Inspired by a sink of dirty dishes

It's tough when you don't feel like posting a lot
So I decided to sit and write all in one shot.
Eight posts all at once to entice and amaze
But sheer volume of words just might leave you dazed.

So come back every day to read one or two
Or sit down in one shot and read them all through.
Come visit, leave comments, clickity click
To help you, this link just might do the trick.

You can start with the label I linked to above
To see all at once is one way you might love.
Or you can start with this jolly post here
Like the Choose Your Adventures of yesteryear.

Chronologically speaking, all posts are back-dated -
Hopefully not a practice that's hated.
Now, this rhyming, while grand, has lost most of it's meaning;
Oh well, it's sure fun... and it's kept me from cleaning! :)

Choose Your Own Adventure

There's lots to catch up on, so let's do it "Choose your own adventure" style, shall we? Click the links to all the posts I should have written over the last few weeks to find out more! (They're not all just below this one, some are hiding among posts that actually WERE written. It's a game, or sorts. Maybe only fun for me, but hey...)

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A hot summer Saturday is the perfect opportunity for a hike. So, of course, I seized that opportunity last weekend and had a SPECTACULAR day. I didn't, however, end up with many photos, because my camera was misbehaving. (To read about WHY my camera was misbehaving, and how I blame orangutans, click here) But it was a gorgeous hike, with views of Howe Sound, the Gulf Islands, and the Lions.

Through the forest and past meadows and viewpoints, it was a good climb, too, and I felt good and wiped out by the end. The trail was also a little tricky in places, because there was a windstorm this past week, and there were a TON of blown down branches along the trail, and even a few large, gnarled trees - though these were most likely there before the windstorm - that completely blocked the path. (To find the answer to the age old arithmetic problem "Summer School + Windstorm = ???" click here.) But then again, what's a hike without a little scrambling straight up a steep forest floor, blazing your own path as you go? There was still quite a bit of snow during the last part of the hike, too, but we managed fine. (Well, mostly fine. To read about one effect of lots of snow on a hike and how that relates to prunes, click here.) Too bad there was no good opportunity for bum skiing!

Tired and dirty, we all decided the best place to go after a good climb to the top of a mountain was the ocean, with a pit stop to Dairy Queen first, of course! (For more on ice cream and corn, click here!) After woofing down our Blizzards, we hightailed it to the beach and in we dove for a swim. (To find out about another beach day and why the cops should have hauled me off to jail, click here.) Ah, glorious ocean! The water was beautiful, as was the hour and a bit we spent lying on the warm sand drying off and soaking in a whole lot of sunshine.

I arrived home: happy, hungry, and ... hexhausted (like "exhausted," but better, cause it starts with an H like the other words in my list), and flopped on the couch to eat nachos and guac and watch TV. Turns out The Princess Diaries 2 was on, so I unashamedly watched the entire thing and even cried at the end. Um, kind of a lot. Did mention how hexhausted I was? (Now that just looks like I'm a witch. Hex? Really? Whatever. Wow. I'm losing focus here, people. Where was I? Oh. Right... To read about another time I was completely hexausted and a little train spoke to me, click here.)

And that brings me to now. Totally, completely hex... tuckered out, I'm headed to bed. Pitter patter around the posts I linked to. They're not ALL as nutty as this one.

Some are even nuttier.

A tastebud extravaganza

Smack dab in the middle of a somewhat seedy industrial area in Vancouver is perhaps the BEST gelato shop EVER. That's right. La Casa Gelato on Venables.

I hadn't been down there in years, so I had forgotten quite what a spectacle it is. I should have known we were in for a not-just-your-typical ice cream shop when every surface in the parking lot except the ground was painted pink! (Yes Sarah! Even parking lots can be pink! ;) )

We could tell we were coming up on it because of the hordes of people on the corners of an otherwise fairly unpopulated stretch. When we got out of the car, we were greeted with live music from the steel drum player outside and the conversation of dozens and dozens of people.

