The Greear Family

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2024-04-06T15:15:00.001-08:00

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Time

2014-02-19T08:43:00.001-09:00

I don't know where the time goes. I have finished my student teaching. I have managed to keep my family healthy and happy. I managed to get this evil predator out of my chicken coop. I managed to make Otto feel bad by telling him 'the rest of the United States knows more about his life than his own neighbors'. Now he is calling me daily. I keep getting Marina to go to school. I have the only middle school aged son who wants his mother to come and spend two hours a day doing math with him at school. And so, I go to the middle school and relive my middle school experience with him as he has the experience for himself. I substitute teach and Vince goes to Soldotna and we carry on.

I haven't taken a picture in a month. There has been a lot of excitement, of course. But, the kids are old enough now to not want their lives broadcast. And I am busy enough now to be able to resist the urge.

Be assured that we are happy, healthy and active. Send me an email if you want details!

Summer Shots

2013-08-02T09:25:00.001-08:00

Growing up

Iris's birthday

Refinished the Pedley's dining room set

Falcom sang the National Anthem for the Governor

Chickens!

Fishing

Boat Rides

Bradley Lake

And a Regular Tuesday visit with Irene

This summer has been amazing...sunny, busy, active and wild. It will end as quickly as it arrived. Rest assured we have been loving it!

Yearly Lupine Pictures

2013-06-21T07:55:00.001-08:00

Falcom. 14

Marina. 10

Jubilee Auditions

2013-04-23T11:21:00.000-08:00

The thing I love about this time of year is that there is fresh music around: fresh, live, invigorating, beautiful music. Falcom, Brian and Maygen are trying out their "Dolly Parton Mashup" which includes two of our favorite songs "Jolene" and "9 to 5".

The Girl Scouts are doing a parody of Katy Perry's 'California Girls' called "Alaska Girls". I really love how they turned the song from being about looking under dressed and brainless to Wild Organic Natural Alaskan. Imagine this: There are girls in the world who are proud to be fierce and fun without daisy dukes and stilettos? Oh my goodness! Girls can be wild and wonderful without being slutty! Can you imagine that? Girls who are affiliated with me can...

Everyone was nervous to get up in front of the judges. Well, everyone except for Falcom and Maygen. I don't know if it is because they have done this so many times or because they are both self confident. I wish all of the kids could feel the way they feel.

Regardless of how everyone felt on the inside, on the outside they all looked great! They all performed great! Even when I poorly set up the music for the Girl Scouts and they had to sing their song unaccompanied. I don't have pictures of them because I was busy organizing everything and one of my great GS moms has the pictures. Anyway...

No one thought they would be able to wait for the outcome. Falcom was anxious to find out if he made it. He was reminded while auditioning how much he loves performing. Marina and the troop, well, they felt that they were a long shot. A parody of empowerment? It is not the typical talent show act. Also, the dorky mom who, when the chips were on the line, could not get the music to play right. UG! We were all on pins and needles.

The outcome is: We are all in the show! We all made it! The rest of the week is devoted to rehearsals and then on Friday is the show! We are all very excited.

Up Next:

Falcom gets a solo for his Mass Choir performance. Did he tell us about this? Does he know what time the show is to start? Does he know what clothes to pack for the performance? Does he realize this is my Birthday?

My Reality Show

2013-04-15T09:55:00.001-08:00

This month I have decided that my reality show is better than nearly any other reality show on television. (The only one better is the one I look down upon from my princess couch, but that is another story.) I have all of the drama and humor of a first rate reality show, without commercial interruption or the annoying replay of the same visual clips over and over in order to build up tension. Sometimes, I wish I were a second rate show, so that I could believe that some of this was fabricated for dramatic effect, but alas....

In the CNN Entertainment article dated October, 2011, the author Pamela Burger states, "If you took physics in high school, you may remember the Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle. It states, "The more precisely one property is measured, the less precisely the other can be controlled, determined or known."

Apparently, the more I, or anyone else in this family tries to control what the outcomes of certain situations will be, the less we seem to know what is going to happen. For instance, Vince and I were offered this espresso machine for use in fundraising events (and home use). What a great idea! Girl Scouts, Arts Council, Homer Animal Friends, you name it! This could be a fundraising bonanza! It hadn't been used in a couple of years and required a little tune up. Vince has been tinkering with it for over a month now. We have taken it to the shop in Anchorage. We have poured shot after shot. The thing is still not quite right.

This does not mean that I am not having a great time with it. Yes, I am keeping my buzz on.

Apparently, a good reality show has a plan. The characters will start at point A and then develop and end at point B. This is all planned out for budgeting and marketing. Mema decided to have three surgeries in a month. These included the removal of a cyst from the inside of her tibia and two cataract removals. Things mostly went according to plan, except a few unmentionable things, and with a bit of rest, help and card playing she is up and moving. She made it to point B.

"Kevin Williams, executive producer for such programs as "What Chilli Wants" and "The Janice Dickinson Modeling Agency," has the same sentiment and believes colleagues must know the cast inside and out to allow them to be their authentic selves."

Girl Scout Troop 584 has been displaying their truly amazing authentic selves to me and my camera crew. In the above picture, we are visiting the veterinary clinic. Only two girls nearly passed out when confronted by 'surgical outcomes' (for lack of better terminology.)

