Truth

We begin our journey today to Aotearoa. This is a Maori name, others call it New Zealand and some even say Middle-Earth. We won't be blogging again for three weeks. We'll post some highlights of our trip when we return. We will not deluge you with pictures as we are planning to be as present as possible in every moment and will probably not take many pictures, just the one in our hearts.


I wanted to leave you with a book recommendation. I am a very avid reader but don't usually share what I'm reading on a large scale. However, I think every citizen of this country should read this book by John Perkins. It comes with my very highest recommendation. It puts the evening news in a completely different light and provides a clear understanding of our current world's situation. It was a true epiphany for me as I felt I was finally hearing the truth about all the history classes I have ever taken. I hope it does the same for you. See you in three weeks!

10 years!

I can hardly believe it. Just one month shy of her 10th birthday, my little black Honda reached a milestone: 150,000 miles! And amazingly, all but five miles of that was under my ownership. I was fortunate enough to be at the Honda dealership the day after a delivery and I snagged my beautiful, sporty, 5-speed brand new automobile. She's been super dependable and definitely road-worthy. We've burned up the miles from Missoula to Portland and Seattle on a regular basis over the last eight years. I intend to get another 150,000 out of her and continue loving every one of them.

River Time

I've been biking home lately trying to get ready for New Zealand. It's about 11 miles and usually provides a good warmup prior to taking Tiika out. Today, however, there was a strong headwind and I was pretty tired by the time I came home. It was time to hit the river!This is the Blackfoot River and as you can see, it's running high and fast due to spring runoff. A little too high and fast for me.
On the other hand, it doesn't faze our Tiika girl. I threw a stick and she launched herself off the bank. Here she is in her seeking position.
Success! In spite of being out in the middle of a strong current, she casually turns and swims towards shore. I envy her oneness with the river and her supreme confidence in her own self. Not making it to shore is just not part of her vision, so, of course, she arrives safe and sound.And she's ready to go again. This scenario was repeated many times until finally it was time to head home and make dinner.

Happy Mother's Day

Yesterday, for Mother's Day, Tiika and I took Jenn out for a Thai coffee. Of course this was after getting her a new outfit! I thought she might wear it on the plane, but she decided to show it off. She looks GREAT! After coffee, we went out for breakfast. The deciding factor for both places was that they had outside seating and allowed dogs.
This was an Irish variation of Eggs Benedict using sausage instead of ham and Irish soda bread underneath. Hmmmm, good! Notice the paws at the bottom of the picture, just in case anything was spilled. The Irish coffee was just the right finishing touch.

Jenn, Tiika and I wish all mothers out there a very "HAPPY MOTHER"S DAY!"

Imagine....

A good friend of ours, Teri, shared this YouTube clip with us. On March 23rd at 8:00AM, passengers using the Central Rail Station in Antwerp, Belgium were given a real treat. I love the faces of the people watching the performance. This song is not even in their native language and is still able to transform them. Perfect strangers were all bound up in the sheer joy of the music and the air was filled with love. It reminded me of the scene in Ferris Bueller's Day Off when he starts singing Twist and Shout. Two songs come to mind - Louis Armstrong's "What A Wonderful World" and Isreal Kamakawiwo'ole's "Somewhere Over the Rainbow/What A Wonderful World". This the world I imagine. I imagine Afghanistan singing and dancing. I imagine Iraq singing and dancing. I imagine people all over our planet coming together in song and dance and laughing. I imagine....

Spring continues to burst forth

Today was a great day to be out and about in the woods. Yesterday's hike showed me exactly where I wanted to go today! I am amazed and the difference one day makes in the spring. On the same trail where only 24 hours prior I had seen one wild bloom there were now probably a dozen of them. Mother Nature is nothing if not prolific.

I saw Rob's favorite, the Indian Paintbrush...















my favorite, the Shooting Star...















that most hearty of yellow flowers, the Balsam Root...







and even a lupine beginning to show itself...















What an exhibition of color! I love spring wild flowers.

(Oh and yes, and this was also a training ride to get my bottom ready for a few days of cycling in New Zealand.)

