In the Mountains

I am spending the weekend in the mountains of Boone, North Carolina. The mountains are so colorful now, with every shade of fall reds, oranges and yellows. The driving is adventurous on the mountain roads. I took a hike today and found a working dam, complete with waterfall and a cute little cottage. Some of the places around here are the stuff of lusty mountain dreams. There's streams and brooks and waterfalls and cabins tucked away on the banks of them.

Tonight we will go to a Halloween party where I will dress up as Ms. Peacock, and Crystal as Ms. Scarlet. It's a couple's party.

Happy spooky weekend to all.

Happy People

What a happy weekend we had. Climbing dunes, watching sunsets, sailing, sipping wine...

Weekend Getaway

Guess where I am???

Nope, not the Carribean, not Africa, not Mexico. It's Michigan. I never imagined it to be like this. Markus surprised me with a weekend getaway...we took the ferry across Lake Michigan and drove up the coast to Glen Arbor. The Sleeping Bear sand dunes were beautiful. What a lovely place. One day, it was so windy that the sand was whipping across the dune, covering up your footprints just as fast as you could walk. It was vicious wind actually. We had pockets full of sand in every place imaginable. Seriously.

The sunsets were amazing over the lake. The water was warm and crysal clear and blue. It's the Carribean of the north.

Summer Sunset

What a sky tonight! The sunset was so beautiful. Happy, fluffy, pink clouds. Here's my haiku for the night.

Paint the sky with light
colors of the setting sun
The dark will follow.

Triathlon Time

This weekend, I participated in my first Triathlon, along with 1,000 other people. It was in my little hometown of 2,000 people in Minnesota. We swam in the lake I grew up in.

I swam 1/4 mile, biked 10 miles and ran a wretched 2.5 miles. I so dislike running. The entire time I run I think of all the things I would rather be doing. I actually like the other events, and the running got easier with training. It didn't get any more enjoyable. Oh well.

DandyLion Hawk-ward

My friend Aaron stopped by the other day with this baby Cooper's Hawk in a box nest. He's a falconer and has decided to take it to the next level with a little chick. She is really quite sweet. I decided the bird was in her hawk-ward stage, with all her fluffly white adolescent feathers. Aaron said she's like a play-dough press, just pushing out feathers. She eats and grows, constantly. Everyday she changes colors, shedding her dandelion fluff and making real feathers for flying.

So, since people need to eat, just like hawks...we took the bird to the Weary Traveler, our local hangout. The joke starts like this, so, two redheads and a hawk walk into a bar....The bird just sat on her nest, on the booth...watching us eat our walleye and caeser. She was quiet as a mouse and the waitress even took a while to notice her. Everyone was really fascinated...I thought it interesting how chill people were. Imagine walking into a bar on the "other" side of town...likely we would have not been welcome. I have to love the East side. It's nights like that when I am reminded by the special-ness of this place. And the special friends I have.

So, back to the story...so, I was asking all these questions...what does the hawk eat? Aaron tells me, sparrow-- caught by the other hawk he currently has. The one bird hunts for the other. So, then what happens when the hawk has to, you know...go #2? It actually is like a little squirt. The hawk lines up it's big feet at the edge of the nest and just aims out. In nature, it would land on the tree or the ground...not in the nest, since that would be gross. But at the Weary, there is only booth...no tree. So, at some point later in the night...me and my 4 glasses of Pinot Noir were having a great time...and the hawkling started to make motions at the edge of the nest. Since Aaron was sitting across the table, he motioned for me to grab the plastic glass. Without really thinking, I just grabbed the glass and held it in place and then "squirt!" I caught it, like I was a natural hawkling poop squirt catcher. All was good and we went on drinking, the hawk went on preening and napping, and pushing out feathers.

Aaron says she'll be flying in 2 weeks. That's how it goes I guess, all the babies have to leave the nest sometime. I was happy to spend some time with her, so curious with little nibbles and drinking water off my finger...big feet and little head, hawk-wardness disappearing by the minute. Soon she'll be a majestic bird of prey, and she'll have to fend for herself for a couple hours while we catch some food at the local hangout.

7/7/07

Today is a day of 7's. Since seven is an auspicious number in many cultures, superstitious people all around the world are united. 38,000 American's are getting married, some at the top of rollercoasters.

The Washington Post writes, "In the Orthodox Jewish tradition, the bride circles the groom seven times when she arrives at the chuppah, a canopy used in weddings, symbolizing in part the seven days of creation. Seven candles are lit during Kwanzaa. There are seven wonders of the world. The Big Dipper is formed from seven stars. Buddha is said to have walked seven steps upon his birth. The Islamic tradition involves seven levels of heaven. The ancient city of Rome was said to be built on seven hills. There are seven deadly sins, as well as virtues, in some Christian traditions. And gamblers hit the jackpot with the slot machine combination 7-7-7."

I think it's funny that they end with the gamblers.

Anyway you decide to celebrate it, Happy 7/7/07.

