A wedding on the beach

Several months ago, my niece sent us a card to mark our calendars for her wedding. When I found out that the July 22nd event would take place on the beach, I had my doubts. ON the beach... amidst beachcombers and families laying on their towels and sitting on their folding chairs. Wind blowing, sand everywhere... what does one wear on a breezy beach? What good are shoes? I had big doubts, having never attended a wedding on a beach before.

However, all my fears dispersed the moment my bare feet stepped onto the warm beach sand, my sandals dangling from carefully manicured (artificial) fingernails. On the upside, there was no need to worry about hair styling... after all, the wind was going to blow it all apart. I cast away my middle-aged worries into the ocean breeze, feeling the freedom of a 23 year old who once had the whole world and a lifetime ahead of her (and in some ways, still does!). Weddings have a way of bringing us back to our own youth, the promises we made, and hopes we planted in our hearts. I love weddings!

It was held on Wrightsville Beach, in the early evening. After the sacred vows were spoken, a Sand Ceremony marked the joining of two families. The pastor explained the steps of the marriage ritual: first the parents of the bride, and then the parents of the groom stepped forward, each to pour a portion of colored sand into separate glass vases. One pair poured blue sand in the one vase, and one pair poured white sand in the other.

                                          

Then the bride and groom each took up their respective parents' vase and simultaneously poured the colored sands into a pretty glass central vase. Very much like a lighting of the candles, except better since there was too much wind to enable candle lighting. The significance of blending the colored sands of the two families did not get lost on any of the family members.

                                             

My niece and her husband looked beautiful in the setting sun. So happy were they to have all their plans realized. I was happy for them... we all were. I would have taken many more pictures, but the professional photographers told us to turn our cameras off, then stole our bride and groom to a short distance away closer to the swaying sea oats. They monopolized every second of the setting sun for their photos.

I sneaked a few anyway, then took photos of the rest of us who were not immediate family and not part of the family photo session. Finally, we decided to leave and head for the reception, which would take about 20 minutes to drive to. 

The wedding was one I will never forget... I wish Bridget and David a long and happy marriage, and may all their dreams come true.

                   

We are family....! This is my SIL, MIL, me and my BIL... my DH took this one. I seldom get to visit with the family, so it was especially nice to talk with them, catch up on family events. SIL will be a grandmother in a few months, her first! Notice my bare feet. It was nice not having to worry about what shoes to wear!

                            

We stayed at a lovely old hotel called The Wilmingtonian, located in historic downtown Wilmington (NC), just a block off the waterfront. A bargain for the location and the room size, with all the amenities. The Wilmingtonian is a complex of several buildings. We stayed in the Maritime House, the Fort Fisher Suite (only $85 a night). I hadn't expected theplace to be as nice as it was... all I knew was that we had reservations close to the reception, in the historic district. I love surprises!

                             

Below, I am standing on our balcony, overlooking a garden style courtyard.

                                     

 

The biggest surprise was the koi pond... you all know how much we miss our yard koi pond. I had no idea this place had a koi pond when we booked the reservations three months ago.   

                                                                       

So glad we stayed there. We could easily have stayed another night or two had we not already made plans to drive on to other U.S. shores. 

 

 I will write about them next. When we get back.

 

Tags: The Wilmingtonian, historic downtown Wilmington, wedding,

Animal Cruelty... A response

I just don't know where to begin.

First, I read Ravens Lament, Indigo's raging entry (rightfully so). She was writing in response to the federal indictment against Atlanta Falcons football player Michael Vick, who sponsored/ran a dog-fight operation on his property.

I am an animal-lover... I couldn't believe some of the things she said about this young football player/sports hero... not because she is a passionate advocate for animals/children/women, but because how could anyone do such a thing? Especially someone who is already living what many would consider a privileged life, a celebrity, and ultimately, a sports hero for children. I left her journal shocked that the sport is still thriving somewhere, and angry that someone young, healthy, intelligent,and athletic as this Michael Vick, who could do so much more with his life, has chosen to get his jollies from killing dogs.

Then, I read Russ's entry at Inner and Outer Demons... again, the anger and rage of someone who loves animals, someone who is caring for an aging animal... and he has written a response to the same horrid story. I do not follow sports news, but I had to check this story out, so I did a search. It didn't take long to find out what the indictment against this young man was all about. There is enough evidence to put his butt (and those of his associates) in prison.

