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Cute Dogs Update

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Maybeline sings to her chicken.

Virginia Snow (January 19)

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Floating with Friends

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So hard to get everyone together anymore.  Here is a subset of everyone.  The float was relaxing and gorgeous.  Only one canoe was tumped over.

 

On the River with the Progeny

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It was a thoughtful and very peaceful float.

Dark and Stormy on the water.

River Run with Joan and John

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Ah, the Shenandoah.  Though the river is desperately low this summer, floating down it is relaxing and wonderful.

The JoanJohn monster glom.

The romey.

All together now.

And then we had cocktails and played a little music.  Yes please!

Stairway to the Shenandoah

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During the solstice party prep, I was surprised to find out that our trusty stairs had disintegrated all at once catastrophically.

New stairs solves the problem.  Looks like this will last a decade.

What goes down.

Also leads back up.

The Shenandoah is drying out after a month of no rain.  Climate change is going to really suck even on the east coast.

Spring Peak Three: Rocket Time

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What’s the difference between Dame’s Rocket and Prairie Phlox?  Why the difference between four and five (and alternate toothed leaves).  This is rocket on the trail by the river that we walk every day.

Moonshine

 

And some black locust to perfume the air.

 

Final Moonshine

First (and last?!) time on the river 2022

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We are way too busy.  During COVID the river was a key respite for us.  Time to get back to our roots.

A run in September is just what the doctor ordered.

Honestly, they did answer…

Boyle’s boat looking grand.

A run of the class 0 rapids (with one hand).

 

Here’s to more Fall runs during 2022.

How many paradises are there, anyway? A visit to Terzo Paradiso in Biella, Italia

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You might die, but if anything is noted as the cause of death, it will be loneliness.

There are no people doing art or even visiting Terzo Paradiso unless you count our unruly bunch.  Here’s what we saw (and what we did).

First we explored random spaces.

And then we found some art to see (but only after getting lucky).

After a short nap in the hammocks near the circles, we found the projector and those glowy rocks from Land of the Lost.

There were no Sleestaks. So here are two for good measure.  They covet the glowy rocks.

There was dirt.

There was also very silly science.  But it was arty.

Not surprisingly, the room was better than the dirt.

Watch this video. Really.

Rhine took pics too.  It was hard not to.

We got lucky and found another human who told us how to cross the highway, go down the stairs and find even more art.  Or rather more art places with not much art.  Something like that.

Rhine woke up from his long nap, dreaming of Sleestaks and late 1970s TV.

The space rang a long cool echo of lost civilizations and the empty planet to come.

So there was dance.

And reflection

We climbed back down to reality using a ladder that was too short to reach the sky.

And then we left.

 

Ganesh Chaturti on the Shenandoah

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Sometime last summer (during the height of the pandemic), “the shrine” on my property was designed by Allen Kitselman and implemented by Claudio and his brother.  On 9/12 it was properly initiated with a Ganesh Chaturi ceremony led by Karthik.

Here’s how that went down.

First, Karthik shared the significance of Ganesh Chaturti, read some ancient text, and made an offering.

Ready for the ceremony

 

Karthik leads the reading

 

Incense

 

Ganesh at the shrine (and everywhere else in the universe too)

 

In the verdant woods of Virginia

 

A gift for the mantle

 

Then it was off to the river for part two of the ceremony, a small prayer with an earthen Ganesha moorti which Jackie immersed in the Shenandoah river in a traditional way (plus kayaks).

We kayaked several miles together.  Had lunch. Saw eagles. Reveled in nature.  There was a cheeto sighting.

When we were getting ready to depart, the truck failed to start.  But we persevered (with some help from Skaggs and a trusty hammer).

 

And then some fabulous food and conversation.

All in all, an excellent day.  The shrine is consecrated and new friendships blossom.

Bindi people

 

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