The Turtles

Alas, Lonesome George is no more (he died almost a year ago), but there are lots and lots of giant tortoises to be seen on the Galapagos.

Mostly we saw them in breeding centers:

One of the most famous turtles in the Santa Cruz breeding center is "Super Diego" who, apparently, is quite the lover and has spawned thousands of new Galapagos turtles.

But sometimes they aren't just interested in the girls, apparently.  Here are a couple of boys having a good time: 

We also got to see land turtles in a semi-natural environment on Floreana.  They are free to wander there, but there are limits to their habitat, and they also get fed a few times a week (that's what the platforms are for).

Even Mr. Bobo thought they were pretty cool: 

I can't say that the turtles were the most exciting part of my trip (sorry, Nicola), but they are an important aspect of the whole "Galapagos experience," after all.

Boobies! (of the feathered variety)

Our trip to the Galapagos has come and gone, and it deserves a few different posts.  Who can resist starting with blue-footed boobies?

I have to admit that I was surprised to find myself buying this tote bag--I didn't plan to get anything with the "I love boobies" refrain on it.  But I'm kind of obsessed with tote bags lately, and I loved this color.  I figure it will make an excellent bag for carrying library books.

Besides, they really are quite beautiful birds:

Mostly, one sees blue-footed boobies, as shown above.  We did see a couple of Nazca boobies, but I didn't get any pictures.  We did not see red-footed boobies--I hear that they are the rarest.  

More to come...

Finding Center

My Mothers' Day didn't start out fabulously--there was a great deal of kid angst (reasons not worth going into).  But by the time evening came, I could feel a sense of...peace.  I feel centered for the first time in a long time.  It's not likely to last--we go to the Galapagos this week and, as much as I look forward to it, I really don't travel well.  

But tonight, I just want to focus on what centers me:

1. Homemade gifts for Mothers' Day.  There's no better kind of presents.  

And, of course, there is Sam's tongue-in-cheek haiku on his painting:

2. Going out to lunch with Sam. Just us.  He paid.  

3. Working on the last chapter of my book.  I do love the energy of figuring things like this out.  (Mostly.)

4. Howard reading a book to the kids and ad-libbing/adding silly stuff.  They giggle the whole way through when he does this.  I didn't listen to all of the story tonight, but even just the background of joy and laughter in the apartment leaves me feeling deeply content.

Happy Mothers' Day to all.  I hope yours was joyful and peaceful too.  

Happy Hands

Of late, there are many things making/keeping my hands busy and/or happy.

There is writing, of course--I'm finally in a groove with revisions of Mothers Making Latin America and about half way through them.  My hands are also busy in the archives part time again, leafing through books or files and taking pictures.

Beyond that there are other, more personal reasons.  Such as:

A fabulous new ring that I got myself (and our declared "big" birthday present to/for me):

A full bag of yarn and a manageable sweater pattern:

Fingerless gloves (love these, and the pattern is soooo easy):

And, last but not least: ten new finger puppets for my birthday.  The lion here is my clear favorite:

What's keeping your hands busy or happy these days?

Rituals

Today I was reading a blog that I often read (www.soulemama.typepad.com) --even though my life is nothing like hers, I enjoy it.  Today was about Sundays when she was a kid, and what Sundays are like now with her own kids.  

My own memories of Sundays, like so much of my childhood, come in a blur (frenzy even) of people and noise.  Sunday mass was a given, as was a big mid-day meal (the only main meal my Dad could attend when I was little and he worked nights).  Sometimes, there were muffins after church--I recall oatmeal muffins hot out of the oven with butter melting on them.  Sometimes my Dad's brother would come, with his seven kids, and then the house was really insane.  

My early childhood didn't have a lot of "family together time"--except maybe Saturday night TV, eating steak and cabbage for dinner in the living room.  My parents were too busy to "make family time" (my Dad working, my mother trying to keep us fed and clothed and quiet while my Dad was sleeping)...and I was too much younger than everyone else to feel a part of things.

Later, though, when my siblings grew up and started moving out (which started when I was five), rituals gradually developed, like playing cribbage after dinner with my mother every night--first it was my brother Mike, then my sister Pat or brother Kevin, then me.     This happened even before the table was cleared and the dishes washed.

On Christmas Eve every year, my Dad would make seafood chowder and at some point that evening everyone would drop by and have some chowder and chat.  

I also developed my own rituals with siblings during my teenage years.  Sometimes, when I would babysit for my brother Kevin's son, Adam (now a father himself!), we would play games of Trivial Pursuit after he got home.  When my sister Kaethi separated from her husband, she would often have me over to visit on Friday nights when the kids went to their Dad's.  We would have dinner--and often a lovely home made cheesecake for dessert.  And we'd just...hang out. Talk.  I can't recall if we watched TV or played games. 

What I do know is that these two siblings (my oldest and youngest) made me feel like it was okay to just be myself, that I didn't have to try to be better or different for them.  It didn't matter that I was younger than them, and it didn't matter that I was so different from them.  We just bonded.  It brings tears to my eyes even to remember how important that was in during those very, very painful years when mostly I just felt inferior and out of place in my family.

I hope that we are building rituals that my own kids will remember fondly (you know, to make up for the ways that their parents aren't fun at all).  Among those I know that I will treasure from parenting them are:

1) Bedtime rituals: reading books with them, and our long and complex good-night routines in which I've told them for years what to dream about (Sam once told me, when he was about five "you know, Mum, I don't actually dream about that stuff, even if I try."  So sweet).

2) Home made present night during Hanukkah--always the best night of them all.  Every year, we grow into this more.  We each get better with our present-making abilities, and we each get better at making things that our family members will like.

3) Flashlight walks at night in the fall, when it's still warm enough to walk, and dark enough after dinner to take a flashlight.  Who knew the kids would love that so much?

4) Friday family night--shabbat candles and challah, dinner in the dining room...and then a family movie.

5) Library trips at least once a week during the summer.

6) Game nights or art nights.  They don't happen as often as they once did, but they are fun when they come together!  We've had some pretty danged silly story telling game nights, and charades...and who can forget the origami frog races? 

Our rituals change with seasons, and with location.  Here in Quito, we sometimes just turn off the lights at night at stare out at the city. On Sundays, we go to the park and get ice cream. Tuesday is dinner out night. 

In Maine, it's walks on the breakwater on mild spring and summer evenings, with nights curled up in the living room near the wood stove in the winter.  It's definitely pancakes and bacon in Maine, and trips to the nearby ice cream store in the summer (chocolate lover's chocolate is the favorite for both Anya and me).  

And, when the day is long and hard and we're all in foul moods...then we know (without question) that it's time to watch a few "Shawn the Sheep" episodes.  

What rituals do you love?

Cooking Day: Empanadas

Yesterday, Sam and I got a lesson in making Argentine-style empanadas at Martha's house.  There was a lot of kneading and rolling and filling involved, and some cooking.  And lots of flour.

We also had some "help" and company from a very hungry Bongo:

Godric (yes, like Gryffindor), the older dog, was content to ignore us and snooze by the stove.

After about 2 hours, we had many plates full of empanadas:

There were meat empanadas, cheese and spinach, cheese and basil, cheese and basil and tomato...and even some sweet apple empanadas.  Plus, a luscious orange-based dessert that Ximena brought.

Even Mr. Bobo enjoyed himself:

A lot of work, but a good time and great company.  Martha has one of the coziest homes in Quito, I think, that mirrors her casual and friendly being.  

I think Sam and I could cook these on our own.  We're told we'll have to if Martha visits us in the U.S.  

Up Close

What I spend my days doing, seeing...when I'm not at home trying to finish book revisions.