Cherry Blossom Candy Leaf

This morning I woke up and checked Houdini's bowl as usual. He was upside down, as he has been most of his life, but he was still alive. This week, it seemed like he had a stroke and could not change positions even if he wanted to. I knew that he might be dying. I stepped outside after checking on him. It was dawn, but the sky was still dark. An owl flew out of my neighbor's tree and back into it as a shooting star raced across the sky. I thought this may be some kind of omen. I went back inside and Houdini was dead.

I am so sad. I remember when Houdini came into my life. Kari's class was doing some sort of science project and each group of students had their own betta fish. When the project was complete, the fish remained and Kari offered them to teachers at Park Oaks. I came in to see which one I wanted and knew right away. Houdini's fins were long and curly like hair and purple on one side and blue on the other.

In July, Grandma took the family to Hawaii. It was kind of like when the Brady's went to Hawaii sans the tiki idol, but not really. Keith, his girlfriend Michele, his parents out from Ohio, Danny, Jeremy, Jennifer, the three boys: Trevor, Jake and Chad, along with Ben and I all in one state and one hotel. The trip didn't start out as planned due to the three hour flight delay, but we eventually arrived safely. Keith spent a lot of time taking Michele and his parents around Oahu, Danny spent most days in bed with some sort of disease, Jeremy, Jennifer and the fam hung out mostly at the hotel and Ben and I rented a car and explored Oahu. Grandma spent time recovering at the hotel in between days spent with all other members of our caravan (She is 92!). (One thing to consider, to be able to be together more, we would have needed to rent a very large van, otherwise we could not really travel to many places together.)

So we arrived much later than we thought we would, picked up our rental car (PYG!) and went to bed.


The next morning our vacation truly began. Check out the view from our hotel room in Honolulu. We stayed at the Outrigger, Waikiki.

We had breakfast.

We drove up the Pali Highway to the lookout. It is super windy there!!!

Ben asked one of his Hawaiian co-workers which beach was the best on Oahu. We were told to go to Lanikai. We used the map to get there, only to realize that this was one of our favorite beaches when Ben and I were in Oahu 8 years ago. We went to the same exact spot on Mokulua Drive in a residential neighborhood. We took the public beach access path...

And found the same tiny beach in between two homes, and had it to ourselves. We even saw a sea turtle!






The next day, Ben and I took grandma to the Dole Pineapple Plantation.


She loves a good scoop of ice cream. And the fact that it was made with fresh pineapple - even better!



We continued on from the fields to the North Shore. We made Grandma walk the longest stretch of beach in Hawaii to be able to say, "I strolled the sands of Waimea Bay."

But the long walk through the sand took a lot out of her, so she napped. Ben and I strategically placed the umbrella over her and lubed any visible skin with sunscreen.


This is by far, my favorite place to swim in Oahu. When you get in the water, it's fairly shallow, but it gets deep really quickly which has something to do with the huge waves that rock this beach in the winter. In the summer, it is flat and the water is crystal clear and DEEP!

This is the life...

Below, can you see where I am in the water? I wanted to swim out to the horizon!


Check out how far Grandma had to walk to get to and from the beach.

We continued to drive around the island, stopping at this park (grandma stayed in the car) and the macadamia nut farm (she definitely got out of the car for that!).

Ben loves Mokoli'i Island nicknamed Chinaman's Hat. It reminds us of his hat.









On the way back to the hotel to meet up with everyone for dinner, we saw several different rainbows.


After dinner, we hung out with Jeremy, Jennifer and our nephews. (My camera does not take good pictures at night.) We decided to go swimming in the ocean right in front of our hotel.


On our balcony at the outrigger - downtown Waikiki.


Kari, her mom, her daughter Megan and Megan's best friend Maria happened to book a trip to Hawaii to celebrate the girls' high school graduation at the same time as us. Kari called one night to see if we wanted to go somewhere so the girls could try snorkeling for the first time. Rather than go to crowded Hanauma Bay, we drove the western side (West si-ide!) of the island, which is much warmer and dryer than the rest of Oahu. Check out beautiful Makaha Beach.

Kari, her daughter Megan and Megan's best friend Maria.

We drove back toward our hotels in Waikiki and stopped along this lonely stretch of beach.



