An excursion to the Bahamas

The hummer we were searching for. I got to be the photographer this trip! Fun! This little guy was a good model.
Fancy hummer in a lovely setting. The island we were on was amazingly colorful. The weather spectacular. The food delicious (when I could get things besides seafood). Here are a few shots . . .Really, Jozz, you should get on FB to see many more photos! These are only a couple.

Subbing Isn't Half Bad.

It's only 1/3 bad. Not much adult human interaction. Teachers, at least the ones here, aren't very interested in getting to know subs. Or maybe it's the plethora of little gold crosses dangling from most necks that puts me off so as not to attempt to get to know them. I don't know, but the actual subbing is much better that I'd expected. I kind of like that I don't have things to take home. I like that I can leave school at 3:45. I like that I can get up one day and say, "I don't feel like going to work today!" and not go, and not have any consequences.

Schools in CT seems to being doing something right. It sort of reminds me of when I went to school. Most districts are NOT using a (horrible, awful, uninteresting, cumbersome, ineffectual) standardized text for reading/writing/math. They actually still have P.E., music, computers, science, and recess, AND still have time/money to cover the basic academic cores. They even still have school nurses and libraries!

What is throwing me off (or should I say "uuuuuooff"), is the awful CT accent that even the littlest kiddies have already acquired. Too bad, they were so cute until they opened their mouths!

Boston!

We went to Boston for Halloween weekend.

Spurred on by the prospect of Morris related festivities in the Boston area, we headed north. I dropped CC off with his friends from Berkeley, and I headed to an unknown morris gathering in Somerville. Red Herring and, uh, another group, did a Samain dancing, complete with Halloween type songs, some familiar dances/tunes, audience inclusive dances and a silent labyrinth walk (after an "anti-morris" walk led by a horse head and dancers in silent blacks). Kinda interesting to see a silent morris dance. Still, I have permanent bells in my head, so that accompanied the visuals. They invited me in on a stick dance I'd not done before, and also the mass Tinner's Wabbits. Fun! Inclusive! Groupy! Morrisy!

After, we all did a Mummers play for a mile or so, tromping through the fabulous mounds of Autumn leaves, past the kiddies in scary costumes and the very festivility purveyed houses (made those words up I think), all under the haunting full moon.

But that's not all! The evening continued with song and food. The Single Malt Song Society invited me along (I partaked in the song, but not the SM). And we sang beautiful and fun and harmonious songs like at home! Though I didn't actually know most of these songs, I joined in as best I could, and even sang Sheap Shearing before I left (some there knew it and helped me!). Though I was the only one to do the Abigail harmony part . . . it was fun, though I still didn't feel like a part of the group.

I DO like that Boston has a variety of morris teams, and they are social with eachother, doing fun morrisy things. Boston is a bit far though, 2+ hours is kind of far to drive on a regular basis.

Sunday was Boston proper. Oooooollllddd cemeteries, churches, Charles River with sailboats a float, funny accents, people playing Quiddich in the Boston Common park! and Leaves!! everywhere. see some pretty photos. I made leaf art too. You know, I LOVE walking, more like frolicking, through the deep crispy crumply fluffy piles of leaves!

Such beautiful friends

Thank you!
I love the photos.
i love the earrings.
i love the wooden egg thingys.
I love the buckeye.
I love the persimmon seeds.
I love the naked people postcard.
I love you guys!

Berries of Blueness

Last weekend on our Rail-Trail bike ride on Cape Cod, we picked a huge load of blueberries and huckleberries. Tiny sweet flavorful pockets of juice. I found a few recipes in which to make use of them. Pancakes, on French Toast, Lemon-Blueberry Scones, and finally, Mini Blueberry Tarts. I couldn't believe how long our supply lasted.

Easterly winds blow colder

I miss the West.
I miss my Berkeley Morris family.
I miss friends in Oakland.
I miss Jupiter's porter and pomegranate cider. (and local microbreweries in general)
I miss singing.
I miss Bledington.
I miss Athiests.
I miss local nurseries and gardening shops.
I miss real bread.
I miss Berkeley Bowl.
I miss having 3 NPR stations to choose from (and having at least one come in tune to my alarm clock)

It's not the same here.

New friends in the land of the lost

We've made friends with the downstairs neighbors, which is both convenient and fun! It's like living with BT2 again, but with locking doors in between. And two wiener dogs yipping at your heels. We've introduced them to a few board games, which gives much hope for those long cold winter evenings ahead.
Yay, winter!!

