First Daze in Sri Lanka

Finally here!

 The boys and I landed here on Thursday.  It was a long flight and even though it was business class, you still arrived all turned around...smug but all turned around! Arriving in the dark was a bit disconcerting.  Plus it was not really what I expected.  I knew it would be ramshackle but I was looking at through teenage eyes and what I saw was not inviting!  To Nick's credit he didn't say anything!

Our apartment turned out to be great!  It isn't flash nor large but has lots of potential and it centrally located.  We face north and east.  "Iceland Residencies"  is on Galle Road, a major thoroughfare.  There is a shopping centre nearby and lots of big hotels.

Daytime view from our balcony.

Night view from our balcony!

Boldly seeking out new adventures!

It is the second day being here and aside from just toddling over to the nearest grocery, G and I went for a stroll along Galle Face Green.  This is an open area along the water just down from the docks.  It was around 4pm and people were starting to come out to enjoy the breeze.  There were kites flying and even a snake charmer!  Let me tell you there is nothing charming about a cobra in a basket!

A Jeff Koons installation?

Getting ready for the evening perambulators.

A man with a flag sticking out of his head.

Pinwheels ready for sale.

Beach food vendors. 

Sundowners at the Dutch Hospital.

 We managed to dodge the touts and ended up at the Dutch Hospital.  This low building has been converted into shops and upscale restaurants.  We stopped for sundowners (me a "G and T" and G a Diet Pepsi).  It was really nice to just sit and begin to soak in the ambience with G.  It was kind of nice to remember how it felt when we first began traveling together.

So after dodging touts and bird shit we made our way home.  The kids were in the same place we left them..surprise, surprise!  Eventually they'll get bored and come out with us!

Off to the Okanagan

Woo hoo...road trip!

Yeah!  Summer road trip.  Dropped G off with his brother to continue on down to Seatac and out.  It wasn't the emotional farewell I had envisioned because now the G's brother will drink occasionally, G's been looking for to trying all the microbreweries in Washington State.  So I got a very warm handshake and quick glimpse of the bunnymobile as it roared off into the night1

"Okanagan activities!"

Mika and I zoomed out ourselves and hit the Coquihalla Highway and were up in Kelowna in no time.  However it took forever to find Rhonda's folks place because Google Maps doesn't recognize road blocks.  Finally broke down and went into Waggie Willie's Dog Salon for directions..sheesh!

Picked Sue up at the airport then next day and meandered back down to Penticton.  Saw a really cute row house in Summerland but if only the architect had had the vision to slightly stagger the houses everyone would have a decent view of the lake and not only of their neighbours' balacony.  The MLS detail sheet made me laugh that the beach was only "134 seconds away"!  I made it in down 132...a personal best!

Then we caught up with Doug, Shelley and Andrea and the 3 enormous beasts they call dogs in Penticton.  Andrea's updated her house a bit and it looks really good.   We ended up going to Skaha beach for a late evening bbq.  I think Mika really liked it as it was such a "Canadian" thing to do.

Tout les gang sur la plage!

The next day a whack of us drove up to Naramata to see the Jim Treliving project.  It was quite fantastic but I ended up asking more questions that answering them.  When you get to a certain age you have to ask, " Could I live here alone?  How close is the nearest hospital.  Do I want to be on the road that much?"  Argh!  Naramata is very cool but the winter would be DEADLY!

So we pissed around and basically spent the next few days hanging out. It was great as I hardly ever see Doug and Shelley.  The neighbour hosted all of us and Jon and Janelle came down from Kelowna.  It's the first time I got to meet her and she seems really nice.  I think she's good for Jon.  However I don't think she understood my footwear.