We looked for shells and rocks. I found several dead star fish that were so cool looking I had to pick them up.


Later that night, Ben and I walked to one of our favorite restaurants in Waikiki, Keo's for Thai food.





The mangoes grow on Keo's farm and this was the most delicious mango I have ever had. I love dessert!

The next day, we took our nephew Chad on a couple of hikes. Our first stop was Manoa Falls in Waikiki, near the college.









Afterward, we hopped in the car and headed to Maunawili Falls. This was quite a trek through the muddy rain forest. Chad wanted to give up several times, and fell down a lot, but we finally made it! He was a really good sport on the slippery, gooey trail.




The boys let me jump first.

Chad was the smallest kid we saw jump that day. He fears nothing. Here is a video of his first jump. I am in the water waiting for him. I did not expect him to dive.

Chad and Ben getting prepared to jump.


Here's his second leap with Uncle Ben.

My nephew Chad takes a flying leap as his Uncle Ben waits for him in the water.

Because the hike back to the car was more difficult: we were tired, the trail was downhill for the most part and super muddy and slippery, we bribed Chad with Bob's pizza (they have the best spinach pizza made with a garlic sauce instead of tomato) and ice cream. We wanted the day to end on a good note.



Ben and I dropped Chad off, attempted to find free parking and walked back to our hotel at sunset.

We ate dinner together and later saw Jennifer and my other nephews Trevor and Jake in downtown Waikiki.

Jake, Trevor and Jennifer in Waikiki!

Danny and I, one night in Waikiki.

As soon as school got out in June, I was ready for a vacation! And although Ben hates the sun, sand and water, he wanted to see Riviera Maya and stay where my sister and I stayed last year. Olga and Kari joined us as well.

When I was booking the trip, I knew we would have a great time, but when we arrived at the hotel, I started to get worried... What if they wouldn't like it here? What if they felt like it was too expensive and not worth the money we spent?

We arrived in the late afternoon and were greeted with cold washcloths, mimosas and beer. We checked into the room and everyone was super excited and loving it already. I wanted them to see the beach before it got dark because as good as the resort is, it would be nothing special without its beach.

Here they are celebrating our arrival!


We ate dinner at the Italian restaurant and explored what the hotel had to offer. Ben and Olga played pool.

Before going to bed, we checked out the Michael Jackson show.

Olga took this picture of us waiting for the show to start.


Olga also took these two live action shots of MJ in all his glory.



It rained the following morning, so Kari, Olga and I stayed in the pool and took a water aerobics class. That first rain was worrisome because it was a torrential storm. It almost hurt when it would splash off the pool's surface and back into our faces. But we were on vacation and enjoying it. Before we knew it, the rain stopped, the sun came out and it was gorgeous. We walked the entire stretch of the beach just as I had in the year previous.




Kari took a yoga class and asked us to participate. We decided to pass. She volunteered for EVERYTHING!!!


Then we had cocktails by the pool. I think the one Kari is having is called the Chocolate Moose.

Ben eventually joined us. He was still recovering from the "all inclusive" aspect of our first night in Mexico. Hay muchas cervezas!

We decided to try all the fruity concoctions we were noticing around the pool!

Ben tubed in the pool.

And checked out the beach.

We rode tandem on the inner tube.


Kari decided to take salsa and merengue lessons in the afternoon. I could picture Megan saying, "Mom, your weird."


That night, we went back to the beach to see if we could spot any sea turtles coming in to lay their eggs. No sea turtles, but we found these hammocks.


Before this shot was taken, Ben swung us to high heaven.

When we would get up in the morning and leave to eat breakfast, we would return to find towel animals waiting for us. Below are several days of animals. On our return from the beach or a day trip, we were always pleasantly surprised by the towel menagerie!






Here is a picture of Olga in her room. Our room looked just like it. You can see a towel creation on the bed. We would tuck dollars into the animals to encourage the house keeping staff.

Outside, we became friends with the iguanas, or "eggo-wannas" as Kari called them.



I strolled the beach every day. Many times, the girls would come along, but sometimes they'd prefer a good lounge chair.




Check out the color of that warm water!



The sand was powder sugar soft.


It really is paradise!