Postcards from the West Edge

Beautiful mail from beautiful friends! Lemurs frolick and dance, while scrumptious English tea (with crumpets and clotted cream!) makes me hungry, and creative energy flows straight from the "public transport guy". This is the view from my desk. Thanks Jozz, Jonathan and Britt!

101 Uses for Surplus Garden Tomatoes

(well, not actually 101, but many!)

*enchiladas
*salsa
*tomato bisque
*pasta sauce
*lasagna
*tomato and squash curry
*tomato, basil and fresh mozz salad
gazpacho
ratatouille
baked stuffed tomatoes with cheese, herbs and bread crumbs
dry 'em (with the sun or dehydrator)


* made this in the past week. Will have to get around to the rest of the list soon before the local produce market runs low on the fruits of summer! Cheating? I don't have a garden yet, but the tiny market, Romeo's, has tons of HUGE (1/2 lb each) beefy delicious local toms for cheap right now. Yum. My favorite so far has been the enchiladas or the bisque.

The stats

4850 miles
17 states
16 days
12 shiny and colorful rocks
6 national parks
uncountable numbers of bugs
2 grumpy travelers
1 filthy disorganized car

PD: RoadTrip: Chicago to Connecticut

If South Dakota was flat, then Minnesota was an ironing board. At least the bugs weren't as bad. At some points, we had to stop and scrape open a field of vision in the windshield.

When we made it into Wisconsin, I realized that we were really close to my mom's side of the family, and it would be nice to say hi to them. Drove into Milwaukee and knocked on my cousin's door (he owns and runs a bar there, and lives upstairs). Jim was there, and felt slightly guilty for waking him up at 5pm, but that went away with the look of astonishment and excitement on his face after a pause of him trying to figure out who the heck was knocking on his door in the middle of the afternoon.

We drove down into Chicago and met my friends Phil and Kate for dinner (fresh food! good food! ethnic food! with spices beyond salt and pepper!!). Their apartment is fabulous, as could be expected. They always have great home vibes. Funny, they're moving back to the Bay Area soon. In their reorganizing and consolidating efforts, they handed off to us a Poang (IKEA chair) and poof and a microwave for our new home.

We spent our day in Chicago biking along the lake (are they sure, it looks as big as an ocean). Went to the aquarium there and walked around downtown. Ate super deep-dish Chicago-style pizza for dinner (ahh, reminds me of Zacharay's).

Out from Chicago, we drove through Indiana and Michigan and into Ontario, Canada. We camped near Niagara Falls.

The Canadian side of the Falls was not what I expected. Or, at least, not what I expected from Canada. Contrary to logic, the AMERICAN side was the natural park, undeveloped, and serene. The Canadian side was touristy, full of cheesy crap, and way over-Disneyified. We got to see the falls (pretty huge and powerful) but failed to find even one informational plaque or sign telling us about the falls or its history, oh well.

Drove back into the US and across upstate New York into the Adirondacks. Pretty driving, but I think you have to know someone or know where you're going to actually get to a hiking spot or find an overview.

Drove through Vermont onto New Hampshire and to Lake Winepesaukee, where family friends Row and Hank live. I love visiting them and their house on the lake. We kayaked, learned loon calls, went for a mushroom walk, bought maple syrup and delicious cheddar.

South through MA and into CT. Arrived in New Haven in the afternoon. But our house was not ready yet. The relator put us up in a fancy schmancy bed and breakfast just up the road. Feather bed, hot water, fluffy towels. Free breakfast. Now we're in our new home.

PD: RoadTrip: Colorado to South Dakota

We left Utah via the scenic way, en route to my emotional and genetic homeland: Colorado, land of high mountains, gorgeous wildflowers and really really delicious bagels. Driving along the winding Colorado River valley was lovely. The rainbow colors of the rock and flowers and fields as we drove through the Rockies and into the plains on the eastern edge remind me why the state is so aptly named.

We made it to Denver and went straight to good friends, Ann-Marie and Ash's house. Played with their baby and ate fabulous Indian food (although a 4 month visit from out-of-country parents-in-law might get a little old after a while, the authentic Indian food is worth it!).

Next day I dropped off Chris near Estes Park where there just happened to be a hummingbird conference going on. I went back to Denver, where I ate my fill of "Moe's everything bagels with sundried tomato cream cheese." MMmmmmm.

In Denver, saw family friends and explored the bustling metropolis that Boulder will soon be. A very relaxed atmosphere, outdoor-oriented, artsy small college city that is getting a bit too big for its britches.

