Lucy's Howliday Party

Lucy got an invite to a Howliday Party from her friend Rodeo. She stayed with Rodeo, and his family (Mark and Lia), while I was in Europe for those three months for which this blog is titled. Needless to say, they formed a pretty strong bond. She was really excited to see him, and the rest of her friends from Urban Fauna. Fun was had by all!

Lucy is happy

this is Gia (and Lucy)

Gia was the tiniest attendee at the party, but she didn't know that. She romped around with the big dogs like she was one of them. Gia's mom had treats and in an effort to get Gia to go all the way through the tunnel play structure, she would through those treats into the tunnel. Lucy kept showing Gia how to eat the treat, but not go through the tunnel. (Luuuuccccyyyyy...) After a couple of very firm "stays" on my part. Lucy finally let Gia go through on her own. 

Go Gia! (it was big and dark place to her)

Rodeo and Lucy (BFF's)

more party attendees and their peeps

There was lots of running around and playing, and by the end of three hour party, Lucy was tuckered out.

I'm ready to go now, Mom.

Leaves of Fall presented by Lucy

Today is the last day of November. Thanksgiving has passed, and folks are getting ready for Christmas. Portland, Oregon in the Fall is one of my favorite places, and as the season rounds the corner into Winter, trees are loosing their Fall color and diving into the bareness of Winter hibernation. Goodbye Fall - see you next year.

"Fall is here, Mom. Let's go for a walk!"

Lucy learns what the color red looks like.

This is orange. Lucy thought it was a "tree" on fire.

Yellow Ginko leaves.

Pondering our fragility

We are fragile humans. Sometimes, I look into the eyes of a person and it becomes so evident to me how tender our spirits are. 


I have an older friend that isn't long for this world, and I treasure every moment I am in his presence. Papa Tom (as all of us call him), has lived a long life, a life of which he has no regrets. In his many years he has experienced everything from war, to the everlasting love of a wonderful woman, who passed away some years ago. He has a family and friends that love him, and take good care of him. Tom's body is telling him it's time to slow down, yet, he is still out there dancing with us "young" folks refusing for anyone to call him "sir" (even though he more than deserves the respect of that word, over and over again). 


I was talking with Tom tonight, and it was the first time I noticed a tired look in his eyes. He has gone through a couple rounds of treatment for cancer, and has another to endure at the end of this month. There is no doubt that he will keep living the fullest life he can, as long as he can, which I respect and admire in him. He is an example of courage, and optimism, and I am inspired by his tenacity. I hug him and tell him how much I enjoy dancing with him, how good it is to see him. I mean it with all my heart.

Papa Tom and I

I know I am pre-mature in this feeling of loss I find myself with tonight, and I'm not saying my good-byes yet, but I know from personal experience how quickly the game of cancer can turn, so, it just got me thinking, that's all.


It's hard for anyone to know what we go through in our lives. What our days are like, and who has influenced the filters with which we view the world, and the people in it. I am going to try to be more aware of our fragility. More compassionate with myself,  and others, when dealing with loss. Whether the loss of mortality, or the loss of friendships of those who are living. Change is constant, and I want to be careful not to confuse the two. Change is just simply, that - change. Loss is something felt deeply in the heart, something that effects our spirit, something that only patience, compassion, and time can heal.

Maple

Fall is here. The days are getting shorter, the nights longer. All I feel like doing is staying home and reading, or watching movies, with a hot cup of tea in hand. Fall is my favorite season; love to watch the leaves change color. I came across this pretty Cut Leaf Maple the other day. 

pretty

Green, to red, to orange, to yellow; all the colors of fall in one tree. Maples are my favorites for fall color, come to think of it, they are my favorite for spring color too. 

Study Habits

I'm taking a writing class. It's a required class, so that I can enroll at OSU in the winter as a sophomore. It's not a hard class, challenging for me personally - yes - but only in that it is bringing clearly to the fore front that I have appalling study habits! I tend to leave the writing part until the very last minute. I read what I need to read, research what I need to research, then, mull it over to figure out what angle I want to approach my subject. Then... I get lazy,  and my laziness leads to procrastination. I really should write the damn thing while it's fresh on my mind. So! In an effort to make the writing process more appealing - I am going to allow my dining room table to be overrun with books, pen & paper, (I know, I'm so "old school"), and yes even computer cords. I will no longer make myself way too comfortable on the couch,  allowing the interruptions of my "favorites" to take me away to other web destinations. 


