Prang Ku

My school is in a very small town called Prang Ku (or Prangku).
It is not as small as some of the towns I've been to, but it is small.

I arrived here on a Thursday, after spending the night with the parents of the founder of Volunthai -- getting briefly acquainted with Thai food and life -- and a bus ride that began at 4am and arrived in Si Sa Ket (or Sisaket) at about noon.

My host, Mook, and another teacher from the school, Ju, took me to lunch (where I had noodles -- basically a thin broth with noodles in it and various other things, this time various fish and animal parts -- I was trying not to think about what I was eating), and then to buy a yellow shirt! I am now prepared to teach on Mondays. (I have since acquired about 4 more yellow shirts, so I basically can wear the same thing day in and day out! It is restfull having a uniform! I am a large or extra large in this country by the way -- as opposed to a small or extra small in the US -- I'm on the tall side for a woman, too. All of which is a bit strange to think about.)

When we arrived at the school, we went to the canteen to eat again and meet all the teachers. I have never been good with names, and having a bunch (I mean about 10 or 15) names like Nit, and Nan, and Nun(Naung), and Et (or Ed (actually Ad)-- who is a woman) all at once was a bit over whelming. I recognize everyone, but am still sorting out who is who. I also met Jacob -- another volunteer, a Korean from Canada, who is here teaching English, Korean, and doing chiropracticy on anyone who needs it. He and I have been hanging out a lot, as the two English speaking Farange (foreigners). It is very nice to have someone that I can talk to at a normal rate and not have to struggle to make myself understood!

The rest of my first day was spent settling in to my room and meeting people, the head of the English department, the Director and Assistant Director of the school, etc. I took a nap, still being jet lagged from the flight 4 days before. That evening they had a party for me where I got to meet the rest of the teachers. Very nice, though again, a bit over whelming. Then on Friday, I stood in front of the school (about 1000 students) and introduced my self on the PA. I've never really spoken into a Mic. before, so it was a bit daunting. Everyone laughed, so I guess it was OK. On Monday of last week I started teaching. I have basically one lesson that I use over and over again. I'm a bit tired of it, but it works very well for all levels and the kids seem to enjoy it.

The school is very different from NNMS. For one thing, it is huge! There are about 1000
students in 6 grades (from ages 12 to 18 or so). We have a morning assembly every day where they raise the flag and sing and hear announcements. After the flag rasing, the students crouch or sit on the ground. The teachers are much more laid-back about arriving to class than I was in the US. Jacob said that when he first arrived, he would show up early or on time to class and no one would be there, so he took to showing up about 5-10 minutes late. I have adopted his stratagee and it seems to work -- though a couple of times I have walked in on the teacher starting to teach the class. Oops! At the end of class, the bell rings, and the teacher keeps them for a few more minutes, so I guess everything balances out in the end. But it is very strange to me. My first day went well -- the first class was great, the second was rough, and the third was also great! So 2 out of 3 is not bad. The students are much noisier than I am used to (banging things and talking to each other) and I don't know how much of that is because I don't speak Thai, or because that is accepted in Thai culture. There is a lot of talking during the assembly and no one seems to care very much. Another major difference is that while the classrooms are enclosed, nothing else is (the hallways are open, as is the canteen, and the auditorium). Also, the students take off their shoes before entering the classrooms. One of the perks of being a teacher is that I get to continue to wear shoes, even inside. Though, being raised by a southern mother I love going barefoot and often take my shoes off under the table anyway.

I'm staying in a teacher house on campus, which is much more primitive than my US homes, but not so much more. The bathroom is very different, of course. The whole room is for taking a bath (which is done by scooping water out of a huge ceramic vessle with a small plastic dish and pouring it over myself). And there is no flush toilet (or toilet paper), but there is running water that gets "warm"(meaning just a few degrees above "cold") so bathing in the morning is not too bad. And as the weather gets hotter, the cold water feels wonderful! We do dishes out the window (there is a table just out side and we lean out of the window when we wash the dishes). The stove is connected to a gas cylinder rather than the wall and is only a single burner, rather than a stove-top and oven (I have yet to see an oven, though there is a teacher here who likes to bake, so they do exist here). So far my host, Mook, has prepared all my meals for me, so that is very nice! (though I miss western style food! -- Jacob and I periodically indulge in fantasies of bread (me more than him) and milk and other western foods.) Last night we had a dining adventure: Fried crickets as a before dinner snack (actually very tasty, if I didn't think about what I was eating -- the fat ones are best) and then I cooked morning glory which we ate over red rice. Very good if I do say so my self (though to be fair Mook helped a lot). We are having an English Club/Department party on Thursday. All the teachers are making "American" food -- I'm eager to see what that turns out to be. Jacob and I decided to make something together -- so we are making spaghetti (Thai style).

