Black Light Special

As we stood in line waiting for our turn on the Rockin' Rollercoaster, we heard the announcement, "This ride DOES go upside down." M's head whipped around toward me and her eyes were HUGE! I had just told her that I didn't think it went upside down - at least I didn't remember that it did. It was the one thing that would have prevented her from going. She did NOT want to go upside down!

I couldn't help but laugh and asked what she wanted to do. She was torn. The event had been built so high in her mind that she didn't want to NOT go. And she kept commenting about how her brother would be proud of her if she rode it.

And so we rode ... 3 times!

Screams and laughter were part every round. She was positively glowing (and not just from the black lights in the ride)! I'm glad my memory failed me. It helped Miss M become a coaster lover! Now THAT'S special.

The Stairs And I

I don't know why I didn't think about this before I acted on my desire to see a castle ... they don't have non-scary steps!  So in addition to my big accomplishments of walking and hiking all over creation and not dying, I also climbed TWO sets of these (there are two separate towers people can climb)!

The first one (above) took me a few times of starting/stopping/readjusting bags before I actually did it.  I held my breath, then told myself to breathe, and then would force myself to slowly breathe as I put each foot on a disappearing, skinny step.  There's only room for one on these!  Ignore the butterflies.  Think about things other than falling.  And voila!  Suddenly, you're on top!  There's only one downfall after the beautiful vistas ... you have to go back down.

But as you can see, I didn't die.  In fact, I'm uploading lots of photos to Flickr right now for others to enjoy!  I won't have time to upload them all right away (it's almost midnight here - and I have limited internet), but when they're done, you can find them here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/indigobleue/sets/72157627716733407/ 

Flowers to Flowers and Dust to Dusk

This is how my day started (in Lewes) and ended (in London) ... with a whole bunch of things in between!

Really, I wanted to write a poem, but can't seem to get the gears started.  I keep thinking about a phrase Imogen Heap used when talking about the song she is working on in conjunction with the garden project:

The piece I want to write is from the voice of the Walled Garden itself. A spoken word piece or perhaps a kind of collective voice for neglected spaces and abandoned man made structures. Being in the garden, I hear it almost sigh in relief with the news of this fresh enthusiasm. As if it's been calling out to anyone who might catch it from dust, to fall in love with it again. As those of you involved breathe a new life into the garden, community and beyond, it becomes clearer to me what it's been missing all these years and between spurts of getting my hands dirty, I'll be penning these thoughts.

And truly, the "dust" moment with the gravestone pictured above was part of a much bigger moment that I need to share ... but I'll need to revisit it and get more coherent thoughts on it.

White Cliffs to Brown Rooftops

Just have to share before I go to bed ... the sprawling view I had yesterday was from that white spot in the circle.  I am proud to say I have walked every distance in England other than trains and the cabs from the hotel to the garden.  And today? I'm extra proud as it involved my luggage from that circle area (literally down below the cliffs) coming all the way to my little nook in the sky.

White Cliffs of Lewes

Partway up the hike to the top of the white cliffs ... AWESOME view. Once we got up there, it was pastureland as far as we could see. I couldn't even see the river or road from where we were. Just green, green, green rolling hills (and cows ... and sheep)!  There's a little tiny dot of a castle over in the right hand side of the picture (ok where it would be if I could see it). That's where I'll be staying near for my last night in Lewes before returning for the launch party with Imogen Heap and Clear Village on Saturday.

Lingering lunches.
Random wafts of conversation.
Streams of light in an English tea room.
Fresh air and motorists.
These little moments may seem pedestrian but that's the beauty of it to me.
Today I will discover a bit more of what it is like to simply "be" in Gidea Park (Romford).

I wish you were here.
There's a low rumble of the organ;
The hum of tourists off in the distance.
Here, I am nestled in a corner of the prayer chapel at St. Paul's Cathedral ...
Feeling the cold stone pillar on one side
And warm wood to the other,
I'm cushioned in a respectful silence.
It is peaceful here.

Juliette Low Birthplace

DSC01983, a photo by IndigoBleuePhoto on Flickr.

Miss M's troop had their first "BIG" trip ... to Savannah, GA to see the birthplace of the founder of Girl Scouts: Juliette Gordon Low (aka "Daisy").

Juliette Gordon Low Birthplace

Miss M's Girl Scout troop bridged at a very special place today ... the Juliette Gordon Low Birthplace in Savannah, GA. For those of you not in the Girl Scout realm, Juliette Low is the founder of Girl Scouting. So, we did a quick bridging ceremony in the garden and they "flew up" from Girl Scout Juniors to Girl Scout Cadettes!