Having now said that - I will allow walks with Lucy to interrupt, occasionally. 

Lucy likes yellow leaves.

A good walk, especially on a day like today, is good for clearing the head. It enables me to come back to my homework with fresh eyes, and ideas. 

 a whirlwind of Fall leaves.

Fingers crossed this new technique works!

Rustle Wood - 45

Well, I turned 45 this past week, as mentioned in the previous post. For the past 5 or 6 years I have been going to Arch Cape and celebrating this event with friends of the same age. In the past, I would foot the bill for the Rustle Wood cabin, and friends provide no less than gourmet food and drink (I'm very fortunate to call some really good cooks, friends, by the way). It is a great set up for sure! This year, however, due to the life changing events I have set forth in my world - I couldn't afford to rent the cabin that I consider to be my yearly "reset". (sad face). But!! One of those great friends I mentioned above, Stefanie, made sure this year's reset would go as it should. She and her family rented the cabin, and I got to mooch off of them. I say "mooch" because they also provided the amazing meals as well. What a great birthday present!

Rustle Wood Cabin 2010

Lucy and I arrived Friday around 4pm. Lucy has been there twice now, and I think it's just as much her favorite place, as it is mine. As soon as we drove into the drive way, she started sniffing the air and got very excited.

"when you gonna open up the hatch?!"

I opened the back of the wagon and she jumped out and started running in circles. So, cute! We let ourselves in, got our stuff settled, then went to the beach. 

gorgeous sunset

We pretty much had the whole stretch of Arch Cape to ourselves. I've never let her off leash before - well, I did once, and she went chasing birds, out of my sight, for about half an hour. This scared the crap out of me - so, I haven't allowed her off the leash since - until, today. I have to say she did really well. Yes, she bolted after some seagulls, but didn't get too far away from me, and she came back when I called her. Good Girl!! I'm still hesitant to let her off leash when there are kids on the beach. They are her favorite things to chase, only second to birds. Since kids can't fly away out of reach, she was attached to me the rest the weekend. But, as a pair, we ran in the waves, and walked through the creek - so I don't think she was too disappointed.


Anyway, after our initial romp, we went back to the cabin and built a fire, set the table, and got ready for Dangermond and the Beckers to arrive. As I was looking around the cabin for candles, I came across these Harpers Magazines from the 1930's. Not many pictures inside, all articles. The only add was on the back cover, for Lucky Strike cigarets. 

So cool! Not the smoking part, but the being from the '30's part. I took a quick glance through, but didn't have time to really read anything before the rest of the folks got there. Steve, (Stef's S.O.) had prepared a wonderful "Fish Stew" (ask Stef about why this is in quotes - if you know her) I've ever had. Lucy and boys cuddled up on the swing and watched the fire, while the adults had a couple of glasses of wine and chatted for a little while. (No! Max and Ben you can't have a glass of wine. Not even if it's white.) It was a perfect end to the week. 


Lucy and I slept upstairs, left the window open to hear the waves crash. 

She needed to go outside around 5am and do her "bidness". I was a bit sleepy eyed and wishing she could hold it just a few hours more - but nope  - she really wanted to go then. We headed out to the frost bitten side yard, she sniffed around, as I took a quite glance up at the night sky. WOW! All the stars in the universe were out. The sky was incredibly clear, and I could make out even the smallest of galaxies. Super Cool!! Thanks for being so persistent Luce! I wouldn't have seen all those stars, if you hadn't lead me there.


Saturday morning breakfast, and a walk to the creek. The boys did some rock climbing, tide pooling, and cave spelunking - the rest of us watched in amazement that they did all that barefooted, pants rolled up to the knees, managing not to get soaking wet. Ben found a wooly monarch butterfly caterpillar. Lucy found a dead jelly fish. It was a good morning for us all.


After a trip into town for some fish and chips, Lucy and I headed back to the city. 

Max, Ben, and I - happy and full of fish and chips!

