Around the World in a Lifetime - Travel Ramblings

Making a Black Ash Basket the Old Way

Tue, 04 Dec 2012 08:23:45 GMT

Here's to continuing traditions

A while ago I spent the day at my grandmother's house where she taught me to make a black ash basket the traditional way. Her basking making techniques come from that of the Northeast Indian tribes, including Mi'kmaq and Maliseet. She has attended many basket making classes held by the Abbe Museum in Bar Harbor, Maine and has learned from some of the best. I'm not sure how long she has been making baskets, but she makes some really amazing ones.

My grandmother helping me with my first basket. Yes, her jewelry collection is also amazing.

I just made a simple square to round basket with a bit of sweet grass weaved into it. My grandmother and aunt both said it was the best first basket they had ever seen. I know they are biased, it's just a little basket, but I love it! I do want to try to make a few baskets a year. It was fun and quite relaxing. The black ash smells really good and leaves your hand smelling that way for hours.

Black ash for the baskets.

This did get me thinking about traditions. How easy it would be for the traditional basket making to slip between the cracks of time? We must not let things like this happen! The Maine Indian Basket Makers Alliance, along with some talented young Natives, are working hard to keep these traditions alive.

Lack of interest is not the only thing posing a threat to traditional basket making. The emerald ash borer is slowly killing all the ash trees. It hasn't reached maine yet, as far as I know, but when it does it will eradicate the black ash trees. Some people are saving seeds to plant after the beetle arrives here, but that will take some time.

The beginning of my basket.

There are other material options to make baskets out of, but black ash is the preferred basket making material, especially around here. I think emotional attachment to the black ash will make it hard to switch to anything else.

More ash waiting to be turned into a basket.

If you ever have the opportunity to go to any of these events or museums showcasing the artists who are so talented and spending great deals of time and money keeping these traditions alive, please go! Monetary support is great, but just showing up at an event (lots are free) and admiring work is so helpful! Artists know not everyone can afford to buy baskets or donate large sums of money, but knowing someone appreciates their work is a huge motivation. With all the threats to this tradition some extra motivation could be just the thing to make people decide to persevere through the troubled times.

There is hope with what seems to be renewed interest in the southwest portion of the US. Let's try that up here in the northeast!

You can also catch up with the Maine Indian Basket Makers Alliance on Facebook.

Have you ever made a basket or learned another dying art? Put it in the comments and spread the word!

Quote of the week!

Tue, 13 Nov 2012 06:22:49 GMT

It goes to Officer Norris. AGAIN.

Norris: Ich bin getrunkt. Gew00t.

This left me speechless.

How to pack. Last minute style.

Fri, 09 Nov 2012 23:13:16 GMT

This should be titled "How not to pack" for a weekend getaway

As you may or may not have gathered I went to Iowa last week and was slightly stranded there because of Hurricane Sandy. I found out about 24 hours prior to leaving that there was a hurricane 'scheduled' to hit the east coast on the day I intended to fly home. This did indeed have an impact on what I chose to bring with me. These days I like to fly without checking luggage. So I didn't. The following is how I packed for a chilly weekend in Iowa with a somewhat definite chance of being stranded there for extra days.

The travel bags themselves.

The "Wild Horses of Fire" shoulder bag

Same style but fancier than the one I brought.

I chose to bring an L.L. Bean backpack that belongs to my boyfriend, as well as a Laurel Burch Wild Horses of Fire shoulder bag. I bought that one specifically for the trip.

The (important) contents of the bags.

Essential non-essentials (or how to survive a hurricane and travel delays)
1.
The one thing that I left clothes out for that I normally wouldn't have was a small fleece blanket. It stayed rolled up and stuffed in the bottom, yet I still don't regret bringing it. I assumed I would be stranded at an airport on the east coast or in Chicago riding out the storm. I could live without just about everything except that blanket if I were to be stranded on the floor of O'Hare/Dulles. I'm never lucky enough to find an empty seat.
2.
We're going to keep rolling with the whole "stranded at the airport" thought looming in my head. Books were second on the essential non-essential list. Now a book is somewhat essential, but notice the plurality of the word I chose. I brought four books with me, one being hardcover and huge. Hardcovers are something I would never travel with. Normally for such a short flight to a place where most of my activities had been planned I would bring maybe a magazine or a small paperback. The thought of being stranded at O'Hare or Dulles for the length of Sandy made me reconsider my one magazine/one book rule. I get pretty sucked into books and can pass a lot of time without realizing it. I figured that would be important. Also who else would be curled up with a book and a fleece blanket?
3.
I was unsure what the face washing situation would be while stranded, and also while crashing in bed after being up late. I brought Epielle Cucumber Cleansing Tissues in an unopened package in another Ziploc bag. They didn't question them and I'm glad I had them. I'm way too lazy at night. They also didn't count them as any liquid on the return flight when they were opened and in a separate plastic bag.

