Travels

My hubby and I were talking about travels we have taken. I am amazed by all the places I have been in the last 14 years. I never dreamed I would have ever traveled out of the country. I remember growing up in a medium sized city in Illinois, listening to the song, "If you're going to San Franciso...". I couldn't imagine ever traveling that far. It seemed like everything was happening in the west and here I was stuck in the Midwest. Now I live near San Francisco and have traveled so many places. I remember the first time I flew over - that is FLEW OVER Japan. We could see the lights of Japan from the air. I started crying. My husband wanted to know what was wrong? I told him I couldn't imagine ever actually being in this place. Mind you it was later when we actually did visit Japan. I can't remember where we were flying to on this particular trip. I remember once when we were driving around the Tahoe area and we decided to take along my mother and my daughter to Germany with us on a trip. Once again, the tears started. I couldn't imagine in my youth ever actually going to Germany, the land of my mother's ancestors. And now I was, and I was taking my mother with me. And my daughter too! My husband could sing that song from Aladdin to me. "I could show you the world..." because he has certainly done so. He had broadened my horizons. I am more aware of what is going on in countries that I never knew existed before. I pay more attention to world news. When I am overseas, I watch Reuters news on the television, and they show news from ALL over the world. I think actually most countries of the world see more of what is going on in ALL the world. Here in the US, we seem to only see the US news. Naturally, the US news is what is most important to us. But, I feel we need to be less isolationists, and be aware of what is taking place elsewhere in the world. We don't see that in our US network news. My friends in Australia can tell me all that is going on in the US as much as I know. I couldn't know what is going on there? At least not from our national news networks. They know how our election works as well as I do. I wish I could say the same about theirs. I know more than I used to. But what is going on in Malaysia and Sumatra? In Japan? etc. I come home from each overseas trip vowing to follow the world news more and keep track of what is happening elsewhere. Then I fall into the habit of just watching the television news and before you know it, I have no idea of what is going on elsewhere. Only the little bits we hear here and there. My newly found world awareness slowly fades until the next trip.

I used the reasoning that I grew up in a smaller city in the midwest and that was why I didnt know much about countries elsewhere. I mean California seemed foreign to me and couldn't imagine ever going there. But I have found that we just don't know much about the rest of the world period, no matter where we live. If someone comments on a bag I am carrying and I say I bought it Kuala Lumpur, they seem flabberghasted that KL would have a store that carries a well-known brand. They have no idea that KL is a HUGE city with more fancy department stores than San Francisco. But 20 years ago, I wouldn't have known that either.

Oh the things I have seen and done in the last 14 years. It amazes me. I have been the luckiest girl. I hope my children get to see more of the world. My daughter has some overseas trips under her belt and my son too, during his service years. But I hope they can continue to travel and open their horizons and minds to all the world.

I have been to Canada and Mexico. Amazingly Mexico only recently.
Alaska (only recently) and Hawaii. I have been to Midway Island which not many people have had that pleasure. What a treat. The most amazing white white white beaches. The most beautiful beaches I have ever seen. And all the gooney birds everywhere. You had to watch not to step on them. That will be the subject of another post some day.

I have been to Australia a number of times. Sydney and Melbourne, of course. But Brisbane and Cairns, Darwin in the North shore and Aledaide down south. Went to wineries in McLaren Vale out of Adelaide and loved it. Crossed the Great Australian Bight and visited Perth.

I've been to Bali and would love to go again. This was before the bombing of the night club.

I've been to Tahiti and Bora Bora. Beautiful but HOT. Had a drink at Bloody Mary's in Bora Bora. Le Truck.

I've been to Singapore 3-4 times. I love this place. Shopping! Having a Singapore Sling at Raffles in a tradition. One of the easiest subway systems to get around. Going late winter is better climate. Best place to buy electronics. Wonderful Chinatown. So colorful. Think of Rodeo Drive times 10.

