Art, tea and architecture...

Yesterday, we went to Fresno, to see Tiffany's one woman show in ceramics. Tiffany Schmierer is a former art student of mine, who moved to San Francisco about ten years ago and received her MFA at the San Francisco Art Institute. Reina drove the long drive from San Fran to Fresno, we stopped half way in Los Banos a small town to eat at a Mexican restaurant for lunch. We had artichoke enchiladas, all three of us are vegetarians. The enchiladas were delicious and they had spicy green chilli sauce for corn chips along with guacamole. After our leisurely lunch we were back on the road again towards Fresno. The long three hour drive allowed us all to get caught up on each other's lives. It had been three years since I had see Tiffany, and since then, she and her husband had bought a house and she is now a full time art teacher at a local community college.

We finally made it to Fresno and Tiffany's art show didn't disappoint us. Her work is thought provoking and whimsical at the same time. I was very happy to see how well Tiffany has blossomed from that young sixteen year old artist I met sixteen years ago!

We drove back to San Francisco, I took a nap in the back seat, and let the two young women catch up. It's very heartening to see how well Reina and Tiff get along with each other.

We ate dinner at an Indian restaurant called Clay Oven, the food was prepared in a similar manner to the way we cook at home. After dinner we took Tiffany home and enjoyed seeing her eclectically designed house.

This morning we woke up late, yesterdays driving was exhausting. We decided to eat at a local Vietnamese restaurant. Eating light was a good plan, since we had reservations at Lovejoy's a local restaurant serving authentic high tea, with scones, cucumber and cheese finger sandwiches. After tea, Reina and I went to an antique store to find a tea cozy for my teapot. I came across the most perfect tea cozy; it's a handmade with lace and dupioni silk. My wonderful daughter insisted on getting the tea cozy for me. It will be a delightful reminder of my visit to San Francisco!

San Francisco, the city by the Bay!

So, here we are my daughter, Reina and I in San Francisco! We got here yesterday and today spent the day going to old haunts Reina used to frequent while she lived here.  We had a great lunch at Chesters in Berkeley. I think, I would enjoy living in Berkeley, very bohemian! After our potato pancakes we headed towards the Golden Gate Bridge, I wanted to be at the base of the bridge looking up at this impressive structure. Lately, I have been interested in digital photography. I enjoy taking pictures from unusual angles. My daughter indulged me and found a way to get us to the base of the Golden Gate Bridge. I was not disappointed, the view was magnificent, and yes, I did get some spectacular shots of the bridge. We also visited a museum by the foundation of the bridge, it is called Fort Point, it's a historic site. We saw numerous cannons and wished my son, Mahesh, who enjoys historical sites and all things related to warfare could have been with us too, to see this quaint museum with it's own bookstore. But, we did the next best thing, bought a great present for him so that he would know he is always with us in our hearts, even when he is physically away from us.

After, our sojourn to the Golden Gate Bridge, we went to an area near the Marina and stopped off to have an afternoon cup of tea with a pastry. Dinner was at Pad Thai-- an incredible Thai restaurant, another one of Reina's favorite places.

As I finish this entry, I am looking out of the window of our hotel, our room is on the 18th floor with a view of this bustling, energetic city. Tomorrow, we will go to Fresno to see the one woman art show of Tiffany Schmierer.

Birthday month!

January is my birthday month, I celebrate my birthday all month long. I was born on my mother and grandmother's birthday, January 12.  My mother and I were both born on a full moon. While my mother was alive it was a very special day for me.  We would call each other and see who could wish the other happy birthday first-- now that she is no longer here on this planet, my birthday does have a bitter sweet flavour to it. I miss my mother, moreover, I miss calling her on our special day. I received many strengths of character from my mother and I also discovered artistic talents she and I shared. I look back on the time we had together and am wistful of conversations we didn't have, conversations we take for granted until we can no longer have them. I realized after she died, that I never asked her about the simple things she did? I didn't ask her what her typical day was like when she was raising me and my five siblings in Nairobi, Kenya? I wanted to know the mundane-- what time did she get up?  What did she prepare for breakfast, who took all the children to school?  When did she start to prepare dinner? What was it like to be one of the few Indian women in Nairobi who drove a car? She was a pioneer, a strong woman, a visionary... I am thankful, I did have that conversation with her, I told her she has always been my hero.

The New Year!