It doesn't seem all that much different, here. Not really. Except for the food. The food is very strange. LOTs of fish and things that I've never eaten before (and some of which I am trying not to think about). The teachers and students all wear western style clothes. Ride bikes and motorcycles and cars. And there is a TV (two of them in my room) and a DVD player in the English Department and computers and cell phones and all kinds of other western things, so most of the time it doesn't feel all that much different. For better or worse.

I'll leave you in suspense now, and hint at my overnight visit to a Buddhist Temple, a "Valentine" Party with the Governor of the province (Si Sa Ket or Sisaket), a weekend trip to Laos, and me (possibly) showing off my (limited) Thai dancing skills at the festival this Saturday.

Bangkok

My trip around the world, or at least off the North American continent, started with a shock! Checking in I handed my passport to the man at the counter who checked my bags and all that. He handed it back to me saying, "Your passport's not valid!"

What?! It has to be ... I'm leaving now!

"You forgot to sign it."

Huge sigh of relief!

My flight from SD to LA was uneventful. It was a tiny commuter plane, three seats wide. And the flight time was only about 25 minutes.

In LA I dashed through the airport to the international terminal to check into my flight and get a seat and a boarding pass, etc. Then dashed to meet Max and Cynthia for dinner at a very swank restaurant called Encounters. A bowl of soup and a salad -- both delicious -- cost $20! After dinner I dashed back to the international terminal and stood in line a lot. When I finally arrived at the gate (or actually the area where we caught the shuttle to the gate) I heard my name on the PA. Not a very reassuring start to my trip, especially after SD! But they had only forgotten to remove the ticket itself.

The plane was beautiful! Orange and pink and purple seats. Our own purple pillow and blanket. Water bottles waiting for us. I felt like I was in first class, even in the way back of the plane! They fed us real food, on real dishes, with real metal silverware and glass glasses. Gave us wine at dinner and an after dinner drink. An in-seat TV monitor where we could choose from about 40 different movies, or play games, or learn languages, or watch the plane travel around the world, or ... Swank! I either haven't flown on enough international airlines or Thai airlines is spectacular! Or both. Part of what made the trip so wonderful was that the plane was more than half empty. At least where I was. So I had two seats to my self and could "stretch out" and lie down when I wanted to sleep. The strangest part of the trip though was flying the whole way in the dark. I have never experienced a whole "day" of night. Every time I looked out the window it was pitch black outside. Not much to look at. Though I did enjoy seeing the cities of China lit up in the dark. And the reflection of the moon on the ocean below.

The airport in Bangkok was no problem. Other than the fact that I got confused about weather or not I needed a visa -- wound up not getting one, which was just as well (more on that later). And I managed to find a taxi to the city, and my hotel, even without knowing a word of Thai! This international travel stuff is a breeze!

My hotel was in the tourist part of the city (Kow San Road), but behind a temple, so a bit quieter than other areas. I have to admit it was nice to be surrounded by other tourists. It didn't feel quite so unsettling as being surrounded by people who I can't understand at all! The hotel it self is nothing special on the upper flours. Clean (which is a lot) but that's it. The common area, though was fab. Very tropical and exotic. Open air dining area and bar covered with colorful shades where tourists sit and write in journals or drink tea all day. I felt very much like the rich luxuriating tourist!

