Still life

There are so very often random photos on my phone. Both my middle and youngest daughter can't seem to keep their hands off of the phone, and random photos seem to be their thing. Mostly, especially if the preschooler is in charge, they are blurry photos, beyond recognition.

If my 9 year old is the culprit they may well be super close ups of her own face, which, because they are SO close, are rarely flattering. I mostly delete them all.

However, tonight, when I took a quick glance through my photos I came across this one taken by my 4 year old on Monday morning before school.

Let me assure you that the hour from 7 am  to 8 am at our house is busy, and loud, and sometimes frantic, and that I typically end up yelling. "Where are your shoes?!", "Why isn't your hair brushed?!", "What, are you kidding me? Your dance bag isn't packed yet?" and on and on and on and on it goes.

But this photo? Well this photo was snapped at ~7:55 am, on a school morning, right before departure time, this very week, and  it looks so damn peaceful, doesn't it? So bright and domestic and real and true, and I just can't get enough of it. I love our house. I love those widow-cabinets. I love my girls. I love that my way too long hair can currently only be contained in some throw-back plastic banana clip contraption. I love that super orange sweater. I love the hint of motion. I love that I am not yelling.

I get that it probably does not make you, or anyone--even the midget photographer--nearly as happy as it does me, but really this IS what it's all about right? The little moments, the daily routine, the things we do with love, or love and resentment, or purely from a sense of duty that make our minutes, our days, our lives. Welcome to mine. Sorry, but you're too late for breakfast.

Serenity Now

Life can sometimes get a little overwhelming.

And there is only one thing to do at a time like this.

Find water.

And find a Full Moon.

Here in the godforsaken northeast we're still months and months away from beach weather . . .

. . . but, beach weather or not, we have a spectacular River . . .

. . . and blood moon lunar eclipse or not, every month we have a big full fat moon . . .

. . . and occasionaly the River and the Full Moon and the ferries all come together and everything is, at least momentarily, perfect.

When in Portland

I had myself a lovely time in Portland. I have a personal rule that precludes me from blabbing too much work related content here on the blog, but this was my annual very favorite conference, and it did not disappoint. 

I did not see enough of my green boyfriend this time around. We were centered around our downtown location, and the days were so packed that I hardly had time to set forth on any level of adventure beyond a brisk walk around the block in between every workshop session. It's a great block, though. And a great city. 

Next time you visit Portland, I strongly suggest that you cap off any night with a visit to JT at Huber's Cafe. Have a spanish coffee. I tried both and have to say I preferred the iced version. Pay no mind to suggestions that it's too touristy, especially if you're a tourist.  

Gajah Mina

So, this, my friends, is a Gajah Mina. This particular Gajah Mina gave quite the decent back massage if you stood in its spray, and is the namesake of the property where I stayed in Bali last month.

This is the small temple across from my villa at Gajah Mina. It's where I gratefully left my neti pot offering on the last morning I was there.

Another view from my lanai, with the rain coming down. It would pour rain, for a short while, then typically go back to full sun minutes later. It was never cold. Not even in the middle of the night. Perfect!

Pool shot. (Hi there, Gajah Mina!)

One of the cows in residence. There were four or five, one of them a cute calf. They hung out in  the grassy clearing between the guest rooms and the dining and reception area, their cow bells chiming softly when they took a stroll.

The beach to the right of the property,

which had a cool,  walk through arch

View of the bridge that took us from one side of the property to the other. For me, from my room, the the yoga space, pictured below.

Yoga space. Yes, that's the ocean right below. It was amazing  practicing day after day with the constant ocean's roar in the background, with three sides of the structure open to the lush green beyond.

Aw, villa # 5. My home, which I shared with my roommate and new friend Kate,  for 10 days.

Our pretty door from the other side of the villa.

And one of my very favorite things about Gajah Mina, our outside shower.

With gorgeous stone work.

And more than ample space. I think it's the biggest shower I've ever been in.

Awesome Gajah Mina sunset #1

#2

And #3.
I tell ya, I miss that place!!

Symbol Of Might To The Foe

They did it!

The UConn men won their 4th championship, the first under their studly new head couch -- and one of our favorite former UConn players -- Kevin Ollie on Monday night.

And on Tuesday night? The women won their 9th. Their 9th. Under the sure and sarcastic guidance of Geno Auriemma.

What a weekend it was. Because please don't forget that the Final Four games for the men and women, to get to those championship games, were Saturday and Sunday evenings, respectively.

We have been bleeding blue around here like you read about.

Apparently, everyone who is not from Connecticut hates UConn. I read it somewhere so it must be true. But you know what? I don't care. Because I don't hate them. I opposite-of-hate them. I love them. I've been bleeding blue since my first day of classes in Storrs in the Fall of 1981. And all my fair co-Huskies -- including Mistah -- concur.

We bleed blue around here.

It is, my people, the Year of the Huskies.

And there's only one thing to do at a time like this.

Here's the music:

And here are the words:

(Many thanks to the archives of my friend Christine, 

famous former UConn Marching Band trumpet player)

Go Huskies!

My Green Boyfriend

Wednesday throwback, and I know this looks really weird and line-y and you can only see parts of the photos, but I can't fix it right now. I've got to pack!

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 27, 2012

verde

Last Thursday morning around 9, I was here:

Last Thursday night around 9, I was here:

Same day, same coast, and it could be the same scene, but the trees give it away.

I had a whirlwind weekend rendezvous with the glorious trees in Portland.  This is the first tree I developed a schoolgirl crush on, I took this photo just a few blocks from our hotel in one of the plentiful downtown parks that pepper the city.

That's a cute tree, so very tall and stately. It retained its charm for me even after I became  half blind with tree love for its myriad cousins in Washington Park.

These guys were less about statuesque and more about lush. Lush, lush, lusciously lush.

I was one with the green, right down to my soggy little so-cal toes in their silly sandals, which I quickly ensconced in newly purchased tights and Wellies.

Sure, I maintained a soft spot for my tall, dark and handsome big boys.

So stately and studly and solitary

I loved how the light played on the singletons, tickling the flaura.

But my favorite were the spots where all that green filled up my senses, surrounding and slaying me.

And how freaking adorable is that path? Don't you just want to skip?

A meadow of wildflowers?! Don't you want to just frolic?

Come on.

Really?

Portland is my green boyfriend.

I was so smitten, so satiated.

Everywhere I looked, I was filled up with green.

Out the windows

Through the windows

In the windows

Everywhere.

My trip was so short, I hardly had time to explore a teeny tidbit of what Portland has got going on. As I flew home on Sunday, I looked out one more window

Oh, Portland.