Volunteering

State Theatre After volunteering at the Film Festival I thought it would be fun to volunteer for the State Theatre. This old theatre has been restored, with donations from many people and the labor of many volunteers, myself included. This week I got a chance to do my first shift as usher. (much nicer than laborer). What a great experience! I get to meet civic minded people who also happen to love movies. And though the pay is poor ($0), I got to see a great movie, eat popcorn, and meet new friends. I am so lucky to live in a place with a vibrant downtown area, and so lucky to live so close to the downtown area that I get to enjoy it. Great Job!!!

Scenes of Cosa Rica

Photos help us remember the scenes, the sounds, the smells of a journey and the many people we meet on the way. We now have new American and Costa Rican friends. This was a trip worth taking, and was quite the adventure. We did ziplines in the rainforest, ATV in the mountains, shopping at the beach market, and enjoyed our new friends. We learned where to go and where not to go and how to travel and not to travel. But we would both go back. I came across this quote which sums our trip up.

"Most travel is best of all in the anticipation and the remembering; the reality has more to do with losing your luggage." Regina Nadelson

Monkeying Around In Costa Rica

Titi Monkey We were visited everyday at our hotel by these titi monkeys, howler monkeys, sloths and coati mundi. As abundent there as squirrels are here. But sadly we didn't see them in the rainforest.

Zipping Along

In the Rainforest of Costa Rica. This was the absolute ultimate best part of the trip. We did nine zip lines and two repels in the rainforest. It made the whole trip worth it. Watch for more pictures of the trip to Manuel Antonio.

Sunday Afternoon Drive

One of my favorite things to do in the fall is go on a color tour. So Frank and I, and our good friends Claudia and Chris all went for a drive. But as you can see, the color had not peaked yet. But the day was glorious anyway, we hiked, tasted wine, had a great dinner at a small up north eatery, and shared it with friends. What could be better?

Girl Child

My granddaughter has decided that this is the last year she is going to play football. She started the season on a new team. The first day the boys teased her about her ability to play. I asked her how she responded to this and her answer was, "It's ok grandma, they don't know me yet!" Her team finished undefeated. I like to think that her blocking abilities helped her team along and that her efforts were recognized by her all male team mates.

At the end of the season, she tells me she is sad because she is not going to play next year, she is going to try out for cheerleading instead. So here I am, wondering....how does she arrive at this decision? Are the boys really getting too strong physically for her to compete with (not that I can see, yet), or is it that as she approaches womanhood she is starting to identify with that sterotype? Whatever the reason, I hope that she understands something that I didn't for a long time. That is: she gets to choose! She shouldn't let the boys decide, she shouldn't let society decide, she shouldn't let me decide. She has the power to choose for herself. You go girl!