I spy, I spy with my little...
I spy, I spy, with my little camera's zoom function...
This is distorted; the wall was mostly straight, partly curved toward us, not away. Here's Joyce, in those moments. But down in front of us was something...
Something interesting and old(ish)!
A washtub with a scrub board, I guess. Maybe more particular than that. Maybe some sort of construction or art supplies. Could be both. The pipes above it, I don't know. The wheel behind it, I don't know.
In the distance is a bridge like the one in San Francisco, and a castle.
That building in the foreground has a great roof-room and terrace.
There were churches all over the place.
There was a photoshoot up top, of a bride and groom, and in the parking lot was their getaway vehicle, a rented motorcycle with sidecar.
It had white bows on the back.
We spent a lot of time in the tile museum, and those photos will come later.
First glimpses of Lisbon
Marta will take us to some beautiful places. What I've seen thusfar is probably mundane and (to the locals) boring. Everything I've seen thusfar is (to me) new and exciting.
After mostly cloudy views from London, I finally started seeing the ground!
We rode from the airport with Marta, got to her street, went up and got settled a bit, walked a few blocks to the park Constança wanted me and Joyce to see, and Bruno walked us up another little way to a viewing platform sort of... park with a view. Then we walked back.
I'm tired and should stay in, though we had an offer to go back out. Tomorrow we will see more things!
The last bit is an older building, uninhabited, perhsps with the tile stolen off the front. Many have a fully tiled front wall.
The distorted verticals are the view out of the bedroom where I'm staying for two weeks.
The photos seem to be coming in reverse order; sorry.
Moss garden at Julie's
I'm stuck being fascinated by plants that can grow without being watered by people.
On the wall between Julie's house and the road is a beautiful miniature moss garden.
Shopping, Trafalgar Square, train back
Today was busy and good, but not very photogenic.
The National Gallery doesn't want anyone taking photos. I did take one, of part of the mosaic floor. It's all in the style of Roman mosaics, and in color and shape and all it has that appearance, but the subject matter is more pedestrian (to be chariotable).
I saw some actual Brueghel the Elder paintings, and actual Vermeer. I saw several things by Gerard David. I wouldn't even know who Gerard David was, except he used the same basket twice, and I started a collection. I was sad NOT to see that basket in any of the several paintings of his at the National Gallery.
I saw another things related (in my own head, I mean) to my site: Venus at her Mirror, by Diego Velásquez, which wasn't on our list of things to see, but was in a room we passed through when we were on our way out. I was happy to see it.
The train on the way back wasn't very exciting, but I thought a few moments of non-excitement still might be exotic. I caught the Nero's coffee depository, and some skyline and some trainside, and other trains.
The second video is very short, but has the river.
I was hoping to get a big group of allotment gardens we had seen on the way there, but I missed them (slept through them, I think, second time).
Monday, getting Adam from camp
Adam was at a three day (two night) scout camp at Downe Scout Activity Centre. Joyce and I went with Julie and James to pick him up, and we at at a pub called The Old Jail afterwards.
"Duck or Grouse" wasn't a menu option. It was written on a low beam in the pub.
Because I was here last summer during the Diamod Jubilee and saw the scouts light a smaller, less permanent version of this in Staines, I know it's a beacon. Someone would need to go up a ladder to fill it with wood and light it.
Scouts' beacon 2012
The climbing towers were at the scout camp. The other tower with phone equipment on was a church tower (not an old one, but a modernish tower nextt o an A-frame-ish church) in Westerham, Kent.
I took a couple of photos of things on the bulletin board in the pub. I wish I had taken one of the schedule of the bat and trap tournament. Instead, I walked out to where James was with Adam on the playground and asked him what "bat and trap" was. He didn't know. Julie didn't know. The bulletin board had had a two-page typed out list of dates with pub names (teams). I should have asked someone there, because they had the field (bases?) out there in the garden, but I had no idea it was so rare I should've asked there.
When I got home and started to look it up, google's options came up:
bat and trap game
bat and trap game Kent
bat and trap game pubs Kent
bat and trap game Canterbury
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bat_and_trap
It's related to cricket, and "By the late 20th century it was usually only played on Good Friday in Brighton, on the park called The Level, which has an adjacent pub called The Bat and Ball, whose sign depicts the game." *
About that flag... I put that photo up as a mystery on facebook. After a while, I wrote the explanation.
Adam Daniel was at scout camp for the weekend and we went to pick him up, at Downe Scout Activity Centre, near Westerham, Kent. When we pulled in, I saw the flag and said "We have driven so far we're nearly to Canada."
It turned out that the theme of the campout was Canada. The teams were named for provinces, and they did rodeo things (rode a barrel that could be moved around with ropes, lassoed a PVC cow...)
