swimming in the sea

If my memory serves me, which it rarely does, I will try to recall this embedded ultimate emotional time in the sea. ACS British Virgin Islands Trip. What a crew. Autumn, Davida and Sophie snorkeling, Dalie and I declined. We wanted so much to explore the rock formations, code for we were terrified of everything in the ocean so to explore something else we went.

Crawling through the rocks in the shallow puddles for lots of time and distance. Beautiful. Around a corner we turned and one of us, can’t remember who, fell off the side. And the other followed, I believe out of eternal support for the other one. Right out in the ocean, nowhere near shore we discovered when swimming out from the rocks up high that blocked our view.

It followed with a bit of panic. Taking turns jumping on each other’s backs while the other swam…until a small boat passed and picked us…just in time to look down at the octopus directly below us. My ultimate fear….

part 2: a whole new world

All of my dreams have been filled with underwater traversing and motion of corrals expressing the current. On the second day of two we dove deeper then I had been. 30 feet of relaxing buoyancy. Coasting the coral and bottom in the pull we danced with the fish in. Feeling a rhythm of breathing and peacefully smiling with content in the newness of what I saw. A fun group to dive with blaring rock music as we coasted after resurfacing for a few minutes until a fin was spotted. To my surprise we all put the snorkels on to jump in the water next to the shark. A whale shark got us back in the water. my back drop landed me at her eyes. And I swam with her at a fraction of her speed while she passed, little fish glowing bellow her tummy and I swam with the others to a point and then boarded. A bit of fear swimming with something of the enormity and power. I did not know that people will dive for 15 years and never see one. I would have swam harder to keep up if I had known. But my moment is memorable.

It started years ago when living in Prague my desire to Scuba Dive. A fear so strong of the dark unknown made me want to go into it. In coming to South Africa I decided that the two things I must do was taste a particular bottle of wine coming very highly recommended to me and get trained to Scuba Dive. I didn't know Sadwona Bay is ranked one of the top places in the world or how I would end where I wanted to be...deep in the water. This weekend after some previous studies and diving. I was free and wet.

And I recommend it!!!


If your in SA go to ScubaDoo diving. They are amazing! make even me tranquil breathing where air comes from a cylinder on your back

the comfort of rest

Half asleep in my mind, just enjoying the sun going down through the window as night came. I am at my most peaceful state feeling the soft breathing of the beauty sleeping on the back of my hand. Scales cold, tummy warm and I rest with a deep smile. The old man they call him, not that old yet but an appearance of being very aged. He is one of the few of the longest chameleons in the world.

I have come to be apart of a home and family. Taking me to weekends on the farm and home in the week to rest with the lizard and pythons I so enjoy reading in the sun with.

On the farm a pace of life is just to my liking with trees and fields and flowing water. I run in the fields over cabbage heads sloshing in mud and avoiding the watering that is coming down until I remember i WONT melt and I begin springing through the water as I get onto the squash rows and begin my harvesting of organic vegi's.

The farm house we stay in is next to the main house and not like the farm houses im used to. Workmanship of the family has made it exquisite...And its available for guest to rent world cup time if anyone's interested. some pics I took of it...6 bedrooms,2 floors balconies, 4 full baths :)




The room I stay in and bath I really stay in!




The workshop, security and a sweet tree.


Lovely moments of life I am enjoying.

three encounters

As in traditions it is when you encounter for the third time by chance that their is something to be noted, extra liberty is allowed for extending energy to understand why you have met. A few days ago I encountered for the third time in lobby of my hotel in Amman (capitol of Jordan) someone whom I met with two other times in the small town of Gor Al Safi some hours away. Therefor I accepted the cafe invitation for the evening. Ignoring the language barrier we would inevitably encounter without the usual people around who do translating.