Japan, The Great Buddha. Right in a neighborhood. Some people there wake up in the morning and look out their bedroom window upon that peaceful face. Walked up many stairs to an ancient temple not far from there. Actually went to several temples not far from there. Remember all the small statues of Buddhas, one after another. Thousands of them. Riding the trains and subways there. Climbing the many stairs. Once again buying electronics. Next trip I am bringing home a fancy toilet seat. haha. Sleeping in a traditional bedroom suite with mats on the floor, low tables and chairs, sliding rice paper doors and duvets on the floor to sleep on. Wonderful experience, but hard on our backs. :) Eating from street vendors and having no idea of what we bought. Would go again in a heartbeat.

Hong Kong - have been many times and would go again and again and again and again. Luckily my hubby knows it well and we walk and walk and walk. The jade market, the bird market, Stanley market (shoes!), seeing the men go to restaurants for the noon meal, but the women spread little picnics wherever they are and eat outside. Pull out mats and food from shopping bags from fancy stores. Again, Rodeo Drive multiplied by 1000. Night Markets. Getting eye glasses there. The Marklin train shop - a tradition. Buying my strand of real pearls. Took days before they were ready. Going to see another Great Buddha. Hong Kong Disneyland!!!!!!
The Disneyland train. The Marriott hotel where we stay with the wonderful vista overlooking HK harbor. I can close my eyes and see it to the nth detail. The star ferries. My mahjong players in the building across the way. Repulse Bay. I could go on and on.

Thailand. The most picturesque food. Night markets. Witty cab drivers. We have been several different places in Thailand and want to go more. Bangkok is always a treat.

Taiwan. The changing of the guard. The huge hotel.

Korea. Walking everywhere. Buying my suitcase. Being in a mall when some young Korean rock star group was playing and everyone was going crazy, screaming and carrying on. We had no idea who they were of course, but it was fun to watch. Street vendors. The wonderful hotel.

Macau. Walking, walking, walking. The children getting out of school. All the little shrines near every doorway. St. Paul ruins. The hotel where we ate lunch on the balcony. Old old hotel.

Malaysia - Kuala Lumpur - the twin towers. Magnificent. Once again, Rodeo Drive times 1000. Starbucks! Shopping for bags. That wonderful street. The vendor chasing me down the block to buy an Estee Lauder perfume. We have been 3 times and I would go again anytime. Beautiful city. Kelang. Dale teaching a class of Starbucks employees on the spur of the moment. Unbelievable. They were so amazing.

New Caledonia (Numea) Old French speaking city.

Il' de Pine - picturesque island with white beaches. Cracking coconuts on a tree knob and drinking the milk. My first taste of Pastis. Buying a basket just weaved by a native lady. picking up shells only to have hermit crabs crawling around our room all night. Put them back in the water the next day.

Vauatu - drinking with the natives. What was that stuff?

Sri Lanka. Guns in the port. Walking out of the mall to see men with uzi's in the street.
Taking a tut-tut around. Not feeling too safe.

India. Wonderful Bombay. going to a local market and through the sari market. Walls of colorful silks. The most amazing place. Silks hanging everywhere in every color possible. Many shot with gold. Amazing. The mass of humanity. The people on the street. Were they dead? The trees filled with pigeons. The topiaries. The steers in the street. The men pulling wagons themselves in the street. The people. The beggars. Chocin India. The colorful seaside.

Sinai. The most cosmopolitan place I have ever been. The clear clear seas. The hooka bars.
The desert. The yachts from everywhere in the world. The tourists from everywhere in the world. And yet, a sense of the holy mountain and the sandy hills just like the pictures in my Bible's and childhood catechism books. Just like it was pictured. The land of Moses. Mixed emotions. I could feel a sense of religious there. And yet see a string bikini, and a black burka next to it. One of the most amazing places I have ever been. Sharm el Shek,Egypt.

Cairo. Oh, Cairo. My amazement but disappointment in the pyramids. Not with the structures but with the Egyptian government which is letting these things go to ruin. They speak like they are so concerned but they let vendors and tourists climb all over them. The place was filthy. Every depression in the ground was filled with paper cups and wrappers and trash. No bins around. Vendors were allowed to assault the tourists. In your face so much that you couldnt' look at what you had come so far to see. disgusting. The Sphinx. Much smaller than expected but at least here, the vendors weren't allowed and it was kept pristine. Some palace - beautiful place but again the government is allowing it to fall into ruin. hadn't been dusted in years. Filthy. Won't be there in another 100 years. Egypt needs to protect these items. Cairo. Sailing the Nile in a Felluca. Cairo. The poor poor donkeys everywhere being abused. Broke my heart. The bombed out looking buildings everywhere. The City of the Dead. The masses of humanity. And I thought Mumbai was crowded. Cairo. I won't be back. I won't recommend it. But it was interesting. Seeing camels in the field working like a steer here, pulling a plow. But usually it was a poor small donkey carrying an overwhelming load. Depressing.