I saw a video at YouTube, and thought at first to put it here, but it was too upsetting. Not anyone I know here would want to view it. But if you have never heard of dogfighting and cock-fighting, or don't understand the depth of cruelty that enrages us, here is the link to one short video (made by the Humane Society) that explains (graphically, but with compassion and factual information) the savageness of the sport. It's called Put An End to Animal Fighting: The final round.

Or watch the Pet Minute for a briefer version. There is a link to the video in the far right column on that page, where it says Watch the Video.

How could he (or anyone) do such a thing? What was he thinking? How does one grow up from a little boy, who probably had a pet or two, to become a talented athlete, who went to college, and became a highly paid football player for a popular team down south... how does one turn around, in the dark of the night, to do such evil to the most innocent of animals? How????

What kind of person enjoys watching animals fight to the death? I'm talking about penned animals... animals chained to their "dog houses"... animals bred, trained, and forced to fight. It's nothing like animals in the wild, where predator meets prey. That's a different kind of survival. I still have a hard time watching a lion bring down an antelope on a National Geographic video, even though I know that the lion has to eat. I feel sorry for the antelope. But dogs fighting dogs to the death... no it's not the same thing.

I look at my dogs' adoring faces... not just adorable... but adoring. They look at me like they adore me. I don't know if they really adore, but it looks like adoration to me. Their eyes follow my every move. They read my body language. They know when I am finished eating at the table before I even get up. They sense sadness, they sense joy... they express the same. They feel pain, and they have strong loyalty to us, their family. I can't imagine such a thing for them, or their distant cousins, the Pit Bulls, or for any breed of dog.

Where does this kind of thinking come from? Not just in regards to this one individual who has not even reached the maturity of a 30-year old man, but to all the people involved in this crime... especially the ones who run the operations? If no one ran dog-fights, there'd be no one to participate in them: no one to breed dogs to fight, no one to train the dogs to fight,no one to sponsor dog fights on their property, no one to place bets on them in the first place. At all levels, it has to be eradicated... at all levels, it is evil.

I'm guessing not anyone who reads this has anything to do with dogfighting. But it's possible that any one of us could someday hear of some suspicious activity. If so, you can help by contacting your local SPCA, Humane Society, and even the police. Here is a link to the Humane Society of the United States.

The good news is that on May 3rd of this year, President Bush signed the bill, H.R. 137, into law, which provides felony-level penalties for animal fighting activities. Which means if this guy Vick, and his co-horts are convicted, they could get up to six years in prison. For details of that report, click here.

I'm hoping that on the day Vick's team is scheduled to hit the field for training camp(July 25th or 26th), they will do it without Vick because, on that day, he will be appearing in federal court for a bond hearing.

The bond hearing is late in the afternoon. I wonder what his team managers and teammates will do that morning? Will they let him on the field for training? Wouldn't that be like showing your support for someone? I think they should not allow him on the field that day. 

Innocent til proven guilty? After having read the 18 page indictment, I think it's going to be difficult for him to prove his innocence .

 

Tags: cruelty to animals, Michael Vick, dog fighting

Rockin' Man Blogger recognition

                                                              

If I had known there was Rockin' Man Blogger award, at the time I was given the Rockin' Girl Blogger award, I would have certainly included the following guy bloggers, who are among my favorites. I just happened to find the above icon just moments ago at Krissy's journal, Sometimes I Think. I had to come back and recognize these guy bloggers because I read them as often as they write.

Patrick, Caregivingly Yours. I know I've mentioned him before in my journal, but it's because I truly enjoy what he has to say, and the way he says it. He endears me with his family pictures, from the past to the present, the video clips and the YouTube clips he's made and added to his journal entries (with music he carefully picks for each one). The ongoing story of how he meets the challenge of being called into caregiving at such a young age... no one expects such things to happen when their family is so young... can inspire even the most defeated in mind and heart. Patrick is a Rockin'Man Blogger! 

Greg, Call of the Waterfalls. This Rockin' blogger carries a loaded camera with him at all times... I'm sure of it. And if he hasn't been to every waterfall in the state of North Carolina, he will boast of it someday soon. I love his entries about each waterfall he visits, from the peaceful photographs in every entry featuring a single waterfall, to the guiding text which not only includes detailed directions on how to find the featured waterfall, but interesting facts about it as well. In his other journal, Photo Trek, he gives practical tips to help those of us who want to be better photographers. If you have any questions related to anything he writes about, Greg is just an emailed question away. Yes, Greg is a Rockin'Man Blogger.

