Valerie's Voice – Musings on Life

Somewhere Over the Rainbow

Last summer when we were enjoying a street fair in downtown Owatonna, I entered my name into a raffle for tickets to the “Little Theatre of Owatonna”. I have always liked going to plays (and have been to a good many), but I never knew Owatonna had a “little theatre”. I was surprised to learn The Little Theatre of Owatonna (LTO) was founded in April 1966 and have been putting on plays for 60 years! How did I not heard about this theatre in Owatonna, just 30 miles from our town of Northfield?

The Little Theatre of Owatonna is housed at the Sharon Stark Auditorium within the West Hills complex in Owatonna. There is a lot of history surrounding this property, including the original orphanage that operated from 1886 to 1945, then a state school from 1945-1970, and then the city acquisition in 1974. (There is an orphanage museum on the property, which we have been to and is very interesting.)

The auditorium is located in the historic Merrill Hall, which originally served as the main campus for the Minnesota State Public School for Dependent and Neglected Children.

A few days after I put my name in the jar, I got a call telling me I won two free tickets to any performance at LTO. They said they would keep my name in the box office for when I was ready to attend a show. I perused the brochure detailing the upcoming plays, but the timing didn’t work until this month when The Wizard of Oz was playing. I was interested, but I also wondered how it could work on a small stage? I called the box office to see if my name was still on the list, and it was! I learned play was over three hours long…3 hours and 15 minutes, with one 20-minute intermission.

I found my way to the theatre and enjoyed The Wizard of Oz immensely. It was fantastic! It ranks in the top tier of the best plays I’ve seen…Dorothy (a rising senior from Faribault) was amazing…as were all the cast members…scarecrow, tinman, and the lion. Everyone in the cast could sing like pros, and dance, and act…such talent!

The creativity for this small stage was very imaginative and resourceful. The corn in the field were actors back-facing, dressed in green and holding up ears of corn…the apple trees were three actors in elegant golden-brown dresses, draped with green capes and hanging red apples…bubbles came down from the ceiling for a dreamy scene…and fire shots blasted up off the floor next to the wizard when he spoke. The wicked witched melted to the floor (a trap door mechanism let her down), and a computer made the magic mirror feasible in the castle scene with Dorothy. It was all so wonderful!

The only signage for the theatre is posted on the front door.

It was great to hear all the nostalgic songs and fun to remember the scenes from the 1939 movie with Judy Garland. I can’t remember the last time I saw the movie, but it was many, many years ago.

I wish I could suggest seeing this play…but this was its last performance at LTO. I feel so fortunate to have seen it. I certainly will check for upcoming plays at this Little Theatre in Owatonna that is BIG on producing wonderful plays.

The End of the Rainbow…

…was in our backyard.

Maybe I need to walk through the cornfield in search of the pot of gold. However, seeing the colors of the rainbow so vibrant was a gift in itself.

It was amazing to see this vibrant rainbow in the sky during a rainstorm the other night. It hung around for a while.

All photos were taken from our back patio during the rainstorm Tuesday evening.


"I (God) have set my rainbow in the clouds, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and the earth"
Genesis 9:13

It’s Only Paper

It is said, trying new things actively rewires your brain cells. It is healthy for us. I decided to try something I haven’t done before. When I arrived at the art class the first thing I read in the info pack was, “you don’t have to be the best (or even good) to enjoy doing something”. So, I was hopeful I would enjoy my new adventure, along with rewiring some brain cells!

I took a beginner’s watercolor class. We have bought several watercolor paintings from a local artist in town and when she offered a beginner’s watercolor class I thought “why not?” Actually, she started classes a few years ago, but the dates never worked out for me until this year, so I was excited to finally get to try this new endeavor.

A few things stood out from the instructions, for instance: relax and let it flow (water is boss anyways), don’t compare your work with others, and it’s only paper. That became my mantra because I felt I could try this technique and if it doesn’t work out it’s not a huge investment…it’s only paper…I can try to correct a mistake or throw the whole thing out and start over because it’s only paper, and I can experiment a lot since it’s only paper.

Different cards to make…examples made by the instructor/artist, Kathy Miller.

I didn’t know what to expect from this class. It was very interesting and I feel I learned a lot (one thing I learned is I have to practice! ha). Kathy told us a student from a previous beginner’s class had expectations of taking home a piece for above her mantle. I didn’t have that kind of expectation; I didn’t even bring home a completed greeting card.