Greece. The Parthenon. Amazing. Egypt could learn a lot from you Greece. How to treat your antiquities. Athens. The most amazing jewelry from anywhere in the world. I will go back here sometime before my life is over. And I am gonna buy more jewelry when I do. ;-P

Rome - catching the train in. Seeing the Pope. What a unexpected delight. The Sistine Chapel. Buying my mother a rosary there. Dale getting his pocket picked on the subway by a young gypsy girls. The Trevi Fountain. The Spanish Steps. Almost missing the train back.

Paris - The naked girl playing ping pong statue on the way to Notre Dame. The Pont Neuf. The Champ Elysees. The public toilet on the Champ Elysees that had us laughing so hard. Kara buying a baguette because it was the thing to do.

Politics

Oh my gosh, politics. Do I want to tackle this subject? Can I say I hate politics? But you can't get away from it. No matter what country you live in. But here in the United States, I hate the way we have evolved. Somewhere, sometime, in the last 15 years, I feel our government servants stopped working for us, and only work for themselves. Suddenly everything, I mean, EVERYTHING, became party and politics. The left and right no longer even attempted to work together. If the Democrats suggested something, the Republicans hated it and visa versa. Here is California, in the state government, it has become ludicrous. One Democrat state rep did not vote as the rest of her party voted, and they kicked her out of her office. I mean literally made her move out of her office in Sacramento just because she voted her conscious and not the way the party told her too!

But everything now is so political. Everything is either left or right. And someone is either loved or hated based on whether that individual is Democrat or Republican. For example, QVC just announced that Elizabeth Hasselbeck is coming with a line of clothing. My word, the forums just went crazy. "I hate her! How could QVC do this?" and other ruder comments. "I won't watch! She is so awful." No matter that the woman has a background in fashion as a shoe designer and later hosted a television show on fashion. Fashion is her background. But the comments and horror of her coming on the QVC network with a line of clothing were outrageous. And all of it based on the fact she is a Republican. She voices a Republican point of view on the television show "The View". The majority of forum commentors did not care that she had a background in fashion. They absolutely did not want to watch her or see her, only because she was Republican. What does her political leanings have to do with it? I would hate to have my career be judged on how I voted or if I leaned right or left. Why did it even come into play? What did it have to do with her designing a fashion line?

I have to admit that most of the screaming that takes place does so within my party, the Democratic party. NBC, CBS, NPR all report with a leftish slant. A Democratic leaning. Those stations are very biased towards the left. But you do not hear many complaints about it. Fox Broadcasting takes a middle of the road, with some programs more to the right. Oh my gosh, the outrage you hear voiced about the Fox Broadcasting channel is everywhere! I feel it is more in the middle than any of the other networks that I mentioned above. But the fact it doesn't report with our Democratic leaning as the others is shouted about to the rooftops!

Back to Hasselbeck. Why is it that she is the one voice people complain about? The rest of the hostesses on "The View" all are Democrats. No one complains about them. Joy and Whoopie (and Rosie before them) can make all the comments they want, outshout the others and no one thinks a thing. Whoopie Goldberg and Joy Mehar both were on QVC. Nothing was mentioned about them. But Hasselbeck comes and the screaming begins. Why? What has it to do with fashion? Why are people defined by their political leanings and why are we tearing ourselves (and our country) apart by trying to box every one in as left or right, republican or democrat.

I live in the SF Bay Area. I would be frightened to place a republican sign in my yard for fear my house would be set on fire. I would be frighted to place a republican bumper sticker on my car for fear it would be vandalized. I wouldn't do either of those things because I am a Democrat. But the point is - why are we so polarized?

What has happened to us? I do not like the way we (the people of the US) are changing in this manner.