As we opened the doors, our senses were overwhelmed: sights of at least a hundred people, smells of sugary waffle cones and candy, sounds of a super perky Italian version of Oh Suzanna blaring on the loudspeaker... we weren't entering an ice cream shop, we were entering a circus! A delicious, delicious circus.

La Casa Gelato is famous for having over 200 flavours of gelato and sorbet. Two hundred and eighteen, to be precise. And that's just what they can serve at any one time. Apparently they have five hundred and eight in the rotation. And hoo boy do they have some interesting ones. A smattering of the gelato flavours I sampled: fennel, pear and gorgonzola cheese, balsamic vinegar, wild mushroom, basil, spicy yam, cranberry vodka, lavender, garlic... I'm sure there were more, I just can't think of them. I've heard of beer, jalepeno, curry, carrot, and rose, too, but they weren't out that night. I really didn't feel it necessary to try the "corn" flavour. That just kinda grossed me out. They also had "rice." But really. What would that taste like? I ended up with chai tea and lime tequila. Soooo yummy!

I pretty much think you could have a whole meal there, don't you think? All food groups represented! Mmmmmmm!

We ate our gelato in the courtyard across the street, enjoying the live music, the kids with ice cream dripping down their faces, and the warm summer breeze. I SO have to go back there! What fun!

Well, except for the corn flavour. Blech!

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That's one heck of a soaker!

We got a LOT of snow this winter, and we have had an exceptionally cold and rainy spring (but it's ok, it's been hot and glorious for over two weeks in a row now, so all is forgiven). All of this means that there is still a lot of snow on the mountains. If you plan on going hiking, don't be surprised if you have to do some of it in the snow.

Now this is normally not an issue. It's fun on a blazing hot summer day to throw snowballs at each other or to do some serious bum skiing. But apparently there are certian hazards to watch out for. There are the usual creek-under-the-snow type hazards, and the slippery-snowy-slope type hazards (and probably more that I'm not aware of and really should be if I'm gonna go do these kinds of things).

But there's one hazard I wasn't exactly expecting. That would be the "ground drops out from under one foot revealing that what you thought was trail was really a slushy muddy watery snowy pine-needly and did-I-mention-muddy hip-deep HOLE into a not-yet melted alpine lake" hazard.

Yeah.

There I was, walking along the FOREST FLOOR - not snow, not slush - DIRT FLOOR, when to my left I noticed a lake that was still partly frozen over. In the middle there was slushy lake, then toward the edge was watery lake, watery mud, mud, and dry trail. Granted, I stepped in the mud, but still. IT WAS NOT THE LAKE! Except, apparently the ground dropped off at a ninety degree angle and it really WAS the lake.

The ground quickly gave way and I found myself one foot on the trail, one foot sunken in UP TO MY HIP, I kid-you-not. It made the noisiest slurping sound as I heaved myself out in a puddle of mud and slush and water and laughter. I can only imagine what I looked like to my friends behind me. One minute, walking along, the next minute - WHOOSH! Four feet shorter and covered in ooze!

(Just try to ignore how butch I look in the photo, mmkay?)
And yes, looking at that photo, it LOOKS like that big muddy hole is OBVIOUSLY a part of the lake. But that was AFTER I MADE IT LOOK LIKE THAT, folks! It looked completely like that patch of ground my right foot is resting (solidly!) on before the EARTH GAVE WAY AND TRIED TO EAT ME!

I was fine, albeit dirty and with a heck of a lot of water in my boot. Good thing I have proper hiking boots and wear synthetic liners and wool socks when I go hiking (hence the hottie sockline tan half way up my calf, baby, yeah!). Nearly three hours later, and squishfoot Hillary had turned into a rather extreme example of pruney goodness, complete with pine needles between my toes. (Again, the photo doesn't do justice to the amount of forest floor I removed inside my hiking boot!)

Chalk it up to yet another hiking adventure!

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I have seen the effects of the wind, but I have never seen the wind

"Miss Hillary! It's snowing!"
"Aaaah! It's gonna get on me!"
"There's someone knocking at the door!"
"Ouch!"

