Rhonda Bobinski
"Barefoot in the Garden"

This banner  depicts a garden in complete production, with my son, Alexander, comfortably nestled in the midst of it. His shoes are off while his feet get tickled by the prickliness of a cucumber plant.

To me, this picture represents the spirit of the north for a plethora of reasons. I’m a gardener and there’s nothing more exciting than the promise of fresh fruit and  vegetables after a winter of eating tomatoes that taste like cardboard. Also, the idea of being barefoot means that we survived yet another cold winter where our feet were perpetually cold and numb. Being barefoot means heat has finally shone down on our little northern town! And finally, this banner also represents our northern spirit  because of the simplicity of relaxing outdoors with the sound of buzzing bugs, birds, and kids squealing and playing. We aren’t inundated with the chaos and hectic pace of “city life” and are lucky for it. Life is good in a small northern town.