Row of Spring Trees

Before we acquired the digital camera, I would appreciate a scene like this. But I wouldn’t stop the car, jump out and snap a few pictures. Film was precious. Developing was expensive. I’m enjoying this digital age!

Hot Off The Grill

My nephew J.R. and his wife Lorrie e-mailed us tonight. They have been in the midst of a huge kitchen gut-to-the-studs remodel which spread throughout the first floor of their home. They’ve been doing all (or nearly all) of the work themselves. During this period of upheaval, they have been cooking using only a microwave and a barbecue grill. At one point Lorrie made homemade pizza on the grill, but didn’t like the way the crust was sagging down into the open spaces between the bars. It tasted really good so she wanted to make it again. This time my nephew J.R. had a flash of inspiration. They had some slate lying around because of the remodel. He suggested they put a piece of slate on the grill and put the pizza on top! It worked like a charm! Did I mention I’m closely related to these folks? Yup, I am convinced our ancestors were the ones who first discovered fire and invented the wheel!

Curious, Lorrie headed for the computer to Google and see what she could learn. While she discovered they weren’t the first to invent the process, she did find some very good advice.* We haven’t tried cooking this way yet, but we do still have a few large pieces of slate from a project a few years ago. And we have used cedar house shakes (leftover from our barn rehab) as planks to cook salmon on, so slate sounds like a natural progression.

* Do heed all the warnings!

OCD? Not Me!

I have reached the point of being truly frustrated by and therefore obsessed with making this audio clip work easily for you all. It was very cool that a few of you could listen to me reading my poem, but it bummed me out royally that so many of you were thwarted by technology. Or, more accurately, thwarted by a blogger who ran right up against the limits of what she understood about that technology!

So today I applied myself to the challenge once again. I was able to get a flash player successfully embedded and to work (big happy dance - thanks Jeff)! Then I read a notice on the media storage website I just started using (MediaMax). As of tomorrow, they are becoming another company and that’s the end of their free storage. Everyone who has files stored with them for free, must upgrade to their fee-based service or those files will be deleted.

Since I don’t want to pay their new monthly fees, that means I no longer will “control” server space. That means I can’t direct the the nifty flash player where to go and what to do. It also means that I need to take down all of the links in the previous posts which connected to this storage company, because as of tomorrow, my files will disappear from their site!

Abrupt end to happy dance.

I’ll still leave the audio bar up (in the earlier post and on the sidebar) which connects successfully to Archive.org.

Thanks for your patience and your advice!

Spring Dinner

Asparagus with a little butter and lemon, roasted potatoes and grilled tuna with a pomegranate-sesame reduction sauce was the perfect spring dinner. I must confess that I really like it when I prepare a simple meal that tastes yummy and costs just a fraction of what it would in a restaurant. It feels like a double win!

Any Problems Voting?

If you went to the polls today in Indiana or North Carolina, I hope everything went smoothly for you. If not, I recommend you report what happened by calling the People For The American Way’s hotline. Here’s how they describe it:

If you experience, see or hear about voting problems in your state, please call the toll-free, nonpartisan Election Protection Hotline at 1-866-OUR-VOTE. (That’s 1-866-687-8683)

We all need to do everything we can to make sure every registered voter is able to vote and that every vote is counted accurately!

Yes We Can!

Tomorrow, voters in Indiana and North Carolina will go to the polls for their presidential primary. There has been a tremendous amount of media coverage every step of this campaign. I will not disparage Senator Clinton on this blog. In fact I have a link to her website in my sidebar. But I will say that I believe Senator Obama will be an excellent President of the United States. I urge every voter in North Carolina and Indiana to cast their vote for Barack Obama!


Turn HOPE into reality. VOTE!

39 and Holding

Happy Birthday to my eldest sister Karen! While I am crossing the half century mark in just a couple of weeks, Karen is miraculously younger than I am!

Happy Birthday Sis!

Once More - With Feeling!

This Post Has Been Edited!

May 8, 2008 - Well, this is a first for me on this blog. I’ve had to radically edit this post due to some technology snafus! Here’s the explanation.

Sue stopped by this morning and was unable to listen to my audio clip. Because this has been the case for many of you - including both of my sisters - I decided to try a different hosting service.

I hope this allows you to easily listen to my poem: “Two Days In August”!

Still no little audio bar visible to you? If all you see is a big blue Quicktime “Q”, try reloading the page. Or here’s the direct link. It should bring up a new screen and the audio clip will load and then begin playing.

Let me know in the comments section which one of these worked. Thanks!

UPDATE 5/7/2008: Inspired by a suggestion from Jeff, I’m trying another change to this audio clip. Fingers crossed...


I can't put in a direct link to this version. When I do it automatically downloads the file to the computer!

Still More...

The sun came out today; daffodil yellow pushing through steel gray haze.
Late this afternoon, a blazing red-orange disk dropped behind still stark, silhouettes of trees.

Spring Creeping In

It was gray, cloudy and drizzly around here today. No complaints, just an observation. In fact, every day brings more spring green. which has been a lovely and reassuring change from the desaturated colors of a long winter. This photo of creeping phlox, taken on a recent sunnier day, should brighten things up a bit.
Hope you are having a great weekend...

Three Cheers For Holtman & Wallace

I don’t believe one needs to understand the sport in order to appreciate this story. Call it good sportsmanship, call it one classy act or call it bend over backwards fair. These two gals; Mallory Holtman and Liz Wallace, along with the entire Central Washington University Softball team deserve high fives. Their actions are even more moving, when you learn the implications of their selflessness.

Just Because...

...I could.
;o)


Jeff, over at WormTown Taxi, had a good suggestion. Many taxpayers here in the U.S. will be receiving an “economic stimulus payment” in the coming weeks. Because of the troubled economy, I imagine most folks will be using their check to pay monthly bills or applying it to credit card balances. But if you are planning on pushing the money back into the economy, make it your local economy. Instead of shopping in the big chain stores or dining in the national chain restaurants, make it a point to patronize local businesses. It’s always a good idea to “buy local”, but especially nowadays.

Poetry

On this, the last day of National Poetry Month here in the United States, I encourage you to read a poem.

Or write a poem.

Or read a poem aloud.