Rats in the Subway at Times Square

It's good to know they treated for rats over 8 years ago.

City Girl vs. Prairie Girl

Now this is not something the prairie has to offer!  The view was absolutely breathtaking when I went to the rooftop terrace of my tiny Manhattan hotel.  Like so many of my favorite moments, I had the wind in my hair, a sky full of color, and a quiet moment taking in an expansive view. 

I used to think I was a pretty good combo of both city and prairie.  Maybe I still am ... but I know I am drawn to the vistas and horizons wherever I am and when I'm in a big city, it never feels like home.  If I imagine myself living there, it's imagining myself in another phase of life.  And this moment, as appreciated as it was, seemed like something that might grow old eventually.  I never thought I'd say that - but maybe I think about things a little bit more when I'm alone, or maybe I realize how alone I am and people seem overwhelming, or maybe I'm just not as connected to the citified hopes and dreams I once held, or maybe I'm too tired for the city ... at least right now. 

Magical, Magical Morning

Now that the big conference is over, the hotel is history and the big city lights seem a million miles away (though, they're probably only like 10). I will take this morning view over the impressive skyscrapers any day! Yes, this was my morning. I was up before sunrise. Me (the night owl) was clothed, camera'd, and on the beach BEFORE sunrise! Then again, how hard is that when you're in Hawaii and only have to walk off of the porch to see something like this?

I know. I am so very spoiled. And this was only the beginning! Experience #2 was snorkeling. It took me a while to not hyperventilate or panic ... and it was so completely worth it! All those tropical fish I have only seen in giant tanks became my friends (along with a - be still my beating heart - sea turtle). WOW just doesn't say WOW enough. The slow-motion, dream-like underworld was absolutely amazing. I think I swam for 3 hours!

Sadly, I have no underwater camera gear, but I may not have ever left if I was shooting pictures! So while the rain pours, I am replaying those special moments ... especially the sea turtle greeting. I would have been a little squeamish about touching any of them in a setting more natural to humans, but the mesmerising effect of those reefs is amazing. I could have touched them all (but you're not supposed to), and if one had touched me, I wouldn't have flinched. Instead, I would have fallen in love!

And one more no-photo moment is still vivid ... the moonrise last night. It was stunning (I didn't know there was such a thing) and I would have taken photos except that I was bobbing in the sea happily riding the waves watching the mountain mist and ocean curls.

At the moment, I am sitting under an awning watching a sudden rain. WOW! It isn't windy but somehow it is REALLY wet everywhere!

Just call me Jill ... It's a long story.

It was Jill that "came tumbling after" in the nursery rhyme ... and I can now relate! My latest of adventures involves a canyon, a fall, and new experiences in wheelchairs. Why? Well, even though I have always had a love for nature, a renewed interest in getting out of my comfort zone to experience it has motivated me to HIKE! (I talk about a little bit in my "I'm A Girl Scout!" blog.)

But for the personal side of the story ... and so I don't have to tell the story over and over ... here's what happened, and a few pictures to share the moments with you.

It started in Italy this spring. During a stay in the Cinque Terre area where there is a lot of hiking, a very long impromptu hike from a sanctuary down to the village of Riomaggiore had me wishing I were more hiking-equipped! Inspired by seeing other hikers with what I thought were ski poles, and later educated by my Girl Scout sisters about the value of trekking poles ... I bought some for my own birthday.

Colorado was my first opportunity to try out more prepared hiking ... no Birkenstocks, now multi-terrain hiking shoes. Add my fancy, shiny telescoping trekking poles and unmarred water bottle to my camera bag and I am SET! Mountain vistas as well as altitude left me breathless in every way!

Nevada is the next stop, and I've got Red Rock Canyon, Mount Charleston, and Death Valley on my list. After visiting the Red Rock Conservation Area outside of Las Vegas one evening when I have a few extra hours, I came home with photos like this:

Red Rock Canyon

My first free day, I decide that a proper backpack will help carry cameras and a babushka will help keep my head from getting sunburned. And I set out for Mount Charleston all by myself while everyone else is busy with a conference. Sadly, my GPS leads me to a national park area that is not actually Mount Charleston ... so with the little time I have left, I decide to revisit the nearby Red Rock Canyon.



After enjoying my secret place, I attempted to climb down ... and ended up slipping into a slidey-flip that broke in my new backpack quite nicely! As I was lying there, I had visions of being airlifted ... NOT an enjoyable thought. I remembered how I had a short window of time when I broke my elbow that I could still move. So, just in case I broke something in my foot, I figured I better get moving AND FAST!

