Quite an Encounter

I watched them

through the crack of the back of the seat

As their heads met in the middle at

the height of a whisper

I heard her laugh then, a deep rumble of delight

at something quite funny

he must of said

They talked, and they laughed with hardly a pause

as the plane flew north into the night

I didn't flinch when he touched her arm as the snow fell

past the misted window illuminated

in the steady beams

or when he held her hand tightly as

the landing gear hit the snowy runway with a slight bump

I thought it was sweet

that he handed down her luggage from

the crowded overhead storage facility

and guided her ahead of him in the narrow aisle

I followed them down the icy set of steps

clasping my woollen scarf tightly as I walked briskly

towards the stifling warmth of indoors

As I stood riveted though, with my purple hat in hand

shaking snow from my hair

he pulled her into an embrace so intense

so brief

she thought

as she ran to make her connecting flight

that she may just have imagined it

That must of been quite an encounter

thought I

left standing in a puddle of strangers

Moo Mischief

She's a real poser! As soon as she sees me with the camera she puts on her best perfermance!

What do you mean 'I know you're in there??'

Cat in a Box

Gimme five

zzzzzzzzzzz

Its sooo exhausting being this cute...

(gonna miss you little Moo)

Prev: Ten of My Best

Ten of My Best

Joel

challenged us to choose our 10 favourite pictures of 2008.

Here are mine:

Artichoke

Jelly

Sea poles

The reflection of my chandelier one sunny afternoon

Harvest

Senga

The Egg Jelly

Garlic

Monterey flowers

A little Hand

Living in a Snow Globe

So much for the mini-melt we had yesterday, today its about 28F and snowing heavily, has been since 4am....its really quite mesmerizing to watch, and so unlike rain in that it so quiet. I ventured out to take some photo's and a video so you could all share in this and will attempt to post it.

I have new respect for folk living with this weather for months at a time, it really cant be easy and a whole host of associated problems have become apparent to me now. The cost to the state/city for snow-plowing, which is constant it has to be, to keep the roads clear. Going out to get milk or even to the gym or a movie takes three times as long and may involve some digging and a bit of pushing. The time spent using a shovel and snow blowers is amazing and many don't just do their own driveways but keep their neighbours clear as well, everyone seems to work together, and they do it cheerfully.

Ive learned how dangerous it is too, even in your backyard. I went out this morning to take some pictures, and thought I would walk across the virgin snow to the fence and take a picture of the adjoining golf course. Well as you can see I never made it to the fence, the drifts were too deep to negotiate, at one point I stumbled and lost my balance and I realized that if I fell and injured my self I could be in deep trouble.

However the most annoying issue may well be getting ones fringe caught up under your hat..I swear it will never lie down flat again!!

Last night we went to see Yes Man with Jim Carey, and while he is very funny man and there are some hilarious moments, the movie is generally tacky and silly, give it a miss! The mall and the city are beautifully lit at night, so the trip out was worth it, we munched on popcorn and the kids laughed heartily....and we didn't get stuck going home!

I'm not sure it should snow here anymore...we really don't have any place to put it...

The Last Piece

went in....

But we still dont know who dunnit!!

Spokane WA ~ Into the Woods

I went for a walk today

in black and white

with a touch

of

green

Let it snow

We got another 6-7 inches of snow last night, and you can clearly see the snow growth/difference between the header above and this pic....

A Chairful!

I heard on the news yesterday that Washington has declared a state of emergency, as had the city of Spokane. This is the highest snowfall recorded for almost 180yrs or so! They must of known I was here...it truly is beautiful though, soft fluffy stuff. I watched a hawk swoop down and catch a mouse or something beneath the snow yesterday, but other than that its just quiet and still...

There is a storm warning out today as its pretty windy and still snowing. Jenn abandoned her little car down the road on her way home from work this morning, Nic and I will go dig it out later...in the meantime little Moo and I are bonding...

and the puzzle is growing

Grounds for Murder

Well not really...but rather it's the title in a series of puzzles with a difference. There is no picture on a box to follow, just a series of clues in an accompanying story, so its proven to be a whole lot more difficult than we first thought...

thank heavens we have help....

The Spirit of Spokane

Last night I flew into a Christmas card.

As the snow fell steadily on aspens and twinkling lights, the plane descended gently into a quiet snow filled world. The airstrip was completely white and I kept straining my neck looking for a Real Tarmac and found instead heaps of plowed snow, vehicles covered with layers of white and a night sky filled with a quiet steady shower of snowflakes.

The amount of snow is astounding to me, its fresh and beautiful still even though the roads are slushy, today we had another 6-7 inches so when we emerged from the mall the easy drive in become a slow tricky drive back home. We did get stuck and Nic and I had to get out and do some pushing while Jenn negotiated the road.

We spent the afternoon painting coffee mugs for each other at a pottery place in the mall, to the sound of carollers in Victorian dress with the most gorgeous voices...