Or do all three.

Or go to the library and run your fingers over the spines of the poetry books until one tugs at your spirit and demands to be taken home, read and savored.

Or invite a child to write a poem.

Or go to a poetry reading and know that the poet is most likely scared and delighted to be sharing their poem with you.

Or do all of the above.

And tomorrow, do it all again...



Here are some places to begin:

Poetry 180, a poem a day (not just) for High School students
Poetry Daily, a new poem every day
Favorite Poem Project, videos of people saying poems they love
The Writer’s Almanac, Garrison Keillor chooses a new poem to share seven days a week

Rain!

This may not be the prettiest photo I’ve ever posted, but at the moment those raindrop ripples in a puddle make me very happy! Yesterday and today brought rain to us here in Central Massachusetts. We needed it after too long a spell without any appreciable precipitation, which left things tinder dry. Now the immediate threat of fire danger is lifted and things are greening up amazingly quickly.

Inside BlogBall

If you have a blog on Blogger, this is great fun, dead easy and I owe it all to DancingMorganMouse. Look up at the address window in your browser screen. Do you see a little pink “PG” to the left of the address? I learned today that it’s called a Favicon as in Fave-Icon. Instead of the little orange square with the white Blogger sideways B, I created the pink “PG”. DMM has her little dancing mouse. She got the inside scoop from H&B, who directed us all to i-Tong’s post about how to insert our own favicon. I first tried using my Pink Granite photo, but it wasn’t clear enough. That’s when I made the “PG” instead.

So follow the trail of breadcrumbs from DMM to H&B to i-Tong. Or, if you’re in a hurry and don’t want to take the more enjoyable and scintilating scenic route, jump directly to i-Tong and follow his clear instructions. I’ll be watching the address window and bookmarks to see what you all come up with!

Clear Risk

In a lovely moment of serendipity, Chuck discovered a new item for our pantry. He was looking for some olive oil in Trader Joe’s when a woman began filling her cart with bottles. She volunteered that she lived about an hour and a half away from the store, but that she would go almost any distance to find this item. It was White Balsamic Vinegar. Neither of us had ever heard of it, but at just $1.99 for 500 ml, why not give it a whirl?

It tastes almost exactly like traditional Balsamic Vinegar and is from Modena, Italy, yet it is perfectly clear, hence “white”. It’s just right for when you want that rich, sweet, tangy taste of Balsamic Vinegar, but don’t want that deep, dark color. We drizzled a little over our strawberries this morning and it was delicious - very summery and bright on the palate. I know it’s dangerous for me to state publicly we like something from Trader Joe’s (or anywhere else for that matter), but this White Balsamic Vinegar is so good I decided to take the risk!

Eye Of The Beholder

While we were visiting with Chuck’s family in Washington state, the subject of my blog came up. I had e-mailed our family and friends back in November of 2006 when I started Pink Granite. But only a handful of them made and continue to make, regular visits (bless their loyal hearts!). Early in our stay, our brother-in-law said he had tried to find Pink Granite, but wasn’t sure he was in the right place. He brought us over to their new-to-them laptop and pulled up my blog. I did not recognize it! It looked awful. The entire page was a mostly white background, with badly spaced text. My two columns were visible, but looked as if they had been typed up and mimeographed. We showed them how dramatically different PG looks on our laptop. We all concluded that the difference might have something to do with our using different internet browsers. But the fact that their “new” laptop was previously owned, caused us all to think perhaps the settings were screwed up.

I didn’t think much more about it until yesterday’s audio adventure. When I learned that DancingMorganMouse couldn’t listen to the recording of my poem, I started researching what the problem was and how to fix it. I immediately began reading about tons of problems with embedding audio clips in Blogger. Many of them referenced the significant differences between browsers. So today I did some testing.

Back in 2006, the artist in me spent a long time choosing which Blogger template to use and then I tweaked the colors and layout until they were exactly what I wanted. When I work on my blog, using my Apple laptop and Safari, it is entirely WYSIWYG (what you see is what you get). This first screen shot is what Pink Granite looks like using my Safari browser:


When I use the FireFox or Camino browsers (both part of the Mozilla family), Pink Granite looks very much the way I intended it to. But if I use Microsoft’s Internet Explorer, this is what I see:


Eeeek!
And even this image is much better than what I saw on my in-law’s laptop while out in greater Seattle!

So, my question is this: What do you see when you stop by Pink Granite???
Does it look like the first screen shot or the second or something else entirely?
And which browser are you using?
Thanks in advance for your help!

"Two Days In August"

Between Chuck (who reads directions) and me (who dives in without reading directions), we have managed to record my poem. I hope that you are able to listen to it and that you enjoy it!

Thank you for your kind words of encouragement, your caps-lock congratulations and your enthusiastic support!!!

And today, thanks for listening...

Note: Can’t see the little embedded audio bar above? Just click on this link which will take you to a page outside Blogger, where the audio file is stored. BTW, it should begin playing immediately. Thanks!

Update: Thanks to feedback from DancingMorganMouse, I learned that something is glitchy with both the embedded audio bar and the hot link in the Note above. It may have something to do with different browsers (more on that tomorrow). So, until I can get it more streamlined and reliable, try clicking on this link. It will take you to a page where you need to click on a blue link which says “756.2K” under “Advanced Audio Coding” on the lower right. Good luck and thanks again!

Second Update: I may have identified an additional factor in why some of you have been unable to listen to the audio clip. Archive.org (where the audio file is presently stored) has been experiencing some “System Slowness”. I don’t know if this is rare or common, but it might be complicating things.

Success!

This evening’s reading went beautifully! Once again, about three dozen people gathered, this time in a library. The main differences between the two events was that more of the contributing poets were in attendance and read tonight. In addition to the poets, many of the photographers whose pastoral images were included in the book were also recognized and their work displayed. The reception from the audience was just as warm and appreciative as last time, the applause for each participant even more vigorous!

I am still smiling.

The small talk/chit chat aspects of these events still leave me flummoxed. But I must confess that the reading is fun! It’s not quite like the terror of a roller coaster ride morphing into exhilaration, such that at the end of the ride you rush to get in line again. But the fact that particular image came to mind speaks volumes. In fact, if someone had said there was another reading tomorrow, I would have said: “Cool! When and where?” As long as there was no requirement of polite social discourse between strangers!

