After Playa Bonita and Mi familia

It was a wonderful Christmas, beginning in Houston with an exceptional sushi dinner and time with Fia and Jen and Ez before we left for DR. The condo we rented fronted Playa Bonita, the end of the curve by the river which empties into the Atlantic. Baldwin, Mindy, Pearl and True played every day of the almost two weeks; we fixed delicious dinners or went out. Only one mostly rainy day. The day after Christmas we went out on Brycie and Kenny's boat.  A beautiful day, we took turns kayaking to a river on the island we anchored by, visiting a cave and visiting another small island. I could hardly stop smiling with family all together - my heart full full full. Baldwin had a brilliant idea of flipping the puzzle we'd finished (Santa Express) and then he drew a wonderful picture which we all helped to color. When completed we dismantled the puzzle and reassembled it - now it is in my puzzle closet.

The 2019 Christmas Puzzle:

Ground Hog in yard this last day of February

I was looking for pictures from my recent visit to DR, but couldn't track down! and found this photo from last Christmas - my three most dear and wonderful grands. 

As Mindy said, Baba's arm is long enuf for a good selfie! so here we are. Two weeks was hardly long enuf. The lack of sun here in south west VA this winter has been damaging to mood and to bones; Sharon in Ocean Springs says that it has been a lugubrious winter on the Gulf Coast. The playas in Las Terranes are perfect; 4 mile walk in  morning trailing Baldwin and Mindy - after school  swim with the kiddos. All my aches were gone under the tropical sun. My plantar fasciitis did not aggravate  even tho I went barefoot or with flip flops. And my stiff thumbs loosened, and my itchy dry skin lessened and my wound healed (from removal of skin cancer). Fresh fruit! ah...
I hope that by next winter I can manage 3 weeks at least. Alma loves caring for Mr. Li. One chicken died on Alma's watch and three days ago the red tailed hawk snatched one of my good black hens. I'm down to 4 hens - Alma could keep them at her house. I can figure out how to turn off the water to the house and leave house in good shape to weather the cold.  Maybe I could do a month.

pictures from the DR

Thoughtful faces intent on Kindles!

The pool in heavy down pour. We had rain at night and during the day. But always the sun would show up in the day, warm. It is 70 degrees here in Virginia, and Baldwin says that it is only in the 70's in Samana. It has been freezing in Houston and in Ocean Springs this winter. So strange. I wish that more action would be taken by our public officials to prepare for climate change. It seems a stand off not dissimilar to the subject of gun control. We have a bunch of equivocating cowards in office. School shooting in Florida yesterday afternoon, 17 people dead, 12 injured. Shame. I am disgusted.

Pearl took this photo of True and me. A very happy Nanee down in the tropics. Need to be there more of the winter. Have to make it possible.

Escape from Gray World to Beach World

For ten days from  January 24 to Groundhog day, happy trip to DR to stay in little house beside Baldwin and Mindy's rental near down town Las Terranes, Samana, DR.  A beautiful landscape, the little cottage to the right in this picture. It was cool enough that I only went into the pool once; Susan swam several days. The papaya and pineapple were heavenly. Large avocados. Plantain and yuca chips. El Presente cerveza en la playa. The beaches as always, beautiful.

Susan and I had a smooth trip with no hassles and no missed connections; and so much more fun to travel with friend than alone - sharing the anxiety diminishes it! It did rain quite often on the island, but hardly discouraged trips to beach. True was very sick the first several days, finally he rallied with the help of medicine for amoebic dysentery. But the time went too quickly; I hope I can arrange for 3 weeks next winter. I need to check to see how hard it would be to bring Mr. Lee - tho Alma loved having him and he seemed to enjoy his stay at her house. I have more pictures to post, though I am now posting on Instagram.  The colors, the light, the flora - the food! And how my skin drinks happily.

