Saturday, December 31, 2011

A fork in the road is in sight

Thanks to a young lady who wrote to me about the concept of the knights errant, I have stumbled upon a painter whose work I had not encountered in the past. Viktor Vasnetsov was among the founders of the folklorist / romantic, modernistic movement in Russian art. His paintings often focused on the mythological and the historical elements of Russian life. This particular oil on canvas is called "A Knight at the Crossroads" or "A Warrior at a Fork in the Road." Vasnetsov painted it twice, first in 1878 and then in 1882. This is the 1882 version. The inscription on the menhir, by the way, is this: "If you ride to the left, you will lose your horse, if you ride to the right, you will lose your head." Such is the life of a knight errant, it would seem, no matter into which century he is born and lives.

The dice just keep rolling

On December 31, 2010, I wrote the following words:

Three ideas are floating through my mind as a new year looms on the horizon:

Buy a house in the southern suburbs of Minneapolis/St. Paul and hang out for a year or two writing and writing. This = safety & security.

Move to Florida, buy a boat and hang out for a year or two diving and diving. This = adventure & long-shot gambling.

Travel by ship (a freighter that accepts a few passengers) from America to Europe and decide what to do next upon arrival. There is a run from Duluth, Minnesota, through the Great Lakes, up the St. Lawrence River, across the Atlantic Ocean, through the North Sea and into the Baltic Sea to Gdansk, Poland. This = learning potential & self-discovery.

So, then. How do those three thoughts rate in terms of rolling the dice? And, while I am thinking of it, how do you spell hiatus?

Well, it is evident that I selected safety and security. In the spring, I bought a house in the suburbs of Minneapolis/St. Paul and moved in on the evening of June 28. I have been here six months. I have been perfectly miserable in most regards ever since.

So, just this week, after some discussion with children and a friend or two, I made the decision to stay here for another six months. Then, I will roll the dice once again. One of these times, I expect to find the treasure at the end of the rainbow or to abruptly discover there is no water at the bottom of the cliff from which I leap.

16 comments:

Anonymous said...

Lovely post Fram!!

i think many times we dont know what to do..and we just choose a way..to go..in life..we think maybe.the way was wrong....but i think..every path you take is to your destiny..may be it slows you..may be it makes it faster..but in the end..you will get there..

so you buied a house.a beautiful house i quess.happy there?

or not?...Well i hope everything will be good for you fram..i love the painting (where did you find that one?)and the music..i have heard the music before but can not rembember where..the painting i will copy and share with others.


again..i wish all good for you..andHappy New year!!

Daliana Pacuraru said...

Well. we cannot choose sometimes!
But like Don Quixote , you can say
'I know who I am and who I may be, if I choose'...
In each of us lives a knight errant FRAM,
with his shining armor... fighting (from time to time) for his dreams and for his illusions!
In that painting must be an ordinary knight or a worrior at the end of the time or of the road or of the war.A knight errant has neverending battles, because the dream is endless. I don't know if I make my words clear...
Anyway...here it will be 2012 in a few hours.
I wish you Peace in your heart and Happiness!
Happy New Year, Fram!

The Fabulous Diva said...

Life sometimes can be like a "Fado" song. We know we are missing something within ourselves but we don't know what it is.

We make choices to see if fado(fate) will lead us to our 'heart's desire' but in "Fado" we sometimes do not know what our heart's desire is...and that is fate.

An acquaintance of mine said that her Portuguese Uncle simply describes fado as "Boys meets girl, boy falls in love with girl, boy loses girl, boy cries about it." But it does not truely describe the sense of longing for something unknown and intangible, so...you roll the dice and leave it to fate.

Kisses, Sweet Fram and have a very Happy New Year.

Anonymous said...

hmmm..nice comment Fabulous Diva!!


but where is Dear Fram??


i dont know about fate life ect ect.. i just know..i live today and it is something like a dream!!May be when we die..we say..heii now i have got out of the dream!!wow..that was very salavdor dali said of me..hihiihih.but you know me fram..my lips can be very loooossse sometimes!!

how was your new year??Here it was raining al the shops restaurangs whee closed..only me and my boy went out to see the rackets!!

and it was fun!!!


well enjoy yourself in you cave and we will see soon..may be when the flowers are on the grass??
ok see you!!xxxxxx

Anonymous said...

and open up the gate fram!!!!!

Anonymous said...

