an infrequent repository of mostly new stuff
Hyacinths blooming in fresh snow
A few weeks ago we had snow on daffodil, crocus and hyacinth blooms. Yesterday it was almost 90 degrees. Abnormal is pretty normal here this time of year. I have photos taken several years ago of roses blooming in a snow storm. They don’t sleep well nights at the local vineyards and orchards until April is over and done with.
Dugout Canoes on the beach at Santa Catarina
The boats native to Lake Atitlan are the cayucos, a unique form of dugout canoe. You see these boats all over the lake, from dawn to dusk, though usually near shore where the fish are, as fishing is their primary use. Rows of them are pulled up on the beaches of every small village and town along the shore. Continue reading “Boats of Guatemala: Lake Atitlan Cayucos”
The Mayan crew, pounding the boat across Lake Atitlan, just ahead of a storm.
I’ve started on the toe rails, and hope to have progress to report soon, once I get it figured out.
In the meantime, here’s some boat related reporting from our trip to Guatemala. Coming from such a car-centric culture, the widespread use of boats for transportation there was fascinating; not only the extent of it, but the types and their construction, as well. Continue reading “Boats of Guatemala: Lake Atitlan Launches”
Lake Atitlan from Casa del Mundo, after a storm
We’re back.
A couple of times a decade we manage to take a nice trip somewhere. A few years ago it was the northern California coast. This time it was Guatemala, and what an amazing trip it was. A truly stunning landscape that left us literally speechless more than once. Continue reading “Home Port”
Sunshine starts a second snowfall
There are things you do in your 50’s that you thought you’d do in your 20’s.
This is a given.
What you remember is often what you wished for,
not what really happened.
Some things you declined to say when you could have will ring in your ears forever.
It’s better to say them all.
There will be more joy than you expected,
certainly more than you thought you deserved.
You will continue to have conversations with people you loved,
decades after they’re gone.
You will often cry unexpectedly –
not when things are sad, but when they are beautiful.
These are some things I’ve learned.
Snowy River
Fresh snow got home before we did on Christmas Day. After dinner with family in DC, we drove back south, headlong into waves of a big storm as it broke over the hills on the way north. The last hour of driving was spent tacking back and forth in the dark, looking for cleared roads. We’re getting used to this by now, and the novelty has definitely worn off.
Mirror Pond
Our house is surrounded by over 300 acres of woods and overgrown hay fields. The land was bought by a big-time developer just days before we moved in, but has laid fallow for almost 30 years. We’ve savored the quiet it provides, a buffer between us and the rest of the world, and it’s a haven for all sorts of wildlife. We frequently take walks there in the evening. Continue reading “Room With A View”