Wanderlust

As a result of many conversations today (about Hawaii, about Ireland, about Scotland, etc.), I now am in the thick of Wanderlust. But LO it is still many weeks until the end of the semester and even more weeks until we go to Hawaii. Alas!

(I am about to punch the internet in the throat because I've been looking for a story I think I saw on line only I can't remember where. Oh! The agony!)

In any case, there is this guy who walks from his home, in England I believe, and he sleeps outside much of the time and he thinks we all should do that as well.
I'm pretty sure he wrote a book and if I knew who he was or what the book was, I would tell you. In any case, I think I will do something of this nature this summer, try to take Son camping close to home, or perhaps in our backyard?

I must go now, so no pieces of technology lose their lives.

Salt Lake City: A Photo Essay

New World Order

Today a new world order is being instated (is that the right word?). We are all up early. We have all left the house early (except for Son, who is doing something on his computer that he claims is "educational."). Some of us have come back to the house early after working out, again, early.
This new regime has come about because Husband (aka Middlebrow) has started a New Job. The New Job is the same place as the Old Job, but the New Job has what We (in this house) would call "Banker's Hours" meaning he has to be there early and he has to stay just as long as everyone else (I'm assuming this is 4:30 or 5, but we'll see).
What will this New World Order mean for Son and Dr. Write? Well, so far it means I have to workout very early, or when Son is doing some of his Summer Son things. It means I have to figure out what to do with Son during the class I teach. It means I will have to figure out how to get Son to be docile for at least an hour a day while I write. It means it will be very hard for me to have coffee dates and movie dates, except when Son is in camp.
It also means, apparently, that I will be asking Middlebrow to "pick things up on the way home." It may also mean that I have to keep the fridge well stocked with cold beer and that maybe I should teach Gus (the GSP) how to bring him his slippers, pipe, and smoking jacket when he appears at the front door after five saying, "Honey! I'm home!"
I hope it doesn't mean that I have to cook dinner 7 days a week. Middlebrow has perfected quite a few recipes and I don't want him to forget!
I hope it doesn't mean that I have to do all the laundry. (Wait! I already do!)
I hope it doesn't mean that I will have to figure out how to do anything gross in the bathroom, because I tend to gag easily.
I also hope it doesn't mean that I forget what Middlebrow looks like because I never see him.
On the plus side, I'm already planning a fantastic vacation for next summer.

Dear Death, I am Against You

Death,
We don't know each other, though I have seen you before, in the fate of friends. I know you are an inevitable part of life, that I should just accept you, the way I accept rain and oxygen. And sometimes, I can accept that you are like rain, soft, necessary, productive. Without death, where would the cycle of life be?
No, death, I am not talking about your kinder, inevitable side. I'm talking about when you show up where you know you don't belong, in the lives of children, the young, the healthy. Where life could go on perfectly well without you.
I don't say this for myself, as I have been blessed in my life. No, I speak for friends whose lives you have shattered by arriving suddenly, seemingly without warning, wreaking havoc on perfectly lovely people who have done you no wrong.
Death, isn't it time for a lovely vacation, say maybe in some place cold and sparsely populated, some place where you couldn't hit anyone with your deadly glares because no one lives there? Some place not here, not near the people I love and care for.
Just take a break, death. I know, inevitable, cycle of life, yadda yadda yadda. You'll be back. We all know that. We know. We won't forget about you. It'd just be nice if we didn't have to be reminded of you each day, every day.
Death, we need a few days off.

Son, Sun, Sedona

Flag-stuff

We arrived at the home of Otterbutt and The Photographer (I don't know what to call him...does he have a blog name?). They plied us with beer and delicious fish tacos (so yummy!). Let me just tell you, it is much cooler here than at home, and also where we are going next. We had to have blankets on the bed!
I'm drinking delicious french press coffee, then I need to eat something so I can go for a run. Later we'll go for a hike.
Aah, vacation.

Basking in New Patio-ness

Yesterday we finished the patio, so today we bask. This included running all kinds of heat-induced errands, such as swimsuit shopping (all the good ones are gone, just ask the Australian at Pool-N-Patio), water bottle acquirement, snacks-for-the-car shopping (chocolate silk, pretzels, salad, animal cookies, celery, eggs), then returning home to sit in front of the A/C and surf the internets.
That done, I took all the vegetables from the fridge and either threw them away or cooked them. Must be done. Now, Middlebrow just has to drink all the remaining beer, which means packing should be fun. We'll either end up with no underwear or all underwear or a weird mix of shorts and shirts that don't match. Oh well, it's only Sedona. No one will notice. They'll be too busy getting blissed out in the harmonic convergence.
I'm looking forward to seeing my family, Son having playmates for a week, practicing my pull ups and double unders, drinking some cocktails, swimming in cold water and relaxing.
The final vacation.

