Ocean magic

After a period of attempting to self-quarantine, during which we manged to get our grocery shopping trips down to approximately every two weeks (which I'm pretty pleased with)... the rest of our contact with society while significantly reduced which has been both a blessing and a curse.

I have completed a number of house projects uninterrupted which has been absolutely wondeeeeerful.

I didn't realize how much social obligations such as dinner out and weekends at friend's were eating into my projecting time!  Don't get me wrong, there are things (people?) I miss and I certainly don't want to be quarantined forever but it has been kind of nice to be able to step back, take a deep breath and tackle some of the things that don't usually make it onto the list.

This step back has allowed me to take a closer look at things and living in a house with two other women, well don't let anyone fool you, the future should not be all female. There needs to be a happy medium in which we temper and balance each other out... male/female/everyone in between - because despite being lucky enough to have a significant amount of room per person in this house... lets just say it was past time for an outing.

And so with the tentative lifting of some of the beach and trail bans we made our way down to San Clemente.  We arrived just as the sun slipped quietly below the horizon and settled in to wait.  The Ninja having never seen bioluminescence before was edgy and excited but without really knowing what to look for or what to expect.

In contrast the beach and ocean had a completely calming effect on me. Soothing my soul the way the outgoing waves in their chaotic motion smooth the sand and wipe it clean.  This was my reset, and having grown up near the ocean I was content to settle in and wait. It will be time when it's time.

The thing with bioluminescence is that everything has to be just right. It needs to be relatively dark, with no moon light because even that light will drown out the magic.

As it grew darker I started to get excited though and went down to the water to check a couple times to no avail, finally to burn off some energy decided to go for a wander down the beach.  A little further away I thought it was a trick of the light at first, that in my excitement I was seeing what I hoped to see rather than what was actually there... but no, there it was again! We were in the right place, at the right time and the conditions were perfect!!

I went and got the Ninja and her Mom and settled in to attempt to take some pictures.  Of course, I forgot my tripod, and after cursing the photographer with his light that was so bright he could probably see what I was thinking I later realized he was using it to adjust his focus... *le sigh* perhaps I'll bring my own "see into the future" flashlight next time *note to self.

After fiddling with settings, and taking photos on long exposure without breathing I think I ended up with about 3 out of 50 that while nowhere near magazine quality are all mine.  There is a certain satisfaction to that, and maybe next time I'll be able to get some better ones.

It was interesting, often I spend a lot of time behind the lens and end up with hundreds of similar pictures, but knowing that this would be difficult to capture on film, and in my case more likely luck than anything else... I spent more time just watching it.  You see, it's the motion that makes it magical, the way the light chases itself along the wave like slow sheet lightning that is difficult to capture in a still photo... my respect to those photographers who have managed it - I've seen some shots infinitely more awesome than these.

Oh and note to self - if you're going to leave the camera bag above the high tide line... leave it even higher than you think you need to.

I had just convinced the Ninja to take her shoes off and venture out into the sand where the ocean meets the shore, so I could scoop up some of the incoming wash and swoosh it around in my hands to show her the bioluminescence up close, when I realized that the next wave was "Comin' in hot!" We both backpedaled and I sprinted up the beach stretched out as far as I could dug my hands in under my camera bag and flipped it as far as I could gently!

It was enough.

The ocean kissed my camera bag and I ended up with sand everywhere but the camera itself survived yet another close encounter with nature.  Horseshoes... seriously horseshoes. Some are born with charm others with good looks, I'm pretty sure I was born with horseshoes ;)

Damp up to mid-thigh with sand in places that never touched the beach we called it a night before we got cold and made our way back up to our rock-star parking.  The mood had significantly improved from the ride down with small smiles of wonder gracing the corners of our mouths, testament to having experienced a natural wonder in person.

Thank you mother nature for few more magical moments to add to my collection.

I still believe in magic

The coolest thing happened last weekend... I got to see fireflies! It has been on my "list" of things that I would like to experience in real life for the longest time, and while we were driving out to visit with the cousins...

I saw a little burst of yellow, long enough to register but quick enough to test your sanity - "I think I saw something? Wait... did I really? *bouncing* I THINK I JUST SAW A FIREFLY!!!!!"

