Maria writes... Rick and I have recently had the good fortune to explore The Met Cloisters, a rather unique museum in New York City. The seemingly ancient structure was actually finished in 1938 to house a massive collection of medieval art and artifacts. We had visited this museum years ago, but thought we’d look a bit deeper into the paintings and manuscripts at a more leisurely pace. It was almost overwhelming for me to be surrounded by such monumental examples of art from that period. It was spectacular. Everything seemed to be created with such passion and effort. Patterns were...

Rick writes... Has everything gone digital? We check time on digital watches, talk on digital phones, take pictures with digital cameras, listen to digital music, find our way with digital maps, read digital books, spend digital cash, weigh ourselves with digital scales, and welcome guests when a digital doorbell rings. But when we create art on a Zentangle tile, it’s all analog. And there’s a reason for that. First, some descriptions: Our analog world is characterized by continuous and smooth transitions. There are no abrupt steps between any one point and another. A good example is the old familiar analog...

Thiele writes... I married into Rick and Maria’s family in the summer of 2024. And prior to that, I spent 8 years dating their oldest grandson and witnessing many family traditions. One of my favorite traditions that this special family maintains is a practice of gratitude each night before dinner. It goes a little something like this… Everyone gathers around a delicious, home-cooked meal that typically includes ingredients from a household garden or chicken coop. We hold hands with our table neighbors. We share, one-by-one, something we are grateful for. It can be as simple as one word, and usually,...