Rendezvous 2007

Rendezvous

Friday I spent the day with my friend Jenifer at a festival in Prairie du Chien...the Rendezvous. It was a fantastic day. We swam in the Wisconin river, grilled, and went to this interesting festival modeled after the fur trading days. It was very authentic and there was some good shopping. I picked up a fabulous beaver skin and a red fox tail. The aligator heads were so tempting but Jenifer talked me out of it, I mean, where would I really wear it? You all know I'm just kidding. I got some nice earrings, a ceramic frog and a beaded medallion. I will definitely check this out next year. It's so refreshing to know that these ideas still exist. A world without plastic, where fur is hip, where people still work with their hands and cook with wood fires...the women wear little leather skirts, the men throw tomahawks at trees, wearing the same...

How does your garden grow?

My garden is in full effect...The lillies are such show offs! The lupine is still in the competition but the orange lillies in the sunlight are hard to beat.

Old Friends

Old Friends are Gold Friends. Look how much fun we had! 10 year reunion. We still know how to party.

10 Year Reunion

Welcome back friends!

After a long hiatus, I'm back in the blogging business.

I just returned from the hometown in Minnesota. It was one big blast from the past. I attended my 10 yr class reunion. I can't imagine how it's been 10 years, but the math is right. It was at a golf course. At one point, a guy pulled a grill out of his pick up truck and grilled his steak which was too rare. That was funny. There was all the elements of a good Annandale party...a drinking game, a lost earring, girls kissing, shots of tequila, lots of fun had by all...

Pictures too. check back for more.

Break for the Beach

The British Virgin Islands...turquiose water, pink and purple houses, green palm trees, white sand beaches...and the creamiest pina-coladas.

Jump off for a morning swim, head toward the end of the rainbow.

The Life Aquatic

The Virgin Islands were so lovely. The ocean life was totally enchanting. I played papparazzi on the coral reefs, stalked this sea turtle for a while...it just ignored me and kept flapping it's fins. The parrot fish were obviously the inspiration for the bird. They were spectacular colors. A little skittish, they were camera shy. We managed to snap two great pics.

It's f*$#@! cold.

Well, winter finally arrived with a vengence. After many 40 degree days in January, it's -2 degrees and going down. I have been trying to hibernate in all warm places (tanning bed, my sleeping bag on the couch, YMCA hot tub/sauna). It's helping to keep it bearable. This cold turns me into a terrible complainer. I know I live in Wisconsin, but seriously, is this what I get for it?? It's so bitter.

On a brighter note, we are going on a tropical vacation soon, the Virgin Islands. 7 days/nights on a 50 foot sailboat with 9 adults. We only know 2 of them, so there is a bit of stranger danger, but I think it will be cool. I'll let you know.

We are watching TV lately, especially Battlestar Galactica. If you haven't already discovered this most fantastic show, you should. It's the best TV has to offer. Real suspense, good acting, and sexy Cylons (one of whom was just in Playboy this month).

Be well everyone, I'm off to cocoon into my sleeping bag.

Email Time Capsule

As a respite from my CNN addiction (don't ask me why)...I visted bored.com.

This is a place where the truly bored go.

There is a funny thing you can do there...send an email time capsule to yourself in the future. I sent one to myself in 3 years.

I read couple others, and had to giggle at this one.

Dear Future Version of Me,
Hello, i wonder how i am now. am i still pretty? What kind of job am i doing? if i am married...do i have any kids?!? What is the technology like? Now iPOD myspace and aim (aol instant messenger) is all the rage. I am 12 (13 on sunday) i wonder how old am i. what college did i go to...so many un answered questions.
(written Wed Jul 19, 2006 , to be delivered Sat Jul 23, 2033 )

"Hmmm, as I peer into the crystal ball of your life "FVofMe," I predict you are now 39."

I always knew I had a future in predicting the future.

Canoe in December

The weather has been the most peculiar! There is not a hint of snow or ice on the lake, it was a beautiful day for a canoe ride. The water was clear and calm and we were the only boat on the lake.

Resolution Help

Well, it's that time of year again...where you resolve to finally do something you should have been doing all year. Well, that is if you're like me...

I heard about this on the radio,
There is a scientist who is interested in what New Year's Resolutions and if they work for people.
He is conducting an online study, and sending people tips on how to achieve the resolution.
www.newyearscience.co.uk

It takes about 3 minutes to do, and I think it's interesting. I can tell you from a person that goes to the YMCA year round, January is my least favorite month to work out there. It's totally packed with all the couch potatoes that have sat around until the new year, and now they are determined to work out. It's so annoying. I shouldn't talk, because being more fit is one of my resolutions....oh well. We all need all the help we can get, at least I do.

Snowbird Holiday

Happy Holidays and Peace on Earth.

As many of you know, this is our yearly holiday tradition. Admittedly, we are geeks for our cat and photoshop. This picture was taken in Arizona at an old gold mining town in the desert. We visited my grandparents at their snowbird habitat last spring. The joke is obvious then, that we are snow birds and Jackson simply has no self control when it comes to birds. He is an avid bird watcher and given the opportunity to catch one, he will. Which he has, with both of us. He is happily paddling around, three legs and all. We are currently hibernating, Jackson and I. It is only 4 degrees out. If I can count the all degrees on one hand, I don't leave the house. Yesterday I took out the garbage and that was pushing it.

Anyway, Happy Holidays. We hope you are all warm and cozy.

Abby's Art Club

For those of you who haven't checked this out, do so. My friend Abby has a real knack for kids and art. Her blog was recently noted in the Febuary 2nd edition of our weekly newspaper, the Isthmus...it's super cool what Abby is creating with these kids. They are all little inspirations.