Deck the Halls

The halls are decked, the presents wrapped. Two pans of potatoes prepared and ready to cook in the morning; turkey is in the brine and will be cooked in the morning as well. One more hour and then off to sing at the Candlelight service. I can't believe that Christmas arrived so quickly! Looking forward to spending Christmas Eve with Heidi, Adam and Carlos (if Carlos is still awake) then tomorrow will be all about food, family, fun and festivities (ooh and presents, I think I did okay this year with the buying. Hope you all have the most joyous holiday ever! Peace.

December starts with a bang

December got here rather quickly don't you think? The first weekend was certainly a busy one. Saturday morning in 40 degree temps and a light rain I ran my first 10K.


It was over the Talmadge bridge twice (a 5.5%) grade 1.4 miles span; the race went through downtown Savannah and over the bridge - down the off ramp, under the bridge - back over the bridge and ended in front of the civic center. I was happy to have finished without stopping and I was just over my average mile per hour on flat land, so it was a pretty successful first 10K. After grabbing my towel and a couple of oranges I was in a hurry to get out of the cold. I came home and changed into warmer clothes before heading out for dirt and mulch to fill in some big puddles in the yard as I was also hosting an oyster roast for about 30 people that evening and the yard was a swamp. I got that taken care of, finally took a shower and then got everything set up for the party. We were celebrating two birthdays.



My Mom's 70th and my sister's 45th. It was a fun time! We ate all the oysters, a huge pot of chili, all but about 3 pieces of birthday cake, and a pot of oyster stew. Our friend Jerry brewed a lovely porter for the party and that was a perfect accompaniment to the cool night and the oysters. All had a great time and the evening was topped off seeing Georgia Tech edge past Clemson for the ACC Championship title.



Lots more pictures on Flickr if you want to check them out

Camilleas

Camilleas
Originally uploaded by lyricalmezzo

These are supposed to bloom in February - or at least that is what is traditional - oh well - some nice November blooms are certainly welcome.

Nearly Perfect Saturday

The day started with a 6 mile run in perfect November temps. I came home and showered and ate and then hit the grocery store (the ickiest part of the day). I decided to drive out to Skidaway Island and walk along the river at the Oceanography Institute. Wow - what a perfect day. The sky was absolutely cloudless and there was a nice coastal breeze lifting the smell of the marsh into the air...ahhh. To top that off - Georgia Tech beats Duke to book a place in the ACC championship game!!








More pics here.

Working it out

November has started much like any month this year. I have been quite busy with school and with trying to keep up with running - the real key of which is motivation which I often lack and when I get motivated to run I have to battle the demons in my head. While running my demons will such supportive things as "stop, you can do this tomorrow" (this is when the demons are still being nice). When that fails to work the demons go deeper "you aren't doing yourself any good, you aren't even loosing weight, what is the point" (this starts to work on my psyche, but usually against the demons as I will push a bit harder). Now the demons are really pissed off but I try to run through it. Now they go into reverse psychology mode. "You're doing great...especially for someone like you" (they aren't specific about the "like you" part of this nag). I ignore this voice and push a bit longer. I have really ticked them off now. This is usually the point where the demons work with my nervous system and cause all cooling abilities in my body to completely shut down causing me to get hotter and hotter and turn interesting shades of red and eventually turning to purple. When this fails to stop me the demons conspire with the universe and send the very elderly past me in a whiz of perfect running form...this starts to work as my legs are throbbing and my head is starting to hurt from the impending heat stroke. I find the water fountain. I cool my head and legs and catch my breath - the demons believe they have gotten me to stop and I am thinking the same thing. I start to feel slightly human again and just begin to mentally award myself for pushing through the demons and getting in a work out. This is when the universe sends a series of runners by with 0% body fat and perfect hair and beautiful white toothed smiles. This is the one and only time in the process when my demons and I agree and in a unison chorus of anger and resentment we start the run again. Turning toward home for the remaining 1.8 miles of the run, the battle cry "skinny bitches" echos through my head and co-mingles with the music in my i-pod. I arrive home somewhat satisfied but know that the demons are lurking for the next day when I lace up my shoes again.

zombie pumpkin

October09 044
Originally uploaded by lyricalmezzo

So - my friend Heidi called me this afternoon to see if I wanted to come over and carve pumpkins and eat dinner. I carved a zombie pumpkin, Carlos drew one of his own and Suz made a goofy faced pumpkin. It was fun to pull all the goo out of the pumpkins and then Heidi roasted the seeds for a tasty snack. I thought the zombie turned out pretty spooky.

