Surprise, Surprise!
I am still trying to figure out how I want to describe my latest adventure out in the world. Here's what I have come up with: Betsy, my mentor in travel, emailed a while back and said, Wanna go to Mali? I said, Well, if you could give me some suggestions of WHY I would want to go to Mali, maybe I would wanna go. Later, she said, How about Morocco? I said, Ok. And signed up with the Australian lower budget tour company Betsy had scoped out.
I find when I go on trips with a leader and fellow travelers, I do less research. I want to be the kind of person who reads epic histories of the countries I visit, but I'm not. If I read the history in the guidebook I am doing well. On a tour (ouch, I don't like that word!), I may not even read about the places I am going until the night before. There, I said it. So when I got to Morocco and had a marvelous time in this lovely country filled with lots of wonderfully friendly people, you can imagine how pleased I was. We saw mountains and deserts and oceans white with foam...ah...I get carried away--because it is easy to do about Morocco. Who knew?
One fun aspect was that our group included folks from Argentina, Chile, Germany, and Australia, with Betsy and me the only Americans. We were also the oldest. Our leader was a handsome Moroccan who we called Betsy's boy toy. Despite the lower price tag, I would say the trip was almost flawless. Things kinda fell apart in the end but that has been known to happen on trips that cost way more than what we paid.
After a few experiments in public transport, we climbed into our little bus and zipped around the country. We did a loop, starting in Casablanca and ending in Marrakech (I still get a kind of thrill from saying these exotic names) with stops in the capital Rabat, the market city of Fez, the Sahara Desert (complete with a camel ride), the Moroccan Hollywood, the High Atlas mountains, and the beaches of Essaouira. Awesome, all of it.
After dinner at the Italian restaurant in the Marrakech train station, I climbed on the overnight train to Tangier (that sounds a bit exotic too!) to a taxi to a bus to a ferry to Spain. I spent the next bunch of days wandering around Andalusia: Granada, Sevilla, Cordoba. Then, after a way too fast train ride, I fell in love...with Barcelona. I met up with cousin Bill and then friend Bonnie, and we saw as many of the sights as we could. It was hard to wipe the smile off my face. The buildings, the walking streets, it's such a scene!
The element of surprise--not knowing what to expect from Morocco and knowing the concept of Gaudi in Barcelona but not being able to fathom the reality of it--made this trip a gem. Wonder where I should surprise myself next?
Things I am Learning & Miscellaneous Observations
• Under the heading, “I did it so you don’t have to,” I stopped at a fast food spot (ok, it was Burger King) because of a tight scheduling situation. The parking lot was a nightmare. The drive thru line—the reason I went there rather than some place where I had to park and go in—was worse…so I parked and went in. Inside was a strange land. The menu on the wall only contained part of the options. I guess one is supposed to already know it all. I asked for something with grilled chicken. I got fried and I am still not certain whether it was chicken or fish—it had no discernible texture. To add insult to injury, it cost almost $7…for bad food. A better idea beforehand than after, I will try to remember that next time so I don’t do it again. • I wish trips didn't end in the airport. Flying and airports have become such a challenge.
• No matter how well I know and love someone there will always be parts that are kinda surprising and foreign.
• Explaining time changes to a dog is impossible despite how tempting it is to try. He knows when it gets light. What difference does it make what time it is?
• Two geese flying north. There is hope.
• When I showed up at Habitat for Humanity Women Build this year--my third--I said to the two construction supervisors that I was pleased to see that we were greying at the same rate. Seeing someone each year for a couple months, I never know what changes might happen.
• The green of spring still surprises amazes amuses and pleases. 'Course it's going down to the low 30s tonight. I hope the green doesn't mind.
• Happy anniversary PNewL PNewS! You are 19!!!
• Relationships. sigh. So confusing. And we are all so different in relationship. That's both comforting and confusing.
• Lesson I can’t learn—if I dread something, it usually winds up being fun.
• A word Bear will never understand: love. It is a word he hears more than almost all others—and he will never know what it means. On second thought, he might think it means food or walk or ride in the car (his favorite things).
• If you want to see my pictures of Morocco and Spain, I can send the link. It’s on Kodak’s website and I am not sure how to include the link here.
“I am not an alpha dog” or “I am fine just the way I am”
I quilt because I like it. I like to make something that I like to look at and is comforting and is appreciated by the recipient. I quilt or knit or bake or make stuff in general because I like to do stuff with my hands. I like to feel engaged in a project. I do not quilt to be better than others, for awards or even to perfect my skills. I have little ambition in quilting— come to think of it, I don't have much ambition...period. And the funny part is that I finally figured it out. Another Thing I am Learning?
Recently I got roped into being the Program Chair of the Asheville Quilt Guild. What was I thinking? Again, I would like to be the kind of person who did well in meetings and on Boards, but I am not. Anyway, the fun part of the job is that I get to hang out with the really great quilting teachers that are coming to town. Last week, I hung out with and took a class from the very talented and quite pleasant to hang out with Philippa Naylor. She was the one who said the words I could finally hear about my...condition.
Philippa is a wildly precise and picky and...am I allowed to say this in a G-rated publication?...anal quilter. Matter of fact, she is that way in real life—and I think she would agree with that description. I mean she gave the six steps (I think it was six) she uses for applying lipstick that stays on all day—detail oriented chick! After showing some of the intricate processes she uses to create the gigantic intricate quilts she makes, she said (something like), You don't have to do what I do. Do what you like to do. It's about enjoying the experience. And I do and she does and we do it oh-so-differently. As the saying goes, that's what makes horse races, or in this case, quilt shows.
Trained as a fashion designer, Philippa is a talented technician with the sewing machine. She says her competence is often one of the things that set her apart. No kidding. In talking about how she makes her seams lie really flat she had gobs of tips including using really teeny needles with hair-like thread. I so want to be someone who cares on that level, but, woe is me, I am not. And I’m ok, she’s ok.
In a same-same-only different vein, my neighbor Jeff insists that I am not an alpha dog (neither is his wife) like it is a fact and on another level, something I should want to be. I thought it was funny when he said it and then I thought I should want to be the alpha dog! Now, with my new perspective (!), who cares? Yay
Calendar Alert: Angel Island Picnic #30 is coming up on June 25. Be there or be square.
"We do not quit playing because we grow old, we grow old because we quit playing." Oliver Wendell Holmes