During the closing ceremony, as they were going to lower the flag, the scout leader said that if people knew the words to this song, they should sing along.
I expected them to sing "O Canada," and I was happy that I know some of the words. But no, they sang "God Save the Queen." And I thought it will be in these scouts' lifetimes that the song will revert back to "God Save the King," and it could be more than a few lifetimes before it switches back. They'll be able to remember that they sang "God Save the Queen."
It was just a fantasy Canada for boy-scout purposes. *
English junk superior to American junk
Carboot sales: Two of them. I'm not showing what I bought; generally I'm showing what I photographed that I couldn't buy because I have weight and space limitations.
Coal fire grate, leaded window, big crocks, nice round table with shelves, a nice stirrup on top; not like Western stirrups.
I liked the flags: American because it was hamburgers; Coca Cola, because hey—nice flag, color-coordinated; UK for UK.
I don't fault this vendor for not having an American flag. Hot dog on a baquette with tumeric and what!?
Their traditional tool handle isn't the same as ours—wooden, then resin later:
Also, we shopped in Slough because we were hungry and parked in a mall's parking garage, and passed through to Nando's, which has Portuguese food. :-)
I saw an armored car guy, with a kind of riot helmet and no gun. I was eating when he returned to the truck, so no photo, but Julie explained "smart water" to me. All sci-fi and high-tech.
Then we got back to Ashford and I went to church, to see the inside of St. Matthew's, where I've been twice in the past, but the church was locked just as I got there both times. So I was IN. And it was okay with me to get back out; not the cheeriest of services, though there was singing. Old-style, chanty, not easy to dance to. Interesting; a little morbid. There were flowers left over from the wedding I sneaked a from-the-back photo of yesterday.
With me, there were 18 people in the building. Seven of them were were involved in the whole service (substitute/temp vicar, organist/director/five choristers) and two more did readings. One did the collection and had been welcoming people, and showed me which page when I was lost between prayer book and hymnal (words, no music) a couple of times)... so TEN, of the seventeen who weren't me, were involved in the service. That left seven who were just in the congregation (and me, eight).
I am 59. I was not the youngest person there. Two were younger; one was about my age (the minister).
I have half-white hair (half? I have greying hair). Two people had hair with no grey. A dozen had ALL white hair.
Surely the morning service had more people, but I was at a car boot sale.
Other photos of the day, some beyond explanation, some obvious.
http://s26.photobucket.com/user/SandraDodd/library/Europe/Sandra2013/May26CarbootChurch?sort=2&page=1
Tesco, graveyard
Graveyard in Ashford, Tesco grocerial oddities. (Grocery-kind-of exoticness.)
Photos of Saturday, May 25 (still uploading as I'm posting this) and a few other things.
Sunday plans: Carboot sale, maybe church at St. Matthew's in Ashford (have been there twice but it was locked up both times). http://www.stmatthewashford.org.uk
The web address looks like stmat the wash ford.
Phoenix, and now Philadelphia
Albuquerque to Phoenix works like this:
Get in plane; leave at 6:15.
Get out at 6:15, in another larger city the wrong direction.
The next flight was set for 7:00 and by the time I walked straight to the other gate, didn't stop for the bathroom or anything, they were boarding.
They wanted to check my bag to my final destination. London tomorrow!? No way. It's my computer, my extra clothes, my notes. So I had it with me, because I was in group 2. Had I been in group 4 or more it would've been check it only.
Got to my window seat, and there was a mom and a young (4 or 5) middle-seated boy. I asked if he'd like the window. His mom said he would LOVE to have a window.
Have it!
I'm trying to put my too-valuable little rolly computer bag up above and I think I'll move this pillow. The pillow feels funny and it's way too big. "Oh, that's my wedding dress," says this mom. She didn't actually have a seat in that row, but she did have an aisle seat and was waiting for the person with that aisle seat by her son to come and trade. "We were all scattered," she said. Oh! Her fiancé was also there.
"A woman with a wedding dress ought to be travelling with a guy," I said, and others around there were being supportive with smiles and comments. So I offer to trade, but they looked sad and said it was a middle seat. I said fine. My case is up behind where I would've sat and way behind my new seat, but her guy said he would take care of it, and he did. During the brief (and simple, to me) negotiations, when she was expressing embarrassment about it being an undesirable middle seat, and offering to pay for any drinks or food I wanted in the plane, I said no, that I got married once, and it was a long time ago, and she should make hers good. "We've been together thirty years," I said; "You should do that!"
Someone in the row behind her said "no pressure." By then lots of people were aware of what was going on, and they were being really patient and accommodating.
She communicated back to her husband-about-to-be that the condition of the trade was that they stay together at least 30 years. He seemed fine with that deal.
