Winding Down 2007

I can't believe another year is close to its conclusion already. As I sit at my desk here at John Marshall High School, the Virginia sun is warming up our day to a high of 78 degrees. This is a record breaker for December, kinda creepy, but also really nice. I think I'm actually going to put on flip flops after school today. We've had a lot going on lately- one major upsetting experience for me- one of my favorite students was shot and killed about a week and a half ago after a house party, and my school is still recovering from the tragedy. It truly broke my heart. He was my student for two years and I had nicknamed him my "even day sunshine" because of his brilliant smile and charm. It has been difficult to help my students come to terms with the empty desk in our classroom, and how he was just with us and now he's not. He was only seventeen and killed by another seventeen year old. Such a senseless shame. We've been discussing how to end the cycle of violence in our communities, but I think having a conversation about it is a lot different than living in the reality of it.
On a brighter note, we've been going on some fun weekend excursions hiking and biking around the area. We are looking forward to the 2 week break we have coming up, and we will drive north to Massachusetts for the festivities. Well, the bell is going to ring and a surge of students will soon be flooding my room for another exciting period of English 10. I hope everyone is well and has beautiful holidays. Keep in touch!

A List: November Whirlwind

We had an awesome time when my parents came down for a visit. We picked them up near Virginia Beach and spent the weekend strolling on the beach, feeding seagulls from our 10th story room, exploring Bald Cypress forests, spying a whole fleet of dolphins, and dining galore.
Then we all came back up to Richmond where we hung out in Carytown, got spoiled by them, wandered through the beautiful landscapes of Maymont Park, and where we enjoyed hosting them in our Churchill abode. We were very sad to see them go.
The next weekend we jumped on a plane to NYC with some other teachers from Richmond and attended the National Conference for English Teachers in Manhattan and had a really enlightening experience there. The city's intense vibe kept calling us to come outside. Damien and I practically walked clear across Manhattan and in doing so saw such a frenzy of activity and had sensory overload. I've been there many times before, but each time I go back I can't believe how charged with energy that city is. We strolled through a vintage flea market, we saw kids break dancing on a moving and very crowded subway car, we got off in Chinatown and watched people playing traditional instruments and games and felt like we were in China again (and killer dumplings to boot), we literally ran around Chelsea, which is the most phenomenal art district imaginable- in and out of galleries before closing time, we were blinded in the neon glow of Times Square, we got dizzy watching ice skaters going around in circles in Rockerfeller Center, we ate some serious New York pizza, we had pie and coffee in a diner on 23rd St., we people watched like it was our job, we made our way through immeasurable crowds, we rode the bus here and there, we admired the Hudson, we walked past the various retail districts like the diamond and the fashion districts, we drooled in the cases of the most amazing gourmet bakeries, we felt like ants, we felt like lemmings, we felt like humans, and oh yeah we attended the conference. The workshops and meetings and speakers were very informative and progressive too!
The next week we drove to Buffalo to celebrate Thanksgiving with the Johnsons and had such an enjoyable and relaxing time there. We ate furiously and savored it too, we took naps in front of the fire, we walked in the falling snow, we toured the Birchfield art gallery with Tully as our personal guide, we played music and Pheonix sang, we hugged Brenda really hard and thought and thought and thought about her son Danny who was devastatingly killed in Iraq and sent all our love out into the universe, we saw Tully's new apartment, we went out and had fun, we watched a movie on Heather's couch, we said what we were thankful for, we rode bikes down Elmwood, and we are still missing all that comes with good ol' B-Lo.

Putting the Art into Autumn

SONAR

We bee-lined it to Pittsburgh PA last Friday afternoon and made it in time for the art opening SONAR, an installation brilliantly put together by some of the finest people in the world: Chris Lisowski & Tully Johnson. Their exhibit focused on the harmful effects the usage of sonar has had on the environment and marine life. It was awesome, and the place was packed with the constant flow of viewers checking out Pittsburgh's gallery crawl circuit. They really had everybody floored with their political voice, amazing paintings, a beached Sperm Whale, and government documents being read through a water-submerged speaker. Check out more at Chris's website: http://www.feralfarm.com/



The next day we rode bikes all over the city, and got to see many of its unique neighborhoods, art galleries, and myriad bridges spanning not only a mountainous terrain, but also three rivers which converge right there.