Four Things

1. For some unknown reason, our internet connection has gone down again. I am currently sitting in a Barnes & Noble Bookstore, checking e-mail and posting this SOS. What are the chances that when we get home I will be able to talk to Carlos in Mexico? Oh how I wish I could have gotten that computer wizard’s direct line! So I may be out of touch for a bit until we can get this all sorted out.

2. Can anyone tell me why Chuck and I should eat at a "Cheesecake Factory Restaurant" ever, ever again? Seriously. We kept hearing good things about the place and after two truly mediocre, over-priced lunches, we’re ready to cross them off our list.

3. We had a great visit today with my favorite ER; my Mom in Rhode Island! She’s feisty and understands that growing older is not for sissies! Go Mom!

4. I have another poetry reading tomorrow night in support of the book, coinciding with Earth Day activities this week. I fear that my first reading last week may have been to an “easy” crowd. I am somewhat less optimistic about the reception tomorrow night, but I am definitely much less nervous. Except about small talk - I’d almost rather go to the dentist than make polite chit chat with total strangers! Wish me luck. I know you will!

Washington Goes Digital

It’s been ages since I posted any of my digi-scrap layouts. I’m happy to report that I continue to make progress with PhotoShop Elements. It is now a tool - actually a very fun tool - and no longer a fierce dragon to be slain!

I like how clean and crisp this layout is of our outing on Lake Washington.

Warning: Tech Speak Ahead!
I used the "Rectangular Marquee Tool” to create the 13 rectangles. I filled each one with light blue and then de-selected. I created all the rectangles on the same layer. Unfortunately, that meant I couldn't move them around individually later to better suit my photo! I then put the photo layer above the rectangles layer. I chose "Group With Previous" from the drop-down layer menu and ta da! I also added a “Noisy Drop Shadow” to make it “pop” a bit more.

And to think that not that long ago, a paragraph like that would make my brain explode!

Layout, photo and paper by LMR/Pink Granite. Software: Apple iPhoto '08 & Adobe Photoshop Elements 4.0 for Mac. Fonts: Blair Md ITC TT and Stone Sans Sem OS ITC CT

As always, feel free to click on the image to get a better look.

A Sweet Day!

Happy Second Wedding Anniversary K & P!
Enjoy every minute!

Seasonal Confusion

Technically, we’re not experiencing a drought around here. But we do need rain - sufficient and soon, please. According to The Boston Globe there were 189 reported brush fires across Massachusetts on Saturday alone. The spring bulbs have been continuing to push up. Even the lilac buds are swelling earlier than normal, due to the unusual warmth. It may feel like summer, yet, at first glance, it still looks more like late winter than a month past the equinox.

View from the kitchen door


Lilacs beside the driveway


First daffodils; spring green through winter beige

Transgression Or Hidden Benefit?

Today the Pope said Mass at Yankee Stadium. Yankee Stadium, as in the home of “The Evil Empire”, arch rivals of our beloved Boston Red Sox!

What does this mean for the 2008 Major League Baseball season and beyond?

Last week, the Yankees dug up the David Ortiz Red Sox jersey a construction worker had buried in the cement, near the visitors clubhouse in the new Yankee Stadium. Apparently, the Yankees were afraid that Big Papi’s shirt would give the Sox an unfair advantage on their trips to the Bronx.

Now the Pope has said Mass in the current and soon to be old Yankee Stadium.

Is this a “No No Nanette” and Babe Ruth redux?

But what might have been burning in the censer at the beginning of Mass today? The Pope was garbed in white and gold, but the cardinals wear red...

I need to find some tarot cards and get a reading.

Shhhh!

We live in a fairly rural area, but I’m having trouble readjusting to the vernal noise around here. Yesterday, we raised the storms and dropped the screens on the bedroom windows. It’s been unseasonably warm, with temperatures up in the 70s (21+ C) and even cresting over the 80 degree (27 C) mark. As a result, we’re hearing spring peepers, birds in full seasonal song, cars driving too fast on our country road and diesel tractor engines chugging from one field to another. I don’t have any desire to swap this raucous collection for city noises, including beeping horns and unattended car alarms. But this year’s accelerated transition from snow-muffled, winter silence to spring lollapalooza feels a bit jarring.

Today, we added our own sounds to the mix: scrape of metal shovel and rake against sand, dirt, gravel and rocks. Over the years, the crown down the middle of our unpaved driveway has risen in direct proportion to the settling and lowering of the parallel tire tracks on either side of it. So, we dug up one pile of dirt and spread it around into two flatter piles - sort of. It’s a work in progress, which could will come to a grinding halt at the first swarm of biting black flies. At which point I will move inside behind screened windows and/or a screened porch until the first hard frost next October! O.K. That’s a slight exaggeration. I’ll only stay indoors through the black fly, deer fly, tick and mosquito season. Yeah, well, that’s pretty much first hard frost in October...

Question...

“Question with boldness even the existence of a God; because, if there be one, he must more approve of the homage of reason, than that of blindfolded fear.”
- Thomas Jefferson (1734 - 1826)

A Shift

I was not happy when Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger became Pope Benedict XVI back in 2005. Perhaps it was his previous position as Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (formerly the Holy Office of the Inquisition) which left me cold. Maybe it was his reputation and nickname “God’s Rottweiler”. No matter, as a staunch supporter of Blessed Pope John XXIII and the Second Vatican Council of the early 1960s (commonly referred to as Vatican II), I was quite concerned that as Pope, Benedict XVI would unravel the best parts of the Catholic Church. The fact that then Father Joseph Ratzinger was in attendance at Vatican II did nothing to assuage my worry.

As the months turned into years, my opinion had not changed about Pope Benedict XVI. Then he decided to come to the United States. Then he looked so darned open and interested in everything around him. Then he decided to meet with a small group of survivors of sexual abuse by priests from the Archdiocese of Boston. Then the first hand reports of that meeting began to emerge. That’s when I felt something shift inside me.