My first day I wandered around. I arrived on a Monday, and was surprised to see that almost all the locals were dressed in yellow shirts. Often with black pants or black skirts. Everyone. The taxi driver, the street sweeper, the businessman, girls, boys, women and men. It was like a uniform. (I am ironically wearing a yellow shirt and black pants now). A man on the street approached me and told me the reason -- Monday is the King's birthday. Every Monday. So all of Thailand honors the King (They LOVE the King) by wearing yellow on Monday -- and many other days of the week as well. I then proceeded to get scammed by a tuk-tuk driver (despite the warnings). I decided, though, that it was all part of the fun -- and I didn't actually wind up spending any money, only time driving around the city -- which is more or less what I wanted to do anyway.

That night I met up with a German woman, Mareike. She had a tick in her shoulder and together we went to the dermatologist to have it removed. Very strange experience to be surrounded by people waiting to have botox or something and try to explain to someone who speaks limited English about the tick. I'm still not entirely sure we all understood each other completely.

Mareike and I had dinner and then hung out again the next day. It was my first full day, and her last day (she got on a bus to the airport that evening). We had breakfast at the hotel and then took the tourist boat (unlimited rides for $100 BHT -- about $3 US) up and down the river. First to Wot XXXX to see the reclining Buda -- Truly spectacular! I took a zillion photos of the temple grounds. We also bought into the local tourist (and some locals) custom, of dropping $1BHT coins into 100 metal dishes. You drop one in each dish and it is good luck.


We had lunch on the street (soup) and then headed up to the tourist district for a snack of coffee and cheese sandwiches on croissants! (her first in months and my last) Then back down to the flower market where we wandered the streets looking at a world that is very different from the one I am familiar with in Chicago and the rest of the US. There were fried grasshoppers, and grubs of some kind (I was later told that they are silk worms). HUGE buckets of garlic, pepers, and all kinds of crazy foods. The flowered were even different -- the flower part sometimes wrapped in paper to protect it, other times very decoratively arranged.

We took our last boat ride back to the hotel and while she figured out how to get to the airport, I met with a woman from the volunteer organization (Volunthai) to figure out how I was to get to the bus to the town where I would have training and then to the school where I would work. Marike and I had one last dinner together and then, after she headed home, I hung out with the tourists and then went to bed -- still a bit jet lagged. -- Thailand is 12 hours ahead of the East Coast of the US 15 hours ahead of the West coast!

Next day, I wandered the streets, taking pictures and then headed to the bus station. I met Amy, the other volunteer, at the bus station and she and I (the only white people on the bus) headed to training.

Gone!

Heading to the airport in a matter of minutes!

Nervous. Excited. I hate leaving at the end of the day. Plus dealing with airplanes and schedules, etc. Yuck.

I don't know what access I will have to internet in Thailand. Maybe lots. Maybe none. I'll try to keep this up, but I may not be able to put photos on or update regularly. Keep checking. I will be in touch. And think of me, over the next 20 hours, as I travel from here to there.

Love!

Going, Going...

I suppose I've left you all in suspense long enough.

I bought a ticket to Thailand. One way. I leave on the 27th and, 24 hours later, arrive (very jet lagged, I'm sure) in Bangkok on the 29th. (Yes, it really is the 29th and not the 28th). I will have a day or two in Bangkok, and then I'll meet up with someone from the program, get on a bus (!) and go north to spend a month working with Thai students on improving their English language skills. When school ends in March, I'll either move on to another volunteer program (working in a national park maybe), or come back to the states, or have some other adventure of some sort. I'll let you know how it all goes.

It is very exciting now that the decision is finally made!

There is also a possibility that I will come back to Chicago for the AAM (American Association of Museums) conference in May. But that is still months away and I have only just managed to make a decision about February!

(Just a little bit of symbolism in the photos I've added this time)

The Future ...

By now I bet you are all wondering if I am ever going to leave the country! (or at least get off the continent)

And the answer is...
I've been accepted to a program (actually two programs) in Thailand. One is to teach English and the other is to work in a national park or on some sort of Eco-Tourist program.

I have to admit I'm terrified!

But I think I'm going to go! Ironically, just as I am getting ready to go, things here in San Diego are picking up. There are a lot of (possibly paying) positions working in education and/or exhibits in the S.D. museums. I'm torn!

Christmas and New Years

This will be short. (Though whenever I say that I go on and on for pages and pages!) I took a lot of photos and feel more like sharing them than telling stories.

Both Christmas and New Years were spent in San Diego with Jon and Vanessa. And both were relatively quiet.