A few days later I headed to Estes to collect Chris and continue our Eastern drive. After a bit of a delay, I finally found Chris hustling down the highway about 8 miles from our pre-determined meeting place. Out for a jog? Got carried away chasing a bird?

Day hikes in Rocky Mountain National Park proved that you really need more than 4 hours in that park to get farther away from the road and into the higher part of the park. Saw a badger! But no bugeling elk.

On our way east/north out of the park, we found a local meadery. CO has quite a number of these. Tasted and bought some mead made from local honey.

Then to The Farm in North Eastern CO. Where dad grew up. We stuck Chris on a horse to have a quick giggle. Spent time with family I hadn't seen in a long time. It was nice. Next day happened to be the Marks Family Reunion. The huge pot-luck had all the classic mid-western highlights that you've come to love and hate: macaroni salad, fried chicken, marshmallow-topped brownies, and hamburger helper goo. My grandfather was one of 10 farming kids, so this was a reunion of all those related families (200 people?). Chris and I snuck out as quietly as possible when the host said, "OK, let's all introduce ourselves one at a time." (he meant EVERYone).

North through Nebraska (with a short stop at Cabella's hunting/fishing extravaganza!) to the Black hills in South Dakota. We began to notice the large number of bikers, then realized it was the week of the annual Sturgis Motorcycle Rally. Cool! I felt a little silly in a Subaru.

Camped at and visited Wind Cave national Park. I hadn't heard of this park, and was surprised to learn that it was the 6th in the nation (after King's Cyn and Sequoia, around 1900). Huge extensive cave system (100s of miles of connected caverns), with interesting calcite formations. Lots of buffalo in the park too. Ate a buffalo bratworst. Chris had a buff burger.

On the way out of the Black Hills, we drove quickly through Badlands National Park (quickly because it was WAY too hot to leave the A/C for more than a few minutes, and compared to Canyonlands, this just wasn't as spectacular as I'd expected. yes, spoiled.)

The long boring stretch of I90 in South Dakota was broken up by a stop at Wall Drug and counting the inconprehensible number of bugs squashed onto the front of the car. This was the buggiest stretch of the country for sure.

Next: Chicago to CT

Post Dated: Road Trip: CA to Utah

We left Oakland in the early morning, amidst Bay fog and foggy eyes and fogged brains. Kinda quiet. Silence seemed to be the soothing factor when leaving the place I love with the man I love for a place I didn't yet love after a very fun evening of love (dance) and most of my friends that I love . . .
Made great time to Reno (3 hours) in the early hours. Then we started listening to InkSpell, which I'd started reading years ago, but never actually finished.

Our first night brought us to Provo, UT and Sara W., newt-seeker extraordinaire! Provo is kinda scarily perfect. Yes, it's the Mormon capital of the world. All the houses have perfect white fenced outlining perfectly manicured green lawns, with perfect beautiful children chasing perfect golden retrievers, down un-cracked sidewalks. All the cars parked on the super wide roads are washed, all the houses have perfect paint. And all the perfect Mormon girls with their cute outfits and matching little handbags are concealing handguns oiled to perfection. Apparently, they do all carry these for protection. Against whom, I have no idea.

We did a beautiful hike in Provo Canyon with waterfalls and hummingbirds. Saw a number of perfect Mormon families (they are prolific!).

Then we headed South a few hours to 9 mile Canyon, where we camped for the night. The petroglyphs there were very cool.

Next day to Arches National Park. Very hot. 100F. A/C is good! We did a couple of short hikes, running from tree to bush for shade, when there was any. I was surprised at all the people wearing flip flops/flats and carrying no water in the middle of the day on these 5 mile/no shade trails. hmmm, and these people reproduce?

Arches is beautiful, with the red stone and amazing, well, arches. But next door, is Canyonlands National Park, which is just gorgeous. Spent the afternoon and evening in Canyonlands. Did a sunset hike along a ridgetop. Incredible views of millions of years of geologic formation and change. Amazing!

Chris antagonized a man who was wearing a t-shirt:
"Evidence of Noah's Flood:
1. Canyons, Valleys
2. Lakes
3. Rivers
4. Mountians"
etc. etc. blah blah

It was pretty funny. The guy was completely serious and turned to his wife, and looking out over the canyonlands says, "it's it amazing that God created this just a few thousand years ago!?"

We left them to take a dip in the Colorado River, them camped on BLM land outside the park.

The next day we did a couple of beautiful hikes to canyons and arches and viewpoints.

