Letters Lined Up

Trussbridge Farm

2011-10-07T20:42:00.000-07:00

Couple weeks back, I drove up to visit Asher, my friend I met while working out at the farm in CA in 2009. Ash has his own place now, called Trussbridge Farm. It is so beautiful there. He has worked hard in his first year, getting established, deciding what to grow, and holding it down at the farmers market - mostly all by himself. I was there for a couple days, helping him pick and exploring the property. We went for a hike on the land there and it was amazing. How to people get to have orchards, streams, waterfalls, rock formations, and a farm all in their back yard? I think I took over 500 pictures while I was there. So, it was hard to choose just these few. Luckily I am headed back there in a couple weeks for 10 days to watch over my new best friends, Kerby the dog, Larry, Moe and Curly the ducks and the 50 new chicks. Oh, and, you'll see I bugged out over all the mushrooms too.

The Lemon Squeezer

2011-10-07T19:55:00.000-07:00

Last month, Aly and I got in my truck and headed out of the city for a hike. We were mostly prepared, meaning... we were wearing sensible shoes, had lots of trail mix and a couple lattes to go. We were not prepared as to where we were going. Nevertheless we headed North and out of the city. Aly searched her phone and learned of the Lemon Squeezer. We made a bee line to Harriman state park and started in. It was such a beautiful but humid day. NY had been so so rainy in the previous weeks and the ground really showed it. There were mushrooms everywhere!! Where is Uncle Skip when I need him? The hike was about 9 miles and so beautiful - swamps and lakes, and forest, and mountain tops, fields and water falls. The hike gets it name from a narrow part of the trail that takes you trough a rock passage way that "squeezes you like a lemon" - it wasn't as dramatic as it sounds... but I still would recommend you take yourself to get juiced. :)

A Day In NY

2011-10-07T18:42:00.000-07:00

July 30th was a good day. In the week leading up to that Saturday, there had been lots of planning and celebrating. Gay marriage had just become legal in NY state and it was feeling like a fine time to have moved back to the city. The design company where I work was invited to do the flowers for 24 couples who were to be married at the "pop up chapel" a full day of same sex weddings in Central Park. It was such a honor to be there, to make the bouquets and boutonnieres for all the happy couples and to catch a ray or two of the residual glow. Here are some of my pictures. If you want more click here.

also check out this great video by my friend, Gustavo. You'll see me in the beginning making an arrangement. :)

Popup Chapel July 30th 2011 from Gustavo Campos on Vimeo.

But, my day didn't end there. I headed to the other park in NYC designed by the famed Fred Olmsted, Prospect Park... where equally amazing things were happening. I caught up with my friends who were having a picnic, dropped by on some other lovely homies who were having a going away party and then to top it all off saw even more good stuff at Celebrate Brooklyn. That night Red Baraat were playing among others and I thought they were so much fun.

My Dixie Darlin'

2011-10-07T18:00:00.000-07:00

Couple months back, my dear friend, Barbara came down to Georgia to make the drive up to NYC with me in the Uhaul. It was a short trip, but we had a fun time and I was super grateful for the company. It was especially poignant because years back Barb and I met through playing country music in NYC. She and I both have a profound love for the Carter Family, so it was essential that we work a stop at the Carter Family Fold into the trip. I know I have posted about this place before, but it never gets old. The music is ALWAYS good, the people are always nice and it is just such beautiful country there steeped in history. We enjoyed the show, the museum, and the AP Carter cabin where Barbara got to meet a friend of the family and have her picture taken in both Johnny Cash's and June Carter's rocking chairs.

The next day as we were working our way North on 81, we stopped at the Dixie Caverns. Dixie Cavers is an "up cave" meaning a cave in a hill. We took part in a 45 minute tour and oogled over the stalagmites and stalactites. I took so many pictures, but here are a few. The caverns were named after the dog who discovered/fell into them back in 1920.

That night we drove on the Bowie, MD to my cousin's straw bale house. Barbara was super excited to see their eco homestead.

Way Down Yander

2011-10-07T17:30:00.000-07:00

Way back in June as I was preparing to leave Georgia for New York City, I did a farewell hike along the Chattahoochee River. It was a beautiful hot summer day. Now that it is nearly the middle of October here in NYC, I am really missing it. I hiked about 10 miles that day. I saw deer, turtles, countless birds and bugs and had plenty of time to think about the move ahead. Here are a few pics.

Bear Bones, Deer Ticks, and Blood Root

2011-06-17T08:34:00.000-07:00

Couple weeks back I met up with my dear friend Fred in Minneapolis to do a week long canoe trip. We opted for the beautiful St. Croix River, which is a tributary to the great Mississippi and divides Minnesota and Wisconsin. There are parks along most of the river on both sides with primitive campsites that are mostly accessible by boat only. We traversed about 100 miles total doing between 15-20 miles each day. The trip started out late as my flight was delayed and we didn't get into the water until after 8 pm. We had 2 miles to go that night before we reached the first camp site and it was scary.... I do not recommended canoeing in the dark! Miraculously we found our spot with the aid of flash lights and a small map which showed rapids near by that we could hear.... feeeewww weee. We set up camp, skipped dinner, and slept late the next day. We awoke to a beautiful, yet grey day and explored our camp site finding wild ramps and other evidence of Spring coming up. This was all a shock to me as Spring in Georgia had happened long ago, so I got to experience it all over again! Also as we were slowly making our way South each day things were getting more and more green and Spring was literally springing up around us. Each day we managed to make our mileage and have time for a short hike near our camp site. The second day we found a bear jaw. Yes, part of a bear skull! At the time we weren't sure what it was but we took lots of pictures and we able to compare it to a bear skull at theMinneapolis Science Museum. Fred and I took turns sitting in the front or back of the canoe. I got a crash course in how to steer and after spending so much time on the water, I feel like a real expert! The St. Croix River has several class one and two rapids and they were FUN! We saw hundreds of turtles, dozens of bald eagles, beavers, ground hogs, jumping pink fish, sakes, and about a million ticks. REALLY! It was kinda insane. I had a nice time and learned so much. It is so beautiful there, but it was also unseasonably cold and a couple days we got rained on all day... it is par for the course but that part was kinda miserable. We only saw 2 other people the whole trip and had all our camp spots and most of the river to ourselves. It was calm, untouched, and felt like glimpse into the past. Our last day we found Morel mushrooms and giant blood root and finally had a dry night so we woke to dry socks! Its the simple things. Back in the city we went square dancing, out for Ethiopian food, to a great vegan restaurant and potluck. We also went for a nice hike to the Minnehaha Falls!

Architecture and Alligators

2011-06-17T06:26:00.000-07:00

A few weeks back I was in my home town for several days. And, even though I grew up there.... there is still so much I don't know about Ocean Springs, Mississippi. This trip, that fact was evident as some friends attempted to educate me about Carrol Ishee. He was an architect who built about 150 homes all over the Gulf Coast. Ishee homes are most known in the area for being minimal with mid century styling and set in a lot that has had little to no landscaping. The homes are actually hard to photograph because they are so surrounded by trees and vegetation. He really believed the outdoor living space should be seamless with both the inside and the surrounding nature. Super large windows, cedar shakes, and extra wide doors help make this possible and really distinguish his design. As far as I can tell very little has been done to document Ishee's achievements. Ocean Springs is also home to several houses built by other famed architects... Louis Sullivan and Frank Lloyd Wright among others. Some of those homes were damaged by Hurricane Katrina and are still being rebuilt today. My friends who live in an Ishee home gave me a generous tour and let me snap these shots. Hopefully someday there will be a conclusive portfolio of Ishee's designs. It would also be so great to see a website dedicated to the architecture of Ocean Springs.

Here are some pics of Dad and I when we went for a nice paddle in Fort Bayou. Later in the week on my way out of town, I stopped by the gator farm in Pascagoula. Rumor says this place was severely damaged in Katrina and all the gators escaped!!! No biggie though, as alligators are native to South Mississippi anyway!

Georgia Flea

2011-03-18T01:47:00.000-07:00

Once a month Georgia has the most giant flea/antique market of all time. Really. It takes up two huge Atlanta expo buildings as well as large tents and outdoor space. Here are a few of the highlights. Come visit and go with me. It is so cool, bring a few bucks. Some things are hard to resist.

Georgia and things on my mind.

2011-03-18T00:42:00.000-07:00

I know I am long over due. I started this blog in 2009 to chronicle my traveling and adventures. As of December 2010 I have been pretty much in Georgia most of the time. I have been doing lots of soul searching, art making, soup stirring, and the most traveling I've done has been on my emotional roller coaster or my weekly trips into Atlanta. I have been contemplating the path this blog should take. As much as I love to travel, my pocket book doesn't. Plus, you can't make giant art pieces while living out of a back pack in the Turkish Country side. Although, sometime I would like to have that lifestyle again, my current and near future is more stationary. So, that begs the question, where should this blog go? How to? Cooking journal? Song a day? I don't know, but as I continue to think it over, take a gander at these photos. I took these of the Georgia Country side near my house. They were taken on my birthday (January 30th) and in the last 6 weeks things have changed so much, SPRING is here. So, perhaps I will get out to take some more this weekend.Pecan orchard
Kisses
Saying "HI"

lil' baby tour with girls in trouble in the homeland

2010-11-21T12:06:00.000-08:00

Couple months ago, Alicia called me up and suggested we do a mini tour of the south. Her band Girls in Trouble were offered a sweet gig in New Orleans. We decided to make a trip out of it! And we did, last week! Alicia had booked a couple tours before and so had her husband, Aaron. But, they were in Europe. It was up to me to get the ball rolling. It was kinda difficult at first to figure out who to contact and where to even start. We went the friend of friends route and finally settled on 3 shows in 3 towns: New Orleans, Ocean Springs, and Jackson. Thanks Alex, Lance, and Marsh! We do hope to do another tour sometime soon, with more lead time so we can get more gigs set up! Cross your fingers, ok! And holler at me if you want us to come to your town....

After at least 10 years of absence from the big easy it was great to be back. I had forgotten how much I loved this city. Evidence of the flood was still there and clearly still in the hearts and minds of the people who lived there, but she still felt the same, smelled the same, and sounded even better. We had a great time, exploring the quarter, the garden district, and making new friends. It was fun for me to see Aaron sample all the local foods. So far I haven't found a vegan poboy in NOLA but I am still looking.Our show was at a place called the Saturn Bar. Our new friend Alex set it up and his band the Tom Paines played an awesome set. Old time music with a bit of Tom Waits thrown in and some humor too. The turn out was slim, but we had to get our feet wet and start somewhere. The full GIT band played that night and they were great! Alicia is a wizard with her pedals and an amazing song writer. Elena was on electric guitar. Aaron on bass. Jonathan played accordion and Alicia guitar, fiddle and said magical pedals. But, I believe she makes magic with anything she touches. They are a fun band to watch. Everything just seems to come so easily and naturally to them all. I loved it. That night after the show we met Kourtney, Alex's amazing wife and got the tour of their expansive envy inspiring back yard and house. They took good care of us and the conversation was good. Alex and I have some music tastes in common and that is always fun. Sarah was there too, keeping us on course and generously allowing us crash in her living room Thank you!After the Saturn gig, and then GIT fancy gig, the rest of the band headed back to NY. We met up with friends at Mimi's for some great swing music and dancing. (No, I don't know how to swing dance, but I am waiting for someone to teach me.) Before meeting up with Aaron and Alicia and the gang at Mimi's I was whisked all around town by and old friend from my MS days to a bar where a bluegrass jam was happening, another bar where some sort of electric blues was happening and another where a friend was working. It was a super fun night and I was glad after like 14 years of not seeing my friends that they had turned out to be so cool!

The next morning we (me, Alicia, and Aaron) piled in to my little Ford Ranger (Hank the Silver Dragon) and headed East. Ocean Springs or bust!! (It is my blog, I can type cheesy things like that if I want.) The trip is pretty short at about an hour and a half, we listened to some great stuff on New Orleans public radio. We talked a lot and I tried to give as much of a history lesson as I could, surely getting most of my facts wrong. We stopped around the state line for Cajun boiled peanuts, yum! We pulled off the interstate early to explore old Biloxi a little and stop at the Biloxi Schooner for lunch. By this time we had all had our fill of fried things though... but it was good. We drove over the bridge to Ocean Springs. It was fun to give them a tour of my home town. We made it to Dad and Harriet's in time for a little tour there too, satsumas from the garden and a short nap before we headed to the gig.

