nesting/traveling/seasonal changes

Perhaps I should start with seasonal changes. As the days shorten, the weather cools, the Giants win the World Series, I have this instinctive turning inward. There is an urge to make ravioli, talk to the cat, and stay close to home. But October is one of the nicest months of the year to travel. I have a theory that people who are true nesters, myself being one, like to travel to the same places. We, or I, want to know what we are getting into, and we return to places that make us comfortable. The aspens turning yellow and cottonwoods gold are the familiar colors of autumn. I feel an urge to drink up the brightness, to save it for the winter months.

We missed the peak color in Taos this year, but that is all right. It is good to know the seasons vary from year to year. That is knowledge gained from visiting the familiar nests. These nests may be by a river or inside a comfortable guest house. But indoors or out they seem a bit like home.

And now to wait for 2013 Spring training to start.

my fellow yogi

Yes those are toilet paper rolls stuffed into Kim's headdress. Kim is a seemingly normal member of society, a doctor who specializes in rehab at the VA hospital in Presocott, AZ. She was inspired by a photo from a magazine at collage night last night. Collage night was a rather raucous affair. Who would have thought that a group a yogis with glue sticks and scissors could raise such a ruckus. I have to admit I was sitting aside with Mike, and Larry, and Tim, knitting and viewing the Giants/Tigers game on I-phones. The previous evening I sat in the bathtub with a glass of wine in my hand, listening to Mike give me the game commentary off of MLB on our laptop. About the only TV I ever watch is baseball and wouldn't you know it I have been in place bereft of TVs.

This has been one of the most fun groups of people I have ever hung out with. All 18 of us have completely meshed with each other. There have been discussions at meals on concrete and other building materials, dogs, Sir Francis Drake, the Berkeley Food Pantry, the Giants and then the Giants again. We all linger after meals changing seats to talk to the ones we didn't sit next to at the meals. There are several knitters, a couple of fisherman, some serious runners, and someone who propagates native plants. I received a Reiki treatment from Stephanie yesterday afternoon which, along with a couple of twisting postures, seemd to pop my ailing back into a healthier alignment. I will learn to be more cautious pulling my luggage from the airport carousel from now on.
Tonight will be our last evening together, and who knows what the conversation will be.

greetings from new mexico

Perhaps one of the reasons I find New Mexico comfortable is the political climate is not unlike the bay area.
Obama signs far outnumber Romey's. We arrived in Taos Sunday via Albuquerque and Santa Fe. Bowl of pozole consumed, fishing license purchased and wine procured, we settled into the Mabel Dodge Luhan house, our home for a few days.

Mike and I are nesters and we like to travel to familiar places. My theory of nesting will be explained in a later post. I have come to do yoga, and Mike has come to fish.

His t-shirt reads: eat, sleep, read, but a line, fish, should be added. This is our 5th visit to this venue, and my 6th. I did a solo trip one year, but I missed the fisherman. I am much more relaxed about the yoga this year, I think I enjoy the stay at Mabel's, the Taos October light, and cottonwoods on the Rio Grande as much as the yoga. This group of 18 of us, however, 14 practitioners, one teacher, and 3 non-practicing husbands is proving to be a good one. This morning Stephanie and my outstretched arms joined hands in one of the those moments where a connection much deeper than the physical practice of yoga took place. This afternoon I took a walk down Penitente Lane. A very pleasant ritual for me.

At the end of the stations there is a cross and  below the cross offerings.

artemis update

Our massive wing has appeared. Not attached to anything but a crane at this moment, but at least it is not in pieces like Oracle's. We are looking forward to seeing it attached to it's hull.

dia de los muertos

On Friday night we went to the Oakland Museum where we were able to view this year's altars. This put us in the spirit of the holiday.

yes, the pirate

As I suspected, the halloween doggie appeared the first of the month. It took me a few days to get up the courage to photograph. Along the way home the other day I also came across a couple of choice decorations and classy front porches.

visitors from the south

From the south I mean southern hemisphere. Ray and Gay joined us from Auckland, New Zealand this weekend. It's been 16 years since we saw each other, and no one would have thought that from our conversations. They now have three grown children and a two year old granddaughter. The granddaughter brought them to Seattle, and brave and hardy souls, they traveled by Amtrak down to visit us.
We brought them out to Point Reyes on Sunday, our go to spot for taking tourists and ourselves. There we spotted this group of "twitchers". So what are they looking at?

After four nights of conversation, meals, and drinks we put our Kiwi friends on a plane back to Auckland last night with promises of us making a trip to New Zealand sometime in the future. We are starting to save our pennies.