I remember when I was in the midst of a Roman Catholic annulment of my first marriage. I had not initiated it, but nonetheless I was neck deep in paperwork and pain. Late in the process I spoke with a Monsignor from the Tribunal. It was a long conversation and a frank one on my part. I expressed anger, sadness and frustration. It was in that priest’s voice and words I felt what I had never expected to feel: vindication. I was away from the Church at that time, estranged or lapsed from the weekly ritual of Mass, but still felt very much like the Irish Catholic kid I once was. In that conversation and in the subsequent granting of the annulment, I felt that the Church had supported me in a concrete, proactive way which I had not felt since my childhood and never so powerfully.

My sadness and pain during my divorce and annulment was as nothing compared to the betrayal and abuse inflicted on innocents by evil individuals and compounded by a Church hierarchy running scared and refusing to live up to their own moral code. But as I listened to the voices of the survivors who met with Pope Benedict yesterday, I could begin to imagine their relief and the leading edge of a burden being lifted. I could begin to open my own heart to the possibility that Pope Benedict appreciates what Blessed Pope John XXIII brought to the Church via Vatican II.

Then I read this on Boston.com:
[Boston’s] Cardinal Sean P. O'Malley, who pushed for the meeting after the pope decided not to include Boston in his U.S. itinerary, gave the pope an oversize hand-sewn book made of color-washed paper in which a calligrapher had written the names of nearly 1,500 men and women from the Boston area who have reported being sexually abused by priests over the last six decades.

and I cried.

Well And Truly Spring

This year’s crop of crocuses

Since we returned from our trip, we haven’t needed to turn the heat on for the second floor at all. And we’ve only needed to push the heat on for the first floor very early in the mornings to take the overnight chill off. This afternoon, the outside temperature reached 70 (21 C) degrees! Looking at the forecast, I think our heating days are over until next autumn. That also means we need to remove our lovely IKEA Mysa Sol down quilt/comforter. We purchased it back in January, during their big winter sale (I can’t find it on their website). It’s been wonderful - cozy, toasty and light as, well O.K., a feather - or a whole slew of feathers. It’s been so warm actually, that we started turning the heat down earlier in the evenings so that the bedroom could reach our favorite sleeping temperature: 54 (12 C) degrees. So perhaps we saved a little on heating oil since we first fluffed and poofed the quilt onto the bed four months ago.

On the other hand, Chuck and I can’t stand the heat and humidity that are the hallmarks of southern New England summers. And it won’t be long before we need to slide the little Energy Star air conditioner into our bedroom window! But wait! I’m getting ahead of myself. For now, things are beginning to green up - little clusters of spring flowers, tender shoots and even a few buds on trees. The bugs are still few and far between. The days are mostly sunny, breezy and dry.

No complaints - not yet anyway! ;o)

Don’t Blink

Just outside the window in the dining room where Chuck’s Dad eats his meals, N. and B. have placed a hummingbird feeder. While we were there, N. tweaked the proportions in the sugar water nectar recipe he places in the feeder and it was suddenly a big hit. Near the end of our trip, Chuck was able to snap this photo through the window on a cloudy day. We think it is most likely an Anna’s Hummingbird, indigenous to the Northwestern United States.

I Read, Therefore I Am

I’ve been writing poetry since I was a young teen - nearly four decades! Several years ago, I had a poem published in our local paper and most recently, one published in a book. I have read my poems aloud on a couple of occasions to very small groups of folks that I was acquainted with. I have even identified myself as a poet. But it wasn’t until this morning, that I actually felt I truly am a poet.

Today’s poetry reading in support of the book was an unqualified success. My editor coordinated and led the event. The three dozen or so people who gathered in the social hall of a classic New England church were warm, welcoming and appreciative - nary a heckler among them! Chuck literally and figuratively had my back as he sat directly behind me. I was happy that I wasn’t feeling particularly nervous about the reading. I was more nervous about the small talk I needed to make with strangers before things got underway!

I read third, which was just about perfect. I had the chance to see and hear two other poets first, but I didn’t have to wait so long that I could have grown more anxious. I believe I set my voice to the correct volume and spoke to the folks in the back. I believe I looked up several times throughout my reading. Chuck reports that I did well and that my hands and book did not tremble as I stood before the audience. Chuck also said that there was audible murmuring at the end of my poem, followed by generous applause. I sort of, almost, kind of remember being able to hear the applause and smiling in response as I took my seat! I also was able to really listen to and enjoy all the poems which were read this morning.

Throughout the rest of the day, Chuck turned to me and pretended to speak to an imaginary stranger saying: “Why yes, that is my wife Lee, The Poet! Yes, she is available for readings!” How cute is he? Pretty darn cute, I’ll tell ya!

Reading

I’ve written here before about my shyness. I’ve explained how I’ve learned to mostly overcome it. As a teenager and young adult I served as a lector in my church. Every week, I would stand on the altar before the large congregation and read two passages from the Bible, along with the prayer of the faithful. I was fine. Even the time I went to read the second reading and instead began to read the first reading all over again! After a sentence or two, out of the corner of my eye, I saw the monsignor headed my way. I stopped. He reached over and flipped the page to the correct passage. I said: “Sorry Father. Thanks.” and read the passage as he returned to his seat.

Lightning did not strike. The earth did not open up and swallow me whole. I may have blushed, but I did not collapse. I took it in stride. Tomorrow, I need that same ease, self confidence and poise. Tomorrow I will be reading one of my poems aloud, in front of people I don’t know. It’s the poem which was published last year. I know when you read this you’ll be wishing me luck. I’ll let you know tomorrow how it all went.

Breathing now...

Remembering to throw my arms in the air as well --- but not while I’m reading my poem!

;o)

Settling Back In

Crocuses from spring 2007...

- More catching up today - laundry, getting used to cooking meals again, grocery list (the shopping trip never happened, maybe tomorrow?) e-mails, and all the little things that had to go by the boards while we were away.

- The visit to Washington really worked out beautifully - frankly much better than we had dared to hope. The mostly twice daily visits with Chuck’s Dad gave us the opportunity for moments of communication, observation, patience and service. Having Dad recognize us both and show flashes of his wit and humor are something we treasure. Added to those positives, we were able to spend lots of time, nearly every day, with Chuck’s sister Carol and her family. At one point, Chuck realized this was probably the most time he and Carol had spent together since they were living under the same roof as kids!

