movies

I've seen two movies this month that I really liked. I did not mind paying six dollars to see either of them.

The Namesake How names are given, how they affect a life. It also shows another culture within ours. I really like that kind of movie.
The Painted Veil A lovely story in a different time and place.

WIND

The spring winds have been blowing and today feels more like fall than spring. I have kept up with my walking exercise even in the wind. Yes I'm bragging and it hasn't been easy. Yesterday and today the clouds were so white and fluffy and I thought of how Mother used to talk about the clouds being whiter and fluffier in Colorado. The good news is the air is being swept of some of the smog andwhatever else our autos put in it in this valley.

The weekend. After work tomorrow I'm off to Reno to a Dance Sensation. 48 hours of dancing, dance workshops and dance shows. West coast swing, lindy, charleston, blues dancing, salsa and hip hop. Snow is forecast for the mountains so I might get to use my chains this year after all. I have to go finish packing. Can't forget my Aleve.

Tuesday morning

I left for work at a slightly different time this morning. I was stopped at a stop light near the high school. About 25 teenagers slouched, reluctantly, across the street in front of me. I was struck by the diversity of skin colors. It seemed most races were represented in this small group. I also had time to notice the diverse body shapes: tall, short, thin, fat, lots of in between. However, their clothes were so similar as to mimic uniforms. Dark pants and dark sweatshirts many of them hooded. I silently wished them a safe day and drove on.

Cha Cha follow-up

I realized I did not write about how much fun I had with my students when I taught the ChaCha. I wasn't sure I knew how to teach dance so I asked my private teacher to give me a lesson plan. IT WORKED!

The class was divided, half enthusiastic and half reluctant in the beginning. I found that peer pressure is alive and well in adults as well as children. The enthusiasts pulled the reluctants into the lesson. Since it was a party day(We always have a party before vacation) we spent 45 minutes in our space and then were joined at the food tables by the other morning class. After the eating the two classes combined for another lesson. Soon there were 30 people trying out the Cha Cha. We laughed and danced. To finish the morning I put on latin music and we all danced the merangue in a long line dance.

When we returned to class yesterday someone asked when we would have another Cha Cha lesson.

April 7

Back form the coast. We hiked the Pomo canyon trail named after Dr. David Joseph. I don't know who he is but the trail is great. We started at Shell Beach in the fog. It was a little cold but halfway up the first hill we were shedding the first layer. We walked into sunshine with the fog behind us. We met two cowgirls on horseback who were on the trail to head off cattle they were moving up the hill. They had been hidden in the shrubs along the trail. We never saw the cattle.

There are redwood trees older than I can imagine. There are three places along the trail where the trees form what I feel are sacred places. There is the sound of water, sun filtering through the thick canopies high up toward the sky and the light is soft. One has no water sound and is so quiet you can hear your heart beat and your breath going in and out.

We met a group of about 40 kids hiking towards Shell beach. One of the adults said they had hiked 10 miles already--they were a little less than three miles from the beach when we met them.

We ate lunch at a picnic table near the campground, refilled water bottles and took advantage of the toilets. Then hiked back to the beach. About a mile from the end of the hike the fog rolled back in toward us and the wind picked up. Really glad to be at the end of the six mile hike.

We showered changed, went to dinner at a local restaurant, bought a pint of Ben and Jerrys (Dublin Mudslide) and returned to the house for a quiet evening in front of a gas fireplace with the wind outside and the sound of the waves of the ocean about a quarter of a mile away.

A great birthday.

Thursday

Tomorrow, April 6th, I will turn 66. I wonder what a 666 year will bring. Perhaps I should have planned a trip to Route 66. Instead I'm going to hike Pomo Canyon just North of Bodega Bay with two friends. Then we will sleep at the beach house of a friend and drive back on Saturday through Sonoma and Napa. I know this trail does not have any rocks to climb..no surprises in that area.

Today I am trying to do a weeks worth of sorting and cleaning. I'm not going to finish. However, I did get up early for a day off and walk to Borders for coffee. Then I walked back and did not even think about the order of things or try to make a list. Ipicked up the first stack of stuff and got rid of most of it in one way or another. I then attacked my office and it is so nice and clear and dust free I can sit and think. On the other side of that the hallway is barely passable because of the stuff that is going somewhere else--soon.

April 4, 1007

In the middle of my spring break. Yesterday and today I walked to Borders (It takes me about 25 minutes each way) Bought a Latte, a newspaper, read it and enjoyed the feeling of not having to be anywhere unless I really want to.

I moved into this apartment four months ago today. I am deciding what to put on the walls. Can't decide. Will have to call a friend in to help me. I have lots of choices because I have framed my own photography over the years. I see today that a few of them need to be reframed. Another project.

I did make a spring vegetable soup and it is good and will last me until next tuesday unless I freeze some of it.

I have completed three or four projects today by pretending I'm a stamp that has to stick to it until the job is done. I always think I will have more time than I do when I have a little time off from work. First the regular maintenance, you know cleaning, cooking, laundry, paying bills and so on and on. Then organizing the projects and finding everything I need. Then a trip to the store for womething, it's always something. Of course I take breaks for dance lessons and phone calls and reading blogs. And now writing on my blog.

OK My blogging time is up.