Lon-Don

Yeah, I know I'm lame and about to get lamer. I haven't been posting, because I've been so busy, and now I'm not going to post. At all.
On Saturday I'm leaving for London where I will, no doubt, eat and drink too much and get sick of museums and then, just in time, flee for a weekend in Paris.
Before you know it, I'll be back.
Be good. I promise to bring pictures and trinkets and lovely stories.
I promise to seize the day.
You do so as well.

Where's Dr. Write?

I know you have been fretting, thinking to yourself, "Where's Dr. Write? What could have happened to her? Why isn't she blogging?"
Well, I hate to tell you, but nothing exciting has been going on. For one week I was in Pinetop/Lakeside Arizona at a condo with my mother and her husband, my sister, ErinAlice and her family, Middlebrow & Son. It was great fun hanging out in the pines where it was very cool, it rained nearly every day, I wore the same sweatshirt for a week, we over-hiked (meaning we thought we were going to hike 6 but really we hiked 9.5), we engaged in all kinds of sports (miniature golf, fishing, swimming, ping pong, basketball, pool, hiking, tennis), and the liquor flowed like water sometimes as early as noon! Unheard of! We also watched our share of cable, including "Deadliest Catch" which is strangely addictive, and plenty of HGTV.
Then we stopped, too briefly, at Otterbutt's, where we hung out, ate, did some hiking, and adored her beautiful and amusing daughter. Also drank sufficient amounts. Also experienced more torrential rain. Also watched "Flip This House!" Vacation = Cable.
What else? I read the first in the His Dark Materials trilogy. (Loved it!) Finished Cloudsplitter. Finally!!
Also saw "Mamma Mia." Ridiculous and totally entertaining. How could you not love a movie that has Meryl Streep AND Pierce Brosnan AND Colin Firth AND Julie Walters? I tell you how: it's impossible. You can't.
I also started running again and am running two races in the next two months. I started swimming again, and I went to the tennis workout. (News flash: my backhand still sucks!) Also I went for a hike (not too long) with Sylvia and Gus (who was very well behaved! He's a champ!).
Next week we are going to Island Park, which as you know from our friend Hightouchmegastore, may or may not be heaven. I'll give you my verdict when we return. So much depends upon the density of the mosquitoes and the quality of the margaritas.
Pretty soon, I'll have to face reality and work on my syllabi. But for now, there's a Corona in the freezer with my name on it.

Of Watermelon, Peas & The Farmers' Market

This is a picture of the delicious Watermelon Margarita I made this week. I made them three times, and my advice is to freeze the watermelon for at least 24 hours and to add a dash of superfine sugar. You can put sugar on the rim, but it's unnecessary.

I bought some peas at the Farmers' Market this weekend, mostly because they were there and because Melissa told me about them. But then, when I got them home, I asked myself, what will you do with these? In the past, I have purchased vegetables which have languished in the crisper drawer because I'm not sure how to approach them.
The solution, my friends, is to google "peas" and "recipe" and then sift through those to find a winner. Which I did. Witness: Pea, Mint and Avocado Salad from Nigella Lawson's cookbook. At first I was dubious about the combination of mint with peas and avocado, (I kept thinking about how the British like corn on their pizza....) but it was excellent. It was even better the second day. I actually just tossed the peas with mint dressing, then added avocado and minimal greens. So tasty!

So now I'm really off. Well, Thursday. I guess I'm taking my computer. I might do some writing. Or something.

Memory Meme & I'm Off on Vacation

Thursday, MB, Son and I are heading south to the cool mountains of Northern Arizona. I'm not sure what adventures we will have there, but we're meeting ErinAlice & Co, and my mom and her husband. So it's sure to involve meat, some fishing, and some hiking. Perhaps some tennis? I bid you farewell until the end of July. (yikes!!! the summer is almost over! I'm having an anxiety attack!)

And, thanks to High Touch Mega Store, this meme.

1. As a comment on my blog, leave a memory that you and I shared. It doesn't matter if you know me a little or a lot, anything you remember! If we're only blogging friends, write about a post that is most memorable. If you don't have a blog and don't know how to sign in, please comment as anonymous.

2. Next, re-post these instructions on your own blog and see how many people leave a memory about you. It's a lot of fun to see the responses. If you leave a memory about me, I promise to write one about you... either on your blog, in my comment box, or I will email you back!

and . . .

