Monday, May 25th - Memorial Day w/ President Obama

Washington was the only destination on my trip where I knew I wanted to be there on a certain date, Memorial Day.  The reason – some of the big DC draws for me were the memorials: Vietnam, WW II, Arlington – and what better day to visit than Memorial Day.

So I was up early to head to Arlington for the Presidential wreath laying service – I wasn’t sure how early to head, but as soon as I got off the subway – with everyone else on the train – I knew I might have left it a little late … so I boogied – those who know me, know I can walk fast and this was likely the fastest I’ve walked the entire trip!  A good 2k up a hill in the heat of a lovely day – but I still missed the amphitheatre seating by about 5 minutes – ah well, I had a good spot in the overflow section, literally sitting amongst the headstones.   First, we all were eagerly waiting, cameras in hand - would we see the President arrive?  a lot of black cars, cops and secret service, but no President.  So find a comfy seat in the grass and shade and listen - we could hear beautifully - the music was wonderful and then the keynote, President Obama.  It was incredible to hear him live - a moment in history.  His speech was good - acknowledgement that while he hadn't served, he knew the importance of the military, calling them the 'best of America'.

After the service, I headed against the flow of people to see the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and almost ran right into Bob and Elizabeth Dole - maybe not the President, but I can still say, I've seen a major political leader up close!  I then took a slower path back through Arlington – by the Kennedy memorials (Robert’s was stunning in its simplicity – pictured).

The walking tour continued as I headed back across the Potomac to the Vietnam Wall for that memorial service in the afternoon.  A completely different feel to service vs. Arlington; smaller, less formal and much more personal.  There were tears in many eyes with a speaker's story of when she served in Iraq - a story that illustrated why they risk and sacrifice their lives: for each other, the people they serve with side by side.  There were a lot of Vietnam vets present and it feels like such a 'present' war for them still.  The emotional finish was Sam Moore (of Sam & Dave) singing Amazing Grace.  There truly is a steep price for war, paid on a very individual basis.

The walk continued as I headed back towards the Potomac and by the Franklin Roosevelt and Thomas Jefferson memorials - both very impressive and moving.  Walking back, I was trying to think, of the recent Presidents, whose historical view will rise to the point where they are memorialized in such a way - have to say, no one was jumping to mind, though my fingers are crossed for the current incumbent.

I finished the day with a walk to Dupont Circle - it was a cool neighborhood and I’d heard of a bookstore that also had a 24 hr restaurant which I had to check out.  It was cool – great selection of books and really good food.  Though I resisted buying any books – especially given the very large bag of them I have in my trunk – none of which I’ve touched … I’m very, very slowly still working my way through Clinton’s memoirs.  This is not a reading holiday it seems :-)

The end of a really good day - my feet were a little tired but I slept really well.

Sunday, May 24th (part 2) - I'm Still Canadian ...

Given my last post ... and to prove I still really am Canadian, I thought I'd better include a couple of the more ironic things I saw ....

So, can you say, political wedding ...

And what, a Lincoln town car in front of the AFL-CIO offices ....

:-)

Sunday, May 24th - I'm in Washington!!!!

wow!

wow! 

wow!

wow!

All I could keep saying as I walked around was wow!! 

The drive in from Richmond was easy - in part because I found C-SPAN on the radio and they rebroadcast all the Sunday morning political TV shows - so I drove in with Meet the Press and Fox .... so appropriate!

About 30 minutes outside of DC I just got really, really excited - couldn't believe I was here!  So I had a big smile on my face as I tried navigating infamous DC traffic and road blocks to make it to my hotel - I had really lucked out with Hotwire and was staying at the Hilton 2 blocks from the White House for really, really cheap!

So after 5 minutes in my room, I was off exploring the mall and just in awe.  The monuments are unbelievably incredible with the most amazing energy about them ... ah, I am so, so happy and excited to be here!!!!

Saturday, May 23rd - In Transit via Richmond

This will be quick and easy:

• Nice breakfast / café time in downtown Wilmington – again, charming
  
• Tour of a movie studio – largest North American studio outside of LA – interesting to see the façade of reality
  
• Back in the car heading north – 4 hrs to Richmond  - arrived in time for ‘date night’ in America – Saturday night at the movies – fun to people watch … and having seen Angels & Demons, I now really, really want to visit Rome
  

Friday, May 22nd - I've Died and Gone to Heaven ...

Those who know me well, know that I have a bit of a thing for chocolate … and can I just say, the picture says it all … I pride myself on having tried more than my share of chocolate mouse, and probably the majority of it in France, the home of the chocolate mouse …. And this one is definitely up in the top 3!  (Per the owner, only eggs and 3 types of dark chocolate – yumm!)

