Good Time, Too

"We can do it," a wise man of the council said, "if we all push at the same time. We will need all the people and all the animals and all the birds when we push. . . "

"When the time comes for us to push, when we have everything ready, let someone shout 'Ya-hoh.' That means 'Lift together!' in all our languages."

They kept on shouting "Ya-hoh" and pushing until the sky was in the place where it is now.

A Snohomish Legend

*click* for full-screen slideshow

~ End Quote

Living Mountain

Now we've got an eruption down here. 

Now we've got a big slide coming off. 

The slide is coming off the west slope. 

Now we've got a whole great big eruption out of the crater. 

And we got another opened up on the west side. 

The whole west side -- northwest side is sliding down. 

OK boys, we got it boys, the northwest section 

and north section is blowing up. 

Coming over the ridge towards me. 

I'm gonna back outta here. 

Gentlemen, the, us, camper and car 

sitting over to the south of me is covered. 

It's gonna get me too. 

We can't get out of here. 

~Gerry Martin (as heard on amateur radio by my friend, Chuck) 

*click* for full-screen slideshow

~ End Quote

Sunny PNW . . . Believe It

The cure for anything is salt water:

sweat, tears, or the sea.
Isak Dinesen

*click* for Beach House View full-screen slideshow

*click* for "P" in PNW full-screen slideshow

~ End Quote (that will always be THE quote by the sea)

Abridged Log . . . Cuatro

A Thousand Words

~ No Quote

Abridged Log . . . Tres

Expanse of Painted Desert

Look closely . . . see her singing? ;-)

More Painted Desert

Sing, sing, sing . . .

Petroglyphs . . . we have our own interpretations. *smile*

The Painted Desert again . . . such variety!

Tired little cactus. ;-(

Grand Canyon -- First Glimpse!!!!

Sunset sliver slipping away...

~End Quote

Abridged Log . . . Dos

Longest river name ever?

Living in so many zones now...

Through a window . . . drive, drive, drive!

It's Mole's blog!

~End Quote

Abridged Log

~ End Quote

Summer Evening in le Marais

Erev shel shoshanim
Nitzeh na el habustan
Mor, besamim ulevana
L'raglech miftan.

Shachar homa yonah,
Roshech ma'ale t'lalim
Pich el haboker shoshana
Ektefenu li.

Laila yored le'at
Veru'ach shoshan noshvak,
Havah elchash lach shir balat
Zemer shel ahava. 

Evening of roses
Let's go out to the grove
Myrrh, spices, and incense
Are a carpet to walk on

At dawn, a dove is cooing
Your hair is filled with dew
Your lips to the morning are like a rose
I'll pick it for myself.

The night comes slowly
A breeze of roses blows
Let me whisper a song to you quietly
A song of love 

 

~End Quote

*photos taken in le Marais, a historic district housing one of Paris's main Jewish communities

Pourquoi Pas . . . Why Not

But the Hebrew word, the word timshel—
‘Thou mayest’
—that gives a choice. 

It might be the most important word in the world. 

That says the way is open. 

That throws it right back on a man. 

For if ‘Thou mayest’—it is also true that ‘Thou mayest not.'

~John Steinbeck, East of Eden

Choices. We make them every day.

Held in the sovereign will of God.

How humbling.

~End Quote

Marek

Oh, the National Parks are something else, aren’t they?

I’m not just talking about the landscape – though it can be breathtaking.
I’m not just talking about the history – though standing on the spot where
something or someone . . . it can be moving.

In addition to the obvious, we had the privilege and pleasure of meeting some truly warm, friendly, and helpful people that work for the NPS. Refreshing.

Until we encountered Mr. Grouch at a Grand Teton gift shop, we had only met the friendliest of folks. But, I don’t want to talk about him. ;-/ I want to talk about my favorite staff members...

Nancy . . . patient, knowledgeable, helpful . . . I was really impressed with this woman, so much so, I named my Yellowstone Association membership-welcome-wolf after her (which made her smile). I just don't think she ever had a wolf named after her before. Imagine!

I didn’t get a shot of Eric and his wife, a couple of retirees from Utah who chose to spend six weeks working at the Yellowstone laundry/shower house so that she, a photographer, could have inexpensive access to breathtaking vistas. We enjoyed conversing with them while we waited for our clothes to dry.

I did get a shot of the ranger who said my littlest fella made his day . . .

Q: Why do you want to be a Junior Ranger?
A: I want to be a Junior Ranger because I can see animals – but I really want to be a football player.

Honesty!

Yes, there were many others, but our favorite was Marek. What a sweetie!