I dumped Sue off at the airport then continued up to check out Vernon.  I found the old town to be a bit lacking and it wasn't until my way out that I discovered the marina.  Now that place had some potential.  Looks like a lot of it coming online in the next couple of years.  After that I went to my favorite place, Anne and Ian's.  Sigh.  Why don't they just give it to me and put me out of my future retirement misery?  They have a wee place across the road from the water.  They've reno'd nicely and it's all you NEED.  "Do you hear me developers of Okanagn Center?!"  You don't need more than 1500 sq. ft...you are there for the lake not your house!!!! ("Phew! I feel better now")

Saturday, after Ian towed us around the lake on his new floatie, Mika and I hit the road for Osoyoos.  Mika likes it there for some reason so I indulged him! It was smokin' hot and very empty.  In fact most of the Okanagan was empty. The floods in southern Alberta will sure have an impact on this region for a while.  The hotel owner said he had 9 families cancel this week...ouch!  On Monday, Mika and I rented paddleboards.  Wow was that fun!  He had never paddled before and I had only done it once previously.  The owner gave us extra time and we really enjoyed it.  There was a moment of panic for Mika when we were out but I think he felt the lake was very dark and deep.  Plus we had floated a bit further that we thought so it was a bit of a paddle in!  He loves the fact I got swamped and he didn't!  ("Really mature!").  We both had jelly legs and chilled the rest of the time...I love being able to have this time with him.  I wish Nick would've come too, but it's not be.

First time Paddleboarder!

Setting son!

We boogied back to YVR where we were to crash at Rhonda's.
 Unfortunately just before Abbotsford we came to a grinding halt on the Trans Canada.  We sat there FOR EVAH!  Then I decided that moving, even if it is out of my way, was better than not. So we deeked off the hwy and headed for #7 hwy or the Lougheed.  I had taken it by accident last year so everything was familiar...just backwards!

We arrived at Rhonda's and she had baked a cake and made a really thoughtful 50th bday package for me!  I am so truly blessed.  We had lots of good laughs and got quite giddy... as usual.  She looks great and seems to moving right along.  I have always said if G and I get divorced I get full custody of Rhonda.  Also nice was that Cathy called.  She had been invited to come out but had a work dinner.  We had a good chinwag and I am happy that I did get to see her, however briefly, on the Island.

Laughing way too much to blow!

So I left Rhonda's sadly, but curiously excited to see clean undies again.  I've been living in the same stuff for awhile it seems! We got there in decent time but got stuck in a one ferry sailing wait (hey, that's BC Ferries for you).   So Mika and I wandered around Horseshoe Bay.  I don't think I've been into the townsite since Nick was a wee gaffer.

So we leave early Sunday morning to begin the final leg of our journey.  Finally I am able to turn my thoughts towards new and different adventures and situations.

Birthday lunch at Win's.

Thank you to everyone who made our summer so great!  We shall miss you all.

I feel incredibly blessed to lead the life I do! Thanks for reading!

Back-to-Back Action Packed Vancouver Island Extravaganza!

A local gal got into the vintage spirit! 

Okay, so I exaggerate!  Yet it has been a pretty fun visit.  C blew me off for a trip to the Nanaimo Museum for a talk about Art Deco clothing by Ivan Sayers.  It was too bad because he is an entertaining speaker and can speak without notes...always impressive.  What was also exciting were some of the examples he had.  The best one was a Schiaparelli suit.  It was just as chic and clever as the day she created it. However if you wore it today you'd definitely be thought a bit odd.  It is too bad because I find people take fashion far too seriously these days and there is less humour or fun in their dress. To be sure though,  there is a fine line between wit and plain old crazy lady dressing. ( I think I dipped my toe across that line a few times!)

Nicely curated vitrine.

The "Schiap" suit.

It was fun to also view the exhibit as a recent Museum Studies grad.  It is easy to walk around and say "I would do this and that..." but having worked in a small museum for 5 months you appreciate the restrictions local institutions face.  However...!

Of course this is where we always stay!

