Oh, the places you'll go...

I haven't been as many places as I would like. I have this urge to explore the world but so far, I haven't done it. Finding the time and money just hasn't been a priority, I guess. And when my sister moved to North Carolina, suddenly all of my vacations were there or here with her. Now she lives in Arizona so we see each other more often, but still my vacations are centered around visits there or here. Now that I have nieces (and a nephew on the way), it's hard to give up time visiting with them. I would like to take an adventure vacation, maybe in Colorado. Or take a cruise with Mondi and the gang. Or go on a working archeology dig/vacation. I'm currently saving for a trip but the destination is undecided. Where should I go?

So far these are the states I've visited...
California (most places between San Diego and San Francisco/Sacramento)
Arizona (most places)
Utah (Zion & Bryce Canyon)
Nevada (Las Vegas & Reno)
New Mexico (Albuquerque and Carlsbad Caverns)
North Carolina (Charlotte & Blue Ridge Mountains)
South Carolina (Charleston & Myrtle Beach)
Florida (Orlando)
Hawaii (Oahu & Kauai)
Louisiana (New Orleans)

And I've been to these states but only the airport so I guess they don't really count..
Texas
Georgia
Missouri

So that's a pretty short list that I really need to expand! These are the places I want to visit:
Colorado
Alaska
Oregon
Texas
Georgia
Canada
Spain
Peru
Egypt
Thailand
Italy
Greece
England
Anywhere in the Caribbean!
Any place really with ancient ruins!
Any place really where I can ride a bike!
Any place really...

On The Edge

They announced at work today that tickets are available for the Los Angeles County Fair. I haven't been to the fair in a couple of years. I don't remember why I didn't go last year, but the year before that I had a broken leg. I love the fair. I love to see the exhibits and eat all my favorite foods - candy apples, beef dips, peanuts, Indian fry bread. Maybe that's why I didn't go last year, I was still trying to be good about what I was eating and the Fair holds too many temptations.

Another reason I love the Fair is the Photography and Crafts exhibits/contest. I like to see what people are creating out there. Some of the quilts and clothes are amazing. But it's the photo exhibit that I love the most. A few years ago, I entered some of my photos into the Fair. To my amazement, one of my pictures received an Honorable Mention. It's called On The Edge and it's a picture I took in Bryce Canyon, Utah (see picture). I actually entered 5 pictures that year but this was the only one that got an award. You'd think I'd feel rejected that the others didn't make it, but I wasn't (a big step for me, the ultimate people pleaser). I know that art is subjective and not everyone will like the same thing. It was photography that taught me what I like and don't like about other forms of art.

I've been thinking about photography a lot lately. A lot. Everyday really. And I've been looking at the photos I have on my wall and my camera bag sitting in the corner. It looks lonely. I really miss it and I need to find the time to get back into it. I missed a lot of great photo opportunities this spring because I was training for my first tri. The best times to take pictures - early morning & late afternoon (for what I like to take) are when I was training. And in the beginning of my training, I was too tired to go traipsing around with a camera anyway. I have to find a way to balance the two. Photography is my artistic outlet. I don't get the same sense from my cross-stitch projects. Probably because I'm working from patterns that someone else created. But with Photography, it's all me. How I framed it in the lens. The type of film I used (I'm a purist & anti-digital). The filters I use or don't use. Even the camera I take the picture with makes it different.

The other day, there was a quote that I applied to tri but now I'm going to apply it to Photography. "It's a dream until you write it down, and then it's a goal."-Anonymous. Well, I'm writing it down. I am going to take my camera out and starting taking pictures again. Next year, I am going to enter some photos at the Fair. Hopefully, next year at this time I'll have more good news to report. If not, at least I tried. :)

The Weenie

My grandpa has a little weenie dog named Sophie (I call her Weenie). She's more of a family dog really. She started out as my mother's dog, but she was commandeered by my grandparents when my grandmother got sick. It was good for Sophie because it meant she wasn't alone all day. It was good for my grandparents because she is a total character and she made them smile. I think she helped my grandmother deal with her pain. And she kept my grandfather from getting lonely after my grandmother passed away. My sister, my nieces and I all love that little dog as if she were our own.

