bed beach

This weekend, we went to Cama Beach State Park. I have been wanting to go ever since it opened--but the place is always booked. I think you need to make reservations 9 months in advance if you want to come here in the summer.

So, I called to make a reservation in August--and since I really wanted a waterfront cabin--my options were fairly limited. But, I took a chance that we wouldn't have any plans the weekend before Thanksgiving. It also happened to be the weekend before NB's birthday--so I told him that we were going away for his birthday (when really, this birthday present was for me).

(I actually do this a lot--I know I should be thinking about what the person wants when I get a present. But instead, I'm still thinking about what I want. Invariably, I get things that I like--and then give them to others as a present. I think it makes me happy to have that thing that I wanted, even for a brief moment. Selfish of me, I know.)

We got lucky in that the weather wasn't too bad. Saturday night there were some strong winds--and the cabin shook with each blow. But it held up. And we were very warm and toasty with the heater on.

I loved being able to see the water from the bed. I loved lying in bed, listening to the waves lap against the shore. Although I'm sure "Cama Beach" has a different meaning--in Spanish, "cama" means bed. And I have to admit, I spent a lot of time in bed.

a single man

Wow. I just saw a trailer for A Single Man. Wow. (It must be repeated.)

I can only assume that it will be brilliant--Colin Firth and Julianne Moore. But, it is also visually beautiful. I'm assuming we can thank Tom Ford for that.

Sometimes I wish I could have been alive during the 1960s--with the big hair and the heavy eyeliner. Like my beautiful mother, in the 60s.

I just love the look. But realistically, I'm too lazy.

purple tomatillos

I bought some very tiny starters in the spring, not more than 2 inches tall. According to the label, they were purple tomatillos. I think I expected the tomatillos themselves to be purple.

Sadly, only the skins were purple. It is a very pretty shade of purple though.

I had trouble figuring out if the tomatillos were ripe.  But, since it's getting so cold in Seattle, I figured I should just pick all of them and make some salsa verde--and hope that the un-ripeness isn't noticeable.

I used a recipe from Rick Bayless's cookbook, which was remarkably easy. I'm not sure if it was "authentic"--but it was perfect for the chicken enchildas that I made. Fresh tomatillos make a wonderful salsa verde. I definitely want to plant tomatillos again. Maybe I'll try a different shade next year.

panza verde (green belly)

According to my Spanish teacher in Antigua (whom I didn't particularly like, but that's another story), Antiguenos are sometimes known as "green bellies" (panzas verdes) because they eat a lot of avocados. I had also read this in my guidebook--although I wondered if it was really only the Antiguenos who eat a lot of avocados--or Guatemalans in general.

My host mother in Quetzaltenango made soup for lunch everyday. And invariably, half of an avocado would be sitting next to my bowl, waiting for me to spoon its lush, green flesh out and into my soup.
Plain and simple. Something I would not have thought of, and yet it is so perfect to add some avocado to soup.


My green belly is very happy.

photo books

It has been almost a month since I've been back from Guatemala. And I have been woefully bad about posting. I keep wanting to take some pictures--especially now that Seattle is bathed in beautiful fall colors. Unfortunately, I'm swamped at work.

I keep trying to tell myself I will wake up a little earlier (especially now that we've turned back the clocks), so I can take some pictures of my yard. But, it hasn't happened yet. I better hurry before all of the leaves fall off. In the meantime, I feel pressed to hurry up and finish making a couple photo books.

I love Blurb. They have incredibly good pricing for photo books--and right now, they have a special for 20% off plus free shipping. So, I'm desperately trying to complete photo books for some of our past trips.
Last year, we went to Beijing, Tokyo and Kyoto. It was a wonderful trip. But so far, it has been really hard to figure out which pictures are "worthy" of actually being in the photo book. I think I'm going to have the same problem when I start putting together the one for Mexico, Peru and Guatemala. Too many photo books to make!

