snow+cold = dormant

That's what I was for most of the day. Until I started to do some absurd things around the house that I won't go into.
So I forced myself out into the windy, bitter cold and froze my face off. But I did get these lovely snow shots. It sure is beautiful.

I read in the paper today that Jack Lalane is 94 years old. And, he works out 2 times a day, + swims 1/2 hour. Amazing! That's my interesting tid bit for the day.

Wake up Katrina!

zzzz. oh hello..... zzzzz.

I haven't posted in so long I think I forgot how to do it.

First of all during my waking moment I'd like to thank my brother Kevin for his excellent blog post, and for using up all the premium adjectives to describe our fabulous adventure in Egypt.

Trying to just make a post, but struggling to recover from my jet-lag delirium.
Delirium from 3 rd world wonderfully chaotic, polluted yet fragrant, helter skelter Cairo.

I mean everywhere, wafts of grilled meat, diesel, spices, exhaust, sweat, smoke, cat pee, coffee, dust, feet, big dumpage of more diesel, tobacco, felafil, dead cats, lotus.... More. And more and more. The synapses in my brain cannot connect quickly enough. And the intense pollution is killing them off fast. Then there is the visual. Oh this is just too much.
And, there are lots of eyes on us.



So. I have never ever, ever been anywhere like this. Maybe Istanbul comes somewhat close, but there really is no European influence in Cairo.
And so different from Japan. The Japanese don't yell. They barely squeak. They respect your 'space'. Heck they won't even come within 25 yards of your space.
Oh not the Egyptians. Right there. Right up in your face. Hey you have alot of stray eyebrow hairs there Mister.
Very curios. Always wanting to know where you are from. At one point Kev started to get comical:

Egyptian: Hello! Welcome to Egypt! Where are you from?
Kev: Egypt.

Egyptian: hahahahahaha! well what is your name?
Kev: Mohammad!

everyone liked that.

But from the moment you step out of your hotel room, it really is complete non-stop dizzying action---for hours while you are out and about. I couldn't really decide if it was safer on foot or by nutzo taxi driver. Either way, I found myself making a mental note to thank Allah when I arrived back at the hotel, frenzied, but intact.

I have to say tho, the giant, echoing, peaceful mosques were quite a nice respite. They were not crowded, probably because you can find one on nearly every street corner. At one point I counted 39 minarettes, standing in one spot. And that's just what I saw!


So now on to my brother Kevin. He can quite possibly be the worlds easiest person to travel with. He is fearless and knows how to figure out a huge city and it's people very fast. He has nothing except an extra pair of underwear and a wallet. And of course his bike. He goes anywhere, anytime, and eats anything. One night while cruising around the alleys, it was getting late into the evening without having eaten dinner and we stumbled across a man cooking up some probably very yummy and probably very questionable street food in his rusted old run down cart.

"I'll take 2 of those!" He says without even a blink.
Are you crazy? I thought.

He has an intense aversion towards touristy places (except Giza) so it's quite some adventure travel. I must have dragged him to the market 9 times without one complaint. He once very kindly suggested that maybe I could go out by myself since I kind of had the layout figured.
How thoughtful Kev. Get your shoes on.

I can't even describe, really, how much I enjoyed myself, without having to take care and watch over young children for 9 straight days. Nobody whining because they are tired or hungry, nobody with a poopy diaper, nobody who just can't walk anymore because they have a mosquito bite on their toe. I was in pure polluted bliss!

And the Muslims.
So exotic.
So so so devout.

Our 25 year old hotel receptionist, Ahmed, was so sweet and cute and charming and delightful and helpful I nearly stayed and converted.

But I knew I would miss Ira too much.

Hope to soon make a movie of this adventure. I will for certain go back, next time to Luxor. Thankfully it doesn't take much to get Ira to go anywhere. He's already on board!

10 more days

...til the news can finally get off the election a bit.

I am not voting for John McCain because I think he is a Muslim.

Dad was here

Little taped notes around the house.

That's how you know.

'Course I knew he was here, he was a gigantic help when the 90 boxes from Japan came in. He attacked the boxes like a crazed cave man.

Replacing the screen door, cleaning and organizing the entire work room, fixing closet doors, doing dishes, pumping up bike tires. The list goes on.
Wal-mart or Home Depot. Almost every day.

He is strong and healthy. Great to see him. And he's coming back, in a month, for another 3 weeks.

Hello it's me.

....I've thought a-bout us for a long long while.

a note to say I haven't abandoned or forgotten my blog, even tho it seems that way. Summer has taken over, and we have guests, and frankly, there is really not a whole lot of wacky Japanese stuff happening here.

The dishwasher broke. The dog went to the vet.

Oh my gosh I am back to my boring old way of life. what to do, where to go. help.

I'm glad I am not in China tho. Or Kyrgyzstan.

Here is a little 'bit' I made, which happened to just sell today in my etsy shop.

The Joys of Jet-lag

Joseph. An hour or so before landing. Yawn. Been home for 1 week and beginning to come out of the jet-lag, lack of oxygen and dehydration. But there is lots of cheese in the fridge.
That's what counts.
This is what's on the agenda. Unpacking massive amounts of boxes with completely random contents. Here is a shot of the boys room, and the storage room.



Aren't you all so jealous? Ira left for Japan today, he will be back here in Colorado for a visit on July 18. Then back to Asia again, not quite sure how long it will continue, but his working visa expires end of October. We hope he won't be gone for that long. The company needs to find his replacement and Ira needs to train him or her. He is in the process of interviewing.

Fresh air, big blue skies, mammoth shopping carts, and driving on the proper side of the road. (without a bike or 2 speeding in front of you at any moment) . Ah, the things I missed so.

Goodbye Japan

In our last few days spent here, Ira and I went together to Kamakura, my absolute favorite place in Japan. 

An ancient womens cemetary, on a giant forested

 slope.  The air is heavy and very rich with fragrant nature.  Little paths meandering through the graves sites, the trickling sounds of tiny waterfalls, big moss and vine covered walls, dripping with moisture,  the echo of the birds. 

I found these mushrooms on a rock.  Not even 1/2 " tall. 

Such a quiet, peaceful and perfect place.  I gathered leaves, twigs, tiny pebbles, fallen bamboo. Hope to make a small collage with my findings of this place that I love and will miss so much.

A wonderful last memory.

 

 

June 7.  We are ending another chapter and leaving Japan in just a few hours.

I have to go pack, Ira is pushing me to end this. I will continue when I return home. 

Sayonara Japan, arigato gozaimas