Early October - Mixed Bag

October has come with alarming quickness. It started with a taste of fall temps to come which has been swiftly replaced by the muggy remembrances of summer. Allergies run rampant as usual for me this time of year so eye drops and Kleenex are always at hand. The month began with what I hope is not ominous of things to come. Enjoying the sneak at fall temps, I went for a nice run and came centimeters from putting my foot right through a rotting rat carcass that was on the path. After almost jumping into traffic and getting run over, I resumed my run with the occasional shivering reminder of the creature. I ran inside the next day just to make sure there was no repeat of that activity and then the muggy heat came again and banished me to the indoors for a few more days. Feeling better and almost forgetting the rat, I sat down at the computer to find that I had a special offer to “find my match” on senior singles.com – well, ain’t that a slap in the face! Normally I would laugh this off and in the end that is what I had to do, but since I am an October baby, jokes about age are not always easy to slough off this time of year. And since I am approaching my countless birthday as a single – it was especially unwelcome! But I managed to rise above it an thoroughly enjoy one of Savannah’s best annual events, Picnic in the Park. This year’s theme was Johnny Mercer music.



There were themed picnics, great music (mostly) great food and wine and lots of merriment with 10,000 of my closest friends sans, of course, Mimi who was particularly missed. As the end of the second week of October looms, I have to wonder what treasures, surprises and insults await the later half of the month. I sit and wait for the other shoe to drop humming Van Morrison’s Moondance and hoping for more treats than tricks.

Wake me up when September ends

Yawn. Thanks, that was not at all restful! It was a fun but busy September. I started school number two, worked on music and fought off a couple of colds. I felt pretty good about the result of some of my hard work. What was I working on? It was Bellini - and it almost kicked my butt. Follow the link to see my first (possibly last) High C.

The forecast calls for broken clouds

Sunday came with broken clouds...yeah. It sounds like the beginning of a poem and were I someone capable of poetry I might have been able to turn that into something free verse and beautiful, but alas...I lack the skill. The term broken clouds actually came from my local paper today - it was a forecast I had never heard and I thought - man if I could write poetry - that would be my opening line. However, all I can give you is the opening line. I think at some point we all sit and write poetry - at least most of the girls I know have attempted it. Personally I love poetry, its actually one of my favorite things about singing...impressive is opera, and an aria can break your heart, but when you sing poetry, you are breathing and singing life into a soul. It is a privilege and an honor to do so and to do it well is one of the most gratifying things I can think of. I was watching CBS Sunday morning today and there was a poetry recitation competition among high school students. There were fifty competitors - one from each state - and they recited poems they had learned. It was so touching to see these teens not just memorize and recite a poem, but to embody that poem and bring the words to life. I remember as a young eighth grader having to memorize and recite a poem; probably what most eighth graders learned - Robert Frosts' "Two Roads Diverged..." I think for me, that is where it all started. Give me sonnets of Shakespeare, the verse of Swinburne, the beautiful and bewitching words of Burns...don't marry yourself to the rhyme of poetry, but rather the rhythm of its voice, the beauty of its secrets and the song that lies hidden within.

Last Sunday in August

I can't believe how quickly August went - September right around the corner and the year will then just steamroll away - sigh. At least we are getting somewhat cooler temps as the evenings come around bringing some promise of fall and nicer weather for outdoor activities. The downside of all the rain we have had all summer is that even though it is getting nicer outside, the mosquitoes are taking over the world! School is back in swing although I still have one that will start after labor day so I am not yet in full swing, easing my way back in; working with new students and trying to avoid swine flu (college kids are germy). I've been doing well on the running, trying to extend my distance so I can possibly run a 10k in December. I am up to 5 1/2 miles with a day of recovery in between so I am pretty close, I just need to build up my endurance so it doesn't take so much out of me. I've been doing some singing lately - just completed a recital with the voice faculty at Georgia Southern - we sang the entire 26 Italian Songs and Arias, it was a fun night - now I am preparing a duet from Norma and getting back in the swing/sing of things. Lots of cooking in August - hoping to do even more as September rolls around...I am already looking forward to the traditional "first pot of chili" of fall - its always a the best one.

Festivus 2009

Festivus Poles in progress
Originally uploaded by lyricalmezzo

We decided it was high time to celebrate Festivus. I had some closet rods to spare and lots of paint and Heidi had loads of glitter...so the celebration began. The evening began with a pitcher of sangria; sauteed eggplant, and black-eyed pea burgers. After dinner we set about decorating the poles. We had four paint colors and we painted our hands and then grabbed the poles. They actually came out looking sort of like abstract flowers. We let them dry a little and then added the glitter. While the poles were drying we came inside for the feats of strength which amounted to a confusing wii boxing match between Suzanne and I and then one between Suzanne and Adam. There was a brief airing of grievances about compost and worms (don't ask) and then the second feat of strength came about this time in the form of wii bowling with Heidi taking first, Adam second, me third and Suzanne fourth. We polished off the sangria and then evening wound down. We headed home - each with a piece of the festivus pole. I will display mine in my office starting tomorrow. A festivus pole should certainly ease the transition from summer to the school year...here's hoping anyway. There are a few more pics of the celebration here.