These are a mere smattering of the excited, distracted comments the kids were shouting out all day today. The wind picked up last night, and it was blustery all day today. Goooood and windy. Branches down, power out, waves pounding - you name it. But it was also blazingly hot, so I tried to have my windows open to at least get some fresh air in my sweltering classroom.

That is, until I realized that there is a big grove of cottonwood trees right outside my window (my summer school is not at the same location as my "regular" school), and the little balls of fluff that are the cottonwood seeds were blowing into my room by the bucket load, swirling around, landing on desks, swooshing back into the air, landing on kids, making them want to chase them all over the room. Yeah, not the greatest scenario for teaching (but it sure was cute!)!

And then there were the constant comments that someone was at the door knocking to get in. I think I told them twenty times that it was just the pocket chart that was tacked there flapping against the door.

But it's when a rather large gust of wind blew three posters OFF THE WALL - one of which still retained it's tack and landed in a little girl's lap, poking her in the thigh, that I decided it was time to give up and shut the windows!

A rather eventful first ten minutes of class!

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Rabble-Rouser

Summer time. Hot weather, long days, miles of sandy shore, downtown bathed in evening light, sun setting through hazy mountain range after hazy mountain range... there's nothing better than heading down to the beach for a picnic and an evening swim. I've been getting down to Kits, Jericho, Locarno, Spanish Banks - you name it - as much as I possibly can these days. After hikes, after work, whenever. The water is cool and refreshing, and the warm sand between my toes and salt on my skin just makes me SO happy! So happy that I start acting like a CRAAAAZY woman. Clearly.

I went down to Jericho with a friend from work tonight and packed us a picnic - a nice crispy salad, chicken, and a desert of angel food cake, fresh strawberries, and whipped cream. The store was out of the regular kind, so I was forced to get chocolate whipped cream (!!!!!!!) instead. Life is ROUGH.

But it was also HOT, and we are both teaching summer school, and it's summer, and the beach, and I was in the mood for some danger, so I popped a couple of beers in the cooler, too.

Oh yeah.

This is only hilarious because of the fact that I rarely drink, and when I do I don't even really LIKE beer (though the lighter kinds are growing on me), and I'm WAY too much of a goody goody. But I popped those beers in the cooler and we drank them and golly-shucks-DARN they were good!

I only had a minor coronary when the coppers who patrol the beach on their quads (seriously. Can *I* have that job, PLEASE? Drive up and down the beach all evening on a four by four? Rough life!) pulled up, spotted our dinner and cooler, and stopped to hang around a bit to keep an eye. Public drinking and revelry? Booyahshaka! You betcher booties! But we played it cool. Reeeeal cool. The Fuzz never knew a thing, and we busted out the booze... after they were long gone and my heart had stopped palpitating.

In fact, we were SUCH party animals that we didn't even finish one beer each.

Now THAT'S what I call LIVIN' ON THE EDGE!!!!

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And I thought I was reading it for them

On the last day of school, I felt the weight of sadness so heavily on my heart. I wasn't just saying goodbye to these kids, to see them in the halls next year as they moved on to their new classes, I was saying goodbye forever. I was saying goodbye to the wide welcoming hallways, to the staff I have grown to love so much. I was saying goodbye to my support network, to my community, to five years of growth, of people, of challenges, of memories... I was being forced out against my will before I was ready to leave. I was almost grateful that the kids were so hyper, because it kept my mind focussed on other things.

In the afternoon, I sat them down long enough to read them a story I had only glanced at. I knew the title and had flipped through the first two pages and thought it would be a good end-of-the-year book to read to my kids. You know, all deep and meaningful and that. Turns out THEY started whining half way through - "Is it over yet? How many more pages?" - but by that time, I realized I was reading it for ME more than for them, and I carried on.

I don't know if they heard my voice cracking repeatedly all throughout the book, noticed my intense blinking back of tears, or wondered why all of a sudden their teacher's voice was all husky, but I made it through.

I don't know if I fully believe the wise little train just yet, but I'm trying...



I Knew You Could
by Craig Dorfman

I knew you could! And you knew it, too --
That you'd come out on top after all you've been through.
And from here you'll go farther and see brand-new sights.
You'll face brand-new hills that rise to new heights.