We met and in the first minutes in the car I realized asking if we were going close or far was not so simple and the referencing of space and using hand gesture began for an evening of actually much discussion. We passed the club I had danced in with some volunteers after being taken there by a gentlman from the national basketball team, as you need to be on a list to get in anywhere here it seems, after singing in streets and generally amusing the people we passed. In a land where women are covered from head to toe we found where the wealthy play and with not nearly so much cloths on. We were the ones looking conservative. And not to worry we did Americans proud on that dance floor as usual.

I digress, back to my cafe evening now. arrival scurry up rounded stairs from the alley from the main street we left behind and a very full large room. Many eyes on me as I walk alone, my companion grabbing something down stairs, and I realize as I am sat by a waiter with another three trailing behind me just to walk with us,,, its seem almost all men in the place. Laughing, having a grand time, the live guitar playing wonderful music and the different smelling tobaccos from the Hucka or hubbly bubbly as its called, rising in the air and the spices of the cafe...and I ask to move to the patio. I didnt mention I realized I was feeling quite sick again. This much I could express and he knew about my illness in Gor Al Safi, as did all the governing community people it seemed. I had been very ill and thought it was going to be something like my Romanian adventure where I ended up in the hospital for days but luckley I recovered and while out for cafe realized I hadn't.

I did not let that get me in my way, although no yummy Turkish cafe for me and the dancing that was to follow was canceled we enjoyed the smoke, i only a very tiny bit and continued about talking sometime with a friend translating on the phone and sometimes alright on our own. More ladies showed up at tables. But it was still a lively room of smoke and smiles and men with dark hair and speaking Arabic while doing some clapping to the music.

It was on the top of the building and enjoyable to look at the lights. then we walked a bit since we were in the center of the city but short I was on the path for home due to the re occurring nausea. One last stop. this is where my recommendation comes in. We went to an exclusive hotel called Le Royal. through the security guard frisk and the marble entrance way. up the elevator,,oh not helping the tummy. out to a door that cant be opened but i can see through the glass the city glowing, so beautiful!!! and then we start looking around corners for another door and through a restaurant we find and to that patio on the other side of the door. It is magnificent. The shimmering of the lights against the true dark of the sky outskirts. If you are in Amman go to the top of Le Royal, have a drink or just go and gaze at night. SoOO beautiful. and im not even one who enjoys city views but this one took my breath and left me full and smiling.

and the pic is of me in Gor Al Safi at the end of the dead sea. Thats what all the white is. salt. soon to cover me since i was in it making photos...this is due to getting the comment of no photos of me ever. I'll try.

capetown and old friends

It is something extraordinary that feeling when you have spent some extended period “on the road” and you find yourself in a shared space that so deeply feels like home. I am heading back to Pretoria now after a short stay in Cape Town where a childhood friend is living. Arriving tiered, the first time not on the move I have had since something close to July but being at peace, comfortable and relaxed just on entering the door and the hug greeting me. I relayed to him a memory that got brought up at the dinner party of his girlfriend later that week as Tahila used to run around naked. In turn I told the group he was right there with the rest of kids, all minus the cloths…

The memory: As children on Beach Hill Pond, clothing was option at the pond; swimming with something on would get in the way of the water and never occurred to me as something to do. One frightful day Chris brought someone from school to the Pond. Someone mainstream could be said. In the moment I saw him and ran behind a bush I became conscious that we were not suppose to be running around naked together still at age 8 or at least that the way we lead our life was quite different then most of the kids I went to school with.

One of the most enjoyable parts of my life are those moments now. I seem to move and listen and explore as to have those shocking moments of confrontation. The feeling is a jolt my system craves and then the processing of my new consciousness. A fractured reflection of many instances, of my life experienced. Or a readjustment in confusion as I’m sure was just the beginning of my processing at that young age.
Cape Town was a breath of air and a deep education in the South Africa that I only touch in the city where I get to visit my apartment now and again. Pretoria and Johannesburg are known to be very unsafe cities. This morning I got an email from the office of an alert to not open your car windows even a crack at intersections. With a new tightening of guns the new high jacking strategy is a particular liquid to your face, carried in syringe or cup. It might be the chemical sprayed when braking into a house so that the occupants don’t wake. Leaves you a bit debilitated but im sure happier than with repercussions of catching someone in your house. Everyone has a story. If it isn’t with a violent component than be happy and move on.