My old friend from the little house days, Lance hosted us at his new bar the Squeaky Lizard . We had such a good time there and the turn out was pretty good. Bunch of old friends and my parents came and I was happy to see them and feeling lucky to be supported. My friend Peter played some original tunes and he was great! Lance included us on his ? um wall of fame. We got our silhouettes painted for prosperity! Alicia joined me on fiddle and harmony singing on one of my songs and I always like it when that happens.The next morning we hit up the famous tatonut and I cheated on the vegan thing in order to have one. (don't tell the vegan police) It was yummy!!! We drove on to Jackson stopping somewhere on hwy 49 in an old gas station that was like something out of Deliverance, good ole boys and fried Chicken! We made it to Jackson in time to have lunch with Aunt Ginger at Keifer's and she educated Aaron and Alicia on a lot of things not limited to yazoo clay. Little while later we met up with Marsh and had a drive by food madness at a yummy indian place and headed over to Hal and Mals. This tuned out to be the best show of the trip. Ending on a high note (pun intended). Alicia had done some foot work getting the word out to the Jewish Community there and a bunch of Marsh and Daphne's friends came. Thanks y'all for the full house! Alicia and Aaron played a great show and I learned the rules of show business from Aaron!

It was sad to say goodbye the next day to A and A. But, we had a good go of it and I am always grateful for their friendship and endless support! I sent them off with a bunch of satsumas and we all giggled at the deserted Jackson airport, man that place was EMPTY!

That afternoon I met up with Daphne and Marsh and their friends at a good pizza place, maybe if they read this they can tell me the name. I drove on to Meridian, MS to see Jimmie Rodgers grave site. I sat on the bench there and yodeled for him a bit. I met back up with M and D in Birmingham, AL a few hours later (after I dropped 20 bucks at the thrift store) and saw a great show there at the Bottle Tree. Their band, Overnight Lows were great and I met some nice people! Crashed in Birmingham and headed back to Atlanta the next day and suddenly it was Fall.

Things that are paper.

2010-11-01T15:27:00.000-07:00

See some of the neat stuff I worked on with David for West Elm.

David Stark Holiday Collection from west elm on Vimeo.

Tornados, Martha, and Notes on Sailing

2010-10-21T11:50:00.000-07:00

Ok, so yes, again I have been delinquent. And, yes, again I have lots to tell you! So, a few weeks back, with just a few days to recover after the bike trip, I headed to NY to do some work and see some friends. The work part was great, I got to be involved in some neat projects, and I am always happy to see and collaborate with all my old co-workers. Some highlights were, the Metropolitan Opera, and a wedding at Marthas' (yes, that Martha). Her estate was gorgeous, no surprise there, and the ceremony turned out beautiful. She was happy and very gracious and I am glad to have first hand experience. The Opera was lovely too, you can see pics here at David's blog.

Seeing friends, was also a nice bonus. I am all by my lonesome in GA. (Especially now that my SUPER AWESOME TOTALLY COOL brother is working again. Come visit, we'll make tea.) Anyway, one of my most memorable evenings was one spent with an old college friend. He and I walked around Park Slope, but is wasn't its usual tree lined self, no, quite a few of those babies were down! It was nuts! A tornado in Brooklyn, several apparently. It felt so surreal. Here are a few picks. Luckily, very few people were hurt, and the most damage was done to cars and a few sky lights.After about 2 solid weeks of working and leeching off my friends generosity, I caught a flight to Halifax, Nova Scotia. My first time in Canada. First impressions: they were very friendly, and had a funny accent.So, Rachel picked me up and we had about a hour drive to the boat. I had been on the Unicorn before, but not when she was in work mode. 13 people aboard (11 women, 2 men) and we started early! Wake up call at 5:30. The Unicorn is usually an all female run boat. She hosts programs for girls called Sisters Under Sail during the summer months (this year in the great lakes). I was with them, as were the men that were allowed on board to get her back to her winter harbor (Bridgeport, CT). Anyway, it was all hands on deck to leave our port in Lunenburg and head south.The first few hours of the morning after breakfast, was navigating out of the harbor, safety drills, and teaching the new girl (me) all the ins and outs. After we broke up into watches, 4 people to a watch and 3 watches. Depending on the time of day you are on or off for 4 or 6 hours and then on again as the rotation comes up. My watch was up first and as I was learning how to check the engine room, lay down a plot, and check the bilges. All of which happens every half hour or hour. Anyway, at this point we are out to sea and it was rockin' and I was feeling it. Yep, totally sea sick for the next 48 hours. But, I managed, I don't think I made a great first impression on some of my crew mates, but even still I learned a lot those first few days! Lowering and raising the sails, hauling, sheeting and more. I was struggling to learn fast and keep up. The roughest part was crossing the Bay of Fundy, the waves were at about 6 feet and when you got up, well, you held on! After Fundy, we were in Maine waters, and that is when the lobster pot hell started. Those suckers are everywhere, doesn't seem to be any rules about it, we were is the channel, and still, there they were, all up in our way, getting stuck in our propeller. Watches became lobster pot spotting teams and it was an exercise in communication to get the word from the bow of a 118' boat to the captain in the wheel house at the stern, especially at night!After about 52 hours we arrived in Camden, Maine and I got to learn what a celebrity the Unicorn is, as well as her female crew. The world of tall ships is a small one and people seem to know each other or of each other and the boats they run. Regular people too seem to flock to her, she is just such a stunning ship and plus she looks all cool and piratey. We ended up staying in Maine longer than expected because foul weather was forecast. But, having never been to Maine, I was glad for the opportunity. Myself and some of the girls hiked to the top of Mt. Battie. I spent a lot of time in coffee shops and the library writing haikus. I was anxious about setting out to sea again so I pretty much asked everybody what medicine worked. Bonine, and it did!We had about 28 hours or so to Boston and I felt like a new woman with my bonine working its magic in my belly. The first 10 hours were lobster pot land-mind hell all over again, and the waves, were huge... or at least they seemed so, but maybe it was just the direction we were headed into them. This time people at the bow were getting sprayed, she was rocking and bouncing so much the waves were coming up over the bow, over the port side... all over! (This is not a big fish story I promise.) Yeah, so on top of that all the hollerin' "green lobster pot, starboard side 1 boat length" and so on. I was trying to sleep in the fo'c'sle. It seems the only thing to do when the boat is moving like that and you are not on watch, you better sleep! Anyway, later that night it had calmed down some, and I had my turn on the bow. I was laughing cause I felt a little like you know THAT scene in titanic, minus the cute boy. But, it wasn't too funny, cause, well, I didn't want to fall.... or neglect my duties as lobster pot caller-outer.Well, we made it to Boston, and onto Bridgeport. AND, yes, after about 2 weeks aboard, I am still a complete beginner. I did, however make some really great new friends, sprout a budding relationship with sailing, and write a sea shanty to celebrate. Thanks, girls, for all you taught me! And thanks, Hannah for the vegan eats!oh, and ps, in Bridgeport we went to this awesome vegetarian restaurant/ feminist book store called Bloodroot. You should go! They have homemade non-dairy ice cream....

BIKE TOUR n'stuff ! ! ! 460 something miles from Portland to the Redwoods!

2010-09-06T19:50:00.000-07:00

Seems like a lot has happened since my last post, but I have been feeling kinda lazy about blogging. Hmmm, lets see.... I was in Georgia for almost a month this time, which I think is the longest yet, but hopefully my brother isn't sick of me, as he has been traveling too. We were both around long enough to have our cousins, the Nixs, over for a boating, lake, BBQ weekend. That was fun, they spent hours on the tube, and I tried wake boarding, yet again falling and scaring the beeeegeezus out of myself and having to cry a little bit about it. I sure do cry easy, bag gum, I hate that about myself. Anyway, we lounged around in the lake for hours, the three of them showing off their expert diving and me trying to just remember how to do it. Then we went out for crappy Mexican food. It was good times. I also finally got the cactus made for David, and started my own art projects while listening to "Born To Run" I would stop working just long enough to run back and forth in the basement 8 or 20 times. It was good to be back making stuff and good to be inspired by an excellent book.I came out here to Portland with enough time to hang in the city for a few days with old friends and try to get to know the place a little. I do finally feel that way now, after visiting 3 or 4 times, getting around town on my bike has at long last edumacated me. I love the vegan joint, Chaos. I also had a yummy vegan sandwich at Dick's kitchen. Tomorrow, the plan is to go to some food cart (everyone is crazy about food carts here) to have some Canadian french fry concoction. I will let you know how it is. Poutine, I think they call it.The Saturday after I got here, me, Christy and Fred, met up super early to start our bike tour! Yay! Step one: get to the coast by Sunday afternoon to meet up with Dan and the kids! The ride was so so beautiful. We took the city metro to the last stop and just headed west. We rode for several hours over rolling hills, farm land, and thru small quaint towns. The afternoon had us going over the Coastal Mountains and that turned out to be the most difficult climb of the trip. It was about 2,000 feet over four miles, which doesn't sound like much, but that took a long time and around 4pm I was tired and the tears started!! I had been so nervous the night before, I barely slept and at like mile 58, I was just ready to get there. We did 60 miles that day, and well, even though it was hard. It was still so worth it. I got some inspiration from a deer that decided to leap and bound across the road just a few feet in front of us!! The top too was so beautiful, and just like hiking, it is so nice to see the plants and trees change with the elevation. We got to our chosen camp ground to find it totally maxed out. I wandered into the woods across the street and found an ok spot for us. I was asleep before the sun was even down.The next day was great, we were headed down hill now, and we passed some lovely farms, and hit hwy 101 in no time. It was about 20 more miles or so till we met up with Dan and that was a good thing that we did. 'cause my new bike needed a little tlc and he is the man!! We took some pics of all of us by the sea, and Christy had a sweet reunion with the kids. Fred and I rode off south while they made plans for a day at the beach.After 53 miles that day, Fred and I landed in Lincoln City. The campground is right there in the city so we walked to a yummy thai restaurant. I ate and ate and after we walked down to the shore just in time for low tide. It was awesome! We saw so much cool stuff in the tide pools and I loved it. We saw anemones and crabs and all kinds of clams and seaweed! The sun was setting as we walked back and I felt good.Over the next week, we rode an average of 50 miles a day, sometimes 65 sometimes 40. We stayed on 101 most of the time, but the Oregon coast bike map would lead us to either more scenic routes, less traffic, or shallower hills. We stopped to see the seals, the whales, and to do little hikes. OH! Also everyday we had blackberry breaks. Yes! blackberries everywhere! It was awesome! We were on a bit of a slower pace than some of the other riders we met, but I am happy we got to be more tourists than the last time I was on a bike trip. We did see quite a few folks cycling and met a couple people we liked. We went swimming at William M. Tugman state park (it was f-in' cold) and nice retired folks gave us some tips on where to stop for scenic views.
Everyone we met was exceptionally nice, and helpful. All of it was fun, even deciding what to get at the grocery store. The slower pace allowed us to eat good! We made lots of yummy stuff and I am glad we made time for it. The state parks (mostly where we camped) were excellent as well. Three times, we had an event to go to after we arrived and got settled. We saw a movie on whales, and went to two informative lectures! We sat for an hour and watched a whale surface and disappear and surface again! That was a first for me! The weather was mostly great, kinda sporadic, but I guess typical for the Northwest. It would be cold and foggy in the morning but get crazy hot and sunny by the afternoon. I only had to curse and spit a couple times to get myself up some steep climbs, but I managed and ended up feeling pretty good about it.One afternoon, we passes a u-pick blueberry farm, and I couldn't resist. We picked enough to have blueberries for several days in our oatmeal!! The coast was so amazing, especially on the climbs as there were lots of overlooks and places to marvel at the rock out crops, arch rock was a favorite!The following Saturday, we finally crossed the border into California and made it to the first Redwood state park of the 3 that we were going to. Del Norte. This was supposed to be an excellent triumphant of a day, but we spent too much time in Crescent City (aka Crescent Shitty, if you ask me) trying to finalize our transportation back to Portland, we did finally sort it all out, but by this time it was late and we still had a monster of a mountain to climb to get to our campground and it was against the wind, ugh!! It was still cool to see the trees get bigger and bigger, but I was in the ZONE...up, up, up, Corrie, get up this fucking hill!! AHHH! Luckily that night we had an excellent ranger give us the low-down on the canopy of the redwoods. I learned a lot, and she was so funny. She had the humor of a 60 year old man, but she was like 25.The next day we rode just 30 miles or so to the Prairie Creek Redwoods. We stopped to squash a penny at the Trees of Mystery and got there early enough to join a guided hike to the "big tree", and it was, BIG!! 28 feet across and 60 around, or some such madness, almost 300 tall. It was nuts!Oh my gosh, but do I love the redwoods, the trees, the frogs (red ones), the slugs (bananas) and the rain forest. I am so, so glad we went. It was magical. The next day we had off! It was such a treat, and I felt so lucky and like I had worked for THIS. We hiked 7 or so miles, hitch hiking back with a sweet old couple from SF. Our destination was the fern canyon and I loved it!! You have to go! It is like something out of a fairy tale. A small canyon with walls at 30 or 40 feet, but completely covered with several varieties of vibrant lush ferns and a rushing spring at the base. You can drive down a crazy dirt road to get there, but I am glad we hiked. We saw so much cool stuff. All the things we had learned in our various lectures and ranger encounters: cathedral trees, buttress branches, fern mats, burls, and ancient ancient redwoods!The next day, we were off, back North. Our ride totally forgot us (note to travelers in the redwoods: the RCT totally sucks, and you have to call them 100 times if you actually want them to remember to pick you up). Ok, moving on, we recovered from being forgotten and rode the 40 miles back over the monster mountain to Crescent Shitty to pick up our truck. That part was pretty easy and we found a camp ground near Jedediah Smith State Park, where we planned to do a short hike on our last day, our day back to Portland. We did and it was great, another cool ranger was there waiting for us, and I loved him. He liked to pontificate on the meaning of humans communing with nature, but he just kinda seemed like a bus driver. We made it back in tact and with only one flat tire between us. Thank you to the 3000 or so drivers who passed us each day without hitting us!!Oh, ps, the next day, we set off in search of the blackberry mother-load. We did pick quite a bit, enough to make 7 jars of jam! Yay for food growing wild on the side of the road!

if only we could just collaborate

2010-08-03T22:13:00.000-07:00

Here are some of my favorites from my trip.

