giving thanks in the carolinas

textures from the country
The holidays are officially here. I spent yesterday putting up the tree, realizing we've misplaced all our ornaments, making origami paper cranes from old Anthropologie catalogs to fill the branches with instead, baking french and zucchini breads, shelling pecans that we brought back home from the Carolinas, listening to Christmas music, watching Christmas Story, drinking hot chocolate, and jogging in the humidity-free crisp air.

We just got back home from spending Thanksgiving with my family in North and South Carolina...each year there is a big family reunion during this week, and it's been three years since we've been back. The last time was the year before we moved to Italy, and even though it doesn't feel like so long ago, it was great to see dozens of my extended family members again.

scenes from Carolina
It's always like stepping through a time (and culture) warp when we head up there, and in many ways, a great way to get away from the day-to-day. Plus, as I've gotten older I've grown more interested in my heritage and learning about my family's past. Last time we were up there we went to one of my family's gravesite plots dating from the Revolutionary War with some of the the first family members who came from France. This time, my dad took us to another small gravesite in a section of forest which has some of the first settlers from another branch of my family. There was even a plaque stone with the inscription that this block of land was granted and conveyed to that English side of the family by King George III in 1767. One of my great aunts is full of stories and knowledge of my genealogy and I hope to learn more from her when I'm up there again.

Micheal Jackson the cat • old truck • Chris stirring the Brunswick stew
With the Thanksgiving festivities always comes lots of traditions, lots of food, and lots of people...and this year was no different, as we had about 80 people there for lunch and several more people showed up for the BBQ the next day. Some of the fun included: barn exploring, saw-mill walking, kitten finding, piano and guitar and fiddle playing, bluegrass singing, pecan gathering, fire pit warming, rocking chair napping, stew stirring, pork roasting, turkey frying, horse riding, frisbee throwing, collards and turnips and field peas and macaroni and sweet potato and coconut cake and brownie and pumpkin pie eating.

Now it's on to a few more interim weeks of normal days mixed with a seasoning of Sufjan and Nat singing songs in my ear, holiday cookies baking in the oven, and Charlie Brown dancing around a stick, before heading north once again for more family and Christmas!

fall in the city

I've been quite a slacker on here, as I just noticed it's been over a month since my last post, and I haven't even written yet about our trip to NYC to enjoy some fall weather. I really can't believe how fast this year has gone...and I know people say this every year, but seriously, this one is different. Life is rushing by.

fall in NYC
Because it's been so hot here in Florida lately, and only this week started to cool down a bit, we were really wanting to feel some chill in the air and see some colorful leaves. No place better to do that than Central Park, I say...so a couple weekends ago we headed up to the city for a few days. Nothing really on the schedule, but it's never hard to find something to do.

where we stayed • 350.org event • Reverend Billy
On Saturday I'd found out that it was International Day of Climate Action, and that the organization 350.org were holding environmental action demonstrations around the world (there ended up being 5200 events in 181 countries that day). From the miracle of twitter, I found out that there was something going on in Times Square and so off we went. Chris spotted Reverend Billy from the "Church of Stop Shopping" and I got to talk with Colin Beaven, the "No Impact Man", who I've followed on his blog for a couple years now and have mentioned before.

evening at the Met
There was supposed to be an awesome rooftop sculpture showing on the top of the Metropolitan Museum that night, complete with martini bar and an awesome view of the park at sunset...all of which I was super excited about. They host these "Evenings at the Met" during the warmer (or not bitterly cold) months, but unfortunately we ended up going on one of the "not-too-cold-but-pouring-rain" kind of nights. So no rooftop. But there was still the ginormous museum which we got to check out and one of my "want to do" things, on that random mental list I keep, got checked off...seeing a Chuck Close painting in real life. He's one of my favorite current artists and the modern art sections offers one of his older pieces of huge, hyper-realism across from one of the newer style pieces which are broken into small abstract pieces all put together.