The hours flew by. There were six of us in the class. I learned where to begin with watercolors and that is enough. I now need to practice…which is always the tricky part (out of sight, out of mind) …but I have had one practice session and I plan to practice more. My goal is to make some greeting cards that look nice enough to send out.

The instructor held up her good ol’ color wheel (in this case triangle).

I hope my brain cooperated and rewired some cells because of this new adventure. I can say, I did enjoy myself very much, even though I’m not very good at it.

WINGS

WINGS (Women in Northfield Giving Support) held its 2026 annual grants celebration this week. Twenty-one grant recipients set up displays to show off their organizations, and members of WINGS and the community came to look and see, and to celebrate them. We heard from two of the grantees during the short program.

WINGS is an organization that offers grants to non-profit organizations that aims specifically to improve lives of women and youth in the Northfield area. It also “champions the growth of women in philanthropy, strengthens community bonds through collective investments, and profoundly improves the lives of women and youth in the Northfield area through strategic, focused grants funding basic needs including programs which support housing and food stability, physical and mental health and education.”

Last year WINGS celebrated its 25th anniversary. In the beginning (in 2000), a small group of women pooled their money together thinking they could make more of an impact together. This proved to be successful and WINGS began… and continues to grow and grow. This year $111,000 was given out in grants, giving support to organizations that help support women and youth. A total of $1,756,087 has been awarded to date!

More history off the WINGS website: “The enthusiasm we generated in the first year really sparked the success of WINGS. Having both an annual fund and an endowment fund made a huge impact because we gave grants the first year and we became a major player in town quickly. The goal was to collaborate, not compete, with existing nonprofits, and members were encouraged to expand, not divert, their giving. WINGS funds are invested with the Saint Paul & Minnesota Foundation, which shares expertise and operational efficiency…”

A proverb: “A bird sitting on a tree is never afraid of the branch breaking because its trust is not in the branch, but in its own wings.” The above quote, author unknown, was on display at each table.

I became a member of WINGS last year and am now serving on the board. I am excited to be a part of this worthy, nonprofit organization.

Interested in becoming a member? Click here.

The Lock and The Key

Before we went to Greece, I was involved in gathering donations to help furnish a flex room for a new addition to The Key.

The Key, in Northfield, is a youth-run drop-in center, run by the Northfield Union of Youth. According to their website (click here) it was founded in 1993 by a Youth Board and a Board of Directors. “Its first major goal was to open a substance-free youth center as a safe place for all youth to feel welcome and encouraged.” We moved to Northfield in 1994 and I do remember hearing about it.

The Key is the nation’s longest-running youth-led center, providing a safe and judgment-free space for ages 12–20. The newest executive director is Kelli Podracky (for 3+ years) has contributed a lot in growing the center. And part of that growth was buying the building right next door to where The Key is housed, allowing the organization to expand services for young people.

The old pharmacy building, now houses The Lock.

The building, formerly Northfield Pharmacy, was a small but successful pharmacy in Northfield. Many of us were sad the day our beloved pharmacist, Rob Anderson, retired a few years ago. The building had been vacant and then used for other businesses, until The Key bought the building this year, to expand its operations. It’s perfect…located right next door to The Key. What a great use of this building.

And it’s been named The Lock. A fun play on words…The Lock and The Key. And The Lock is an acronym: Life skills, Opportunities, Counseling, and Knowledge. It’s a wonderful resource center with counseling and learning labs.

I was out of the country when the remodel of The Lock was completed, and I missed helping on move-in day with multiple volunteers to furnish the inside: foyer, two offices, learning lab, flex room, kitchenette and bath/shower. I was not there for the ribbon cutting ceremony, but many were. But I did go take a look when I returned and it was fun to see this vision come together. It’s an inviting space with a lot to offer.

Another view of the flex room in The Lock.

It is a great place to be celebrated. May it serve the Northfield youth for years to come.

Athens, Greece

Athens was the focus of our first five days in Greece. We met up with our friends at the hotel we were all staying at on the afternoon of our arrival. We hung out and toured Athens charming streets and many ruins, including, of course, the famous Acropolis.

The Acropolis in Athens. Acropolis means any fortified citadel built on an elevated area of an ancient Greek city.