Reading again your post.i must laugh..born in 1911..boy.!!;,u r teasing us!!!..but i must smile..u always surprise us with good things.have u read something about travelling in mind??.i mean.since you talk about it.ohh well..it maybe just a metaphorse..and u ment something else..by the way.i hope stepping into 2912..made a good feeling to you..i did to mee.waked up very happy!!..ok.ssee you soon

Anonymous said...

2012..not 2912

Magda Machnicka said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Magda Machnicka said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Magda Machnicka said...

Hi, Frammy!

I invite you to my new blog:

www.myfirstpix.blogspot.com

Please, be very critical to my pictures, I wish to know what I do wrong.

I am going to attend my first photography course in about two weeks, and then I want to take another one, and then I plan to go to photography school, first in Warsaw, and than in some other places.

I will see...

Anonymous said...

Good lord!!.you r very!! feelingly this month..why do yo do such awful things to us..we can not leave a comment..FRAM!!..

I have been busy so i could
d not comment before.. i think the the beach is from mideterenian..or maybe fuertaventura..i have lived there on tenerife islands as a child.but..true.it is something from the mediterenian..because of the fatigue..streets..ok

the newest painting.i adore it.thanx.i google it tomorrow..cause i am in bed now.we have asnowstorm.and hey..yestd.i saw pale rider..ohh soo fucking good movie.i want all his movies.have u seen shane??seek on you tube..i think clint took pale rider from that movie.also red dust is very good.ok..i think of u dear friend.hope all is good.kisses and much love from aka freya

Fram Actual said...

If there is a window left open, I think you will find it, Anita. Your persistence deserves a response, so here is one:

You have excellent eyes and excellent knowledge and excellent memory. The photograph is from the Mediterranean, but not from anywhere near the Canary Islands.

It seems the snow is in Europe instead of in North America. Nothing personal, but I prefer you keep it on your side of the wide, wide ocean.

Yes, "Pale Rider" is an excellent film and, yes, it is Clint Eastwood's interpretation of "Shane." The two versions are so different that few people recognize the story is essentially the same. Actually, I prefer the story line of "Shane." It is more true to reality. It is a classic in the sense of Americana and film art, while "Pale Rider" simply is a fine movie.

Thank you, for the wishes and the kisses, Freyja.

Anonymous said...

Thank you for responing.iam not haunting you.it is just that i dont wanne loose you.ok.dear fram.iam very tired.i dont know why.
I dream of you last night.we were back in the njaals time.talking and talking.
Ok..i hope your day will be good.we see each other when our moods wants too.

By the way..did you have a holiday in the blue mid??nice beach. :-)

Fram Actual said...

Thank you, Anita ....

Anonymous said...

ys it is a pleasure Fram..

i have been working ans still is working this weekend..if we need money..we have to work right!!

however i saw this movie ..what do you think??very cold norway yes??it is about..Arne Skouen considered to be one of the leading film directors, and he made ​​several films in the years 1949-1969. His eleventh film Cold Track is a contemporary drama with roots back in the war years. It is simultaneously a critique of the occupation period and the post-war hero to war images. The film has been described as Skouen first major filmic self-settlement, and wrote the manuscript Skouen in collaboration with the author and his friend Johan Borgen. In the war year 1944 was Oddmund (Toralv Maurstad) in a cabin on the mountain plateau in mid-winter as a pilot for twelve refugees. They were lack of time, but despite the good weather had Oddmund ordered the arrest of waiting for her boyfriend Ragnhild (Henny Moan). She came two days later, at the same time as it blew up a storm. Then they went on, did not Ragnhild strain. Oddmund rival Tormod (Alf Malland) came to the site to help Ragnhild. But Oddmund hesitated and sent the convoy alone in advance, and the twelve were killed in the snow. Fifteen years later driver conscience Oddmund back to confront the past. He has condemned himself, but are desperate for ways to get rid of the burden of guilt. In agony he seeks contact with Ragnhild and Tormod.

http://youtu.be/R4iv4dZ946o


ok..then we watchedme an d alex Lily hamer..you know the place i went to on norway holidays??You can see the farm in this clip from it..

http://youtu.be/bfRgVbp9gSY

Anonymous said...

i am totally into history this days.specially the sinking of bismarch and the occupation..dont know why.it is terible to like look atwars??i dont know.


hope you do fine fram..i am thinking of waht you r doing?writing?relaxing??somtimes i can see you..hheeee it is very strange..but you are a very very strong personality!!

ok quess i have to make some dinners..chicken ?pommes frites ?..i dont know what to eat..they are all full of bad ingridents which is poisan for us..the news says.

keepp in touch sometimes fram..i miss you writing..you write soo fucking good.

Something special ....