Last November, the vet told my grandfather that Sophie had an inoperable tumor and that she only had about 6 months to live. Someone must have forgotten to tell her though because Sophie is still with us, thank goodness. That little dog has so much heart and doesn't know when to quit. She still lives for treats and rides and dinner time. She's always up for a pat on the head or a tummy rub or just sitting next to you while you read a book. But she is getting slower and she's more likely to be napping than not. I don't know what my grandfather will do once she's gone.

I saw her yesterday and as usual, she came out to greet me and touch her nose to my hand. Then we went outside and she rolled around in the grass in the warm sunshine and chased birds out of the yard. It was total bliss for her and she looked like she was grinning. And we laughed to see her having so much fun.

I remember getting into an argument with someone once about whether or not dogs go to heaven. They said they didn't becuase they don't have a soul. I said how could they not when they give such unconditional love and joy to the people in their lives? I don't think in black & white about religion anymore. I was raised Catholic but I'm not practising anymore. I still go to mass sometimes, mostly for my grandfather and my mom, and while I do enjoy the cermony of it, it doesn't fit my beliefs anymore. I believe in a benevolent source. I believe that all things have a "soul" whether it's a person, a dog, or even a place. I'm not sure if I believe in a heaven exactly, but it's hard for me to imagine that a life's force just ceases to exist. I still feel my grandmother's presence around me and my family. I would like to think that when Sophie's time does come, she'll run across a field, ears flying, to greet my grandmother.

The Garden of the Dinosaurs

Now that I ride my bike everywhere I go, I see some really interesting stuff. We live in a weird, weird world.

When I go to the gym to swim in the mornings, my route takes me by a quirky house. It's next to a field with mostly businesses around it. It might be an antique store but I think someone lives there as well. This house has quite a garden. But instead of a garden full of flowers, it has a garden full of dinosaurs. At least a dozen or so. And not toy dinosaurs. No, these are 7, 8, and 10 foot dinosaurs. Dinosaurs made out of metal including a T-Rex, a Triceratops, and many others that I don't know the name of. I think this person makes them. And I have to wonder if they sell them and if anyone has ever purchased one. It seems like their "garden" keeps growing so it's hard to tell.

I always smile when I go past this house. With all the dinosaurs in the yard, it looks like a toy house. It looks as if some giant kid left his toys lying in a field. Who owns this house? Why did they start making these dinosaurs? What will he/she do when they run out of room? Do people ever stop to ask?

One of these days when I ride by it at a decent hour, I'm going to stop and check them out. I'm curious to see what this person looks like. I think it's great that they are doing their "thing". The thing that people always tell you isn't sensible or won't make you money or just won't work. I've been hating my job lately and trying to think of a "thing" that I could do instead. Something to make me happy. Something that takes me out of an office. Something that I'll look back on with satisfaction. I'm pretty sure it's not making a dinosaur garden. But there's got to be something...

The Alchemist

I read The Alchemist by Paul Coehlo this weekend. Loved it. Once again, it had a familiar theme for me. Something I've really come to believe. That we are all apart of this world and connected to it and each other. That "forces" work to help us achieve our goals, whether they be declared or unconcious. And that's why you have to be careful about you talk and think and act. You may unconciously point yourself in a direction you didn't want to go.

The story is about a boy who is looking for his "treasure". And while he is looking for a real treasure (or so he believes), it is the people he meets and the experiences he has along the way that teach him about himself and the world. Most of all, it is about fulfilling his Personal Legend. Which is different for everyone. The problem is that most people don't know what their Personal Legend is or they forget about it because it's not practical or it's crazy or they are scared to fail.

It made me think...I don't know what my Personal Legend is. I have dreams and goals, of course. Everyone does. But I also know that for a long time, I was merely existing and not "living". I was just trying to survive the days. Should I look back at the things I loved as a child to find my Personal Legend again?

What I loved as a child:
My books - Is it writing? Ever since my nieces were born, I've been thinking about writing a book for them.

My bike - Is it cycling/triathlons? I feel most free on the bike. And strongest while running.

My camera - Is it Photography? I feel most comfortable and most myself while looking thru a lens.

Music - I've always wanted to play the piano or the guitar. Never tried. Should I?

And History - I wanted to be Indiana Jones when I grew up. Travel the world and find out the secrets of ancient civilizations.

Something to think about...