We went to the Chihuly exhibit in the burg's botanical gardens, and that was truly astounding. Every room was full of large glass blown sculptures meant to fit in with the environment including floating in various ponds and appearing to grow right out of the dirt. It was expansive and fascinating. Chihuly's Orange Glass Room

We got to have a Lisowski home cooked Italian dinner and hang out with the Lisowski family and Patty Johnson and Brenda too. We also got to see Ajay who his doing his residency in Pittsburgh, and meet his lovely wife too. So wonderful. Buffalo buddies Chris S, Bob B, and Kristie B were there for the festivities too and we really did have an interesting Karaoke experience at a local bar on Sat. night. It was a great weekend.

Here Damien is under a sun-speckling canopy of pre-autumn treetops! We spent a nice day hiking around Pochahontas State Park. He has Giant Biceps!
Damien and I also went to the Williamsburg Art Festival down here in VA and rode our bikes around and this horse tried to eat my shifter.

Soft Nose, Delicious Shifter

Protests in Burma

Whenever I close my eyes and remember Asia, I always see the serene, smiling, dignified, sparkling faces of the people of the Buddhist nation of Burma (the ruling military dictatorship calls the country Myanmar). The monk-led democratic protests going on there fill my heart up with so much hope and then it breaks a million times when I hear of the violence the military has responded with. The military junta has jailed Nobel Peace Prize winner Suu Kyi, dragged away and beaten the leading monks, and killed nine peaceful protesters. Here is a link to click to see an amazing photo gallery- it seems to go backwards in chronology, so the first pictures are later dates. The pictures of the peaceful aspects of the protest are so beautiful...maybe they can give us just a little window to see the strength of the citizens who live there.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/gallery/2007/09/25/GA2007092501415.html

Kayaking the Weekend Away

morning kayaking afternoon kayaking night kayaking

bald cypress kayaking




flower kayaking


We've just returned from a wonderful kayak-camping weekend in the Chickahominy Wildlife Management Area just to the S. E. of us. We spotted a lot of wildlife (a big Bald Eagle was circling over us this morning), cooked up some delicious meals, kayaked our brains out, and enjoyed a lot of needed peace and relaxation.

We've been doing well and are back in the swing of teaching- we have plunged right into the hectic crowded urban high school life, and are feeling a lot more peaceful this time around. I'm teaching an extra class twice a week after school and we are also taking a grad class after school, so our schedules have suddenly filled up to the point of bursting during the week, but we are enjoying it. I'm looking forward to implementing a recycling program at my school with a couple of other concerned teachers and students.

It is still hot down here- somewhere around 90 degrees today, and we are looking forward to the fall weather! Not much else to report... except all the friends with brand new babies in the world! Congratulations Kristin & BJ, Josh & Maryjo, Auntie Danielle & Baby Daddy Gumby! We love you and your beautiful little offspring/nephews!

The See Saws at Fountainhead Regional Park

Mountain Biking & Marriage

Tomorrow is already our 3 year wedding anniversary and the first day the students come back to school. With the addition of a graduate class on Tuesdays (tomorrow tambien), we decided it would be too full of a day to celebrate, so we utilized the long weekend to represent our anniversary instead. We drove to Fairfax, VA and went mountain biking at Fountainhead Regional Park for 2 days (9 miles of some wonderful and technical terrain), while staying in a plush room at the Marriott (thanks Di & Andy), and eating Thai duck curry with grapes and pineapples at a spicy restaurant. It was wonderful. We are so thankful we found each other in the universe. Today I spend the day preparing for and meditating on a full school year ahead. I have butterflies. Big ones-maybe Atlas moths.