Deep Dish Pizza

I had a crazy allergy headache today from too much yard work. I trimmed all the azaleas and could smell the mold on them as I was cutting them - so - as I was healing with a few hours on the couch today, I was flipping channels and landed on Mystic Pizza. Naturally a pizza craving was not too far behind. I decided to mix up my typical pizza making and go deep dish. I used my regular crust recipe - as I was making the crust I preheated the oven to 400 and set the cast iron skillet in the oven to preheat as well. When the crust was ready I formed it and then set it inside the cast iron skillet and pressed it on the sides of the pan - it started to sizzle as soon as it hit the pan - yum. I put the crust in the oven for about 6 minutes while I prepared the toppings. I removed the pan - added the sauce, toppings of spinach and feta, and topped the whole thing with cheese - then back it went into the oven for another 17 minutes. The crust was crispy on the bottom and done all the way through - it was quite tasty! I will definitely do this one again. Normally I go for the thin crust but this was just what the doctor ordered.

10K

No, no. I haven't made it up to a 10K yet, but am contemplating one in December. I have done the Savannah Bridge run for a couple of years now and I have really enjoyed it. I have accomplished the 5k many times now and at best can hope to best my time. I was thinking about trying the 10K this year and when a book club buddy decided to register for the 10K I went into full gear (full gear for one day now) trying to increase my run from 3 miles to 6. Today I accomplished 4 and had energy for more (slowing down the mph really helps in this regard) but am trying to stick to the training schedule I found online that helps you avoid injury and since I have hips susceptible to injury - I am not gonna go crazy with the training. So...tomorrow I will try to do some strength training and then Sunday will be my maintenance run. No idea if I can actually pull this one off, but it gives me something to accomplish other than trying to memorize Italian songs.

August begins

August surprisingly began. The summer is slipping away and I have done very little that I said I was going to do. So, that is pretty much normal for the season. Here begins a made dash of procrastination before I absolutely have to get to work again. Yesterday I painted the computer room a color I mixed from other leftover colors so I am not sold on it 100%, but at least I know the bookcases, baseboards, and floors are clean.




Heidi and Adam have returned which means the keeping of the worms is passed back over to them; guess I will have to find another way to compost my veggie scraps!



It will be good to have them back even though we all have to go back to our crazy schedules all too soon. At least some order will return and we'll hopefully have some fun along the way!

The End of July

Okay, yes I realize that it is August and yes I am writing about July, but I am playing catch up today - yet another task which allows me to procrastinate doing the things I should be doing to get ready for school. Yesterday I painted - more on that in the August blog to come later. July was highlighted by Mimi and Devin's visit and a dash to Atlanta for some shopping some comedy and a playing taxi driver to my friend Carolyn who I picked up at the airport.

I blogged a bit earlier about the Cavalcade of Fun. I should have kept better track of what all we did, but rest assured it was mostly eating...that's how we roll and how we keep ourselves rolly. We had a couple of cooking adventures after the flounder tacos. We had a the requisite fried shrimp feast (with a yummy salad, corn bread and mashed sweet potatoes) and later in the visit we had my parents over and had an evening of tapas. For the tapas we ate very well. Mimi brought some yummy chipotle cheddar cheese and crackers, Mom and Dad brought a delicious variety of fruit and I made a caprese salad, some seared tuna, black bean cakes, buffalo shrimp, roasted red and yellow peppers and some fresh bread (oh and of course some wine).







Outside of the kitchen, we also spent a day at the beach. We headed to Tybee on a Tuesday morning and basked in the sunshine for a couple of hours and then we headed over to the crab shack for the best boiled seafood around. We sat on the back river enjoying the breeze and our yummy lunches. I had the crab legs - delicious!






Sadly the cavalcade of fun once again is put on hold as Devin and Mimi headed back to pack up and move from Alamosa over to Rifle CO where Devin is starting a job teaching fifth grade!

At the end of the cavalcade of fun, I turned Mrs. Ticklefeather north and drove to Atlanta to stay with friends Jerry and April and to pick up Carolyn on the way home. Mostly this trip was about hanging with friends and shopping. There was an added bonus of getting to go to an improve show. It was a blast and we were treated to the best seats in the house courtesy artistic director and former high school chum Chip. It was a great time and we laughed a lot.





