Caribbean Vacation! and hard news

I just returned from a week-long sailing vacation in the British Virgin Islands with family and friends who are now family. It was beyond expectations and words cannot convey the amazing time we all had. We snorkeled and talked and ate and played with the kids, and I jumped off the flybridge into moonlit water to swim with bioluminescence. Three times.

My energy level was amazing for most of the trip and I was one of the first into the water every chance. We saw so many fish, I practiced snorkel diving, and my body did so well! The tropics are a fabulous place for me to visit, but heat rash let me know that more northern climates are best long-term! The travel days, especially the flights, were exhausting and tremendously painful but I knew that going in.

The trip wasn't all positives, though. Seeing the scale of hurricane damage up close proved the consequences of how greatly humanity is changing the climate. My cousin and her young family were on the trip; her husband was our captain. The last full day we learned that their home in Redding, Ca, was destroyed by the Carr Fire. There were some tears shed and shock all around, but also tremendous gratitude that they didn't live through that nightmare. They're now making big decisions about their future on an increasingly risky planet.

Eclipse!

My Sweetie and I took an eclipse road trip and it was AMAZING! We make a great team with superb catering* and really enjoyed having two solid days together. The drive down was mostly easy peasy if long, with a nice break to visit a friend in Centralia, WA. We stayed in Corvallis, OR, in the backyard of someone from my online knitting group.

Sunset Aug 20th, just south of Portland

The six of us hung out in the back yard Monday morning watching the eclipse and playing with shadows. As the eclipse progressed it gradually got cooler, the light got strange and dim but still directly overhead, and it was unlike anything else. Totality was incredible and unique and felt too short. As the eclipse ended it seemed like early morning as the light and temperature increased. And then it was a normal summer day. 

After the eclipse we poked around Corvallis a little, napped in a hammock, fed ganache to our hostess' daughter, then packed up and headed home. It was perfect. My body cooperated pretty well and I felt like I had a break from being sick for a day.**

Sweetie and I stare at the sun just before totality.

You can't see anything through eclipse glasses so be extra impressed by this selfie.

What my phone saw during totality

Leafy shadows acting as cameras obscura

Afterward I got a little silly with a nibbled leaf-turned-pinhole camera.

Driving home was not as fun. I navigated us on side roads to avoid the awful I-5 traffic until north of Vancouver. Then it was a long slow slog for 130 miles until past Tacoma. It was fully nighttime so Sweetie napped in the back seat while I drove much of that. I'd brought a quilt and pillow and made a nest for him. My self care techniques are appreciated by healthy people too :)

I'd cleverly placed the stereo aux cable out of driver's reach so couldn't connect my phone for driving music. Instead I played "how long until the Subaru notices its headlights aren't on?" (40mi). And quietly sang whatever song came into my head. And talked to traffic and other drivers. And cruised through the radio stations a few times. Finally I pulled out my phone and played music with it sitting in my lap. You know you've found your match when he thinks all the above are adorable.

We got back to Seattle at 2:30am and quickly fell into our respective beds. Yesterday I had a rest day. And now we're firmly back to normal life, albeit with a reminder of how magical and surprising life can be.


* Black bean burritos with chili-lime-cilantro brown rice, banh mi with spicy sausage and homemade pickled vegetables, strawberries, plums, lychee, cold brew coffee, and dark chocolate ganache.

** YAYYYYY!!!!!!!!!!

DC in Sept

Back in mid-September I went to Washington, DC for a long weekend.  I was having high fatigue and pretty severe joint pain, so I didn't get to see as much as I'd hoped.  It was still a good trip!

Cooling my feet in the park's stream

The first couple days were spent near Dulles, where I relaxed while my traveling partner worked.  I didn't bring any business clothes so couldn't sneak into happy hour networking even if I'd wanted to.  Instead I hung out in a nearby park :)
















Then on to DC proper, where the hotel was next to the convention center.  This was during the Congressional Black Caucus--good vicarious fun.  So many people happy to see each other, talk about issues important to them, and most importantly to party!  At the end of the CBC convention, President Obama spoke at a dinner.  I was able to see him leave the venue!

I very much enjoyed the National Gallery of Art.  My Flickr album has some terrible photos of my favorite paintings.

I highly recommend taking a Capitol tour through your Senator's office.  It started by riding the special Congressional train linking the Congressional office buildings to the Capitol building.  Then a tour around the public areas of the Capitol, along with some history.

Afterward I sat in on a House debate--lo and behold, they were discussing defunding Planned Parenthood.  Let me tell you, being silent was a real challenge!  Debbie Wasserman Schultz earned my respect that day.

On the last day I saw a couple more Smithsonian museums, then walked back to the hotel.  I got lunch takeout in Chinatown and picked up a few kitschy souvenirs.  After that it was time to catch the airport shuttle and head home.