Barry, Vengeance. Barry's entries are usually short, sometimes sharp, sometimes ponderous, often rascally, and they vary from accounts of family history, to his own travels around the world, and to his current family. The man is young at heart, but I won't tell you his age. You figure it out while reading about some of the things he has done and places he has been. He loves to write, and what intrigues me, among other things, are his playfulness with and voraciousness for words. Just yesterday I was thanking him for helping me increase my vocabulary, which pales by comparison. Oh, and he makes me laugh... I wish I could hear his voice. I hope I haven't embarrassed him by selecting Barry, Bbartle3, as a Rockin' Man Blogger.  <grin>

In the spirit of connecting bloggers to other bloggers, I have given you my choices! I invite you to visit them very soon.

If you Rockin' Men Bloggers want to continue with your own personal recognitions, then copy and paste the icon, and write your own entry. You can nominate five man bloggers. Or I suppose you could use the pink Rockin' Girl Blogger icon in my previous entry to nominate the lady bloggers. Or not.

Have a good evening all!

Tags: Rockin' Male Bloggers, Caregivingly Yours, Call of the Waterfalls, Vengeance

Rockin' Girl Bloggers

                                                    

                               So someone thinks I'm a Rockin' Girl Blogger.

Marti at Porch Stories does, at least. It might be because we are both teachers. I'm late in responding to that entry, but I think I'm suppose to nominate five other girl bloggers... sorry guys. I think there ought to be a Rockin' Guy Blogger recognition, too.

I don't have the official guidelines, but I glanced at a few other nominees to see how they responded, so I have an idea. Here goes:

There's Indigo, Marie, Caroline, Sheria, and Sher.

Indigo is wearing her life out here in the open. Actually, there are many journalers doing this at aol journals. Indigo is dealing with physical and emotional issues/trauma, but no matter how far down or how deep the pit she finds herself in on any given day, that woman pulls herself back up and starts over. She needs our prayers and good thoughts. Indigo (Raven's Lament) is a Rockin' Girl Blogger.

I selected Marie for her words of helpful encouragement and guiding examples of daily living, from the past and in the present. She lives in Great Britain, and has started a new life in recent years. Marie (Marie's Muses) is a Rockin' Girl Blogger, too!

Caroline was my friend here in my state and county long before I started blogging. We taught together for a few years in the same building. Now that we no longer teach in the same school, I keep up with her life through her blog. She is from South Africa, in case you haven't read her blog, and she has a lovely spirit of boldness that I admire. Her faith in God is apparent in nearly every entry. Caroline (A New Adventure) is a Rockin' Girl Blogger as well.

Many of you already know that Caroline and I met Sheria in person back in February... it was the first time either of us met another aol journaler. It was so much fun, we are going to do it again this summer. Sheria was a teacher before she became a lawyer, and she is politically savvy. I am ashamed to admit my own ignorance before her. But, she probably already has me figured out... through her kindness and skill with words, she makes me feel intelligent. Sheria's journal is often humorous with her family stories, or serious when she brings up issues that she is passionate about. Sheria (On My Mind) is a Rockin' Girl Blogger, no doubt!

Now, any mother who adopts three teen-agers (in addition to the two she already has at home) and blogs about her family, all with a positive and happy outlook has got to be a Rockin' Mama. So I want y'all to check Sher out and keep up with what's going on. She has got some story to tell. She's also a teacher. Yes, Sher (WunzUponATime) is some kind of on fire Rockin' Girl Blogger!

There's my list of five, although there are many others out there who rock. I think the ones I picked, if they haven't already been picked, are supposed to write an entry. In this way some folks will meet new people they haven't read before.

Just copy the Rockin' Girl Blogger icon into your entry if you want. Happy bloggin', ladies.

 

 

Tags: Rockin' Girl Bloggers

Black and white diamonds: Monday photo shoot

Monday Photo Shoot: Picture something that shows off something geometrical. Squares, cubes, vectors, right angles, tangents and so on; basically, any picture that shows geometrical forms and shapes in an interesting and obvious way.

                                                            

Most of you know that I went to the coast a few weeks ago, and visited Cape Lookout, one of the barrier islands off of North Carolina. I had inserted pictures of me and Steve standing in front of the lighthouse in a previous entry. I didn't want to repeat the same photo, so here's a slightly different one.

In this version, you see a crew of NC Coast Guard going up into the lighthouse, but I couldn't find out the nature of their business. I'm sure they didn't change any lightbulbs up there.

(<grin> couldn't resist that one!)

But in keeping with the theme for this week's photo shoot, I included the lighthouse for its obvious diamond-shaped geometric pattern.

