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I’ve mentioned my upcoming trip to several people and I keep getting the same warning: don’t get gored by a buffalo
My response: I will certainly try not to.
Any other tips would be appreciated.
Can you guess?
Travel
Make hay while the sun shines
Oh my god…why do I keep answering these silly prompts? I can’t help myself. It’s like WordPress actually wants to get to know me or something, lol. To my WP/blogging friends who keep reading my answers, THANK YOU! I’m sure you have better things to do.
If you haven’t deduced this by now, I’m a privileged, white, married, American woman, living in a safe and secure home in Greater Boston. I like marijuana. We have a landline and an electric car. We get nearly all of the streaming channels. We subscribe to the NYT, the Washington Post, the Boston Globe and the Atlantic. We worked hard for what we have, but we were also raised with many advantages, including excellent public schools.
Knock on wood, my family and I are all safe and well at the moment. At this point, my biggest medical problem is a persistent ringing (tinnitus) in my right ear. I know this will not always be the case. Disease comes for all of us – eventually.
All this to say, I want to make hay while the sun shines, and seek “adventure” in my sixties. And by adventure, I mean travel. In the past two years, I took a helipcopter tour over the Grand Canyon and a hot air balloon in upstate New York. We also had dinner in the Eiffel Tower! I want to do more stuff like that–see new places and have new experiences.
Related:
10:30 – 6:30
Rough estimate, but I sleep from around 10:30 pm to around 6:30 am.
If I wake up and see a 4 or a 5 (or god forbid a 3) as the first number on my watch, I try to go back to sleep.
I’ve been known to Hurkle-Durkle until well past 8, but not that often.
A spectacular painting by Firelei Báez, now on display at ICA/Boston—I love how you don’t see the horses at first.
Mini vacation
Describe your most memorable vacation.
Sometimes a one-nighter in your own area can be fun. I haven’t spent much time in Boston since I left my job, so it’s good to be back in the city.
Happy Birthday to all Americans. We are 248 years old today. Long may we run. 🇺🇸
Art History 102
What’s your definition of romantic?
This prompt is giving me flashbacks to my college art history survey: the darkened auditorium, the slides of painting, sculpture, and architecture from the Renaissance to the 20th century, the occasional nap. I got a B in that class. Not bad.
The Romantic Period in art (late 18th century to mid 19th century) was characterized by “a focus on emotion, individualism, and the sublime. Artists of this period often emphasized intense feelings, dramatic compositions, and the beauty and power of nature.”
Based on that definition, I’m going to have to say that the Grand Canyon is the most Romantic place I’ve ever been.
Pretty darn sublime, right?
Reversibles
If you were forced to wear one outfit over and over again, what would it be?
I bought a reversible skirt at a boutique last summer and I wear it a lot. I love that one garment gives you two different looks. Also, the waist is completely adjustable (from size 2-12), so no need to toss it, if I lose or gain weight. It goes with all different color T-shirts and is made of a very comfortable cotton.
The skirt is 100% cotton, made in India. The boutique owner, Sally, is delightful. She named her boutique Apsara after the supernatural female beings in Hindu mythology. She was inspired by a visit to the Angkor Wat Hindu-Buddhist temple complex in Cambodia.
So anyway, I’d want my one and only outfit to be reversible!
If you’re ever in downtown Portsmouth, New Hampshire, check out Apsara at 130 Congress Street.
Bucket List
Speaking of buckets…way to go Boston Celtics! 🏀☘️ NBA championship #18.
I started a Bucket List (I’ve heard some say “Life List”) in the notepad app on my phone a couple years ago. I update it whenever the mood strikes. Sometimes a TV show, movie or book will shake up the order. For example, I read a book called “Independent People” by Haldór Laxness (a Nobel prize winner in literature) which resulted in Iceland getting booted from my list.
Here’s the latest version:
Grand Canyon ✅
Paris ✅
Finger Lakes & Hot Air Balloon ✅
Tanglewood
Yellowstone National Park
Ireland
NYC comedy club or SNL
Southern Italy (Naples; Amalfi Coast; Cinque Terra) and maybe Sicily
Sweden
Return to Paris in warmer weather and see the sites we missed
Argentina?
Return to SoCal – LA/San Diego; Santa Monica; Venice Beach; Yosemite; Joshua Tree?
Key West
Austin TX
Greece
Acadia National Park
My friend Julie (the eventual artist) made sure we visited the Watts Towers in South Los Angeles.
Westport
Describe one of your favorite moments.
We were lucky to have close friends with a beautiful beach house while my kids were growing up. It’s near the loveliest beach. The water gets really warm in August. One year, my daughter had a waterproof/underwater camera. Photos from that visit always make me happy.
Ocean, Sun, Joy, Love, Floating Happiness
Wordless Wednesday
Beyond the basics
What are the most important things needed to live a good life?
I think books, music and art make life worth living, once basic needs (food, shelter, safety) are met.
I got to go to an art show by a dear old friend from college last night. It is her first gallery show. In college, she was a double major in art history and religion. For decades, she’s worked as a museum educator and administrator.
She always had an artist’s eye and soul. We studied abroad in Italy at the same time and traveled together on our fall break. A fellow blogger’s post about the city of Bergamo (Italy) reminded me of that trip. We went to Bergamo, Parma, Verona, Venice, and Milan.
Her artwork involves deconstructing everyday packaging and reassembling in very cool ways.
50 Happens 