If I were a young actor or actress in the US, and wanted to make it. I wouldn't tell my political leanings. For if they happened to be Republican, I would be shunned and never make it. Why? What does your political leanings have to do with whether or not you were a good actor? But that is how bad it has become.

I wish we could start trying to all work together. I wish our government's servants would try to work together. Here in California, the separatization between the Dem's and Rep's has the state budget in a stranglehold. Agencies are going out of business, people are suffering, and yet those we elected won't change their votes or even attempt to work out a solution to the point that schools, cities, homes for the elderly, etc. etc. etc. are going under. But the PARTY is the everything, no matter the outcome.

If America doesn't change this separatization, I think we will go down. It scares me. What has happened to us?

Monterey

Last month my granddaughter, Emily, came down to visit us for a week. She lives in Washington State. How I envy friends who are able to see their grandchildren at any time. We tried to make the week special. We took her to 6 Flags Animal Kingdom. We watched shows like you can see at left. Her grandfather "Papa Dale" and Emily watching the sea lion show. She loved it. We had as much fun watching her as the show. We took tons of rides. And got very wet.

The following weekend, her Auntie Kara, Uncle Jason and I took her to Monterey. I had as much fun watching Uncle Jason (single) so enjoying the rocks and tide pools of Monterey and showing them all to Emily. It was a special time and I would have loved to have spent longer down there. It isn't far from us. Why don't Dale and I go down more often? I guess because we have a vacation home in Tahoe and spend our free weekends up there. But it was fun going to the coast. I used to live on the coast in Oregon. It took me back.

We also got to see our other granddaughter celebrate her 2nd birthday. Little Miss Katie is two. She is Emily's younger sister and it was such a special time for us to have them with us.

Granddaughters are very special, I think.

Gardening again

Gosh the month of July went by fast. I was very busy working on putting the garden in, but it ran by. The garden is fairly finished and looking good. I was looking at the pictures I took right after it was planted. Here it is just a few weeks later and already the plants are larger and more established looking. The sprinklers are in. One night a day after the sprinklers were in, I sat outside and just watched the sprinklers for a long time. 20-30 minutes. Just watched them. Just enjoying watching the water. That yard has been so ugly for so long, and it was so pretty and calming and relaxing after all the trouble. How I wish Ethel had been there sitting next to me. I've tweaked the garden a little since the planting. Moved things a tad while the roots had not yet gotten started. I think all the plants are making it. Maybe one astilbe is struggling and I bought another yesterday to put in to be sure.

But here first is a picture of how the yard looked a year or two ago. The old apple tree that didn't have any apples any more. I actually used to like the shape of the apple tree from sitting down below it. Now it seems so funny to see it there because I have gotten so used to it being gone.

We then cleared all the weeds and vinca off the ground. Then carried 4 cubic yards of composted bark up to the backyard - our driveway is far down below these photos.

We then (Mainly me) built stone walls here and there with old stones found on our property.

It was a LOT of work, but turned out beautiful in the end.

Perfumes of Yesterday

Was on a forum earlier today and we got to talking about perfumes of yesterday. What did we wear when we were young. Oh my gosh did it bring back memories. What is it about fragrances? Someone would mention one and I could instantly recall what it spelled like. Why are scents so easy to remember? I can remember how my grandmother's house smelled even though she passed away when I was in my teens. I can remember the scent of my mother's Merle Norman makeup. The store had that same fragrance as you walked in. Do you know Merle Norman is still around? There is a store in a town near me. I have always been tempted to walk in and see if it smells the same as the one in my home town from my youth.

But I was a teenager in the 60's. And all those drugstore fragrances we had to have. Ambush and Emeraude. I had Ambush in a push up stick/sold cologne form that Coty sold. Heaven Scent, Windsong. Ciara came out sometime around then and everyone had to have it. O de London. Lair du'Temps - I thought they had the prettiest bottles with the two birds on the top.
Charlie. Oh yes, when Charlie came out. It featured a model that later took a turn as one of Charlie's Angels the final year it was on. I loved Canoe for the guys. Was even tempted to buy it for myself. I didn't but we girls did buy one fragrance intended for men. English Leather by Yardley. Oh Yardley was hot in those days. Anything Yardley. Yardly Slickers - which were lip gloss basically. I even remember the jingle. "Slicker over, slicker under, slicker alone...."