3. If you can't say something nice, shh! Say nothing.
(just as a highlight: this song reminds me of music class in Morning Sun, Iowa, when I was in kindergarten. We sang this song, and even then it gave me the heebie jeebies. I think I foresaw my future of hostile silence wherein I said nothing and seethed. As you all know, that didn't come to pass)

Austin: The Morning After

This is my artistic abstract photograph of Dale Watson playing at The Continental Club. It was mounds of fun.











The outdoor seating of Jo's Coffee on South Congress. I love the metal! This is where I had my celebrity sighting.











Suzi took me to Smitty's Market in Lockhart, Texas. You buy the meat right from the cooks in a very hot! outer room where, regardless of outdoor temperature, there is an extremely hot fire burning for them to cook the meat. You can get an avocado and they give you white bread. No forks, people, you eat with your hands. I think it was the greasiest sausage I've ever had. I also had an Arnold Palmer.





This is the interior of Smitty's Market, where you get your sides (potato salad, beans, avocado) and drinks. It's cash only. I love the signs. Also, you can get beer if you want and ice cream for dessert.










An interesting building in Lockhart, Texas


















The replica of the Oval Office, cerca LBJ. I didn't get a picture of it, but there was a cool phone in a drawer. And a wooden console that housed three small TVs. Maybe so he could watch all three major networks at once?







All in all, the trip was a smashing success. I am glad to be home, where the temp is 73 instead of 93, with no humidity. I also slept like a baby. I was glad to see MB and Son also, though Son wasted no time getting up to his old tricks of not falling asleep until after 10 and not wanting to wear appropriate clothing for school. But he also couldn't do anything because he was so distracted by the books he's reading, about which I cannot complain.
I will now begin my post-vacation regimen of rice, vegetables and water. A vacation filled with barbecue, beer and wine means cleansing.

I'm Home, Briefly, Before Returning to Idaho

First things first: PIE!I ate this delicious little rhubarb-berry concoction at the Almo Outpost in Almo, Idaho. First we had burgers, which were good, and then I ate this. It was yummy.
This is Son wearing goggles on the shores of Lake Alturas. He did get in the water, for the record, but he did not need the goggles.
My favorite recent pic of Son. Note the ice blue eyes. This was after he got in the water. The only reason he got in the water was that MB was out there holding a bag of M-n-M's. They were the disgusting white chocolate variety which no one else wanted, but MB was able to lure Son in to the water with the promise of the whole bag for himself, which he quickly consumed. MB accidentally bought them thinking they were the Almond kind. He still hasn't learned to read a label, but maybe someday he will.

We had a great time in Idaho, visiting with friends. My friend, who is married to the climbing ranger at City of Rocks, is a friend from junior high. She got out her yearbooks and reminded me of a prank we pulled on two (nerdy) girls who lockered next to us. We wrote them love notes from a supposed boy who liked them. (mean!) I had blocked this out of course. I remember all wrongs done to me, but have suppressed all the cruel things I did. I guess it's how we move on. But I also read what I had written in her yearbook, something like "we'll be friends long after all this is over" or something, which turns out to be true. Of all my childhood friends, I think she is one I have the most in common with now. She and hubby bought some land in Almo and they are going to build a straw bale house, which I've always wanted to do. I hope she calls me so I can come out and help!

Hailey was awesome. None of the icky grossness of Ketchum and Sun Valley, with all of the beautiful scenery and amazing food. We ate our weight in grilled meat (hamburgers from a ranch that Mark recently acquired as part of his job at the Nature Conservancy. Grass fed!), lamb chops (from local ranch, Lava Lake), and grilled veggies (heirloom potatoes that were sublime!). We also ate a ton of salsa from a local place, and went out for Thai food. Oh, and we drank real beer. I bought a pie at the farmer's market, which was great, but sorry, no photos. It was a mixed berry pie. We also ate wraps from a Ketchum place, Wrap City, which renewed my interest in the wrap as a food category.
The highlight was Lake Alturas, which we will definitely return to in the near future, hopefully to stay for a few days and camp and hang out at the lake to work on our tans and read fiction that's trashy, but only so trashy. It's not the ocean, after all.

Friday ErinAlice flies in with family in tow to begin the two week family festivities. We will go to Inkom, then to Island Park with side trips to Yellowstone. Then back to Inkom, where we will be joined by Sister 2, then Sister 1. We have a night of margaritas, guacamole and whatever else planned. Then to Lava for a few days before the big birthday bash for Sister 2. Then a big retirement party for Dad. Then we return to life as we know it, which is basically a long, screeching downhill slide into SCHOOL. (but I'm going to block that out for now)