Clouds and Husband

Things I love this Thursday?

I love when the clouds look so big that you could eat them.
I love when the sky is so blue you could drink it.

I love when my husband and I are on an adventure.
I love when all of these things happen at once, just as they are supposed to.

This is what I love....

edited to add:
oh and this quote is making me smile today...
"Shangri-La is in you mind, but your Buffalo is not." from an article that has my head spinning about words and language, communication and travel.

Were back...

from our trip to Mono/Inyo Counties (have you ever read Cadillac Desert?)
we put almost 1000 miles on the 4-runner,
took over 500 photos
and
needed a shower like you wouldn't believe when we got home.

It was a good trip... just me, the man and the dog.

photos from the trip are bing added out here

The desert awaits

A big thanks for all the encouragement on my last post. And a HUGE over the top thank you to Pancakemama who has taken a bit of time to go through my Flickr stream and find her favorites. I thank you again and again for sorting through and givin' the support.


We are gearing up for a camp trip in the desert. Death Valley to be exact. It is looking to be warm one. Triple.digit.warm.

The house is getting cleaned, the camp gear organized, the car tuned up, and the cameras cleaned off... except for that new camera that we are waiting patiently to arrive on the door step. We ordered a Canon D30 this weekend and it is supposed to be in our hot little hands by Thursday. I am over the top excited about this new little gem. I have been hunting down photos tagged with Death Valley out on Flickr, look at the beauty that awaits us.

Sometimes.

Sometimes, you just need a closer look.
where you were,
where you are &
where you are going.
Not staying at anyone place,
but in the moment.

holiday...

let the sun shine in!



we are planning our summer.

the time has been granted to be away from work and teaching and home.

hiking, backpacking, road tripping and exploring.

death valley
highway 1
rural nevada


just the man, the dog and me.
oh boy!

Thursday Love

here we are, back to Thursday again. This week has been a bit of a roller coaster for me. I found myself at home sleeping most of the day on Monday- A bit of a mental holiday if you will. I needed some down and out time. A bit of time to sleep and snuggle with the dog. A bit of time to go sit on the couch with my mom and have some hot tea and talk and get my requisite hugs for the week.
On Tuesday I felt refreshed and ready to take on the world again. This weekend is promising to be filled with time in the craft room and some chores- which is okay because doing chores sometimes helps me re-group. I am also hoping for a bit of time in the yoga studio, as a student instead of a teacher. I have one more week of my Tues/Wed. classes and then a break. Which I think is much needed.

So what do I love this week? Hmmm, how bout some old pictures? but of something that makes me smile and dream?

I love the way the sky in Reno looks when the clouds are just right around the mountains and the sun plays with the the color spectrum. I love the way the desert smells after a good rain. All that sage and ozone.

These pictures weren't taken in Reno, but in a small little town near Tonopah (click the word for more), NV -which is about halfway between Reno and Las Vegas.
At one point Belmont was the county seat for Nye County- there is still the jail house and a few really amazing buildings in the town along with the remnants of the mining days. It was a booming place at one point due to the mining industry. Today there are about 5 year round residents.

There is a bed and breakfast, a bar called Dirty Dick's, a fantastic jewelry shop called Sticks and Stones, and a few characters that will make you smile and laugh.

I head out to Belmont in the summer time with my mom for a week long class in painting(water color).

I love it. Being so far away from "everything" reminds me how small I am in the universe.

How many stars there are in the night sky, and just how good it feels to slow down because there is nothing to do but paint and take pictures and "see". (oh and maybe a little eating and drinking of good food too!)
These photos were taken with my much neglected film SLR. they are a bit grainy because of the transfer from film to digital format. It was also raining in a few of these shots, not to mention the fact that the light in the desert is intense- so all of that added to a really interesting color and feel.

Quite Through Tunnel

I am currently in the process of developing a new thought process. Trying at each moment to be positive. To catch myself when my thoughts and my words come out in a negative manner, either about myself or about someone else. I have come to realize I have no real control over things- but I can make choices to help shape an out come. There is a subtle difference, and it has taken me a long time to sink into realizing what that difference is.



Part of this is a practice of ahisma- it is my yoga practice that I carry on throughout the day. I might not find myself in down dog or virabadrasan I each day, but I can start to make my record skip on positive words and thoughts.

So I am being quite through the tunnel of transformation- instead of screaming and honking as I walk through the darkness towards the new light. I look and see the white tiles along the walls of the tunnel and see that sometimes clean and shiny walls, and sometimes I see graffiti sprayed messages.