It’s hard to comprehend how old some of the ruins are…going back centuries…

We visited the Acropolis museum (very well done) on a guided tour, before we climbed up to see the Parthenon and The Temple of Athena Nike, The propylaea (grand gateway) and The Erechtheion, another temple.

The Erechtheion, is a smaller temple/shrine to Athena Polias, Poseidon, and the mythical king Erechtheus. The six female statues support the roof. The originals are now in the Acropolis Museum in Athens.

The first modern Olympic stadium in Athens, 1896.

The Arch of Hadrian. Hadrian, a roman emperor, was an admirer of Greek culture, with a lot of influence and recognition.

One day we went on a tour that took us away from the city and through the countryside. Our destination was a lovely seaside town, Nafplio.

The narrow Corinth Canal – cutting through the isthmus to create a shortcut for ships at the time.

We stopped at the Corinth Canal to view this “shortcut” dugout from the Ionian Sea to Aegean Sea. It was dug in the late 1800’s. It’s an impressive sight but no longer serves the bigger ships of today.

These lions (missing their heads) carved in this stone gateway is called Lion Gate at Mycenae.

We also stopped at the Mycenae acropolis and walked under the stone gateway called the Lion Gate leading up to the acropolis in Mycenae. It is supposed to be the oldest know monument sculpture in Europe, carved in 1250 BCE.

It is here in Nafplio where we ate our best lunch. We ordered a traditional Greek fare: moussaka (made with eggplant and tuna). It was delicious. We ate in an outside cafe, along the harbor overlooking giant yachts.

Back in Athens we saw small, charming outdoor cafes, markets, many ruins, lots of churches, cypress trees, graffiti, cats (yes, stray cats all over the place and people feed them).

“The most famous, centrally located old church in Athens is Panagia Kapnikarea. Built around 1050 AD, it sits right in the middle of Ermou Street (the city’s premier shopping thoroughfare).”Google

The fish market is part of Athen’s Varvakios Agora. An agora is an open public space used for public gatherings and commerce.

I loved seeing all the different olives in this stand.

We stopped at Mokka Special Coffee shop near the market square for a specialty Greek coffee.

There is so much ancient history in this area…it was interesting to hear and learn, but hard to comprehend and remember.

Streets lined with stores and small outdoor cafes.

Greece is a beautiful country…friendly folks too… with so much to offer. As usual we saw only a small portion of it.

We definitely would go back if the opportunity presented itself, but then we say that about most places we visit. There are so many beautiful places in this big, wonderful world. We are grateful we can travel to see a few of them.

Fun graffiti ( among a lot of not so fun graffit). Notice the cat house in the left corner. People put out food and water to feed the stray cats everywhere.

“It’s a funny thing coming home. 
Nothing changes. 
Everything looks the same, feels the same, even smells the same. 
You realize what’s changed is you.” 
Eric Roth

There are a lot of colorful bougainvillea plants thriving and growing tall all around town.

Santorini, Greece

“Santorini is famous for its dramatic volcanic caldera, iconic cliffside villages of whitewashed buildings and blue-domed churches, and breathtaking Aegean sunsets.” (Google) And we got to spend four nights on this romantic island.

Upon arrival at the airport in Santorini, our pre-arranged driver transferred us to our resort in the city of Oia (locally pronounced Ee-ah) in the north, away from the cruise ship docks in Fira. He dropped us at the parking lot which was several hundred yards from the resort’s office, so a strong, young employee from the resort met us with a dolly.

The hotel employee pulling our luggage on a dolly.

He loaded our heavy luggage (there were four of us) and pulled and pushed the dolly to the resort. It was impressive. These are narrow, uneven brick lanes, going both uphill and down…and down…and down. I’m not sure I could have carried my own luggage if I had to.

Our hotel – our room on left. photo by gb.

We checked in to our lovely room…with a view, and a balcony… with a hot tub.

As on the other islands, the resort and hotels, houses and most buildings on the island are painted white…some with blue trim. Churches have blue domes. The buildings are cubical and some cave-like, to imitate the original cave homes on the volcanic island. We were told that in order to confuse the pirates all the homes were painted white and the small lanes created a maze.

The volcano erupted about 1600 BC and created a caldera (a large, cauldron-shaped depression that forms from the explosion or collapse of the center of a volcano). The island of Santorini is one part of the edge of this caldera and therefore is a crescent shape. Thousands of years ago this caldera filled with water… the most exquisite crystal- clear blue water I’ve ever seen ~ the Aegean Sea which flows into the Mediterranean.