End of June, continent rolled

Busy month of travels and celebrations; first to Sarah Lawrence for my 50th reunion and second to Houston for Sofia's 5th birthday. Behind me is the small class room, stone house, where I studied with Muriel Rukeyser. Wonderful reunion, staying on campus, in dorm rooms with kitchen. Delicious meals with wine and good company, lectures and class (American Literature and Black Lives Matter) and trip to NY botanical gardens. Eloise came out from the city on Saturday, so good, good GOOD to see her. Met new students and recent graduates and felt infused with the spirit of the place in which I thrived for four years. 

Home in Virginia for hardly a week before trip to Houston. Arriving on Fia's birthday and two days later enjoying her party at the Houston aquarium. A heart tonic to see Ezra and Jennicksa and to play with bright beautiful Fia. 

Returned home to be special transporter of Pearl to Children Culinary Camp at the Palisades. Fortunately, Susan was chauffeuring her grandchild, Elliott, so Pearl hitched ride from Blacksburg with her. Stunning in her silver glitter high tops, Pearl is enjoying the camp,  - we all went to dinner at Palisades which the kids had prepared and served. Today is the last day and True and I will pick her up and play at the park if it stops raining. 

In the mineral spring

from Susan

Christmas in Dominican Republic

I ended up spending Monday night in a Charlotte motel after missing connection to DR, flight was fine in morning, but my checked bag went to Miami - not to be seen until the evening before Christmas Eve. Ez and Jen and Fia were at airport in Punta Cana to pick me up for 3 hour drive to Las Terranes to our rented beach house on Playa Bonita, Far Niente (idleness). Thanks to Mindy's psychic intuition, making an umpteenth call to the missing baggage claim folks in Punta Cana, we connected to the actual delivery driver who was in his van at the gate to our small beach rental community. The gate keeper wouldn't let the driver deliver the luggage until we arrived. So Santa's sleigh managed to make it. 

Fortunately I had a carry-on back pack with bathing suit and several changes of clothes and the kids Christmas stockings. Pearl and I took long walks on the beach most mornings, collecting shells, finding rainbows in the off shore rain squalls, and pausing by coral outcrops to look for small crabs. Baldwin and Ez after beach outings, cooked - fresh red snapper one night, leg of pork, another. The kids went from pool to beach and back most of the day, delighting to eye and heart. Rain in the mornings, clear skies most of the days. Ocean almost cool. 

 

Like a summer school kid, I lapse

into nonverbal habit, trying to mimic bird calls at best. I do rise into chatter when grandkids appear and at qigong class and with friends. It is the summer green, tumultuous greening that lulls me into a kind of torpor, a not unhappy state. Like this morning as I weeded the onions and unfortunate beets and pole beans coming back from a trimming by some creature of the evening. Perhaps it isn't the speaking out loud that is suffering, but the occasional visit to blog. oh, yes. Lazy moi.
Perhaps these many carved figures, from a store in Addis Ababa, will prompt me to muse and linger here. I wonder if some of the faces were purposefully modeled on an enemy, a voodoo? Or perhaps some might be fertility fetishes? Or a relative honored? We did not linger and I did not ask. 
The jumble of faces reminds me of the crowds at the markets in small towns south of Addis Ababa. 

Beautiful Hair

The braids held until recently. Her mom worked the braids into rows of a pattern traditional. The care, the touching, erasing the separation. It may have taken 2 hours to work the hair into the thin braids. Hannah bound the baby sister onto her back with a shawl, when the baby woke we all took turns amusing her. The braiding was the center of us all; we moved away and returned. I see the love permeating to Pearl's toes. 
Many of us grow up with two to four grandparents or some configuration of adoring aunties and uncles. We bask in multi faceted love. But it is not always so easy to accept two pairs of loving parents. It takes us time to sort experience and expectation - to let our selves relax and just absorb the grace. 

What I am remembering, before I forget!

