From the Mouths of Babes

Tonight I asked my daughter (who is about to enter first grade) what she thought was crazy about the world. She giggled and said "like, when a bunny is sitting right next to a carrot, but he doesn't take the carrot, and just runs into the forest instead!"

Whoa. Deep.

Gum Trees

 

Another lovely rediscovery on my trip to California was the scent and beauty of the Eucalyptus groves. I had the pleasure of staying right next to one, and got to explore on a couple of occasions. I learned that Eucalyptus are referred to as gum trees, are the source of turpenoids that create their unique sweet scent and antibacterial qualities, and are a natural insect repellent and antiseptic.

They were apparently introduced during the Gold Rush by Australian immigrants who hoped to use them for railroad ties, furniture etc., but the young trees of their new home reacted differently from the centuries old ones of their old home when harvested (twisting and becoming rock hard), so they ended up being used as wind breaks instead.

My 6 year old was just as intrigued as I when looking at these photos, by the beautiful colors of the peeling bark, which in person seemed to change color completely with the shifting light, almost like a living painting.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Old Times

 

I recently came across this photograph of my paternal grandparents (I believe in Northern Wisconsin in the 1930's). It's one of my favorites- another that I will have to dig up is an early picture of them on the farm that involves my grandma hooking my grandpa around the waist with a cane.

 

These two were a major influence in my upbringing and I miss them every day. My grandpa was a local legend with a sharp wit, who taught me long-hand arithmetic, made me memorize all the native species of birds and trees, and got me interested in Latin. My grandma was one of my best friends. I loved hearing all her stories about growing up in the 20's, and sampling all the goodies she'd bake for us while we were at school (like chocolate raisin cookies or yellow cake with chocolate frosting in an old tin cake pan). I could fill volumes with all the wonderful things they taught me.

 

I thought it was funny that I came across this at the time I was writing about the calming effects of watching water- it must run in the family!



 

 



Watching Water

I missed posting for a few days because I got swept up in a glorious whirlwind weekend visit to my old stomping grounds in Southern California. It was incredible to let the serenity of the surroundings fill my soul and push out all the tension of the last few weeks.

One of my favorite moments was reuniting with the ocean, a companion I used to frolic and share troubles with as much as possible. Sitting there with a treasured old friend and seeing the blue-gray waters again, hearing the repetitions of the breathing tide, smelling the salt air and feeling the clamminess return to my skin from the sea water, I was very much overcome with relief and gratitude.

It's amazing how something so simple can unravel the complexity that our daily goings-on can cause to build up over time. What a blessing.

The Power of Love

Love is admittedly the thing I care most about in the world-- giving my love, being loved (the right way), seeing others love one another...it's the thing I've strived for (knowingly and unknowingly), more than anything else, many times to a fault.

I reckon that conservation of angular momentum is the actual reason the world is turning, but I do think that love has an affect on our own rotations-- getting through our days, years, lives (ok, I guess that could arguably be more of a linear movement) without support, affection, recognition, empathy and respect would be a supremely difficult task. And although I far too often trick myself into feeling isolated and unloved, remembering the truth of how many people I actually have out there (family members, friends, co-workers) who are giving me love everyday, is important-- somehow it can help lift the burden that getting through those rotations once in awhile presents me with.

So, remember to share your love freely without occasion, and to stop and count the blessings of all those who love you. You are not alone.

Hotter Than A Two Dollar Pistol

Texas adventures continued today with a visit to the Fort Worth Stockyards. Our conference center has been so hyper-air-conditioned that the outdoor Texas temps have been a little shocking to the system. However, the giddiness I experienced seeing the below array of gloriousness made it worth the heat. $2 Lone Stars and the greasiest cheeseburger ever and I'm ready for sweet dreams under the Texan big/bright stars.

 

The Big D

This week I'm at a ticket software conference in Dallas, TX. I don't believe I have ever been here, and although I've been aware of how wonderful Dallas Children's Theater is, Dallas isn't a place I know much about or have had much of a desire to visit.

So, I was pleasantly surprised when this evening we went to the beautiful Dallas Arts District and got to see three amazing performance venues:

1. The Wyly at Dallas Theater Center, a 100' x 100' completely customizable theater space with removable seats and elevate-able boxes:

 

2. Winspear Opera House, home of the Dallas Opera

 

 

 

 

3. Morton H. Meyerson Symphony Center, where we were treated to a stellar organ recital of a Verdi work on a 4,535 pipe C.B. Fisk Opus 100 organ. 

 

Quite a cool place actually!