Lots of people think they'll stay together a long time, at first. These folks will have a little extra incentive. I think the words of the ceremony are ignored because they've been heard so long, and there's so much divorce around. These were new and different words.
At the end of the flight, she was helping her little boy out and started walking away without her dress. Future-Mr.-Her called her back. He couldn't get it because he was carrying my bag. People commented sweetly, laughed politely, said "Can't forget that!"
When I left, the lead flight attendant said softly that it was really nice of me to have changed seats. I thanked her. I'd like to think anyone would have done that.
Keith and I have been together 35 years, and married for 29. I averaged it out, for poetic deal-making purposes.
The B and A gates I've hiked through this afternoon in Philadelphia had displays. One was the history fo beer manufacture (just artifacts—trays and bottles, in glass cases by historical periods), one was art, one was parts of costumes worn by The Supremes.
Albuquerque Sunport
I don't know a more comfortable airport than the Albuquerque Sunport. Maybe it's that it's part of my extended home. Maybe carpet would be nice, More outlets, perhaps.
Here I am again, though. Holly got up at 3:30 to drive me here. I will be in London tomorrow morning at 10:00, if all goes to schedule. Even allowing for time zones, that's a long time, becuase I chose low price over sensible directness. So first, I go to Phoenix. That's the wrong way. Then I go to Philadelphia and spend many hours. Albuquerque has free internet, simple to access. Philadelphia might not.
60 Days until Learn Nothing Day. There's a countdown on this blog, and on my home page. Because July 24 is the day I return home, it becomes the countdown of my trip to Europe, too. This page is set to London time. The other, Albuquerque.
I was glad to hug Holly and smell her hair, after my bags were checked and she was ready to go. She was wearing an old sweatshirt of mine. She'll go home and go back to sleep. She has things planned starting noonish, and works tonight.
Here's the way Holly looks this week:
The big days in my summer are noted here:
Lisbon, London, Leiden (and Selkirk)
Sandra Dodd and Joyce Fetteroll
SandraDodd.com JoyfullyRejoycing.com
Simpósio "Sandra Dodd e amigos em Lisboa"
June 1-2, 2013, I will be in Lisbon, Portugal; Marta Pires is coordinating this
Always Learning Live in Selkirk, Scotland, June 24 (a Monday)
Joyce Fetteroll, Julie Daniel and I will speak; Ester Siroky is our coordinator and host
Altijd Leren Live in Leiden, in the Netherlands, June 29
Rippy Dusseldorp, the organizer, wrote on April 28:
"We've already got over 30 families coming (including ones from Denmark, Germany, Luxemburg and Belgium) to the symposium and there is still two months to go."
LiTTLe Conference July 13-14 in Ashford, Surrey, west of London
That will be quite current for awhile, and for someone who comes back to the blog in a few months or years, just dusty history (if I'm lucky). I'm fine for it not to be momentous in my life, though it might, in someone else's life, be the day they met someone they'll be friends with for years, or the day they heard a life-changing idea, or understood something they had been vague about before.
Hobby within a hobby, project within a project...
Hobby within a hobby, project within a project... frustration within a frustration.
Foreign languages. Yeah. I only know English.
The word should be begrafenisgewoonten. Eventually it was. I kept leaving out one letter or another, and because I have friends named "Wooten," when I'd get to the end, I would write "wooten."
Then my rusty calligraphy met with Portuguese names. I got better.
Oh right. "Helga" isn't a Portuguese name. But it's my excuse for misspelling it. :-)
Posted by Sandra Dodd at 10:40 AM 1 comment:
Keith and I visited Kirby
I found this was still a draft, dated April 4. I think I had wanted to add photos to it, but I was having a hard time uploading them. I'm going to send it without.
We drove to Austin Wednesday, March 27 spent three very busy days with Kirby, and drove home on our 29th anniversary, Sunday March 31.
We had a really good time. We went with Kirby to his regular Thursday night karaoke, and stayed the whole six hours. Friday, we went to Longhorn Cavern, and later to see Esther's Follies on 6th Street. They were both REALLY fun, but too much for one day.
Saturday, we went to the Ladybird Johnson wildflower center, ate at Kerby Street Cafe, and went to the Alamo Draft House to see Olympus has Fallen.
Kirby is sweet and patient and nice and kind to everyone.
While we were there, he found that he had gotten the shift he had requested, so later in April he'll be working from 7:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. five days a week with Friday and Saturday off. That means he has two days to recover from karaoke each week. :-)
Here are some I saved (small format, though) for Just Add Light, from that drive and visit:
Thank you to those who helped fund Lori Odhner's Dogwood tree!
Lori has decided she would rather have two smaller trees than one big one.
To those below, who sent donations to help cover the cost of trees and planting by landscapers from Lori's town, thank you!! Some of you know me personally, some of you know Lori, and some of you helped because you knew my writing, or Lori's, personally.