All of a sudden I could see them all over the place! It was the coolest thing, this little flash of magic and then it moved!

If I were any younger I would totally be the little kid that got lost chasing fireflies...  or followed the wisps to the witches door :p

In my hunting I caught 3 in a container that one of the cousins gave me, but I noticed that only one of them lit up while they were inside so I let them go which was super cool because they all flashed "see yah!" on their way out! and then later when I couldn't stop thinking about how cool it was that they were just flying around outside I went out and caught one in my hands!!! Ok, so I say "caught" but as soon as I thought I had it, it crawled out a little hole by my thumb and then flew away.

*contented smile*

Celine Dion, enough said... and yet there's more.

She's funny and classy, and sassy and thoughtful and raw and just down to earth really for real... and amazing, and incredible and wonderful and I would go see her again in a heartbeat!

She said the coliseum was intimate, *raises eyebrow* it has two mezzanine balconies and seats ~4,296... and yet somehow she has made it her home away from home, and it really was kind of intimate *smiles*.

She knocked it out out of the park finishing a couple of her songs in classic Celine fashion, but even knowing that she was going to do it didn't lessen the impact. In fact seeing it in person was even more phenomenal than I could have possibly imagined... until I realized she was singing the guitar solo.

*jaw dropping* whaaaa?!? 

My mind *exploded* and she shattered my perception of an amazing singer into a bzillion sparkling crystalline pieces. 

Yep, that pretty much put her light years above and beyond anyone I've ever heard. In. My. Life.

I ran the full gamut of emotions that evening, she shared pieces of herself in the way that only people who are fully comfortable on stage can, including a little leg from her cocktail dress "for Renee" she confided, and then again a little later "for anyone who wants to look", and she looks amazing! 

We laughed and cried, and I earned even more respect for another artist I admire deeply.  This artist can turn feelings into lyrics, and when Celine needed it most she wrote a song for her. It's called Recovering, and the artist is Pink! If you haven't heard it I recommend taking a listen, but it's worth having some kleenex on standby.  One of the friends we went with kindly shared her make-up wipes and we sniffled together :p

No matter what you think you know about her, if you're the least bit interested and you have the opportunity definitely go see her show live, it's an amazing experience.  She's a very special one of a lifetime kind of person, and I'm so thankful I was able to see her, it's a memory I wont soon forget!

Pondering

I read a book once where angels in a war of cosmic proportions had been knocked into another dimension... each one of them acquired varying degrees of magic in this new place and one that I found particularly fascinating was a master musician, that when he played golden notes materialized out of thin air, floated while the note rang true and then simply faded away.

I think if I had this ability my trumpet notes would come out bronze, some of them would be shiny and some of them would be dull... some of them would have a little too much aluminum, and some a little too much tin, and occasionally they would be something else like iron :p

Stargazing from the roof... like they do in the movies!

It's probably been more than a year since we upgraded out ladder to this nifty folding/rearranging one (the one he demos at the end in the background), with the intention of watching fireworks from the roof of the garage. Being able to climb up to the garage roof in relative safety to watch the Perseids was totally worth the extra cost... No short ladders on small, stable objects... like *ahem* tables for us anymore! #safetyfirst

We saw a combined total of 8 meteors before my inner kid's excitement wore off enough that my inner grown up started to glaze over and beg sleep, already dreading this morning's alarm...

I still feel like a little kid lying on the ground looking all around the sky hoping that I wont be blinking when the next one streaks by... crossing my fingers that I'll be looking in the right spot so I'll see the entire burst of energy however brief it may be.

This morning I'm still pretty stoked that we saw any meteors this close to all the city lights, and I'm in awe at how pretty and magical falling rocks can be. 

Wicked awesome!

My best friend just took me to see Wicked (the musical) and it was ah.Mazing!

I love love love LOVED IT!

I had heard from a few people that it was good, and if I ever got the chance to go see it, and that I would probably really like it... but none of that prepared me for experiencing it in person, from the edge of the balcony! *grins*

I was in awe of the entire backstory, and how they fit all the pieces together and picked up and wove in all the threads. It is basically the pre-story to Wizard of Oz, and fills in the experiences and circumstances that made the wicked witch wicked, but also brings to light the beginnings of the cowardly lion, the scarecrow and the tin man.