I want to carry this one step further, and pass on some very interesting information about this pattern. If I may paraphrase from the brochure I have in my hand this very minute:

On a lighthouse, the pattern painted on it is called a "daymark." Daymarks help people at sea to distinguish one lighthouse from another during the day. (You knew that part, didn't you?) Today we call the pattern on the Cape Lookout lighthouse the diamond pattern, but when it was first painted in 1873, it was officially a "diagonal checker" pattern.

Here's the really interesting part about the purpose of this pattern... It isn't just to set it apart from other lighthouses off the NC coast. The black diamond shapes are aligned with North/South, and the white diamond shapes are aligned with East/West. So depending from which direction you approach it, you will see a different pattern (black on white, or white on black).

                                 

And now I quote directly: "Cape Lookout is the only lighthouse to change like this, all others remain the same regardless of viewing directions."

I didn't know this information while I was there. If I had, I would have walked around to the other side of the lighthouse to get the picture of white diamonds. This is the closest thing I have to giving you an idea of that change in pattern from black to white. You can imagine the rest!

(From: Cape Lookout Lighthouse, National Park Service, US Department of the Interior and Cape Lookout National Seashore, North Carolina.)

See, I told you it would be interesting.

If you have an interesting geometric photo to show off, click on the link to Scalzi's photo shoot assignment so you can leave your entry with him. Oh, and don't forget to leave your link here as well.

I love geometry!

Tags: Cape Lookout, Monday Photo Shoot, geometry, blogplugs

July 7... There are no more words tonight

Sometimes it's just nice to enjoy the time... just the quiet sense of time and space in one's yard. Doing nothing except thinking about the days and weeks gone past, and not even planning for the future. Recalling dreams, revisiting them, trying to understand them, what they ask of me.

Just sitting, breathing, not even talking ... just being.

That is where I am tonight. Pondering. Wandering inside my head tonight. Such a luxury. I must be careful or I will start to feel guilty... must not feel guilty... go away guilt.

What do you do when you have nothing to do, nothing you have to do, nothing you want to do, when you truly have time off? Like in a Sabbath sense. Do you try to fill it up with something, or do you give in to it and explore it?

I'm going outside to sit on my deck and enjoy the evening air, and give thanks to my Creator. Good night all.

There are no more words. It's remarkable when that happens. 

 

Back from Cherokee

I'm back from the mountains. Just got back Monday afternoon. Stayed longer than I had planned.

Saturday morning, I had arrived at my friend's apartment around 9 a.m., ready to load our cars. She still had things to sort through and pack, but I had both of our cars packed with all of her essential belongings by 2:00, and then we were on the road.

We arrived at our motel room by 7 p.m. I learned what an emotional day it had been for her, leaving her apartment, leaving much behind in storage, and leaving so much more than I can even talk about here.

When a person reaches a point in life that changes have to be made, sometimes there is little we can do to stop it. Sometimes, greater powers are at work in our minds and in our hearts, pushing us to move from the familiar to the unfamiliar, from what holds us back to what frees us, from what deadens us to what gives us life. When this happens, it isn't always joyous. It isn't without pain. I witnessed this first hand as I helped my friend move.

                             

The above photo shows her view of the Great Smoky Mountains from the back deck of her new temporary home. I shot it this morning, as a fog drifted between the mountains. You can see a pleasant and gentle stream running through her backyard as well. This is what she will see every morning first thing.

Sunday morning, after I had unloaded the contents of both cars into her home, we went out for lunch, then she drove me around to show me the sights. She said I didn't come all the way up here just to haul boxes.

One stop included the greatest surprise. I would never have found it without her. Indigo, you will find this especially interesting.

She drove us (she needs crutches to walk, but she can drive well enough) through Cherokee, down the strip on Big Cove Road (Hwy 441 N). It's a veritable tourist trap there, both sides of the street are lined with stores selling souvenirs and 'crafts'. You can spend a lot of money on junk if you are not careful, but there are some genuine shops that sell authentic Cherokee handmade objects, if you know where to find them. She knows where they are.

She pulled into one shopping center in Saunooke Village, which looked like all the other shopping centers along the road. She told me we were going to a museum. We walked past several souvenir joints, and came to the Cherokee Heritage Museum and Gallery.

                                                         

If you are ever in Cherokee, and you want to see authentic Cherokee/Native American art, or you want to talk to someone who can give you historical information about Native American art, this is the museum you must not pass up. Walking into this little shop is like an illusion. It looks like a gift shop on the outside, but upstairs are the treasures of ancient history.