Ben met up with me during one of my walks and he even brought his perro.



We ended up in the pool.

We practiced rolling each other out of the water.


Believe it or not, we did this on more than one day. Looking back on it now, I didn't remember doing this again, but lo and behold, the proof was in the film sequence on my camera! Ben and I practiced rolling eachother over the edge of the pool. In an infinity pool, the water comes up to the very edge and makes pushing each other out of the pool fairly easy, and more entertaining than it should have been (especially after viewing my series of pictures from this event).


The night after the first "rolling each other out of the pool" photo, we caught the tail end of the Mayan show.

The following morning we got up early to go to Coba, Central America's largest pyramid. We made one pit stop.





The first ruin we set eyes on...



This is a Mayan ball court. At the end of a match, a player or team would be sacrificed.



The following two pictures are from Olga's camera. This was us on the long walk in the extreme heat to get to the large pyramid. Ben and I are standing on the wall of the Mayan ball court.



Coba, here we come! Ben getting ready to climb!



Here is the tip top of the pyramid!

And Ben and I at the top surrounded by trees and clouds that go on forever in every direction.

Looking down!

Afterwards, we stopped at a restaurant where crocodiles sunbathe on the lake's surface. In the past, the local kids would feed them meat for tips. Our guide asked us not to encourage this dangerous job.

After lunch, we visited a Mayan village and home. Our guide kept saying, "These are their circumstances," with a French accent. She didn't want us to judge them and wanted us to know that the Maya are happy no matter how much or how little they have. I wanted to say, "We get it, lady! Just stop saying the word 'circumstances'!"


The mom was making tamales with a dough and black bean filling. Ben thought she was making chocolate chip cookies over an open flame. LOL.

The Maya don't sleep in beds, but hammocks. This man who is connected to the community asked for a volunteer to help demonstrate how a couple would sleep in the hammock. Guess who became his Mayan wife??? Taketers, of course. (When she raised her hand and crawled in bed with him, I was absolutely horrified. I imagined that Kari's daughter would have had the same reaction. But it is a classic Taketa move, "Sure, I'll be your Mayan wife!") He held her in his arms and explained how it was the man's job to keep the hammock swaying back and forth all night as a means of staying cool.

This is a wall of family photos. Mayan people also usually have a photo of western Canada where the monarch butterflies begin their long migration down to Mexico. They believe that each monarch butterfly is the spirit of someone who has died. So next to this photo of Canada, is a photo of someone who has passed away. Although the family who lived in this home has never gone to Canada and will, most likely, never go there, it is a revered place.

After our visit to the Mayan village, we went to take a dip in an open cenote. A cenote is an underground opening that contains a fresh water pool. These pools are created by the underground river systems. An open cenote is one where the the roof of the cave has collapsed and has become a large pool exposed to the elements. On the way, we saw a demonstration of how gum is collected from the tree, and we even got to try some. The Mayans used the gum as a natural toothbrush. Olga got a kick out of the demonstration because the man in the tree did not actually hit the tree with the machete, but pretended to in slow motion for us to see.

They lit incense at an altar along the way and prayed for our protection on our journey to the open cenote and on our travels in Mexico.



Finally... the open cenote!


After a long hot day, we returned to the hotel. We ate at one of the many restaurants at the resort. In the photo below, Olga and Kari enjoy a drink at the tapas restaurant as we waited for a table. There is something really wonderful about tapas. For those who don't know, tapas are small portions of food that allow you to eat a greater variety of things rather than one big meal. It is genius.


Below, Olga shows off her dessert plate.

They had this one dessert called the black bear which was a cone of chocolate alongside a cheesecake tart. That was the main reason I wanted to go for tapas every night. Unfortunately it's blurry - it made even my eyes water, it was so good!


Because of the long, hot day we had at the ruins and in the Mayan village, we decided to relax back at the hotel. We knew it was going to be a good day when we finally captured "junk" on film. Kari was convinced that whenever he saw us, he would sit right next to us and pose for our cameras. I guess the picture below is the proof.

Ben snorkeled at our beach.



Olga painted a ceramic box poolside. This became one of her souveniers.

Ben and I joined her there.