I got to shop at Trader Joe's (twice) and IKEA before turning south again and scooping up a very tired and still sick Carolyn and take her back to Statesboro to recuperate before school begins.

Blueberry Waffles

Need I say more??

Resumption of the Cavalcade of Fun

Mimi and Devin arrived in town last week and we have had fun bumming around town together. We made dinner the other night and then went to The Distillery for dinner:




Our kitchen fun began with a meal of fried flounder tacos and crab quesadillas - YUM! Hopefully we'll get more chances to cook together before their all too brief visit comes to a close.

Vocational Test

I am evaluating my position in life. If I am doomed to be single forever I need to be able to live on my own, buy a house, and the other things one does as an adult usually with someone else, but if that's not to be the case then so be it. I love what I do. Teaching music to college students is satisfying and rewarding work and I love to see their progress as well as their love for what they do grow as they attain better skills in and more knowledge about music. The biggest problem I have with what I do is that I have yet to find a full time position. I am going on my fifth year since getting my doctorate and have not had the good fortune of a full-time job. I have been working part-time teaching jobs, eeking by and rolling the dice that next year will be the year. I think I am running out of next years. SO, I took some time today to take a vocational test to see what other things I may be suited for and would enjoy doing. My match came back with the over whelming result being - drum roll please......post secondary teacher in the creative arts. Damn. I guess I am doing what I am supposed to be doing - now what?

Virginia is for Hikers

I just returned from my second vacation of June as well as my second wedding of June. My friends Andy and Mary were married on Saturday and my sister and I very much enjoyed the reception on Saturday evening. I am convinced the band is unemployed masters students from Shenandoah – they were awesome. But I digress – or actually I jump ahead. We arrived Thursday evening. Driving under the bossy influence of the GPS we arrived in Dulles around 7:00, checked into the hotel, put on clean shirts, and immediately went to Sweetwater Tavern for dinner and drinks (first visit of 3). We got our growler filled (sad story to come later) with one of their specialty brews called Wits End. Friday started off well. I got up early, no idea how, and went for a run in the hotel workout room. I got to watch Wimbledon while running so that made it a bit less horrible than usual. It was a bit overcast so we went shopping at Leesburg Outlets and drove around the old neighborhood. We had dinner in Clarendon (found courtesy of the bossy GPS) with Suzanne’s former work mate Kro and her boyfriend Felix. Clarendon is one of the many small towns now part of the DC commuter area. There is lots of good shopping and good eating in Clarendon if you should be in the area but are nervous about driving into the city. We managed to get back to the hotel and hit the sack after a long first day.

The weather turned beautiful on Saturday so we headed to Harpers Ferry to do a bit of hiking and sightseeing.



You can pick up the AT in Harpers Ferry and follow it into the historic town. It is a nice old civil war town. There is an active railroad station there and many interesting historical treasures. We hiked the mile or so to town, shopped around and then found a balcony on which to have lunch and watch the tourists walk the streets. After lunch we retraced out steps on the AT and drove back to Sterling to get ready for the evening wedding festivities. The reception was held at Clyde’s at Willow Creek in Ashburn Virginia. The have a covered patio and a nice bar. It was a lovely reception, great food, an open bar, and one of the best wedding bands I have ever heard. Also the tables were labeled with characters from Monty Pythons Holy Grail. This would have been funny by itself but it got better when the cake arrived and it was a replica of the castle in the Holy Grail complete with cow catapult and the Trojan rabbit….very funny. We ate, drank and danced the night away before heading back to the hotel to rest for another fun filled day.



Sunday was intended for another hike, but it was slightly rainy so we headed into Tyson’s Corner for more shopping. We hit the Trader Joes and got non-perishables then made our way to Tyson’s Mall – this is a big mall, but still just a mall really. We hit up the H&M (one of our favs), the L.L. Bean and Teavanna (a great tea store) before heading to Coastal Flats for lunch. Coastal Flats is one of the chain restaurants in the Great American chain. It is good, but we agree that Sweetwater is the best of the chain. We shopped as long as we could stand and then headed back to the hotel. We made plans to meet Linn at the Sweetwater in Centerville. We arrived a few minutes late and Linn was waiting at the bar. We didn’t have to wait very long for a table so we were happy about that. Our waitress had a funny voice – it was just under the pitch of a dog whistle, barely audible to human ears. I am sure this would have been a muppet character voice had she not been merely 12 years old. We enjoyed a great dinner – as usual, and good conversation. Linn gave me a bottle of Dennis’ last batch of wine which I am looking very forward to drinking and we headed back to the hotel. By this point in the trip we are pretty weary, but undaunted. We pre-pack since we have breakfast plans in the morning and hit the sack.