Why teach a troop how to cook tepid bland simple dishes when it is possible to create foods using dozens of spices and ingredients? That is right! Why make Americanized Mexican food when we can make authentic Sri Lankan food? Why do something easy for International Food Night when we can do something really hard?

The girls did basic math and discovered that they needed to sell way more cookies than they did to reach their financial goals. So we ordered twice as many cookies as we sold and took the rest to the gas station in the middle of town and the girls sold cookies to people as they were pumping their gasoline. Nothing like getting out of your car thinking you are only buying gas and going home with some thin mints and samoas!

"It's the small, intimate moments that are also unexpected that every episode needs."

Women of Science day found my girls looking as my flatulent bowls through an ultrasound scanner. The radiologist asked, "How can this information can be used?" Marina said, "Well, we will know when not to ride in the car with my fart machine mother!" She also put a cast on her friend and learned to suture with the help of a banana.

We spent a morning with Iris at her school, Jeanne's Learning Yurt, to help with science workshops. Falcom helped teach robotics, Marina led the students on archaeological digs she created in plaster of Paris and I showed them x-rays of pregnant dogs and strange human feet . The best was this unscripted moment wen I found Iris drying her hands with Falcom's Otter Beach School hand towel. The circle continues.

"Reality television is often shot in controlled chaos situations, whether that be a party, a bar or a competition set and those situations are also loud, with minimal resources covering all participants. So suffice it to say, you don't always have all the moments to tell a complete story."

For many years we asked the boys if they wanted to work with Vince to finish the basement. Well... Now that they are gone and there is this big space just sitting under our feet, we have begun working on it. Vince would not let me photograph or document the wall raising, the fan installing, the water pipe installation, and so... But the basement is coming together slowly and it is healing for me to witness.

"For every producer, camera person, editor and network executive, emotion is the gold we wait for and rely on to propel the story forward. Whether it's extreme excitement, sadness or amped up craziness -- strong, real emotions are what captivates an audience and create a great story."

A visit from Craig...

Who has the habit of capturing on film some of our classier moments.

Easter. With its sugar and color filled lunacy...

Where else in the country are children post holing in rotten snow for their Easter treats?

These are the days, we remember...

Or finally saying goodbye to a backpack that first took me across Europe in 1985. After continuous use scouring the globe, it finally completely broke and I was forced to bid it farewell. I did remove my lucky quarter from it first.

"And to be entertained, a careful balance must be struck. It begins with the understanding that the best reality is unscripted and captures real people showcasing real emotions."

There is no script. There is no definitive plan on how we are getting from point A to point B. The only plan continues to be love and togetherness.

Update:

Our Chester clone found his way home. His name is Camo (because of his cute little spots on his ears) and his very worried 25 year old fisherman owner has probably bought him a much more sturdy chain to keep this 10 month old home while he is out fishing.

In The Next Episode:

The Greear Family prepares for Jubilee Auditions!

And drinks more coffee...

The Clone

2013-04-01T12:20:00.001-08:00

Today, we heard Chester barking. This never happens. I called him back to the house and here comes Chester with his clone! Come to find out that this guy is lost, and, considering he was pulling a metal chain behind him, Marina and I are imagining he pulled loose from his house out of youthful enthusiasm.

We are practicing Ceasar's techniques on him with great success! Unfortunately, he does not meet the calm submissive requirements of adding a family dog to he house hold. But we are keeping Chester loved up and stress free during this visit. Chester actually even growled at him once. Marina and I couldn't believe it: Chester behaving like a dog! We have called the radio stations and hopefully he will be reunited with his family by the end of the day.

Chester

2013-03-19T08:20:00.001-08:00

Last night we were watching the dog whisperer and Caesar was teaching us how to introduce a new dog to the pack, "it is important to find a dog who is calm submissive to the first dog." I said, "we would have a difficult time finding a dog more, calm submissive than Chester." Vince said, "with a heartbeat". The entire family laughed hard for 5 minutes while Chester laid on the floor with his butt to the fire.

Enjoying the morning view....

2013-03-02T08:58:00.001-09:00

I am enjoying the morning with a special guest! I drink coffee, she munches birch. It is a beautiful day!

The Latest

2013-02-28T09:14:00.001-09:00

I will begin by writing about milk. I have a friend who has a cow and she is bringing me fresh, raw, beautiful milk. With this milk I have been making fun milk products with my family. These products include, butter, buttermilk, mozzarella cheese and drinking milk. That's right. I'm that woman. Of course, this is all on the learning curve and there is room for improvement, but, I'm looking forward to making fresh pushki butter from the milk of the cows who have been nibbling on the fresh pushki shoots in the spring. My mom said she hates fresh milk because when she was young the cows were eating wild onions from the fields of their farm and the milk and butter tasted like onions! I told her people pay big money for that flavor now...

Marina is off at the Challenger Learning Center today on a field trip to learn about climate change and its impact on the planet. She is not seeing how this could be a fun or interesting mission or why it has anything to do with space. She can be such a mumbler! This is a new program NOAA is creating to help students understand planetary changes due to climate change. Marina doesn't understand why CLC would need to create an entire program for this as she feels it should be obvious (after our short visit to China especially). I explained that there are many people in the country who don't understand the scientific definition of 'Theory' - as in Theory of Gravity vs. 'I have a theory that my teacher will be absent from school today'. Should be interesting to see what she comes home with!