- At first glance, nothing looked green around here when we returned home. Perhaps it was the sharp contrast with the abundance of greenery and flowers out west which left us jaded! But in fact there are crocuses beginning to peek out and the first thick shoots of daffodil leaves gliding up through newly thawed, tender earth and last autumn’s crumbling leaves.

Being away was good.

Being home again is very good.

Cruising The Lakes

One glorious afternoon, while we were in greater Seattle, Chuck’s sister and her husband took us out on their new-to-them 60 year old boat. The four hours we cruised around was the best stretch of weather we had during the entire visit. We started out on Lake Union, moved through Portage Bay to Union Bay then out onto Lake Washington. While on Lake Washington we motored down to Seward Park and Mercer Island then turned around, eventually returning to Lake Union. From there, we detoured under the Aurora Bridge heading out toward Salmon Bay, before returning to the slip.

Montlake bridge, between Portage Bay and Union Bay, with the Cascade Mountains in the distance


The University of Washington’s Husky Stadium as seen from Union Bay


The 520 across Lake Washington, near rush hour, with the Cascades and the city of Bellevue beyond


Mount Rainier about 60 miles away - seeming to float in the air as if it was painted on a theater scrim


Sea plane at the ready, parked in front of a home on Lake Washington


Mount Rainier rising above Seward Park


The boat in motion on Lake Washington


Part of Bill & Melinda Gates’ house on Lake Washington


Along the waterfront in Portage Bay


Sailing on Lake Union, with Seattle as the backdrop


Under the Aurora Bridge on Lake Union


Along the water toward Salmon Bay, the “Alaska Titan” and the diminutive “Fearless” are moored


On Lake Union, the houseboat from the movie “Sleepless In Seattle”

As always, feel free to click on any image to get a better look.

Welcome Home

I swear we didn’t plan it.
It just worked out perfectly.

We’re home, safe and sound and tired. The luggage is mostly unpacked. The laundry marathon has begun. (Isn’t that how this whole trip started?) jetBlue did just as good a job on the return flight to Boston as it did on the flight to Seattle. But red eye flights, even non-stop ones, truly suck pond water! The drive from Logan Airport to our home yesterday was long and challenging. A nap recharged our batteries sufficient to drive the next leg to the kennel. The cats are home and after some initial zaniness, acting normally - well, normal for them!

But the perfect timing I’m referring to is that this afternoon was the Boston Red Sox Ring Ceremony and Home Opener at Fenway Park - and we were home to watch it all on NESN. It was just dumb luck. If it had been yesterday, we would have been too exhausted to keep our eyes open through the spectacle and the 5 - 0 win. Today, however, we were rested just enough to enjoy it all. It was wonderful. Once again the Red Sox owners and management struck the right balance of fun and sentiment and history. Inviting Bill Buckner to throw out the ceremonial first pitch is an excellent example of how these folks think. So good, so good, so good...

BTW, I have photos from an afternoon cruise on the lakes of Seattle we took with Chuck’s sister and her husband. I hope to get some of those up tomorrow. In the meantime, here’s another picture Chuck took of how beautiful public architecture in Greater Seattle can be:

Public Architecture As Art

The first thing that strikes me on every visit out here to Greater Seattle is how lush and green everything is at any time of the year. On one visit we made in January, we were amazed to find “winter pansies” blooming away under a crunchy layer of icy snow!

The second thing that strikes me is the thoughtful, artistic details in functional public features such as bus stops, retaining walls and medians. I hope the photos below give you an idea of what I’m referring to.

One bus stop


Another bus stop


Greenery on a noise barrier wall


Benches and planter on a street corner


Tile detail (So true!)


Flower against a noise barrier wall

The Whole Family

The days are running together. I find I have to keep asking Chuck what day it is. We are enjoying our mostly twice daily visits with Chuck’s Dad. On one of the two single visit days, we drove down with Chuck’s sister to the Tahoma National Cemetery where their Mom is buried. Because Dad is a veteran of World War II, Mom and Dad were entitled to be buried there if they wished. I mean no disrespect when I say that, just as we have on previous trips, we wanted to visit the entire family while here in Washington. It was a cold, gray day that brought sleet, rain, hail, and snow. Even on a raw, stormy day, Tahoma is a beautiful, peaceful and well-maintained cemetery. The above is a photo from a few years ago (taken with our old camera) on a sunny day when Mount Rainier was not fully shrouded in clouds.

Just a few days ago, the following was included in an e-mail we received from Ancestry.com:

This is a Cemetery…
Lives are commemorated,
Deaths are recorded,
Families are reunited,
Memories are made tangible and
Love is undisguised.

This is a Cemetery...

Communities accord respect,
Families bestow reverence,
Historians seek information and
Our Heritage is thereby enriched.



Testimonies of devotion, pride and warmth are carved in stone to pay warm tribute to accomplishments and to the life, not the death, of a loved one.
The cemetery is homeland for memorials that are a sustaining source of comfort to the living.
A cemetery is a history of a people, a perpetual record of yesterday and a sanctuary of peace and quiet today. 


A cemetery exists because every life is worth loving and remembering – always.

--- From the Lutheran All Faiths Cemetery brochure
Middle Village, New York
author unknown

"Beloved Wife and Mother"
"Beloved Husband and Father"
"Forever in Our Hearts"
"Dancing Together In Heaven"
"Everyone Knew Him As Bud"
"He Finally Got His Wings"

Those are just a few of the inscriptions etched on the headstones of Mom’s neighbors.

A cemetery exists
because every life is worth loving and remembering – always.

The View From Here

This vista captures one of the area lakes with the Cascade Mountains beyond. The photo gives you a taste of the beauty of this region, just east of Seattle. There is so much to photograph - mountains, waterways, public architecture and sculpture, flowering trees, lush greenery - it is an embarrassment of riches. But we have been so focused on Dad, our family and the rhythms of each day, that our camera has been dutifully toted, yet rarely employed. I’m afraid I’ve been off my “photo-blogger” game. Since we have decided to extend our stay, I hope to rectify the problem before the week is out!