That night, we took the hotel bus to Playa del Carmen. This is a bustling town of shops, restaurants, street performers and artists. We came across this band on one of the streets. The cheetah girl on the big drum rocked it.







Here we are on the beach in Playa del Carmen.

We stopped to have margaritas and guacamole.



The following morning, Ben and I went to Akumal to snorkel. We saw sea turtles and huge barracuda along with colorful fish, coral and reef. Kari and Olga stayed behind. We played in the water and snorkeled for hours. It was really surprising that despite the tourist and local crowds and boats that float and bob on the surface, there is a different world just under the sea: lots of protected sea life!


We also came across one of my favorite stores.

I didn't buy one of these paper mache munecas, but I should have. I did not bring a lot of money with me because I knew Ben and I would be in the water and our stuff would be on the beach. So unfortunately, in this consumer paradise, I had to sacrifice so many things, but I bought the coolest skeleton lady. Even though I carried her like a baby on the long journey to the airport, and throughout the airport (along with hauling all my luggage), she did not come home unscathed. When I had to slide her under the x-ray machine, they made me put her in a plastic tub that flipped over as soon as those "car wash" strips touched the plastic bin. Ugh! I was so annoyed since she had not left my hands the entire time, and the second I let her go, she lost three ceramic fingers.



When we returned, we strolled along the beach.

We often returned to the pool at night, or maybe, we never left. One night they had a pool party where one of the activities directors wore nothing but a speedo, pink inner tube and snorkel and walked around the pool yelling, "Pool Party!" in his French accent. I think I was laughing too hard to photograph it.

Pool Party!!! (say like Frenchman)

A common sight heading to and from the beach... I think they are in love!


The following day, Olga, Ben and I headed to the ruins at Tulum.

We opted to walk toward the entrance and were able to see this...

Just as we we were making our way to the inside walkway, a snake flew down from the roof after this poor little gecko. Olga was able to capture the slaughter. Creepy! Maybe this was a sign not go further...


The ruins at Tulum are amazing, but more than the ruins themselves, the location is the best part. Sitting on cliffs overlooking that beautiful water, I can't help but think that I should have been born a Mayan.





While the stifling heat got to Ben, Olga and I took a dip in that water. On the stretch of beach where you can swim, the waves are really powerful. Supposedly, the water there has healing powers. It certainly was what we needed considering the temperature outside. If it wasn't for the heat, Riviera Maya, Mexico would have to be heaven on earth.










In the collectivo, heading back to the hotel.

When we got back, Olga and I chilled in the lobby with a beer. Writing this now, I am jealous of us.




On our last full day, we stayed at the hotel, enjoyed the beach and did some last minute shopping at my favorite store. I told the lady, who I bought things from on my last trip to Mexico that I would be back for a third trip next year. I think I need to keep my word to her.

He does like sand, water and the sun!

He also likes dogs.

That night we had tapas for dinner, of course. We dressed up for the occasion.



On our last morning, we got up to see the sun rise and to really enjoy every moment that we had left in Mexico. We were told to be out there by 5 a.m., but the sun didn't really appear until about 6. We had fun anyway.











Olga and Kari on the last day.

Olga, Kari and wild beach dog...

We took our last series of dips in the water. Check out those fish swimming at their feet.



We talked to the guy who made and sold necklaces on the beach. Olga bought one. Maybe you can see her wearing it later in the post.

On our way back to pack and shower (and not leaving us enough time to do so, considering Ben and I had to pack up our room and check out before Kari and Olga), we saw an iguana brawl. And although I tried to let nature take its course, I eventually tried to intervene, but that guy just would not let go!



We made it to the lobby just in time to have a few beers for the long drive to the airport.


Adios Riviera Maya, te amo.

This is long overdue. I've been thinking about this post at least once a week since mid February when we went on a Guatemalan adventure. We had a four day weekend for President's Day, found a great deal on a flight and hotel, and headed out late Thursday night to Guatemala City. Our final destination was Antigua, a beautiful Spanish colonial city. This is a great place to learn Spanish because of it's many language schools that are reasonable in price or take a cooking class. Yoga studios are also opening up, so Antigua is a great place for a little retreat. Besides that, it is a place of tremendous beauty and history.

We took the red eye Thursday evening and arrived in a land of volcanoes very early on Friday.

