From Carpentaria, CA

What a fearful sight...one of my neighbors checked on his property in southern CA. His was OK.

Clearly, others were not so lucky, as you know.

New Zealand, early 2017

The Ballet of Bark

With our thoughts we create the world -- Buddha

Arrival in Portugal

Magnificent sunrise to greet us over the tip of Portugal 🇵🇹 AND THEN...

Summer Day in Bolinas -- 9/3/17

There are no road signs to Bolinas...if they are erected the locals help them disappear...

16 Russian Dancers Stand Absolutely Still, But When They Start To Move… WOW!

This is intriguing and soooo different...
http://www.viralmirror.com/beriozka-russian-dancers/

With our thoughts we create the world -- Buddha

Marblehead Light

Greetings!

Great to be back by the water again!

AND, especially to spend time with Joyce. Book Club met on beach the first night; the second evening we enjoyed a reading by the author of his somewhat-novel about life on the Mississippi as a captain. (He is also a great sailor.) Sea songs were sung between readings. Quite a change of pace from GGYC!

Enjoyed dinner at the Corinthian Yacht Club (reciprocity) with Joyce this evening followed by a home concert performed by her talented composer-singer partner, Stephen.

A bundle of creativity in this house -- his music plus her art that will be illustrated in next blog.

Off to 💤💤💤-land,

Laura/LJ

It was, Lyn!

Wish I had been there!!
What a thrill!

It was yesterday afternoon. Spectacular!!!!!👏🏻🎼

How exciting!! When is the performance ?

We found our space before standing in it...tingley time🙀

'17 travel hat on Broadway...😹

Where's Waldo?

Today 275 voices rehearsed for our "gig" at Carnegie Hall on Sunday.

Remarkable experience. Not practicing notes...step above, the dynamics and artistic refinements that really make it "sing."

Fun to return to familiar territory ...

B-17

As soon as we took off, we're allowed to poke all over the plane.  I wiggled to the pilot's cabin..

With our thoughts we create the world -- Buddha

Preparing for take-off...

...from Moffett Field in a B-17, WWII bomber.  It was noisy, but, oh, so much fun!

With our thoughts we create the world -- Buddha

Laura's Rambles...

...too us to a market in Wellington, NZ...

With our thoughts we create the world -- Buddha

DESTINATION TUBAC, AZ, Great Start!

Stop #1:  Gilroy to fill up.  So excited I put my charge card in wrong slot.  Good-humored cashier relieved my lost card-distress. 🙃

Some people REALLY like garlic 😜

Three-hour delay because of nasty accident.  Finally arrive in beautiful Barstow very late.  Sad burg...kinda run down.  Previously quite the railroad center.

Soothing sunset...

(The beauty and adventure will roll out tomorrow)


With our thoughts we create the world -- Buddha

A lovely few days...

Ryan and Oma have great

Treats

With Docent Jill Hauser, also hostess par excellence, at City Hall, touring within a 10,000-pipe organ; library (2); and Jill at The Moat, a 4-star tea lounge at the 'brary.

On the way HOME

After several days in Melbourne catching up with beautiful friends and seeing some most interesting areas, heading to Sydney for the big bird to CA.

Quite the trip in every dimension. Anxious to catch up with fellow travelers and "youse guys", my friends!

TTFN,

Laura/LJ

Air Bubble

(I may be smiling, but thinking, 'how do I get off this rock?')

Mt. Wellington -- icon in Hobart, TS

One minute you are in bright sun, turn around and the antennas have disappeared, and you are about to.

 😄

With our thoughts we create the world -- Buddha

Off to next and last stop, Melbourne

Good morning!

Flights and miles later --- my mind is swollen with the amazing beauty and complexities of our earth AND the natural tragedies that bulldoze humans to incredible lengths of endurance (Christchurch) and the man-induced massacres (Gallipoli) that rip apart souls and families.

The ultimate gift:  my fellow travelers and those met along the many paths.

Amen.

New Zealand spectacle 

Tasmanian wonderland

With our thoughts we create the world -- Buddha

Christchurch

Universal message -- pertinent, certainly, to this city

Antiquated box cars serve both as stand-alone buildings and additions to existing building while rehab continues...both inspiring and horrifying 

With our thoughts we create the world -- Buddha

Doubtful Sound

An hour ride on a cat to catch a bus in nowhere to take catch another boat to the Sound.

Waterbaby is in heaven 🙀!

Volcano Land

NZ is beautiful...we are mid-way down the island where volcano/hot springs/geyser are ubiquitous and the smell of sulphuric whiffs occasionally fill the air.

Visiting Precious Kimi

Greetings from Portland,

Kimi (one of Bruce's granddaughters and responsible for the birth of "Oma") has been in hospital for quite some time starting with the repair of gall bladder and resulting in other damage internally. It is four months and two surgeries later, including the birth of a healthy baby boy, and she is still in the hospital.

Because I would soon be off on Griswold's Travels, I made a quick decision to fly to Portland 'ere I departed again. Within about 36-hours I had obtained a plane ride on Good.to.Go.com, with the help of the Uber driver who located hospital housing, checked in and was knocking on her hospital door.

Ifeel so fortunate to be here -- it is a joy to be close. Kimi has been in abdominal pain that comes and goes and suffered from an inability to eat now for 16 days. She goes from drowsy to her quick-witted self in a nano-second, however. Then her color slowly fades and again she 💤💤💤💤💤's.

It has been a long, difficult four-month drama. Kimi does NOT whine at all. One of her most painful experiences continues to be her separation from her two-month boy child. It will be happy, happy day when she hears "you can go home!"

Thoughts of light and love are encouraged for this precious lady,

Her adoring Oma, Laura

Visiting Precious Kimi

Greetings from Portland,

Kimi (one of Bruce's granddaughters and responsible for the birth of "Oma") has been in hospital for quite some time starting with the repair of gall bladder and resulting in other damage internally. It is four months and two surgeries later, including the birth of a healthy baby boy, and she is still in the hospital.

Because I would soon be off on Griswold's Travels, I made a quick decision to fly to Portland 'ere I departed again. Within about 36-hours I had obtained a plane ride on Good.to.Go.com, with the help of the Uber driver who located hospital housing, checked in and was knocking on her hospital door.

It is a joy to be here. Kimi has been in pain that comes and goes and suffered from an inability to eat now for 16 days. She goes from dr

Short quote from 1920!

"As democracy is perfected, the office of president represents more and more closely the inner soul of the people. On some great and glorious day, the plain folks of the land will reach their heart's desire at last, and the White House will be occupied by a downright fool and a complete narcissistic moron."
  --HL Mencken
      Baltimore Evening Sun, 1920

What's wrong with this picture?

It took much maneuvering to get the floating giant out of the harbor in Kauai, including this tugboat that turned in circles and for his last act moved backward to the bow of our ship...🚢

With our thoughts we create the world -- Buddha

Maui Beach

The lovely layers of light, color and texture were just beautiful!

With our thoughts we create the world -- Buddha

A Gathering of Giants – a story by Tony Wu on Maptia

Greetings!

I happened upon this site and am forwarding it because we saw these whales off the coast of the Big Island last week.  And we watched from afar, jaws dropped.

It is passionate and informative and quite stimulating.

Enjoy,

Laura/LJ

"A Gathering of Giants" https://maptia.com/tonywu/stories/a-gathering-of-giants a story by Tony Wu on @Maptia

With our thoughts we create the world -- Buddha

Idyllic Thursday Morning...

... view of mts from Sandra's LR...

Entering Aloha-land...

...for Pat's granddaughter's wedding on the beach of Hawaii.

Bare feet required!