Next: Colorado

School's out

School is FINALLY out for summer! But for me, it's an extended summer, with an indefinite ending. Im soooooo glad to be done with these 7th graders. It's been a difficult, emotionally and physically, few months.

CC mentioned today a possible schedule for the next few months: Costa Rica in Sept, Guatemala in late Oct., Columbia in Jan. , and Pery in Feb. Hard life, eh?!

Baby baby baby

He's on his way, I think. BT's off to the hospital. I'd like one too, though I maybe could do without the laboring.

I sort of just realized I'm moving soon. In a month and a couple of weeks. Wow. I won't be around to really see the baby grow. That makes me really sad. And already lonely.

Funk

I'm in one. I got really annoyed today at CC. I find it awfully frustrating his lack of planning. I wish I had spent the evening by myself. Or with my friends. Or crafting. Or reading. Or cooking. Or cleaning. Or organizing. Or playing a game. Or dancing. Or writing. Or . . . . but I watched a very poorly made and pointless movie with a small group of people with whom I feel I really don't have anything in common. And there was very yucky beer there. And poor parenting techniques. And non-delicious pizza. Oh, the horror! Poor me.

Gang mentality of 12 year olds

The 7th graders are actually worse than the 8th graders, if that's even possible. They are mostly nice-ish when separated from their own kind, but are AWFUL when they're herded. I keep coming back to the disbelief that kids these days can be so disrespectful and rude to teachers. The other 7th grade teacher and I kvetch about these little jerks all the time. It's nice to know it's not just me they're picking on.

One girl screamed at me yesterday when I sent her out of the room for being disrespectful. It was so outrageous that other teachers down the hall and the principal heard her.

Another little hoodlum was a little ass today when he was going around bad mouthing the low grade I gave him for a project he did a crappy job on. When I tried to point out the detailed grading rubric, he kept interrupting me and talking back. Sent out.

I'm kind of happy there's swine flu going 'round the school right now. It's keep some of them home!

Nine-year Quilt

Front/Back

Finally finished it! Yay! Now it's off into a box to be forgotten, then rediscovered in a few months' time. It's funny how projects for myself take a lot longer to complete than the ones for others . . .

"I will go East," she said, then giggled nervously and looked wistfully at the sunset over the bay.

I'm excited. But also scared. Sad. Dreamy. Reminiscent. Worried. Giddy. Stressed.

I've never lived east of the Rockies. I LOVE the idea of snow in winter. HATE the idea of humidity. Not so sure about the so called "mountains" they claim are in New Hampshire and Western MA. How can it be a real mountain if it's only 6000 feet high? And what about Mexican food??!!
But there are sooooo many things to explore. And places to see. People to meet and learn from. Photos to take. This is an adventure. I miss everyone already.

The 13 year olds were nice compared to 12 year olds!

They just keep getting worse. Well, maybe they are just hormonal. It is spring afterall. And they'll be 8th graders soon enough (though not soon enough for my tastes-- the school year is soooooo long). This group of little angels is more of a gang. They have secret signs and codes. They rally each other to stick up for the injustices of cruel and unreasonable adults (teachers). Yeesh. I don't think middle school is my place. Though I do like that I can concentrate on just one subject. I'll someday figure out my calling, but I haven't yet done so.

13 is too young to have a nemesis

Or should I say that 13 is too young to actively pursue a one-sided nemesis relationship. But that's exactly what 3 of my 8th graders are up to these days. Oh, I'm apparently the enemy. Or at least they've decided that my class is the one in which they want to have a truancy war.
Oh well, only 6 more weeks with these little angels. Then it's back to the 7th grade angels.

13 year olds. Need I say more?

Well, I guess I could. These children these days are so disrespectful and pompous. Arrogant, immature and irresponsible. There is always someone there to hold their hand or even to do work for them when they decide not to do so for themselves. There are no consequences for NOT doing it themselves. And they have absolutely no sense of self responsibility in actions, behaviors, attitudes. When you call them on it, it's someone else's fault. Most likely yours.

I have one very terribly awful 8th grade class, and one not quite as bad. I can't force them to have fun by doing hands on science activities, and I can't make them shut their mouths. But I can force them to do boring book work like copying the text word for word, or answering chapter questions. This, strangely, quiets them down for a short amount of time. But it makes me feel like a bad teacher. I WANT them to do the fun things, because it's more fun for me too.

It boils down to this: there is no follow through in the school's infrastructure to deal with children with a complete and total lack of respect for adult authority.

I like the 6th graders. Sweet, respectful and excited to learn.