The Girl Scouts have been busy. We have taken a trip to the veterinary clinic to learn about becoming vets and we cooked Sri Lankan Food for International Thinking Day. Yes, most troops brought pizza and said they were Italian. These troops have smart and sane troop leaders. The girls loved cooking such complicated recipes and we really had a blast.

On the other side of the giftedness spectrum, Falcom is in the middle of spirit week and today is dress up like a celebrity day. Seems like it should have been a no brainer, but... As it is with genius, the more you know the less able to be decisive one becomes... Drama! He wanted to be CeLo but was afraid of getting teased for wearing an earring and that friends would pull them off. He wanted to go as Jennifer Tilly but I felt the reference was too obscure for middle school. I also didn't see how he could get teased more for CeLo than Ms. Tilly, but...this is modern middle school so who can say. He ended up going as an obscure indy rocker. And so the middle school turns.

Now that I have sufficiently worked into the blog far enough to where the non readers will have already bailed, I can talk about W. Mema and I 'borrowed' him from K after my last blog post. We had a super day together. I got a lot off my chest and I was able to see for myself how bad off he is cognitively without the structure, sleep, and nutrition necessary for kids with his disability need to have in order to be successful. It was truly a miracle of a day. Lucy happened to call from Guam and talk to him. He got to go to therapy with us so that Falcom could get the closure he needs. Marina got to slap him and hug him.

Little did I know that K would totally freak. She took to her facebook and posted how he was missing. Her sister had to cut school to help find him. I was about to bring W home to her when a young father and friend of W's showed up at Mema's and brought him a charged cell phone. Seriously. W decided to go back with K and hugged me tight and promised to call me the next day. He was so happy to know that we love him and that we are always here for him.

The next day I got a text telling me "Hey Mom, just letting you know I can't do veggie boxes with you today. I'm very sorry, I had plans with - for Valentine's day." All that formal writing! proper use of punctuation. Amazing... and he spent the day with the boys after K dropped him off with them. There is more to this sad story, but unfortunately it makes the younger parties involved look like such morons that I'm not going to bother reliving it for you. Anyway,

I continue to hold firmly to the belief that God will give me ideas about what to do and that I will carry through with my soul promise to both W and to the mother of K.

Speaking of mothers, mine had two surgery's in a week! First the leg and then 'the eye'! That is right! Mema spent a whole day with one working leg and one working eye. She doesn't believe this but she is actually doing really well and just because she doesn't feel great does not mean that she is not doing great. Good job Mema!

Falcom and I had a date to see the Air Force party band "Top Cover". Falcom had seen them play at the middle school and loved it so we decided to go together last night. Of course, the minute he gets there his friends see him and our date is over. No problem...I got to sit with Valda instead.

What else, what else? I was gifted a restaurant espresso machine. It wasn't working and Vince has been fixing it with the help of a tremendous man who works on these up in the valley. The main goal or having it is fundraisers, but the thought of having a delicious drink here at home is killer! Thank you Vince... you are an angel!

Alright! I'm off to making milk products!

I Still Love Homer

2013-02-01T09:18:00.001-09:00

KBBI AM 890 Homer Alaska
From the Homer Police blotter: "Anonymous caller reports driving by local business and observing a cleaning lady trapped in the arctic entryway and banging on the glass. Officers to scene. Business contacted and cleaning lady freed."

There are some really serious heartbreaking agitations in my life (named Willie), sure... But one thing holds true...

I Love My Family, I Love My Community...

I Still Love Homer....

Bangkok

2013-01-08T17:14:00.001-09:00

Another huge day in Bangkok has left us withered and oversleeping. I had better wake up the girl for breakfast so that we can get busy doing it again!

Christmas

2012-12-25T18:13:00.001-09:00

The most beautiful, stress free, Christmas...

Polonnaruwa

2012-12-21T18:44:00.001-09:00

Stepping into Kipling's Jungle Book, we visited the ancient temple complex and stood in awe of time, religious mysteries, and the power of nature and the jungle.

Safari!

2012-12-20T18:42:00.001-09:00

The rain is covering the entire island. This is the news of the day in Sri Lanka. "Mud Slips" and "Flooding" dominate the conversations. We spent the day sitting, reading, and watching as the rain poured down. Vince and Marina made a rain gauge. A frog jumped in the pool. This does not mean that we did not have an adventure.

Today we went on Safari! We piled into a jeep and set off with a driver and a spotter to Kandulla national park. Once we got to the park the God's stopped the rain. The roof of the car was peeled back and we stood, watching, as animals and birds were discovered in the jungle. Peacocks were everywhere. The national bird of Sri Lanka presented itself for us. Monkeys sat eating fruit in the trees. Oh! Those arn't termite mounds...those are cobra dens. "If you want to see alligator you must come in the morning when they are coming out to enjoy the hot sun."

But if you want to see elephants...

A hundred elephants gathered in the open marsh land next to the lake. They were enjoying eating the tender grasses. Babies stood with their mothers and played with juvinilles. The elephants would grab grass out of the bog and then shake it out with their trunks. Why are they doing this? "Because they like to shake the dirt out." Oh! They are like me with spinach!

