Holiday Time

November started out with me traveling to Florida for a reunion with family.  I spent better than three weeks in the Jacksonville area with my daughter and her family.  An unexpected adventure occurred when, as I mall shopped after sunset one Saturday, the power went out.  I took a seat just outside an anchor store and waited for power to resume.  It did not.  I then had the realization that unlike the smaller stores, the anchor store was not shuttering up the entry.  Holiday shopping with unsecured entry seemed risky and I decided to make my way outside!  I never found out why the power was out, but gratefully there were no incidents.  I must say that while I sat in dim light waiting, the voice of Peace Corps Security Officer, Simeon screamed through my head, "RED, RED, RED!"  I must give thanks for my safety and security training received in Peace Corps.

I was proud to be present the long Veteran's Day weekend as the Navy family took holiday pictures.  I was able to sneak in one good shot with grandson!

During this visit, I would help Gabriella make her FIRST letter to Santa!

As we progressed to Thanksgiving, my son and his son arrived from Maryland. 

We are all seen here about to take our happy selves out to a lovely Thanksgiving dinner with extended family.

Additionally, my Peace Corps friend, Fran drove in from Ft. Lauderdale. 

We enjoyed the Thanksgiving meal at my son in law's brother's home in Fernadella Beach. We all joined hands and recognized we had much to be thankful for.

Prior to leaving Florida I reunited with another Peace Corps friend, Lauren and her significant other, Greg. We enjoyed lunch together in St. Augustine and took the tram after sunset, enjoying the Nights of Lights complete with cocoa at the finish.

I returned to Arizona on December 2 and stayed with a couple of friends in Phoenix prior to returning home to Star Valley, beautiful RIM COUNTRY! I give thanks for friends who hosted me, Beverly Ward on the East side

and Sherry Bigley on the Northwest side. 

I got myself across the vastness of the Valley of the Sun by Valley Metro Bus and Valley Metro Rail.  I wanted to know for myself just how the rail operated even though I knew it would take hours.  Indeed, it was two hours and 40 minutes.  I was pleased with the experience, especially since I could sit back and take in the sights and changes over the many years.

My friend, Sherry and I attended the annual Business Office Supervisor lunch.  I had only been one other time and was ever so happy to see so many that I recognized and could visit again with.  After lunch Sherry took me to the airport where I would meetup with my mountain transportation, returning me to Star Valley.  

I had thought I would tuck myself in for the month of December, enjoying the sights and sounds of the Payson, AZ area.  I would see a school concert, a hand bell concert and Handel's Messiah - all for no charge!  Say what you want about your big city experiences, but I will stick to the little community events.

Just days before Christmas I decided to rent a car and go to visit my Vegas sisters.  After all, we did lose one this year. It was time to gather, cry, laugh and tell stories.  So, off I went.  We piled into my rental and drove to LaJolla, CA to see my nephew, Kellan perform a family tradition of the one man show, "One Christmas Carol".  You would expect me to say he was awesome, and so he was!  I hope my friends in AZ, NV, UT, CA can see him next year!  We drove back to Vegas the following day.  I enjoyed gathering and celebrating on Christmas, returning home the 26th.

And so, we come to the end of a very active year in many ways.  If nothing else, I have learned that only love matters. In spite of differences, hold your family members tight when you can.   I am blessed to be amid family and friends who take me as I am.  I look forward to sharing space with many in 2018.  Here's to health and serenity!

October Shenanigans

So, this month I would be meeting the family of a fellow Peace Corps volunteer.  Kristin nearly completed the 12 weeks of PC training before she made the decision that it really was not for her.  She abruptly left Guyana in the spring of 2014.  Shortly after returning to her home state of Washington she decided life on earth was not for he either.  So many unanswered questions remain now in 2017!  After the tragic news, I became Facebook friend's with Kristin's mother, Julie. While completing service in Guyana, I learned that the family comes together every fall to walk the "Out of Darkness" walk in Seattle.  I promised Julie that I would join the family on that walk as soon as I returned from Guyana.  Well, I missed last year as I had just had back surgery, but I vowed to make it this year.  I found fellow Returned Peace Corps Volunteers (RPCV) Ashley Harrel from California and Chiedum Nwabuokei (Chi) of Seattle able to join me!  Here are the two of them participating in signing Kristin's board before the walk. 