The wish tree at the Peggy Guggenheim collection in Venice. Love this one: "I wish I will be a super hero".Juliet's house in Verona. Thousands of love letters.The Pont des Arts in Paris. Throw over the key!

lavender, lavendine, and God save the um, bulls. A week in Southern France.

2010-08-03T21:05:00.000-07:00

After Paris, I met up with my dear friend Marlo in Marseilles. She and I spend a couple days there, walking a lot, checking out a few restaurants, cathedrals, the beach scene, and a few beautiful islands!We took a ferry to the isle d'If. The castle there was built in the 1500's and famous for Dumas' the "Count of Monte Cristo" being imprisoned there. It is a museum now, and a funny one: more than the history of the castle it was about the book and consequently the movies. They featured "the count" from all over the world and in many languages.From there, we went to another of the 4 islands in the Frioul archipelago. We found a beautiful small beach to spend a few hours. The vegetation was so beautiful: sages and cactus. I loved the colors. The Mediterranean too was especially stunning.After Marsilles, we went to Arles. Marlo had some art work in the Les Rencontres d'Arles, an international photography exhibit which is over 40 years old. People flock to this small town and book up all the hotel rooms for the week or 2 surrounding the festival. We had a few days there, mostly so she could be around for some of the exhibit's functions. But, we found a bunch of other interesting things to do. One day, we wandered to the Roman Arena and kinda spontaneously agreed to see the bull run. It wasn't what I thought it would be: neither a bull fight nor the thing where the bull runs in the street. It was basically a bull in the ring with like 10 or 12 young guys running all over the place taunting him and jumping over the fence to avoid the viscous beast. Yeah, right, poor thing just wants to eat grass and span some time with a heifer. We left before it was even over. But, no regrets.Another day, it was such a treat to walk the length of the farmer's market! We walked forever and didn't even see everything! Omg, I loved the sight of all the breads, olives, tomatoes, fruits, more tomatoes. I wish I had a kitchen so I could buy a ton-o-stuff. We did get a few things we could eat right away, and they were delicious.
That afternoon, we walked to the exhibition space and saw as much as we could. Marlo's work looked really great and I liked a few of the other artists as well. In another building, we saw the show: I'm a cliche. Artworks and photographs celebrating the punk aesthetic. My friend Meredyth Sparks was in the show, and I loved her work too. We saw works by Dan Grahm and Mapplethorpe and a bunch of others. That night, there was an awards ceremony in the Roman amphitheater and that was neat... well the ceremony was kinda boring, but being in this ancient structure under the moon and star light... that was nice.The next morning we woke up super early (after a fire alarm in the middle of the night) to catch a train to Avingnon where we would meet up with our tour guide for the day. Holy moly, it was Provence at warp speed. I am so glad we did it, we saw and did so many amazing things, but it was jammed packed and I think I got whiplash.
We started the day at L'Isle sur la Sorgue, which is a small island village famous for its antique shops and farmers market. We saw lots of good stuff and I sprung for some cherries and croissants. Also, a lovely band was playing out front of the church. The place is an island, really just because it is surrounded by a moat. Some towns like Avingnon, still have their city walls, while others ditched the wall and kept the moat. Ha. get it. ditch. Well, at any rate, it was a beautiful spot.From there we went to the lavender museum and we learned that lavender in Provence is a myth. Really. It usually grows in the mountains. But, because of tourists the locals have started growing lavendine which can handle the soil contents down in Provence. The museum was really neat, and I learned about all the ways lavender and lavendine has been harvested and processed over the years. We also stopped by a beautiful field of lavendine for a photo opp.
After, we went to the beautiful villages of Gordes and Rousillion. In Gordes we had lunch at my favorite place the whole (south of France) trip. It was a quaint little place owned by two elderly dutch men and I had a super yummy garlic salad with fresh tomatoes. On the way there, we drove past the scenic abbaye de Senanque.Next, we drove on to St Remy De Provence. This is where Van Gogh made his famous "starry night" painting. Also here we saw more Roman monuments and the most preserved mausoleum in the area. The road we were driving on is older than the Roman civilization there! I was also falling in love with the cicadas. Everywhere, we could hear their songs and here in St. Remy I saw some up close. All through Provence people are crazy about the cicadas. You can see their image on pillows, and magnets, and in every tourist shop.From there we drove on to Les Baux De Provence. A beautiful medieval village nestled on a Alpilles mountain top. We had a few minutes to wander around the castle there, such gorgeous sweeping views... Marlo made a joke about how it was like the castle grayskull and even though there were other Americans with us, I was the only one who laughed. What? The village was lovely too, winding narrow cobble stone streets with things to see around every corner.
Finally we drove on to Pont Du Gard. It was stunning. A roman aqueduct from the 1st century. If we had had our suits, it would have been the grand finale of a marathon of a day. But, we made do with just getting our feet wet. We made our way back to Arles and crashed!The next day, our last, was nice and chill, wandering around Arles, a stop in the Van Gogh museum and a lovely spot for dinner with live music. I totally had too much rose, but it was worth it. Thanks Marlo for bringing me along. I loved it!

Paris! Paris! Paris!

2010-07-24T09:27:00.000-07:00

After Italy, I took a flight to Paris and I was so proud of my navigating skills, as I got to my friend Taneka's house without a glitch. Um, hello. I love Paris! I didn't think I would. Which, perhaps is the best kind of love. That first night we walked around her neighborhood, a bustling and beautiful spot in the heart of Paris. We walked to the Seine and found a cozy Mexican restaurant for dinner. I fell asleep while watching "How to Catch a Thief"The next morning it was pouring rain, so we headed to the flea market (puce de la porte de vanves) via the metro instead of bikes as planned. So much good stuff!!! I need a house to put it in quick! Well, I enjoyed myself regardless that I couldn't actually get anything. That afternoon, I took at long walk to the catacombs. The line was mad long, but I waited in it.... for over two hours. Once inside, I expected to have some sort of emotional reaction, but I didn't. Maybe it's all those episodes of "Bones" I have been watching. It really was fascinating. I was mostly struck by the quantity of remains. I had always heard about it, but it didn't actually sink in until I saw it for myself. Also, the symmetry. All the bones were laid out like bricks, stacked for stability but the ending result was something very methodical, organized and symmetrical. Ick! In a way, that this was done, but, perhaps, more ick, that we (I) stand in long lines and pay 8 euros to see it?!?After, I took the metro to the Eiffel Tower and for a walk along the river Siene. It was a lovely evening, the place was bustling with tourists and I was pleased that one of them asked me for directions! ha! That night, Taneka and I walked around the neighborhood Marais. With drinks at a cute bar, L'perle. We saw a bum, with a unique MO. He sat perched with his two dogs.... well, just, here is the picture. Anyway, it totally worked. I bet he makes mad money!! We made dinner back at Taneka's.Sunday, we took bikes back to the flea market, because of the rain Saturday, we felt we would see more on a Sunny day and boy did we, there were like 3 times as many sellers, and the place was packed even at 9 in the morning. Taneka's roommate, Slavko got lots of good stuff, and I enjoyed shopping with someone else's money, ok, not really, but, I did get to put in my 2 cents here and there. He and Taneka are thinking about staring a resale shop in London. Fingers crossed for them.
It was a lucky coincidence, but that Sunday (1st of the month) was a free museum day, so I took myself to the Louvre. AND. My good cheer at said luck was squashed. It was soooo crowded, the line wrapped around and around. So, trying to come up with an alternative plan, I asked a guard how late the museum was open, and due to a lack of my speaking French, she misunderstood me, and pointed me to an alternative entrance, so, I walked right in. Really. No line. It was great. But, man, it still was a crowded museum, especially to see the Mona Lisa. People are crazy about seeing that, and I don't even think it is about the painting itself, I think it is just because it is famous. It was such a weird frenzy, and I couldn't even get within 10 feet of the thing. I wandered around the museum, allowing myself to get lost and just see what I see. I enjoyed the Egyptian, Mayan, and the Roman and Greek sculptures that were in better condition than those I saw at the Antalya museum (meaning, they still had their private parts - apparently no puritan Christians had gotten to these). I also really enjoyed the works from Iran, something I had never seen before and really never even thought about.
After the Louvre, I walked through the Tuileries Garden and made my way to the Museum of Arts, Crafts, and Design. I didn't have enough time to see the museum, so I hit the gift shop, they had an awesome book store, organized by subject. You want to look up chairs, or lighting, or window treatments.... they have a section for that here. It was great. From there, I went to the fair grounds and rode the farris wheel. Great views of the city! And, no line! I had a nice time there, people watching. The kids especially were so cute. I watching this little girl kick two big boys asses on the rock climbing wall. Yeah! It was a glorious day in Paris and I am not even done yet!That night I met up with Taneka to take the train out to the Buttes Chaumont Park, which she accurately described as kinda like central park but all on a big hill. It was beautiful, and there were lots of people out enjoying the warm evening. Plus, it was off the beaten path from the tourist hot spots! From there, Taneka and I went to the African neighborhood in search of dinner, being Sunday, it wasn't so easy. After walking for quite a while, we wandered into an Indian place. We both agreed that although, good, it wasn't quite like any Indian food we had ever had.

The next day, I hit up Shakespeare and Company book store and then to Notre Dame to meet Aly. Yes, Aly! It was such a treat that her vacation lined up with my trip there! We had a great day together. We met up with Taneka at a famous falafel place.... King Falafel. Wandered around there just kinda having a fun girly day.... shopping, ice cream, and sitting in a park chatting it up. Loved the shop "Merci". There are so many beautiful clothes in Paris, and I was really good. I didn't buy anything.We then went to the Pompidou for the Lucian Freud show. But, first a drink on their spectacular roof. (!!!) Lucian is one of my favorite painters from college when I was into figure painting. I had kinda forgotten about him, and I was glad to be reminded. We all loved his work, and quotes. We saw another show on display "dreamscape" which was at least in part about Coney island and well, we all kinda looked at each other with the oddity, 3 Brooklyn girls in Paris looking at an exhibit about Brooklyn. We had rose wine back at Taneka's and made plans for the next day.The next morning I slept in and then took the metro to Sacre Coeur. It was a beautiful place, set up on a hill with a nice view of the city. Out front a quartet was playing and I got a little weepy. Dang, I wish I was a musician. From there, I went to the arch de triumph, the place de concord to see the 3000 year old Egyptian obelisk, and back for another stroll along the Tuileries. I picked up goodies for meeting the girls and our picnic at the Eiffel Tower! It was "epic" as Aly called it. We stayed for hours, drinking wine, bread, olives, and waiting for the lights to come on! It was was beautiful.

Spanning the Centuries. A week in Northern Italy.