We drove to our hotel in Antigua, unloaded our bags and napped before exploring the city.

We walked into the heart of Antigua, Parque Central. Ruins greeted us on every street along the way.




We spent the first day orienting ourselves with the city. Here we are in Parque Central where Jacaranda trees enclose the park.

Later in the afternoon, we went to a yoga class arranged by one of the 13 people that was on the trip.

We had dinner at Frida's which is quite famous for their delicious margaritas.


The following day, we had hoped to hike to Pacaya Volcano, but because we hadn't arranged it in advance, we got up really early to see if we could get a ride there. Luckily we found a group that was headed that way, and although we had to pay a little more, about $9 each, we tagged along and headed back toward Guatemala City. I knew that we would have to go up hill, but I had no idea that it was up hill the WHOLE WAY. I was about a month into my diet and exercise routine and not in the shape necessary. I was walking so slow, that the 6 year old on horseback kept saying, "Taxi, lady." I didn't want to be the lazy American so I refused. Everyone else in our group was European and totally fit. In fact, the 60 year old Italian even smoked on the way up and had no problems. All the walking they have to do in Europe really puts them at an advantage. I, on the other hand, was breathing hard, sweating and wanting to cry when our guide asked me to hurry.

"Taxi, lady!"

This was my quitting point.

Looking up toward Ben and the Euro hikers.

Ben looks like he is on the moon!

The Volcano!!!






While he checked out the lava up close, I enjoyed the horses.

When we returned, we continued our walk through Antigua.


We checked out one of Antigua's famous sites, the Arco de Santa Catalina. This is the only remaining structure from the Convent of St. Catherine which was founded in 1613 and had only 4 nuns at the time. With the number of nuns increasing, they were forced to expand across the street. Building the yellow arch in 1693 allowed the nuns to cross from the original building to its addition without being seen.






Walking below the arch, we were lead to the Iglesia de Nuestra Senora de La Merced.

Later, Ben and I had a typical Guatemalan lunch on the second floor of an old colonial building.

After more exploring, we ended the evening at a restaurant with my friend Kari and her daughter Megan.

Ben ordered a large beer, but we had no idea what that meant.


Kari wanted to try some Gallo, so in my wonderful Spanish I asked the waiter to bring another box, so Kari could sample it. Megan informed me later that the word for cup is taza (and not caja = box). Ah, the joys of being a tourist in a Spanish speaking town.

Our last full day in Guatemala was an adventure as well. We took a van to the Guatemalan highlands to a town called Chichicastenango. Most days, it is a sleepy town. On Thursdays and Sundays, however, it hosts Central America's largest market. Row after row of stalls selling handmade items, food, animals, etc.,. cover every inch of walking space. It was unbelievable! Ben and I made our way through the maze and bought some beautiful things!

You could buy just about anything there.








Including plenty of dead things and living things. It was crazy!!!




As you weave through the stalls, you can eventually end up on the steps of the Iglesia de Santo Tomas that is busy with worshippers all day. The church itself dates back to 1540 and was built on a Mayan Temple. Mayan ceremonies are still practiced alongside Catholicism. It is an incredible sight to see.

Flowers can be purchased on the church steps.

A man waving incense which has darkened the once white steps.


We visited Hotel Santo Tomas which is built in the Spanish style around a central courtyard filled with colorful parrots.


The town's cemetery.
When we returned to Antigua after the long drive from Chichi, we met up with Kari and Megan once again to explore Antigua. We weren't sure where we were going and ended up at the Monasterio San Francisco. Guatemala is very proud of their own saint, Pedro de San Jose Betancur. Born in the Canary Islands in 1626, he came to Central America when he was 31. He became a very familiar sight on Antigua's streets, ringing a bell and collecting money for the poor and homeless. Unfortunately, he was unable to pass the necessary tests to be ordained as a priest. His many good works, however, led many to call him the "St. Francis of the Americas". He is often credited with originating the custom of posada, which is the procession seen throughout Latin America before Christmas in which people reenact Mary and Joseph's search for a room for the night. Pope John Paul II canonized Pedro in 2002 and his tomb at the monastery is a revered landmark. Many miracles are attributed to Pedro and the people of Guatemala believe that a prayer and tap on the casket will send you help.





