Unplanned Travel

I can't believe it has been so long since I've written.  Sweetie and I have had a lot of travel lately, much of it unplanned.  My wonderful grandma had a heart attack a few weeks ago, so we rushed home one weekend to visit her.  She looked suprisingly well and it was wonderful to see her.  

Everytime I have gone overseas since 1992, I have worried that it might be the last time I would see my grandparents.  It proved true with my grandpa during my last overseas stint, but that means that he had many great healthy years with us, for which I am very grateful.  I do miss his handmade Christmas chocolates and peanut brittle, and the hugs he gave me, particularly after my father died 6 years ago unexpectedly.  For some reason, Grandpa's consolation was the only thing that helped me at that time.  I felt like he really understood how I was feeling.

Then we were off to Virginia for my college reunion (I cannot believe it has been that long...and how long that is, I will not say!).  How interesting it was to meet up with the same girls who I shared a hall with all those years ago (and it really does not feel like that long ago AT ALL).  We've stayed in touch fairly well, and I'd seen them all within the past 3 years, so there were no big shockers.  I think the only shocker is how little we have all changed in the grand scheme.  Even though we've all grown and matured, the lush is still the lush, the study bug is still the party pooper, the perky one is still the perky one...and you know how it goes.  It's such a fun group and we all balance eachother so well!

Gorgeous vistas

Last weekend, on a rare sunny day, Sweetie and I ventured to a nearby "environmental center" that Sweetie had scoped out last fall shortly after we moved here.  I LOVED it.  Unlike the nearly arboretum, which has wooded trails that look largely the same, this place had obviously been planned out and offered different ecosystems and vistas, largely for educational purposes.  

Despite the bone-chilling wind that whipped up as we emerged from the forested area, I thoroughly enjoyed our visit and can't wait to go back -- maybe next time with tripod in hand.  I recently bought an amazing tripod and even more amazing head (both Manfrotto and ridiculously easy to adjust).

Tea time

Today I had three students over for a chanoyu (tea ceremony) experience.  I felt oddly satisfied for getting up early on Saturday morning and preparing the dogu (utensils).  I do miss my regularly weekly lessons that required early wakeups each Saturday.  I admired the students for getting up early themselves!  And being ready ON TIME for Sweetie to pick them up.  There are few young (or old!) people these days with the discipline necessary to commit to a "Way" (such as tea or the martial arts).  I know a few at the college where I teach and I admire them immensely.

The pic is not of my current tea room, but of my teacher's in Okinawa.  I miss her and my fellow students there so much, but I carry their spirit and enthusiasm with me.

Make up your mind

This is a stylized photo that I took while in California last month.  We haven't had great weather for picture taking here lately.  In fact, we've been having typical Midwest weather lately.   Sweetie thought spring had solidly arrived, but I knew better.  I remember May blizzards in Ohio.  So, it did not surprise me that we have snow forecast for tomorrow.

What did surprise me was the siren that I faintly heard while cooking this afternoon at home.  Sweetie and I both noticed it, I turned off the stovetop fan, and confirmed that it was an emergency siren, and said to Sweetie, "We must go downstairs.  Now.  Right now."  

I knew that it had to be a tornado siren, and once we hunkered down and turned on a radio, we found out that indeed it was.  

So, we spent part of our evening debating the relative merits of a particular corner of the "tea room" vs. the "office" closet.  We requisitioned my exercise mat for cover.  And I managed to clean up my mess from a tea presentation yesterday at the college.  So, all in all, a rather productive and instructive 30 minutes of so.  

And thankfully, we did not have to assume the position!  

Making Your Own Trail

Recently, Sweetie and I spent a week in the desert of California with my mother and her friend who I will affectionately call VW (more on that later).

We visited them in a tiny desert town (not even one stop light) two hours from San Diego. Our only goal for the week was to do some hiking in the desert, but those plans were flatly denied on Day One by the 2 inches of rain that fell (please note: the town only gets 6 inches of rain in a good YEAR.)

After a day feeling like caged animals, we made our way to Pam Canyon on Day Two.

I was nervously watching the threatening clouds, as we plunged further into the desert CANYON (not the place you want to be in a rainstorm). VW, with his many years of experience living in desert, finally declared that it would not rain, so we forged ahead. At one point, I do recall asking mom if there was a river in the canyon, because I could hear the sound of water flowing. I think she attributed the sound to the wind.

But, as we neared the oasis of palm trees the beckoned us from the deep in the canyon, we reached a point where we had to cross a raging stream. After watching a young boy mis-step on a rock in the stream and get wet up to his knee, I declared that I would just have to see the oasis next year.  Btw, this is one of mom's pics, as is the one below.  Sometimes I wish I used a plain old point-shoot camera and didn't feel compelled to take my pics in RAW, which requires complex converting later (but allowed me to Photoshop the sunrise photo -- sunrise over the "badlands" had me wishing I had some filters...those will be my next camera purchase!) 