Females require more toiletries. Fact. (Or how to fit them in a quart Ziploc.)

Travel Sized Items (are fun!)
1. Shampoo+conditioner- you save on a bottle and let's face it. You can survive without your fancy separate conditioner for a weekend, or an entire week in my case. Thank you hurricane. Pert made my hair smell nice and it survived not having my coconut conditioner.
2. St. Ives Apricot Facial Scrub- I have sensitive skin, as well as sensitive everything else, so I need to know that I'm not going to have itchy face/eyes/skin or red blotches everywhere. I know this stuff works and they had it in travel size. If you're all sensitive like me just get what you know. There's no reason to suffer like that on a weekend getaway.
3. Deodorant- Get the smaller ones from the travel section. I think most regular sizes are under 3.4 oz but they take up too much room in your quart sized bag. I use Secret. You really shouldn't care though.
4. Toothpaste- Don't be that guy in front of me in line at Logan Airport who can't fit a humongous tube of toothpaste in a quart sized bag. Even if you can fit it in there it's way over 3.4 oz. Don't waste my time or your own. Get travel sized.
*Onto the girl-ier items*
5. Garnier Nutrioniste Skin Renew Anti-Sun-Damage Daily Eye Cream- Even though it says it's specifically for eyes, I promise you it works on your entire face. Despite the long name they were able to fit on the bottle, it only contains 0.5 fl oz. It's very tiny, very concentrated, has spf 15, and a little goes a long way. Perfect for travel. Plus I found this at the dollar store for, you guessed it, one dollar!
6. Hard Candy Eyeshadow Primer- I don't normally use a lot of makeup, but I did bring my essentials. I have this primer, which is not my usual as it is supposed to be for the eyes, but brought it for my whole face to use underneath my powder. I have a mini tube of it that is 0.24 fl oz. Perfect! I generally use Hard Candy primer and figured the eyeshadow primer would be a sufficient replacement. I was correct.
7. Rice Powder- I bought this at Sally Beauty Supply. It works quite well as a foundation type powder, though it is rather heavy on the perfume. For some reason it doesn't aggravate my allergies so I go with it.
8. Covergirl Lashblast 24h Mascara- My one makeup item I can't go without, so it came with me!
9. ELF Waterproof Eyeliner Pen- It's easy, no fuss, and works reasonably well. If I wear mascara I need eyeliner, putting it on my essential list.
10. Rimmel StayGlossy Lip Gloss- I opted out of bringing blush so I needed something pink on my face to keep from looking like a zombie. Pink gloss did the trick.
11. Fresh Sugar Lip Treatment- Do you know what the humidity on a plane is? Makes the desert feel sticky and damp. I can't drink enough water and always end up with chapped lips, so chapstick is a must. I got this as a freebie from Sephora. It's by far the best and worth the money. Sephora will give you samples which might be perfect for the plane ride though! I would check them out, they are always willing to give samples. Should have thought of that for my favorite perfume.
All of that fit into my quart sized Ziploc bag!
For packing less than 12 hours before I left for Boston I feel that I did quite well.

"But wait! There's more!"
"More?"
"Much more!"

Did anyone catch the SLC Punk quote? No? Well go watch it then come back. I'll wait.
...
Have you recovered from the acid trips and blue mohawks? Good.

Clothes and such necessary items (yes, you do need pants)
1. Socks and underwear- Due to the assumption that I would be stranded I brought enough for a full week and intended to do laundry right before I left Iowa, because I had that luxury. I packed them in small Ziploc bags. To me it's easier than having 7 pairs of socks floating around.
2. Shirts- Due to my horsey vacation in Iowa I brought my slightly dressy purple plaid western shirt, a thick Nike Pro Combat thermal, and some other shirts that really don't matter. This is very specific to my trip and those two shirts mentioned are the only ones I really cared about, plus some tank tops and one t shirt to sleep in. I will say this though, the Nike Pro Combat stuff is awesome if you are heading into colder conditions. I could probably live in it, hence it being in my carry on.
3. Jeans and pants- I brought more than I needed. I only wore one pair of jeans, though I brought two. I did enjoy having my favorite sweatpants as pj's and also a pair of leggings. Those don't take up much room. If you're a fan of leggings just bring a pair.
4. Jackets and misc- I'm a jacket fanatic. I probably brought too many but it was cold and I used them all. I brought my trendy leather jacket I purchased in Germany. I don't go anywhere without it so it was a non negotiable item. I brought an orange Calvin Klein fleece that I love and used quite a bit underneath the leather jacket. I also brought a black Hurley zip-up hoodie and my favorite lounge around the house hoodie. It was a pain but they fit and I used them all. To some people this seems excessive. I could have lived with just about everything else staying home except these. It made my trip comfy and enjoyable. If you have items like that it's worth it to just bring them. I also packed a light Columbia rain/wind jacket that folds into it's own pocket. I didn't use it but it took up very little space. If we had rain I would have been glad to have it.