2010-07-20T11:21:00.000-07:00

After Turkey, I took a convoluted route to get to Milan where I met up with my friend Gil, who lives a short ways from there in the small town of Manerbio. It was so great to be in his care. He whisked me off to his floral and gardening shop (Flores) which was just so beautiful and tastefully done in an 17th century building. I loved it there, so many nice growing things to look at. So many nice hand made things too. I met his friend and owner of the space, Marilena. She was just lovely and made us a nice fresh lunch... pasta cooked to perfection, a simple salad, and a giant bowl of fruit. I felt I had died and gone to heaven. She fed and took care of us several times, always fresh tomatoes, bread, and plenty of tasty olive oil.
Gilly showed me around Manerbio and the next town over of Cremona. In Cremona we had beers next to the Cathedral in the piazza with hundreds of sparrows flying over head. I spent a couple days hanging with him, an afternoon helping in the shop, and just generally recovering and taking it easy.On Gil's day off we set out on a road trip. We headed to the Dolomite Mountains, which is the southern section of the Alps in Northeast Italy. It was such a beautiful trip, driving through small mountain towns and farming villages. It was nice to watch the architecture change as we got closer to Austria. I just loved all the grapes, fields and fields, anywhere the sun shone.... even on steep slopes. Grape vines upon grape vines stacked like books up the mountain side. We drove on and on further north and into higher altitude. We made it to the sella pass where we had sweeping views and could almost touch the snow on the highest peeks, it was just amazing.From there we headed to Trento to meet up with some of Gil's friends (Marco and Giulio). Again, I was treated to such warm hospitality, a nice home cooked meal in their house which is in the old servant quarters of a 15th century villa. Giulio is the grounds keeper of the villa and he gave us a tour. I had no idea what I was in for, but he spent hours explaining everything about the property, all the murals, furniture, and history of the people who lived there. It was just so magical. He was such a generous and enthusiastic guy who just wanted to share. Gilly dutifully translated everything and I felt so lucky to be there. The oldest building in the compound was a convent from the 1300's. Apparently this place survived through the centuries and all the wars, because it was hidden on the hill and couldn't be seen from Trento. The murals spanned the rein of Charles the 5th, the old and new testament. I saw hand embroidered fabrics from the 1500's and paintings of all the dignitaries who lived there. This experience is difficult to put in words. I loved it so much. AND, I saw a fox, running into the grape fields and the sun was setting.... I'm getting goose bumps remembering now.... Giulio could tell I was curious about the plants too, around the property and even thought it had gotten dark, he took me around with a flash light to show off the strawberries, plums, and herbs!!!The next day, back in Manerbio, I took a train to Venice. After crossing the first canal, I was in love. Everywhere I turned was another photo opp or something worth marveling at. It was a maze and I got lost several times but not for long. I packed a lot into my day in Venice: St. Marks Basilica and square, the clock tower, the Rialto Bridge, the Peggy Guggenheim collection, the musical instrument museum, more churches than I can remember, and a glorious views from the bell tower. I walked and walked and took hundreds of photos. It defiantly was Venice on speed, but now I know where to spend more time when I go back!!The following day, I took another train to Verona. It was such a hot day, that I found myself lingering in clothing stores just for the AC. I did love Venice more, but Verona was so romantic with the supposed story of Romeo and Juliet being inspired here. I saw her balcony, the roman, arena, Duomo and Anastasia Cathedrals, the Roman theater and archaeological museum, Lamberti Tower....The last time I was in Italy was 11 years ago and I am so happy I went back, I had such a new and different experience and much of that is due to having a friend there and the inside scoop. It was great to go into a restaurant where Gil was a regular and for him to know what to order. We went to a small pizza place my first or second night there and I went back on my own one night. The owner had already closed and the lights were out, but he recognized me and went back in to make me a pizza... and he remembered... no cheese. It was delicious.

Like Like Like Lycia, a week in Southern Turkey!

2010-07-20T07:29:00.000-07:00

After Istanbul, Susie and I took a short flight south to Antalya. What a beautiful little pansion we ended up at in the old town of Kaleici. Antalya has a history of more than 2000 years, we mostly stayed and explored Kaleici which is bordered by Hadrian's Gates to the north east, a hellenistic tower at the south by the sea and a roman era clock tower to the west. Beautiful cobble stoned streets with ancient Turkish and Greek houses and architecture with sweeping bougainvillea crossing over many alleyways.We spend our fist afternoon in the Antalya museum. There we learned so much, namely our education began about the roman period in that region. We were officially in Lycia which was a major providence during the roman era and today is known by that name for its ruins and also for the Lycia Way hiking trail. The museum had so many sculptures and tombs and coins and we could have spent days there. It really was such a treat and peeked our interest for what we would see in the coming days. I was also struck by the bones of St, Nicolas. Yes, that Saint, as in Santa Claus.The next morning we decided to take a boat trip off the coast of Antalya to some swimming spots and around a few scenic islands. The water was fine!!! and Susie got a good dose of swimming in. That night beers and dinner by the sea with a breathtaking view of the Mediterranean at sunset. Such lucky girls we felt like for sure.The next day we took at bus to Cirali which is a small agricultural village, really, with two dirt roads, lots of pansions, a beautiful stone beach with access to the ancient city of Olympos and the mysterious Chimaera. We spend the first afternoon enjoying the beach, swimming, and making up little art projects for ourselves with the beautiful rocks that lined the beach. I think perhaps only Susie and I could find ourselves in Turkey and be so content for hours playing with pebbles!!!The following day, we got studious and employed what we had learned at the Antalya Museum to explore the ancient ruins of Olympos. It was so amazing, and so vast, we climbed rocks and great big hills, and under fallen trees, and we still didn't see everything. All the ruins still haven't been uncovered. People there are so used to seeing these ruins, down by the sea, they became picnic tables and places to dry a towel. We were shocked... and really just feeling privileged to place our hands on something so carefully crafted and so long ago. We saw tombs, and churches, city gates, and fortresses.... wild grapes and figs.That evening we started walking to Mount Chimaera. The goal was to get there and back before it was too dark... and well, we had to hitch a ride with a husband a wife who owned a pansion, and still it seemed we walked forever, but it was worth it. I have never seen anything like this is my life. Flames were shooting out of the hill side. Here and there up the rock face, small flames escaped tiny cracks in the rock. Apparently it is related somehow to volcanic activity, but it is just gas that escapes and ignites when it hits the oxygen. People have been congregating here for thousands of years, and some say this place is how the Greek mythological creature Chimera was named. Our long walk back was cut short by our pansion owner who picked us up... thank you. That's a small town for you.On the 22nd, we packed up and headed to the otogar (bus station), to catch a dolmus to Kas. Kas is a fishing, and sorta tourist yacht town set in a nook between steep mountains, small secluded beaches, and a bustling harbor. From the shores there, you can look out at the Mediterranean and see the Greek island of Meis. That first day, we wandered around the harbor, city center, and down to a small beach. We really wanted to do another boat ride here, but the wind was so crazy we couldn't even swim from the beach. We really loved our pansion in Kas, the owners were very nice and Susie and I were in awe over the size and age of the grape vines that shaded their roof deck. Some of the vines were bigger than my arm.That next morning, we rented a car with plans to hit as many ruins as we could and enjoy the scenery. We started out headed towards Kalekoy. Susie and I being how we are, had to stop and look at the plants!!! We saw so many neat thistles and other things we couldn't identify. It was a beautiful winding narrow road and we spotted an ancient, I mean ancient, old man who was trying to flag us down, he seemed harmless and looked in need of a ride, so we stopped, he got in and proceeded to speak to us in Turkish, we spoke back in English and just drove on. A few minutes passed, and we spotted another, even more ancient man flagging us down. He caught on quick that we didn't speak Turkish so he was just kinda mute... the other one rambled on and we will never know what he was saying. I felt like we had two time pieces with us, both so thankful for the ride, both very regal and unassuming. We left them at the next crossroad and I know I felt sad to see them go, oh, for what they could have taught us. Susie and I continued on to Kalekoy, from there we walked to the necropolis. Susie and I climbed over rocks and partially tipped over tombs, broken and complete ones, but all had been at some point robbed. There were so many, and it seemed to go on forever. We stopped perched on the steps of one to have some fruits and nuts. I said to Susie, you realize we are having a picnic in a cemetery. On our way back, I saw that a local woman had used one of the tombs to tie a clothes line too and it seemed yet another was part of a wall to a chicken coop. I guess if you see this stuff your whole life...Anyway, from there we drove to Kale, in search of the ruins of Myra. Finally we found it and realized we were in for a different experience that what we had had previously. This place was a tourist trap, vendors everywhere and high priced tickets. I wondered what the difference was here to the places we just kinda wandered into. Must have been the roman theater. It was spectacular, you see these things in pictures, but man it is different in person. What a treat to walk around here, seeing the mathematics and artistry at work. It was so huge and beautiful. Also in Myra are the even older tombs built into the hill side, apparently in the 1800s some were discovered that had been painted bright colors. These hill side mountains tombs we saw several times along our trip back, just at the side of the road next to some cows or goats. What the what!?!??? It was awesome.From Myra we went into the town square of Kale where we visited the Church of Saint Nicolas, which began in the 6th century and has been rebuilt or repaired many times since then. We saw beautiful tile work, frescoes, and arches. Saint Nicolas is the patron saint of New Amsterdam, which as you know is New York City. Man, this guys gets around. You should read the wikipedia article about him.Our trip back to Kas, as the sun was setting was spectacular, the coastal route (which made me car sick in the bus) was just jaw droppingly beautiful from our car. Clothes pin turns, rolling hills, steep cliffs, olive trees, and the beautiful turquoise, cerulean, blue green, ultramarine, cobalt.... water. We were trying to figure out what tube of paint would describe this. I think maybe none. It was stunning.They next day was our trip back to Antalya to catch our flights out. It was great to be back in Kaleici and I enjoyed it all over again. I was really sad to leave this part of the world, but happy to discover it and looking forward to visiting again!!! Thanks, Susie for being there with me!!!!

ps. a few things to mention about Turkey.... the call the prayer. everywhere. several times a day. so beautiful and haunting. Also, People were so helpful, friendly, and nice and I didn't mean for this fact to be an after thought. Everyone we encountered showed extreme patience and warmth to us. It was easy to understand why so many people love this country. AND... can anyone identify this flower? The smell is really strong and sweet...

Been a long time gone, Constantinople Now it's Turkish delight on a moonlit night!

2010-07-15T08:01:00.000-07:00

Just over a month ago (I know, I'm behind) I was lucky enough to be included on a David traveling project. We did a wedding in Istanbul. It was my first time there and I just loved it! My first impressions of the city were ones of awe at her size, modernness, and the quantity of mosques that peppered the landscape.My first day, I met up with my coworkers at the famed spice market. We spent the whole morning there getting some props for the wedding and I was feasting my eyes on the piles and piles of colorful spices, powders, dried bits and bobs, TURKISH DELIGHT! We also saw um, leeches for sale, bunnies, kittens, and an assortment of other baby animals and plants.We all worked really really hard long days sometimes in the HEAT. But, it was worth it, the wedding was beautiful! The best part of that first week was the beautiful rooftop breakfasts with my coworkers, all kinds of dried and fresh fruits, nuts, nut butters, sweet and savory breads, olives and tomatoes! Yum! It was also really great to get to know the locals who were helping us, sometimes the language made things more difficult, but with a little bit of patience and some miming, people can get a lot of good stuff done!!

After the work week, I hung around in Istanbul for a couple days to do some sight seeing. The Grand Bazaar... how I coveted everything, but purchased nothing. So sad, beautiful towels, jewelery, shoes, fabrics, pottery! After, we (me and my friend Gil) went to the Blue Mosque, stopped by an ancient Egyptian obelisk, and walked through a beautiful park to then hop on a random ferry. Istanbul is beautiful from the water!! From there a long walk down the İstiklâl Caddesi to Taksim Square where we found a little hole in the wall place for dinner.The next day was Galata Tower for a 360 view of the city, that was great. After, we met up with Susie and walked to the antiques/junk shops neighborhood. That was really great too... You can learn a lot about a culture by their detritus? hmm, maybe. Anyway, Susie and I hit up a local vegetarian place called Zencefil. When we couldn't decide what to get the waiter took us to the kitchen to meet the chef and see the food!! We ended up loving everything we got. It was Delicious!A couple things I should mention, you can't go anywhere in Istanbul with out being offered tea in a small little glass cup with a saucer. People there drink tea like it is water! Everywhere you go, it is the clink clink clink of the tiny spoon in the tiny cup! Also, there are so many stray cats... I wanted to adopt them all. I can't wait to go back to Istanbul!!

CISV

2010-06-08T05:27:00.000-07:00

When I was 12 and 13, my parents enrolled me in CISV. Which stands for Children's International Summer Village. The second year I participated, I attended a month long "camp" in Ohio with kids from 6 countries from all over the world. One of the traditions of these camps is for each country to bring traditional costumes and perform some sort of dance or music or whatever. We did, looking back, what I would call an ignorant, but well meaning, homage to Native Americans... particularly tribes from Mississippi. Anyway, the coinciding tradition, was for the kids to swap these costumes with each other. I exchanged mine with this girl from Turkey. I don't remember her name, but I still have the costume in the attic of my Dad's house. Now, that I am going to Turkey, I wish I knew!!!!

Straw bales, bees, and happy cousins.