We saw an elephant with a deformed leg. It got hit by a train. It seems that elephants here are much like moose in Alaska. They wander around. They go into the jungle at night and come to the lake or river during the day to cool off. Sometimes, they come into a villiage and eat farmers crops. Sometimes, they like to stand in the road or on the railroad track... There are stands in the trees surrounding the park. In these places villagers sit at night so that if the elephants try to come out of the jungle and into the farms the farmers scare them away. I asked if they use guns or rocks or what. Our guide said, "Oh, the farmers just turn on a light."

On the way home elephants were everywhere along the sides of the road. I could hardly see them because they are camouflaged. Just like the moose hanging out along side the highway. It takes a trained eye. I guess I will have to stay here a bit longer to develop that gift!

(Sorry Lynn Hibdon, great pictures on real camera!)

Habarana

2012-12-19T06:47:00.001-09:00

I woke up this morning to my children sitting on the bed discussing a book that they both listened to. They were having a book discussion! A book discussion not instigated by me! I couldn't believe it and I was so proud.

Today I sat by the pool. I drank coffee. I stood agape at a pair of Grey Hornbills. The birds are amazing. I should say that the birds and the butterflies are just amazing.

Our hotel reminds me of hotels we used to stay in in California. For instance, once my mom stuck a pin in the map and we stayed at a little place in Quincy. This hotel reminds me of that. It is quaint and peaceful. The pool is well acquainted and just deep enough. The hotel sits off the main road and is surrounded by fruit trees, palm trees, and grasses. The birds are bright and found in every color. Vince woke up and saw in the top of a high tree, a peacock big and bold with its tail hanging down at least 10 feet. It flew away before I could see it and I was disappointed.

Staying at the hotel here is a large family: two brothers and their wives and children. It is a happy and relaxed bunch, with the men lounging around in their sarongs and the women in the room studying Buddhist texts. How do I know this is what they were doing? I asked a daughter what a book was about that was lying on their side table. There was a centerpiece of a fetus and then the illustration swirled to a child and adult and older man. The daughter said in an annoyed nonplussed manner, "Oh, my mom, she is really into her Buddhism. This is a book of esoteric mystic stuff."

We three adults were sitting at our favorite lounging area watching Marina swim in the pool and play with the other kids when the owner of the hotel said, "Those men are members of Parliament. They like to bring their families here on vacation. That one there, he was the captain of the 1996 cricket team! Captain Cool... Ranatunga!"

Now, this information does not mean a whole lot to Americans. We don't know a thing about cricket. Here in Sri Lanka, people are not that involved with football, basketball, or baseball. They watch cricket. In 1996 Sri Lanka won the World Cup. This event is an important part of Sri Lankan social history. This man, sitting poolside is the Sri Lankan equivalent of Michael Jordan. How do I know this? Because of my research prior to coming to Sri Lanka. The kids and I watched very funny videos made by a Sri Lankan comedian. This one is the one that taught us about the importance of Cricket.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=uJu8dMhE1ow

Craig and Vince decided to take a long walk to town. Marina spent the day in the pool playing with these sons of Sri Lankan nobility. I sat thinking and watching the birds and butterflies. Occasionally the sky would open and release a down pour and then the sun would shine again. At one point I saw a beautiful butterfly. It was white and orange. Then I saw another which was huge and black. I decided to follow them. In the back of this property is a gate and so I gently opened the gate and directly before me there were men standing over some dirt work. There were sticks in the ground with white flags on them. Survey markers I figured. To my left there was a bush with four different lovely butterflies. Just out of reach of my vision was some cement tombstones in the earth. Oh! A graveyard. How interesting. I looked some more at the butterflies.

And then the mourners came. Oh! These were not construction workers! This was a funeral and I walked right into it by following a butterfly!

The woman stopped and talked with me. I told them that I was sorry for their loss and they were very kind to me. It was obvious from their demeanor that this was not an unexpected passing. They invited me to come to the funeral. They were catholic. Come! They said. I told them thank you but that really it was not for me to be there for that, but thank you. They smiled at me and said goodbye. It was really quite touching.

Later, Vince and Craig returned. They had a gleam in their eye. The town here is small and there was not too much to see. But they had a great time none the less. They were up to something. They went into their rooms and came out with Sri Lankan cricket shirts on and a sharpie pen. Yes, they got their jerseys signed by the infamous captain of the Sri Lankan Cricket team. Unbelievably funny.

For us.

Later we learned that the reason those two men bring their families to this hotel is because they like the quiet, no one bothering them. oops! but not really because he was laughing too. I mean really, two American men, who have never seen anything about cricket playing around with jerseys and huge smiles. It was exceptional.

In the evening, Vince and I walked to town. We were holding hands and walking along and people were staring at us and smiling and saying hello. I told Vince people don't walk around holding hands here and he said, "Good, they think you are a prostitute!" Right then our hosts pulled over and asked if we were all right. We followed them into a shop and in the back were large open bags of lentils, chickpeas, and rice. In one bag was something neither Vince or I had ever seen before. I asked the man what it was and he said, "Gorka". "What?" "You know, gorka." "I don't know what is gorka." "gorka!" It was as I've seen so many Americans do with foreigners. "Fanta...you know...fanta!"

