España

I mentioned earlier that I've been having some severe wanderlust recently.  Tonight I hear España calling my name.  I certainly wouldn't mind giving Seville and Cadiz another visit.  Isn't the rooftop view so beautiful?  There is something just so inviting about cities with warm, personable buildings.  Give me this over gleaming, cold, jagged skyscrapers any day.  

Oh! And happy March!  (I guess this is a good time to review my New Years resolutions, and make sure I'm following up on them...)

Upper King

Here are some photos I dug up that I took six years ago.  This is the Upper King I grew up with.  I bet most of these buildings and lots are now trendy new restaurants serving up local produce and grass fed meat.  Funny how things change.  If I still can't understand how you live on Spring Street, it's because I picture it like this.

Happy Tuesday

Sometimes, a beautiful, quiet sunset is the perfect way to unwind at the end of the day.  

Good Food

This is one of the most amazing videos I have ever seen.  I know how much of a difference diet can make in your daily life, but did you ever think your diet could affect you this much?  Enough to cure an incurable degenerative disease?  I also love Dr. Wahls' tenacity.  She was not going to let MS beat her, and so she tried everything, including a rather radical, untested, self-treatment.  And it worked.  How inspiring!

Camellias

Every time we get a freeze, it is my duty to cut the camellias.  The delicate blossoms turn brown after a freeze, so we always try to save as many as we can, appreciating their beauty in every room of the house.

Our white camellias have a genetic abnormality that causes the plant to produce two blossoms from a single bud, like conjoined twins.  As you can see here, the broad, flat, outside petals are shared by both flowers.  They are so interesting, and also so uniquely beautiful.

Dunino

As I was looking through my pictures yesterday, I stumbled across these from my time in Scotland.  They are of the Dunino well, close to St Andrews.  I'm not sure the exact sacred significance of this place, but a few things are certain...

In a world where water is available at the touch of a button, it can be easy to forget that water is the gift of life.  It is a precious resource without which life is impossible.  It is no surprise then, that springs and wells are common sites of worship.  The well at Dunino clearly has pagan roots, but the religious significance of the site was later usurped by the church.  

Carved into one of the stone walls surrounding this idyllic stream, is an ancient, nearly faded cross.  It is not a far leap of the mind to envision a priest standing in front of this rock face, his congregation splayed out along the banks of the creek.  I am always fascinated by sites such as this, that possess such cultural history and significance.  Here, it is clear that many people have not forgotten the pagan beginning.  They have tied trinkets, keys, and ribbons to branches, hoping for what?  Health?  Luck?  Love?  The mystery is more inviting than the fact.  

Whether the energy at Dunino is from a sacred presence or from the touch of generations of people who came here to worship, I couldn't say.  But you can definitely feel that something is different here.  I hope these pictures provide a glimpse into the mystery and beauty of this place.  

Travellin' Blues

I've got the travellin' blues lately.  I'm itching to get out of here for a grand adventure.  Here's a video that has me spellbound.  How incredible would it be to dive for your dinner, clean your fish in the ocean, have a seafood boil around the bonfire, then let the breaking waves lull you to sleep?  Plus, there's never a better meal than after a hard day's work carrying your own weight - be that backpacking, canoeing, kayaking, whatever.