Friday Night at the V&A

You may have noticed that I didn't finish my London Travelogue.  Adrenal issues and autoimmune flares got in the way.  But I did want to share a magical night:

Friday was spent at the Natural History Museum, one of my favorite places on earth.  It was a welcome Cathedral to Science after the ostentation of monarchy and aristocracy.  Personal endeavor and accomplishment!

Natural History Museum

Then I met back up with my mom and we headed next door to the Victoria and Albert Museum, aka the V&A.  They have the most gorgeous cafe there, which we happily stumbled up.  Need a rest and a glass of wine?  This is the place to go!

V&A

Now picture a grand piano between the pillars, playing the most enjoyable and relaxing music, while you relax with excellent company.  These are the moments I love in life, where fortune smilingly gifts something wonderful which I could never have imagined.

Back in the museum proper, a fashion event was taking place.  A DJ was spinning, well dressed students were mingling, and there I was in the middle!  Viewing Trajan's column while reggae drifts through the museum is an incredibly cool way to end a week.

London Travelogue: Day 4, British Museum

17. Oct, 2013
Day 4 was so full that I've been intimidated to attempt to chronicle the highlights.  I'll have to tackle it one venue at a time, starting with the British Museum.  This post has been simmering away in my mind, and I've been researching more from home, so hopefully I can do the day justice.

I was up and out early, and hit the British Museum.  It is an enormous building, and holds the most amazing objects from around the world.  These guard statues from Assyria were incredible!  The rediscovered ancient Assyrian palaces are such a treasure.  I'm in awe of ancient people: the depth of their accomplishments impresses me here-and-now!

Assyrian Palace guard statues, palace friezes in background.  © Neil Howard

I saw the Rosetta stone, and geeked out over the cuneiform exhibit.  It's interesting to see how practical the introduction of language was: the first clay cuneiform tokens marked the contents of storage containers, then agricultural transactions.  The pictograms eventually rotated 90 degrees and became more abstract.  A key to cracking cuneiform, and hieroglyphics, was realizing that the symbols represent syllables rather than full words.

I really enjoyed the ancient Egypt section, especially the early mummies.  It's amazing that this young man's body has been preserved for almost 6,000 years.  He made ancient Egypt relatable to me in a way that preserved mummies and sarcophagi did not.

"Gebelein Man"

The Parthenon sculptures and friezes are beautiful, and seeing a Parthenian column demonstrates the temple's tremendous size.  This sculpture of reclining goddesses retains some original paint:

Three Goddesses of Athenian Parthenon

The British Museum used to house the British Library, with the Reading Room its hub.  Now used for special exhibits, here's a panoramic photo as it was:

I think that heaven must look like this

The British Museum's covered courtyard, and Reading Room at center:

Central Courtyard, © Greg Knapp

The British Museum is a jewel, and I wish I'd had more than one day to wander through it.  What I did see, I loved.  The courtyard is a fascinating place, blending exterior and interior.

London Travelogue: Day 2

15. Oct, 2013:
Tuesday!  My first full day in London, and where to start?  We chose Westminster Abbey, Parliament and the Tate Gallery.  Plus a walk through St James Park to Buckingham Palace.

Walking up to Westminster, what do I spy around the corner?  Hello Big Ben!  I hadn't realized, but Big Ben is gilded.  All sorts of London buildings are gilded, which makes them lovely but sometimes too ostentatious for my Colonial tastes, haha.

Westminster Abbey's exterior is impressive, but inside it's just jaw-droppingly amazing.  Even to modern eyes the verticality is incredible.  The level of detail is astounding--even now I look at photos and can't quite believe it.  Excellent architectural use is made of daylight, so the interior is much brighter than you'd think.  I was jet lagged so didn't take any exterior photos, and photography is not allowed inside.  It's honestly difficult to get far enough away to take exterior photos.  It would have involved crossing streets, and I was still working on not being run over.  Extra crossing of streets was not on my agenda just yet.

West entrance, where you enter for tours

Westminster Abbey from the London Eye

I loved Poet's Corner!  Many of my favorite authors have memorial stones here.  The Brontë sisters' memorial reads "With Courage to Endure."  I'd hope for something more upbeat, myself.  Shakespeare has a life-sized statue.  It was really amazing to see remembrances of so many talented writers.  I enjoyed merit winning out in that way, unlike the aristocrats and royals who fill most of the cathedral.  You can look up your favorite author here.

The memorial for Elizabeth I is very elaborate.  Mary Tudor is buried under Elizabeth, with the inscription "Partners in throne and grave, here we sleep, Elizabeth and Mary, sisters, in hope of the Resurrection."  That seemed a nice sentiment to me, considering how militant they were in life.  James I, son of Mary Queen of Scots, built his mother as nice a tomb as Elizabeth's.  Guess he showed her!

I also wandered around the cloisters, which felt on a human scale after the cathedral.  There are offices still in use around the Abbey, and people still attend services there.  On one side is a garden, and I enjoyed seeing the old walls and more personal aspects of this incredible site.