Christmas Eve we decorated the rosemary bush as a Christmas tree. Then we drove to Coronado, to the hotel, to ice skate. (Here's another tangent -- The Coronado Hotel is huge! and rambling structure. Beautiful, especially at night all lit up, in a late 19th Century style. I felt very much like Marilyn Monroe, Tony Curtis and Jack Lemmon in "Some Like It Hot!" Coming from Chicago (where TC and JL witness the St. Valentines Day Massacre -- which occurred just down the street from where I used to work, by the way. We went for happy hour drinks at the Clark Bar which had a HUGE photo from the paper of the bodies in the garage where the "Old Folks Home" is now.) to the hotel where the film was, well, filmed.) What is more Christmas than ice-skating! Especially outside on the beach surrounded by palm trees?! The idea was great. The reality was a bit less. The rink was tiny and the ice so soggy that the hotel employees had to squeegee it constantly. "Where is the Zamboni?" I asked. Jon pointed to the squeegees. "I think they are the Zamboni!" It was also a bit expensive, so we decided to walk on the beach instead. That was such a great So. Cal. thing to do -- I went wading in the Ocean on Christmas Day! How many people can say that? (Other than all the other people on the beach I mean). Vanessa's friend Maria joined us and the four of us walked along the beach, enjoying the warm (almost) barefoot weather (it was a bit chilly). Someone suggested building snow men out of sand, and we considered it for a moment, but didn't. Then, just a little ways down the beach we saw two of them! Actually they were sand penguins, but the idea was there -- a friend and I in High School made a snow cat because our second ball was too heavy to lift onto the first one. We reached the end of the beach (traveling through the dog beach) just in time to stare in wonder at the beautiful red/orange sunset. The best of all, though was that as the sun was setting at least two, possibly more, dolphins came out to enjoy it too. Jon saw them first, then me and Maria. As we all stood pointing out the dolphins to Vanessa we saw one go up to the left, then immediately, from the same spot, we say another go up to the right. "There are two!" We all four cried out together! What an amazing and wonderful way to celebrate the year! (The strip of land, by the way, is the point that has the light house we visited at Thanksgiving and the dark blob in the water below the lighthouse is a dolphin.) On the way back we walked by moonlight. A quarter moon, waxing, but casting enough light so that I could see my Moon shadow! (I did not leap and hop, but reveled in it none the less) We finished our visit by sitting outside eating homemade ice cream at the hotel.

The day before New Years Day (does it have a name other than that?) We took a short tip into Mexico -- My trip around the world is now officially an international trip!). We got to eat real Mexican tacos and I got to practice my Spanish (which is pathetic -- though I can count to 20, say hello, good by and thank you.)

New Year's Day the three of us and the two dogs took a lovely walk through one of the canyons along what counts for a river in California, (read “stream" if you live in the Mississippi River Valley or east) to a Californian waterfall (read "rapids"). Our hike started by passing through a field that smelled of liquorish (always a good smell in my book). We continued past some sort of gourd and sycamore trees and then to the falls; the overall vegetation changing from desert scrub to grass land to big green bushes as we neared the water. The falls is lovely, though not really a "falls" by any but desert standards. The "river" flows gently though the narrow and rocky path it has cut through some tough rocks creating a rapids. We waded across the falls and enjoyed the ravine. Then we headed back as the sun was setting. Passing through the sycamores just as the smell of night (cold and wet and earthy and very welcome to me in dry San Diego) took over, the most amazing thing happened. Across our path -- only about 15 feet ahead of us -- flew a hawk! It glided, coasting down from the treetops to land in the tall grass about 20 feet away. Then after a minute or so (during which we all stood stunned with awe) it took off again. This time it drifted, almost lazily, into a tree nearby. Fantastic. So graceful. A good omen for the New Year I'm sure -- though I couldn't tell you what it means.

And now, some random photographs that I took and liked. Enjoy.

Here is the Coranado Hotel in its Day-Time glory.














This is a Poinsettia -- who knew they grew into a tree!














We saw this beautiful sand castle on the walk along the beach. It was guarded by a snow penguin.



















Its backlit and I'm wearing sun glasses, but I liked this picture anyway!














These just give a little view of what the beach was like.




