We were both a little depressed once we got home. We missed the ocean and our friends. 

Dangermond and the Beckers

But it was, as intended, my yearly reset - Thanks to good friends and the stars above.

Up the Hill

In a few minutes, about 45 of them, coincidentally, I will be 45 years old. (I'm watching the cursor blink), I don't know what to think about that just yet. 


This is a picture I took while hiking in Ireland. I don't know exactly where - but it seems to fit my feeling at the moment. 

not quite over the hill, but almost...

I hope it's as nice on the other side as it is over here.

Three Months Ago

Funny how it's been about three months since my last post. I guess my life does go in three month cycles. Weird. I haven't really felt like posting anything since I go back from Europe. I suppose it's taken me this long to get back "here". Here, Portland Oregon. My Portland is changing, and that is a great thing. 


I have a part-time job at Froelick Gallery, I'm going to Oregon State University to study horticulture, and I have a new (old) car. 

her name is Limoncello

I've also put my condo on the market in the hopes of finding a little bungalow with some dirt to play in. Those are the most apparent changes, I suppose. But, those things are a direct result of the last 6 months (3 months of traveling, 3 months of simmering upon my return). 


My travels changed me, changed my priorities. I think differently about my world, and most importantly, the people in it. I feel as if there is reconstruction going on, infiltrating my old processes of living and thinking. I'm excited to see where this newness takes me. I'm putting my trust in my heart, and hoping the universe sends along helpful signs to direct me. There will be challenges and fear - no doubt - I just hope I can resist going back to old, safe ways. Hopefully, (fingers crossed) the new path will be an amazing path full of exciting and meaningful stuff I have no idea about.

me and Lucy at the Oregon coast. the picture is blurry - you're not drunk.

The Long Way Home

The Cinque and I parted ways. The ladies went on to spend a couple of days in Rome, and I headed to Milan, where I would catch a plane back to the States the next day. Although I was ready to go home, I did wish I was going to Rome. I will have to get there another time, I guess. The train ride to Milan was long (7 hours), and I didn't have a reserved seat, so I had to keep moving around. There was some good people watching on the train. Even a couple of unsavory types, that made me nervous. One guy propositioned me. He wanted to be my "friend", said he wouldn't even charge me. Should I have been flattered? I asked him to find another seat. He did, but kept staring at me. I was really glad he got off the train before we got to Milan. I made it to Milan around 9 in the evening, and booked myself into a hotel by the airport so I wouldn't have to worry about making my 8 am flight. I had a layover in Madrid (gorgeous airport!), then on to Dallas, then to Portland. My flight was delayed in Dallas for a couple of hours due to weather, and I made it home by 11 pm. Including the train ride, I had been traveling for 27 hours. I was so glad to be home. So tired, but glad to be back in Portland, Oregon. 

Sorrento & Pompei

The Cinque said goodbye to Como and headed to Sorrento for the final few days of our Italian adventure. We stopped in Milan to visit with a friend of Lisa's for the afternoon and had a really good lunch overlooking the Duomo, a gorgeous, huge, security packed cathedral.

duomo, milan italy

As with most cathedrals I've visited so far, there were lots of high ceilings and amazing artwork throughout.

the stone carvings in and around the duomo were beautiful

The standout part of the Duomo, for me, was the floor.

gorgeous!

stained glass inspiration

We headed to the train station, which was packed due to construction, and took a train to Napoli, were we would spend the night, then take a ferry to Serrento. Napoli wasn't our favorite, but we had delicious pizza at one of the oldest pizzarias in the city. We stood in line for about an hour because the place was so popular. We ate as they were closing the shop around 11 pm. Totally worth the wait! We left early the next morning and had a crazy taxi ride to the ferry. All five of us, and our luggage crammed into a basic four door sedan. Robin and I were in the front, Lisa, Susanna, and Michelle in the back. I got to sit next to our crazy taxi driver, Michele. He seemed to think it was ok to place his arm and hand on my leg and knee, since it was close to the gear shifter. He blasted Lady Gaga, as we made our way through the crazy traffic. Vespas coming out of nowhere into our lane, other cars and taxis honking and zipping in and out of our lane, as we weaved in front of other cars and busses. It was nuts! and fun! He offered to drive us all the way to Sorrento, and sure it would've been adventure filled, but we wanted to take the ferry. My camera crapped out on me again, so I didn't get many pictures of our adventures in Sorrento. It was a wonderful place. Sunny and hot, and we stayed at a charming little camp ground with cabins. 