Hoping that I had only sprained my foot, I got back up and winced back to the slope so I could retrieve my trekking poles and camera nestled on a ledge. Thanks to plenty of adrenaline, my "canes" and determination to NOT be airlifted, I was able to slowly hike back up to the observation area and get in my car.

The 13 mile loop at low speeds turned out to be a godsend. I practiced braking with my left foot until I was confident I could avoid whiplash by concentrating really hard. Before tackling the highway, I stopped to see if I could put weight on my foot - it had been balloning quite a bit as I drove. NOPE! OK - I was beginning to think that I may have broken it now. I decided I better get medical attention instead of just returning to the hotel.

My GPS was helpful ... somewhat! The first two places no longer existed, and the third was private and couldn't take my insurance (or even help me inside - though they did bring a wheelchair to the car). Finally at the local ER, I sat there for hours in another wheelchair. I should have mentioned chest pains ... everyone who did - even though they were talking, smiling, not even acting as if they were in pain - went in before me.

Lamaze actually helped somewhat! It was the only thing I could think of to try and stay calm in the midst of the pain. By the time a bed opened up and they brought me back for x-rays, my memory starts to fade ... I remember the x-rays and WOW did it hurt. I also remember holding tight to the railings, shaking and shivering, desperately trying to keep my teeth from clattering.

I also remember my "Special K" finally able to join me. Originally, I had hoped to be bound up and on my way in time to still make the Blue Man Group event. I had visions of the day in junior high that I slipped and hurt my ankle while getting ready for a family trip. By the time we were to Hutchinson, I was IN PAIN and my ankle was big. We stopped at the ER there and found I had broken it ... so they splinted me and gave me crutches and pain pills, and we headed on to our first big event: The Oak Ridge Boys!

Anyway, he gave away our Blue Man Group tickets and was more of a doctor to me than anyone had been yet! He got my leg iced and raised up, asked questions of the medical staff and by the time we left, he was my wheelchair chauffeur.

A friend who was speaking at the conference kept me company the next day, which was very special to me. And we even went out for supper, wheelchair and all. I don't know if that was wise for me yet ... but amazingly when news of my situation spread, we were issued new Blue Man Group tickets ... and yes, I wanted to go!

All in all, I was amazed by how different the world was from a wheelchair. I now know what it is like to be short. And I now realize that our "handicapped accessible" world is just a small step toward true accessibility. In fact, I would like to have whoever approved airport bathrooms actually try to navigate them in a wheelchair! They may change a few things.

I came home to more tests, crutches, a fancy brace, and a bedside nurse named Little Miss M. My norwegian bones did a magnificent job of holding their own. So a severe sprain with a good bit of internal bleeding is "all" I walked away with. I am graduating from two cructhes to one this weekend ... and in a few more weeks, I should be able to wear all my shoes again.

Sunset in St. Louis

Always stunning ... I was surprised by the way it would shine when kissed by the setting sun. I was also surprised when I was going through photos and noticed when I zoomed in on the photo below, I could actually see their faces!

Golfers, and Family, and Caves ... OH MY!

We FINALLY made it to Branson ... and I'll spare you the details, but it was a feat! Time with family was short but very sweet. There were spouses and children to meet. Even my own little Miss M was a newcomer to almost all of them! I think it had been at least 10 years since we had seen most everyone, which is AMAZING. It's hard to believe it has been that long. I wish we could have had more time to spend with everyone. Unfortunately, life is too demanding at present. So I count the time as very, very precious. Every single person was a delight! Click on the album below for the highlights.

Dietz Family in Branson

Accidental Detours

This isn't the toll road! After being delayed by illness and the domino effect of the day, my tired brain missed the turnpike and we found ourselves winding around crazy roads to find our way back. But I have to admit it was on the wonderful side of accidental!
Sent via BlackBerry by AT&T

Bomb Threat in the Chicago Airport

It's always interesting when I find myself in situations like this where I am not allowed to be somewhere, but I can still snoop with my camera! Originally, I was looking for a quiet place to sit and hopefully take photos out the windows. I didn't know all this was going on and was on the other side of the phone booths. I got chased out!


Of course, I couldn't resist using my telephoto and watching things a little more close up. I could read the paperwork after I took a photo of it ... a bomb threat!

Winter Art in my Winter Windy City

This was something new ... art in ice! Today's art adventure involved ice sculpture, art in the ice rink (yes, we even skated), the art museum, an artsy lunch and dinner, and Wicked. That's what I call a wonderful Valentine's trip!

Minnesota Sunflower

The real deal ...

Cubs fans are a different breed ...

I just had to laugh ... wow they start young!