One casualty of the night, was that I lost a whole lot of respect and sympathy for the tin man... but my heart went out to the scare crow, the good witch and the wicked witch.  And it struck a chord with me that despite everything else going on, the friendship between best friends is stronger than love.  The idea that once that bond of true friendship has been forged, there's nothing tearing it apart.

The entire evening was magical *happy sigh* and while I loved the whole new best friends popular scene, my favorite songs were "Defying Gravity" and "For Good".

Couldn't resist, my new favorite hoodie... *squeeeee*

Rainy day distractions

I had great intentions of doing work-related type stuff yesterday, but then I got distracted. This is the result. (You should be able to click to enlarge them Mom - most of them look better like that ;)

Only one with flash that sort of worked

Panoramic-esque

Sploosh!

Waterworks!

Slightly off kilter

This would look so awesome frozen!

Slightly b'jubbled

Crop option 1

Crop option 2 (shhh but I think I like this one better)

Kaplooey!

Look up!

I noticed this, and got totally distracted by how cool it looked!! I really need to learn how to take better night shots... still... *sigh*

The thought of peace is the seed

It's our job to nurture it and help it grow, so that those around us can see how beautiful it is.

Last night Mom and I attended a peaceful gathering, in order to remember what happened at Hiroshima... there was singing, and dancing and a couple of speeches. The main event of the night however was the highlight for me, and renewed my faith in our ability to work together... in small groups ;)

45+ individuals from the crowd... young and old alike, moving together carried 45 floating lanterns down to the lagoon and back.

I think for me that was even more incredible than how magical they looked.

Keep the good memories

We got the news that Granny wasn't doing well and had fallen in the middle of the night. She had then been taken to the hospital, and sedated so they could do a brain scan... during which they found a small brain bleed. The best course of action was to do an assessment once she awoke from sedation.

The first news we heard was good, she had woken up and recognized Aunt Marg. Then I talked to Uncle Joe the next day and my cousin Steph later, and the news was not so good. She hadn't recognized either Aunt Marg or Uncle Joe... she was hallucinating (although it could be the UTI causing that)... and she wasn't eating.

"If you're going to come up, I would do it sooner rather than later."

And an hour or so later and Mom and I were making plans and packing for a road-trip.

She was sleeping when we got there, but awoke when she heard our voices.  There was a palpable depth to 98-odd years of wisdom and a calm peacefulness about her. She was bright eyed and bushy-tailed having just woken up and her eyes held their characteristic impish sparkle...

When I knelt down beside Granny, she looked right into me and said "I *know* you" and smiling I said "Yes, yes you do" "Who *are* you?" and when I told her my name she nodded and said "Oh, that's right" like something clicked back into place and everything was as it should be...

It was amazingly incredible, and touched me so deeply I hope that I remember it forever.

I love her so much, just before we left she said something like she always remembers me, or that she could never forget me and I said "Of course not Granny, that's cause I'm your favorite!" ;) and she laughed and laughed and laughed it was an absolutely beautiful visit.

I am so glad that we dropped everything and just went :)

To the left to the left... No! Your other left!!!

Drove to Oamaru yesterday on the left side of the road.  What an insane trip that was.  David's brain kept trying to put him on the right side of the road where it figured he should be.

Exhausting for both of us.

We made it safely, about a 4 hour trip from Christchurch, checked into our hotel and then zipped out to the end of Bushy Beach road to see the yellow eyed penguins come ashore to feed their young.  How amazing!

We were just leaving when David caught a movement from the corner of his eye so we stopped to watch a penguin swim to shore and climb up on the beach, waddle toward the hill we were standing on and we heard their youngster hollering for supper.

Very neat.  Just at sunset.

Then on the way back to our hotel we stopped at the local boat basin so dad could look at boats and we found some very artistically sculpted wood planks on the dock.  Dad took lots of photos.  Got to go, we need to check out in 10 minutes.

On to Dunedin on the South Island.  Talk more soon.  Love you lots!

Love and hugs,

Mom

From darkness comes the morning

IPE halftime performance

This lady was amazing! Turn your speakers down, the audio sucks... I was standing on the announcers speaker, but I'm not going to apologize, because I'm not really *that* sorry about it ;)

She used to be a trick rider, but still everything she's doing is without a bridle, she does have a dark coloured ropey looking thing... but it's basically no hands!

