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.

Pinwheel, pinwheel spinning around...

Does anyone else remeber that song from a show on Nickelodeon?
~~~
I feel like I am spinning right now- a little dizzy from the work week and prep for our trip. A little dizzy from teaching 4 classes in 3 days. A little dizzy just because that is how I am feeling lately.

I am looking forward to the therma-rest pad and the camp stove. Looking forward to the hiking boots and the tank tops. The the colors of the desert and the sand dunes...
to the magical energy that death valley holds.


Taken last Sunday on April 1st while strolling around downtown with Urban Climber and Andy.

There were hundreds of pinwheels stuck in the grass outside the Pioneer Center. despite the shiny goodness of it all in person, this shadow shot is one of my favorites from the day.

The new camera came yesterday. A few things missing (wide angle lens, car charger, and extra battery, big tri-pod) according to "Tommy" the things are on their way. I had a sinking feeling that we just handed over a pile of cash and got hosed, but I am going to keep telling that feeling to hush and know that those goodies are on the way.

Anticipation & Waiting

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.

Interingness and Flexibility

"A flexible imagination is just as important as a flexible body"


this photo is one of the "least interesting" according to Flickr.

Photo Taken at the Kayak Rodeo, downtown Reno @ Wingfield Park/Truckee River summer, 2005

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!

soggy

This weekend has been soggy, sloshy, wet and grey.
I couldn't be happier about it.
It has been raining since Friday.
Everything is damp, the pond in the back yard has grown and the ice in it has become a mini glacier.

I saw a double rainbow yesterday.
The dog got to play with a 1 year old and cracked me up the entire time, she also got to hang out with her favorite pit-bull/beagle and get muddy. (which means she got a bath too)
I got to visit with my mom and she made pesto (oh, the pesto).
I found a fabulous wee rocking chair at the thrift store along with some great
pillow cases,
knitting needles and
zippers.
Several things on my list have been checked off.
I pulled the "Creativity" card today from my stack of Angel Cards.
I am eating french toast and my Mukkah made the best froth ever today.
I am in my favorite ORANGE (Cal-Trans style) sweatshirt.
The sun keeps playing peak-a-boo with the earth.
Everything is soggy, sloshy, wet and grey (oh and maybe a bit greener too).

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.

Blur...

The week flew past in a blur.

Work was busy. Consultants, server conversions (when did I become an IT nerd?), deadlines and lots of phone calls from parents and the public. Teaching yoga after work got me home around 7:30 or 8 every night. Andy was equally as busy. He was up late writing staff reports and preparing for next week, which is a big one for him at work.



The new yoga classes went well. Thanks for all your kind words and encouragement!
I am thoroughly enjoying the use of my Christmas presents in class.
I have three enthusiastic 5 year olds and their mothers in my parent/child class. They make me laugh and I am looking forward to using the book, "The Giving Tree" next week to guide our practice. I love all the giggles and the excitement to pretend and make believe. When do we loose this gift? Do we keep it but just stuff it down? I wonder.... (actually been doing a lot of this kind of wondering lately... How can I bring in my imagination, playfulness and "self" back to my world every day? Working with these little humans is so good for me.)



The adult classes were both really great as well. I have groups who are not afraid to ask questions, and that is really great since I don't always know if I am making sense up there in front of the room. I have all levels and even some guys in the both the classes, which is really great. What I love most is that I leave class refreshed and re-inspired, something I hadn't expected after teaching (the inspired part, yes- the refreshed part, no).



We finally took down the tree and other holiday garb yesterday. (yes, I know. But I am not super woman and I don't have the time or the drive to always spend my weekends doing chores.) We also had a great dinner last night with friends and got to hang out with a two year old who loved Andy- I haven't seen him laugh so hard or turn that red in a long time. It was pretty cute.
Today was a sleep in day- I actaully stayed in bed until 9- a small miracle and tribute to how exhausted I am right now. It is lounge city here at the the Noodle House.

It is a short week coming up- what with tomorrow a holiday and Friday I take off from work and leave for a splendid weekend with 5 of my girls from high school. It should be a riot. We are headed to San Fran for choas , shopping and girl time. 4 of us are driving from Reno/ Nevada City and the other two are flying up from LA. I can hardly wait.
Road trips rock especially when they are with girls that you have know for so long and can be incredibly silly with.... lets hope the weather cooperates - the less snow the better.
Photos taken last April, on the beach in Cayucos, CA.
I am trying to pull from the archives, I realized how many photos I have that I need to look at again...

PS there is something fun going on. Wanna play? Check what Stacie has come up with now.

Reflecting

What an amazing past two days... I didn't have my camera, and that was okay (although this photo was taken at Donner Lake and is a perfect example of what we saw while shoeing along the beach). There were moments where I wish I had the camera in my hands, but then again I can't always take in the moment when I am looking at the screen of my camera.


Saturday was Acro Yoga and laughter with the Canary*. Helping my mom with some condo related stuff (anyone out there want to buy a condo on Donner Lake?). Decompressing from the condo related stuff by snow shoeing around the park at the East end of Donner Lake with my mom, my man and the dog. And finally, a stop and impromptu dinner with family in Truckee- Surf, Turf, and Coop was on the menu along with roasted butternut squash, grilled sweet potatoes and grilled eggplant- MMMM!

On Sunday, teaching yoga one on one to one of the most amazing 70 somethings I have ever met. Then hanging out with one of my girls who is preggers- so amazing, always amazing what is going on in a body of a woman who is pregnant... napping on the couch with the kratins since the puppy was out and about with the man, and finally dinner with some more friends and more down to earth conversation ranging from dating to acupuncture to work to working out.... so real, so amazing, so alive today.
Thanks everyone for such an amazing recharge this weekend... Next weekend will not be as luxurious. I must get that tree down and out of the house, vacuum and all that goes with cleaning up the house after the holidays, can't someone do this for me?