Luckily the next couple of days were rain-free and absolutely gorgeous. We stayed in the Lower East Side, so there were plenty of fun vegetarian restaurants to check out - and they were all SO good. Even a vegan gelateria! Found a couple sample sales, an awesome Italian food store at the Chelsea Market, lots of red yellow and orange trees in the park, and even met up with some friends after dinner. They said they were in the meatpacking district watching the Yankees game and to join them. We said ok, and had to remind ourselves on the way over what, exactly the Yankees played. As soon as we walked in, we were introduced to about 8 new people and I joined in the cheering when A. Rod made a good play...they asked if we were Yankee fans, and I had to admit that I wasn't 100% sure that it was even baseball we were coming to see. But now I remember after seeing all the "NY" caps everywhere. I won't forget again :)

atmospheric view from the Brooklyn Bridge
It's always nice to meet up with the locals in the city, because they can take to you places you would have no idea existed otherwise. Like when we later went into the basement of an Italian restaurant on the edge of Chinatown, or then when we walked a few more blocks, down a weird little alley where everything looked closed, no windows, under an all Chinese red sign with a bad translation like "Kung Pow Chinese Laundry"...and into a door which led to a super chic club that even smelled nice and had small tables of pretty people all lounging and chatting over votives. Yep. They don't want you to know they exist.

on the Brooklyn Bridge
Before heading out we went across the harbor and then walked back over the Brooklyn Bridge. I can't believe I'd never done this before. It was a beautiful day for it, and I kept wanting to reenact the scene with Miranda and Steve...and then cry happy tears. Instead though, I didn't :) and enjoyed the walk towards the wonderful skyline!

an ode to fall

Fall is here.
I think it's the season I'm most anxious for by the time it finally arrives.
(Spring is a close second).

Autumn makes me quiet down.
And brings a lot of lovely images to mind.
Plus very specific melodies.

Here are some of those combinations*

family reunions at Thanksgiving in the Carolinas


The Funeral - Band of Horses

---

picking olives in the Tuscan countryside


Postcards from Italy - Beirut

---

colorful falling leaves and cool temperatures in big cities


Fourth Time Around - Bob Dylan

...and pumpkins, boots, cinnamon, down comforters, open windows, and that unexplainable outside smell of cool...

*email readers click through to view music player

viva mexico :: part 5

Ok. Finally going to wrap up the posts on our Mexico trip.
Catch up here: part 1 • part 2 • part 3 • part 4

Chris playing soccer with the kids • ring around the rosie? • bunny ears
The day after our excursion to the Teotihuacan pyramids, we woke up and headed to the Armonía community center right after breakfast. We helped with the all-day childrens' program they host during the summer months. The day started just playing around with the kids: learning the Spanish words for 'duck duck goose' (and always being the 'goose' because I think they liked seeing the new white girl run around in circles all morning) :), getting pulled around by little hands showing me all sorts of fun new games and telling me stories with such animation which I'm sure were great stories if only I could understand Spanish.

Next everyone split up into age groups and went to separate classrooms for the day's lessons. We were shuffled into the preschool class mainly just to help keep a bit of order, pass out cookies, teach the words for colors in English, and smile a lot as they all stared at us. Then it was lunch time. For many of the children, this is the only meal they get each day. We were on vitamin duty - passing out Flintstone chewables as each person left the dining area. By the end of the afternoon, I'd come to know a handful of kids by name and was just beginning to get attached...but we had to hug and say goodbye as it was time to go. I'm so glad we were able to spend time with this great community and see the valuable work they're doing...giving hope to many of these souls who would be almost hopeless without this loving center.

Frida Kahlo & Diego Rivera House • masks at the market • Aztec ritual
The last full day of the trip included a whirlwind tour of the city, starting at the south end in Coyoacan to visit the home of Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera. This was one of my top must-sees in Mexico as I've always been interested in both of them as artists. Actually walking through the gardens and home where they lived from 1929 to 1954 (the year of her death) was amazing...then add rooms of original artwork, even better. One of my most favorite things there was a case of hand-written personal letters to Diego Rivera from some of his famous friends, including Albert Einstein and musician John Cage (to whom I have a special affinity for as I studied his crazy progressive style of "chance music" on the piano).