Peru's Earthquake

We were so sad to hear about the devastating earthquake that rocked Peru 2 days ago. It measured a 7.9 on the Richter scale and there are over 500 dead and rising, and over 800 injured. We were in the area just 3 weeks ago and can still picture it perfectly. In fact, Pisco was our last stop (this is the town the suffered the most casualties). That was the jumping off point for the Islas Ballestras. We're closing our eyes and remembering that place and all the beautiful faces we passed there. We are thankful to be safe and hope the area and people will heal quickly. Here's a link to a recent update from NPR and you can listen to the details there.
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=12903552

Mud Island and Massachusetts

The crew at Mud 2007

After some kayaking days in Richmond, we hopped in the tiny Ford Focus hatchback (pinenut) laden with two longboats and 2 bikes (we came back with 3 bikes- thanks dad!) and headed north to Buffalo. There we got to see a few sorely missed friends and hung out with them late into the evening (this is the Buffalo way of course). Then it was off to the Johnson's annual family reunion up on Wolfe Island in Canada (right smack in the middle of the St. Lawrence River which makes for kayaking heaven). (I'm in a parenthesis mood). Most of us still call it Mud Island even though we stay on Wolfe because the venue used to be right across the water on a teeny tiny island (Mud). It was a festival of eating gourmet meals, sailing, kayaking, biking, camping, water skiing (go Luke!), wakeboarding (I stink and had sore forearms for the week), playing Patty's well crafted game of whip golf aka thunder horseshoes (no sorry I forgot the real name), fishing, covering fish with ink and making fishprints, relaxing, becoming immersed in the swarms of swallows at sunset, daytripping into Kingston, korkling (damien's new found love for flipping upside down in his kayak with a scuba mask on, gazing at the fish unil his breath runs out, and then uprighting himself with his perfected roll technique), and being together with wonderful people.

A field of Sunflowers on the island

Damien takes me out in the Adirondack Guideboat aka the "Romantic Boat" made by the hands of his father and grandfather

Then we were off to meet my folks in the beautiful Adirondacks where we picnicked on their land, kayaked, and caught up with each other. In the morning we rushed down to see my grandparents- grama Jane had been admitted to the hospital the night before and thankfully we found her doing better than we expected. That being said, she still was in enough danger to need to remain in the ICU for a few days. I'm glad I was close enough in the area to be with her. When we were sure she'd be OK, we headed back to Agawam and had a few days to enjoy the company of one another and snuck in a few quick but wonderful visits with some peeps. To celebrate my parents 30th wedding anniversary and my mom's birthday, Aunt Di took us all out to Max Downtown in Hartford and we all agree that it was one of the most exquisite and amazing dining experiences we've ever had. Thank you Dianne! We played lots of music togther, and we got to play with Danielle's boyfriend Andy who is a great guitar player. We belted out a few of our favorites! We went moutnain biking with Marc in Robinson, hung out by the pool with a whole crew of fantastic people, and tried to spy some falling meteors. The time flew by.

The Schlaffs perform in the playroom

Now we are home in VA and it's like a sauna down here. It was a great trip! We meant to see more people than we actually did, but we had a ball and if we missed you this time, let's make sure we see you at x-mas! Missing everyone and so thankful for all of the wonderful people in our lives. Mwaa!

Adios S. America

Goodbye South America

After La Paz, Bolivia, we cut across the northern tip of Chile and had the chance to explore an area of vast desert and snow-covered volcanoes. We stayed with a family in Parinacota, the most beautiful village that consisted of only ten families, and was the coldest place we had been yet. The area was full of vicunas, llamas, condors, and even flamingoes. We took a few long and rambling walks in the area and discovered a lake (all of this is in Lauca National Park) that was truly an oasis, so the wildlife viewing was incredible.

Vicunas grazing in Lauca National Park, Chile

The church in the center of Parinacota

We traveled through the driest desert in the world called the Atacama and found ourselves in a very pleasing beach town named Arica (I kept thinking everyone was talking about me) where we frolicked around for an afternoon. The next day we crossed back into Peru. Our next stop was the jumping off point for what are known as "poor man's Galopagus islands," more likely to be found on a map under the name of Islas Ballestras. A boat helped us view the beautiful area and we spotted Humbolt Penguins, Peruvian Boobies (these are birds of course!), Peruvian Pelicans, Inca Terns, 3 kinds of Cormorants, sea lions, and dolphins.

He tried to eat D's shoe

Then it was back to Lima to explore the bustling streets, a monastary with catacombs, and the grand squares of crumbling colonialism.