I found this wonderfully charming little French wine bar / café (legit Frenchman owns it) right on the river walk in Wilmington, North Carolina.  Such a true French place, that between the 5 pages of wine/food menu, only 1 page was food – and all the right food was covered: cheese, sausage (home made) – would satisfy all my “foody” friends very nicely :-)  I had a wonderfully subtle crab penne gratinee that fulfilled my need for crab (local food) but without the seemingly otherwise requisite deep frying at all the other river front restaurants … it is a hard life I know!  (and I really am so very grateful, I can’t say.)

This topped off a lovely relaxed day in Wilmington – a sleep in and then a lovely 2 hour walk along the coast (Wrightsville Beach – a really lovely little beach side community – I could definitely spend a month or two in a beach house here – lottery where are you?) followed by a really good massage (my back has felt a little strain from the driving and I had a few good knots to be worked out ….).  

After dinner, walking along the river to my car, I ran into an outdoor festival, band and all … seemed like the whole town was out - here is a really lovely downtown area that is still the centre of the community - restored my faith :-) Just a lovely, lovely day. 

Thursday, May 21st - Heading North

I started the day with a wonder through downtown Charleston – very charming.  They have a covered street market, full of market "specials" and some local crafts.  I also walked along the river by the older part of town with all the historic homes – incredible wind coming in off the water, with the palm trees blowing and it seemed, the shutters of these gorgeous colorful mansions barely hanging on.  These were the homes where the plantation owners wintered with "society".  I toured one of the homes – simply stunning with a staircase that went up 3 flights with no visible support – this was a civilized life.

I was then off for Wilmington, North Carolina – across the most incredible bridge (longest cable bridge in North America), felt like I was flying over the water … I was sad to realize I was heading north and my time in the deep south was coming to an end.  I really enjoyed it – it is a warm place – yes the weather, but more importantly, the people.  Some of my highlights:

• The lovely soft accents you hear everywhere
  
• The friendliness of people - ‘how are you doing?’ asked by random strangers on the street
  
• A “Thank you Miss Susan” at a gas station – that surprised me
  
• “Ma’am” was my constant address – though with the accent, it was much nicer than when the Safeway check-out guy says it at home …
  

I stopped briefly at Myrtle Beach – I was curious to see what it was like – picturesque beach or crazed tourist location … unfortunately, from what I could tell, more the later than the former.  Two roads ran up the coast – the one near the beach with all the hotels and beach houses and then another road about 2 miles in chocker block full of malls – all the shops and restaurants that beach going family could ever need …  Though I do have to say, the beach itself is beautiful - just long stretches of soft white sand and wonderful dunes in some parts.  It is also very accessible to the public - lots and lots of 'public access' points with parking lots - very much appreciated :-)

I continue to be amazed by just how great the web is … google ‘best food Wilmington’ and spend a little time going through, and voila … a great little healthy take out spot with real vegetarian cuisine … falafel salad never tasted so good!  All I wanted was a little take-out as I was surprisingly tired – it was perfect.  I also discovered a short while later just why I was so tired … I never put my contacts in … couldn’t quite believe it myself – ah well, clearly time for a slower couple of days :-)

Wednesday, May 20th - The Gardens of Charleston

Give fools their gold and knaves their power,
Let fortune's bubbles rise and fall,
Who sows a field or trains a flower
or plants a tree, is more than all.

Whittier

Today was my day to visit the old Southern plantations.  In high school a very good friend was quite taken by all things Gone with the Wind – I was influenced and I have to confess, I was in search of Tara …

My first stop was the Magnolia Plantation – still a family run plantation.  The house was more like a summer home with furniture from the 1800’s – the quilts were a highlight for me – beautiful.  But the real star of the property was the garden – it was huge, many gardens really, going along the river and then up into the property.   The gardens felt very ‘natural’ or native to the countryside – they made me think of my Mom and her love of native gardens – though if you get here Mom, you need to be sure to come when the camellias are in bloom! (The quote is from the gardens here.)

Next was Middleton Place – also known for their gardens, but this time, very, very formal gardens.  They were inspired by the French gardens of Versailles and were stunning - almost the diametric opposite from Magnolia Plantation.  I did the garden tour and that definitely helped me appreciate what I was seeing – for all the formality though, my favorite was the huge oak tree by the river.  Another visit to be carefully timed – this time for the azaleas by the reflecting pool.

My last stop was Drayton Hall, the only original house of the three that survived the Civil War.  They haven’t restored it, instead they are simply preserving it – without furniture, it is stunning and you truly appreciate the bones of the house: beautiful dark wood inside, 24 inch walls, 3 coats of paint over three hundred years, incredible ceilings plastered by hand in the formal rooms.  The tour guide was excellent – my education on Georgian architecture grew exponentially!  (and the alligators they've seen in the stream on the property opened my eyes to the very different wildlife on offer here - if I have to choose, I think I'll take the bears from home ....)