Monday morning came early! We rushed around getting ready to drive to Winchester to meet friends for breakfast. In our haste to pack and get out the door we left in the refrigerator a half full growler of Sweetwater beer. So not only did we leave beer behind, we left the growler – very sad indeed. I hope whoever cleaned the room makes good use of it! We made our way to Winchester to meet Janette (my former voice teacher from Shenandoah) and Grace (former classmate at Shenandoah for breakfast. We visited with them until almost lunchtime and then we had to get going. Before getting on the road we hit up the new bookstore on campus so I could replace my broken Shenandoah Conservatory mug. On the way out I ran into one of my theory teachers and had brief reunion. About 1:30 we got on I81 south and made our way to the Luray exit so we could enter the Shenandoah National Park at about the mid point. We found our trail at 3:20 and got in another beautiful hike. It was about 74 degrees in the park with very low humidity. Early on the hike we heard noises in the woods and managed to catch a couple of deer hiding in the brush – pretty cool – and oh, so glad it wasn’t a bear! We continued along the Rose River Trail as it descended over tree roots and rocks to a 67 foot cascade of waterfalls. Not ready to quit the hike we continued along to Doyle River Falls, but the lateness of the afternoon made us think better and we began to retrace our steps. This trail is deeply wooded so I didn’t want to get stuck trying to hike out in darkness or at feeding time for the animals since we were so close to the stream and had already seen deer and raccoons – I mean, how far behind could the bears really be? We pushed through and got back to the car a little after 6:00. We drove the 15 miles out of the park and then hooked back up with I81 South and turned toward Staunton to find a hotel and have dinner. We checked into the Days Inn and immediately headed to Baja Bean for margaritas and food. Much satisfied we headed back to the hotel to rest for the evening and prepare for the long drive home.



Tuesday morning we drove through Staunton to get some pics for Sandra before heading toward home. It was sad to leave the beauty of the mountains, but more sad to be driving in increasing heat. We got up to 96 degrees on the drive home and boy was it hot driving. Pulled into the driveway about 6:00 unpacked, greeted my sister’s cats and then I headed to the store to supplement dinner since the fridge was pretty barren. We tiredly watched the Braves pull out an extra inning win over the Phillies and then crawled to our own beds for a nice long rest. It was a good vacation, but I am happy to have some time at home since I only had one day between this trip and the previous one in Colorado. This is a small sampling of pics - if you want more, go here. There are lots more, but I am feeling lazy after these two fun trips.

Colorado Vacation/Wedding/Brief resumption of the Cavalcade of Fun

Day one began early. I arrived at the Savannah Airport about 6:45am, checked in, paid the stupid $15 to check a bag and then I was on my way. I am thinking that next time I travel I will wear all my clothes since I can weigh whatever with no extra charge, but my bag has to be a certain weight and size – that will save me the $30 (checking bags each way). Boarded the plane about 7:30 and I heard a familiar voice…it was one of my students from SCAD going home to Dallas for the summer…it is such a small world!

I arrived at the Dallas/Fort Worth airport without incident, set my watch ahead one hour and awaited my connection to Colorado Springs. I noticed many things in the DFW airport that Savannah is too small to have including a tequila bar (no, I didn’t go, it was 9:45 in the morning), and vending machines selling such items as GPS systems and ipods – with my luck I would buy one and it would get stuck in that spiral thingy. There were also birds in the airport. They seemed oblivious the fact that they weren’t supposed to be there. They chirped along happily and dive-bombed anyone who got too close to their nests. My question is where the heck did they get the twigs and stuff to build those nests…I have no idea.

As I am waiting to board I notice a gaggle of college basketball players waiting to board the same plane as me. The shortest of them was probably a 6’2” point guard – and yes, they sat in coach. I imagine them folded up in those seats – I did hear the flight attendants warn each other to watch out for feet and elbows.

I arrived in Colorado about 12:15 and Mimi and Devin were waiting for me at the top of the escalators – so awesome to see them again – it was a nice little reunion. After retrieving my $15 checked bag we jumped in the truck and headed into Pueblo for lunch before tackling the rest of the drive to Alamosa. Got to Alamosa maybe around 4:00pm and we put together a nutritious dinner of appetizers and I think I went to bed around 9:30 – not, of course, yet adjusted to the time change.