As we walked home some small children ran up to a gate and waved at us and said hello. We stopped and said hello back. The girl was trying to talk to us and was shy and couldn't think of the words that she had been learning in school. Before long, her mother, wrapped in a sarong across her chest told the girls to drop the gate and let us in. We were invited into their house! Now, this was not a big colonial house, but a true Sri Lankan village house. Walls with no doors and dirt floors. We sat on plastic chairs on their 'poarch' and the little girl showed us her English notebook. She has been working hard to learn little words that don't seem to relate to anything special. They are just words for things, Ice cream, elephant, mother, father, "I am seven years old." They were a very sweet family. There was another girl there who was not much taller than the seven year old and had no English. She was maybe as tall as Falcom. After a bit the mother invited us inside her house to see her kitchen. We learned how to get the meat out of a coconut and how they cook over an open flame. Really amazing. Then the older daughter gave me a hat she knitted. It was for a baby or a Sri Lankan child. She showed me others she had made. I asked her if I could buy them and they insisted NO! The children stooped to my and Vince's feet and did something which we thought was shooing bugs but was instead a sign of deep respect.

We walked home in utter amazement at the kind and loving people in this country. We got back to the hotel and the children of nobility told us that we MUST go on safari today! And so we are. Our new friends packed their bags and their bodygaurds and drivers whisked them away to return to Colombo and the franticness of their lives. We shared another meal with these interesting and beautiful people and when we went to pass out at 930 the hotel was vacant.

9 1/2 Hours with Marshall

2012-12-17T18:06:00.001-09:00

We are on the road to Habadura from Negomo. The drive has been amazing and I am writing this now because after a large meal of curry our driver had to pull over and take a nap. We are parked along side the road, no place in particular. The road is narrow. People are walking or riding bikes right by. They aren't thinking a thing about this. I suppose it is natural for a hired van full of white people to be parked along side the road while the driver sleeps. Tuk tuks, trucks and large public busses speed past. These busses are all painted brightly and filled with people going where ever Sri Lankan people go. The music is often blaring from them . It seems quite natural that our driver would need to pull over to sleep. It seems like we would not be in Sri Lanka if he didn't.

Our driver is having a very difficult day. First he had to buy a jack for the car. His windshield wiper broke and he had to stop at a repair shop. Vince accidentally pushed the van door off of the hinges and they had to reattach it. Now, as I write, he is having to bribe a police officer to get out of a hefty ticket. The entire thing is highly amusing for us, but probably not for our driver.

Yesterday I woke up in Sri Lanka. I preceded to sit around on the lawn of our hotel room for an entire day doing nothing. Oh sure, I walked 100 yards to a fancier hotel for a meal, but besides that it was all sunshine, sitting, and watching the birds and butterflies flit about.

It was our plan to take the train to Habadura. We hired a cab. We got ready. We were about half way to the station when the driver suggested he drive us all the way to our hotel. I was not amused. Was he running another scam once he had us securely stationed inside the car? We got to the train station. Tuk tuks were zipping around while cows made themselves very comfortable in the middle of the road. I walked up to the window and a barely able to speak English train employee looked at me from behind wooden slats. I kept asking him questions and he kept gently smiling at me, nodding, not really able to answer. I decided to hire the driver and take the car. (don't worry...we will take the train another day.)

But I was not going to mess around with this driver! Oh, No! I said to him, "You will take us where ever we want to go? Stop where ever we want to stop?" He said, "Oh yes Madame... we will do everything except daddy mommy things." It took me much time to realize what he meant by this joke.

This drive has been amazing. There are people everywhere waving at us as we drive past their homes. The green of the jungle is off set by the green of the rice patties. Egrets sit beside cow and water buffalo like the old friends that they are. One small town center looks like another. The colonial era homes are grand mansions nestled into the jungle. The contrast is striking and surprising and beautiful. These places are not entirely manicured. They are simply a grand memory fighting to keep the jungle at bay.

We arrived at an elephant show place. There are several of these here. It was going to cost about $35 bucks for the kids and Craig to ride the elephant and no one really wanted to do it that badly. As we were considering this a man shouted at us from across the street, "Want to pet my monkey?" Excuse us? Sure enough there was a monkey tied to a post and a man standing with a boa constrictor around his neck. "Come, pet my snake!" I wasn't really into petting anything this guy had going, but then I said, "Is that a cobra in the basket?" Oh yes! It is a cobra and he can make it dance for 500 rupee and I could touch his monkey and snake at the same time. I told him I would give him a hundred to make the snake dance with no monkey petting. He said 150. I didn't have a 50 and what do you do? Have the guy make change for a thousand? Craig said, "I will give you 50. I need to see this!" Out from the basket came a one year old cobra and as you can see it the picture, it was something. People kept stopping to watch the snake, but the man kept telling them, "Hey, this is my job!" and they would leave. Incredible.

We stopped at a spice garden and got to see and learn about different aerovedic medicines. Sri Lanka is heavily into natural medicines and we learned all about it. We were given tea to drink on the tour that was amazing flavored. Sweet without sugar. We bought some. Of course, the most expensive tea in the world, but the smile on my daughters face was worth it!

We stopped at a bakery and had coffee and sweets. We stopped for lunch at a curry and rice stop. Our driver taught us how to eat Sri Lankan style as this restaurant had no silverware. Chicken curry, pork curry, rice with dal and eggplant. We ate with our fingers in the way Marshall taught us. Make a scoop with the fingers and push the food into your mouth. It was spicy. Really spicy. So spicy Craig's nose started running. But spicy in a good way. This meal was so delicious that we could not stop eating. The owner had to bring us more egg plant.