Gratefully, it was a blue sky day with sun, albeit a bit chilly. It took place near the Space Needle which can seen through the trees full of autumn leaves.

Below: Me, Julie, Ashley, Katie (Ashley's sister) and Chi

After the walk we all met up for a get together at a lunch favorite of Julie's.  We had a good time getting to know each other after such a long time!

Mid afternoon I met up with folks I had not seen since their wedding in the 80's! 

Debbie and Wally picked me up and we toured the Chihuly Glass and Glass display. 

Below is a bit of the outdoor display of glass art at Chihuly Garden and Glass.  This is a remarkable exhibit that showcases the art of Dale Chihuly. 

 Indoor portion of the display. I just had to get in the picture proving I was present!

My personal favorite was a wooden boat filled with beautiful, dazzling baubles!

Or maybe it is this amazing ceiling!  Finding the eight cherubs looking down on us was fun. Pictures do not do the displays justice!

 Wally was intent on showing me as much as possible as I would leave the next day.  He showed me West Seattle and what do I think is notable?  The minion, of course!

Then on to another "Only in Seattle" sight....that of the FREMONT TROLL!  Google it! Lastly, just at sunset we visited Ballard Locks, located on the west end of Salmon Bay.  The locks provide a link for water travel between the saltwater of Puget Sound and the freshwater of the Ship Canal.  Then,  we were off to a lovely fish dinner.  I am grateful to all of the kind folks I encountered in Seattle during my brief stay. 

 

Debbie and Wally would drop me at the very well accommodated AIRBNB I had booked. I would get a good night's rest and be off to the Seattle Airport and head "North to Alaska" in the morning!

I flew into Anchorage and had a bit of a layover before I took a small Ravn Air flight to Kodiak Island.  No, I would not be hunting as 90% of the flight seemed to be doing.  I was off to see fellow Returned Peace Corps volunteer, Michelle Weekly!

It was chilly, not cold and I was expecting 40ish degrees during my stay.  But, SURPRISE!

I awoke the morning to 4" of snow!  Beautiful!!

A nice day to stay inside, tucked into a hammock (Guyanese style) with Drake...the cat.

This.  This really reminded me of the countless livestock on the roads of Guyana.  But, here I was in Alaska!  My last state to check off a bucket list!

At the beach...no, it was not balmy.  Yet, it was beautiful.

Out watching for bears.

YIKES!  Let me not startle one of these bears?  I was on a mission to see, but not this close!

We were fortunate to spend an afternoon at a house on the beach.  I had inadvertently locked Michelle's car WITH HER CARS KEYS INSIDE!  Luckily, we connected with a friend that was willing to go to Michelle's house and retrieve her spare, then drive the hour plus to rescue us! 

In the meantime, it was a relaxing and beautiful visit to a serene part of the island.

I was intrigued by the eagle feather collection in the window.  The US National Bird can be seen in abundance in Alaska.  I was quite amazed at the number of eagle nests being revealed in fall.  They were enormous!

One day was dedicated to a walk about Kodiak and museum hops to Alutiq Museum and Baranov Museum. The later was originally a Russian - American magazin, a former warhouse built between 1805 and 1808.  Below is the Holy Resurrection Church (Russian Orthodox), built in 1945. It replaces one which burned in 1943. However, Russian Orthodox were established on this property in the 1700's.

Behind me and Michelle is a skeleton of a 36 foot Gray Whale on display at

Kodiak National Wildlife Refuge.

I took a walk about Michelle's neighborhood and discovered a most interesting fence!

The day before leaving Kodiak, Michelle was just certain we would see bears.  We might just need to spend the entire day searching - like the hunters must.  She took me to a bridge where bears had been sighted recently and sure enough.  There was MAMA out in the water.  She laid in it.  She toyed with the salmon.  She watched out for her two cubs on the bank.  Eventually, she would trap a salmon, kill it and prepare it for the cubs.  She was so close that I could hear the salmon's bones collapse in her jaws.  The cubs made their way to MAMA and ate the oil laden skin.  Soon to follow would be the circling birds to pick off the rest of the meal. I met a photographer that takes AMAZING pictures.  This, I borrowed from sstone_images.  Go see his photos on Instagram!

