Kayaking the Spine of VA Beach

We took advantage of our last couple of weekdays off and drove east to the ocean. Damien had researched a remote place to camp in the state park on Virginia Beach called False Cape, with no vehicle access. The choice was to either walk 6.5 miles to the site, or our favorite, kayak 9 miles to the site. We kayaked on Back Bay, following the shoreline which so narrowly separated us from the open ocean. The day we started the waves were raging, so we were thankful to be on the calmer yet still wavy side, with, fortunately, the wind at our backs. We made it there in about 3 hours and were astonished by the beauty we found there. We camped under an ancient Live Oak, which do not grow up north, and walked less than a mile to the ocean side to play on the beach. Not a soul was around. It was amazing. It rained a bit, but it was nice. In the morning the bay was still and glassy like you see in the picture. We had a calm paddle back, though we still can feel all those miles in our shoulders and traps. We were so hot when we got back to the car we decided to take another dip on the ocean side at a public beach, which was fun, until I started feeling all these sharp little stings on the inside of my suit. I found that about a billion little sand-sized critters had gotten stuck in there and were pinching me. It took a long time for me to remove every last one, and it certainly cut my swim short. I haven't been able to identify them yet but they were kind of like a tiny spider crossed with a tiny shrimp the color of sand with eyes that were black but looked green in the light.

Anachronistic Entry

I meant to put this pic on a while back- this is up in Canada (Mud) when David and I flipped the catamaran and I never got wet-kinda like running on a log. We were helped back into upright position by some local friends. We then proceeded to have one of the most exhilirating rides ever in the very windy afternoon. Thanks David -what a time!

Making Richmond Home

Well y'all (ha ha not yet), here we are in Richmond, Virginia. We are really enjoying it so far and are starting our pre-service training on the 21st of Aug, and the kids come back to school on Sept 5th. Here are a couple of pictures- our backyard, front porch, and a spot in Shenandoah National Park, which we hiked around in yesterday. I'll post some of the interior of our apt as soon as we finish hanging up our art. We moved in during that incredible heat wave. Dante surely would have designated the inside of our Penske truck a whole new level in Inferno, wherein those who collected too much stuff during their lifetimes would be tortured accordingly.
Fortunately, my parents drove all the way down here to help us get settled and it was a wonderful time. Happy Birthday To You Mom! Today's her day. Anyhow, we started exploring the city with them and were sad to see them go. Richmond is full of pleasant surprises, and our neighborhood is really historical and hip, boasting lots of cool restaurants, cafes, old churches, an Edgar Allen Poe Museum, cobblestone streets, and even a quirky farmer's market that looks like a flea market on Saturdays. We live atop the steepest hill and riding our bikes up it in the heat has been something to celebrate every time. The James River is right here, flowing east through the city and there are many rocks to sunbathe and play on, and lots of swimmers, kayakers, and rafters are seen floating around in the mid-day humidity. The water is so warm it's borderline refreshing. We've been out kayaking once and saw a lot of bird and animal life. The southern lifestyle has been easy to fall into; everyone is pretty laid back and very friendly. It is a southern rule to leave your porch light on all night, and the meat department at the grocery store reminds me more of Asia than anything: chicken necks and feet, pig hooves, gizzards and various glands. And no Frank's Red Hot, but many other spicy concoctions are to be had for sure. Damien bought a car- a 2003 black Ford Focus Hatchback that gets 37 miles to the gallon! That really beats my trusty purple robot. We hope for some more visitors soon! Ahem... I think we're heading out to the beach tomorrow (this piece of info is meant for enticing). I'll keep this blog updated. We miss you!

Guess Where This Is

Nope, you're wrong. It's Michigan! Damien and I were surprised to find ourselves in what felt like another country, but what was actually Sleeping Bear National Lakeshore. We spent our time there running down giant sand dunes (and plodding slowly back up them), snorkling in the gorgeous blues, and camping in a lush forest. An insane storm came in one night and the whole area lost power, which was still without watts when we left. We extended a trip to Michigan to celebrate my cousin Mike who sadly passed away two years ago. We stayed up until 4 am with my mom and my cousins and my aunts & uncles catching up and having fun around a bonfire.....then in the morning it was blaring Polish music and people drinking more beer, the sign of a party with stamina. Thanks to my totally rad family, to a state with a lot of hidden secrets, and thanks to another beautiful memory in my cousin Mike's name.

fish

the fish thought our snorkles worthy of inspection.