I must admit I have immersed myself totally in the spirit of Christmas this year, I feel lucky to have this new experience of a (very) white Christmas and share that with the love of family!

Merry Christmas everyone!

Simple Abundance

I wanted to stop by and wish you all well over the holidays, tomorrow Senga and I leave on the first leg of the journey, over the mountains to Bakersfield.
My mother has offered to puppy-sit and I've forgone the original idea of driving up to Spokane, instead, I'm catching a late flight on Tuesday. Today however, there were blizzard conditions a complete whiteout there with reports of temps around 5 F !! Who knows were I'll be on Christmas morn..lol..(anyone live near the Salt Lake City airport??)
Both mountain passes on the I 5 and the 166 have been closed so tomorrow I will be going to loong way round, up to Paso and then down again. It really only adds another hour to the journey which isn't too bad.
The past few weeks have been a busy time, filled with alternating hectic and relaxing real life stuff. Shopping is done, pressies are wrapped and boxed off to far corners of the world, some will travel safely with me. My belongings eventually arrived after being in storage for 3 years, these are things carefully boxed and packaged in Abu Dhabi and then stored in Vermont. Unpacking was such an emotional time, so many things long forgotten..a beach bag from which beach sand spilled, and a bottle of Masafi water. Silks and persian rugs, potpourri, candles and picture frames..my beloved photo albums! The smells, sights and sounds! What joy!
I wish you all peace and happiness this year, I hope the time isn't too frenetic and that you have time to watch snow fall, hear the sounds of laughter and feel the touch of your loved ones, mostly I wish you an abundance of all the simple things the holidays have to offer...love, warmth, friends and family!
I miss you all....

Merry Christmas

~ Merry Christmas everyone, and a prosperous New Year.

I'm taking a short blog break, will be back early 2009 ~

Fall...

Sitting in a cafe with sun streaming in rearranging words until they fit. Its a warm morning, the impending rain keeping us cozy with a good covering of cloud, the wind we had yesterday has died down. I was up late last night picking up the deluge of leaves which the wind had finally dislodged, it will pour with rain later today and floods are expected, such is life.

I bought two old (very) rusty wrought iron candlestick holders at a thrift store yesterday (for $12 a piece) I am thinking I may 'shabby chic' them with a bit of white paint.

While I was home after my surgery, my best friend Tivo introduced me to a host of fabulous TV shows and now I'm totally hooked..on Survivor, Biggest Loser, Amazing Race, and I love The Mentalist and Fringe..oh and Eli Stone. Law and Order, SVU and CSI are having the best seasons ever, and so with a few days of rain coming..

this is where I'll be...

Across the sky

As the early morning sun births a new day, the frigid sky is etched with woolly stria.

I stand and watch as they slowly spread and dissipate...

Reflections

The fog shrouded road
with street lights which seem suspended
their glow diffused
the lamp posts invisible.
My own emotions I find
are smothered by the
mists of egocentricity
and my voice
becomes invisible

Life is a Beach

On one of my beach walks this week, I found a truly remote stretch of sand filled with surfers this time and not naked bodies. I recalled the words of a friend '..remember if the beach is difficult to access, its bound to be a nudie' as I slid down the embankment on my bum, but there were only a handful of surfers and this gorgeous stretch of sand perfect for beach-combing and letting Senga run wild.

She greeted each emerging surfer as though they were her long lost buddy which was sweet, and then we noticed, in the distance, an injured sea-gull. When it saw us it started to run dragging its injured wing along in the sand, and Senga just took off at top speed in full terrier mode, with me running and yelling 'leave, leave, leave' at the top of my voice!!

I was amazed that she listened, the bird stopped running and by the time I reached them she was sniffing it gently and then a few minutes later nudged it with her nose. I thought it was a touching thing to witness, she was probably wanting more run and chase fun though...

Eventually it limped into the water, and bobbed in the surf with difficulty, but as I turned to leave I couldnt help but wonder how long it would be for nature to take its course, and whether or not I should have intervened.

Still Burning

I was hoping to join the call for volunteers at the San Marcos School today, but as I drove over the pass down into Santa Barbara, I realized the air quality was so bad even on the outskirts, that staying there for any length of time was impossible. Not only because of the recent surgery but I started coughing lamost immediately, so I turned my car around and went back up to Cachuma Lake.

The sound of the helicopter eminates ominously long before you see them rise from behind the trees, they seem ungainly and awkward as they dip their buckets into the water in the distance, and shudder upwards and back to the line of fire. I parked on a rise and sat on a rock under the canopy of pine trees, and watched the steady stream of helicopters and other small aircraft make their way back forth.

At times traffic was stopped to let the firetrucks through some waved most were intent on their task, their anxiety tangible. There were handpainted, heart warming signs all along the road, worded differently perhaps, but all with one message:

'we love you firefighters, thank you'

Last glance over the Montecito hills as I turned my car and headed home...