2010-05-30T08:58:00.000-07:00

For a couple days last week, I had the privilege of catching up with some extended family in Bowie, MD. Some of my cousins, on my paternal side, who sadly I have only met a handful of times, graciously hosted me and my friend Fred. We desperately wanted to check out their house, ideas, and lifestyle. They have a truly lovely home and acre of land. The main house and then two separate out buildings are made using straw bale building techniques. Straw bale building is on the forefront of eco-construction practices, here is the wikipedia link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Straw-bale_construction The house filled with tons of DIY and personal creative touches here and there was a warm and inviting place. The bathroom was complete with a compost toilet... which I think everyone should have, well, everyone not living in a giant apartment building in New York City. The two other buildings, one called the "eco house" which sat as an educational example for several months in the DC mall, has found its permanent home in my cousins side yard!! The second little building is Kappy's studio/retreat space and evokes just that when you are inside... calm, peaceful, and quiet. Here is a picture of the "truth window" inside the studio. They are working on connecting the two buildings right now, utilizing found/donated/recycled supplies. Fred and I spent 2 hours busting up old cinder blocks for the foundation!!! (I am now an expert sledge hammer slinger... sore muscles to prove it.)They have a beautiful garden, wood working studio, dog and cat, and jars of bees (Sam is a bee guru). Every book on every shelf is one I wish I had or had read. Something to aspire to. Thank you, dear Universe, for awesome family, which I have in abundance!!

rain, slugs, ticks, and the AMAZING Appalachian Trail

2010-05-27T15:07:00.000-07:00

After 2 weeks of hiking the Appalachian Trail, the question is.... when can I go back?! It is so addictive!! The first week, I did with my Dad and our friend Tom, and the second with my old friend, Fred. We quickly learned how bad ass the thru hikers were. They are the folks that hike the whole thing usually from Georgia to Maine in about 5 months. A lot of them were in Virginia in the same area as us having been hiking since March and working their way north. Most of them doing 25 plus miles a day. We were going south starting in Harper's Ferry, West Virginia, and ending down in the Shenandoah National Park. So, we passed many hikers and met quite a few at campgrounds, shelters, and hostels. It is a funny and fascinating subculture. Everyone has trail names and only goes by that moniker.... like Sock Burn, Cool Tool, Switch Back, Crazy Bear and so on. There is also, in some people, a sense of competition, a cooler tougher than thou sorta attitude, but for the most part, people were really friendly, dedicated to the hike and enthusiastic!!The scenery was so great, ever changing, and ever interesting.... from fields and rolling hills, to rocks and cliffs.... small trees with dense under growth to areas that look like a botanic garden. We saw snakes, turtles, frogs, salamanders, tons-o-insects, birds, many flowers and beautiful growing things, mushrooms and deer. NO bear (but bear poop) ---- so this is why I have to go back and um um um, maybe do the whole thing!!!??Most nights we camped, cooking in my little camping stove. We had to filter water from mountains streams. We walked an average of 8 or 9 miles a day... which sounds really low to me but carrying almost 40 pounds and going up hill about half the time.... that is about all we had day light for. It seems with a month of it, perhaps our miles per day would go up!

It was a very complex experience to try to compress into a blog post... but I am so glad I went, it was very demanding, challenging and even cathartic at times... in the rain with sore muscles and dozens of ticks, but I do strongly feel that everyone at some point should spend a week or more in the wilderness with nothing but the bare essentials on your back... appreciate the simple things, like a hot meal and a tent to get out of the rain in. So, who wants to go next year?

Homemade Stanardsville

2010-05-27T13:24:00.000-07:00

I have lots to tell you and I don't know where to start. So, I'll just start by telling you about my Aunt and Uncle's farm in Stanardsville, VA just north of Charlottesville... Laurie and Tom. Laurie is the sister to my step mom, and she and Tom are both very interesting, smart, talented, and generous people. I stayed there on and off for the last 2 weeks as they supported my hike along the Appalachian trail, waking up at 4 am to drop us off in the rain and picking us up on short notice with cold drinks in hand.
They live on 72 acres of protected land in a beautiful 1820's home. Most of those acres are used for hay production and about 1/2 an acre for a beautiful and highly yielding garden. They share the work and rewards with one other family. They have 3 lamas and 1 crazy unicorn sheep. Laurie likes making jewelry and took me to a wire wrapping class with her. That was awesome.
They have an out door wood burning brick oven and we made yummy fresh pizzas in there. Tom, and Laurie and their gardening partners jar and can and save and compost all they can from the garden and use it all year long. Tom is a bee keeper and they have tons of yummy honey too. Laurie made us meal after meal of amazing food including the best vegan biscuits I have ever had!!
I really had the best time there with them, planting beans in the garden, trying Tom's home brew, communing with the lamas and lounging around their beautiful home. Thank y'all so much, it really was a lovely and memorable time!!!

Carter Family Fold, for real this time!!!

2010-05-16T05:42:00.000-07:00

Last summer on the road trip, Erika and I hit up the Carter Family Fold for a look see. The way our schedule worked out, we arrived there on a Friday, which does no one a whole lot of no good, as they are only open on Saturday nights. SO!! Last weekend, I drove up on a Saturday! I got there a couple hours before show time in order to check out the site: visit the museum and the boyhood home of A.P. As it turns out, last summer would have been a bad time anyway, as all kinds of renovations had been underway, so I got to see the new and improved grocery turned museum!I stopped in A.P.'s home first and a nice older man was there talking to me and showing people around. It is really just a 2 room cottage with a sleeping loft, finished with period pieces and some of the family's original belongings. When Johnny Cash died, his son donated his and June's favorite rocking chairs to the fold. I had my picture made sitting in Johnny Cash's rocking chair!!! I enjoyed looking at Sarah's pottery and other artifacts, and letting my imagination run picturing the Carters singing and picking on the porch.Next, I walked over to A.P.'s old grocery, which is how he filled his time and made a living after he got out of the music business. He, unlike Maybelle, never got the pay off. He died before their fame really soared, so for a while there, he had his grocery store with his son and lived a simple life. The grocery is now the Carter Family Museum, and it was stocked with the likely stuff: costumes and instruments and hand written songs. They have video footage of Sarah and Maybelle during the folk revival and some of the rewards they received in later years. I think I looked at every little thing 2 or 3 times!After, I headed over to the concert space, which looks like an old barn from the outside and I think over the years it has evolved from an outdoor show to a simi-barn like hoe-down to the slick seating and wooden floor set up that it is today. The state of Virginia finally got it's act together and started funding the fold's efforts. The crowd was mostly seniors and locals, with a few young families mixed in. Everyone seemed to be into clogging and stomping their hearts out! A few couples could really tear it up with their two-steppin. I had a great time! And, I would love to go back! Thinking about stopping in again on the 29th of May, who will meet me?

Mississippi Wedding, Alabama Birthdays, and OIL on the mind.

2010-05-06T13:41:00.000-07:00

Just a quick post to fill you in on the last week. My brother and I headed down to our home town of Ocean Springs, MS, for my step brother's wedding. It is about a 6 hour drive and the oil spill was heavy on our minds the whole way down. We were quickly and somewhat thankfully distracted by all the wedding preparations and events.

The rehearsal diner was at NoJa in Mobile, AL, where Alex (my step brother) is the chef. It was a very nice evening and the food was good, I recommend anyone traveling through town or living near by to head on down. Alex is vegan courteous, you just need to call ahead to let them know.

The next day we spent in entirety setting up for the reception. I did the flowers for the bars and table decor and a bunch of family and friends worked hard to make it all happen. Saturday was the wedding and turned out to be lovely and nice event. The rain held off long enough to tie up the ceremony and get everyone to the party. My Dad's sisters danced the night away, as per usual, and it was a fun time. I had fun too: dancing and meeting Alex's friends. So much fun in fact, that uncharacteristically, I didn't take any pictures. I'll get some from other folks and post them later.Each day I took some time to go for bike rides around OS. The mood was somber as everyone was bracing themselves for the oil to arrive... life as they know it to change for a long, long time. The shrimpin' boats were all docked in the harbor. A few pleasure crafts had for sale signs with big fat zeros on them. Biking through the National Seashore Park, a family was stopped by the bayou looking at a gator in the grasses. I wonder how they will fair in all this mess.

I am unsure now whether or not I will go back, after hiking the AT, to help out with the spill. It is unclear what there is to do and BP is not stepping up...yet. I may just go to help out at the research lab with Harriet, my step mom. She is a marine biologist there and has been for 40 years. Whoever is interested in that holler at me and I will keep you in the loop. I grew up in a beautiful, beautiful place with rich history and colorful people. It is a shame for this to happen so soon after Katrina. If you can't volunteer your time or donate money, please write to your congress man or woman and encourage her to support green energy. Monday we drove over to Orange Beach, AL for my Aunt and Uncles 60th birthday, and my other uncle's 50th. It was beautiful over there too and people were vacationing seemingly unaware... parents letting their kids play in the water. Orange Beach is just on the border of FL. There are no barrier islands like over in MS. The waves are bigger and more shells and sand dollars wash ashore. Here are a few pictures.

Scottsdale for a week and Gumbie the cactus!

2010-04-28T12:03:00.000-07:00

Last week I went to Phoenix/Scottsdale for work and I feel so lucky for it!!! It is so beautiful and interesting and different out there, especially for an East Coast/ Southern girl like me.
Holy succulent, but do I LOVE cactus! Oh my, but there are so many different kinds and shapes and colors. It was such a treat to be out there this time a year too, as everything was blooming.
The work for David was also really good. We did the opening parties for the Musical Instrument Museum. Everything went well and smooth and turned out beautiful. Susie did an amazing job choosing the plants and we made a bunch of new friends with in our group of bad ass local guys who were helping us. I also got to see a short set by kd Lang to celebrate the opening! She was amazing!I was so happy to be included too as I got to check out the museum and all its neat installations. They have it organized really well, by continent and then by country or region. It is really easy and fascinating to discover the overlap or the cross culture of the instruments or styles of playing. The museum is still in progress, so I do hope to go back some time to see it complete. I have decided that I NEED to have a Venezuelan cuatro guitar!
My first night there the girls and I went on a short hike right at sunset just 10 minutes from our hotel called Pinnacle Peak. The views were spectacular and it was educational too, because they had most of the varieties of plants labeled. Also, each day before we had to set up for the parties we had a few hours to do some exploring. Juli and I checked out the Desert Botanical Garden, Lost Dog Wash hike, and on our last day there Shari, Juli, and I climbed a monster elevation hike on Camelback Mountain.I recommend all of them!! Lost Dog Wash was easy and a nice choice for early in the morning, it also wasn't too crowded on a Thursday. The Botanical Garden at times was like being on another planet... Juli and I both loved the old man cactus, creeping devil cactus, and the crazy giant agave that were everywhere. We also loved a succulent that looked like gumbie. It did!! I'm going to try to figure out what it is called. The garden also had a nice desert wild flower exhibition, and a herb garden and more.
These are called lithops... and in ancient Greek that means rock like. And they are, we almost missed them! But, don't touch, because the oil from your hands stunt their growth!

Camelback mountain, was a really vertical hike!! And it was impressive, there were lots of people doing it, but at times we literally had to climb like spider man to get up the trail. The top was worth it though!!
It has been so great lately to hop around from changing climates and regions. Today I was just driving around Georgia with my brother and I was all drooly over azalea bushes.

Thanks for reading, next up: Mississippi wedding, Florida birthday, and Virginia Appalachian trail! xoxo

5 Days in St. Croix: Chocolate, rainforest, and SAILING!

2010-04-26T07:47:00.000-07:00

Week before last, I had the pleasure to spend 5 days in St. Croix, with an old friend, Alisha, and hopefully many new ones!!! St. Croix was so so great! The weather was perfect, the company was superb, and the eating was good.

My first full day there, Alisha and I awoke early to make our way to the harbor where we met her father, Llewellyn. He took us for a trip on his beautiful trimaran sail boat, where he makes his living chartering folks out to Buck Island National Reef Monument. Llewellyn's business is "green" in the truest, simplest form, and has been for decades. To get aboard the sail boat, we climbed into a little skiff and Alisha's Dad effortlessly and skillfully rowed us out to the trimaran, which relies 100% on the wind and his know how with the sails to get around. I have been on many boats, and a few sails boats, and it just seems beautifully rare that one exists with out a motor (for emergencies?, for convenience?). It was just such a nice treat to sail out of the harbor soundlessly!!

Our first stop, to the east of Buck Island was snorkeling!! And, oh my goodness, it was awesome!! The water was so clear, completely clear! The variety of the fish and corral and sea life was awe inspiring. I saw so many things, and I could have kept at it for hours. My favorites were the squid and the parrot fish! The parrot fish were purple, pink, and glowing turquoise. Alisha described them perfectly saying they looked like stain glass.

Next, we anchored within swimming distance of Buck Island. Buck Island is about a mile and a half off the Northeast side of St. Croix and about 176 square acres. There we found naturally occurring pumice - or what looked like volcanic rock washed ashore from another island. When someone says paradise, I think they are referring to Buck Island!! It was magical and as part of its protected waters is one of the Caribbeans most loved and abundant coral reefs. I am so honored that I got to experience it!!! Alisha and I wandered the beach and swam around the boat, AND as we were all about to leave, we saw a barracuda swimming under the boat!! The sail back was delayed by an approaching squall, that we had to sit out, but once we set sail home it was a speedy trip with a beautiful giant sea turtle waiting to greet us back in the harbor.

That night, we wandered across to Artfarm, an organic family operated farm. There we volunteered to lend a hand and ended up caulking the new farm stand and socializing, which was great! Luca and Christine, their adorable little one, and Luca’s folks were very warm and welcoming! We enjoyed the fruits of their labor that night, with a yummy spicy salad!!