July 16th - Flashback

It has been brought to my attention that I missed a bit...

As we were leaving Multnomah Falls, we had one of our addddddd moments and went wading... Following this little creek just around the bend we found a little patch of tranquility less than a stones throw away from all the chaos and confusion.

*inhale* the gently shaded summer breeze... and let the crisp clear stream carry your worries away *exhale*

Fish Tails

A couple days before the trip I had finished all the last minute running around and had reached the point of "hurry up and wait" ... wait to buy fruit because you can't take it over the border, wait to be on vacation, wait for Faith to get up here...

*twiddles thumbs*

Of course when waiting it helps to have a bit of a distraction...like puttering around Swan Lake when Ed says "I think I got something" ... "no, maybe not" ... "yeah I got a big'un!"

I thought for sure he'd hooked onto a log, or a patch of swamp grass... so while we puttered in circles around his line I took pictures like this

...and then the tip of his line jiggled, and not just once. It was that very distinctive tug... tug... tug-tug that fishies do! Except that this fishy wasn't running, this fishy had swum straight down to the bottom and was camped out.

After wrestling with this guy for at least 45 minutes we had traded the pole back and forth a number of times, stretched, repositioned, finished a beer, and traded back again... and he had moved about 6 feet, with the grace of a bulldozer. It was 'round about this time we decided that it was a scuba diver messing with us because there isn't anything this big in Swan lake right? Right.

The trouble was we only had 5lb test on, so we couldn't just haul him up by his ear and see what kind of fish he was... Then being the extremely large, wise old fish that he *must* have been, he got bored of fishing with us and removed his new piercing on the weeds that I was so certain Ed had caught in the first place... and swam off without so much as a flip of the tail.

And that my friends, is how fish tales are born.

Shortly after some of the widdle pike took pity on us and let us catch them... just to take the sting off ;)

Patience is not one of my virtues, but after going fishin' with Ed I believe that you just need the right person to wait with... of course the scenery helps too ;)

Supernatural Beautiful British Columbia

My English teacher would probably have something to say about that title not being correct with all caps, but it really does deserve it... I mean look at this!

Shuswap falls

I realize it's pretty much the weekend, and I still haven't posted these from last weekend... but check out how gorgeous it is here. Can you believe that I actually *live* here?!?! I mean really, these were taken about an hour away, a lazy Sunday afternoon drive hour away.

Abandoned house just before Mabel Lake

Looking through these again makes me think another trip is in order this weekend... with the canoe.

Mabel Lake

Perrrrrfect rock skipping conditions, and the beach had a handful of suitable flat rounded pancake rocks.

Gorgeous end to an absolutely beautiful day... Oh wait, no... first we grabbed pizza in town, then we went to the Starlight Drive-in movie theater near Enderby. That was a fantastic end to the day, crammed the hide-a-bed mattress in the back of the Fit, it was like being the only ones at our own private movie theater... Totally awesome :)

Us +5 Fissies +5... I think this calls for a rematch!

I'm so glad that good company is like the heavy-weight champion when it comes to taking on and anihilating the puny and insignificant details of my day... sending them crying to their Mommies with a sternly spanked bottom.

It was absolutely gorgeous out, spring has finally arrived and the cabin fever everyone had been experiencing was now being shared in the confines of an aluminum boat... I suppose it's a successful day though, when everyone caught something... and nobody was helped out of the boat *before* we got to shore ;)

Get in mah bellyyyy!

I'm gonna getcha little fissy! I'm gonna eatcha little fissy! *grins* I think this is the beginnings of a be-a-utiful supper :)

While we in for a pee break I totally scooped the comfy captains chair, and by default was captaining for the remainder of the evening. Which I thought was pretty cool :) ... and pretty easy meandering around in the middle of the lake... this really being my first time driving this boat and all, you see usually I fish, help eat the chippys, and maybe have a beer or two...

We had just kicked 'er up a notch to compensate for the wind picking up to head home after Michelle finally broke her two year dry spell... and then we couldn't keep them off her line! I think the funniest one, was mid-story she's leaning back and holding her rod up and Ed says "Hey Shell, I uh think you got one" and she says "I know! But I had to finish my story!!"