This is one of the strange fruits we saw along the trail.














And to end -- a photo of the Moon on New Years Day night. (I've never been able to get a good Moon shot until now)

San Diego

I seem to be here in San Diego for a while. I've been hanging out with Jon and Vanessa and their friends (one of whom I actually knew in college! We did a seminar term at the Newberry Library together -- how strange it that!), buying last minute things for my trip, and going to puppy school.

I've also been checking into the "ideal job" -- I'll say more about that in a minute, but first, a tangent. "For those who came in late..." (as the film The Phantom starts -- I love it by the way -- such a bad film, but a sweet story) this summer, after my retirement, I told people I would hang out in Chicago and look for the perfect job, and if I did not find it, I'd head out around the world: the trip I am now on. Well, somehow the job did not manage to fall into my lap (as I am sure you are aware because I am -- theoretically -- going around the world), but the idea of it did. The week before I left (or thereabouts) I had lunch with a friend who suggested exhibit design. It's perfect! it combines art and science (in a science museum), education, and my continued interest in learning new things! Unfortunately, I had already given up my apartment and possessions, and bought a ticket to NY, etc. So, it remained an idea. Until now (sort of). Vanessa has contacts in the museum field, and one (at the Historical Society) has offered to let me shadow and/or participate in putting together an exhibit. Very Cool. If it works out. If it comes together I may be here longer than I thought -- though I've already been here longer than I thought -- so I'm not sure what that says. (This is a photo of the lemon tree that grows just outside their kitchen window. It has the best lemons I have ever tasted -- "almost like fruit!" and not a bit like the song.)

Christmastime in San Diego is odd. I'm having a very hard time realizing how close it is to the day itself. The weather here has been very warm (though we are in a cold spell at the moment -- highs in the low 60s, and record breaking temps at night -- it actually got down to 32oF a day or so ago!) -- at least by Midwest standards. The grass is green and the jade are all still blooming -- as are the Birds-of-Paradise (is that the correct way to pluralize it?) and various other flowers. The ornaments, however, hanging from the cactus just seem bizarre. And I can't quite reconcile seeing inflatable snowmen and light-up reindeer on beautifully manicured lush green lawns, or strips of cotton batting draped over bushes to look like snow. Too strange for my Midwestern brain. It's also funny to see the full range of clothing, being worn outside -- people are walking around in flip-flops and parkas -- sometimes simultaneously. I suffer from cold feet (no pun intended) and have begun wearing socks and sandals. It looks very strange. But I'm hoping it will start a new trend!

I miss everyone in Chicago (or returning to Chicago, or nowhere near Chicago). Enjoy the weather where ever you are and have a good, happy holiday -- whatever you chose to celebrate or ignore!

And here is one last comment, to ponder until the next installment: I found a transition hair the other day -- hairs that actually show the change from brown (or whatever) to white -- but this one (oddly enough) went from white to brown. The only conclusion I can come to is that I'm getting younger! Somewhere or other I came across the fountain of youth!

And finally, for real this time, I just found this quote that I copied from somewhere at some time. Just a reminder...

For if every true love affair can feel like a journey to a foreign country, where you can't quite speak the language and you don't know where you're going and you're pulled ever deeper into the inviting darkness, every trip to a foreign country can be a love affair, where you're left puzzling over who you are and whom you've fallen in love with. All the great travel books are love stories, by some reckoning...and all good trips are, like love, about being carried out of yourself and deposited in the midst of terror and wonder. -- Pico Iyer, "Why We Travel"

Birthday Idea, part 2

Several people have asked about contributing to the birthday phone. There are two ways I can see to do that.

Option 1) Send me an e-mail and I will send you my mother's address (her address is my permanent address for the time being (!)) and you can mail any contribution to me care of her.

Option 2) Send me a contribution to my old address (4247 N. Hermitage, 60613) and the post office will (hopefully) forward it to my mother who can then take care of it.

If anyone knows any better ideas for how to do that, let me know and I'll consider it.

Thanks very much to those of you who have already given me a contribution! I'm slowly getting there.

Las Vegas

I am back in San Diego after a week in Las Vegas.