This young man was from Poland, spending his summer in the Tetons. (You will thank me for sparing you details of how we managed to have about a dozen separate receipts at the gift shop in which he worked.*smile*) Here are a few tidbits of the conversation that transpired between us:

Me: How do you pronounce your name?
Marek: (I don’t know how to type this – just say it and roll that R like you imagine a Polish fella would)
Me: [practicing] Ma-rek.
[pause]
Marek: It’s just Mark.

Context: My girls had purchased all but four of the huckleberry candy sticks at the register. I decided, as he was ringing up my items, to throw one into my stack. Then another.
Marek: Look! There are only two more, would you like them, too?
Me: ;-P

Me: [holding a fist full of receipts] Marek, would you let us take your picture? Then you could say you got your pic taken with the woman who had the most purchases in your store in one . . .
Marek: . . . ever!

Okay, I know there is no way I captured his quick wit the way he shared it with us, but he was delightful young man, and we all left the store grinning. Thank you, Marek!


~ End Quote

Hey, Bales!

Me: Hay bales!
Jack: Mama, why are you waving at everybody?

Do you know how hard it is to take a good pic of a hay bale on a road trip? I've got a plethora of blurred shots from every state we traversed because I seldom saw them when we weren't driving -- and they were not high on the pull-over-for-this-shot list, I might add.

I don't know why I enjoy them so, but I do. Maybe it's because there is a peaceful, all-done-ness about them. Work is over, time to rest. Symbolic, I guess.

Hay tightly wound, most bales were round.
A few were square -- misnomer, there.
Some with a sheen. Some very green.
Many hay bales these eyes have seen!

Arranged in stacks, arranged in rows,
Or unarranged in random shows.
Much taller than you might suppose,
These bales of hay, who seem to pose.

When I was a very little girl -- two years old -- my mother overheard me say,

Little boy blue come blow your horn.
The sheep's in the meadow; the cow's in the corn.
Where is the boy who looks after the sheep?
He's under the haystack with Bo Peep.

*sigh*

You may return to your own lives now.

~ End Quote

Understatement

Always go to the bathroom when you have a chance.
~ King George V

Sometimes the beauty is easy.
Sometimes you don't have to try at all.
Sometimes you can hear the wind blow in a handshake.
Sometimes there's poetry written right on the bathroom wall.
~ A. D.

~ End Quote

Smile Detection

In haste we stopped to briefly gaze

At these illustrious four
For smiles we could not wait for days;
We had to rush some more. ;-(

~ End Quote

In a Word, Packing

pursecellhonechargersminutesitouchcordheadphonesmicinvertercoverappcardreadingglassesnecklacesunglassescasebifocalslipstickhairbrushbiblepursehangermintsgummedscontactlensessolutionallergyeyedropsnailfilepenspencilskleenexsafetypinscwalletcheckscashpostageidcreditcardsaaamedicalcardgirlstuffkeysnailclippersscissorslaptoppowercordinverterremoteflashdriveheadphonesbackpacksigstampinkwaterpapertowelslogbookhhcarvingkitlampcompasswhistleraingearmapscluesdrinkingwaterhatfirstaidkittrekkingpolebugspraylaundrybagshairdryerbrushescombshoebagtoiletriescosmeticsclothesshoesjackethikingsocksbootsbooksnatlparkbookflashlightbatteriessongbooknotepadlistsnackscameraandaccessoriestriptikmapstravelguideswaterbottlesbackpackspillowslaundryquarterstiregaugegermgelcatechismkleenexsickbagcdcasewipesrodgprateswatercoolerpillowsumbrellatablerugzipblanketwstbasketbagbasinwaterdispenserwashclothstoweltoiletpapehandsoapemptybottlesunscreendishsoaplaundrydetergentboardamesplayingcardselectronicgamesminigamesmagnadoodlebinocularsplanispheregiftsprcooperlibrarycdsdvdsbooksschoolphonicsflashcardssheetsblanketsairmattressesinflatermilkcheesedelimeatmargaritatrailmixgranolabarscerealbagelsbreadtortillaswinemorefoodnotonliststovepotsfuelbarbecueutensilscorkscrewclotheslinepinsdetergentdishwashingliquidducttapemaskingtapetwinesewingkitsafetypinsrubberbandspermanentmarkerlaundrybagsgarbagebagstrashbagsziplocbagsthulesuitcasesadnthataintallmyfriendsnotdoneyet

If you wish to travel far and fast, travel light. Take off all your envies, jealousies, unforgiveness, selfishness and fears. - Glenn Clark

He who would travel happily must travel light. - Saint-Exupery

I travel light; as light, that is, as a man can travel who will still carry his body around because of its sentimental value. - Christopher Fry

~End Quote

Itinerary

If enough people think of a thing and work hard enough at it, I guess it's pretty nearly bound to happen, wind and weather permitting.
~ Laura Ingalls Wilder

~ End Quote

Dreams with Feet

Staying up all night

is a waste
of sleeping,
and a waste
of sleeping
is a waste
of dreaming,
and dreaming
is important
because the more dreams you have,
the better chance you have
of one coming true.
~Anonymous

When I was a child, my dad and I sat and compared our respective stats on states we had visited. I had probably only seen about fifteen states at the time, and he had seen all of those and more. As the years progressed and our travels expanded, we kept track of them and would occasionally compare our experiences.