1 Kristiva Stack
2 Davina Harrington (Australia)
3 Heather McLean
4 Karen James
5 Lydia Koltai (Lydia Lucas)
6 Christine Sanders
7 Torrance Pitcairn
8 Catherine Fox (Love in Action x)
9 Dawn Todd (Because your wisdom has helped me greatly. As thanks for that I would like to help you thank someone whose wisdom has been helpful!)
10 Melissa Yatzeck
11 Halfdan Bau-Madsen
12 Laura Bowman
13 Kandace Wright in NH
14 Jennifer Weed
15 Jill Brickman, Glenview IL
16 Laurel Wolfrum
17 Deborah Lewis
18 The Wyhowanec Family (Judith Stockinger)
19 Annina King
20 Heather Horgan
21 Andrea Cranch
22 Mel O'Leary (in Maryland, wrote "I don't know Lori, but if Sandra thinks so highly of her, she must be a special person. Enjoy your dogwood!")
23 Jihong Zhang (Jihong Larson)
24 Marta Pires (in Portugal, wrote: "You're welcome. It's really just a small way of saying thank YOU to Lori and to you too, because I know you appreciate her so much. You guys make a difference in the world! :-) ")
25 Robyn C.
26 George and Eileen Mahowald
27 Marin Holmes
28 The Davis-Pitre Family from Seattle WA & West Hartford CT
29 From Trisha Tinker's Family :)
30 Matt & Tori (Manchester,UK)
31 From Jennifer Hensley, who much appreciates all the wisdom that has trickled down to me from some wonderful women willing to give their time. I am a better wife and mother because of it. There is no greater gift than that. Thank you.
32 Sarah Clark, UK
33 Monty Kerr and Heather Booth
34 Tamara Shand
35 Shada Sullivan
36 Beth and Sean Lawing
On May 20, I sent $450 to Cranch Landscapers (I sent a bit less, actually, because Mrs. Cranch made a donation as well, bringing the total down a bit).
I'm grateful to all involved, and grateful to Lori Odhner for her continuing inspiration.
1000, 1400—lots of light
Tonight I wrote the 1000th Just Add Light post. A dozen of them don't show yet. One is for Learn Nothing Day. One has a good Christmas image. One is about baby Kirby and is waiting for me to find a particular photo and get it scanned.
Thank you if you read those, and if you don't, I invite you to do so.
A couple of days ago I was showing Holly how feedburner works, and noticed there were 1400 subscribers. It's a week of round numbes!
My favorite lately, very sweet and very attractive was this one:
"If you are choosing to be a mother, move beyond playing at it, and *be* it."
—Pam Laricchia
Are You Playing the Role of "Mother"? by Pam Laricchia
(see also, if you're having fun, SandraDodd.com/being)
photo by Colleen Prieto
A Dogwood Tree for Lori Odhner
Photo by Stephen Conroy
On May 10, Lori's Marriage Moats post started:
I want a dogwood. Every spring when the trees that have spent the last eleven months as part of the unremarkable green landscape suddenly erupt in white glory, I remember. I want a dogwood.
The embarrassing part is that I forget each April. I bumble along, glad for foliage after a bleak winter. But when the jade branches abruptly wake up looking like a constellation of stars, I feel the prudence of my driving skills take a nose dive. I cannot rip my eyes off of the dogwoods.
She went on to create an beautiful analogy about marriage, as she can do so well, and the rest is here:
(Dogwoods, the original writing and image, in the Marriage Moats archive).
When I had my first baby in 1986, Lori was one of the two La Leche League Leaders at the first meeting I went to, and I went back for years. Though she wasn't always the leader, I liked it best and learned the most when she was. I have stayed in contact with Lori (and with Carol Rice, who was her co-leader), and I spoke at her Caring for Marriage conference in 2011.
I know, though, that I'm not the only person whose life has been touched by Lori's wisdom and patience.
I think she ought to have a dogwood tree, and I will find someone in Bryn Athyn or thereabout who will plant one where she wants it in her yard, if you will help me gather money. The more funds, the bigger tree we can give her.
If for some reason this can't actually be done, I'll refund all donations! I am very honest.
At PayPal there should be an option to leave me a message. Let me know what name or names to put on a note to Lori.
nice! $5.00 USD
thanks! $10.00 USD
Lori is sweet. $15.00 USD
Good Plan! $20.00 USD
For those who don't have PayPal, my house address is
2905 Tahiti Ct. NE (the "Ct." and NE are very important)
If you send a check or cash, please include a note letting me know who to include in the "from" note.
(This really lives here: http://sandradodd.com/LoriOdhnerTree but I figured having it where I could post a follow-up might be helpful.)
Thank you to those who helped fund Lori Odhner's D...