Quite an Encounter

I watched them

through the crack of the back of the seat

As their heads met in the middle at

the height of a whisper

I heard her laugh then, a deep rumble of delight

at something quite funny

he must of said

They talked, and they laughed with hardly a pause

as the plane flew north into the night

I didn't flinch when he touched her arm as the snow fell

past the misted window illuminated

in the steady beams

or when he held her hand tightly as

the landing gear hit the snowy runway with a slight bump

I thought it was sweet

that he handed down her luggage from

the crowded overhead storage facility

and guided her ahead of him in the narrow aisle

I followed them down the icy set of steps

clasping my woollen scarf tightly as I walked briskly

towards the stifling warmth of indoors

As I stood riveted though, with my purple hat in hand

shaking snow from my hair

he pulled her into an embrace so intense

so brief

she thought

as she ran to make her connecting flight

that she may just have imagined it

That must of been quite an encounter

thought I

left standing in a puddle of strangers

Moo Mischief

She's a real poser! As soon as she sees me with the camera she puts on her best perfermance!

What do you mean 'I know you're in there??'

Cat in a Box

Gimme five

zzzzzzzzzzz

Its sooo exhausting being this cute...

(gonna miss you little Moo)

Prev: Ten of My Best

Ten of My Best

Joel

challenged us to choose our 10 favourite pictures of 2008.

Here are mine:

Artichoke

Jelly

Sea poles

The reflection of my chandelier one sunny afternoon

Harvest

Senga

The Egg Jelly

Garlic

Monterey flowers

A little Hand

Living in a Snow Globe

So much for the mini-melt we had yesterday, today its about 28F and snowing heavily, has been since 4am....its really quite mesmerizing to watch, and so unlike rain in that it so quiet. I ventured out to take some photo's and a video so you could all share in this and will attempt to post it.

I have new respect for folk living with this weather for months at a time, it really cant be easy and a whole host of associated problems have become apparent to me now. The cost to the state/city for snow-plowing, which is constant it has to be, to keep the roads clear. Going out to get milk or even to the gym or a movie takes three times as long and may involve some digging and a bit of pushing. The time spent using a shovel and snow blowers is amazing and many don't just do their own driveways but keep their neighbours clear as well, everyone seems to work together, and they do it cheerfully.

Ive learned how dangerous it is too, even in your backyard. I went out this morning to take some pictures, and thought I would walk across the virgin snow to the fence and take a picture of the adjoining golf course. Well as you can see I never made it to the fence, the drifts were too deep to negotiate, at one point I stumbled and lost my balance and I realized that if I fell and injured my self I could be in deep trouble.

However the most annoying issue may well be getting ones fringe caught up under your hat..I swear it will never lie down flat again!!

Last night we went to see Yes Man with Jim Carey, and while he is very funny man and there are some hilarious moments, the movie is generally tacky and silly, give it a miss! The mall and the city are beautifully lit at night, so the trip out was worth it, we munched on popcorn and the kids laughed heartily....and we didn't get stuck going home!

I'm not sure it should snow here anymore...we really don't have any place to put it...

The Last Piece

went in....

But we still dont know who dunnit!!

Spokane WA ~ Into the Woods

I went for a walk today

in black and white

with a touch

of

green

Let it snow

We got another 6-7 inches of snow last night, and you can clearly see the snow growth/difference between the header above and this pic....

A Chairful!

I heard on the news yesterday that Washington has declared a state of emergency, as had the city of Spokane. This is the highest snowfall recorded for almost 180yrs or so! They must of known I was here...it truly is beautiful though, soft fluffy stuff. I watched a hawk swoop down and catch a mouse or something beneath the snow yesterday, but other than that its just quiet and still...

There is a storm warning out today as its pretty windy and still snowing. Jenn abandoned her little car down the road on her way home from work this morning, Nic and I will go dig it out later...in the meantime little Moo and I are bonding...

and the puzzle is growing

Grounds for Murder

Well not really...but rather it's the title in a series of puzzles with a difference. There is no picture on a box to follow, just a series of clues in an accompanying story, so its proven to be a whole lot more difficult than we first thought...

thank heavens we have help....

The Spirit of Spokane

Last night I flew into a Christmas card.

As the snow fell steadily on aspens and twinkling lights, the plane descended gently into a quiet snow filled world. The airstrip was completely white and I kept straining my neck looking for a Real Tarmac and found instead heaps of plowed snow, vehicles covered with layers of white and a night sky filled with a quiet steady shower of snowflakes.

The amount of snow is astounding to me, its fresh and beautiful still even though the roads are slushy, today we had another 6-7 inches so when we emerged from the mall the easy drive in become a slow tricky drive back home. We did get stuck and Nic and I had to get out and do some pushing while Jenn negotiated the road.

We spent the afternoon painting coffee mugs for each other at a pottery place in the mall, to the sound of carollers in Victorian dress with the most gorgeous voices...

I must admit I have immersed myself totally in the spirit of Christmas this year, I feel lucky to have this new experience of a (very) white Christmas and share that with the love of family!

Merry Christmas everyone!

Simple Abundance

I wanted to stop by and wish you all well over the holidays, tomorrow Senga and I leave on the first leg of the journey, over the mountains to Bakersfield.
My mother has offered to puppy-sit and I've forgone the original idea of driving up to Spokane, instead, I'm catching a late flight on Tuesday. Today however, there were blizzard conditions a complete whiteout there with reports of temps around 5 F !! Who knows were I'll be on Christmas morn..lol..(anyone live near the Salt Lake City airport??)
Both mountain passes on the I 5 and the 166 have been closed so tomorrow I will be going to loong way round, up to Paso and then down again. It really only adds another hour to the journey which isn't too bad.
The past few weeks have been a busy time, filled with alternating hectic and relaxing real life stuff. Shopping is done, pressies are wrapped and boxed off to far corners of the world, some will travel safely with me. My belongings eventually arrived after being in storage for 3 years, these are things carefully boxed and packaged in Abu Dhabi and then stored in Vermont. Unpacking was such an emotional time, so many things long forgotten..a beach bag from which beach sand spilled, and a bottle of Masafi water. Silks and persian rugs, potpourri, candles and picture frames..my beloved photo albums! The smells, sights and sounds! What joy!
I wish you all peace and happiness this year, I hope the time isn't too frenetic and that you have time to watch snow fall, hear the sounds of laughter and feel the touch of your loved ones, mostly I wish you an abundance of all the simple things the holidays have to offer...love, warmth, friends and family!
I miss you all....

Merry Christmas

~ Merry Christmas everyone, and a prosperous New Year.

I'm taking a short blog break, will be back early 2009 ~