So, here we are in 2010!  This year I hope to raft the widest river in the world... the Amazon River.  But, before I do that a trip to San Francisco is coming up in February.  My daughter Reina and I are going to see the art exhibit of Tiffany my other 'daughter'.  Tiffany is a gifted sculptor and has a show in Fresno until the end of February.  I taught Tiff art when she was in high school and I have enjoyed watching her mature into such a gifted artist.  

Other trips planned for this year besides the Amazon are driving to Portland to visit my son Mahesh and his wife Sara and a quick trip north to Vancouver BC to visit family and then who knows?

Back to teaching.

After I got home from my recent road trip, I hit the ground running. Usually I give myself at least a week before I enter my life here in Oklahoma. I take that time to readjust to my former life. I am fortunate that I can do this, since I set my own schedule for teaching and consultations with clients. But, this time since I had taken three trips one after the other, my schedule was more cramped. A day after I was home I taught a course in Feng Shui. I enjoy teaching. It's fun to see the "eureka" moment in my students faces. Feng Shui is solution oriented philosophy and I like to solve puzzles. It's always a challenge to figure out why people are stuck in certain habitual life patterns. And, how to unlock the stagnant areas of their lives. I am a problem solver. It's fulfilling to figure out why a person's environment is stuck and how to get the energy moving again.

Even though it's very enjoyable to be on the road, I am glad to be home and in a routine. We are all creatures of habit after all!

The drive home.

I am back in Oklahoma. The drive home was uneventful and an easy drive. I was home by 6 p.m. My daughter was waiting at my home for me with a stocked fridge and snacks for me to eat. Since she knows, I will not go to the grocery store anytime soon! What a wonderful daughter. I did something right in my previous lifetime to deserve the children I have in this lifetime!

On the way home on I-40 east in New Mexico there is a truck stop which is owned by Sikh Indians. The billboard intrigued me. It said "A taste of India" I had to pull over and investigate. Sure enough they had a taste of India, as in-- Indian food! I was so happy. Since I left Vancouver I had not eaten any Indian food. I think my system begins to crave the Indian spices after a few days. To find a truck stop that served authentic home prepared Indian food was a delight! I took the time to sit and eat lunch. I felt as though I was in an episode of the Twilight Zone. I was surrounded by Indians, there was Indian news on the television set in the corner. This was a truck stop in America, but all the truckers were Indians And, the food aroma was unmistakably Indian!  And, it was interesting to speak Hindi and Punjabi in the desert of New Mexico. Wonders never cease to exist!

The Painted Desert.

There is a side to my personality that wants to push the limits of my endurance. After Gene and I arrived in Chicago from India, I chose to drive to OKC, a twelve hour journey! This was after a long international flight. When I woke up this morning, I had a chat with myself--- no way was I going to drive straight through to OKC. I woke up late deliberately; that's not too hard to do! Then, I drove slowly, that was a bit more difficult. Then, I made myself take the exit for the Petrified Forest and the Painted Desert. Even though I have seen this beautiful park before, I knew the only way I would not test my endurance was if I simply didn't have enough time to make it to OKC in one day from Winslow.

I am glad I took my time today, I drove slowly through the Painted Desert, it always reminds me of spumoni the delicious Italian ice cream dessert. I almost want to take a spoon to the delicious looking mounds. Fear not, I only think about it!

The Petrified wood really fascinates me, I want to take a big chunk home with me, but I resist the strong urge. Instead I took pictures of the colourful trees. As you exit the park the rangers ask you if you enjoyed your drive through and then politely ask if you removed any petrified wood? I am sure no one is going to admit to taking anything, yet the park has been pillaged since it's discovery. I am reminded of a policeman who stopped me from picking up a stone from Mount Rushmore. He eloquently said "Young lady, I am as serious as a heart attack, you can't pick up a rock from here. If I let you take a rock, then everyone else will want one too, and pretty soon we won't have a mountain left". Those were the days when I used to pick up rocks as souvenirs, I ain't like that no more! I am a reformed rockoholic.

After my side trip to the Painted Desert, I drove on through. It was hard to say goodbye to Arizona.  New Mexico is interesting too, I find Arizona's beauty in a class by itself. Tomorrow  

I will be home, and I would not have pushed the limits. It will be an easy drive from Santa Rosa to OKC. There are no more road trips in the near future for me. I guess I need to start planning where I will drive to next summer. Nova Scotia has been intriguing me of late!