Las Vegas is a very strange city. And, though I think it is worth a visit at least once in a life-time (if for nothing more than a the realization of how bizarre it is), I have visited it many more times than I ever expected to. The first time I visited was bout 15 years ago. The Geology Club planned a summer field trip to California -- Death Valley, the White Mountains, etc. It is hard to take gear for 20 to 25 people (stoves and tents and such) on air-planes. So, some of us drove the van, loaded with equipment across the country, camping and enjoying the emptiness of the west on the way. We arrived at the Valley of Fire state park and spent the night, sleeping out, under the stars, listening to the sounds of the desert in the spring. The next morning, we got up and drove down the strip, looking for breakfast. ... I think we all experienced culture shock without even leaving the country. There were slot machines everywhere (even in the airport!), We got trapped in Cesar's Palace (there is a moving sidewalk into the casino, but no way out!) where, in the streets of ancient Rome, the statues of the gods come to life and clouds drift across a painted sky. The second time I visited I overheard two women on the street talking about the city. One says to the other as they walked under the Eiffel Tower at the Paris (?) Casino, "I don't know why anyone needs to go to Europe, when you can see all the wonders of the world here. In one place."

What can I say. I'll tell you in a year if you should listen to her, or see the real things for yourself.

(I actually kind of enjoy LV. I could die happily if I never go back again, but ignoring the ecological disaster that it represents (Kentucky Bluegrass and fountains in the desert; and enough lights to make it seem almost like daytime in the middle of the night), there is a festive, amusement park feel to the strip. It is every excess of American culture with no apologies.)

Mostly, I avoided the strip and hung out with my friend Wendy and her family. I hung out in the Geology department at UNLV (where I ran into Spider, for those of you who know her). Playing on the Internet, attending guest lectures (which I am proud to say that I understood about 90-95% of! -- the geology of the western US is as bizarre as LV itself, by the way), and playing with an SEM (we looked at an ant head -- and got to see the hairs on its "nose" -- very cool!)


Wendy and I did couple of "hikes" over the weekend; one in the ravine behind her house, the other at Red Rocks -- Red Rocks is beautiful and a great site to see cross-bedding! We hiked up to a frozen pool and a view of the city. Our quite and serene (though very dark by the time we got down -- I thought that this far south, it would stay dark after 5pm, but I was very wrong!) hike was followed by a drive down the strip. One last comment about Las Vegas. It was COLD! -- there were two days where there was frost on the grass in the morning! a rare thing I hear.

I also found out that Wendy and I share a delight in what I affectionately call "trashy TV" and, as a result of this common decadence, I got to wallow in the Sci Fi series: Farscape! For the uninitiated, and from my perspective, Farscape is the Australian version of Blake's Seven, which is the British (anti)-version of Star Trek. -- I love looking at how the story/situations/characters/etc. change over the decades as they jump across the oceans! Wendy credits sci. fi. for getting her interested in science, and I know that my affection for the good stuff (and frustration with the bad stuff) has increased as I have learned more about science.

I'll close with a general statement of what my plans are for the future: I don't know. I'm staying in San Diego with my brother and soon-to-be-sister-in-law for some period of time. I intend to head out in a few weeks for parts unknown -- Australia/New Zealand on the way to Thailand in Feb. I'll keep you posted on future movements!

Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving!

I survived! (Actually, I more than survived, I had a good time.) My mother and I went to visit my brother (Jon) and his fiancee (Vanessa) in San Diego for Thanksgiving. I have to admit that I was a little worried when my brother told me that there would be seven people (the four of us, Vanessa's mother, grandmother and brother), and two dogs (though very small dogs) in a two bedroom/one bathroom house. For a week! "Humm." I though,"I wonder how that will work? Where will they put us all? And for a week!" But, to be fair, we did basically the same thing last year at Christmas time, so I knew it would be OK. "And besides," I tried to reassure myself, "much of the rest of the world does this all the time!" And it worked out well. Every room in the house was filled with at least one bed, and there was very little room to move until the beds were put away for the day, but all in all it was good. There was a feeling of having a great big, on-going, sleep-over every morning. Everyone woke, or at least started moving around, at about the same time in the morning. Jon made coffee and we sat on the beds in our P.J.s and drank it, while cuddling with the dogs and generally being lazy. It took a while for everyone to get dressed and ready to start the day, what with having only one bathroom, but that just added to the sleepover feeling.