Now we are back home, kayaking and relaxing in the lush beauty of the humid summer we have found here!

The Mountains and La Paz

We took a harrowing boatride on Lake Titicaca to the Isla del Sol in Bolivia to find a magical place where people live an amazingly tranquil lifestyle. There had been a snow storm the night before with thunder and lightning and the lake had monsterous waves on it. By the time we got the the island, the sun came out and all was peaceful.

A view of Lake Titicaca from Isla del Sol

We then headed to the village of Sorata, where the Cordillera Real portion of the Andes tower overhead. We hired a guide and set off on a three day trek. We slept at a green lagoon, and then wheezed our way up to 16,650 ft up to a glacier lake. It was amazing. There was snow, and much awe in mother nature found there.

Damien and our guide Pablo have a snack on day 2 of our trek

Relaxing at our final destination- Laguna Glacial

After some well deserved showers and sleep back in town, we headed to the capital of Bolivia- La Paz which is where I write from now. It is a vibrant city, one of the most colorful, exciting, and fascinating cities I can remember. We stay in the ¨witchcraft¨market area, where herbs and all sorts of strange concoctions are ready to be offered to pachamama, including dried llama fetuses that you are supposed to bury under the corner of your house for good luck. The markets are incredible, the architecture is beautiful and the people are so very interesting. THe city literally has its own heartbeat.

In the morning we head to the northern tip of Chile, as it proves to be the easiest border crossing back into Peru, as there are protests directly from here that have the roads blocked. We figure we´ll take advantage of our detour and explore a National Park there that is supposed to be one of the finest in all of Chile. Much love coming at you from South America!

From Peru to Bolivia

After Machu Picchu we both came down with some kind of flu thing which held us up for a couple of days, but finally we headed to the southeast to the world´s highest lake- Titicaca. En route we drove through the remnants of a major protest and for miles there were boulders of every size thrown in the road to thrwart travel and we even spied an overturned car. Our bus driver was an excellent swerver. We found out that the citizens were protesting against some major company in the area that was polluting their river to such an extent that the people could not eat the fish in it any more.
When we arrived in the town Puno, we had the chance to take a boatride out into the vast lake. The destination was these traditional floating islands made out of lake reeds that people actually live on. They use the lake reeds to build their boats, their houses, and literally to build the ground they walk on! It was fascinating.

We seemed to become instant friends with a particular family there, and I spent a long time singing songs with them (twinkle twinkle little star was a big hit, and I had to sing it like 10 times so they could get the pronunciation just perfect), while Damien hung out with grandma in the kitchen discussing pollo de lago (chicken of the lake) - his and her own personal joke about a certain duck the locals enjoy eating. Hanging out on the floating islands
After that it was another dramatically beautiful busride around the lake, past intermingled herds of alpaca and sheep grazing in the treeless, windswept highlands of the Andes, past adobe villages, and miles of potatoes of every variey. We reached the Bolivian border and crossed over (sketchy policia there asking if our money was fake) to find another beautiful little town on Lake Titicaca- Copacabana (not the one from that song) which is situated at 12,600 feet and leaves you breathless the moment you walk out of your door. Bolivia is known as the most culturally traditional country in S. America, and we are enamoured already. Bolivians believe that they are all direct descendants of Pachamama (mother earth).
This morning in front of the church in the central plaza, the people were decorating cars and buses with flowers, garlands, ribbons, bows, praying with incense under the hoods, and sprinkling wine on the tires all in an effort to please the spirits that protect travelers. I like it here.

Need anything to decorate your car with?

Hola de Peru

Exploring the streets of Cusco

Well, we have been in Peru now for a little over one week, and we´re quickly falling in love with this country. We first explored Cusco and Pisac where impressive ancient Inca foundations are overlapped with Spanish colonialist architecture and the effect is some of the most stunning places I have ever seen. It´s winding cobblestone streets, adobe walls, terricotta rooves, and ruins everywhere. The locals are quite friendly, and they may have an adorned alpaca in tow. The markets are full of colorful textiles. One night in Pisac we didn´t sleep because of the festival celebrating July 1st, and there was the infinite ringing of church bells and horns and drums and dancing.