I wish I could show you the stops that you'll visit,
But that isn't my choice to make for you, is it?
Instead, I can tell you some lessons and tales
That I've learned and re-learned from my time on the rails.

Fist of all, you must find your own track.
So you can start right away and not be held back.
But which track is yours? Well, that all depends
On which way it's going and where it might end.

Different tracks wind around, over, under, and through,
So pick out the one that works best for you.
Though the track you start out on will feel like "the one,"
You might take a few more before you are done.
And now, with your eyes on your new destination,
Start up your wheels and roll out of the station.

On your new trip, you'll make plenty of stops,
In deep river valleys and on high mountaintops.
Some will surprise you and some will be planned,
And you'll roll through each one saying, "I think I can!"

You'll go through tunnels, surrounded by dark,
And you'll wish for a light, or even a spark.
You might get scared or a little bit sad,
Wondering if maybe your tack has gone bad.
So here's some advice to help ease your doubt:
The track you took in must also go out.

So steady yourself and just keep on going -
Before you know it, some light will be showing.
And then you'll be out, heading to a new place.
You'll be ready for the next tunnel you face.

...

You'll follow your track through twists and through bends,
And stop at new stops and pick up new friends.
They'll all come aboard with smiles and greetings.
You'll have such great times with the people you're meeting.

On the days that you're sad and feel you can't go,
Speak up and ask a friend for a tow.
That's what friends do, so don't be afraid.
You'd do the same if your friend need aid.

You might stop at some stops that you never have toured,
And look for new friends, but they won't come aboard.
So you'll have to head out with a creak and a groan,
Setting out once again on your track, all alone.

Try to remember that the wolds is so wide,
Full of all kinds of people with their own trains to ride.
Just stay true to yourself as you travel your track,
With no second guessing and no looking back.

Once you're on the right track, you'll probably say,
"This one is mine - I'm here to stay."
Try to enjoy the track that you choose -
Stop now and then to take in the views.

...

And when your belief in yourself doesn't feel quite so pure,
And your "I think I can" doesn't sound quite so sure,
THAT'S when to push and to strive and to strain,
To show the world you're not a giving-up train.

...

There's more about life that you'll learn as you go,
Because figuring things out on your own helps you grow.
Just trust in yourself and you'll climb every hill.
Say, "I think I can!" and you know what?

You will!

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Through a lens darkly

Folks, I. Am. Sad. And kind of irritated. And disappointed. My camera is sick. My beauteous lovely wonderful camera that I love. Taking photos is no longer fun. In fact, it's a royal pain in the patootie.

On the last day of school, I was setting up to take a photo of my class. I wanted to be in it, so I got it all set up on the bookshelf facing the carpet area in my room. It was perched quite solidly, though the tip of the lens was off the shelf a little so that we didn't end up with a big strip of shelf in the photo. I set the timer and called the kids to the carpet. I was standing next to my camera so that no-one would bump it off the shelf.

Did I mention it was the last day of school? The kids are CRAZY on the last day of school. Cuh-RAZY. When I called them, a few little orangutans came FLYING to the carpet so fast that they bumped the shelf. The bump made the shelf rock forwards and back. The rocking forwards and back made my camera fall four feet onto the floor right onto its nose (lens). The falling on it's nose broke a plastic rimmy bit off the inside of the lens, rendering the lens useless through a littlve over half of it's range, and screwing with it's brain for the semi-useful other half.

Dangit!

Now, thankfully, this isn't an uber-fancy expensive lens. It's just the standard mediocre kit lens the camera came with, but still to replace it it's gonna be $200 new. And I don't really feel like shelling out two hundred beans for another mediocre lens. Which means I'm going to be upgrading waaaay earlier than I thought I would.

I'd like to blame the kids, but really, I should have been more careful, I guess. It's irritating.

Anyone got a Nikon 18-55 lens they're interested in getting rid of??? Oh, there have been SO many photos I've wanted to take recently. Dumb camera.

Folks, do NOT drop your cameras. Or let them loose anywhere near stampeding orangutans. Wah!

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