I remembering sitting on one of the well worn 3 legged stools in Pearl's family gojo bet, watching the buff colored lovely cow across from me, chewing. The talk quiet and only occasionally throwing a recognizable word out, like bunna (Amharic for coffee). The chewing was like a mantra, I fell into. Perhaps, too, it was the round enclosure that made me feel comfortable. Deeply familiar affinity. I am one of the 3 grandmothers! 
From the distance of here, I worry about the future for this family. The kids have to walk 30 minutes to collect water which must be paid for. There has been a drought the last two years; they have survived with food rations. No water for washing. No water for washing clothes. We have brought them clothes. Blankets for the grandmothers and soccer balls. One of Pearl's sisters now lives with an aunt. We take the family to lunch at a park in Hosanna. It is a big outing for the kids. Pearl's older brother is transfixed by a small tv that is playing in the gojo bet where we have injera. Pearl's mom braids Pearl's hair. Mindy's wonderful idea. 

Addis Ababa

I liked Addis, with its round-abouts (traffic circles) - one with a statue of Bob Marley - and many embassies and construction everywhere (with the external scaffolding of bound eucalyptuse poles). Addis is 7,700 plus feet - cool mornings and evenings. Coffee is native and the coffee ceremony is performed twice a day. The cups are demi-tasse size, often like Japaness tea cups without handles. On the streets of Addis and in the country, beans are roasted over charcoal - the aroma wafts throughout the city. In the morning coffee is served with sugar; in the afternoon, salt is added to the coffee and sometimes herbs. Yonatan, our guide/driver, took us to "the Best Coffee" shop in Addis to buy coffee to bring home. 

Drifting Back to Africa

Downloaded some of the pictures from my phone so that I can illustrate my travel accounting. Glad to have an Ethiopian flag to fly from my upstairs porch, a reminder of the trip. I haven't really sorted thoughts in any order, mainly I would gladly join family for trip anywhere - it was great to have the good company, to not be "in charge" and to feel useful with care of Pearl and True at times. 

Donkeys to begin! They are the main beast of burden here, usually towing a cart. These two were part of a contingency of several donkeys bearing bundles of teff hay. Teff flour is used for injera, the large "pancake" like food of Ethiopia. A circle of injera is served dotted with different dishes: greens cooked in gee, meat dish seasoned with Berbere, lentils, chick peas, cold tomatoes and others I am unfamiliar with. We passed donkey carts with large bags of cabbages when we drove south of Addis to Hosanna. There were carts of eucalyptuses poles and some of sugar cane. Donkeys saddled with clever slots to hold large water jugs. Often the empty carts driven by young men balancing on their feet. Donkeys grazing by gojo bets and in the fields of sheep and cows and goats. 

Waking to 40 degrees and big wind

And now I fear tonight without blanket clouds, without the big wind, frost might harm seedlings in garden or/and lime tree on deck. I've brought a few plants from the deck into house or green house. I plan to cover plants with table cloths - find containers to cover tomatoes in the garden. And I will go to sleep imagining a bubble over this house and garden, protecting. 

On another note, almost satisfied with packing for the trip to Ethiopia; we leave Tuesday morning for two weeks. I can't imagine this Ethiopia, it will be bursting with wonder, it is beyond my scope - but must be deep deep down in my genetic mix the place of home.We will see some of the rift valley; and we hope to see Lucy's bones in the museum, and maybe hippos! We will drink lots of coffee, coffee also originates in Ethiopia. My grand-daughter will introduce me to her place of birth.

May

April was surprisingly dry, May has brought rain, even cool weather. This evening I planted 1/2 a row of corn and one teepee of beans, and tomato and pepper seedlings. Okra is coming up as well as squash. Everyday, I am gathering greens from the garden. The strawberries look beautiful, with many fruit - though I fear I will not be here when they turn red. Katy can enjoy. 
Packing and unpacking and repacking for Ethiopia. It is difficult to fathom being there. Mindy spoke to a friend who has just returned from there, reports cool mornings warming into 70's with rain. But what to wear on a long long flight? 
Happy to think of 2 weeks without news of the election.
Mr Lee has been limping since Saturday, his right rear leg. I have been treating him with Symphytum the last two days and he has been using the sore leg occasionally. His spirit is good, no fever - just a limp. Of course, he doesn't like the suitcase out.