Then Marshall needed a nap.

After Marshall bribed the police, we carried on to our final destination. What did we see standing along side the road like it was no big deal, just another day? An elephant. A wild beautiful elephant just hanging out doing what elephants do...eat. She was a little shy, hiding behind the tree. I didn't want to ask Marshall to back up anymore so that I could get a better shot of her because his day has not been going well and with his luck he would drive into the ditch.

The Sunrise Holiday Resort is not exactly what the word 'resort' implies. What this means in Sri Lanka is that there is a pool. The rooms are spacious and the host is warm and gracious. We were greeted with fresh juice made of papaya and pinapple. The kids immediately jumped in the pool. "Will you be staying for dinner?" They asked. "Tonight is rice and curry" they said. Of course we will eat rice and curry! OK, it will be ready at 8. 8pm? Really...

And the kids were swimming and I was watching the bats fly over head and all was right with the world. And then we learned that there had been a booking problem and Craig would have to sleep at another hotel for the night after dinner and they were so sorry and they would come and get him first thing and they were so sorry.

The curry was fantastic. I finished eating and much like our driver after our lunch I could not stay awake another moment. I kissed Craig goodbye, as this might be the end for him, and passed out hard!

Oh Sri Lanka! You are winning my heart!

The Final Leg of the Journey

2012-12-15T21:32:00.001-09:00

Note on Airplane Journey to Sri Lanka

White guy says loudly to everyone in the debarkation area, "I LOVE THAI WOMEN!" or something to that effect while he reflects on the sex life he had with his Thai 'girlfriends' Hello...Thai women...really? This guy is ugly, skinny and although he may be wealthy, this is ridiculous! Come on Thai girls, it is self respect time! These are the boyfriends you choose...ug...barf!

I was given a questionnaire by the Thai visitors association while I laid on the airport floor. They were interested in knowing if I came to Thailand for elective surgery? Did I choose surgery while I was there from an advertisement I had seen? If so, What did I have done? Did I have hospital services because of an unforeseen event? This question was at the end and almost an afterthought.

The Sri Lankan Airline airplane has wreaths and stuffed snowmen hanging from the walls and ceiling of the main cabin....like a highly decorated tuk tuk.

Sri Lankan stewardesses must be trained in this unique method of waking sleeping passengers. I had been asleep since before the plane took off. I felt someone scratching my scalp with long fingernails... I woke up and the stewardess said, "Would you like to eat?"

There is a large Muslim man arguing with the world. He does not want to sit between two white people. He just yelled at the stewardess and got into her face. This could be bad.

Craig is talking to a guy about our trip. Oh God! He is a 'travel agent' and he is giving Craig advice. He says our hotel sucks and is where prostitutes bring their johns. He also says that the train is not good to ride. hum...

When you arrive in Sri Lanka, be amused by the 1980's feel of the joint. Listen to how the carousel squeaks as package after package of t-shirts and sarongs are unpacked by wealthy shop owners and put into duffel bags by porters.

Change money inside the airport. Get a ticket for a taxi before leaving the secured area. Do not be bothered by people asking you if you need a place to stay or a ride. Let the taxi service people walk you out to a waiting cab.

Do not let that cab driver fill your heart with fear about the place you are staying. Because he certainly will tell you this. When he insists on taking you to a different hotel...one owned by a relative... unleash that inner bus driver and sternly say, "Take us where we want to go!"

Don't worry that when you get to the hotel and you can't see the rooms from the road.

Don't worry that you are lead to your room by flashlight.

Try not to worry that you don't know where you are in the world and that things feel out of control and you are exhausted.

In the morning, after a cool silent night under a mosquito net, when you look outside to the amazingly lush green, the butterflies and the birds, your dear friend will peek his head out around the cement wall separating your rooms and will say, "want some coffee?"

Leaving Bangkok

2012-12-14T17:14:00.001-09:00

I am laying on the floor in the Bangkok airport, waiting for our delayed flight to Sri Lanka. That is right. I'm laying on the floor. The tiles are cold. To my side is a moving sidewalk and so people are zipping by me. This floor sleeping is so unbecoming of me as a middle aged white lady in Asia, and yet, so Alaskan. Across the airport are some old recliners and people are passed out in them stretched out, one guy has his mouth open drooling. Why is my laying on this cold tile floor so much worse than that? Below me is the staging area for our "sometime in the future" flight. We are not allowed to go down there until our flight is called. I can hear the sound of a 1993 computer printer zipping out page after page of paper. My first thought is, "why is there not a more modern printer in service down there?" Then my second thought, "What does this say about the state of the airplane we are flying in?"

I wonder if the flight is going to be delayed yet again. As we were standing in line today at the counter I thought about how there was a definitive change in the mood and countenance of the group of travelers we are going to be traveling with. Before we left for this trip, I watched a YouTube video by a very amusing Sri Lankan comedian. He makes wonderful jokes about the Ipod being on Sri Lankan time so that you are always late for everything. It is a very funny joke and so far it is ringing true. I have tried to get a hold of our first hotel, but I can not get through to them on the phone. I can not get through to them by email. We have bought three rooms for two nights and I don't even know if anyone will be there when we show up after midnight. I told the guys that I could tell I was on my way to the Indian Sub-continent. Time was starting to feel differently. It is as if I really need to not be thinking a thing about time or getting somewhere on time, or being anxious or annoyed about time. Things are going to happen as they do. I need to roll with it now. I am on my way to another world. It is not going to serve me bringing anxiety with me.