Day Two started with a leisurely breakfast. Mimi made pancakes and we went off to run errands before the wedding this afternoon. Devin’s family got in around 1:30 and we had a lunch of sandwiches before getting dressed and ready to go to the courthouse for the nuptials. Laden with cameras and the marriage license we arrived at the courthouse about 4:40 and took some pictures while waiting for the judge to arrive. She showed up right at the crack of 5:00 in her black robe and keen sandals (gotta love that!). I stood up for Mimi and Dev’s Dad was best man. The service lasted about 15 minutes and had the requisite number of sniffles and tears.



More pictures and then we were off to the brew pub for a celebratory drink and dinner. The photographers/friends brought a cake so we had the traditional cake cutting after dinner. Then for the honeymoon, the newly married Mimi and Devin took back to their apartment, his mother, father and sister and me and we all crowded in for the evening – very romantic beginning to their lives together  We sat around for a while watching television and chatting before we all turned into pumpkins and went to bed. I was especially tired since I was still on Georgia time!

Day Three started with breakfast and Mr. and Mrs. Allen’s apartment. Bill, Eleanor, and Chandra (I claim them as friends now – so first name basis only) left a little after breakfast while Devin, Mimi and I puttered around the apartment packing and getting ready to follow behind to Montrose. We timed it perfectly to get to Crede, CO for a lunch at Kipp’s. If you are ever in Crede – you must go to lunch at Kipp’s – it is awesome. Dev and I got fish tacos and Mimi got pork tacos.



We walked around Crede for a while before getting back in the truck and continuing the trek toward Montrose. I made them stop at North Creek Falls as neither of them had ever seen it and then we tarried on, crossing the Continental Divide. We continued the drive along the Silver Thread highway all the way up to Slumgullion Summit (11, 530 ft), through the Gunnison National Forest and stopping at the Alfred Packer Massacre Site. We continued the journey along Highway 149 through Lake Fork, Blue Mesa Lake/Dam and made our way to Black Canyon. We entered the park from the South Rim. This is a really beautiful park – worthy of a visit if you are in the area. The canyon ranges from 1700 feet deep at Pulpit Rock to 2700 feet deep at Chasm View. I think we stopped at all of the overlooks. The comment of the day came from Mimi who pondered “if all these rivers keep cutting down into the canyons, will they eventually split the earth in two?”









We arrived in Montrose around dinner time. We timed our arrival with the beginning of the hog rally in Montrose so there were 100’s of Harleys in town. It was quite a long day of driving. We got to Devin’s parents house, staked our claim to sleeping spots and then headed out to pick up dinner before settling in for the evening. I think I was, again, the first person to go to bed. Still on Georgia time…very sleepy!

Day Four we arose and had breakfast before heading out to Monument National Park. Saw a funny sign on the highway: “Correctional Facility, do not pick up hitchhikers.” It gave me a good chuckle. Arrived at the Monument and decided to do the Devil’s Kitchen trail. It was a pretty easy trail and we enjoyed the blooming prickly pear cactus plants all around. We saw collared lizards everywhere and some very noisy nesting ravens. About ¾ of the way down the trail we stopped to rest and noticed the rock formation at the top of the hill. We thought it looked like a space ship and Dev and I decided to hike up and explore. We got into the space ship but couldn’t quite scurry all the way up to what would be the cockpit. There were great views of the surrounding mountains. We made our way back down, collected Mimi and continued driving through the park. The road runs right along the rim of the canyon so there were a few white knuckle moments for me as I had never been there and didn’t really know what to expect. We stopped at several of the overlook sites and got pictures before winding our way to the visitors center where we had our picnic lunches and plotted the rest of the day. We decided to go into Palisades and tour some of the wineries. This particular area of Colorado stays a bit warmer than the other parts so there are numerous vineyards and fruit orchards in this area. We visited a couple of them, but the wines at this time of year were all fruit varieties and none of us wanted to try them. After looking over the map we found a distillery that gave tours and tastings as well as a nearby brewery that did the same. We made our way to Peach Street Distillery. We got a brief tour of the facilities and learned about the process. They distill vodka, gin, brandy and grappa. I tasted the gin and it was very good and Devin tasted the peach brandy which he like a good bit. We then headed over to the brewery. It was only about a 2 blocks away so we walked and got there about ½ hour before the tour time. I tried one of their brews while Mimi and Devin had a sarsaparilla. The tables had trivial pursuit cards (young edition) so we read through those while relaxing before the tour. When 4:00 arrived we took a brief tour of the brewery and learned about their brewing process. They (Palisades Brewery) distribute throughout the state and the beer I had was pretty tasty.