Sweet Honesty from Avon. And Tabu was around although I think my mother thought that one was too mature for me. Moon Drops, Jean Nate - very lemony I recall. Intimate.

When I was in my twenties, I discovered Zen. I can't remember the company name. It will come to me. This wasn't a drugstore cologne but from a department store. Sheseido. It came to me. It came in these flat black bottles with a small gold flower design and I thought it was so understated and elegant. I wonder if they still sell it. I used to love it.

Then I got into an Estee Lauder kick. Estee Lauder only had Youth Dew for the longest time and I thought that was an old lady fragrance. But then they came out with Estee and I wore it for the longest time.

But not in my teens. I liked another Avon fragrance - Topaz, although it wasn't aimed for teens like the Sweet Honesty was. Muguet was another I remember.

Then everyone got into Musk. Everything was Musk. Every line brought out a Musk version. I didn't like it at all.

But gosh, all those fragrances from long ago. And I can still recall the scent of all of them.

Garden and Yellow Jackets

We live on a hill in Orinda, California. Have about an acre property. It is a lovely area, however when we moved in the yard was an overgrown mess. I have spent years cutting, trimming, pulling trying to re-claim the yard. Our yard is full of sticker bushes, old long viney vinca, and poison oak. There were grapes, but the vines were so high you couldn't reach any grapes. They were growing high to find some sun. The vines actually reached across to other trees and we had HALLWAYS to walk under. When we finally had the grapevines pulled down, we discovered fir trees - one a blue spruce! under the grapes that we didn't even know were there. That is how overgrown it was. There was an area of blackberries about 20 ft by 12 ft. I clipped those vines back bit by bit until I got rid of them. We had/have trees of poison oak. I have had poison oak so many times I can't count. I am highly allergic to it. But not as allergic as my husband who seems to internalize it.

I have a war against poison oak every year. I have cut it out and sprayed killer on it. But our property is up against other who don't clear the wooded area between our houses. So while I am trying to clean out the poison oak, it still is hanging over our yards from the houses next door. I have been known to go clip theirs back as well - only to protect ours.

Our dirt is clay, clay, clay. Deep cracks every summer. I plant things and it is like the ground makes a clay pot around it. Plants seldom grow larger. When we re-modeled the house before moving in, we had top soil brought in. The first winter of rain all of it ended up on the patio as the water just drug it down over the top of the clay. It is a gardener's nightmare.

Did I mention the live oak trees? We live under 5 huge live oak trees which constantly rain little leaves down everywhere all year long. No change of a water element to the yard - it would be filled with leaves.

The nice side of it is that we have a wooded view and deer travel through the yard all the time. I don't have to have curtains at my windows. In fact, 3 deer (one a fawn) just went through the yard as I was typing this. Of course, I have to watch my flowers on the patio. But I discovered a product called "Liquid Fence" that works well.

Did I mention the rocks? Rocks everywhere. We have ruined more lawn mowers as the ground is uneven and rocks are hidden in the weeds everywhere. We have taken to weedwhacking the entire yard - an acre! in order to keep the sticker plants down. My husband recently saw the new weedwhackers that are on wheels and decided we should get one. He tried it out this morning and had me come out and try it myself. I did - and while I was pushing it along under the trees, he ran something down the hill to the driveway. I suddenly felt something hit my jaw and thought the machine had thrown out a small rock at me. But then I felt another, and another, and then saw the yellow jackets heading my way. I screamed for Dale and started to run, but had to run back and turn off the machine. My husband run up as I was running down and saw at once the bees all over me. He helped me into the house and into the bathroom where we stripped off my clothes, him trying to kill the bees as they were all over. One flew up his shorts and stung him on this thigh. I got quite a few stings on my jaw and neck and scalp.

Dead bees on the floor of the shower when I got out. He killed them out of my clothes and shoes. I am lucky that I didn't have more stings.