The next day, Alisha commandeered the owner of the jewelry shop (Crucian Gold) where she works to give me a sort of nature tour of the island, Brian, a semi-retired jewelry designer has lived on St. Croix his whole life and knows it well. We spent several hours together and I learned and saw a lot! I got to see, taste, pick right from the ground, tree or bush: young coconut, sugar cane, passion fruit, bay leaves, bunch-o types of mint, cashews, avocado, almonds, papayas, callaloo, wild cherries, and coco!!! Ok, this was the coolest. The coco pod has the coco beans stacked all nice and neat in a pie shape pattern. The bean is where the coco powder and butter comes from, but they are nestled in this yummy white gooey stuff that was super tasty and fruity but doesn’t resemble chocolate in the slightest, although, Brian told me it did have caffeine in it?!?! The coco was one of the most memorable new experiences of the day, but I also tasted or saw tamarind, lemon, breadfruit, mango, sour sop and more. The drive through the rain forest with the freshest air I will ever breath….It was such a great day and I am floored by people’s generosity, willingness and excitement to share their time and knowledge with a strange tourist like me who just is curious and wants to learn. Brian also had a beautiful home with artful touches here and there. Here is a picture of his walkway with conk shells. I was also privileged to meet his friend Ernesto who has the first farm we stopped at. He tagged along for the day and shared what he knew with me as well!!! THANK YOU!!

That night, Thomas made super yummy vegan pizza that I am still dreaming about!

The next morning, Alisha and I picked flowers over at Artfarm for their booth at the Taste of St. Croix. Alisha and Thomas shared a stand with Artfarm to promote their budding new business Sweetface, chocolates. Their vegan, raw, organic chocolate paired with Artfarm arugual was to die for!! People loved it and so did I. Taste of St. Croix is an annual event celebrating the restaurants, wine shops and eateries of the island. A ticket gets you access to hundred of booths where you get to sample tasty bits from each place. The night was a total success! Alisha and Thomas were pleased and I was satiated with a tummy full of vegan treats. The dance party afterward was so so fun. Thanks guys for including me!!

My trip was short, a little too brief, I know I could have stayed longer and experienced more, but, I am so very happy that I went. Even more so very happy that I am so lucky to have such great people in my life!! Thank you Alisha and Thomas for opening up your home to me, feeding me, and tour guiding me. I only hope I can do the same for you some day!!! xoxxoxoxoxoxo

Jackson Lake early morn

2010-04-10T10:20:00.000-07:00

This morning. I was reminded why I am in GA at my brother's place these days. The fog was heavy over the lake and so beautiful and mysterious. I ran out in my pajamas to take some photos.It lasted only a few moments, here is a picture just half an hour later.
It should also be mentioned, that my brother rules and he was a cute kid.

Weal, Woe, and Helleborus: Brooklyn April 1-9

2010-04-10T09:21:00.000-07:00

Welp, I was back in Brooklyn unexpectedly these past 9 days, and I am NOT complaining. It was such a beautiful week! I worked on some great projects for David, and saw a few lovely old friends!! On Sunday, I wandered around the Brooklyn Botanic Garden for hours... soaking up the sun, spying on the turtles, and yes, petting and cooing over some of my favorite flowers. Here are a few pics.My last night in town, I went to one of my favorite spots for live music.... Barbes. AND!! I saw a great band, The Weal and Woe!! My old friend Barbara Ann is the bass player and harmony singer! She was especially fantastic. Russell, played a mean guitar and sang his heart out on some classic old time tunes as well as a few new ones that Barbara wrote. The fiddle and lap steel players were also really great! There was lots of harmony singing on carefully chosen Carter Family and Louvin Brother's tunes, amoung others. They also played a few instrumental numbers, a good mix of up tempo and songs that pull on the heart strings. I love this kind of stuff!!! Real people making real music... they played two sets, and I could have stayed for four. Check them out on myspace. http://www.myspace.com/thewealandwoeOff to The Virgin Islands on Monday. More soon. xoxox

Sundaes, Snakes, and almost the LAKE!

2010-03-30T12:00:00.000-07:00

When I left Jackson Lake last weekend to head to NYC. I had a feeling that when I came back the lake would be ready... and well, I wasn't far off. We are counting down the days until we can hop in and wake board!!! I had my first taste last summer and now I am ready to see if I still got it!!! Woo hoo!Also, it is only appropriate that where I was staying in Brooklyn on Jefferson Ave. (thanks Sarah) is just a few blocks from Macon St. and Decatur St.
NYC was great! I went up for a top secret project which was fun, challenging, and successful. I saw many a lovely friend and dinned at some of my favorite spots. Most memorable was Lula's Sweet Apothecary!! I had a sundae!! Yes, I did! An entirely vegan sundae! Also, I still am forever recommending the salads at Wild Ginger and her sister locations... yum!Saturday day and night were especially great, my last day there and such a treat, I saw several friends including Meredyth Sparks and her show at Elizabeth Dee Gallery. I was lucky to assist her back in December with some sewing advice and she commisioned me to make a few door snakes which are in the gallery for her exhibition! Everything looks so great and you should all go see it!
Saturday night a friend of a friend was having a salon of sorts. A small group of people showed up for a lovely night of performance in celebration of the upcoming Girls In Trouble tour. We all congregated on the upper west side in the lovely apartment of a former opera singer with an equally lovely family and home. There was art and history everywhere, and it was a perfect setting for Malinda's dance and story telling. The foyer was just large enough for her to move and spin her tails (tales). :) Stephanie Rabins of the band Company gave us a heart felt grouping of songs which made me long to sit in a porch swing and listen to the rain. She was excellent. Lastly, was Girls In Trouble. They made me miss life 3 years ago when Alicia and I would often play a few songs together in the kitchen, or one or both or us had people over doing the same. They were so great!! She especially is so easy to watch and loose track of time as their music effortlessly filled the space and stilled, at least in that small living room, all of the city's restless energy. I am so glad I went!!Back in Georgia and planning for whats next. Family is coming this weekend, the following I am headed to St. Croix. More about that later!!

Costa Rica for a week: howler monkeys and the smallest ants you have ever seen!

2010-03-10T10:50:00.000-08:00

Marlo and I knew we wanted to go to Central America on our trip and it was a toss up between Tulum, Mexico and somewhere in Costa Rica. After countless stories of people running into other folks from Brooklyn in Tulum, we settled on Montezuma, Costa Rica. But, guess what, we still ran into people from Brooklyn!!!! It was magical though, and I have no regrets on our choice of destination.

It was so much fun, even planning our trip, Marlo and I sat on the phone simultaneously selecting our flights and arriving at the seating chart at the same moment in order to choose our seats in the same row.

We arrived in Costa Rica on a Wednesday, went through customs and immigration, exchanged some money, stepped outside and quickly became the dumb tourists that we were. Looking for the bus, we were told by an enterprising taxi driver that the bus had stopped running and that we should pay him to take us to Puntarenas. Which we did, and it wasn't until we arrived in Puntarenas and saw the buses running that we realized what had happened. The other uh-oh moment was when we saw that the ferry we were supposed to be on had left 10 minutes earlier and the next one wasn't until 9 pm. With not much else to do we went to the nearest restaurant and had what Marlo still calls the best meal of the trip.... some shrimp thing. My best meal came later, that night, I had salad and french fries.Meanwhile, this youngish guy is hollerin' at us out the window, making sure we know the ferry tickets are now available. Later I went down to talk to him, he helped me call our hotel in Montezuma that we were scheduled to stay at that night. After talking with him (Christian) and the hotel staff, Marlo and I decided it would be safer to stay in Puntarenas that night and take the first ferry in the morning. Christian wanted the equivalent of $6 for his troubles and pointed us towards the hotel. I was a nervous mess, but glad in the end that we didn't end up at 10pm on the other side of the ferry in the dark trying to navigate the one more hour trip to Montezuma.

The hotel was comfortable and safe and Marlo and I awoke with so much excitement and anticipation to catch the ferry to Paquera that we got to the the dock super early and had time to visit the same restaurant for breakfast.
I failed to mention how beautiful the drive was form the airport in San Jose to Puntarenas. IT WAS! Rolling hills, bright green... even though this is the dry season in Costa Rica. Skinny cows with really large ears.... we got to travel on the much talked about new highway, which we wouldn't appreciate the novelty of until later.

Anyway, we made it onto the ferry with no problems, it was already turning out to be a beautiful sunny day and the ride was nice and crowded. I snapped a few pics of our departed port city and the ride to Paquera.Once at the port of Paquera while I am trying to clumsily converse in Spanish with the bus driver Marlo has found us a taxi driver (Jose) who speaks a little English and will take us directly to our hotel. The drive was so nice and scenic. I fell in love with the fences. What they look like to me is live trees planted in a row all close together with barbwire almost grown over and into them. (Later learned these trees are called Jocote and they bear fruit.) The Jocote were all nubby on top where it looked like the branches had been continuously cut back. Here is where we realized the big to do about the new highway, there were so many pot holes that the drivers had to drive slow and snake around them, the whole hour long trip to Montezuma.I loved our hotel, so beautiful and set up a hill in the trees. There was a view to the ocean and little spots here and there to relax and sit in the shade. Monkey and iguanas in the trees!!
We hung out on the beach the rest of that day, lunch at Organico, and local beers later that night.
Note to anyone who wants to go here: be prepared to pay American prices for everything, NYC prices at that. I tried three local beers and because I don't know too much about beer I can only tell you the names and they all seemed pretty good to me: Imperial, Pilsen, Bavaria.
The next day, Friday, we planned our horse back ridding trip. I was a little worried for several reasons, are these horses happy? over worked? and will I fall off? Last and only time I rode a horse I was 7 years old. Anyway, we were reassured by the tourist office that the horses were well taken care of and very mild mannered. We took a van up the hill to the stables, met our guide, and mounted our beasts.. ha... with 2 other Brooklynites. Our guide, 18 year old, flip flop wearing, no English speaking, Jimmie, takes us on a beautiful dirt road ride through the farms and hill side to a secluded water fall swimming spot!!! Rope swing and all. It was so so nice. I was a little nervous on my horse on the way there, the way back I had a little more confidence and was trying to communicate with Jimmie in Spanish, about the time I was able to get out of him that he liked Metallica is when the horse decided to collide me with a tree. Here is a picture I drew that night in my journal about said tree.
I am still trying to figure out what kind of tree this was because it had branches growing straight down and the one my horse was headed for was growing straight down but had been broken off in a jagged fashion. I was glad for my gymnastic training because I ended up doing a back-bend off the side of that horse in order to avoid the pointy branch thing. Screamin' bloody murder I scared myself and the horse and he took of in a run. I managed to grab the reins, calm myself and him and wait for Jimmie to gather all my stuff that flew off me when I was doing my acrobats. I got a great big scrape all the way down my neck and chest and still have a scar to prove it. The hand motions for "take a deep breath" appear to be universal and I think Jimmie will always remember that crazy gringo lady who let her horse take her into a tree. By the time we made it back to the stable, the bats and howler monkeys were out.

The next day, Saturday, we took the local bus to the other side on the peninsula. Mal Pais and Playa Carmen were so, so beautiful and where the surfers hang out. We had another interesting language encounter with the bus driver and after several minutes of simple Spanish and hand signals, we got it sorted out. Saturday seemed to be the hottest yet and we were happy to stumble upon a sandwich shop with AC. Hiking up and down the beach in paradise can be exhausting.
The bus back, we got a little confused where we were supposed to transfer and after I proudly asked 2 people in Spanish when the next bus was coming, we determined that our wait was too great and decided on a taxi, but before we found a taxi we saw, what I think was, a pre-show for a rodeo down the road. Men and women dressed in fancy cowboy gear were prancing their horses in a high stepping manner up and down the street to the sound of a very energetic announcer. I don't think the horses liked this very much, they were foaming at the mouth. I tried to watch and educate myself, but I just got too upset for the horses. We got back to out hotel, Luna Llena, and crashed out.
Sunday, we took another bus down to Cabo Blanco Nature Reserve. That too was so nice, we thought we were in for an easy walk trough the jungle to the beach after our serious walking Saturday.... ah, but no, it was a HIKE! I loved it!!! Up and down, over fallen trees, under branches and termite nests. It was beautiful! We saw monkeys, a white tail deer, countless butterflies, and too many varieties of trees to recount... the beach too at the end was so worth it, it was the most beautiful yet with turquoise water, calm waves, and white sand. We sat in the shade at a picnic table and had our packed lunch of fresh bread with avocado slices. yum. The guide book said the hike would be 2 hours. Marlo and I were feeling pretty tough that we did it in an hour and a half. The way back we were even tougher at one hour.
That night back in Montezuma, I had my most favorite meal of the whole trip. The vegetarian version of the traditional Costa Rican casado: rice and beans, salad, plantains, avocado, and tomato. It was bliss for me and I could eat casado every day. Also no casado is complete without the local favorite sauce: salsa Lizano. It's kinda sweet, kinda spicy with a vegetable base. yum yum.
Monday we went snorkeling! AND! Our boat died! Halfway there in the middle of the ocean we had to shakily climb onto another boat. Our new boat made a stop by rainbow island. It was so neat. A little archway growing out of the water. All the boats stopped at a small island with an even still more beautiful beach. This one really was the best so far, small waves, clear blue green water, but no rocks at all, so it was perfect for swimming!! I loved it. Our guide made us lunch on the beach and we got another boat to take us out to the snorkeling spot. It was so great! So many tiny colorful swimming fish. I am so glad we did it. Also on this excursion was a 3 year old and a 5 year old. I found out, DANG! I can communicate really well with children in Spanish. I guess that is about where my level is, a 3 year old baby! ha ha!! She said "momma, where are the little fish?" and her mom said "in the ocean". AND I didn't even have to try to translate in my head....
Tuesday, our last full day, we took it easy, hanging around mostly in Montezuma which is about a 3 block radius total, lots of restaurants for the tourists, and souvenir shops, a book store/post office, and a grocery. We walked along the beach to another waterfall, I hiked up the slippery rocks and had a moment to myself in a small pool of chilly spring water. Back at Luna Llena that afternoon, the monkeys were active in the trees and I sat and watched them for a while. I discovered the source of all our bug bites.... tiny white ants living the the floor boards of the hotel. I was just glad they weren't bed bugs, but I am still recovering from like 30 bites.
The trip back to the airport on Wednesday was much easier than our trip in. We were in a van with about 6 other tourists. The ferry this time was a different one, it had cows on it. Marlo and I both napped a bit and enjoyed watching the farms and hills and countryside go by.