We decided that was enough for one day so we headed back to Montrose for the evening. We went to dinner at a Nepalese restaurant. I had some sort of potato, cauliflower dish with a spicy tomato base, Mimi had some vegetarian curry and Devin had a soup with lamb – we were all happy with our choices. The food was quite good and nice after a long day in the car and on the trails. We headed back to Dev’s parents house and visited for a while before turning in for the evening. Again, I think I was the first in bed.

Day Five was party day. We went to the grocery store and got supplies for the low-country boil for the afternoon. Everyone arrived by about 12:30 and Mimi and I were doing our thing – chopping ingredients, boiling the water and getting ready to feed the masses. Devin’s Mom had a tiered cake for the wedding celebration and also some balloons for Father’s day. Of course no party would be complete without silly string and bubbles. We also had the pleasure of watching a humming bird build a nest under the carport. The low-country was, of course, a huge success. Devin’s Mom made some delicious sangria and we had a nice afternoon. After everyone left, we rested around the house and then sort of grazed on leftovers for dinner. Pretty sure I was once again the first one to go to bed.




Day Six we had breakfast with Devin’s parents before packing up for the drive back to Alamosa. We agreed to take the quickest way back so we could go to the Sunday concert in the park. I don’t remember the name of band, but it was a nice evening. Mimi and I deconstructed the low-country boil and made dinner for a picnic. I cut the corn off the cob and mixed it with black beans, green chilies and some fresh cilantro and other spices, we collaborated on the potatoes and came up with a potato salad with a vinaigrette of olive oil, balsamic vinegar, wasabi, worchester sauce, apple cider vinegar and various spices we could reach, we separated out the shrimp and left the sausage for Devin for later in the week. We packed the picnic and a thermos of leftover sangria and headed for the park. The weather was perfect, sunny and a little breezy. The food was awesome (of course) and the sangria had festered nicely. We left the park around 7:30 and headed back the apartment, put on a Rockies game and unwound from days of travel and sightseeing. Pretty sure I was the first in bed again…sheesh!




Day Seven Mimi mad French toast for breakfast and then Devin and I headed out to explore Penitente Canyon. We explored the canyon for a couple of hours, seeing everything as advertised except the rock art, but it was a nice day. We headed back toward town stopping at Kristi’s Mountain Sports store where I got a new skort and then heading next door to the co-op where I got tea for Mom and some roasted red peppers for Dad. We got back and had lunch before heading to the grocery store for the first and only meal Mimi and I would cook together. I made zucchini cakes and Mimi made a focaccia and Devin grilled chicken. We decided to go down the park and walk off dinner. It was again a nice night. We walked along the river (no idea which river it is) and enjoyed the breeze. We checked on the garden at Polston Elementary and then headed back toward the river. We noticed something unusual swimming in the river which at first we thought was maybe fish, but it turned out to be a family of beavers. Of course neither Mimi nor I had our cameras (first time all week) so we didn’t get any pictures. We watched them swim for a while and it was pretty cool until I got stung by a giant ant that crawled into my sandal. It burned BADLY. We headed back to the house and I medicated with Benadryl and Advil and then iced my foot. It helped a little when Devin brought me a bowl of homemade ice cream that Mimi had put together earlier. I got showered and continued to ice my foot until the Benadryl kicked in and I went to bed.





Day Eight I got up and re-packed my suitcase for the trip back home. We ate breakfast and left the house around 8:15. We made our way back through Fort Garland, over the La Veda pass through Pueblo and into Colorado Springs at about 11:15. Devin helped me check in and then we sadly parted ways at the gate before I went to stand in line at security. I made it through undetected and boarded the plane back to Dallas. I had about a 2 hour layover in Dallas. The gate for the Savannah flight changed about four times but I managed to keep track of it and it luckily it never changed concourses. I arrived back in Savannah about 9:20 in the evening and Suzanne was waiting for me. We got home and visited for a while before I was too pooped to hang on any longer and I went to bed.

Today I unpacked and did laundry and ran a few errands because tomorrow I leave again. This time headed for Northern Virginia to see another good friend tie the knot.

You can check out more pictures here

Summer Vacation (s)

I am almost done packing (I think) for a trip to Colorado which has turned into a trip to a wedding which has turned into a bit more madness than I was probably prepared for, but all in all, I am sure it will be a great week with Mimi and Devin. I am back after that for about a day - enough time to do laundry and then load the car for drive up to Northern Virginia for another wedding! Two weeks, two weddings - whew. My hope in Colorado is that the altitude doesn't prevent me from getting in at least one great hike - I am hoping we have time built in for this. I also want to spend some time in the kitchen with Mimi - no telling what gourmet treasures we will invent or reinvent - but one thing for sure - it will be fun and it will be more than edible!