Market day in Pisac

Then we were off to two more places in the Sacred Valley- the first was Ollantaytambo which is a thriving town that remains the same as the original Inca design. It is truly a magical experience to wander through that town of thatched rooves, impeccable stonework, and ruins looming on every hillside. Rumor has it that there was one hell of a battle there between the Incas and the gold-thirsty conquistadors. The mountains are huge, and there the climate is actually a mountainous desert. Cacti and orchids growing side by side. White capped mountains jutting up in the background in every direction.

Enjoying an afternoon in Ollantaytambo

Next we decended down a little bit into a lush climate known as a cloud forest to make our way to the most famous Inca ruins in South America-Machu Picchu. It was never even discovered by the Spanish because it was in such a precarious location. We woke up at dawn and made our way there, and our 1st glimpse literally took our breath away. We spent the whole day there in awe of it´s prisine beauty and how in the world they could build such an asthetic and complex city literally on cliffsides. Phenomenal. I think its impressiveness is due to the combination of unbelievable stonework and the dramatic green mountains jutting up all around it. We have been climbing mountains every day and are becoming accustomed to the altitude, and now we are back in higher elevations. Next destination: Lake Titicaca. There is so much more to say, and I am still working on uploading pictures from our camera so that I can pair images with my lacking descriptions. Adios!

Machupicchu early in the morning

Damien looks out over the sacred valley

Off to Peru

Damien naps in a sublime spot in Shenandoah NP

With the school year being over, and us feeling a lot lighter, we got in the car and drove to Shenandoah National Park to compliment our peaceful state of being and do some more exploring. This was after some extensive celebrating with fellow teachers who every so often would bust out with a passionate rendition of "School's Out for Summer." Damien's department head told him, "Congratulations, you just made it through the hardest year of your life," while the rest ask if we are really really really coming back next year. We assure them that we will not be adding to the high turnover rate of inner city school faculty just yet.


Back to the vacation part! We had reserved a cabin about 1/2 a mile off the Appalachian Trail and right in the middle of the park. We saw lots of deer and one especially clumsy spotted fawn, but the wildlife highlight was certainly creatures who had been fairly elusive to me in the past: bears. We saw 6 bears in 2 days! The first 2 were spotted right off the Doyles River Trail on the way to and from the waterfall you see in the picture. On our second day, we completed an 8-mile hike (sore calves- need more training for our Andean trek!) and saw a huge mama bear and her three cubs right behind our cabin! They went running up the hill and the big one stopped about 75 yards away while the three little ones climbed up to the top of a tree above her. We had binoculars so we could see their baby faces and they were beautiful. Mama was not moving and staring at us. Every so often she would clap her lips together to make this loud noise and we're pretty sure she was telling us not to come any closer. There was a little gnashing of the teeth as well. We admired them for about 20 minutes and were awed by her size. We were ready to run if necessary. We decided to get out of her line of sight so that they could make a move to leave. But we couldn't leave either because that's where we were sleeping and it was around 8:30 pm. So we stayed quiet and out of view and after quite some time we saw them come down and move on. It was incredible!

We found out that mice like licking olive oil too.

There are massive Tulip trees in the park

So now it's packing mania over here. Our flight into Lima is on Tuesday. We're bringing all of our gear for cold mountain weather and a crazy idea that maybe we should go to Bolivia too. Trying to fit all we need into our 2 backpacks. Thank god for zip lock bags.

9 months of torture is worth 9 weeks off

Bwa ha ha! We're on Summer vacation. We can't believe we have completed our first year of teaching. All I want to know is why didn't they have ninja vs. pirate pillow fights when we lived in Buffalo?

Mom's Visit

We had a wonderful visit with mama Kay when she flew down here last weekend. We kayaked the Mattaponi, shopped, went out to eat, frolicked all over Richmond, cooked, relaxed, saw Spiderman on a rainy afternoon, wore pretty dresses (not D of course), took her to watch us in some rapids and Damien surf river waves, played rummy at night and played hooky in the morning, made friends with a turtle, missed dad, and enjoyed each other's company. Love you!