the blue green camp grounds

Lisa and I went for a swim in the ocean as soon as we checked in. The water was warm and you could see clear to the bottom. We had some lovely dinners, and  fun filled trip to the lemon grove, where we sampled Limoncello. You may remember from my earlier posts how much I love it. I came home with a bottle of the original. I'll save it for a special occasion. We took a day trip to Pompei, which was only a hour train ride from Sorrento. It was really, really hot that day, but we wondered around the site for about three hours. It's really amazing that the whole city survived (mostly) the volcanic eruption of Mt. Vesuvius. Amazing history - you should read about it all on the internet. 

the streets and homes of pompei

Susanna is quite the history buff, and led us through the maze of streets and sites. Thanks for being such a great tour guide, Susanna!

susanna reading about the indoor gardens at one of the nicer homes

pompei pottery

even the tile floors were in good shape (considering..)

Swing Crash 2010, Como Italy

This year was the 5th year that the Swing Crash Festival has happened in the city of Como. Our hosts were two amazing swing dancers, and dance instructors, named Vince and Isa.

isa & vince

What a great experience it was! A day in the life was something like this: Up around 9-ish, breakfast, head down to Caffee' & Caffee' where Robby would get us all caffed up on cappuccino, then we would do a little site seeing. From around 1-5 in the afternoon, depending on the class schedule, we would head over to a local college where our classes were held. We were in the intermediate level, and there about 60 or so couples in our group. I danced with folks from Sweden, Norway, Germany, Spain, and Italy (of course). There were also a couple of Americans there as well, from Washington DC.

michelle (aka #5) and "germany" figuring stuff out

We were so fortunate to have some of the best swing dancers in the world (Yes! the world!!) teach us the coolest moves in Swing dancing.  

pontus and jessica (sweden) showing us the swing out

sarah and anthony (austrailia) performing the charleston routine we learned in class

After class we would head back to the flat, shower, eat, and dress for the nights events on Piazza Cavour. The piazza was right on Lake Como, with the Italian hillsides as a back drop. There was a big stage where the bands would play until midnight.

lisa and michelle in front of the bandstand on Piazza Cavour pondering the start of the evening festivities

the carling family band

By about 9 pm the dance floor was full of folks from our classes, including the instructors, and others from the city of Como, dancing to some great tunes from live bands, and DJ's. 

lots of folks came dressed in the fashion of the era

There was a performance each night given by our instructors and other local dance talent. I would be inserting some of that footage I took of the performances here, if the download from my camera to the computer hadn't screwed up... ugh! The Cinque met lot's of nice folks and I feel really fortunate to have experienced this with such a wonderful group of ladies. I hope we can make this an annual adventure.

robin, me, javier, michelle, lisa (susanna is taking the picture)

lisa and robin dancing in the streets of como, italy.

Buona Sera Como, I hope to see you again next year.

Como, Italy

We arrived in Como for the Swing Crash 2010 Festival. We were there for a week, taking classes and dancing the nights away. (I will post more about that stuff later.) Because we were there for a while, Lisa had booked a really nice flat for all of the cinque to stay in. It was very close to the activities for the event, and walking distance to Lake Como. 

entrance to the cinque headquarters

We were on the top floor of a renovated, late 1800's era building, with our own courtyard off of the outdoor atrium. We had a full kitchen, a washer, and a nice size bathroom. It also had some really nice views of the atrium courtyard, and the streets of Como. 

the never ending flight of stairs

Our host, Rosella, had given us the run down of the city, and told us about the markets. We shopped at this amazing fruit and vegetable market. It was a little slice of heaven for the vegetarians in our bunch. For the rest of us too, of course. Lots of folks were milling around the multitude of stands shouting out prices in Italian and bagging up their purchases. There were a couple of stands that seemed to be the most popular with the older Italian folks, so I would follow them around, figuring they knew where the best deals, and freshest produce was. 