Stragglers
I also had with me a small purse I tucked into the wild horses bag, my DSLR camera, my smartphone, hair elastics, a necklace, and a toothbrush. How did I miss toothbrush on the main list? Who knows. This is a "how not to pack" list anyway.

In the end I knew way in advance of my flight cancellation, thanks to United airlines. I didn't get stranded in an airport. I did get stranded at an awesome racehorse farm in Iowa with some very gracious hosts and some very gorgeous horses. Watching the hurricane happen, as I've said, from so far away was hard. I'm glad I had such a smooth go all things considered.

This list of stuff in the end was not necessary (except the pants). Would I pack lighter the next time I know a hurricane will hit on my way home? No. No I will not. The chances of being stuck at an airport are too great on a good day. The blanket and extra books would have made it all ok.

I hope this helps you to pack efficiently and in a timely manner. I did this in an hour while stressing about Hurricane Sandy and if I should go or not. Use this as a guideline to make sure you have at least the essentials and avoid my silly mistakes. To think I call myself a traveler.

Do any of you have a list of survival gear for being stuck at an airport? Do you have a favorite airport to be stranded at? Let's hear it!

©Jessi Lynn Trafton 2012

Post Hurricane Sandy Travels

Thu, 08 Nov 2012 02:08:38 GMT

I was all sorts of lucky.

I'm making this a quick post. Hurricane Sandy did so much damage and it was sad to watch my beloved east coast go through all of that. I flew home from Iowa on Nov 1st. I talked to a handful of people at the airports involved, most knew someone who had been hit hard by the hurricane. One man had a sister lose a house. His other sister had apparently not evacuated and made it through just fine, but said she'd never again ignore an evacuation warning again. It sounds like this was a wake up call. Now New York and New Jersey (along with New England) are getting hit by what The Weather Channel is calling Winter Storm Athena (though the National Weather Service is telling it's staff not to use the name). So all you people travelling to and/or from the east coast tomorrow and perhaps the day after BE CAREFUL (if you're driving) and check your flight status (if you're flying).

That being said United did make it quite easy for me to change my flight and get home after getting 'stuck' in Richland, Iowa. The family I was with was very gracious in letting me stay and enjoy their company and their fantastic horses. After the initial glitch with talking to a United rep it was quite easy to change my flight. I expected the waiting on hold, which really wasn't that bad at around an hour considering the magnitude of Hurricane Sandy. My original flight plan was to leave Des Moine, fly to Chicago, then to Washington DC, then to Boston, and then take Amtrak home. When I finally figured out which day to go back with the rep I told him I just wanted to fly directly home to Portland, ME. There were no questions asked and all I had to do was show up at the airport. I had one stop in Chicago then went straight home to the two-oh-seven. I did utilize early check in online and the mobile boarding pass. All worked incredibly well and made my airport time smooth. I'm pretty used to international flights so this domestic travel seems way too easy at times.

I'm keeping my fingers crossed that Athena doesn't add too much extra damage to the places hit by Hurricane Sandy. I'll mention in here that Maine didn't get hit hard enough to mention so we're all set for a Nor'easter. This is Maine anyway, we're always all set for a Nor'easter. To everyone I met in my travels who wished me safe travels and safety for my family during the hurricane I sincerely thank you. I was touched at the amount of caring and concern from total strangers. On that note I'm going to go watch Athena start and enjoy the snow!

And also Bender's Game on Netflix.

-Jes

©Jessi Lynn Trafon 2012

Brace Yourselves... For United Airline Reps

Mon, 29 Oct 2012 04:39:16 GMT

Part 2. The Wait.

On hold with United Airlines. What a mess.

*Several angryness's later...*

This is where I've been hanging out in Iowa. My first casino and racetrack. Good times were had by all.