We just hired a gardener to put in a sprinkler system and to landscape the yard nearest the patio and bedroom - the area you can see in the pictures attached. After my latest bout with poison oak, my husband said, "That's it - we are getting a gardener." 10 years of poison oak and finally a gardener. But it didn't save me today.

Not a great day. But Dale did bring me a glass of wine to mellow me out after my shower. Benadryl gel, ibuprofen and a glass of wine.

Musings to Begin -- June 22, 2008

Hi, I'm Marni and I am going to try blogging to record thoughts and feelings, happenings whether good or bad, diets both good and bad, my attempts at art, piano, gardening and cooking. My life at home and traveling. It should be fun. I think it will be fun.

I was going to attempt to cook again today. Let me state here that I am not a cook. I can set a gorgeous table. I can pick a gorgeous wine. But I can't cook. I love cookbooks - to have them, not necessarily to read them. I have a wonderful shelf in my kitchen that holds cookbooks. I keep filling that shelf but it doesn't help the cooking. I never could cook. My mother always claimed to be a bad cook - although in comparison to me, she is a gourmet! She always said she was the youngest daughter of three and so while the other two helped their mother in the kitchen, she was always sent to set the table. See a trend here? Before I got married when I was young, my mother suggested I invite my fiance over once a week and fix him dinner. It lasted 2 weeks. Then as a young newlywed, when most women master the art of cooking - we ate out. His family loved to eat out. His mother could cook but she was an officer in a bank and didn't want to bother after work. So we ate out with them. They loved it. We loved it. But I never learned to cook.

When divorced, we were on our own. If 7/11 didn't have it, I didn't cook it. Easter dinner - Safeway chinese takeout.

My friends could cook. One friend came over to visit and decided to cook for us and teach me how. She opened my cabinets and commented, "Marni, I've seen garage sales with better pots and pans." I hadn't ever bothered to buy many. So I bought a set of Caphalon for when she came to visit. She got so excited she sent me a year's subscription to Gourmet magazine. I read every issue. I clipped some recipes. I never once tried any. My daughter loved this friend's visits. She would stand at her elbow and watch her. I swear she absorbed the friend's ability just by watching.

By the time my daughter, Kara, was a teenager - she could cook. She had to. She made her own spaghetti sauce. I never used any spaghetti sauce that didn't come out of a can or jar.

One time I started to grill a chicken. My daughter came running and said, "Wait Mom, Let me mix up a little sauce to marinade it in first." Marinade? Sauce? That you made yourself? Where did she learn to do this? I never made a sauce to marinade or grill with in my life. How did she learn this? Where did she come up with this stuff?

I married again and moved to California. I warned him up front. He still doesn't mind after 14 years. But if I took out a pot and put it on the stove, my daughter would run up. "What are you doing?" She then took over whatever cooking I had planned.

We went to San Diego a year or two ago and ate at Croce's. Wonderful place. Started by the late Jim Croce's wife. It's a wonderful restaurant. She has a couple cookbooks and our dinner companions bought one for me since it happened to be my birthday. The owner was there dining herself and signed the book for me. I have never opened it. Not once. I plan to. Someday.

We like to cruise and met and made some new friends, especially a great couple who live in Sacramento (Lincoln, to be exact). Diane sounds like she is a terrific cook. Makes wonderful sounding dishes. Just hearing her talk about cooking gets me enthused. She bought the Princess cookbook "Courses" I believe the name is. and said she has made many dishes out of it.

I bought one. Have never opened it.

She described a simple easy dish she does. Just broiling vegetables with olive oil and sea salt. "I can do that" I thought. And tried it. Oily mushy mess. "How much oil did you use?" she asked me. Not much. I drizzled. I love to watch Giada DeLaurenti and I pretended to be her and drizzled and sprinkled those vegies with sea salt. Had a glass of wine. I felt elegant. Until I tried to eat them. OILY, mushy mess. I tossed them out. I promised my friend, Diane, to try and cook something again next month.

So last night I bought some potatoes and some ribs to barbeque. I have my husband and my son living here so thought the men would like something on the grill. We have a huge lovely grill that costs over $1k. Hasn't been used yet this year and it is June 22nd. I have salad makings and potatoes and lovely ribs. My husband announced that HE will be doing the cooking.

So it is time for me to set the table. I'm good at that.