July 4th

This year I had the best view of fireworks I've ever had. The water mirrored the sky's fleeting ornaments while the heart-stopping booms traveled over the surface and a million tiny lights rained down over our enamored heads. After the show was over we saw fireworks down the river further and I said that must be in Canada. It took a minute to realize that was impossible considering July 4th celebrates independence for the United States. Brilliant as a firework.

Richmond or Bust

We have finally decided upon, or it was decided for us (various factors fit together, some that we had control over and others that were precariously and blatantly out of our powers, proving that the universe works in unexplainable but wise ways and thankfully, I have learned the valuable lesson that stressing out gets one nowhere but deeper into a frenzy which was wholly unnecessary because it always works out in the end, etcetera, etcetera) on our next destination (this was my point, drumroll please): Richmond, VA. With two jobs in two high schools, a new mountain bike, and the sum of all our experiences, we head for the South as official English Teachers.
All we know is that there is whitewater kayaking right in downtown Richmond, and with that thought we rest a little easier, knowing we will at least become better paddlers in the rapids. And of course we now have the chance to have our own classrooms full of young people who's greatest chance for life success depends on what skills they learn and how they view the world. My goal is to foster compassion and critical thought.
Buffalo has been especially beautiful lately. This is due to the glorious spring we are having, and also that it is being viewed through departing eyes. My parents in-law just moved into a house around the corner, and it's been so wonderful to see them so often. We went to Pine Lot last weekend when my parents came to visit (miss them!) and we saw a huge bear running through a field. He stood up on his hind legs which showed his impressive height and a belly I wished I could touch. We all went to the Allentown Art Festival too, which was full of some great art as you might imagine.
Buffalo went through a time of hockey mania recently, when the Sabres fought it out to game 7 in the semi finals of the Stanley Cup. They lost eventually to N. Carolina. It was a treat to see Doug Janik, one great player who I went to high school with in Agawam, playing for Buffalo, and even scoring a goal! After they lost this city seemed a little unsure as to what to do with itself. But since then things are back to normal, and there are farmer's markets, glasses of wine on cafe patios, bike riders of every sort, flowers galore, rests in the grassy city parks, dogs catching each other's aromas on soft breezes, music festivals, camping expeditions, gay pride parades, barbecues, friends, and a plethora of gatherings. Buffalo: nestled in between two great lakes, on the gorge that divides the US and Canada, a place where no buffalo ever roamed, and where the Niagara just keeps raging and raging.

Spanish Moss

Beautiful Savannah! We went there briefly on Spring break along with W. Virginia and Virginia. A whirlwind tour full of beauty. And alligators. Dolphins slapping their tails just off of the beach too! We're done student teaching in 2 weeks and are now assessing our future plans. I've added another link to the 7th grade blog I made where my current students published their poetry. It's similar to the high school blog link that is also there.
We have an interesting neighbor across the street. For the past year he has been tallying up the American dead in Iraq on large posters stapled to his fence. It's eerie walking out of our apartment every morning to see the numbers increasing like an odometer. I remember when it hit the 1,000 mark some time ago. Today it says 2,390.

Canopy Tour

We have a new sport/hobby. Tree climbing! All it takes is a fairly simple getup of ropes and harnessess. And good knots of course. And a sling shot or a sock filled with enough pennies that it could kill you coming down the other side of the branch. It is a surprisingly vigorous workout, and once suspended in the trees it is quiet and you sway with the wind. Here are some pictures of Damien and his view from up above as we hiked with friends Bob Bill Kortni Bella and Blinker at the Eternal Flame south of Buffalo.

This blog needs some color

The orchid show at the botanical gardens. They really are fascinating plant-like creatures.

An insect tale

We took a walk around Buckhorn state park yesterday. I felt like a tiny insect in the reed-like plants all around me, which were forming uncommon angles in the wind and slicing up the scenery like venetian blinds. It was all golds, reds and grays. We saw a field full of fat Robins, and in the woods there were a few Red-Bellied Woodpeckers flying around us. Big pieces of ice floating down the Niagara. We are now student teaching at our second placement, which is going well so far. Click on the link to the right entitled English Class Page to see a blog I made for the high school I taught at. Students showcased their poetry on it based on the Holocaust, the topic of our unit. There are also a couple of pictures. Tomorrow is Spring and we woke up to big fat snowflakes falling down this morning.