The resort we stayed at was built into a hillside and, as I mentioned, has a lot of steps. This is not a place for those who cannot handle steps or have balance issues.

The narrow, inlaid, bumpy rock sidewalks.

From the office of our hotel to our room there are about 75-80 steps (I lost count). We walked up them every time we left the resort. Our friend’s room was about 15 steps further down from our room. And the swimming pool and breakfast buffet and restaurant was down further still. The streets are a labyrinth… you needed to pay attention to where you were going. We used our phone’s GPS system often.

Santorini is an amazing place. On this magnificent island we had four days to play. Besides enjoying our balconies and the pool and the restaurant, we left daily for different activities.

For our first day, the activity we planned was a 6 mile hike from the town of Fira to where we were staying in Oia, but it was misty (the only day it rained on our trip), so we just relaxed and delayed our hike until the next morning.

On our hike…this way to Oia. photo by dh.

The next day we decided to shorten the hike to 4 miles or so; we hired a driver to take us to our selected hiking starting point and hiked the trail along the edge of the Caldera. It was very picturesque.

Looking back at the shape of the caldera we were waling along.

Several people were hiking this popular and spectacular trail. We learned about the hike from our son and his wife who walked the trail a few years ago.

There were stunning views of the sea, and many varieties of wildflowers along the way.

That afternoon we went horseback riding. It was a short ride down to the beach, but it was fun, and a new and different activity for us.

My horse’s name was Georgia. photo by gb.

One day we sailed around the other islands in the caldera, on a 45’ catamaran.

There was only one other couple for our four-hour time slot, so it felt like a personal tour. They crew served us a delicious grilled fish lunch. The boat stopped in two different areas where we were able to jump in and swim. The water was cold!!

Swimming in 64* water! Burr! photo by gb.

We all enjoyed sitting in front of the catamaran to watch the world go by.

While on Santorini, we had a delicious meal at the restaurant in our hotel. It was a wonderful place, but what made it so special was first, the seating arrangement…always outside…facing west because Santorini is noted for their gorgeous sunsets.

The Aspa Restaurant, in our hotel. photo by waitress.

And second, we mentioned to our tour director on the cruise ship that we were staying at this resort in Santorini and he told us it is owned by one of his best friends, and he would give him a call. When we checked-in they told us we were gifted with a complimentary dinner at the restaurant. What a fun surprise.

Amoudi Bay. A popular fishing port, nestled below our hotel. I love colors of the night on this pier.

The hotel(s) lite up at night looked lovely too.

A sunset view from our balcony. photo by gb.

It was a splurge for us to stay on this magical island for four nights, but it was memorable, and we all felt it was worth it.

Santorini is a wonderful place to view sunsets.

“We take photos as a return ticket to a moment otherwise gone.” Katie Thurmes

The Cruise, Part II

We woke up to another beautiful day in Greece, at a port in Rhodes.

Before our trip we had prearranged a 4+ mile hike along the sea with a tour company. They picked us up at the dock and drove us several miles away to the start of a trail along the rocky coast.

Chapels are everywhere. This was St. Agatha chapel located at the beginning of our hike on Rhodes.

We had a wonderful guide, and the views of the sea were stunning.

It took several hours, and we enjoyed every minute of it.

Photo by our guide, Marguerite. Apparently this photo was added to her company’s website.

Photo by our guide, Marguerite. Beach in this photo is Agatha Beach.

We stopped at Limni Beach to swim in the cool, refreshing, clear waters.

Swimming in the Mediterranean. photo by dh

Anthony Quinn Bay ~ made famous because of the 1961 movie *Guns of Navarone* he starred in.

The next day we disembarked on the isle of Crete where we went to a local family organic farm where they grow olive trees and grapes. We tasted the wine and had some cheese and bread and tomatoes while watching traditional Greek dancers performed for us. It was delightful.

We also had a chance to dance with the dancers at the end. It was fun.

The last stop on our cruise was Santorini. We opted to stay onboard because the next day we would fly to Santorini for a four-night stay on our own. It was very pleasant to be on the ship with so many passengers disembarked. We had the hot tub to ourselves and a nice relaxing experience.

The cruise went quickly. We had a lovely dinner on board, on our last night.

A super-sweet flower arrangement tucked away in the corner of the winery.