Trevor the Wonderdog

It was a very sad day for the Schlaffers 5/31/07. Our beloved little house beast, our Trevor, aka Trevor the Wonderdog, aka Captain Fall Dog, aka Crimp Ears, died. He was 16 years old and so very elderly. We are all thankful to have had our little free-spirited guy for so long as part of our family. This is a picture of him when he still loved to climb the mountains in New Hampshire.

Mountain Rendevous

We certainly are very fortunate to be able to have a beautiful getaway close to home. We got a chance to see our homies for a weekend in the mountains of West Virginia, where Jimmy Lisowski and his friends (who now have become our friends too) own a gorgeous cabin. Chris was there and even Bob Klug and Bella came for a side trip on their move from Buffalo to Hudson, NY. It was marvelous to be able to be with such awesome people (and dogs)! The picture above is the view we got on what was definitely the most adventurous portion of our weekend. Damien, Chris, Bob, Jimmy, and I went on a crazy 12 mile mountain biking excursion. It was steep and treacherous. It was difficult and exhilarating. It was so rocky, wildly exhausting, and the views were brilliant! When we finally had arrived at the expansive vista, our tired bodies and spirits were uplifted and we knew we'd actually survive the journey. This was after we met the thunder and lightening storm and torrential downpours as we rode along the highest point on the ridge. The last two miles were amazing single track through blooming Mountain Laurel, purple slate, and mossy switchbacks. We all had wounds, stories of flying through the air with our bikes left behind us, scars from timber-bashing, sore wrists from maneuvering over large boulders, and giant grins on our faces. It was truly great.

We spent the rest of our time together relaxing, swimming, eating, and enjoying each other's company.

When we got home, Damien helped me build some brick planters for my little garden and we added some potted jade and peat moss. Sure feels like summer down here.

Bringing the Wicked to Virginia

Ed & Juliette, our dear sweet peas, drove down here from Northampton MA, and brought the "wicked" with them. I easily fell back into using my native Mass lingo and we really did have a wicked awesome time together. We went to the bald cypress swamp out by Virginia beach, rode our bikes around Bell Isle here in Richmond, ate lots of wicked delicious vegan food together (including Ethiopian mmmm), explored the city, clotheslined a few coffees, and just enjoyed each other's good company. We miss you wicked bad!

For my birthday (which is the same day as my dad's) Damien got me a beautiful whitewater kayak paddle. I thought that was it. I was so excited I said I wanted to go look online right then for whitewater kayaks (we only had 1 whitewater boat, in case you're wondering our other boats are for flatwater- so the paddle was the perfect impetus to finally go ahead and buy a 2nd whitewater boat). We ran inside to get to the computer, and I took a step backward when I saw a beautiful kayak sitting on the kitchen floor! It had a giant pink bow on it. What an amazing present. Here's a picture of me using it on the James River after a set of rapids you can't really see in the distance. I've named her Clementine.

There is officially only one month left in the school year!

Happy Mother's Day too to our extradordinary mothers.

The Butter Lamb Goes to Chincoteague

The Butter Lamb takes a ride on the kayak to enjoy the sunset.

Spring Break was wonderful with our families in Chincoteague. Our rental house was right on the water and Damien, Kay, Joe, Patty, David, Tullis and I kayaked and biked every day. Assateague National Seashore was right around the corner, and the bird life was incredible. We ate like maniacs, played music, enjoyed each other's company, cooked, read, made some collaborative art, and relaxed. The only bummer was the chilly weather. Often I found myself kayaking in my winter coat and hat thinking, "this just doesn't seem right for April in Virginia, no?" (Today it's 87 degrees here in Richmond). But despite the unusual brisk weather, we managed to have a wonderful time. It was truly beautiful there. We had a Polish Easter celebration which included Perogis and Butter Lambs, and Patty's famous Easter Breakfast. We also got very close to the wild ponies of Chincoteague, who looked so noble with their manes blowing in the wind.

David glides over the smooth waters of the tidal channels by our place.

The Schlaffers line up according to height.

The Johnsons enjoy the end of beautiful day.

Damien and Tully work on our collaborative piece featuring many birds including the "Sparrow De Dios."

Wild wild ponies, couldn't drag me away...

It was a wonderful vacation. We miss you all so much!