However, of all the things I saw today, the most beautiful surprised me … it was a flower bouquet cemetery – seriously, I saw this field of what looked like hundreds and hundreds of flower bouquets standing up from the grass – I had to stop.  There were no headstones, instead at each plot there was a spot for a brass vase, and in almost all cases, it was filled with plastic flowers.  For plastic, the flowers were beautiful – and in all types and arrangements.  Just beautiful.

For dinner, I headed into Charleston and found an Italian restaurant, nothing special food wise but they had live music and a fun atmosphere.  

Postscript - I have to admit, I didn't find the Tara in my mind - and discovered after I left the area, that the closest to it was Boone Plantation - ah well, something to be able to go back for ... and I will go back as there is much of the Carolinas and Georgia still to be explored!

Tuesday, May 19th - The English Found Sun in Savannah

I stopped in Savannah on my way to Charleston – got there just in time for lunch - my first real introduction to true ‘southern’ cooking – I had heard one of the traditional restaurants to try was The Lady & Son – a Paula Deen restaurant (she’s one of the known southern cooks with many cookbooks and even a TV show I believe).  Well, normally, after the water arrives and your order is taken, the waiter brings some bread or a roll – well, here, you get a pancake (really, really good) and a cornmeal muffin … and still lunch to come.  From a vegetarian perspective, I must admit, choices were limited – the fried chicken ruled out the buffet.  So following the when in Rome philosophy, I chose the ‘deep fried’ crab cake sandwich … with battered deep fried potatoes …. a good thing, my heart has always been healthy, but it wouldn’t be for long living down here …

In need of a very long walk after lunch, I headed off to explore Savannah and my first impression was surprise at just how English it was!  The main street downtown has these lovely little squares every other block – usually with a statue in the middle (commemorating one of the city founders or Civil War heros) and always with the most incredible trees.  The architecture is also wonderful – beautiful churches and townhouses, many with the wrought iron features that I so love from Paris.  It was really lovely to stroll through.

Mid afternoon, I was back on the road Charleston, when I saw a sign for Le Creuset – for those that aren’t familiar, one of the true ‘name brands’ for cookware – famous as much, if not more, for their wonderfully bright colours as their quality workmanship.  I was intrigued – was there really an outlet store here in the hills of South Carolina?  It was only a few miles out of my way, so I went – and after at least 30 minutes in the store with the help of a lovely southern saleswoman, I left with a 7.5 liter French Oven in a very vibrant orange …. Yippee!!  Who ever would have thought that this is the name brand item I wouldn’t have been able to pass up …. there will be much more soup made next winter!!

Monday, May 18th - Atlanta Politics Over 3 Centuries

Today was my tourist day in Atlanta – it was a full day …. 

First 19^th Century – Atlanta History Center – it had a great exhibit on the Civil War with a comprehensive overview of the war, the details of which I admit, I knew very little.  Also included was a tour of the historic house on the property - with a stunningly imposing front garden.  And can I say, the walk-in-closet of the day was impressive …

Second 20^th Century – Martin Luther King Jr. Center – the centre was established by his widow shortly after his death and is impressive – it unfolds over at least 4 blocks in the neighborhood where MLK grew up.  Included is his childhood home, grave site, church (still used) and a historical centre with a film story of his life as well as a comprehensive exhibit.  There is also a statue of Gandhi - I hadn’t realized the extent to which MLK had been influenced by Gandhi, and that he and Coretta had spent time in India studying Gandhi's teachings.  Both were truly inspiring individuals and game changing leaders of their time.

Third 21^st Century – Unfortunately the Jimmy Carter Library was closed for renovations, so instead, I toured CNN – well, really 20^th and 21^st given the extent to which CNN has impacted the political debate since it began broadcasting … it was an interesting tour – with a view of the broadcast studio and an ear into the live control room.  Unfortunately, their politics broadcasting is done from Washington and Larry is based in LA so I did miss those two pieces but still a very impressive operation (1500 ee’s based in a tower/complex the size of a city block) with a real buzz.

Then off to find small town Georgia, I had a hotel booked in Macon and after checking in, I drove towards the town centre as I’d heard it was meant to be a very picturesque town with old homes in tree lined streets.  I did find some lovely streets with beautiful older homes and 2 really stunning brick churches on the top of a hill, but when I went in search of food, I couldn’t find a thing.  The centre of town felt incredibly desolate – lots of empty stores and what stores there were, just seemed drab – no quaint downtown area with humming restaurants and people ambling about.  So hungry, I headed out to a mall I’d passed just out of town – it was thriving … 4 different restaurants all doing good business plus a Barnes & Noble / Starbuck’s.  The malls of America do seem to be taking over as the heart of the local community – but maybe it is just me who still believes in the quaint town centre and I’ll find the same thing in small town Ontario when I’m there.