Winter Kayaking Cruise

perspectives

This is an ice formation formed in the smooth hollows of the raging Niagara whose pools collect water which turns to ice and is picked up by a hiker (Bob Klug), placed to balance upright in a crack and peered through so that it frames the gorge.

Big Trees & No Keys

How we spent the last few days before student teaching starts (tomorrow!): we discovered a small patch of old growth trees right here in the Niagara region of New York. It was 10 acres of towering Red Oaks and other various giants. Then on the other side of the river (Canada), we hiked in a magical mossy forest to find tall Tulip trees, fat hemlocks and old Cedars. Beautiful. All was successful besides when I fell off a rock, bloodied up my knee and tore my pants. We had a lovely glass of local wine in the quaint Niagara on the Lake and saw some Oldsqaws swimming on the surface of Lake Ontario under a full moon. Our friend Chris Lisowski came up from Pittsburgh for the weekend, whom we relaxed with. He brought us a new piece of art he made. Then he went back to Pittsburgh with my car keys in his pocket. Above is a picture of a tall Red Oak and one of the culprit and our new print. Luckily, our friend Tara let us borrow her car as she and Storms went off to Italy. We'll still make it to our first day of teaching tomorrow.

Adios 2005

See ya. It was a good year, I'll spare the recap of all 365 days, but I'll look back on it with very fond memories. We spent our Christmas in Massachusetts and then headed up to New Hampshire for some much needed time in nature and to ring in the New Year with some excellent friends. We snowshoed in the Great Gulf Wilderness area (one of our favorite White Mountain spots) next to the Peabody River and found excellent views of Mount Washington and Mount Madison. We also explored the old Cedar forests around Christine Lake and the area around the hypnotic Crystal Falls. All day on New Years Eve day Damien was perfroming beautiful 360s on his snowboard off of a jump he had built in the backyard. Later, with a half hour left until the new year, he went out to celebrate 2006 on a sled, hit that very same jump on his belly and broke a rib (or 2, we're not sure). Sadly, he missed snowboarding the next day at Sunday River. Fortunatley, he is finally starting to heal up, but if you see him, resist the Python hugs.
Yesterday we went to the Body Worlds exhibit in Toronto, and you haven't heard of it, check this out: http://www.bodyworlds.com/ Wow. Also had a good Ethiopian lunch. Happy New Year!

Happy Holidays!

After finishing all of our classes, we have been spending our time snowshoeing, snowboarding, enjoying our friends, throwing parties, reading, watching movies, cooking, practicing our ninja moves and other things necessary for getting ready for Christmas. Damien has been painting up a storm (see above!) We're driving to Massachusetts tomorrow for the festivities. Hope your holdiay season is peaceful.

I'll Pay You 5$ to Write My Reseach Paper

Links

About the two links to the right: Joshua Bienko and Grace Spivak. Two amazing friends of mine. You can just click on thier name and it will take you directly to their blogs. Josh is in a graduate fine art program in Georgia. You can check out some of his amazing work on his blog (not to mention the wonderful pictures of his sweetpea baby Harper and his lovely wife Maryjo)! Grace is a friend that we made while we were studying in Prague, Czech Republic for our TEFL certification. Similar to when we taught English in Taiwan, Grace is teaching English in Korea. Her blog is full of stories, adventures, and cultural experiences that are truly unique. I hope you get a chance to check out these web pages. Ciao!

Snow in Buffalo

Well it officially snowed last night here in Buffalo. There is a fine coating of white all over everything this morning. The day before it was 65 degrees! Damien and I celebrated by eating ice cream for breakfast today (it's a tradition for the first snow) and we were out frolicking under the streetlamps last night.
We have only one month left of classes for the semester, so we are really going crazy getting all of our work done, but there is a light at the end of the tunnel. We have both been observing and doing a little bit of teaching at an urban school here in Buffalo. It's pretty wild, but we are really enjoying it. Student teaching in January.
Sadly, my uncle Crit passed away last month. He was only 48. I'd like to dedicate a poem by e. e. cummings to him and to my family who will miss him very much.

2

to stand (alone) in some

autumnal afternoon:
breathing a fatal
stillness; while

enormous this how

patient creature (who's
never by never robbed of
day) puts always on by always

dream,is to

taste
not(beyond
death and

life)imaginable mysteries

recap of Bazoinker Ball