(Okay, I shouldn't complain--because this also means that I've taken some great trips.)
Good thing I keep a travel journal, because I have to keep looking at it to remember where we went. This is sort of sad, considering that it's been only a year. But, I suppose that's the reason to keep a travel journal.

it's over

I cannot believe that a month has flown by so quickly. While I had the best intentions to blog while I was in Guatemala, clearly that didn't happen. I'm flying back to the US tomorrow. Right now is my last chance to post while I'm still in Guatemala.
I have been amazed at the textiles in Guatemala. A lot of the Mayan women still wear the traditional clothing, beautifully woven by hand, and often embroidered as well. Unfortunately, most of the Mayan men wear Western clothes. Part of the reason is because it is much cheaper. The other reason is because the men are discriminated against when they wear the traditional clothing in an office environment. At least, this is what we were told when we visited a Mayan weaving center.
I have also been amazed by the beauty of the natural environment. There are hot springs, lush green hills, and places that look like cloud forests (although maybe they aren't cloud forests by scientific definition).
Guatemalans appear to also really like to celebrate. I was here for Independence Day (obviously a big celebration). And then about two weeks later, there was a celebration for the Virgen de Rosario (patron saint of Quetzaltenango). Meanwhile, for almost any occasion (including birthdays) firecrackers are lit. This can happen at all hours of the day or night. Unfortunately, they often sound like gun shots.
I love the doors on so many of the old buildings. Sometimes, they have over five padlocks--which cracks me up. I can't imagine having to unlock 5 or more padlocks every morning. Many of them also have beautiful knobs and door knockers.
And finally, there are the stray dogs. Some of them look pretty mangy. But occasionally, they look downright cute--and then you have to remember that these are not pets--and I'm not sure they like humans.

some fotos, some thoughts

I've been in Guatemala for a week now. I spent only one day in Guatemala City, which was quite enough. Although I'm sure other people have found wonderful things about that city. Personally, it was not for me.

After a 5 hour bus ride, I arrived in Quetzaltenango--which is where I'll be studying Spanish for 3 weeks. So far, it has been great. The other students are super friendly. And Xela (as this city is also called) has some interesting places to visit.

For instance, I'm completely in love with the cemetery.There is a story of a gypsy girl who fell in love with a wealthy boy. The mother of the boy did not approve of the match, and the gypsy girl died (from heart-ache, of course). Now, people write on her grave, asking for help with their love life.
Although my focus was to learn as much Spanish as I can while I'm here, I also was determined to learn how to fully use my DSLR. Unfortunately, it's not the safest of cities--so I don't feel super comfortable walking around with this giant camera. But, I have been carrying around the small camera to snap some random pictures.
I love the colorful clothes of the indigenous people who live here. On Sundays, the church next to the cemetery has several Mayan women selling beautiful flowers--the flowers matching the colors of their clothes. It is moving to watch families attend to the graves of the departed. Perhaps this also happens in the US, but I don't think I've seen it before. The cemetery is definitely my favorite spot in Xela.

my unrelated sisters

I don't have any sisters. While I have some very close friends, whom I love very much. I don't think of them as sisters.

However, I am lucky to have two friends who I do think of as my older sisters. We are not close--the way that best friends are close. However, it feels like sisterhood. I know that they are there for me--and they give me wonderful advice. Maybe because they are a little older than me--and have had incredible experiences--(not to mention that they are super smart)--that I feel like they can guide me. This is a sisterhood that does not feel competitive. It feels warm, trusting and easy.

It's funny how you can find people in your life who play such a wonderful role in your life. I sometimes forget how lucky I am to have the friends that I have.

his side

NB is away for the long weekend.

As usual, I am at first a little paranoid. Listening for any strange sounds. Scared that someone is breaking into the house.

Eventually, I relax. Remind myself that the strange sounds have always been there--I just hadn't listened for them before. The house is no longer a different house.

It's funny how you get used to something, and then you have to adjust when something changes.

Then again, some habits are quick to return. Before NB and I moved in together, I slept on one side of the bed...partially because the other side was used as a staging area. Since NB has not been home, here's what his side of the bed looked like this morning:
It's back to being a staging area. This time, holding clothes that I'm packing for Guatemala, as well as the magazines I need to read and recycle. Hmm...I probably should get this cleared up before NB returns...

procrastination tote

I really should have been cleaning the house. Or packing for my trip to Guatemala. Or watching the back log of movies that we've borrowed from the library (and will soon be overdue). Or even reading my magazines so that they could be recycled.

Instead, I decided that I needed a tote bag to carry around with me in Guatemala. Not that I don't already own several tote bags. But, I decided to make one from Lotta Jansdotter's book.I can't decide if I like it. I love the prints by themselves...but I'm not sure they go very well together. Oh well, after spending over 2 hours making this bag, I'm bringing it with me anyway.

I couldn't resist adding a couple things to the pattern in the book--but since it's something that I just came up with randomly by myself--the execution is not very elegant. Even so, I'm happy there is now an inside pocket--with a little skinny pocket for a pen. And a loop for a carabiner to hang my keys on.