summertime with my family

This was the year that the cousins had the most fun they have had together.  My sister came in from Philadelphia with her family.  We were back east for father's day which was special.  The ladies all went out for lunch.  The kids performed songs complete with Shawn drumming on the table.  And the youngest grandchild read to us all at the table.  I love my family.    

corner view~stranger

While we were in Europe this summer my oldest daughter remarked at how beautiful the Italian people are.  I agree.  

Due to my new camera lens, I was able to capture shots of strangers like never before, from a comfortable distance.  Still, in a way I felt like maybe I was being a little invasive.  On the other hand, I love the way these photos capture certain moments, of rest, of play, of connection, of contemplation from the Italian and French people. Both of these cultures are ones I enjoy being around. After all, my ancestors were from France.    

the amma kendama project lives

This was in June.  I am behind in blogging about our summer travels.  I know it's October now but we had a crazy autumn.  We almost moved, but we didn't.  Since August I have taken two trips and am planning a third.  Plus we have been actively helping Sky with her many college applications.  Life is just busy in general.  Still I love to tell our story, so I will attempt to accomplish a review of our summer before the year is over.  We shall see how I do.

In June I took Shawn and Annabel to LA and we saw Amma.  Gary came a few days later with Sky after she took her SATs.  Shawn and I had shipped a bunch of kendamas to the LA hotel we were staying at.  We had raised money from our supersonic bake sale back in May.  We purchased the kendamas wholesale, so we made a good profit.  We brought the toys up to Amma and then afterwards were given permission to sell them.  The hall was so crowded with bookstore items and tables displaying all of the charitable work that we took a space in the hallway.  That was fine as it gave the kids room to play nearby.

We sold about twenty kendamas total.  We made $400 just from those.  We donated the rest to the staff to sell at their leisure.  It was hard work and Shawn and his friends spent a lot of time manning our "booth" that we fashioned out of the large cardboard box that the kendamas had been shipped in. He also played in the hotel pool with some of his friends.  After all, a boy needs balance.

When I came home in late July two of my five banana trees had fruit growing.  The bananas are just beginning to ripen now.  Are we in for another round of baking?  Not sure.  I might enlist one of the neighborhood kids to help my boy.  My focus this year is helping Sky with college applications and applying for scholarships.  It's pretty much a full time job, with all of my other family duties.

Speaking of full time jobs, I am trying to figure out what I want to be when I "grow up."  My background is in mental health.  Not sure where life is going to take me, but right now my focus is still the family.  Meanwhile I am finding inspiration in neuropsycholgical research on mindfulness and meditation.  There is a lot to learn in Ted talks and YouTube videos of taped talks of super smart people.  And I am looking into becoming a meditation teacher.  Life will unfold, all in good time.

corner view~darkness

This past summer we took the kids to Europe and visited Italy and France.  The above photograph was in Colle di Val d'Elsa.  We had taken the kids down a large glass elevator "lift" and walked through an ancient rock tunnel, damp and dark and a little foreboding, which opened out to a small happy town.  We walked a few blocks until we came to a town square where there was a festival.  We ate a very nice leisurely dinner in a quiet restaurant.  Then we wandered over to the town square. Night had fallen, and it was alive.  Annabel was thrilled to hear amplified music, as she ran to the stage to inspect the players. People were selling food, electronics, treats, jewelry, household goods.  I bought a smoky glass perfume bottle and two colorful scarves that will some day be used as curtains to cover up a small window.  Both of the girls picked out watch necklaces - Annabel picked a guitar and Sky picked an old fashioned pocket watch design.  Shawn was happy to get cotton candy, white in color.  

After we were finished with our evening we were walking back to our hotel.  On the street we saw an artist showing a video of color and imagery projected onto a building side.

And I thought then, and I am thinking now, sometimes we see the light, but only after some darkness. The light is always there, but it's the darkness that allows us to see it so beautifully.