"And at the end of the day, your feet should be dirty, 
your hair messy 
and your eyes sparkling." 
Shanti

The Cruise, Part I

Our time in Greece was marvelous. It was divided into three parts. Five nights in Athens, a four-night cruise through the isles, and four nights on the island of Santorini. I couldn’t decide where to begin writing about our adventures. I decided to start with my favorites, instead of chronological order. But then, I couldn’t determine between the four-night cruise or the four-night stay on the island of Santorini…I decided to start with the cruise.

I love being on the water and was happy to be on the Celestial Discovery, a smaller ship (1200 passenger) cruising the Mediterranean Sea and stopping at a couple of the 1,200 islands in Greece. We had a delightful tour director who took good care of us. We disembarked on a four islands: Mykonos, Patmos, Rhoades, Crete, and also disembarked at a stop in Ephesus, Turkey.

Besides seeing the scenic, small, cubical white-washed buildings (some with blue trim and all with no peaked roofs) and the narrow alley ways between houses on the islands and the picturesque scene of these buildings enveloping the hillsides up from the water, each island was unique in its own way.

Our first stop was not an island, but we sailed to Turkey, to visit Ephesus. The incredible ruins of this town where Apostle Paul, and other Biblical personalities walked the streets, 2,000 years ago, was incredible to see. The ancient city of Ephesus’ excavated remains go back several centuries.

“The Library of Celsus is the most iconic structure in Ephesus — and one of the most beautiful ancient libraries ever built. Completed in the 2nd century A.D., it once held over 12,000 scrolls…” quote off internet

At one time Ephesus was a massive economic and intellectual hub of the Roman Empire, and a center for early Christianity. It amazes me that so many of these ruins are intact today…and that we can meander through them and envision all the activity they represent.

The Temple of Hadrian was built in the 2nd century AD (before 138 AD) to honor Emperor Hadrian’s visits to the city.

Later, that same day , we sailed to Patmos where the apostle John was exiled from Ephesus, and where John had his visions described in the Bible’s book of Revelation. Researchers are confident the cave ~ The Cave of the Apocalypse ~ where we visited, is indeed where John actually received his divine visions. It is said the crack in the rock wall above (we looked up) is believed to be the spot where God’s voice echoed, symbolizing the Holy Trinity (3 fissures in the rock). This site, as is Ephesus, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. (A UNESCO World Heritage Site is a landmark or area formally recognized by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) as possessing “Outstanding Universal Value”)

The chapel attached to the cave. No pictures were allowed inside.

It was meaningful to me to be there in this cave on Patmos. Our guide told wonderful stories. The one I remember is that after the ruler who sent John to exile at Patmos died, John returned to Ephesus as an old man. In church, when the congregation asked him for a word, he would simply say “Love one another.”

When his disciples grew weary of hearing the same phrase and asked why he always repeated it, John replied: “Because it is the Lord’s command, and if this only is done, it is enough.” Amen. I enjoyed hearing that story.

Back on the ship, we sailed during the night, to Rhodes…(to be continued.)

“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”     John 13:34-35

The Necklace

As an outreach to the community our church puts on annual Bike Rally. This is the fourth year. We have bicycle technicians to help make small repairs to bikes, a bicycle washing station, free food, an obstacle course for kids, and more. It’s a big draw to the Hispanic community that lives near by the church, but it’s open to anyone in the community, and word is getting out. It’s always a great event and Gary and I planned to help again this year.

I usually like to be at the food table…grillers are grilling hamburgers and hot dogs, and I, along with others, are helping keep the buns and condiments, chips and cookies, lemonade and water all refreshed. (I was busy so very few photos..)

This year a women donated a huge double layer cake that we needed to help serve. While doing this I noticed a woman in line with a beautiful necklace and I complimented her on it. She spoke some English. I learned she is from Mexico and is visitng family here. She comes to Northfield a few times a year. Almost immediately, after I told her I liked her necklace, she took it off and gave it to me. She wanted me to have the necklace since I liked it. She said, “that is what we do.”

We continued our conversation for another 30-40 minutes, exchanging emails at the end. Our pastor’s wife speaks fluent Spanish and was standing nearby so I asked her to do a little interpreting to make sure I understood this woman wanted to gift me her necklace. All was good…that was her intent, and she wants to continue to communicate via email.

What a fun serendipity.

What a kind gesture.

What a good lesson.

What a delightful new friend.