More Training For New Zealand

Today, as part of our ongoing training for New Zealand, we went to Maggotfest. You might ask, What is a Maggotfest? It is a Rugby Tournament with our very own Missoula Maggots hosting the teams. Click on their name to understand why they are called the Maggots. It is also the national sport of New Zealand where their team, the All Blacks, are world champions. They start each game with a very intimidating Maori war dance and then procede to demolish the competition. Unfortunately, we left the camera in the car and did not take any pictures. We did learn enough, however, to be able to sit in a pub and ask some pertinent questions.Speaking of pubs, we went to the Garden City Brewfest after the game to practice drinking beer and asking questions. Here are my two favorite girls getting ready to drink a cold one. Tiika thinks local microbrews smell the best! We met our good friends Tim and Sue there. Tiika seems to think Tim is going to share his beer. NOT! I've known him for thirty-five years and he ALWAYS finishes his own beer. One of our favorite bands, Reverend Slanky, was playing. Click on their name to hear some of their music. They have a great funk style and there were lots of people out on the grass dancing. I'm starting to like this cultural training. :-)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MIKE!

One other important meaning for May Day is that it is Mike's birthday! We hope he is sitting somewhere in Seattle in the same pose as when we took this picture in Missoula. Jenn, Tiika and I just wanted to say "Happy Birthday!"
Question: Who does he remind you of?
Hint: Look at his hand (and you have to be a Tolkien-freak)
Answer: Frodo Baggins!

Beltane (May Day)

To the ancient Celts, today is the first day of Summer. They rightly called June 21 Midsummer. It was a time for celebration as the earth softened under the longer hours of sunlight. Celtic days were measured from sunset to sunset, so the celebrations actually started on Beltane Eve (this is also the reason for Shakespeare's "A Midsummer Night's Eve"). People would gather from across the land, bringing flowers and food. Every fire in every household would be extinguished. Two great bonfires would then be started with the wood from nine kinds of trees. Throughout the night, there would be music and song and people dancing. Leaping over the fire was considered to bring good luck to your crops as the height of your leap would equal the height of your harvest. In the morning, as the fires died down, each family would carry some embers back to their own hearth to start a fire. The people would walk from house to house led by the May Queen and her consort, The Green Man (the old god of wildwood). They were in a cart covered with flowers sitting in a leafy arbor. Their unity represented the sacred marriage of earth and sun. A Maypole would be erected in the village commmons and the celebration would continue throughout the day.

Springtime in the Rockies

Today was, well, let the immortal words of Winnie the Pooh suffice; "Today was a blustery day!" Jenn decided to stay home today as she's been working long hours (and I see she has a post up!) and take a well deserved quiet day. Tiika and I headed up into the hills for a spring snow hike. It's been sunny and warm here so the wintry blast was a welcome change.Tiika is saying "Enough with the pictures! I thought we came out here to commune with Nature". Right she is and I put the camera away and we took off for some serious hiking (tramping as they say in Kiwi land!). As you can see by the untrampled snow on the trail, in spite of it being afternoon, no one has been up here.As we reached the lower elevations, I spied one of our beautiful Glacier Lilys sitting in the snow. I couldn't resist the picture as this is a classic description of "Springtime in the Rockies". In reference to an earlier entry, Old Man Winter is truly gone. Our dear Lady of the Spring is a bit of an Ice Maiden when she first arrives and can't resist a few cold, frosty ones!

ArtFest lovely

I thought I better put in an appearance so the rumors don't get too out of hand about blogville these days. Actually, I've really enjoyed having Rob posting here. It's fun to read what he writes about our lives. We are both getting so jazzed about this trip to New Zealand (swine flu outbreaks excepted!). Take off is just over two weeks away! How did that happen? Time always flies when I'm busy.

Another example of flying time is how long it's been since ArtFest. I've been so busy planning for this trip and working extra hours so I have enough vacation time that I can hardly believe it's only been three weeks since I got home from that adventure.

I finally got a good picture of the present I bought myself at vendor night. Isn't it great? The swirlies at the top are what sold me though the bird drew me in to start.