Time for reflection from the hammock.  The views from Michelle's place were so lovely!

My mission complete, it was now time to return home.  Sights from the plane were curtained by clouds, yet once in a while I would get a peek of a glacier.  I will need to return to Alaska for a more comprehensive look around the state!

Home in time to get in costume for Halloween!

Part 2 September 2017 Vacation : Maine!

As a desert rat, I rarely get to the Northeast.  Here I was flying out and back into JFK from my Italian vacation and it occurred to me that maybe I could follow my friends, Susan and John back home to Bailey Island, Maine.  I know, I can be bold.  I asked and they welcomed the idea!  So here's how that worked out.

I was pretty careless booking the flight from NYC to Portland, Maine.  Looking back, it would have made sense to build in a LOT of time.  My flight out of London arrived an hour and 40 minutes late at JFK, landing about 9:20 PM.  Needless to say, I missed the last flight of the night into Portland, Maine and had to rebook for the following morning.  I spent the night in JFK airport and took the shuttle to LaGuardia at 6 AM.  I reached the calm and beautiful airport in Portland, Maine about 10:30 AM, giving us all day to begin Patty's introduction to the state of Maine.  Now, I admit that my parents likely had in the state as a toddler, but who remembers those days?

My Maine hosts, Susan and John.

Izzy and Brodie...aren't they cute? 

Yes, I did plenty of this once I got to their house!  They did too since they came to the airport twice to fetch me!  Oh, the joy of traveling internationally.

So, after settling in I just settled in some more!  I thoroughly enjoyed making myself at home, mostly relaxing and looking at the incredible views from decks at their home.  I got a kick out of a neighbor.  Each sunset he stepped to the back of his property, closer to the water and sounded a conch!  I was told to be glad I wasn't there when he had the cannon!  The funny thing was that we could  occasionally hear a response from the other side!

Notice the pretty fog in the distance.

My first night there Susan prepared Maine lobster, of course!
One day we cooked gazpacho and canned pickles!

During the week, Susan and I enjoyed a Girls Day out and made our way to Rockland by way of Moody's Diner in Waldoboro, Maine where we had the traditional lobster roll.

We stopped in Thomaston at the Maine State Prison Store where I bought souvenirs stamped as such. 

The site was used in 'The Shawshank Redemption' book.  However, I learned later the movie was done in Ohio with sets made to look like Maine.  Oh, Hollywood! Once in Rockland we visited the Farnsworth Art Museum where we saw Wyeth (NC, Andrew or Jamie) adorning many walls.  

Later in the week John would join us for a trip to the most magnificent farmers market I have ever seen in Bath, Maine.  I discovered husk tomatoes and corn sprouts!  These folks in Maine have it going on!

I was graced with four days of sun and 3 of fog, making the place quite eerie! A walk in the nearby cemetery....I came across a few headstones that read, "Lost at sea." Oh, my! 

On my last day there, Susan showed me Land's End and Giant's Stairs and McIntosh Lot. 

(www.hhltmaine.org)

The hurricane season was just starting to show in the Northeast.  The water was very choppy making for beautiful splashes.

It was warmer than it looks.

It was a choppy sea that gave big splashes.

Foggy scenes of the island the day before I left.

Lobsterman statue at Land's Ending

This was all of the fall colors I would see.  I returned to Rim Country and found about the same in my own back yard!

Fun fact....Maine has a higher percentage of elderly population than Arizona!

Here is a sampling of Susan Ferraro's fiber art work and space. 

What you cannot see is the three dimensional aspect of her pieces.

She aims to please and you can reach her here: artisancsf@comcast.net

Now, my Maine vacation would come to an end but I got a surprise at the airport.  I volunteered on an overbooked flight and got $$$ for the next adventure!  Follow up with me in a month!!

"Instead of trying to make your life perfect, give yourself the freedom to make it an adventure, and go ever upward." Drew Houston