I was ready to come home, covered in sun burn and bug bites. But, I am so happy I went. AND I would love to go back, spend a month there, travel around a bit more. I wish we had monkeys in Georgia. Oh, and these red squirrels. ps. My other favorite tree which I learned from Jimmie is called wanacasa. Ok, so I just looked it up and it is actually spelled guanacaste. It's Costa Rica's national tree and it is so beautiful. Here is the drawing from my journal and a picture.

NY and back with record snow falls...

2010-02-27T11:39:00.000-08:00

A couple weeks ago I drove up to NY in trusty ole Hank. Mission number one: see some old friends and hand out lots of hugs. Mission number two: move my stuff officially down to Georgia. Mission number three: work for my friend David and make a little money. Mission number four: don't die in the torrential snow. I succeed on all counts, ate at some of my favorite restaurants, went to the museum of Art and Design, and fully resembled Sanford and Sons on my way back.

I left a day early in order to avoid the predicted 3 feet snow fall in Virginia and Maryland on my way up. I drove almost 12 hours that first day to my homies in Winchester, VA.... stopping only once to take a quick hike to the Natural Bridge. The Natural Bridge, is just that.... a giant archway with a path across the top crossing over the river the bellow. The bridge was formed when a cavern collapsed thousands of years ago. My excursion was short, but a needed break from my long drive. It was beautiful with the snow on the ground from the weeks before... I was the only one around that day, so I had my own private conversation with the 20 stories high arch. After hanging with Kerry, Neil , and Azzy that night, I left bright and early with the white wonderland on my tail all the way North. It was my first time driving though Pennsylvania Dutch country and I was on the look out for evidence of the history and culture. I only saw a few souvenir shops with neat stuff inside that was appropriately made in China.

New York was great.... well seeing my friends and visiting some of my favorite spots. It was also good in the sense that I wasn't struck with a feeling of loss and sadness for having left. I was reminded that I definitely do NOT like NY in the winter.

After a few days there another storm came and dumped almost 2 feet on Brooklyn, which pushed back my leave date by one day. Meredyth and I spend 3 hours digging out our cars from the snow and ice. The following morning I put together my side boards, picked up Sarah and braved the slippery streets to load up at my storage unit. THE truck looked crazy. I felt like a gypsy... with all my worldy possessions packed high in the bed of the truck. I was humming the Sanford and Sons theme song all the way to Baltimore where I was quickly silenced by my awe at the sheer size of the snow drifts... good God but that place got hit. Folks were super territorial about their parking spots that they had spent hours digging out for themselves. There were no sidewalks to speak of and people were just wandering around wherever they could find space to walk. I caught up with several old friends, saw a nice art opening, and had a fancy vegan brunch the morning I left!!!

I think that drive back to Georgia cost me a year off my life. I had to stop every hour or so to re-tie and secure or just kinda chew my nails at the look of my rig. I bought more rope and tape and bungee chords three times. All this madness caused me to be late to see another old friend who lives half hour away from the Carter Family Fold!!! What the what what?? We've made plans for me to come back when she is not on call I am I not hauling - and bawlin'.

I really enjoy the drive though the Appalachians... Virginia and the Carolinas. Just outside Asheville is especially nice. I stopped to have a spiffy vegan lunch at Rosetta's. yum yum.

Made in back to Georgia in one piece and two days to get ready to leave again for Costa Rica... more about that in the next post.

My Birthday Day: Georgia Aquarium

2010-01-31T18:21:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, Shane and I hit up the super fancy Georgia Aquarium. It was so beautiful, and awe inspiring. They have over 100,000 animals in there and I felt that most of them were very happy. Looking around, Shane and I both agreed that people would be happier in general if they could go to a place like that once a week. There were several "touch tanks" where you could get friendly with anemones, sea stars, bonnethead sharks, and cownose rays. The anemones and the rays kinda felt like slimy mushrooms. They have the biggest tank in the world, at the size of a football field, holding the magnificent whale shark, hammer head, saw fish, and many other beautiful giants. I love the jellyfish, sea horses, sea dragons and the (shout out to my home state) Mississippi river exhibition. BUT, if the people from the aquarium are reading this, you need bigger tanks for your penguins, alligators, and eels. Not happy about that. Other than a few minor heartaches, I am so happy I went. Here are some pictures of just the highlights. You should go.

Also, ps: for lunch we went to Soul Vegetarian which ruled and for dinner we went to Sunflower Cafe which was excellent.

Winter Hiking in Georgia : High Falls State Park

2010-01-31T17:48:00.000-08:00

On Friday, Shane and I had a scenic drive out towards Jackson, GA to visit High Falls State Park. It turned out to be a nice hike through the nearly silent forest. The water was ever present as we crossed over many springs that spilled into the Towaliga river. (By the way, Towaliga means roasted scalp) We also spied an 1890s power house. A beautiful spot. You should go if you are in the neighborhood!! :)

Jimmie Rodgers: The Singing Brakeman, The Blue Yodeler, The Father of Country Music

2010-01-21T19:07:00.001-08:00

Last week on my way to Georgia I detoured through Meridian, Mississippi to visit the Jimmie Rodgers Museum. It was great! The museum was a one room train station filled with Jimmie's clothes, guitars, boots, writings, furniture and the like.

Jimmie Rodgers is one of the early superstars of country music. He made his first recordings in 1927 down in Bristol, TN at the same time as the Carter Family. His career was brief as he long suffered from tuberculosis. Jimmie died at the young age of 35 with around 100 recordings under his belt. Two of his most famous are "T for Texas" and "TB Blues". Most of Jimmie's tunes feature his astonishing yodeling. My homie, Hank Williams was greatly influenced by Jimmie Rodgers.

The lady who was the "hostess" was very friendly and generous. She allowed me to hold and have my picture made with the guitar created to celebrate Jimmie's 100th birthday. I felt so special getting to go behind the velvet ropes!!

A country music fan many years ago made a quilt with all the signatures of of her favorite musicians. The story goes that she personally wrote to all their managers and record labels sending along the fabrics scraps for them to sign. She then stitched over the autograph to create the quilt in turn giving it to the Jimmie Rodgers Museum. See the pics of one of my favorites Kitty Wells.

I left the museum full of warmth for my home state and the musical heritage she claims. I was singing and yodeling at the top of my lungs as I sped down the interstate through Alabama and Georgia. Yo-dee-lay-ee-o-dee-lay-ee-o-dee-lay-ee!!!! Also, check out some of my older posts to catch up on Clarksdale, MS home of the Delta Blues Museum and the Carter Family fold in Virginia where I visited last summer.

Here are some pics of the museum!

"Why the Sam Hill don't you write" - Jimmie

Pirates in Mississippi

2010-01-04T16:45:00.000-08:00

When we went kayaking, we launched the boat in Vancleave where there are Pirates!! They had two wooden boats, one in progress, pirate cars, barn, and flags everywhere. I don't know these pirates, but I hope to someday! Arrrghh!!

Kayaking Bluff Creek, Vancleave, MS

2009-12-29T19:32:00.000-08:00

The fam and I went kayaking on Bluff Creek in Vancleave. IT was great! My first time! I've done lots of canoeing out in our canoe "ding bat" but that is always in the bayou around here. We went up North to Vancleave and spend a nice sunny afternoon taking it all in!

Horn Island in December

2009-12-29T19:04:00.000-08:00

For those of you who have been following the blog, then you know this is my 2nd trip out to horn island this year. Erika and I went in the height of the summer and it is such a different place this time of year. So beautiful and quiet. Well, it is always that way, but in the summer the heat is so oppressive that it just seems louder. I went out with Christy and her family. We had a nice time hiking around, had a close encounter with dolphins, spotted alligator tracks and played with the kids in the sand. The above picture shows our approach. The gulf was so smooth that morning that we got out there in record time.
Thanks to Scott's friend for the borrowed boat, look how pretty she is in the morning sun.
Alligator tracks you can spot because you can see their tail line trailing in between the foot prints. Look closely to see it is this picture.

dolphins

pelican tracks
me and Liam
Halen and his sand dollar

Thanksgiving in Seattle

2009-12-24T18:03:00.000-08:00

I had the best time in Seattle for the Thanksgiving week, my Uncle Bob and his kids in their beautiful house. Midori and I went to the Seattle Underground tour. It was great! I learned all about the history of the city, the great fire, the invention of sewer systems, and water closets. If you are ever in Seattle, you must go: http://www.undergroundtour.com/

We also, naturally, hit up Pikes Place Market where I picked up ingredients to try and replicate Frankies' fennel salad. It turned out only ok. We visited the water front and the Cabinet of Curiosities, where I saw a mummified mermaid.

We went bowling and out for karaoke! We also all went to Snoqualmie falls to take in the sights. I introduced the kids to twenty questions, kale, and nutritional yeast. We played with the beautiful kitty, and got way into So You Think You Can Dance.

We had a great meal.... Brussel sprouts, carrots and squash, vegan stuffing, mashed potatoes, cranberries, and vegan crab cakes!!! I also saw my friend Mike from college and we went to the Silence-Heart-Nest vegetarian restaurant. I would recommend it! Yum! Thanks everybody!

Fighting Cats and The State Department: NYC/DC November '09

2009-12-24T15:31:00.000-08:00

Back in mid-November, when I was hanging with the homies in Portland, eating vegan doughnuts and taking lots of hikes in the damp North West, I was snatched away and rushed back to NY by some friends to do some work. The job was set to be in DC at the State Department in the diplomatic reception rooms. Unfortunately, the job didn't pan out but at least I was out East and ready to enjoy myself.

Here are a couple pics of the State Department. Which was interesting nonetheless with or with out the job. So seldom do us regular folks get a glimpse into the underbelly of Washington that I was happy for the chance... okay, so the chance to go through metal detectors and hand over all my identification. But, still, in addition to that, we received a private tour of the diplomatic reception rooms with its museum quality historic pieces, portraits of dead presidents, and the rights to boast countless international visitors. The Kennedy honors are rewarded in these rooms as well as any entertaining Hillary may do for foreign dignitaries.
http://www.state.gov/www/about_state/diprooms/index.html
Once in New York City, the pistol sounded and I was off meeting friends, participating in things that only happen in NY and bopping' around like a chicken. I had the best time.... vegan ice cream parlor with Laszlo (http://www.lulassweetapothecary.com/) plus Irish pub and country music with Barb. We went to the new 92nd street Y which is actually down on Hudson. There we saw country crooner Laura Cantrell. I can't make up my mind how much or little I like her, but she put on a good show and I was smitten with her song that played tribute to one of my favorites... Kitty Wells, called "Kitty Wells' Dresses". Laura is widely known for her extensive discography and her time on WFMU with her show "The Radio Thrift Shop". Other high lights were: videos from college and walking Brooklyn with Corey, short stories by Aaron, and lovely home cook meals from Melisa and Alfie both. Thank you Alfie for the super yummy cauliflower soup.A bunch of us also went to the Bell House for the Secret Science Club's Taxidermy Competition. It was insane in the truly awesome way. The guidelines seemed kinda willie nillie and people brought all kinds of things to show and tell. My favorites were the beetle dioramas. But there was taxidermy in the traditional sense, I think the winner was the piece catching a moment in time of 2 fighting cats. Those of us in attendance also got a brief taxidermy history lesson from author Melissa Milgrom (http://www.melissamilgrom.com/). Other freaky stuff was the guy who made dolls out of his own skin. Read more about the night here: http://secretscienceclub.blogspot.com/2009/11/and-winners-are.html.

ps: I have 4 roommates who all wear black framed glasses. Also I got a sneak peak at Emily's beautiful jewelry. Check her site: emilymirandastudio.com

talking turkeys: farm flashback

2009-12-24T14:38:00.000-08:00

Here are a few images from the last weeks on the farm. Vegan apple pie (Allison, Shaun, Asher and I had a pie baking party for Halloween), our pumpkins, and a anti-climatic video of Turkeys.