 

The Creepy Lice Cure - hopefully

My denial folded last night, I had to confront the fact that I had come home with the dreaded DR lice that  occupy heads of compound Cocoa Hollow. Paradise is happy place for parasites too. So I'm sitting here with hair coated in an olive oil/neem oil mixture (Neem is definitely an acquired smell) , head wrapped in a plastic bag, feeling as if the little buggers are trying to escape. Creepy  crawly feeling over the scalp. I want to scratch. Better not! Two hours in this cap MAY thwart the nasty ones. But I suspect I should adopt this routine for a few more days. Unsure of the best prescription - this is a test, trying to avoid the chemicals.

More pictures from trip

Mary Louise has emailed some more of her good pictures.  Here we five are waiting at the airport to begin our trek. I so remind myself of my mother in this picture in my white blouse with a collar, only mother would have buttoned the top button and instead of blue jeans, red jeans. Stephanie and Nayla vied for the most baggage; Stephenie had an old plastic soda bottle of bourbon checked in one of her two bags. Nayla who stands behind us, who initiated the trip, had a large suitcase filled with color coordinated outfits - many with bling. She was the youngest of our ground, still in her 50's; Clara (from Cuba) sitting on the right, is a hale 72 and much fun.  

The highest point of the trip, notice the glacier in the background (some 3,000 meters, about 11,000+ feet). Mary Louise found my green hat a helpful spot of recognizable color in the markets! This our last day of the trip took us through the Sacred Valley, beginning with a chilly walk up a series of terraces to the Temple of the Sun.

sitting in wall window

  Machu Picchu 

Mary Louise just sent me this picture which she took with either her camera or Iphone.

Inca memories

I adore the Peruvian dress, the colorful full skirts, the intricate woven cloth from alpaca and llama. Small groups of inhabitants milled about every place we went asking for coins if we took their pictures or pet the baby alpaca. It touched me to see a red llama which reminded me of my llama, Crissy, at Machu Picchu. The town of Cusco is laid out in the form of a puma. Snake, puma and condor were the three main sacred animals of the Inka - well, I imagine llamas were also!
At the terraced site of the temple of the Sun the day after Machu Picchu, I was reminded of my small affinity to the Inca. There is a rock which juts out from Red Bud mountain on the path by the creek to the river which looks like a turtle head. I have over the years left rocks and wishes and gratitude on this cool rock face. For the Incas out crops of rocks on the mountains were worshiped as, in the case in the sacred valley, as the messenger to God. Our guide, Carlos, pointed out the nose and cheek bones, eyes and forehead and beard. Further up on the same mountain was an outcrop of rock in the image of a king - the constellation, Pleiades, moves during the year in the night sky adjacent to this face, telling of weather for the growing season. To the right of the messenger to God, is a stone storage building which is a passive refrigerator for potatoes and other vegetables. The Inca terraces are intricate, rocks on the bottom, then pebbles, then sand and last humus. They cultivated thousands of types of vegetables (especially potatoes). 

More Machu Picchu

Sitting here in my room with book cases to my back, further back my prosperous looking garden and red bud mountain in front of me - at all of 2,000 feet, I am awed that I took this picture just days ago (May 26th). I am still trying to find the words to describe this adventure. It will take time...a spiritual trip I can say. This high culture was so obviously dedicated to the civilization of man and the cultivation of potato (among many many other vegetables). On the last day in Cusco before bed, I happened to see an interview with a Peruvian artist - with a picture of large paintings (reminding me of Picasso's Guernica) AND a sculpture of a potato (i think in silver) with abstract figures holding it up.
This second picture from Machu Picchu shows our guide, Hamilton, on the left, with the red flag. the two guys to the right, obviously feeling the oxygen thin atmosphere, hands on their crotches! Oh, I used every mudra I knew in the climb as I felt as if there was a heavy brick pressing against my sternum.