Recently, I created a map to illustrate my jaunts and journeys:

(Note: The deepness of color is proportionate to time spent there.)

After looking at my travel history, I realized that it was actually possible for me to see all fifty states if I took only six more trips. Hey, I think I might be able to do that! Consequently, I have updated my bucket list. *smile*

Trip One: Iowa, South Dakota, Montana, and Idaho (imminent)


Trip Two: Michigan, Wisconsin, and North Dakota (more than a hare-brained idea)


Trip Three: Utah, Arizona, Nevada, and California
Trip Four: Delaware and Rhode Island (yes, I know . . . )
Trip Five: Hawaii
Trip Six: Alaska (cruise???)


To our friends who just finished a near-9000-mile road trip, we say:
Sweet dreams . . . you earned them.
Welcome home . . . you’re home . . . your home.
Thanks forever for the visit . . . I think my favorite word is . . .

~ End Quote

Steps to Successful Self-stalking

Life is a mirror and will reflect back to the thinker what he thinks into it. ~ Ernest Holmes



1. Create a blog. Subscribe to that blog. Subscribe again from another site.

2. Create hit counter for blog. Do not limit it to unique hits. Refresh page regularly to inflate hit count total.

3. Create an account and a profile on MySpace. Comment on own status.

4. Create an account on Facebook using your real name. Create a second account using a pseudonym*. Become friends with yourself.

5. Repeat steps 2 and 3 with other social utilities.

6. Call your home phone from your cell phone. Answer the call.

7. Watch following video. (Begin at 00:30 and watch for about 40 seconds.) Emulate.



8. Take photos of self. Take them in quantity. Post photos on MySpace. “Rip” photos from MySpace and post on Facebook. Write article condemning the practice of “ripping” on blog. Comment in defense of self.

9. Buy self-stalking t-shirt. Yes, they do exist.


Enjoy yourself!!! Really!

*Note: Be careful to choose a name that rings legitimate. Names such as “Terry Cloth” are a little risky, though they exist in quantity – trust me.

~ End Quote

Reflections at Low Tide

'Pure experience' is the name I gave to the immediate flux of life which furnishes the material to our later reflection with its conceptual categories.
~ William James

Taken literally, the phrase “reflections at low tide” is an easy concept to capture:


Without the still, clear waters of low tide, reflections are next to impossible.


Thinking metaphorically, quiet time alone is the necessary and essential “low tide” for proper reflections.


For the time being, I leave you with the literal until I have time to reflect on all that has transpired this week. I am still taking it all in . . .

~ End Quote

Tomorrow?

Don't worry about the world coming to an end today. It's already tomorrow in Australia.
~ Charles Schultz

What time is it?

You might say that it is this:



Yet, I might say that it is this:



You could be walking around outside, enjoying the last hours of a sunny afternoon while I might be gazing at a full moon and a pitch black sky. Time is a funny thing.

I remember the summer I spent in England. Early one morning, very early one morning, I was awakened by a bleary-eyed British woman who had climbed several flights of stairs to let me know that I had a phone call. I was dead asleep and spent the entire descent of the stairs trying to wake up enough to converse. It was great to hear a voice from the States (even though I was not an ounce homesick), but my body clock was already thinking Prime Meridian!

A week from today, I will be throwing my little CST body into the PST time zone. I wonder how it will adjust since I already force it to live in both zones so much as it is . . . it makes me wonder if there will really be that much to change. My husband insists that I will be awake at 5:00 a.m. I counter with a look that says, "If you get up early, please find something quiet to do." Okay . . . I am sure I would not be saying "please." I would welcome the chance to sleep in a little.

So, at this juncture, I have two concurrent thoughts:

I will be leaving soon . . .


MySpace Countdown Clocks

. . . and I will be returning too soon. That's the difference between traveling and moving: the return. ;-)

Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, spend a year there, buy and sell, and make a profit”; whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away. Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we shall live and do this or that.” ~ James

Deo volente, I will go.
Deo volente, I will return.
*smile*

~ End Quote