                                     

Like I said, downstairs it looks like a book store/crafts shop, but if you want something more substantial and want to learn  about the culture and history of the Cherokee Nation, talk to Dr. Michael Abram. (look closely, he's in the photograph) He has created a guided tour from thousands of Cherokee objects: stone sculpture, paintings, masks, clothing items, weapons, and other artifacts he has collected/purchased over the years. For $5 he will lead you up the stairs, give you a personal introduction about how the guided tour works, and then send you on your way. A taped history, narrated by the good doctor himself, leads you through each display. The entire tour takes about one hour. There are chairs to sit on if you get tired of standing.

I came away with the distinct feeling that this place is overlooked and under-rated. After the tour, I expressed to him my appreciation for the years of research and collecting he had to have done to gather such a collection. He is living proof how one man can make a difference in the world, a little piece at a time.

He is easy to talk to. As museum curators, he and his wife also give lectures. Truly a fascinating person to talk with, but mostly you will want to listen to him. He told me to come back sometime and he'd show me some things that aren't even on display... he has much more stored away because he lacks the space in the building. Can you imagine? A museum holding such valuable and important historical articles such as these, and there isn't enough space to put them all on display.

                                     

Another stop we made was just a few miles from her home. Kituhwa Mound. When you drive by, you will think you are passing an ordinary farm field with an extraordinary view and corn planted in patches around it.

(My friend is learning the Cherokee language, and knows the sounds of the letters. They look like English letters, but the letters don't make the same sounds as our letters. Kituhwa is pronounced Guh-doo-ah, with accent on the 2nd syllable, doo, she told me.)

If you stop by for a closer look, however, you will notice a rise in the center of the fenced in area, about five feet high, barely a small hill. This mound marks a holy Cherokee site, Kituhwa, which once was the foundation of a building that held the sacred flame from which all other ceremonial flames were carried. It burned continuously, a symbol of the Cherokee life. "It is said to be the place where God came to give laws to humans," and where the Cherokee people began.*

I felt a sense of reverence as we walked along a dirt path that paralleled the mound. My friend reminded me that we were walking on the dust of the Cherokee ancestors. I thought about picking up a rock and taking it with me, but decided not to. I did not want to disrespect this place.

Check the link I provided if you would like to read more about Kituhwa. I think Kate, as an archaeologist, would be interested in the problems the local Cherokee people have had trying to preserve this holy land.

                                     

As we were leaving Kituhwa,the The Great Smoky Mountain Train Ride passed through. Good thing they were traveling slowly... my friend and I were so absorbed by our conversation, we nearly didn't see it. The conductor warned us with a steamy hornblow to back away from the tracks. Got our attention! I took photos of the tourists waving at us as they rode by. You can see some of them taking pictures of the Kituhwa mound.

Monday morning, it was time for me to leave. I left my friend, surrounded by the misted, mystical Smoky Mountains. She thanked me for all I had done, and we hugged our goodbyes. She drove ahead of me to guide me back to the main highway, then waved at me as she pulled off onto an exit. I returned the wave and watched her car disappear among the trees, like a deer sprinting back into the forest.

As I drove down from the mountains, heading East for my own home in the Piedmont of NC, I felt a bit numb at first. Thoughts parried for my attention. An hour away from Cherokee, I was finally able to decipher what had actually happened, translating it into metaphorical language, a language I understand much easier than real life terms.

For some reason I had been called into service to help her make the move. Had she not had the knee surgery during the same week I was at the coast discovering sea clay, she would not have needed my help this week. It all happened so fast, and I felt like I was along for the ride.

I say this with a humble attitude, for I was honored to be part of her journey. This was her mountain journey, not mine. I was merely the boatman, carrying the weary, wounded traveler across a wide river so she could get to the other side to continue her sojourn.

For a brief few days, I was her traveling companion much like a servant/friend. I pondered what I had learned, what I had seen and heard, the stories she had shared with me. Truly, I felt privileged to be part of this segment of her journey to something larger than herself, and something new.

I know that her knee will heal, she will adjust to her new location, and she will make new friends. She has a dream to follow. I pray that she finds peace and joy. May God bless her and keep her safe. 

We will keep in touch. We must keep in touch.

Besides, come September, there is an NCCAT seminar called "Celebrating Diversity through Art" to be held in Cullowhee... I'm signing up for it tomorrow!

 

*Historical facts about the Kituhwa Mound were written by Student Researcher Matt Hooley found at the Manataka American Indian Council Sacred Sites Watch: http://www.manataka.org/page1938.html

 

Tags: Cherokee, Cherokee Heritage Museum and Gallery, Kituhwa, blogplugs