Sunday, December 6, 2009
Winter Travel
Haven't been traveling lately, but have been getting out on my daily walks. It's been cold here in Bellingham. Frost and freezing fog--but sunshine--which is a godsend. For me, if there's sunshine in the winter, I can take the cold, and long dark nights. It's the gray and rain during the day, and then dark at 5, that bothers me, depresses me, actually. It's usually January and February that grow too long, too depressing. It's the time of year to travel--go somewhere warm, hangout for awhile. Although I've been getting down to Post Point, my favorite place to walk in the winter, or on cold sunny days, as I can sit in the sandstone, sheltered, above the water and soak up the rays. It's healing, these moments of warmth, breathing in good clean sea air, feeling the elements. I feel happiest in the sun.
David is in Antarctica. He's having cold weather too. Lots sideways blowing snow. Here's what he says about the wildlife. "Just back myself from our landing at Petermann Island with Adelie and Gentoo Pengies, Antarctic Shag (Cormorant), Kelp Gull, Antarctic Tern, Skua and Weddell Seals. It was a nice cruise thru the Lemaire Channel getting here, saw the Ocean Nova and the CEO wanted us to photograph him with the Quark flag... only they(12) were like a kilometer away and tiny dots... right! So, got a bit cold in the wind with the barometer now dropping... Will be driving zod this afternoon at Pleneau Bay amoungst the icebergs doing two cruises...so will bundle up!"
Soon he'll be back and we'll be getting to the mountains and the snow. Last year I snowshoed for the first time. In the 70s I cross-country skiied, which I loved. When my daughter was born, I carried her in a pack on my back while skiing. It was fun, but hard--keeping my balance, staying warm enough. I don't recall that I ever fell with her. Now she downhill skies.
My skies are old, wood skies from the 70s that need waxing. I'm hoping the snow will come low this year again, so I can ski in the neighborhood. The plan is to get out of here in January and go to Utah, to the canyonlands, to the red rock territory. So if it's nasty then, it won't matter. This I'm excited for--to feel the land of red earth. Good stuff.
Okay, I'm going to eat my breakfast now.
Happy travels,
Nan
Saturday, November 28, 2009
Lake Padden
Peace,
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
Chain Lakes at Mt. Baker
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Sunny Mountain Day
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
09-09-09
I thought this would be a special day, and it is in someways. My sister is coming to visit from Spokane, which has only happened once before. We'll have a little dinner out with my daughter, son-in-law, and grandchild. My family gets together about once a year. I used to think this was terrible and would complain about it. Now I think it is what it is. I love them all, that is the most important thing.
And it is a special day in that I'm cooking tomatoes from my garden into soup. Nice homemade tomato soup. Also, I will have a good Italian dinner tonight. That is special.
So David is on the ship outside of Greenland. He just stopped in, in his thoughts, which I love to see. There are deep fjords there and the possibility of spotting whales, although I don't think they have. (This is me in my Icelandic scarf--fast forward photo taken after David returns.)
"Sun is still shining in our Hearts and outside here too. Cruising through the icebergs (mongo, even by Antarctic standards...), brash ice, and red rock hilltop with Peregrine Falcon, eyrie! Male sitting on the scrape as the sun rose and a juvenile male food soliciting perched up the red cliff face above the icebergs, sea and some of our zodiac cruisers. We hiked up top and spotted ten predated Pink-footed Goose eggs, Ravens (2) flying about chased by Grines, and lovely red birch leaves low, almost vine-like on the ground along with orangey/yellow Willow leaves. Zodiac cruised afterwards among the white giants. Dimpled like golf balls, blue ice veins, oxygen escape route grooves, etc, etc. Massive caves, seracs, underwater shelves, etc.."
I can imagine this landscape, and in fact looked it up on Google Earth. Fantastic. Now to plan some travel for me. I'd like to see some unusual and awesome landscape. In the mean time, I'm looking hard at what is around me. The leaves are turning, the sunsets are purple and orange, the rain is soft, the sunflowers are bent over. It's splendid, really.
So 09-09-09 is special because my life has fallen into place.
Peace,
Traveling Nan
Monday, August 31, 2009
Hiking
Before he returned from the Arctic, I had a dream one night that a polar bear was chasing me. I had a bowl of candy (I admit to my sweettooth) so I threw bars to him. That distracted him and gave me enough time to get away. I told David about this dream and he said, "That's some dream... sounds like the nighmare I was having before coming here... Ya done good gal... throw 'em something to satisfy their curiosity, shout loud as you can, get to high ground (my plan was also to throw rocks hard)... that said, if they are on the shore, they are getting hungrier by the day and if old or young, may attack without warning! Theyare very unpredictable. There are signs to watch for, but they are not100%. We had an old male today who kept us from landing at Discobukta (Kittwake Canyon). We tried for some time, but he would not leave, so we did."
I heard a mainland bear story lately, a food bag not hung high enough in a tree. The bear just reached up and swiped his paw over it, riping it open. All there food was gone, except for canned goods. They were on a 10 day hike, kept going, ate little. Dangerous.
I've been around a lot of bears, mostly black bear in norther Idaho. They want the food and come down lower as the berries run out or if it isn't a good berry year. People think they are cute, but they are dangerous and making a lot of noise, getting real big, and going the other way is the best bet.