Mini-vandals, Dream Away Wedding, the Birkshires and NYC Sept. '09

2009-12-24T13:06:00.000-08:00

Way way over due, I am attempting to finally update the blog. I currently sit in the attic apartment at my Dad's house in steamy Southern Mississippi.

I was looking through pictures and realized I should have already shared one of the highlights of the year. The nuptials of my dear Alicia and Aaron at the Dream Away Lodge in Becket, MA. (http://www.thedreamawaylodge.com/) The dream away was such a lovely setting packed with history (Bob Dylan, Arlo Guthrie, and many more have played there) and beautiful gardens. I was lucky to have my hands in them as I worked on Alicia's bouquets. It was truly the most fun and moving wedding I have ever attended. Lots of music and dancing and amazing people.Including but not limited to the mini-vandals. A bunch of us got together to share a ride and a house down in the Berkshires. We dubbed ourselves the mini-vandals due to our glorious rented mini van and our class act ne'er do well attitude. It was a lot of fun getting to know new people, getting lost and found, and tearing it up on the dance floor.

It was a whirlwind trip for me. Flight out from Sacramento into New York. Rushing to see as many friends as possible before heading to MA for the wedding.

Thanks to Alfie, Claudia, Susie, Gustavo, Drew and Val for the accommodations and great company. Melisa and I partied on a boat (http://gothamist.com/2009/09/01/bushwick_boat_dont_jump_water_toxic.php) where we got to sample Erika's awesome vegan cup cakes with her new Minor Treat baking company. The boat was docked at a secret location in Bushwick and we had to meet a van in south williamsburg and get carted in. There was live music, dancing, performance art, and screen printing among other things happening. It felt a little bit like a cool-o-meter but I still had fun and I kept singing that SNL song!! Val and I hit up one on my favorite NYC restaurants (the counter) and attended a lecture on Louise Bourgeois at my former work place: Dia.

There is just something about Portland

2009-11-08T22:11:00.000-08:00

Could it be more beautiful? What a nice place to land for a few weeks after the farm. Thanks to my lovely friends who are willing to host me. More pictures to come.

The Sun Sets On The Farm

2009-11-08T21:56:00.000-08:00

I took these photos on several different days throughout the summer. And, the sun does indeed set on the farm. I loved it there and was so sad to leave. I loved having my hands in the soil, eating the freshest food on Earth, working in the heat and sun. So much so, that now, I am thinking about a career change. Lots to mull over. Thank you to all those who made my stay on the farm a truly inspired one. Many thanks, as well, to all the fellow farmers and vendors I met at the farmers markets. I felt very welcome, accepted, and cared for.

POPCORN

2009-11-08T21:19:00.000-08:00

This post is for all my former roommates, who know about the popcorn and how much I love it. On the farm, it is grown in mass. Woo-hoo!

Hey, is that a tomato or a pumpkin?

2009-10-09T12:21:00.000-07:00

she's a beauty too.

xoxo
CB

Fall has arrived!

2009-10-04T12:04:00.000-07:00

It seems for the first time in my life, well, at least more than ever, I am hyper aware of the rise and set of the sun, the phases of the moon, and of course the changes of season. The days have gotten shorter and shorter, the temperature has dropped, and the fall colors and crops have fully arrived.

Each night at around 9 pm, I take the 5 minute walk to my tent. And, each night I look at the stars, notice the moon, and get a little spooked by the night noises. When the moon is full, I marvel at the shadows she casts and I make it to my little forest bedroom without the aid of my flash light. The animals and critters are more active too and sometimes I just listen. There have been owls, deer, raccoon, and the occasional far off coyote. oh, and skunk...

A few weeks ago when Christy and Dan came to visit. Dan actually asked me when the sun rises and I said with out skipping a beat 6:24. I am NOT a morning person people, but I have grown to appreciate the early hours more and more. When I first got here the sun rise was more like 5:45 and now it is almost 7. Now that it is so cool out in the mornings it is really hard to get out of bed, but I still like the morning walk to the bunk house when I can see the sun and the moon at the same time in oposite ends of the sky.

Now that it is officailly Fall, the air smells different, the tomatoes are slowing down, and I am wearing long sleeves. In the height of the day, it still gets quite hot, but I welcome the heat as I am not quite ready to face winter. I guess I am still very much a Southern girl at heart, I want it to be warm always. But, I am happy for the fall, if even just for the pumpkins.

Loretta's friends.... the tractors

2009-10-04T11:48:00.000-07:00

Loretta keeps good company. We have a couple old and a couple new tractors here on the farm. I tried to drive the Ford once. It didn't go so well, but I haven't given up yet. The Ford is my favorite and I think the oldest at about 80 years (plus?). I like it because it has an old jam jar as part of the engine. Anyway, here are the boys.

Little Projects on the Farm

2009-10-04T11:33:00.000-07:00

Here and there I have been trying to do a bit of craft or art projects. I work long hours each week...but, I have managed to make a few things. Here is a sampling of what I have been up to. A crochet hat, a rebus, a radish. XOXO

Visitors! Yay! Babies and friends on the farm!

2009-09-03T14:27:00.000-07:00

My best friend from high school, Christy, came for a brief visit from Portland with her husband, Dan, and their 2 boys, Liam and Halen. It was so much fun having them here! I think everyone liked hanging out with the 2 kids and hearing Halen's jokes. We did a nice tour of the farm and cooked what we picked that night. We also did a short hike down a beautiful section of the American River where it was also perfect for swimming.

Thanks y'all for comin' and y'all come back now y'hear!!!

Here is one of Halen's jokes (he is 3 1/2) .
"Why did the chicken roll in the dirt, cross the road, and then cross the road again? Because, because, because, he was a dirty double crosser!!!"

The Orchards.

2009-09-03T13:31:00.000-07:00

One of the duties of the interns is the watering of the orchards. We have these ancient old pipes that come in sections that we move around the farm several times a day to keep the trees watered. Before Bryan started farming on this land, the whole place had been orchards, all kinds of trees. Many of them died in the years the land was abandoned, but the ones that survived have graduated to being the big brothers to the baby trees that have been planted and will in some cases not start producing for many years to come. Like our little lime tree, it is fun to think about what the farm will look like 5 to 20 years from now when the little guys are big and happening, bearing fruit. Here is just a sample of some of the fruit trees that are happening now.

Where a tree grows

2009-09-03T13:01:00.000-07:00

As a gift for Bryan and the farm and as a way for the 2009 interns to be remembered, we planted a cute little lime tree on the property. It will be fun to come back in a few years and see how it has grown. AND, to know that it will produce fruit for all our friends and the new workers in years to come!

Things that are special.

2009-08-18T18:36:00.000-07:00

Mother nature sure does know how to make me smile. Ahh, the simple things.

And THEN, one day, God said "let there be tomatoes"

2009-08-18T18:14:00.000-07:00

I am having a love affair, with tomatoes. We have two huge fields of tomato plants here at the farm and, it is what we sell the most of at the markets. They also get included almost every week in the CSA boxes as well. Some of my favorites are the black cherries, the sun golds and the juliets. YUM!

Go ahead, drool.

2009-08-06T14:03:00.000-07:00

These pictures were taken at the Tahoe City farmers market. It is the furthest we travel to sell our vegetables at about 2 hours away. Go local!

Bowling Rules and so do root vegetables

2009-08-03T19:32:00.000-07:00

Dang! Mother nature is so cool and so is whoever invented bowling. Check these potatoes and a few shots of a night on the town bowlin' some balls!

2 cents worth millions

2009-08-01T15:02:00.000-07:00

Peoples, been here 5 weeks.... is it time to start trying to figure out what do to next? As per usual, I am fixating and spinning and full of equal parts excitement and worry. So, go ahead, give me your two cents. I am not above admitting that I need help and lots of discussion time so, here are a few of the ideas that are on the horizon. Some are briefer experiences than others. Ideally I would like to spend the winter somewhere warm. But, if NYC beckons, I am so there.

NYC part two
artist residency, do you have connections?
wwoof Australia
more farming, perhaps Hawaii
Rachel? learn to sail? Florida?
sustainable building techniques Washington State internship
Portland
work on a cruise ship
bike across America, wanna come?
find someone somewhere who is willing to teach me furniture building and upholstering
camp out with family somewhere and finally finish that album
trade loretta for a winnebago and become a traveling sales woman

So, go ahead, if you are so inclined give me your thoughts, whatever they may be. I am only hoping that with your input one of these ideas or something else entirely will shine brighter than the rest and I'll have my North Star.

Seeds of Change and Holy Basil, Batman!!!

2009-07-24T15:52:00.000-07:00

Aside from working in the fields, some of what I have been learning about is seeding or the first step in the germination process. We have these neat trays that looks like giant ice cube trays and they are filled with NTC's own special blend of organic soil and compost. Then painstakingly one seed is put into each little compartment. They hang out in the green house getting watered everyday until they start to sprout. This picture here shows several trays with seedlings at different stages. After they reach a good size, the trays are moved outside to adjust to the new climate and then eventually they get planted out in the fields.
One of the other things that happens in the green house is the wheatgrass production. We are a big supplier of organic wheatgrass to many local health food stores and juice bars. Don't you just want to lay on it?
Finally, this is the basil corner of my world. We grove thai, purple, cinamon, lemon, and sweet basil. (I think I got all those types right!!) Nearly everyday, one of the first things we do is harvest basil. It is best to pick it when it is still cool out, so the leaves don't wilt. The basil is destined for grocery stores, our CSA boxes, and farmers markets. It smells so nice and I like to stick my face in it!!! Oh, and eat it!

tricycle, quail eggs, and picking plums

2009-07-21T17:07:00.000-07:00

Just a quick one to show you this cute tricycle on the farm that we sometimes use to get around. There are lots of bikes here to get from field to field or field to barn but some of them need some TLC.... maybe when Christy and Dan come?
Also, a nest of quail eggs in the tomato field.
Next, I picked PLUMS! Here are a few not so great pics of that. There are quite a few fruit trees on the farm, so I will be doing more climbing in weeks to come. yum!

Wild Wild West

2009-07-18T19:47:00.000-07:00

The other day Chello showed off his rodeo skills and lassoed the sheep. The temperature gets well above 100 degrees so we had to shear them to cool 'em off. My job was to hold back Rex, my favorite puppy. Maybe someday I will be a rope swinger too, but somehow I doubt it with the whole vegan thing. The sheep and goats have it pretty good though, they have lots of space and get to eat squash and wheat grass among other things.... like black berries. I think some day though, they will get eaten by some carnivorous human. But, I enjoy having them here.

Wild Woman, Wild Flowers

2009-07-18T17:49:00.000-07:00

I wanted to show you some of the flowers that are volunteers here on the farm. A lot of them I can use in the bouquets, but many, are covered with thorns. If Susie is reading this maybe she can tell me the names of some of this stuff? Also, maybe, I need one of those hand held thorn removers. Where do you suppose I could get one?So, I think a couple of these things are part of the thistle family. One, maybe the sorghum family, some grasses. I think the white fluffy one is Queen Ann's lace? Any how, I am having fun scouting for them and trying 'em out. Makes for a nice walk around the property with all this stuff in bloom.
As far as what is planted, we have zinnias, sun flowers (which I posted pics of last week), cockscomb, black-eyed susans, cosmos, and a few things I recognize but I don't know the names of. Maybe astilbe. I'll get out with my camera next week and take some more pics for everyone.

Something to Celebrate: Tiniest Pine Cones

2009-07-18T17:15:00.000-07:00

I found these when we were out by the American River. If anyone knows what tree they fell off of, I would like to know. Maybe all pine cones start out like this and I have just never noticed. Dang, these are cute.

Puppy Love and Home Sweet Home

2009-07-18T13:17:00.000-07:00

Today, I wanted to introduce you all to the puppies on the farm!!!! I LOVE THEM. Best dogs ever!! Here is Boanne, she hangs out mostly with the sheep and the goats keeping an eye on them and the ever cunning coyote. Next is Bella, she is the oldest at about 2 years, I think, and she is the sweetest, ever! Rex is my home boy though, he is a rowdy crazy dog, eats everything, barks like a mad man, but he loves people and is so friendly and affectionate.Also, here is my bedroom, a tent out by the bamboo forest. Next is the bunk house where we all cook, shower, and hang out. There are bedrooms in the bunk house, but everyone is tenting out mostly just to sleep under the stars and stay cooler. This is the kitchen actually at its best. It can get reallllllly messy, but I am trying to stay on top of it with out sounding too maternal.
Once again, here is more carrot love. I just can't help taking the pictures.... hope you like them as much as I do. Miss you. Love you. Bye.