Finally!

Rain. I welcome it. And I've missed it. Have I mentioned that I don't like the heat and humidity? I would take a blizzard over these scorching 100+ degree days in a heartbeat. But the rains came today and now it feels good. The heat broke too and it's back down into the 60s for the moment. Yea!

I paddled Tuesday night. I committed to it and then I had serious doubts because the temps were hovering in the extra high 90s again, but I went and I'm actually happy I did. Even though it was a very short paddle down the Rogue River into Rockford, we hung around in the backwaters of the dam and listened to the Blues Series from our boats. Well, until we were driven off the river as the sky turned dark and the wind whipped up, but alas, it was just a teaser and the storm missed us completely.

The attention we drew was kinda cool though. It isn't often that you see 24 kayaks come floating into town and the people on shore were pointing at us and talking to each other, and some were taking pictures. We gave them our best smiles and waved because we thought they might be wishing they were us. I would have been.

Last night I had to force myself to get on my bike and go for a ride just so I felt like I had done something other than play at being a slug. Again, a short trip, but it felt good to ride in spite of the heat and humidity. I rode by the creek to see if there was any water left in it. There was...

Not nearly as much as normal, but it is still flowing. I'm surprised. I don't know where the headwaters are for this creek, but I'm happy it's not dry. Okay, I just looked it up and I'm an idiot...I'm kidding, but I see the watershed for the creek comes from quite a distance and I've been on many roads that cross this creek without me knowing it. Shoot, I'm actually at the end of the stream and pretty close to where it dumps into the Grand River. Guess I should pay more attention to my surroundings. And now, just for kicks, I'm going to print a map and go on a quest to find the different starting points. You know, just because I can and I'm curious. No, I don't mean I'm going to go now, like, right now, but I am going to make that one of my quests.

That is all for now because I must go enjoy this nice cool weather before my thermometer goes bonkers on me again. Next up, I need to introduce you to a new addition to our family.

Hey, as I was proofing this something occurred to me. I have the windows open (finally) and with the moist, humid air coming in, coupled with the wind in the trees and the different sounds in the distance, it's reminding me of Taiwan again. It's weird, I was only there for 2 weeks four years ago, but so many times I get a 'feeling' of Taiwan. I don't know why that is, but it's kinda nice. I have great memories of my trip there.

All things.

I slept with the windows open last night. I awoke this morning to the wind. Not a breeze, not a draft, no, a full blown wind...and it was warm. Warm as in wet, tropical warm. I lay there for a while listening to the predawn noises, a dog barking in the distance, the trees rustling as their branches were whipped about, the occasional car in the distance and I smiled. I smiled because I realized that the only thing missing was the cheerful musical jingle of the garbage truck as it heralded it's approach so the people would know to bring out their trash. I'm wondering why everything, everything reminds me of Taiwan lately.

a scent, a sound, an outdoor cafe at night, a warm breeze, a crowd of people...a feeling

Tah dah!

Look what I found! I have no idea how I got to Lia's place, but I know I was linking around (good term) and when I stumbled upon her blog I just knew I had to make her adorable bags. And you know what? These are next year's Christmas presents. Oh, I could jump for joy because these were so stinkin' easy and they turned out so stinkin' cute! Add to that, I used more fabric that Alex so graciously sent me last summer. Come on....what girl isn't gonna want one of these? Heck, I'm making one for myself too. I can think of many uses for an adorable bag. Hmmm, I'm wondering how well these will work to hold yarn for my projects?


Oh my gosh, I've been having way too much fun in the sewing room lately. Now, what should I do next? Oooh, I've got an idea.....but I might need your help. I have more material to make another of these and I would like to give it away, as a thank you, for all the guidance and fabulous ideas I get from all of you. But here's the thing, how do you handle a give away? Really, I want to know and if you don't tell me then I can't give one of these bags away. And they really are as stinkin' cute as I said they were.

What is it?

Give details - Alex took this in Taiwan. I love the pic.