very affordable fresh food

We ate in mostly, making big salads, and pasta dishes. I felt very fortunate have such good cooks in our little flat. I had brought my computer, so we would put on some good Swing Jazz music and hang out while the cooking smells of Italy wafted through our flat. We enjoyed our meals on the outdoor patio in the atrium accompanied by really great wine, and sometimes Limoncello (I love Limoncello!). In the mornings we would start our day at Caffee' & Caffee'. A really good coffee bar on the Piazza down the street from us. Robbie, the owner, would greet us with a smile, and a welcoming, "Orygooone!" then proceed to make us some of the best cappuccino's I have ever tasted. I would usually get a marmalade brioche to go with mine. Sheer joy! 

yum.

robin, susanna, cafee'&caffee' staffer, michelle, lisa, ROBBIE!, me

Dance classes didn't generally start until 1 or 2 in the afternoon, so we would do out site seeing in the mornings. Como is full of grand old Cathedrals and the lake is stunning. We took a trip on the water taxi to a small town on the lake called Varenna.

walking to the beach in varenna

It was very a very cute small town where we had a really good meal (pizza!), and drinks with fruit in it that I have never seen before. We hung out on the beach and swam in clear waters, a view of the snow capped Alps in the far off distance. The water was cold, but you got used to it after a few minutes. I swam away from shore, turning back to see the view of the village, and the mountains. As I treaded water there, taking it all in, it felt a bit surreal. I couldn't believe how far from home I was. Far from anything familiar. It was a moment of bliss, and that's what life's about, right?!, the moments! 

Venice, Italy - The beginning of The Cinque

When I left Avignon, I took the overnight/sleeper train to Venice, Italy. The train ride was pretty uneventful, and if it hadn't been for the ladies from the UK showing me how to put down the bed, I would've been sleeping standing up. There were five of us in our "suite". The ladies from the UK, who were traveling to Greece for a week. Elvis, a young-ish Aussie who didn't have much to say, and kept running his hands through is wavy blonde hair, and an older gentleman traveling back to Venice from a business trip.  Once I got settled in, it was actually quite a pleasant ride. The motion of the train helped to rock me to sleep. The bed wasn't very comfy, and sleeping in my clothes felt a bit confining, but it was nice to watch the night sky go by out the window.  


I arrived in Venice around 9 am, and made my way to the Hotel where I would meet up with Lisa, Michelle, Robin, and Susanna. They were flying in from Portland, and after a couple of days in Venice, The Cinque (us five girls) were heading to Como, Italy for the Swing Crash Festival and dance camp. I can't tell you how good it was to see them. I really needed a dose of "home", and they brought it. Plus, they speak Italian. Me? not so much. 


We stayed in the heart of Venice in an old Hotel call the Pacifico. It was a little challenging to find on the small streets and alleys , but a really nice man who had lived there all his life, walked me through the maze to the door. 

tiny balcony view

 I chatted with the concierge until the ladies arrived. She was studying to be a lawyer, and wanted to practice her English with me. She was really nice to talk with, and had lots of suggestions about what to do while we were visiting. The ladies showed up an hour or so later, soaked, due to the rainy weather. They had to wait a while for the water taxi to pick them up from the airport - but said it was a fun ride. 

Susanna, Robin, Michelle, and Lisa

We got settled in our rooms, (which had the most amazing Murano glass chandeliers), dried off, then hit the town.

lovely. 

It rained on us the whole time were there, but it didn't matter. We walked the streets and saw amazing sites. We must've gotten lost a dozen times, but it didn't matter one bit because the more lost we got, the more great views we saw. We always made it where we were going eventually. 

the "streets" of Venice.

 the water came right up to the side walks. so cool.

We had a lot of good meals (one meal came with dancing waiters!), saw some great art, and went to Murano for a tour of a glass blowing studio. It was  a really good time! My camera kind of crapped out on me or I would have more pictures of our adventures, like being in St. Marco square when it was knee deep in water. We all waded out in it to get that perfect shot of the Cathedral. There were lot's of tourist humming "Singing in the Rain" there. I think folks must have given up on the weather after a while. 

who cares if we get wet?! we are in Venice!

I mean when you are already surrounded by water, what difference does it make if it is pouring from the sky too?!