I said, "Well, worst case, if no one is there to give us our rooms we will be grateful to Craig for having the foresight to pack a mosquito net tent. We will all crawl inside of it on the beach and sleep." Falcom said, "What about the crabs!" "We will sleep on their lawn."

This morning I was awake at 3.30. I laid there, awake, thinking of nothing in particular until 5.30 when Vince and Marina were both awake there in the room, joining me in thinking about nothing in particular but being awake none the less. It is tricky this jet lag business.

We left our last hotel not on the greatest of terms. They tried to get Vince to over pay, which annoyed him with me that I had somehow made a mistake and that made me upset with some unsuspecting girl at the reception who was told to collect an extra 1000 bhat. I won't put up with being ripped off and I am not afraid to make a scene and whalla! We got in a taxi which brought us here to the most beautiful high rise hotel. It is right in the main tourist district, of course, but wow! The view...not only of Bangkok, but of the events happening inside the bathroom because it is walled entirely of glass! (See picture of Vince pretending to be using the toilet.)

That previous evening, while the guys were out drinking beer and eating street food, Marina was sleeping and Falcom was in Craigs room sleeping, I made the decision that I needed to get up early in the morning and travel to a place called Wat Benjamabophit: The Marble Temple. Marina, Vince and I made it out of the hotel as the sun was rising and made our way to a taxi. The taxi took us across town for 80 bhat and we arrived at the Wat Benja. Outside were a line of monks with their robes such dark saffron it was more orange. People were driving up to the doors of the temple and bringing them all kinds of sustainance: water, rice, fruit, chips. The people would get out of the car, take off their shoes and proceed to give monks bags of essentials. Care packages for monks. It was beautiful. A river passes by the temple and in it were large monitor lizards. Amazing.

The sun came up and we watched it blaze bright orange through the smog filled sky. After a while we attempted to flag down a taxi. We weren't in tourist district anymore! The taxis were full or else they didn't know where we wanted to go or they didn't want to take us. Finally a tuk tuk pulled over and said he would take us to the hotel for 100 bhat. I was surprised that Vince didn't argue with the guy, but hey... what a fun experience!

We hopped into the tuktuk and started off. Before long Vince said, "I have the feeling we are going the wrong way." "No!" I said, "He's a tuk tuk driver for heavens sake!" and sure enough we were lost. He had taken us away from any tourist oriented place and drove us right through the heart of Bangkok. What was a 15 minute trip to get there became an hour trip to get home. We went through China Town and around the palace.

Tuktuks are interesting. They are so cool, and they zip around like nothing. It is like being on a three wheeled motorcycle with a roof: the whole world is right there and you can move relatively quickly through it and even touch it if you want. But I learned something else. When you are in a Tuktuk during morning traffic when the streets are just packed, you are right at exhaust pipe level with every bus in the city. Also, unless you stick your head out into the street you can't see much.

Our driver was lost. After about 30 minutes he pulled over to ask directions. It was obvious that he was not at all pleased with the situation he had found himself in. This was a lot of time wasted on three Americans who are up early to look at monks. He must have been thinking to himself, "Gosh, when I go to America are they going to expect me to go to churches and stare at the preachers?"

Finally, he found our hotel and boy was he ever glad to be rid of us. He raised the price to 200 and Vince gave him a look like, what? and then gave him 140, we were so glad to be back in the lap of luxury! I took a shower in the glass room and met the family for a breakfast of massive proportion. Guests were at the hotel from all over the globe! Many of them were in their native dress: the Indians, Muslims, and Europeans (in their underdressed states). I suppose we were too... in our Alaskan shorts and T-shirts that we only wear once a year when we go on vacation to a tropical location so why bother updating the style? I can not remember the last time I heard so many accents and seen so many different varieties of food to sustain all these people. There was one table of American breakfast foods, one lady was walking through the restaurant carrying a baguette, one Indian man was loading up his plate with relishes.

It was great but I couldn't get to feeling better. Craig brought me a glass of ginger juice. I'm not kidding. There are people who can drink that like it is orange juice. I am not one of them. It did help my stomach though.

Even so, I could not kick the feeling of stomach and body sickness. Not enough sleep, too much exhaust fumes. I spent the rest of the day hanging around the air conditioned hotel, drinking water and waiting to go to the airport.

Which is where this leaves me. Oh! The plane is going to board eventually and they are letting us down to the main gate waiting area. Cool. Write more from Sri Lanka!

72 Hours in Bangkok

2012-12-12T20:45:00.001-09:00

I am having problems with creative flexibility while blogging on the road. In my attempt to post poolside and include pictures the time line of the posts got worked about. Here is the post with pictures at the end of it instead of throughout. Compared to three years ago, this ability to blog is amazing!

72 Hours in Bangkok

I know that wise people have given me the impression that we should get out of Bangkok as soon as we possibly can, but honestly, I am in no big hurry. I like it here. It reminds me of all of the things that I find so incredibly interesting in cities without yellin, or hostility, or well, paranoia of strangers. Being in Bangkok has reminded me simultaneously of San Francisco, Kuala Lumpur, and Honolulu all mixed together. How is this?