So after that I walked around 7 Potatoes (apparently that is what "Nana imo" translates to in Japanese!) Frankly I think it sounds like a much more interesting place to visit...who doesn't love starch!  Anyway the downtown is quite fun to poke around in and then, totally by accident, I found a couple of good thrift stores.  Of course, I got all cheap and huffed at paying $5 for an enamel flower pin.  So what have I thought about since then?  Only how much that pin would've been the perfect foil for so many of my island ensembles!  Sheesh!

Then on Monday it was Canada Day.  The family tradition is to go to Parksville for the parade.  It is always entertaining.  The only sad note is that now I'm at the stage where they don't throw me stickers or candy but flowers!  It is as bad as being called "ma'am" in the States or "auntie" in Asia.  You see that's the problem when you've mentally atrophied at 21 but your body continues ageing.  Life is soo cruel!  Got some great shots and had a fun time and isn't that what it is all about?

What's Canada Day without Mounties?

Or culturally insensitive service groups?

Then later that day G, M and I took a walk around the neighbourhood.  We went and explored under the trestle and then around back by the farm that borders the railway.  It was there that tragedy struck!  I got a stick rammed into my foot!  Lemme tell ya it really hurt!  Of course it all came back to me the lack of sympathy I had shown when G did it to his foot up in the Cameron Highlands and how I had just been sharing some yogic wisdom about walking"mindfully"!  I can laugh now but at the time all I could think about was how far I was from home.  "Why is all the small things hurt the most?"  So I spent most of the rest of the evening soaking and digging deeper into my foot trying to retrieve the splinter but I knew in my heart of hearts it was in there deep and long.  What super bummed me out was I had just begun to get my yoga practice back up to speed (okay not a very yogic phrase but you know what I mean!).  So I'm out of the studio for a while."Poop."  But the beauty of yoga is that you can do it anywhere so I'll just have to do it on the grass.

Gratuitous beach shot.

So we went into Nanaimo yesterday to the Emergency.  I was kind of excited because it's the first date G and I have had in a while!  (How sad is that!?)  Of course our status here in Canada confused people (myself included) but I got 3 stitches and a dearth of sympathy from the attending doctor!  The piece of wood was 2 cm long and kind of pear-shaped and that is why I couldn't fish it out.  But it did make me appreciate how lucky we are to have health care in this country and not to have to feel anxious  or have to debate whether the visit is worth the cost like it is in the US. We all thought it odd that the Olympics in the UK celebrated the NHS but until you had to deal with private health care you don't realize what a gem it is!  Okay, off the soapbox!

So having fun and hope you are too.  Next post:  "Live from the Okanagan!"

I'm baaack...

I'm baaack!  Can't believe how long it has been since I wrote.  It's kind of hard when your laptop, cameras, ipod, and other personal effects have been stolen.  Yup, one of my last impressions of the US is of being robbed.  It is funny I don't feel violated just po'd.  Fortunately we had everything documented and were able to recover most of the costs.  I was most sorry to lose my costume jewelry.  It had the most memories.  For about a month I had a weird kind of Tourette's Syndrome where I would blurt out "oh they got that too!" as I remembered various pieces.

Then during all this, University wrapped up.  I had been doing a professional certificate through the University of Washington.  It was a museum studies course.  I loved that course and my classmates.

Don't I look like I know what I'm doing?

That was an emotional roller coaster!  The advisor had us all in a tizzy about our papers.  She kept referring to it as a "thesis" when in actuality it was a report.  So I (my sister may have helped with some suggestions...) managed to eek out 17 pages, 14 point.  Anywhooo I passed my course and can now put it on my resume...oh la la!  The museum in Colombo just opened a textiles gallery the end of May so who knows?  I think I'll have a lot of fun trying to get something going.

We also had to show the house to potential renters.  Lemme tell ya I did not bust my hump cleaning.  I just told potential renters, "this is how the house really lives!" Our landlord was long distance and fairly difficult to deal with.  He also cheaped out on everything and ended up damaging a very nice property.  Oh well...