Most of our days were spent being very mellow and relaxed. Jon and Mom put together a traditional Thanksgiving dinner, and did a marvelous job doing it, even working around the limitations of an "apartment sized" ( i.e. one pan) oven. Vanessa picked the Turkey recipe and Jon and Mom spent hours making sure it came out golden and delicious! And then, a day or two later, Mom and I turned our Thanksgiving dinner (sans cranberries and sweet potatoes) into a wonderful pot pie! (I love, love, love pot pie -- I know that some people prefer mac and cheese as a comfort food (and it is one of mine, I admit), but for me, in the fall, winter, and spring (which is most of the time in Chicago), my comfort food is a turkey pot pie! Yum!)

We didn't tend to do much touristy things. It is hard to get up enough momentum to get seven people out the door on an adventure. Have you ever noticed that? This is not an unique observation, I know, but the more people there are, the harder it is to get them all moving! And to make decisions. A lot of our conversations repeated the pattern of, "I don't know, what do you want to do/eat/etc." So, by default (both for lack of a decision, and to pass time while people were walking dogs and bathing, etc.) we watched a lot of movies. I think I watched more movies in one day than I ever have before: five. But they were all good films -- or at least interesting. And it was nice to just sit and let time pass. (I think I'm stocking up on American experiences -- films, TV, whatever, so that I will be glad to be without them on my trip! -- I'll let you know if it worked).

We did have a couple of adventures. The most humorous, and also the saddest, was the Adventure of Leo's Tail (This is still a working title). Poor Leo was bitten by something. And, being a dog, kept "scratching it" with his teeth. So, after a while his tail became a bit messy (not too bad, but not getting any better either). The day after Thanksgiving, Jon and Vanessa took him to the vet. They were still gone about two hours later -- the rest of us were wondering what had happened to them -- the vet was only a 10 minute drive away. When they finally showed up, the poor puppy had a big plastic cone on his head! He looked so silly! And so pathetic. And he knew it. He milked it for all it was worth, though, getting sympathy love from seven different people!

We dispersed a bit on Monday -- the boys going to the University (one to teach, the other to observe) and the girls going to Coronado Island and then on a chilly, but beautiful, quest for "the lighthouse." We finally made it just as the sun was setting.

In the movie A Clockwork Orange there is a scene where the "hero" returns home and, in the background, there is a song playing on the radio. Whoever put together the soundtrack included it in the "playlist." (I know this because that was one of the tapes (am I dating myself?) that I listened to regularly while working in the art studio or the geology lab in college). The song goes something like this:
I want to marry a lighthouse keeper
and live by the side of the sea.
I want to marry a lighthouse keeper
and keep him company.
Those lines were running through my head the entire time I was at the lighthouse. I've always wanted to live in a lighthouse. I think I could handle it (even enjoy it) for a year or two, more would drive me crazy -- though I said the same about living in Chicago proper, and I was there for about 8 years. I must say, though, that I don't envy the children the five mile row-boat ride, or the 18-mile horse back ride, to school every day! (both of those are one-way distances, by the way.) Can you imagine how strong your arms would be after a 5-mile row?!

On Tuesday everyone left. And by everyone I really mean Mom, Danny and me. But we were 3/5 of the guest population, so that counts for a lot. After taking Mom and Danny to the airport, and watching another movie, Vanessa's mother, grandmother and I wandered around the San Diego Natural History Museum. It is very small, and does not have very much exhibit space, but the paleontology/life in California exhibit is very good. There is a sense of whimsy in how it was put together that is delightful. It also does a good job of encouraging people to try to think scientifically by asking them to draw their own conclusions based on the evidence. For instance, one display showed a humerus from a mammal and asked the participant to decide if the animal had been a runner, swimmer, or climber, based on comparisons with living (well, now dead) animals that were runners, swimmers, and climbers. Very Cool! I also liked the way they depicted the dinosaurs. The skeleton was mounted inside a skin depicting what we think the dinosaurs looked like. It is interesting to see the relationship between the bones and the skin. It makes the bones more accessible.

And then I hoped on a plane and flew to Las Vegas. I'll tell you all about that trip next time!