Get Back To

is where in the pinewoods
in the moments between
the darkness

and first light
two deer
came walking down the hill
and when they saw me

they said to each other, okay,
this one is okay,
let's see who she is
and why she is sitting

on the ground, like that,
so quiet, as if
asleep, or in a dream,
but, anyway, harmless;

and so they came
on their slender legs
and gazed upon me
not unlike the way

I go out to the dunes and look
and look and look
into the faces of the flowers;
and then one of them leaned forward

and nuzzled my hand, and what can my life
bring to me that could exceed
that brief moment?
For twenty years

I have gone every day to the same woods,
not waiting, exactly, just lingering.
Such gifts, bestowed,
can't be repeated.

If you want to talk about this
come to visit. I live in the house
near the corner, which I have named
Gratitude.

Mary Oliver