Home Again

The kids and i just returned from an almost two week vacation at the beach in Maine. We lucked out and had great weather most of the time, so we all have savage tans - even with the SPF 30 slathered on every day.

We've been going to the same beach for all our lives - my great grandmother used to live there - so many generations. Luckily, the beach changes very slowly. It's about 3 miles long and only residential and a couple of bed and breakfasts and one "corner store". The water was unseasonably warm - sometimes up to 78! I went in several times and played and rode waves one day. Most of the time, though, i walked the beach - combing for specific shells and sand dollars.

On Summer Solstice, we went on a whale watch. Cool! I will download my pictures soon - and hopefully one will come out. After about two hours out to sea, we saw Minke, Finback and Humpback whales. The finback were large and i caught a couple of pictures of the fin. We saw one, then another. We went a little further in another direction and all of the sudden we were in whale city! Minkes on one side, 2 finbacks in our wake, and a couple more up front and then a couple of humpbacks. Very cool. We got to see the humpback tails flip up before they dove deep...but unfortunately, i took the picture of the shy one that didn't do the tail flip before diving. Later that evening, i took my new native flute out to the beach by the ocean and played for awhile as the sun set. The sky was one of the most beautiful i had ever seen - with layers of colors, pink, blues, and purples.

The flight home was a bit dicey, as we were traveling for over 12 hours...Because of bad weather in DC. We sat on the tarmac there for over 2 1/2 hours - and i was so pleased that the boys were so well behaved - and relatively no complaining!

Now, it's back in Atlanta - and we're looking forward to a nice, long weekend with free concerts and fireworks on Tuesday.

Mountains, Rocks & Indian Mounds

I had a busy day yesterday....
I took a "me" day and went on a big excursion.
First stop was the gas station to fill 'er up. Then, up I75 to Cartersville to the Weinman Mineral Museum, where there were having their annual Rock Fest. Now, when I told my kids i was going to the Rock Show, they thought i was going to hear some rock bands. Not so. Some of these rocks have bands, and the rock show was, as they would say, "tight".

It was so crowded inside the museum, i made a point to decide to come back another time for a deeper look. It was very nicely airconditioned, and outside was well, sweltering. I got a bit fried, as I didn't think to put on sunscreen before I left the house.

I met some friends there, and we had a really nice time - showing each other our finds, sharing information, and generally shopping for specimens. One of my friends found a wonderful carved dragon. Another friend found a fabulous rock at about 1/3 of the others, since it was "slightly damaged in shipping". We couldn't tell the difference! I found a beautiful piece of amethyst, with some calcite growing along inside it. I call the calcite angels when i see them in amethyst.

Although the boys weren't there - i wanted to get them gifts. For Max, we did a collectors box of history - some pieces are over 50 million years old! Shark's teeth, braciopods, all kinds of interesting pieces of things. Sam got a great piece of light amethyst crystals with two sea dragons inserted.

Then, wanted to stay up in the area some more, I took a little side trip by myself to the Etowah Indian mounds. They were having a special function there, and I was able to stay longer than usual. It was very interesting. I was able to climb the three largest mounds. They surmise that the largest two mounds were for ceremonial purposes, and the third mound was a burial mound.

Cartersville itself was quite picturesque, but not like the view from Darryl's place. Wow. After the Indian Mounds, my friend Darryl took me up to his place in the mountains. And we went up. I was afraid my little honda wouldn't make it - but it did in 2nd gear. His place is nestled on a ridge on a very steep part of the mountain. Out on the deck, and from part of the house, we could see so far. And deep, too, into the mountainside. Looking at those hills covered in trees was so beautiful. A piece of paradise.

Driving home, the full moon was a fabulous orb against the mountains. It was a magical day.

On My Own

Well, the boys are with their dad for the next ten days...and i get to stay home w/the dog, go to work, and generally take care of the house and myself for a few days. Whew.

So far, i've spend some time cleaning up the ever-expanding mess in the backyard, and the entropic mess in the house. Well, I really don't mind that, either.

The time may be arriving where i am going to have to find a more full-time job, too. So, doing manual labor helps me clear my head and get me grounded.

The next days are filled with wonderful things. Today is Max's final game - the MVP game. So i'll be there to route him on. After that, there's a free concert w/my friend Miera and whomever else decides to come. Tomorrow, my good friend Shoshi is getting married, so i will have to clean up and go celebrate!

Weddings are a wonderful thing (usually). There's a special energy that surrounds them. It's the first time for Shoshi, and she's my age. I'm so happy for her!

Have a wonderful weekend~