Palacio de Bellas Artes • street murals
After leaving that area, we headed for one of the city's best artesian markets to pick up a few souvenirs including a couple Luchadores (Mexican wrestling) masks, and some paper-mâché Day of the Dead figurines...I mean, you can't return from Mexico without either of those in hand. A few more must-see stops were made, and then before the day was over we enjoyed a last dinner and evening at at the Armonia guesthouse and said goodbye to some of the other volunteers...

...and early the next morning, waved adios to Meh-hee-koe.

viva mexico :: part 4

view over Teotihuacan and the Avenue of the Dead from the Pyramid of the Moon
In the afternoon of our first full day in Mexico City, after spending time in the morning at one of the community centers of Armonía - we headed north to the ancient Aztec city of Teotihuacan.

side of the Temple of the Feathered Serpent • view towards the pyramids • painted remnants
Home to the third largest pyramid in the world, this city which began as early as 200bc, was amazing to see and learn a little bit about. We began at the southern end of the site known as the Citadel, where apartment buildings and public gathering spaces once existed. The Temple of the Feathered Serpent is in this area and we explored around the grounds trying to understand what it must have been like to be here at the city's pinnacle.

stealing shade • line going up • just in case
From the southern end we made our way north along the Avenue of the Dead, which was the main thoroughfare and stretched for more than 2.5km. From this street one can see how detailed the layout of the city was, as it was divided in symmetrical sections each corresponding to astrological patterns. Some believe that this was to help with their calendar planning in dealing with seasonal farming.

Pyramid of the Sun • looking up • coming down
In the center of the Avenue is the massive structure, the Pyramid of the Sun. It looked big even from a far way off, and kept getting larger and more daunting as we approached. It's hard to capture it in a photo, plus adding to it the heat of that afternoon, and the crazy crowds, it made me laugh (but feel a bit more at ease) to see a permanent paramedic stand just outside the main staircase.

The line to go up wrapped around the front and one side of the structure, as the crowd size is controlled by several guards along the staircase. Finally, when it was our turn, we trekked our way skyward and then hung out on the top for a while to people watch and take in the scenery. The way down was just as harrowing and there was still one more pyramid to go...the Pyramid of the Moon.

emerging from part of the Aztec drainage system • detail of the stone work • street vendor
On the Avenue of the Dead again, there were many things to explore, as there didn't seem to be any regulations on what you could and couldn't climb on, walk on, or crawl through. We saw several little kids going from one structure to the next crawling through the remains of a system of drainage pipes. Some were definitely only suited for people shorter than 2'...but a couple openings looked like I might just about fit - so I tried it out. And I fit. And my calves got a big workout. And the kids behind me looked at me funny. And I didn't care :)

After another climb up and down the final pyramid, then a walk back to the parking lot, we headed back to the guesthouse for a good night's rest...as the next morning we were heading to the community center again to help out with the all-day children's program...

viva mexico :: part 3

Mexico's flag • volunteer housing • Chris with Lupe and Nico wearing their Rosa Loves shirts
When we left the Yucatan we flew into Mexico City for the last 5 days in the country. Although there were several sites we wanted to see in that area, our main focus in visiting the city was to get to know and work with the group Armonía, who Rosa Loves has been raising money for recently.