David is back in the Arctic now for two weeks, then home until November. We're planning another trip when he returns, this time perhaps to a cabin somewhere. In the meantime, I'm tending my garden, the last of the summer bringing on a lot of tomatoes and squash and beans. Nice! And swimming still in the bay. What fun!
Peace,
Traveling Nan
Sunday, August 30, 2009
Me on Skyline Ridge
Monday, August 3, 2009
Kayaking: Silver Lake, Bellingham Bay
Sunday, August 2, 2009
Ocean Spray Leaves
Sunday, July 26, 2009
Cashews
I've decided this was my year of firsts. I'd like a first every day--although I don't know if I'll get one. I've gotten a lot of firsts, however. Last night I watched a movie with my friend on her computer on her back porch overlooking B'ham with a lightning storm in the distance. It was totally fun. A first.
Today I had breakfast with my daughter and her in-laws (some folks say outlaws). It was nice, fun to be included. And now I'll go for a walk to Post Point and write poetry. That's new, I've never written poetry there. I've drawn there--but this isn't big new stuff. D is an inspiration, since he does big stuff--zodiac driving, traveling to the Arctic above Norway. Me, I'm small potatoes.
Life shouldn't be fearful. That's what I think now that I've gotten this far, scared to death most of the time. Why not be bold and brave and have at it. What's to hurt? We all die eventually, that's the only thing that can happen, really. Right?
Here's the note I got from D: We just left Aklefellet (bird cliffs) and are heading to a possible landing in a new spot and five miles away we spot two more Polar Bears.... I spotted two on my watch (mum and cub) and just missed seeing a third, but the Captain sawit first... We even had in addition to the 60k Thick-billed Murres, twoArctic Foxes and a Polar Bear (7-8 mos) on the lower cliffs eating a salad...!!So, the folks interested in more then PBs are happy and while it was cold(snowed again last night), we had fun. I found a huge rock spire with birdsnesting on it and was able to drive my zod around it, which was cool with great photo ops!Tired, so will go take a quick nap before our afternoon operations.
I was just reading in a Buddhist book this morning that loving everyone is so much more what we are doing here than just loving the self. Loving the self, being fearful to preserve the self, isn't the goal. Be big, love everyone, this is what it is all about. I love this. Every day I'm giving up my old ways, my hatred, my anger, my scowling, yes little old sweet me. all these feelings because I've been afraid of life. Now I must live. Now lust for life is the goal. Something new every day. Some say do something every day that scares you. Go ahead...leap!
Keep having fun.
Nan
Saturday, July 25, 2009
Mt. Baker
Monday, July 20, 2009
Feather Bluff
Yea! We didn't get up at 4 AM, 'cuz of ice that slowed us to 3 knots even with both engines running (costly on fuel). So, we are going into Diskobutka (Duck Bay) where the Kittiwake colony is in this cool box canyon. We have to time the tides right to get there, as it's very shallow for a long ways in.
So I've been giving a lot of thought to long distant relationship, not that we're having one, because he's here a good deal of the time. But loving someone and then having them gone brings up old issues. Abandonment for sure. I've been getting a lot done, working on my books, cleaning my closets, really letting go of a lot of stuff--old stuff from my past. Which is good.
Sometimes we get a new chance to do things again in a different way. I've been wanting to be loved completely. To be adored. I've chosen men in the past who don't want to be with me, not really. Should have had my head examined, actually did have my head examined, but still I went for the ones who'd go away. And this man, he's gone now, but coming back. Thus I get to change my inner scenario.
As far as outer scenarios go. We're having a heat wave here--there, the last four days it has snowed. Oh well.
Peace and happiness,
Nan
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
Spokane River (Long Lake)
Sunday, July 5, 2009
Feather Bluff
Saturday, July 4, 2009
Orcas Island, Pea Pods
David is in the arctic right now, outside of Svalbard on a cruise ship. He's a naturalist and ornithologist. He takes people out on the ice and kayaking, etc. Here's part of an email he sent me.
Friday, July 3, 2009
Orcas Island, Washington
One of the numerous San Juan Islands in the Puget Sound. Here is where we landed, the ferry ride from Anacortes about an hour. Sometimes it stops at other islands, so you get to see the shapes and looks of these different communities. I've spent more time on Orcas than the other islands, and I think it is the homiest to me. I've done writting retreats at Kangaroo House and at Moran State Park. I've stayed at Doe Bay and camped in several places. I've been to Mt. Constitution a couple of times.
Traveling Nan
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
Warm Beach, Washington
But what I mean to say here is, freedom is in the head. And the heart. And my heart still wants to the comfort of home and knowing what to expect. To get up in the morning to some routine, to have my mate there, to drink tea together, to shower together. To kiss goodbye and catch up again later. As a single person, it is the cat I stretch with in the morning, it is the coffee shop where I say my first hello and drink a cup of espresso, it is just my schedule (while he's gone) and then ours when he's here.
I've been thinking about this traveling thing for a long time. Now I'm old enough to do it. Well I did it when I was first married too, before having a child. Here I am at Warm Beach. David was teaching an elderhostel there and I came down for a couple of nights. We were walking out on the tidal flats, across from Cameno Island. It's very pretty, the Methodist Camp grounds with the horses and ponds and wildlife, lots of ducks and other birds, which David could tell you all about. He's an ornithologist, me--I'm a writer and artist. I meld with the environ and others, that's how I get my stories. But freedom, huh, how to do it. I'd like to know. Any thought?
Traveling Nan