Fortunately the kids had a nice sendoff from school and they seemed to have made some really nice friends.  My eldest is now glued to Skype having those meaningful long distance chats with his girlfriend.  "Sigh", I remember those days.

So I am turning my face to the future and our new adventures.  This weekend Cathy is coming over to the Island and we are going to go to the Nanaimo Museum(who knew?!).  There is a show about Art Deco fashions and the curator of the Society for the Museum of Original Costume is going to give a talk along with it.  I think it will be a fun day.  G leaves shortly after that for Colombo.  He's going down with his bro.  Once he goes, I will take M off on a road trip.  I might be able to catch up with R in the Okanagan but I will definitely meet up with my sister and a few other rellys!  I have to do some recon on potential retirement spots.  I'm looking forward to seeing the Karoleena showhome.  We kick around until the 21st of July then it's back to the US.

Stupid first world problem(s)!

I face this weekend with some trepidation.  You see, we are trapped in our house!  Last night the garage door dropped with a bang. I ran out to find that; a) thank goodness my youngest was okay and b) the door was stuck with our vehicles inside.  This is a "man problem"  so of course I got up on the ladder to look at it.  After a while, G determined it was the torsion rod that broke.  It's the spring that pulls the weight of the door up and believe me, our door's packin' a few pounds!  Compounding the problem is that door companies won't come out unless the landlord calls.  Our landlord lives in California and like all landlords is cheaper than a t-shirt from Target.  So he's trying to find one of his Russian dissident buddies to fix it for us.  I only see horror!

It really is like it is in the movies...

Images, sounds, colours, smells are all running through my head.  So much so that I can't sleep!  New York's put me out of sorts.  It's not that I had a terrible time, I had an amazing time.  So much of NYC is the feeling of being there.  Of seeing the places you've seen on the screen or hearing the voices of the people.
Not surprisingly then, it's the small moments that have the greatest resonance.  Yeah, I saw MOMA but it was the guy outside who was selling his work that I really remember.  It was the cop who was drinking coffee(..sorry cawfee) out of one of those paper cups with the greek keys printed on it, just like Law & Order.  It was sitting in the Rose Main reading room at the NY public library sneaking a snack, just like I did in University.  It was the gorgeous fireman who smiled at me on my way to the 911 Memorial.  It was being able to find my way around the subway.  It was finding this obscure store way deep in Soho for my son without a map. It was being asked for directions because somebody thought you lived there. It was for walking on the High Line and feeling like you'd already been walking above the ground.  It was for getting swept along but not swept under.

Everything's bigger in NYC.

Brooklyn Bridge

Jasper Johns

"Dirty Water Dog"

Shoe Obsession, FIT

It really is the greatest city in the world.

One more sleep...

Mishka Eyeball

Pretty excited.  This time tomorrow night I'll be getting ready to go to the airport to fly to NYC!  Woo hoo!  Life is good.  I'll be taking a red eye so I can maximize my 5 days there.  Got my guide book and my plans are made! Culture, shopping, eating, walking, absorbing...got it all planned!

It was back to school today.  It's spring session.  There's only a morning class and the instructor is a really interesting guy.  The class is about engaging communities and fundraising for museums.  He told us about his racial background (which is very diverse) and then asked us to tell him which community he belongs to.  It was a good wake up about who is coming to the museum and museum's assumption about who comes.  The demographics of the United States are changing and the emerging groups are not traditionally museum going types.  So how do you reach out and make these institutions relevant to them?    But what really touched me today was that 3 people came up to me before class and handed me something about New York museums and/or fashion curators.  They had been reading the articles and had thought of me!  Wah!  So sweet!

Our landlord has asked us to show the house.  I really don't want to do it as one of us has to be there while they tour the place but truth be told...I don't want to clean up. It's not like "Hoarders" or anything. I'm willing to live with a layer dust or as we, in the museum business call it...patina!

See ya in the Big Apple!