Your Good Energy Is Needed

Please hold Ronnie, Steven and little Sarah in your thoughts. They need all the our good wishes, love and prayers right now...


Update: Thank you for your good energy! Little Sarah has made it over a big hurdle. Please continue to hold her in your thoughts - think small, strong, healthy and kicking!

A Perfect Home

Chuck’s Dad has lived in greater Seattle for nearly fourteen years. He first lived in a condominium. Later, after Chuck’s Mom passed away, Dad moved to an independent living arrangement. As his health and care needs changed, he relocated to an assisted living facility. Now, at 93, Dad lives in an "Adult Family Home". Prior to Dad’s move we had never heard of these Adult Family Homes. But the one Dad lives in now is wonderful.

Dad’s AFH is a single family home owned and operated by a lovely couple; N. and B. N. and B. have four residents living with them, including Dad. There is never a hint of impatience, weariness or frustration in their manner.  They are warm and gentle with each resident, as well as very respectful and attentive. For example, at dinner the other day, Dad and two other residents were all pulled up to the dining room table in their wheelchairs.  B. brought out their dinners of halibut in lemon and olive oil with garlic and onions, along with spinach, asparagus and rice.  She showed one of the prepared plates to Dad and explained that this was what he would be eating, then gave Dad a soup bowl with the same items having been pureed.  (Dad has trouble swallowing solid food without coughing and choking.)  Dad ate every bite and pronounced it good. Showing Dad the prepared plate was a simple, thoughtful gesture which captured the essence of both the couple and the home.  I wish N. and B. could be cloned so any “ER” in Dad's circumstances would be able to live in such pleasant and comfortable surroundings. 

We are quite relieved and delighted that even as his health declines, Dad’s sense of humor is still intact.  For example:  B., who runs the home, is a very attractive woman.  Dad was looking up at B and staring.  Because Dad has always had an “eye for the ladies” and can be a wicked flirt, I said:  "Dad, isn't B. beautiful?"    He immediately replied:  "She's not as pretty as I am!"    We all just about fell off our chairs laughing!

Update From The Great Northwest

- Here, in greater Seattle, Washington, spring has officially sprung. Everything is green, lush and in bud or full bloom. It is night and day from back home in central Massachusetts. But after a long, heavy winter, that is a very good if somewhat startling thing! I’ll get the camera out in the coming days and upload some photos.

- The ER (Elderly Relative) in this neck of the woods is Chuck’s Dad, who is 93 years old. I’m happy to report that Dad’s overall condition is not as bad as we had prepared ourselves for. And his new living arrangements exceeded the high expectations we had. Both facts give us a sense of relief. In addition to Chuck’s Dad, we are also visiting with Chuck’s sister and her family. It is always a treat to be able catch up with them in person.

- We flew out on jetBlue. I have to say that, based on just one non-stop flight from Boston to Seattle, jetBlue seems to have found the perfect balance between economy and luxury. Every single employee, on the phone or in person, was cheerful, relaxed, professional and friendly. The seats were comfortable and had honest to goodness leg room. I was anxious at the gate and during take off, but managed it without drinking any beverages for their medicinal value or utilizing any prescription medications!

- I began writing this post earlier today. It is now approaching midnight here, but my body is still running on east coast time and is convinced it is nearly 3:00 a.m. Who am I to argue?

: : More later...

Next Stop: The Great Northwest

The cats are in the kennel - er - kitty resort. We’re pretty much packed, with one lonely, mini-load of laundry left to go. (It never fails!) We fly out tomorrow so I’ll post in a couple of days to give you an update. As of this instant all ERs are OK.

Thanks for all the good wishes and "how to stay relaxed while flying" suggestions. It’s amazing how many involved alcohol! (Thanks for the e-mail KRL!)
;o)

P. S. Red Sox have Opening Day in Japan tomorrow. Go Sox!!!

Spring? Maybe...

We saw six robins over at the track yesterday. Today we saw one red tailed hawk and no robins. Coincidence? I think not. Robins are lovely and bright and probably took their leave when they saw the broad wings in the sky. That’s the only explanation I’m willing to consider!

Our day involved laundry (the last of it?), another walk under nearly identical conditions to yesterday and me applying cork sealer to more pairs of Birkenstocks than I can count. It started out as a small chore and grew like topsy. I know it blossomed because it was a way for me to keep busy and not think too hard about flying!

If you celebrate Easter, I hope it was everything you wanted it to be...

Spring?

According to the alignment of the planets, spring has officially sprung. According to our front lawn, well, not so much! The photo above shows the greatest area of “lawn” and the least amount of snow we’ve seen out there since the first week in December.

- We’re continuing to chip away at the preparations for the trip. (NoteBook is coming in very handy.)
- The cats are eyeing their cat carriers with a great deal of suspicion. (Apparently, in their minds, kennel does not equal resort.)
- Who decided any liquid over 3 ounces was officially unsafe?
- Getting out for our walk in the sunshine today, even though the temperature was in the 30s (2 C) and it was very windy, felt good.
- Laundry, left in laundry baskets in a dark laundry room, multiplies.
- All of our “spinning plates” have been officially renamed with the collective abbreviation: “ERs” - short for Elderly Relatives, thanks to DancingMorganMouse!

Diagon Alley Here I Come

I’ve been a bit busy and a bit overwhelmed lately. (Question: Is it possible to be “a bit overwhelmed”? Doesn’t overwhelmed mean you’re totally sunk or in over your head or something of equal magnitude which makes modifying it with “a bit” oxymoronic?)

Let me start over. We have to fly across the country next week. It’s a family visit which is good, but it also includes the declining health of another elderly relative, which is tough. I am no longer a good flyer. Not only am I no longer a good flyer, but flying and the airlines are no longer fun. Once upon a time I flew quite often. I was a great deal younger and the service on the airlines was much, much better. Therefore it was a consistently more enjoyable experience. Now we fly infrequently, the service is much, much worse and the freakin’ rules keep changing!

We’ve done our best to book the most convenient flights on an airline we’ve never flown on before, but hear good things about. We’ve been reading the TSA’s and the airline’s rules and regulations trying to figure out what’s what. We’ve also booked the hotel and almost locked in on the rental car. If we could just wave a magic wand and simply be there, I would be a much happier individual right now - so would Chuck.