I didn't ask San Pedro for help that day, only hoped to return to Guatemala again.

Early the following morning we headed back to the airport in Guatemala City and boarded the plane for a short flight home.

This is so sweet. Be sure to have your kleenex handy.

I have a hard time keeping up with this blog because uploading the pictures takes so long, and I am all about the photos. So here are the last few months in abbreviated form.

At the end of the summer, I took an art class in Santa Barbara. I've been taking the class each summer for the last few years, but this time, two of my friends joined me. The classroom is at the Cliff House which overlooks the ocean at the UCSB campus. It is an inspiring place to work and take breaks in between projects.


One day, we went on a field trip to the San Barbara Museum of Art. One of our teachers, Joni Chancer, taught us ways to look at and discuss art so that we can teach our students how to do the same. We had to pair up at the museum and follow the outline of given directions and questions to consider. Below are a few of the images that interested me.


This is a portrait made out of fingerprints. I made a few small pieces of art. We worked mostly in acrylic paints this year. I made the cards below (maybe you received one in the mail) using a stamp that I made from styrofoam. Then I drew in the designs using Sharpies. I had a good time with it. I also began my own version of a Mexican retablo. We used acrylics on a metal panel. Like the Mexican retablo artists do, we used our retablos to show gratitude for something. I had a hard time narrowing it down. We also painted an ocean landscape on a large canvas. This was really hard for me, but I did get the hang of it (although I still have not finished it).
Our friends Brian and Lacey got married on the beach in Malibu. They had a party at Lacey's mom's house to celebrate. Below is a picture of Ben and the boys and me in Eric's funny glasses.

Grandma's cousin, Flory, passed away. We have become close to her grand children, Lisa and David. They both spoke at her funeral. Flory was a strong and inspirational woman. Before the service, we visited Ben's grandparents' graves.

Every September for the last 12 years or so, Ben and I, along with his family have been driving up to Pismo Beach. It's been different now that Marilyn is gone, so this year may have been our last. Ben's mom loved it there and it really isn't the same anymore.


We went wine tasting one day. It is so beautiful driving through the vineyards.


Ben tries the wine every year and each year he says, "Beer is better."

Danny came with us. He enjoyed the grapes.


We built a small vegetable garden in our backyard. We have had several heads of lettuce, peas, tomatoes, green onions, and several herbs already. This is what it looked like after we put the seeds in the dirt. It looks much different now. I "sewed" together the metal cover to keep Bula and the birds out. We also discovered a bird and her nest.
Shortly after, the babies hatched.

Bula has had several play dates. He loves it when other dogs come over to the house to play. Here he is with his dad and two girlfriends, Rissa (the shitzu) and Sadie (the pug).

We also went to see the Kings exhibition game against the Avalanche in Vegas with my mom and sister. Keith and Danny came along and stayed in the free room that Gabby got. It was an exciting game with lots of fights and penalty minutes. We sat very close to the ice: I will have to post some fight footage later on.

At one of the intermissions, they had a deflatable Bailey come out on the ice. It's a costume that's filled with air.It was really funny looking and every time I think of it, I laugh.


Ben and I went to Olvera Street in search of the skirt I wore for Halloween.
The Catholics were out in full swing. There were many people in purple robes. Babies and kids were being picked up to kiss a wooden painting of Jesus. Maybe you can fill me in on what this ceremony was.

I started my new job at the district office. My friend Kari and I sit across from each other. We talk and laugh all day, sometimes we have cried, but mostly we eat cream puffs.

One day, we decided to go to Venice and we didn't have to do sub plans!

During the fires this year, we shared the district office with the firefighters who came from across the country. Because education is a profession full of women, we were very happy to have the men around. And in a profession full of men, the firefighters were happy to see us each day, too. Here they are sleeping in front of my car in the parking lot. All the women in my office still miss them.

Ben and I have been slowly doing things around the house. I painted the kitchen lime green and Ben painted the piece of wood that keeps our sliding door locked. I waited until he was vulnerable, to paint his hand and face. Bula helps when he can.

We also live about a mile from Moorpark college. They have their own zoo there and teach students to be animal trainers.




We have had an exciting few months.