Awww look he's just a widdle hotdog fissy!

Those *were* the funny moments of the day... until we actually got back to the boat launch. Because it was much the same as with flying, it isn't the flying that's the hard part... it's landing. So I'm cruising in, and of course as with any good sport there are spectators spectating from the comfort of their van... and the peanut gallery up front.

We're almost in and up front hollers "log!" So there I am executing evasive maneuvers off into the rushes, with the motor balancing unhinged and ready to kick up... you see the thing is, it's too shallow to just cruise right in... and it would be faaaar to easy to paddle the last little bit. I would also like to point out that as soon as you change the axis of the propeller EVERYTHING changes, left and right are no longer what they used to be!

Suddenly it's as if we've been transported into an electrical gyroscope with a bug in its internal gravity sensor... suddenly we're in reverse at full throttle... The peanut gallery has collapsed in on itself in a helpless pile of giggles, Eddie's screaming "AHHHHHHHHH" and laughing almost as hard as the peanut gallery.

I calmly assessed the situation, kept twisting and pushing things until I could finally give the order to the mutinous engine to abort, and head for deeper waters... to... regroup, and try again.

The second attempt was far less entertaining, until Michelle's feet hit the water and she had to pee again *grins*

So simple... so why does it take so long?

One of the things we don't usually learn, is how to accept a hand from someone... even when we need it. We get most of the way there, then pull back with a "No really, I'm okay... but thanks" and a smile.

Even when we're not.

Oftentimes only our best friends hear the intimate details of how things are really going, and sometimes only because they ask twice. You know, that deceivingly simple question, asked with a subtle change in tone and that look that says "I know you better than that, so don't bullshit me... but I'm letting you start".

Well sometimes I don't know someone well enough to ask that second time, but I wish I could make things a little bit easier for them... Sometimes I just want to give them a reason to smile... and every once in awhile it's for purely selfish reasons like not wanting to eat lunch by myself.

No matter the case, I've been trying to find ways of giving or helping people out in such a way that they don't feel like they owe me something.

Why am I telling you all this? Well because the other day I experienced the coolest thing! With a gracious smile the simple phrase "I will accept your charity and I thank you for it"... You grasped a hand held out in friendship, and shared a piece of your character with me that I shall never forget.

I may never tell you, that you've taught me something I may never be able to repay you for. I came here with knowledge but I will leave with understanding.

Thank you so much

Rawr!

 

Absolute fricken genius!

I love the article, but this site also has some brilliant baby sleep positions that anyone who has tried to sleep in the same bed as a baby... can relate to.

The things I do, and certainly don't regret

More and more I've been thinking its more important to do something, than it is to find someone to do it with you.  This has been a really tough one for me. I grew up camping and hiking and doing all kinds of things but always with someone.

I'm finding there aren't very many people who do things quite the way we do, and by we I mean our family.  We ski first tracks to last call, as long as it isn't raining in the hill parking lot. We hike and don't really take a break unless there is a "Walter approved" rest area, ie: a spot with a scenic view. But still, we're not crazy obsessive about any one activity.

So the trouble is finding people to *do* stuff with, I had a theory that maybe if I just started doing things I'd meet people who were out there doing them too... but it doesn't seem to be holding up in practice, mostly because I like doing a little bit of everything.

So while I venture forth into unexplored terrain alone, I would like to toast a cheers to the Snow Goddess, skiing last Sunday was absolutely amazing!

The collective excitement on the hill could not be contained, and hoots and hollers could be heard escaping throughout the day.

There was a constant supply of fresh powder falling, with the sun trying desperately to break through creating the most beautiful silver pixie dust sparkle effect. Which under normal circumstances would have been incredibly distracting, except that every other run down I managed to find a little pocket of powder that at times came up to mid-thigh... 

I'm not sure what I did to deserve this, but between the temperature and grinning so much I thought my face was going to freeze like that, and give my Mother one more reason to say I told you so.

Besides the four warmup runs on the backside, I skied my little legs off on Attridge all day. By the last run I had chalked up a respectable 21 runs... plus or minus a couple.

A good day skiing, is when you drag yourself back to the truck completely and thoroughly worn out... and half way home you feel like you're driving with your ski boots on *smiles*