more new york summertime

Family dinners, computer repairs, church on father's day, outdoor impromptu concerts with all of the cousins singing.  These were some of the things we did this summer with my family.

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.

annabel songbird

I love this picture that Gary took of Annabel in the recording studio.  She is finishing her EP.  There are four songs, I love them all.  She is our unique poetic indie rocker. She is really doing her own thing. She has put so much time into her music the last two years, I am really proud of her.  On this album she sings, plays guitar and bass. And she wrote all of the songs.  Can't wait to share them with you all!

this girl

Is and will always be in my heart.

Happy birthday Skylar!  You are eighteen today!  Wow.  It's amazing how time flies when you are having fun.  It is such a joy and an honor to be your mama.  I have learned so much from you.  You give so much love and kindness to others.  You are a wise person, and a great friend to many.  You have so many talents.  I admire your perseverance. You try hard at things, even if you aren't the best at them.  I love how you fill our house with music.  I love how much laughter you bring to all of us.  I love how you set the bar high for integrity in this family, and are such a great older sister to Annabel and Shawn. Your care for them and lack of competition keeps such a good vibe in our home.  We all love you so much!  And we celebrate you, that you were born into our family, that we get to share a life with you.  I cannot wait to see where your life takes you.  

You made me a mama, and that is the greatest gift of all.           

how is it

That I am so blessed to have people that love me all over the world?
My friend Shahla of Mother Miracle School sent me these photos today.  She was thinking of me and said a prayer for me and floated a bowl of leaves filled with flowers on the Ganges River just for me.  I am so touched.  And aren't the photos soooo beautiful?  What a reverent custom.

where do i begin?

It has been a long time.  This is the first time since beginning blogging that I have skipped posting for an entire month.  The last couple months have seen my computer broken, packing for travel, travel to distant places, including flying over a few seas, Sky doing SAT prep and taking the test, and a little illness thrown in, just for fun.

It seems like a lifetime ago that we watched Shawn in his end of the school performance, playing the part of a humorous king, a part he was quite comfortable portraying.  Shawn is our little confident king.

There will be lots of photos to share, eventually.  Since May 22, 2104 we have been to Los Angeles, upstate New York to see my parents, Italy, France, New York City, and now, my favorite place on earth, northern California.

Sometimes things are a struggle, and sometimes things flow with ease.  Lately, especially in the last week, in our temporary home in northern California, things have been flowing with some ease.  There have been some incredibly pleasant surprises. Quite a few actually.  It's so very nice.

I'll take it, and I'll bow.

what a hike

Look at this blue water.  I haven't seen water this color since taking a boat to Catalina Island in 1986.

That day we drove with the kids down country roads, past old houses and fields with a lone horse that looked at me.  We parked our car and put on sunscreen and hats.  We walked way way way up a paved road for at least twenty minutes until we came to an unbelievable vista.  At the top of the mountain there was a fence with lots of padlocks attached to it, locked onto it for eternity.  On the padlocks couples had written their initials, a sign of their commitment to one another.

mothers

So many of the photos I have of my mom include my children.

She was there helping me each time a new baby came into our family.
My kids adore her.  She is fun, creative, thoughtful, considerate, generous, classy, funny, a superb cook, and always has a warm smile to greet us when we visit.  Gary wants to add that she is also great to be on vacation with!  As an adult I really enjoy time with my mom. We have so much fun shopping, going out to lunch, talking walks, and of course, talking.

I still can remember the time I came home in tears over problems with peers, and she rocked me in the rocking chair and hugged me, even though I was twelve, my knobby kneed legs dangling.  There is nothing like a mother.

We live far away and so we have to make the most of visits.  I hope someday to be able to live closer to my parents.

My kids tell me that I'm a great mom.  I tell them I learned from the best.

Happy Mother's Day Mom!

Love you.

corner view~good memories

The year is 2006.  We are gathered in a small rural town in Pennsylvania for my maternal grandmother's 100th birthday.  My parents and siblings are there with most of their families.  My aunt, uncle, and cousins have come as well as another aunt and uncle from my father's side of the family.  We are six months early from Christmas day, when Grandma actually turns 100.  But this is the time when most of the family, who are spread out all over the country, can gather.  My grandmother has never been demanding and this time is no different.  She is so happy to see us all.    

We are in the nursing home where she lives, in a large room that my mother has reserved for the occasion.  It is by no means fancy, but that matters little to the people gathered there.  They are there to honor and love my grandmother, who was the epitome of grace.  Much like my mother, whose name means grace, by the way.

The above photo was a moment I captured on film that day when my oldest child made my brother laugh  -- two first borns making a connection through humor.  I don't know what she said, but he liked it.

On that day there was food and music and stories were told.  There were lots of hugs and kisses and laughter.  Photos were taken.  Gifts were given.  Friends came.  We stayed the day.  My grandmother's photo was in the local newspaper soon thereafter, a picture with then baby Shawn reaching up to her.   The photograph accompanied a very nice story about Grandma and her life's accomplishments. After all, not too many people live to be 100, and she was a long time beloved teacher in this small town.

Grandma died after she turned 100, about a year after the party to celebrate her life. My brother, pictured above, is a doctor.  He had told her years before, when she was in her eighties, "Grandma you're so healthy you'll live to be a hundred!" She believed him.

She was such a great lady.  She encouraged us and welcomed us at every visit, and supported my parents in every way.  She was always helping her friends and neighbors.  She loved to crochet and made most of the gifts she gave to us. She was gentle and kind, but a little stern.  We were expected to behave around her, but we did, we loved her so.  

Now there are even more great grandchildren in the family than there were in 2006. This summer many of us will reunite.  I am excited.  I miss my family. Thank goodness for good memories!

        Grandma with my mom and uncle