After 47 minutes of waiting I get someone who asks if I want him to check for available flights at a later time ON MONDAY. Frankenstorm day (for those of you living under a rock). He had an accent from a foreign country, which is fine but I wasn't actually sure he was aware of a hurricane at all. Really United? You want to have someone checking for flights on Monday afternoon? Have you briefed them on the weather? It took 25 minutes of me trying to find out when they expected to resume flights ("well we'll email you if you reschedule and that flight is cancelled"). Yeah, pretty sure they are already cancelled, but go ahead and waste time checking for Monday afternoon flights through Dulles and Logan. I finally booked one for Nov 1st from Des Moines into Portland, ME with one stop at O'Hare.

In the end I'll be watching Hurricane Sandy/Frankenstorm from a horse farm in Iowa. I'm not complaining. Today I played with the bird dog, went four wheeling, and fed some horses. I like crazy weather but I'll be on an old ranch horse roaming the creek bed tomorrow, not fighting Frankenstorm in some twisted end of days film turned reality.

United, you did a great job offering reschedules with no fees and alerting your customers way ahead of time that flights were indeed cancelled. I had an email Saturday evening for a Monday am flight. That being said, what the hell were you thinking having them check for flights on the SAME DAY that the hurricane grounded EVERYTHING? I kept asking the rep when they were expecting to resume and he just kept asking me "well when do you want to fly?". Well I would like to fly Monday am but it's been cancelled. When are your next flights? Repeat this process for 15 minutes. At least I was only on hold slightly under an hour. Good job on that front United.

It's all part of the adventure. I'll have stories and pictures that will be worth riding out Frankenstorm in Iowa. Have you had any experiences with United or travel in general with the hurricane? Let's hear it!

©Jessi Lynn Trafton 2012

Brace Yourselves- Frankenstorm and Travel Mayhem

Sun, 28 Oct 2012 08:06:35 GMT

Part 1. Here we go.

This is what happens after a sprinkle. Frankenstorm should result in a different photo.

It is technically Sunday morning as hurricane Sandy approaches my beloved East Coast and I am in Iowa. Nine states and Washington DC have been declared a state of emergency. I have three scheduled flights on Monday. Des Moines to O'Hare (Chicago), O'Hare to Dulles (Washington DC), then Dulles to Logan (Boston). Do the math. That is not a good flight plan for the day this beast hits the East Coast. After arriving at Logan I was planning to take Amtrak (yay trains!) to Portland and have the boyfriend pick me up. As of Saturday night my O'Hare to Dulles and Dulles to Logan flights have been cancelled. Amtrak appears to be putting a halt to trains as well. At least they are taking this storm seriously. Let the stress begin.

What this means for me (and other travelers).

I am in Iowa checking out the Quarter Horse racing world. It's kind of an interview deal, thinking about working next year's racing season here on the track. I'm staying with the family I'd be working for and they said I can stay here until I get my flights sorted out, so that takes part of the worry off of me. United has said they will waive all fees for rescheduling flights, though right now I don't know if they know when flights will resume so I'm hesitant to book another flight until I know the hurricane won't cancel that one too. Also I need to see what to do about my Des Moines to O'Hare flight because getting stranded in Chicago just isn't a good idea when I can stay at a horse farm here in Iowa. Right now it is late and I'm still recovering from lack of sleep since Thursday morning. I swear I do love travel (I just keeping saying it over and over and over). Tomorrow I plan to call United to sort this out as I can not find a rescheduling option online.

The confusing parts.

"Who knows?" I've been asking this a lot. When do I reschedule flights? How long will this hurricane/nor'easter/blizzard/end of days weather last? Can I get a flight into Portland instead of Boston? United has waived rescheduling fees as long as you travel prior to November 4th. Is this storm supposed to last THAT long? Can I magic myself back to Maine? Where's Harry Potter? All of these are important questions I need answered RIGHT NOW. I don't like the hurry up and wait game. I'm glad I decided to go to Iowa even though I knew I would run into something like this along the way, but was it worth the stress? I think so. I suppose we'll see when the damage is done. That's all I've got right now are questions. I'll keep everyone updated.

Have you had to cancel plans due to Sandy or any other natural disaster? Leave your tips for staying safe and dealing with travel mayhem here! If you are traveling during Sandy please stay safe.

©Jessi Lynn Trafton 2012

Want a little adrenaline in Maine?

Fri, 19 Oct 2012 00:15:11 GMT

Try barrel racing!

... this is me in an event called 'single pole'. We won! Barrels later.

I took this gorgeous guy to a barrel race in Cornish, Maine. His name is Lil Colonel Lynx, but he goes by Stetson around the barn. We did ok, it was my first time back in the ring after a ten+ year hiatus from turnin' barrels. Hopefully it's not another ten years!