But my magic wand is in the shop right now. If it wasn’t in the shop, in addition to eliminating the to and fro parts of travel, I would wave my magic wand toward several things in the political realm, put a fresh coat of paint on the house, do what I could to assist the Red Sox and, most importantly, make all of our relatives healthy, well, strong and happy.

I so need a magic wand...

Red Sox Rock Via Collective Action

The baseball players of the Boston Red Sox worked as a team to right a wrong. The team was scheduled to fly overseas today for both exhibition games and the official opening day game in Japan. Then the players got word that significant stipends promised to coaches and other support staff, including Manager Terry Francona were not going to paid out by Major League Baseball. The players stipends or bonuses were secure under their contract, not so the other important staff members. So after a great deal of behind the scenes action, the players voted unanimously not to play the scheduled game today against the Toronto Blue Jays. They also voted unanimously not to go to Japan until the wrong was righted.

Little more than an hour after this afternoon’s game had been scheduled to start, a satisfactory agreement was reached and the players went on to play ball and later head to Japan. Collective action was taken by a group of guys who already had their piece of the pie sewn up, but felt an injustice needed to be reversed for vital members of their larger Red Sox team. Bravo!

You can read more details here and here.

Beware & Be Aware of Sound Bites

Today, Senator Barack Obama gave a tremendously important, excellent speech entitled “A More Perfect Union”. The 38 minute speech, addressing race in America, should be listened to in its entirety, the transcript read in full. Unfortunately, most media outlets are simply extracting snippets from the speech and that’s all many United States citizens will hear and see. Here are a variety of links where you can see and or listen to Senator Obama delivering his speech in Philadelphia or read the transcript.

Audio recording of the speech from National Public Radio. Click on the “Listen” link at the top of the page.
Transcript of the speech from National Public Radio.
Transcript of the speech from The Root(dot)com.
Video of the speech from MSNBC.
Video of the speech from CNN, located on the "Obama ’08" website.
Transcript of the speech located on the "Obama ’08" website.

Despite my warning in the title of this post, I want to share one brief excerpt of Senator Obama’s speech:

"I am the son of a black man from Kenya and a white woman from Kansas. I was raised with the help of a white grandfather who survived a Depression to serve in Patton's Army during World War II and a white grandmother who worked on a bomber assembly line at Fort Leavenworth while he was overseas. I've gone to some of the best schools in America and lived in one of the world's poorest nations. I am married to a black American who carries within her the blood of slaves and slaveowners - an inheritance we pass on to our two precious daughters. I have brothers, sisters, nieces, nephews, uncles and cousins, of every race and every hue, scattered across three continents, and for as long as I live, I will never forget that in no other country on Earth is my story even possible.

It's a story that hasn't made me the most conventional candidate. But it is a story that has seared into my genetic makeup the idea that this nation is more than the sum of its parts - that out of many, we are truly one."
- Senator Barack Obama, March 18, 2008

Saol Fada Chugat!

Which, if I’ve done my homework correctly, translates to: “Long life to you!”

On this St. Patrick’s Day, when I tote up my sixteen great-great grandparents, it works out to about twelve Irish, one French, one Danish and two question marks. But perhaps as many as four of the Irish were, for at least one generation, Irish-Scots. But those Irish-Scots self identified as Scottish! So if I come down a generation, to my great grandparents, then the scales are still tipped decidedly toward the Irish, but with at least one quarter Scottish.

Which begs the question: who cares? Well I do. Surely, not so I can slap on a silly “Kiss Me I’m Irish” button on the 17th of March every year. I care because of those sixteen ancestors and the thirty-two before them and the sixty-four before them and so on, back before there are records, back before there are any names left to be remembered.

I have cared ever since I was a kid and began asking my parents and grandparents lots of questions. For some reason, I have always been conscious of the very different circumstances every generation lived under. Perhaps it came from spending so much time with my grandparents. Perhaps it was their stories which piqued my interest. Perhaps it was the times they answered any of my innumerable questions with a simple: “I don’t know.”

No matter how it came to be, this genealogical research and record keeping is important to me. I owe everything to them. The least I can do is pore over the records and write their names, their birth and death dates and any bit of information I can find. Folks who worked so hard and took such enormous risks deserve at least to have their names spoken once again, their lives and life’s work acknowledged.

So on this St. Patrick’s Day, here’s to: Miles, Catherine, Hugh, Eliza, Hugh, Winifred, Margaret, William, Bridget, Thomas, Catherine, John, Mary, George, Sarah, Owen, James, Delia, Patrick, Catharine, John, Catherine, Joseph, Winifred, George, Augusta, Augusta Florence, Edward, Mary, Frederick, Elizabeth, James, Mary, James, Alexander, Catherine, John Mervyn, Marion, Dorothy and George - - -

Go raibh maith agaibh!
Thank you all!

Toto, We’re Not In Rhode Island Anymore!

Thankfully, all is calm today, but Friday and Saturday brought thunderstorms, high winds, hail, funnel clouds and tornadoes to Atlanta, Georgia and its environs, where my sister Gail now lives. I believe this was the worst series of storms to hit the area since Gail moved down there from Rhode Island almost one year ago. Since it was scary for all of us holding our breath for her, I can only imagine what it must have been like to be in the midst of it. Adding to the worry, Gail’s daughter Kate and her husband Phil were flying in from Boston yesterday for a visit. Timing is everything, but happily, they are safe and sound as well.

Did you hear that? That was our collective sigh of relief from Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Arizona and Georgia combined!

Happy Birthday Chuck!

”Happy Birthday to you,
Happy Birthday to you,
Happy Birthday dear Chuck
Happy Birthday to you -
and many more!
Wheeeeeee!!!”

Today is Chuck’s birthday! Regular readers know that I consider myself the luckiest gal in the world to be married to the nicest guy on the planet! Tell me what you will about your own Prince Charmings. While I will be very happy for you, I’m afraid it will fall on deaf ears! Seriously, Chuck is kind, thoughtful, loving, has a ready laugh and a quick wit. And yes, I am eternally grateful he somehow finds me special too.

Here’s a photo of Chuck from when he was in college. All that and brains too! Happy Birthday Kiddo!