We are in an enormous modern city with ancient tradiditons that are still being practiced. It is not like Bali where we are in the midst of the incence smoke at every turn. Instead, we are treated kindly. Questions we have are answered honestly. Sure, there is an ugly underbelly happening, but more frequent are people trying to get by, trying to provide for their family, ting th...just like everywhere else on this planet.

Why is Bangkok like San Francisco?

Last night while we were having dinner we were given a receipt for the food we ate. Along with the money paid and the change we received, the note came with a detailed nutritional analysis of the meal. If you are in the mood for specific food or delicacies or a Starbucks coffee...help your self! It's all here! And, for us tourists there seems to be no trouble wether a person is straight or gay or whatever...as long as you aren't bothering anyone...

Why Kuala Lumpur?

There is serious hustle and bustle here. There is risk involved in street crossing. There is street food and cafes and religion and commerce everywhere all at once. The street food fills the air with amazing savory mouth watering smells. Need that third season of True Blood? It is right over here at the knock off DVD stand for about a buck. Spilled a drink on your t-shirt? buy another for a dollar. Marina needed some socks so I went into a drug store to get her some. They were cute and had embrodery on them. They cost .80 cents US. Whatever. I got them to the room and inside in the embroidery on one side of the foot it reads 'Beauty Socks' On the other side it reads 'Beauty Sucks!' Oh! I love that bad English!

Why Honolulu?

The mix of local population ethnic diversity and the tourist to local ratio are similar to Honolulu. Their seems to be an understanding that tourism can happily drive an economy. There is a laid back peaceful attitude. How many clasped hands and head bowing have we seen? I just saw the most beautiful butterfly soaring right over me. Flowers everywhere! and we are sitting poolside on the 20th floor of our hotel because the pool is on the roof! 20th floor and butterflies are dancing around here. Both kids are begging to stay indefinitely. I don't blame them.

Sri Lanka

2012-12-08T08:53:00.000-09:00

As we leave for our journey we have been emeshed in frantic busy exasperation right up until the last minute. I have started a blog specifically for this trip, earthtripping-srilanka.blogspot.com

I am going to be posting the trip as it happens and allowing myself to enjoy taking pictures and writing again. To start the journey, I have posted an essay I wrote for one of my classes this semester. The piece is more confrontational than I am used to writing, but it sums up my feelings. The rest of the posts will be way more fun, I promise!

So, go to the following link

Greears in Sri Lanka!

And imagine us frantically hitting the road...

Love and blessings to you all!

Ten

2012-12-01T20:10:00.001-09:00

Marina turns ten years old this month. Ten years ago Falcom was running around wild and Vince was telling me to mop the floor on hand and knee to get that baby moving! Well, we are having part one of her birthday today with the Nutcracker Faire and Ballet and cake. Next Monday, we will have another party with the Girl Scouts. Then the celebrating will continue into our trip. Sometimes this December birthday is a problem. Sometimes, I think it must be super awesome for her. One of the things I love about her is that he is not all about the presents. Instead, she is just thrilled to have fun with her family and her friends. She is a great girl, the perfect addition to this family!

Technology

2012-11-28T13:32:00.001-09:00

In an attempt to join the modern world, I am blogging twice today. The first blog is centered on the real news I wanted to share. The second is a picture that was supposed to be with the text. This one is to see if we can merge the two technologies.

This is a picture of Falcom getting his vaccinations updated before going n a world adventure. The second is of a gift Vince received this week.

At some point I am going to have to write about my heavy heart, but it will have to wait for a time when I have the time to go a dark place.

Robotics joy part 2

2012-11-28T13:12:00.001-09:00

Robotics Joy

2012-11-28T07:46:00.001-09:00

After six weeks of heavy practice and preparation, the robotics tournament happened! Many people do not realize that the FLL is a tournament with three rubrics the kids must fulfill. The first is the MISSION where they program robots. The second is the PROJECT where they come up with a solution to an open ended real life problem. The third is CORE VALUES where they show team work and gracious professionalism.

Our team was so green the sap was dripping from us. Our project was wonderful, but not technological. Our missions were 80% successful...some of the time. Our team is composed of people who had just met. We had no idea how this was going to turn out.

After an hour at the competition, Marina turned to me and said, "This is amazing! I want to do it every year!" I don't blame her. Adding a competition aspect to the intense learning and creating that the students did makes the experience authentic and real in a way beyond regular classroom learning. I think Marina's new friends felt the same way because all of them were ready to sign up again next year before the competition had even begun.

Our team came in 10th for the missions. Our team did ok with core values.

Our team won the trophy for their project which was designed to help seniors deal with loneliness by setting them up with play dates with young people. It is hard to describe the joy and excitement they felt when their team name was called and they found out they won a trophy!

I am so proud of these kids and their enthusiasm and their sportsmanship!

In a side note

Yesterday, we completed our robotics season by taking our trophy to long term care to show our senior mentors. As the kids talked about their experience, the three seniors who had come to listen to their talk all fell asleep. Marina turned to me and said, "I think we should stop this presentation. We don't want to wake them."

I love these kids, and I love robotics!