Virginia promises some visits with old friends and some favorite restaurants left behind. There is also a fair bit of awesome shopping within walking distance of the hotel so that has some promise. Hope too to get some time to spend in DC weather permitting - and a trek through the Shenandoah Mountains. This may be too much to two weeks but I undoubtedly end up wiht lots of good pictures and a few stories to share upon my return. I don't think I am going to try to take my computer with me to Colorado because it sounds like we will be in the car a lot, but I will take good notes so I can recreate my travels when I get home.

Safe travels to all of you as well!

Denim Blues

Why do jean companies insist on putting lycra and/or spandex in their jeans? I can't find any 100% cotton jeans except in the mens department which is good because they are cheaper, but they look decidedly un-feminine - not I suppose, that any jeans look feminine, but sheesh! Oh and do they all also have to be super low waisted on top of that? The pants keep getting lower but shirts aren't getting any longer so my choice is mens jeans or women's jeans with stretch and my belly showing because my shirt isn't long enough to cover - grrrr.

OK - I am off to one more place to see if I can find something suitable. Wish me luck.

A day at the beach

A day at the beach
Originally uploaded by lyricalmezzo

Spent today avoiding productivity. I did pretty well - went to the beach, started a new book and bought some terrific fresh shrimp on the way home.

It was a nice day and It brought to mind this stanza - albiet about 3 months too late, but hey, I've been busy - from Swinburne's poem Chorus from 'Atalanta'

"For winter's rains and ruins are over,
And all the season of snows and sins;
The days dividing lover and lover,
The light that loses, the night that wins;
And time remember'd is grief forgotten,
And frosts are slain and flowers begotten,
And in green underwood and cover
Blossom by blossom the spring begins."

With the soaking rains we have of late this seemed to echo in my ears today.

Summer Vacation

Well, June is here and I finally have some time off. So far its been pretty great. I started the day with coffee and some french toast.




I went for a run on the beach and then relaxed in my chair reading and soaking in the breeze and the sun. I came home and organized files and fun stuff like that which have been sorely neglected. Afterwards I cut the front yard because it is supposed to rain tomorrow and then I came in and I ate a huge salad with all fresh veggies, fresh blueberries and feta. Finally I am relaxing with a margarita with fresh strawberries!




I love vacation - it is really just too bad that the pay stinks!

Gardenia from the yard

Gardenia from the yard


The rain is good for something I guess. Yes, it has been raining for about 9 days now and except for the beautiful flowers and the abundance of herbs, I am pretty much over the rain. This is a gardenia from the yard - if it weren't raining I would be sitting on the back steps taking in the sweet, sweet smell of these flowers!

The rain has not dampened the love fest in the back yard with the birds, in addition to the cardinals, I caught some thrashers in the same pose, just missed them with the camera.

Chocolate Happiness

A little over a month ago I got a message from a recently reacquainted high school friend currently living and performing in Berlin. She asked what kind of chocolate I like. Of course I said dark chocolate. Well - a couple of days ago the package from Germany arrived and inside were gradually darker chocolate bars ranging from 50% all the way up to 99% and a special dark chocolate and chili bar I am saving.



Last night after a dinner I had red wine left and these chocolate bars so I did a tasting, starting with the 50% and working all the way up to the 99%. I have to say my favorite was the Cote d'Or 86%...it is hard to describe the different flavors, they of course get a bit more bitter, but really the only truly bitter one for my taste was the 99% which was not only bitter, but make me salivate and sort of made my gums feel like they were tingling. Also it does dye one's mouth.



I am looking forward to enjoying each of these and I will save the chili one until it can be put to good use, I always follow good advice. :)

May is a mixed bag so far

Good:
May arrived with good weather and a nice weekend with a visit from a good friend. We hung out cooked some dinner and then I made her run a 5K with me – we didn’t set any land speed records, but we finished and had a good time.




Bad:
I then caught some sort of plague from one of my many students. It is still hanging on despite cough medicine with codeine and a course of antibiotics.

Good:
I completed another year at Georgia Southern and my students sang very well at their juries. It was a tough year trying to juggle two schools and private students and I am not sure they didn’t all get shorted in some way. I will try to do better next year and not over extend myself.

Bad:
This could mean that I have to nix the private students.

Also Bad:
I have three weeks left at SCAD including finals and make-up lessons for the time I was out sick with the plague.

Better:
Felt well enough to have dinner with friends last night. It was an early evening, but I made the squash cakes I have become so fond of and they were, again, a bit hit.

Good:
It is another beautiful sunny Sunday. It is Mother’s day and I remembered to get Mom a gift. I have nothing big to accomplish today other than getting prepped for school tomorrow and another long week lay ahead.

I wonder what the rest of the month will bring?