Wild Willy’s News

We stopped by Wild Willy’s Burgers on West Boylston Street in Worcester again. Chuck had a hankering for one of their delicious burgers and who am I to stand in the way of his happiness? The good news is that the food continues to be very tasty and the chaotic crush of customers has finally calmed down. It is now possible to get a parking place in the lot without idling for ten minutes! But the really good news is that they are now open on Sundays. That’s right. Seven days a week you can swing by for a burger and a root beer or even more refreshing: an orange spritzer with wedges of orange and lemon in the bubbly goodness. It reminded us of Worcester’s own Polar Orange Dry Soda, only fresher and citrusier.

For more details on our previous visits to this totally casual, local establishment with very good service look here and here. Then jump in the car and drive to Wild Willy’s!

Drumroll Please

Tomorrow is a big day around here.
Any guesses?
Yes, it is the day before St. Patrick’s Day.
Yes, it is the day Ferdinand Magellan reached the Philippines in 1521.
Well, yes, it is also the day that Robert Goddard launched the first liquid-fueled rocket right here in Massachusetts in 1926.
O.K. Stop guessing!
It’s also my husband Chuck’s birthday!
Yup. Sixty-five years ago tomorrow, Chuck made his first official appearance on the planet. Yay & Hurray!
I was what could generously be described as fashionably late to the party - my great loss.
I figured an event of this magnitude deserved a little drumroll in advance...

Oh No!

The Red Sox released Doug Mirabelli.
The Red Sox released Doug Mirabelli?
The Red Sox released Doug Mirabelli!!!

I’ve got nothing against Kevin Cash. And I’ve learned over the last few years to: “Let go and let Theo”, even though some of his decisions have been difficult to take. But I can’t believe letting Doug Mirabelli go is a good idea. I admit, I’m hopelessly sentimental and Doug’s state trooper escorted return to Fenway Park in 2006 was a peak baseball moment for me. But can Cash really catch Wakefield’s knuckleball? And is Cash’s defensive performance good enough to offset his weak offensive numbers?

Sometimes spring training truly sucks.
Sigh....

Stone As Art

One of the highlights of our trip to the 2008 New England Spring Flower Show in Boston on Monday was seeing stone artist Lee Spiller again. He creates exquisitely beautiful vases and other items from stones. The finished product is clearly still a stone, but it has been respectfully transformed. We first saw Lee’s artwork on one of our trips to Bar Harbor, Maine. There’s a shop there, actually a couple of shops, called Window Panes. They carry home decor, furniture, kitchen and garden items along with Lee Spiller’s stone work. They have a separate shop for bath and body products on upper Main Street. Their main location is also on Main Street, but near the intersection with Mt. Desert Street. I believe they still have an annex over on Cottage Street. I couldn’t find a functional web link for Window Panes, but of the many shops in Bar Harbor, they are a “must do”.

Anyhoo, back to Lee Spiller. When you see his stone vases displayed you will feel immediately drawn to them. They call to you, inviting you to pick them up. Lee uses all different sizes of stones. Each one has a refined form by virtue of its having been tumbled over time in a river or an ocean. That natural shape is never diminished as Lee works with each stone to turn it into a vase, a candle holder, a “puddle stone” or a lamp.

Over the years we have been unable to resist a number of Mr. Spiller’s vases such that our collection now numbers ten. As we approached his booth in the Gardener’s Marketplace in the Bayside Expo Center Monday, we started telling each other we already had lots of his gorgeous vases at home. But then we saw his newest creation: stone pendants. They have the same simple, earthy, elegant qualities as his vases, just writ small and available to be worn around ones neck. One pendant fairly leapt off the driftwood display into my hands - really! Then Chuck asked if he had brought any other pendants, not yet on display and Lee graciously brought out the rest of his trove. Sure enough, another pendant flew right into Chuck’s hands! We slipped them on and immediately loved the weight and feel of them. I wish the photo below allowed you to experience them in person.

Still Winter

It snowed today. After some sleet snow mix early on, we were treated to big, luscious flakes. They swirled during squalls. They danced during flurries; seeming to bounce up on the wind from the ground, to peek in the second floor windows. Then the sun came out and what little had been able to accumulate melted, making us think it had all been a mirage. But a few hours later the sky grayed over and the snow began again.

Chuck’s new snowshoe bindings arrived and he has swapped old technology for new. But we don’t know if he will break them in this winter or next. Before spring creeps up on me completely, I wanted to share a few more winter scenes with you.

A Glimpse of Spring

Yesterday we decided to go to the 2008 New England Spring Flower Show in Boston. You can read about our 2007 trip here. Last year’s show seemed a little thin, but lovely. This year, there were even fewer exhibits and the ones that were presented seemed less dazzling. The theme this year is “Rhapsody in Green”; both the color and the environmental movement. Perhaps that led to designer restraint and fewer splashes of color. Also some of our old favorites such as the garden rooms and the dining tables were barely in evidence. It all seemed a bit blah and we did not experience that energizing burst of early spring we have come to expect. The show, sponsored by the Massachusetts Horticultural Society, runs through this Sunday, March 16th at the Bayside Expo Center.

Here are a few of my favorite moments from the show. Enjoy!











P.S. Blogger has been acting up lately. Tonight the entire platform seemed to disappear! I hope you’re finding Pink Granite easy to open and read.

Far From Ordinary

It looks to be made mostly of thin strips of birch bark. But there are bits of blue speckled paper, adding a subtle decorative touch. Who lived here? Who worked so hard to create this small treasure to rear their young in? Will they be back this spring? Or do they start from scratch each and every season? Are they born knowing how to weave?

Remember the first time you held yarn in one hand, a crochet hook in the other and chained your first chain. Think about that first awkward casting on to knitting needles or your attempt to knit the first row. Yarn too tight, yarn too loose, needles stabbing fiber, the air and you. Now imagine doing it all while hovering in the air, wings beating, a shred of birch bark between your lips.

Again With The Clocks

Call me cranky or grumpy - both might well be true today - but I still dislike the entire concept of daylight saving time. Tonight we have to “spring ahead” an hour. Here’s my post from last spring which sums up my feelings. Hmmm.... I guess that link means you can call me lazy too!