Neither one is better than the other, it is just nice to notice and see the sights as I go...

~~~EDITED TO ADD~~~
and because it is FRIDAY and since everyone else seems to be posting there "very firsts", and because I haven't hit the booth in awhile, AND because we are TRYING, yes TRYING to get the baby "mojo" flowing in this body of mine (there I said it)(yes, you read that right-can some of you beautiful, pregnant woman come over and rub my belly so that I can get a little o' the babe luck up in this joint?)
I give you this very wonderful, hyserical and classic photobooth strip of Andy and his 'rents at a most adorable age...

now get on over to Hula's for some more action from the back section.
(I am so having a rap off right now with Angelaand that was just for her- name it girl, name it.)

Almost as good as a photobooth Friday

We never made it to a photobooth last weekend. There were so many things to pick from to do with ourselves. We could have filled up a week with running around and site seeing and still not hit everything the 5 of us wanted to do.
I snapped this as we were headed up to the shoe department in Nordstrom's (can someone please explain to me the draw of this place? (not the shoe dept, Nordstrom's) I don't get it? Is there any other store that people will proclaim on their license plate holder as a place "they would rather be"? Isn't Nordi's just a glorified Macy's, and isn't Macy's just a glorified Ross?)
Any way, like I was saying- I snapped this shot as we were headed up to the shoe department. Someone noticed that we were reflecting nicely in the elevator doors.... I took the shot and there you have it.


I took a few more as well. (I made them shut the doors and go up and down a few times- aren't I nice?)


I kinda like the ones where no one is paying attention.
I have known these girls forever. I have been roommates with two of them and known one of them pretty much since birth. I feel really lucky that we continue to keep in touch. I am also pretty impressed that we didn't strangle each other while sharing one room, two beds and one bathroom for the weekend...Come on- that is a small space and lots of blowdryers-.

___
Now for some real booth action, go on over to the new Flickr group that Hula created...

TILT 1-25-06

I must say, when I visit San Fran I often get totally overwhelmed by the humanity and the chaos and all of it. I want to look at everything, take it all in and then I realize that I have taken in too much. Like a sponge that has reached the point of total absorbtion I can't hold any more stimuli. This weekend's trip was no exception. I wound up with a head ache right behind my eye. But I rallied and downed some water and an Alieve and was good to go.

One of the best things I saw this weekend was a few guys in the middle of Union Square holding up signs stating "FREE HUGS" and it brought me back. I didn't get a chance to get my free hug, but just seeing this made me feel like I was a person again... hugs do that to a me- they remind me of my love of personal contact, one on one converstaion and love.
I am a hugger. It is just how I was raised. We hug and often time give big old kisses to each other (this by the way totaly caught my man off gaurd the first time hanging with the fam).

What can I say.
But doesn't giving someone your energy and you taking theirs feel so amazing?

Today's TILT is dedicated to all you people out there that I can't hug because you live somewhere far away- but know that my arms are wrapping 'round ya and I am giving you a squeeze- oh and this ain't no "butt poking out" kinda hug(you know what I mean, the fake kind, the I am not sure if I want to touch you kind), this is a full contact- full energy kinda hug- MMMMM!

doing less

Because so many of you responded to this post (Thanks by the way, for all of your responses, encouragement and sharing that you feel quite similar to the way I was feeling the other day.)I thought I would share a link to something that showed up in my in-box today. I love when things like this come to me, as if I had asked for them personally.

Oh, and speaking of things that "came to me"... I found a message in a bottle this weekend.
Yes, I did.
And here is what the message said,
"To the beholder of this letter: Love is the most powerful thing in the Universe. Only worthy of all that can give it. If you have the power don't keep it to yourself.
Give Give Give
I LOVE YOU, Andrew and Rose..."
The note was in Grolsh bottle of beer, crumpled and slightly burnt on the edges... the girls kept telling me there was just a wrapper in there, but I saw the little burnt edges and wanted it to be more- to have a message. I love this type of thing. Perfect- you have to open your eyes and take a moment to see things for more then they appear sometimes.

On the way...

Photos and a review of the weekend spent with the T-town girls on the way. I didn't have a chance to upload pictures last night. Didn't take quite as many as I would have liked, but did get some really fun ones.

We had a great time. It was such a pleasure to spend time with the ladies that I have known since such a young age. There was lots of shopping, eating, exploring and tea. Not as much drinky-drinky as there used to be, but that is a good thing I think.

Stories and photos tonight!