Armonía is an NGO working in Oaxaca and Mexico City transforming poverty into life - and who has done an amazingly effective job over the years in bringing sustainable education, skills and self-reliance skills to the rural and urban poor. I'd heard about the many programs they sponsor, but until I was able to see it first hand, it didn't register just how effective and full of love and compassion Armonía really is.

children of Armonía
As soon as we arrived, we were hosted in the volunteer guest house (which serves as a B&B of sorts to help raise funds for the organization), and met a few of the workers including the resident volunteer couple, who were in their last few days in Mexico after a year assignment. We had a wonderful time talking with them and learning about what they've been doing with the organization. That evening we met Lupe and Nico, the two guys that Rosa Loves are sponsoring with scholarships. Read the story here. We gave them the shirts that have been sold, and told them about the sponsorships. They were blown away and just couldn't believe their story was being told...they wore their shirts proudly and laughed as they said "we're famous!" with huge smiles. It was so much fun just to be able to hang out with them a bit...in the days to come we got to know them even more and heard their personal stories, which will be shared soon on Rosa Loves.*

The next morning, we headed to one of the community centers where several programs are hosted year-round. Right away I found myself cleaning the bathrooms - scrubbing toilets, wiping the floors, and bleaching the sinks. It made me laugh a little to think of a few days earlier when I was getting completely pampered with chores being the last thing on my mind...and at the same time knowing that doing this work was in a way bringing an even greater pleasure to me on this trip. At the very beginning of the day we met the lovely women who run the center, and then all the children that quickly filled the playground. During the summers, a camp/school program is held, while during the school year, more like after-school programs are hosted in the afternoons. Each day the children receive a balanced meal (and more many, this is the only meal they eat each day), level-appropriate educational lessons (from preschool to high-school), and most importantly, love and compassion shown by the staff.

songs and dances at Armonía
We were treated to a show of traditional dances performed by the children and volunteers, as well as lots of fun songs which I tried my hardest to sing along to while reading off a page in Spanish. In the afternoon, we headed just north of the city with Nico and another volunteer/college student (part of Armonía's program is education, and if a recipient is receiving a scholarship to college, part of their reciprocal duties are to volunteer with the younger children at one of the community centers). About half an hour up the road, we arrived at Teotihuacán - the site of the great Aztec Pyramids of the Sun and Moon.

Teotihuacán
...to be continued...

* There are still more shirts to sell before they can finally close this story and deliver the scholarship funds. View the shirts here and here. Buy one and help!

swimming under stalactites :: yucatan cenotes

inside Gran Cenote
I'm back on the subject of Mexico in trying to finally finish up a few more posts on our trip last month. One of my most favorite things that we did was to visit a few cenotes throughout the Yucatan. Cenotes are a type of sinkhole unique to this peninsula area of Mexico, and exist in several environments, including open, cavern, and cave. The word is derived from the Mayan word, “dzonot” which means sacred well, as the ancient Mayans thought that these fresh water collections were a gift from the gods. Some of the underwater cave and river systems extend for dozens of kilometers in a web of interconnected streams. Divers come from around the world to experience the unique experience and specialized ecosystems of the cenotes.

looking down into the cenote • in a tunnel • in and out of water
The first cenote we visited was the Gran Cenote just outside of Tulum. This is mostly a cavernous sinkhole, and is touted as one of the most beautiful in the area. It was completely magical getting there early before many people, and swimming in the open area as well as under the cave openings where countless stalactites hang. Groups of small birds chirped and wizzed above our head just barely grazing the water before landing again in the holes among the cave ceiling.

Chris diving • stalactites • my (bellyflop) dive
Here's a small video of some of the clips we took on our swims *click through to site if email reader:



There were so many caves and passageways to explore beneath the water but as we were just snorkeling, many were off limits to us, although a couple groups of divers emerged from the blackness during our swim. It was so peaceful down in the sinkhole and the shade of the overgrowth and the coolness of the water was very refreshing from the overwhelming heat during that week.

at Cenote Manatee
A couple days later, we swam in one of the open cenotes that is at sea level just off the beach in the Riviera Maya just north of Tulum, called Cenote Manatee. Unfortunately a manatee hasn't been spotted there in years, but they used to use this series of canals in the past. Now it's just an open stream with narrow passageways through mangroves.

There were a couple others that we saw, although I still think that Gran Cenote is my favorite and to anyone visiting the area a well worth stop. Magical, serene, and unique.