In my arrival to South Africa it was nice to see other “white” people. A month of people being interested to touch my hair and standing out so extremely made the first glance of cultural diversity of multiracial streets make me feel safer from lack of standing out. Soon the realization kicked in that in the square near my place where we were sitting there were so many people and so many tables. Mixing of people at each establishment but not within the tables. Egual cuando caminando los calles. There is some mixing of groups, seemingly from the work place at lunch time, but in my university area it is hardly the norm.

The beautiful day spent in Joberg going to the Annual Art Fair was incredible for some of the work, the textile lecture, the gallery that re inspired me to possibly share my work again, the performances pieces, incredible work from a collective university group from Sawato and the integrated room and groups of people. The night followed to see a concert of Freshly Ground. I highly recommend this group who are opening for the World Cup and had a house of alive people dancing and clapping and emotional. They are sometimes political and have energy in live performance that I have not seen in a while. Their new CD will come out in May. Joberg is different than Pretoria. Pretoria is the commercial/ governmental “filing cabinet”. Me in the most conservative of locals it seems…

Not to be mistaken by these words, I have met some wonderful people and gone to surrounding cheetah saving/education sanctuaries, seen incredible things and danced some wonderful nights here… but cape was still wonderful! and I look forward to my return in June.

In cape I enjoyed a couple days off to lounge in the park and paint, go to Museums, meet some lovely new friends, good food and not to leave out the beautiful wine of the wine region. And I rode my first public bus, no problem but not for the night time or dusk.

was to be continued...but this is some weeks old already and a trip has happened to Jordan in the meantime..so...

Pipilongstockings Batswana cousin

MAPPing

The visited and plain tickets bought for visiting in my 6 months over here. But I am thinking Mozambique will be added for diving certification and just general beach enjoyment

purple clouds- a true ramble

As large as my head
baby Nile Monitor

I have been enjoying some days of rest, in honor of Easter time. This meaning some days in my home spending hours talking via Skype to my parents, two of my brothers and a new sister-in-law to be. The possibility of viewing each other or just voices through my newest joy of Black beans and Jalapenos discovered by the Costa Rican, and other such great moments in life to be shared for hours on end continent-ally.

I am here in Botswana (the country)now with the Batswana(the people) motswana(a person) not understanding Setswana(the language) yet but as always intrigued in what the language spells out about the culture I am in. Ever since I was learning czech and discovered the lack of "should" as in "should have" in the language and how that played into the people I was with for that year.

He will be eaten when she is done mating, poor little guy

Its nice to be away from the racial hot zone of South Africa, hitting the media in many representations over the week, at least on this continent. I am finding a nice place there in my recent trip with a couple friends to see lizards and snakes. Generously I was invited into the enclosure with some of the Monitors and later we skipped off to the base of the dam to scuffle through reeds and trees along the water and hike up a bit in search of more Monitors. Many spiders encountered and trees. oh lovely trees. Cacti in the middle of lush greenery caught me off guard. it was summer Danby, NY overgrowth with El Paso, TX cactus in the middle of it. A new sort of ecosphere mixing for me.


Rock Monitor

My luggage again did not arrive with me, just me and my cameras. Leaving me to believe these are notes in detachment and a lean towards Buddhism.

Oh and the purple clouds of the brewing storm on our three hour drive today from the airport were stunning over the forest of low trees. The rain that followed cleaned the air but the image is imprinted, in my mind, and on film. sorry no dig. Yes film because Erik and Chelsea brought my Hassy back from the states with them. I am mobile again in my creations, not limited to South Africa only due to not being able to transport my 4x5 when visiting other countries...until my film runs out, 220 is not sold in the country of SA.

SA dam- where the water runs beautiful blue and neon green from the Township above.