Westminster Hall

Next up were the Houses of Parliament, which includes Big Ben.  Parliament is also very impressive, and actually started out life as a palace.  The central Westminster Hall was a dining hall originally, and you could host quite the banquet!  The whole complex is a fascinating mesh of buildings, sometimes with original walls embedded in modern ones.

I was able to sit in on the House of Commons!  It's pretty incredible to sit in a place I'd read about for years, and had imagined, but never expected to see.  Sitting in the observation balcony, you can imagine yourself as a bystander to history.  Throughout Parliament, there is information about the history of the building, including an alarming map of the WWII bomb damage.

I can't adequately put my impressions of Parliament and the Abbey into words.  Westminster is an incredible area, and I highly recommend a visit if you're able.


Then I visited the Tate Gallery.  It's a 1km walk south along the Thames, past Thames House (home of MI5).  We walked through Victoria Tower Gardens, which is a royal garden and very strict.  I don't think you're actually allowed to have fun in royal gardens.

Tate Britain contains 500 years of artwork, arranged by era.  There are many famous paintings, but my favorite pieces were new.  I especially enjoyed the genre paintings and portraits of everyday women.  After all the men represented in Westminster Abbey and Parliament, it was nice to see some female faces again.

I really loved this painting: she's over 2m tall and has a wonderful expression.

Woman Smiling

I ended the day with a walk through St James Park, past Buckingham Palace as the sun began to set.  The sky glows pink on the stone buildings, it was my favorite time of day in London.  The setting sun also lit up the gilded Victoria memorial, and was something to behold.

Angels atop the Victoria Memorial

My take away thought from Westminster Abbey: They've got a lot of people socked away under the floor.  And various monarchs in boxes around the place.  It's just not a typical thing in my life that you bury people inside.  I'm curious now to look up how exactly they bury folks.  Do the stones come up?  They don't appear to.  Is there subterranean access?  Enquiring minds want to know...

London Travelogue: Day 1

14. Oct, 2013:

After flying overnight I arrived in Heathrow at noon.  All architecture in London seems designed to impress, and much of it to overwhelm, the viewer.  In a visceral sense you understand this was the capital city of an Empire.  My first impression, however, was bewilderment.  And stunned disbelief: I couldn't believe I was actually in London!  After dropping off bags at the hotel, and gratefully stretching my body out flat, we were off.

First it's the V&A!  The Victoria and Albert Museum houses decorative arts, so there's something for everyone.  I really enjoyed the historical fashions, the statuary, and the Victorian gallery with items from the Great Exhibition.  There are fun interactive exhibits, too, and I tried on a corset and farthingale.  I still prefer jeans and tees ;)

This baby dress was hand knitted from sewing thread, using 1.5 million stitches.  It won Sarah Ann Cunliffe a Bronze medal.  I wonder who won Gold!

Handknit baby dress, V&A

The statues are amazing.  There's a cast of Trajan's column so large that it has to be displayed in two parts.  I saw it from the upper walkway, which was a great perspective.  I love Rodin's work, and he's amply represented.  There are also many, many marble busts of dead white guys. 

Trajan's column

After closing time at the V&A, it was off to Harrods.  The walk was interesting, along busy streets and through a Lebanese area of Knightsbridge.  The Food Hall was like the UN meets Whole Foods.    At this point I was overwhelmed, and tired, so we stopped for dinner at one of the cafes.  Then headed back to the hotel to rest and sleep.  It was a long day--up Sunday morning, traveling through the night, and to bed on Monday night!

(part of) Harrods Food Hall

*The following days I did bring my camera, so stay tuned for non-internet photos.

Oct 5 in Pictures

I've returned from London, and it was a fantastic trip!  Sadly, I came down with a cold the last morning and am now laid low with a nasty sinus infection.  So photos and breathless observations will have to wait until the antibiotics really kick in.

Instead I give you a photo journal of Oct. 5.  A friend was visiting, and it was a ridiculously gorgeous day, so we rode the ferry to Bainbridge Island and back.  The skies were bluest blue, with barely a cloud, and so sunny and warm that I got a bit sunburnt!  Shame on me for neglecting sunscreen, even in Oct.

A few blocks from home I saw Cyclamen blooming under an old maple tree, lit by patches of sun.

From the ferry, Mt. Rainier was in unparalleled form!  I can't remember when I've seen it this clearly.

On the walk home these tessellated lizards crept along a sidewalk.  Time has worn their embossed lizard backs and moss smooths their borders, but onward they crawl.

I'm Going to London!

I was trying to think of a clever title for this post but excitement got the better of me.  In Oct I'll be flying to London for a week!  I'm a bit overwhelmed right now, so I haven't started compiling a list of Must See Places.  A day up at Oxford is high on the list, with a stop-and-gawk at the Bodleian library.  I'm really looking forward to checking out the V&A, too, which has been on my wish list for over a decade.  And art!

What's hilarious are the weather warnings.  It sounds exactly like Seattle in Oct.