*All photos taken by the UH-MAZING Sarah Gerry!

Weave 'em and leave 'em! (pole bending)

Runnin' home

Turn 'n burn! (barrel racing)

And some love for Stetson when it was all done <3

Isn't he cute?!

I went to see Eurythmy!

Tue, 16 Oct 2012 03:35:51 GMT

Image does not belong to me and credit goes to original photographer/Chicago Waldorf School.

...now what is that?

"Eurythmy is an expressive movement art originated by Rudolf Steiner in conjunction with Marie von Sivers in the early 20th century. Primarily a performance art, it is also used in education, especially in Waldorf schools, and as a movement therapy" (from Wikipedia)

I had the chance, due to my 'job', to see a eurythmy performance by Eurythmy Spring Valley. It's a type of dance where the movements correlate to the sounds and rhythm of speech and to soul experiences (sorrow, happy, etc). It wasn't like watching interpretive dance, which I wrongly expected it to be. It's actually a subject that is taught at Waldorf schools, something I also didn't know about until today.

Here is a short video with an example and introduction into this whole thing. I'm not even pretending I'm an expert after one performance.

Well I actually saw two separate performances. It took place at Merriconeag Waldorf School in Freeport, Maine. (Yes, that town in Maine with L.L. Bean and all the outlet shopping actually has more to offer). I was able to see the first performance that was only for the kindergartners. It started with a spoken poem, in French, as they were heading to the French only speaking part of Canada. Maine was their trial run, because that's how bordering French speaking Canada works. It was called Papillon, which I know to mean butterfly. The dancers danced while this poem was spoken by a wonderful lady who told me later that she was from Montreal. Her French sounded spot on to me, though she said she hasn't spoken it in forever and she's rusty. I wouldn't know. I know Latin and how to order a beer in German. It was quite beautiful to watch, though I was still adjusting as this is something that I'm only sort of interested in.
*As a side note I do not know Papillon because I live in Maine and speak awesome Valley French. I leave that to my boyfriend from Fort Kent. I know this because I rode an Arabian horse in Germany named Papillon.*

The next performance, also for the young'ns, was about a flea and a louse. Little flea left the house and told little louse not to fall into the saucepan. Little louse fell asleep underneath the rosebush. Upon little flea's return he finds little louse gone and assumes he fell into the saucepan. Long story short, flea packs up and leaves with the table, the door, the tree, and some other now animate objects, only to find little louse underneath the rosebush. MUCH rejoicing!

The longer performance for the older young'ns was a tale about King Arthur! I love King Arthur! My favorite book is The Mists of Avalon (read it). They danced about to words and music, the colored lighting changing the colors of their costumes appropriately. It was quite amazing how the sounds, the movements, and the colors all had a purpose. King Arthur riding into battle alone to deal with the dark knight, or what have you, turned the whole stage into blacks and reds. When all was won on King Arthur's side in the end there was much light, turning everything blue and purple, and REJOICING!

I'm still not sure that I enjoy watching that type of dancing (I like ballet), but I loved the energy and the combination of everything coming together and the fluidity. I am grateful I was able to see this. It's always nice to have your eyes opened to a whole new style of teaching.

Here's another taste of Eurythmy. Enjoy!

What have you gone to see with no/limited expectations? Where you pleasantly surprised or bored out of your mind? Have you actually seen a eurythmy performance?! Either way I want to hear from you readers out there! I also want to hear from you if you speak awesome Valley French, but that's not post specific. I just always want to hear from you.

I miss my blog!

Sun, 14 Oct 2012 05:09:47 GMT

It's time to get back at it.

Lil Colonel Lynx (aka Stetson) and I securing a win during single pole!

I've been doing the horse thing, A LOT.

Maine is having a wonderfully rainy fall. I love it.

I went barrel racing on one of the project horses! Maybe more about that later?

I'm also thinking of adding a horse training blog to the mix. I would write more about that then anything else at this point. Travel/horse training blog... WHY NOT?!

Lil Colonel Lynx (aka Stetson)

WTF Monday Morning

Mon, 13 Aug 2012 11:33:53 GMT

Monday made me laugh! The impossible has been achieved!

My coworker likes to burst into little songs. Normally he makes them up. They are generally amusing and this morning was no exception. Keep in mind I work in a group home. The following interaction took place:

Coworker (M)-
"If you're happy and you know it, kill yourself!"

Client-
from the shower "Ha, you're funny M!"

M and I decided to ignore his comment. We just couldn't handle him finding that amusing. I'm not sure if that bodes well for the rest of the week. We shall see.

What made YOU laugh this Monday?