I bought it from Melissa Manley who my group actually met the first year we went to ArtFest. She and her partner, Robert, stayed in the same house as us. I always make sure to check out her goodies at vendor night. (Last year I purchased some pretty earrings from her.) When I saw this birdy necklace, I knew I wanted it. The only issue I had was it seemed too long. Melissa graciously obliged my request to shorten it (and put on a slightly more hardy clasp since I am prone to break them). Unfortunately that meant I had to wait for her to make the changes and mail it to me afterwards. There was no instant gratification but it certainly brightened my day when the package arrived in the mail!

Ok, one more ArtFest photo because it brings back the memory of a lovely day spent with my art buddies, Joanne and Sue. Sue has also been my roomie the last two years and she took this "action" shot of me and Joanne.

"Active" Rest Day

Today was our rest day and we decided to head out and play Frisbee. Tiika used to like catching a Frisbee but is now only interested in a ball or a stick and definitely in that order. I'm not sure she even notices the Frisbee in Jenn's hand, so focused is her gaze on the ball. We made it out in between storms and had a nice barbeque of chicken and lamb when we returned home.

Only Three Weeks To Get Ready! Yikes!!

With our departure for New Zealand only three weeks away, we're ramping up our training rides. Today we rode up Pattee Canyon, an area southeast of Missoula where we were able to get some good climbs in. As you can see, Jenn is pumped!












Tiika is all excited, too! Of course she doesn't know yet that she isn't making the trip with us. She'll be staying up on the Flathead Indian Nation at Mountain View Kennels where she'll have a great time with Lora Hughes, the owner. We came off the mountain tired, but glad we beat the storm. We have snow predicted for tonight!

HAPPY EARTH DAY!

In honor of Earth Day, I'm putting up a collection of some of our personal favorite places in this area of our dear planet that we call home. Click on any photo to see the details.









































In Praise of the Earth (For Earth Day)
Let us bless
The imagination of the Earth.
That knew early the patience
To harness the mind of time,
Waited for the seas to warm,
Ready to welcome the emergence
Of things dreaming of voyaging
Among the stillness of land.

And how light knew to nurse
The growth until the face of the Earth
Brightened beneath a vision of color.

When the ages of ice came
And sealed the Earth inside
An endless coma of cold,
The heart of the Earth held hope,
Storing fragments of memory,
Ready for the return of the sun.

Let us thank the Earth
That offers ground for home
And holds our feet firm
To walk in space open
To infinite galaxies.

Let us salute the silence
And certainty of mountains:
Their sublime stillness,
Their dream-filled hearts.

The wonder of a garden
Trusting the first warmth of spring
Until its black infinity of cells
Becomes charged with dream;
Then the silent, slow nurture
Of the seed's self, coaxing it
To trust the act of death.

The humility of the Earth
That transfigures all
That has fallen
Of outlived growth.

The kindness of the Earth,
Opening to receive
Our worn forms
Into the final stillness.

Let us ask forgiveness of the Earth
For all our sins against her:
For our violence and poisonings
Of her beauty.

Let us remember within us
The ancient clay,
Holding the memory of seasons,
The passion of the wind,
The fluency of water,
The warmth of fire,
The quiver-touch of the sun
And shadowed sureness of the moon.

That we may awaken,
To live to the full
The dream of the Earth
Who chose us to emerge
And incarnate its hidden night
In mind, spirit, and light.

John O'Donohue,
(from To Bless the Space Between Us)

May the blessings of Gaia be with all of you
Happy Earth Day!
Love,
Rob, Jenn & Tiika

Winter finally says "Farewell, till I return"

While there are many indicators of the return of spring, the first flower means it's truly time to say good bye to Old Man Winter. Usually, it's our brave little buttercup poking it's head out to say hi. Even if it means pushing aside a pine cone! Soon our meadows will be bloomimg with Indian Paintbrush, Lupine, etc.

The Training Continues...

We went for a nice ride on Sunday. Jenn & Tiika were all excited and chose the road less traveled. That bridge actually held for us in spite of its rickety appearance and we rode till we found a nice place by the river. We stopped and rested our weary bones.















There are several ways to "rest". Some choose a swim and a good stick while others are content with a cold one. We had a big hill to climb on the way back so calories don't count! We read, ate some jerky and nuts, lounged around and generally just enjoyed being there. Finally, the sun was fading into the western sky and it was time to go home. We mounted up and hit the trail and, yes, the bridge held again!