Goodland KS.

So, the first day of the epic summer of painting has begun.  I left OKC at 2p.m. no use in trying to leave any earlier, it's just not in my genes! The car is packed so full, I don't think there is room for one more item. It was great to be behind the wheel of my awesome car, cruising at 100 mph; weaving in and out of lanes listening to some of my favorite songs on a CD prepared for me by my daughter and son in law. 

Driving north through Kansas is not the most exciting route; the landscape is flat and the road stretches out in front for endless miles.  The fields had been plowed, I am assuming ready for the next crop.  I am always amused by the roadside billboards.  Some of the ones I encountered today were; "Christ is THE Lord", another was "Abortion is killing what God created", another was "If you died today where will you spend eternity?" My family and friends who don't live in the Bible belt don't understand billboards like these. Religion is a personal matter, not a subject for a billboard and certainly not a place that admonishes people. My answer for the last question would be "I will be spending eternity with all the souls being reincarnated over and over again."

It's much cooler here in Goodland, I hear thunder outside, I am glad to be off the road and in a comfortable hotel room for the evening.  Tomorrow will be a long day, I hope to get an early start (for me early is being on the road by 10a.m.!) This trip north is going to have to be a quick journey.  I am anxious to get to Portland, see my son and daughter in law and begin my painting sojourn!  I will write more tomorrow from where ever I end up.

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!