Anyway, on the return, members of our party were determined to take a different trail back and this necessitated crossing the Raging River. The menfolk took to building a bridge by throwing assorted rocks into the stream. My desire to cross the stream further deteriorated when VW threw a rather large rock into the stream and it was swiftly and without hesitation swept downstream. Meanwhile, Mom (who is proud of her farm upbringing) felt like moving the process along, and took off her shoes and waded across the brisk waters slightly further downstream. In the end, we all followed suit, except for VW, who forged onward, ultimately finding a spot where he could cross and remain completely dry. Those of us who got wet were able to use Mom's white shirt, which was the first "flesh wound" casualty of the day. We used it to clean our feet and our wet feet cleaned the blood of her shirt -- a fair trade.

We had other hikes in store for us -- but many involved my least-favorite line of the trip: "You just sorta make your own trail."  This was really NOT a popular line when Mom and I emerged from the "Slot Canyon" only to be faced with a rather sheer rock face leading up to the parking area.  Mom took a very flexible approach to the ascent trail.  I wanted her to identify the official, approved trail up this sheer rock face.   Ie: the trail least likely to result in loss of life or limb for me.  She said, "Oh, well, you can go up there.  Or you can go up down here.  Or, well, you just sorta make your own trail."

Umhum.  Thank you for that great wisdom, Mom.

I nearly slid right back down the sheer rock face.  Hiking boots only provide so much traction, you know.  And I had visions of various friends and relatives who have visited my mom (and dad, back in the day) in California, and found myself asking, "Did so-and-so go up here??  I can't imagine that Aunt Such-and-Such would have been too fond of this!"  I will quiz (or warn) them all at the next family picnic. 

This pic was taken from the guest bedroom window.  Quite striking!

Oh yes, and the VW nickname -- I have decided that all VW drivers are maniacs. Yes, VW-driving friends, I do mean you.  VW is the only person I know who can do about 50 mph on a steep mountain road hairpin turn AND spot a big-horn sheep off in the distance AT THE SAME TIME.  Thanks VW -- that sheep-sighting made our trip complete!

We really had an enjoyable visit.  Despite all the random trailblazing, we had a great time and will plan this as a regular winter escape!

Going crazy

Just a quick post to say that I'm still here, just a bit overwhelmed with administrative tasks at home these days.  I hope there will be a light at the end of the tunnel soon, but in the meantime, we are plugging along.

We did get to spend the weekend in Chicago due to a meeting for my work.  We managed to get amazing seats at the last minute for a sold-out performance of "The Seafarer" at the Steppenwolf Theater.  We really enjoyed it and recommend it to anyone in Chicago.  

Also, I highly recommend the current photography exhibit at the Art Institute: Yousuf Karsh: Regarding Heroes.  An extraordinary collection of photographs of some of the 20th century's most extraordinary personalities!  From Castro to Mandela to the head of the Kita school of Noh drama.  Queen Elizabeth to Albert Einstein.  

Another wintry pic to illustrate the mood here. We've had exceptionally cold temperatures lately (how about a -7F during the daytime?), but the snow on the ground has shown us each morning just how many night visitors we get. One day, it was clear a raccoon had gone around our house (and many neighbors' homes) trying to get in at every door. He had even come up our back deck and down a 360 degree turn at the top of the staircase.

Today, Sweetie noticed deer tracks(!) leading to a bush right outside our kitchen window. We often drive to other, more isolated neighborhoods to see deer in the evening, so we had no idea that they are in our own backyard during the night.

Moving in

First of all, huge thanks to VegetableJ for reminding me about her amazing cornmeal pancake recipe that I can now dig out of my collection of recipies!!  Our "STUFF" finally arrived -- literally SIX months after we had it all packed up in Israel, and after shelling out an additional $900(!) to US Customs authorities so that they could X-Ray it and rifle through it at their leisure.  What a wonderful country!

So, needless to say, we've been knee deep (literally) in unpacking, though thanks to Sweetie's errr, encouragement, I managed to get my tea room set up for all intents and purposes, adorned now with an amazing scroll sent to me by one of my unbelievably kind and generous friends in Kyushu.  I will photograph it soon.

Winter has arrived with a vengeance here, and any illusions I had about this part of the US being considerably less-wintry than where I grew up have been handily shattered by the two ice storms we've had recently.

The fruits of our Christmas Day excursion to our favorite neighborhood are above.  Sweetie and I often take evening drives to a nearby neighborhood that tends to have deer out and about.  We did that Christmas Day.  No deer this time, but plenty of peace and quiet and gorgeous ice formations.