All things Taiwan

Yesterday, when I arrived home from work, I found a postcard from Alex in the mail. It was written 1 week after I left him in Taiwan. Oh, man! I read it, I cried, I hugged it and lovingly put it up on the back of the door in the hall with his other notes and the various pictures I want to look at frequently. Every time I walked by the note I read it and got a bit teary eyed. I had sent him an email during the day with an explanation for the Blinders Off post so that was weighing heavy on my mind as well as his note. Eventually, I was feeling overwhelmed and set about brewing a cup of tea. I grabbed the postcard off the door and sat down on the couch with my tea only to realize that everything in front of me was purchased in Taiwan, with Alex. Some of the pieces are exactly what he has in his home (my way of touching him from a distance). Postcard in hand I sipped my tea while reading the card over and over....and cried my heart out. Sometimes it's good to cry just to keep the heart from bursting. I feel better today.

Taiwan

I was there - I really was. I've been trying to figure out how to post my trip, but it's proved to be very difficult. For starters I took over 1200 pictures. That's a lot of pictures and many of them were taken from the back of a scooter as we were cruising around the island, up in the mountains and around cities, and that means lots of editing. People have asked me if I was ready to come home after two weeks and my answer to that is easy, NO! I mean no disrespect to Taiwan or it's people because the trip was fabulous and I saw amazing sites, ate delicious food (except for the fried deer meat) and met the nicest people, but the only reason I wasn't ready is that leaving meant leaving my son and I don't know when I'll see him again.

I was actually surprised that parts of Taiwan reminded me of Michigan, but I found that I could never find quiet in Taiwan. It's a country that is filled with people who are living their lives and getting on with the business of surviving and thriving. All this business means it's noisy, even at the top of the mountain. While I found the noise and pandemonium entertaining, this trip reconfirmed what I've known for a long time - I need quiet time to thrive. Having said all that, it was an amazing trip!

I planned to go for a long time and I was not disappointed. From the first night I arrived (12 hours off my circadian rhythm) and we wandered down to a street vendor at 12:30 at night to drink Taiwan beer and eat beef fried rice, to the final dinner at a tea house where we ended up playing cards while surrounded by water and fish, I didn't stop being in awe of what I saw and experienced. Alex, you were a great host and the adventures you planned for us were awesome! Thank you.

We traveled by plane, scooter, taxi, bus, train, boat and bike, and when we weren't on or in transportation, we walked. We were in cities with hi-rises and villages where you would need to stoop to enter the house. We visited the ocean with it's multitude of shells and coral where Alex' found a fish-shaped chunk of coral complete with eye hole, and the mountains where we saw monkeys in the wild and laughed ridiculously hard when the scooter could barely move us forward and up the mountain anymore. We nearly ran out of gas. That was hilarious as well. We biked in the 'country' through rice paddies and up a 'mountain' to a village where we dined on the local fare. My living quarters ranged from Alex' 2 story luxury apartment in Taoyuan with custom woodwork and marble floors to the hostel in Taroko Gorge where salamanders visited us in our room by coming through the 2" gap at the bottom of the door. Crazy stuff - the stuff that memories are made from. Spiders as big as my hand and the most beautiful (poisonous?) emerald green bug, moths and butterflies, birds, flowers I grow as annuals that are growing wild in Taiwan. I never stopped being in awe.

It's hard to pick my favorite, but I would have to say it was the Taiwan cooking class Alex booked as a birthday present to me. We spent nearly 6 hours at the instructor's apartment up in the mountains learning how to cook Taiwan food. We learned how to make fresh soy milk, sweet and sour, hot and sour, sweet and spicy. We learned how to make the green onion pancake, and soup, and noodles, and we ate spicy fresh pineapple and zucchini. Oh my, it was delicious and such a great time. And I spent it right next to my son - the one I hadn't seen in nearly 14 months. It was dusk when we left and hiked back down the mountain to Taipei in a gently falling misty rain. It was a beautiful walk and I enjoyed it immensely. Thinking of that day fills me with peace and makes me smile. What a perfect gift.

I leave you with just a couple of pictures.

Taoyuan - busy, burgeoning city.

Proof I was there - with Alex.

Taroko Gorge with the Pacific Ocean in the distance.