Though I have to say, the people watching at the Starbuck’s after dinner was the highlight of the evening … listening to two men in their 50s with lovely ‘drawls’ catching up on everything from gambling and alcoholism to football …    This is after watching the line ahead of me at the cashier – a guy in his early 30s, good looking, almost military with a ‘Guns’ magazine and then a couple ahead of him, where the guy was in full ‘dress-up’ cowboy mode – the boots, the good jeans, blue shirt and white hat – I’m thinking it was a date.  …. elsewhere, it was kids doing homework, what looked like a 1^st date … and 2 others like me with their PCs ….

Sunday, May 17th - Yoga in Atlanta

I arrived in Atlanta last night and discovered I was staying in a really lovely part of town - beautiful houses / mansions along the street - and almost all with the seemingly requisite white pillars in front :-)

I made it in time to participate in the last day of Rajiv Chanchani’s (husband of Swati from Denver) weekend workshop.  It was a really good morning asana class – his focus was on the feet and hands with his lesson being that by focusing on both, you can’t help but improve what’s in between.  The analogy was a piece of string – pull at both ends and the middle straightens.  He also really encouraged us to play and experiment with the poses and props – e.g. in elbow balance, use the 3 props, then remove 1, what do you notice etc. etc.  It was a helpful reminder that our practice needs to be living and not stagnant in ‘how we always do a pose’.

The afternoon session was on philosophy – through stories of Ram, he spoke of the characteristics of true gurus.  One that stuck with me, is how Kings had gurus because power needs to be balanced with intelligence.  Rajiv's core message: Yoga is a phenomenal way of understanding man and the universe – asana is just a part.  It is a science.  I am still trying to figure out what it really means to me, how important is it really?  I'm not sure.

The workshop was held at Still Water Yoga - a lovely airy studio in the heart of Atlanta run by Kathleen Pringle.  I'm regretting not taking pictures of the studios I've been to as they all been quite unique and special - lovely energy at them all.

Saturday, May 16th - My First Historic House

More history in the morning with a visit to Andrew Jackson’s plantation, The Hermitage – a beautiful old house, wonderful grounds, especially the gardens – I very much felt like I was back in time living history.  It was also interesting to learn about an early president - by all account, one who certainly knew his mind (polite way of putting it), took more control/power as president and could be taken as not only the father of the Democrat party but also partisan politics ... 

Then a last glimpse of the Nashville suburbs and country-side (much nicer than downtown with a real east coast ‘horse country’ feel - definitely not 'western') before heading out of town.  One of the Nashville highlights for me was the churches - often beautiful brick structures with very imposing spires - I was sorry to not have been to a service while here as apparently the choirs are quite impressive, as you might imagine with all the singers in town ...

I was ‘seen out’ by the most incredible rainstorm – there had been a preview the day before getting to the Grand Ole Opry and while there – seriously, rain like I had never seen it, simply torrential – everyone on the highway going about 20 miles per hour.  It was a real pleasure to drive out of ….bring on the sun in Georgia!

Friday, May 15th - Grand Old Nashville

I arrived in Nashville late last night – reaffirmed why I don’t like driving in the dark - but early enough to catch most of Gray’s Anatomy season finale (good ending I thought).  I’m staying outside of town in a long stay business hotel – reminds me a lot of Sierra Suites in Santa Jose with a similar surrounding ‘business park’ feel – I even dreamed of work …. I’m definitely not ready to go back yet - and I know, the question is when …

So this morning I took it quiet – explored suburban life and caught up with some errands – found a Walgreens, a Borders (my favourite book store where I browse the travel books for where to go next …) and a Seattle’s Best (with free wireless from the café next door …).  A great way to spend a few relaxed / non touristy hours – I also love listening to the regular chatter – the barrista greats the regulars by name with a lovely southern accent – all very civilized some how.  In the end, I’ve caught up on some blog articles and started thinking a little more about next week on the southern east coast – and hopefully a little quiet beach time … can’t wait!

There were a couple of spots I wanted to see in Nashville, so I headed out –

• Belle Meade Plantation – a lovely spot for lunch that takes one back in time (and yet where the ladies still lunch …) with a scrumptious Fried Green Tomato salad with buttermilk  biscuits and Iced Tea (I am, said with inflection, truly in the south … and finally a cooked tomato I like!)
  
• Country Music Hall of Fame – I had decided it was only right for me to pay tribute to country music while in Nashville – so I kept the radio to the CMT station (and enjoyed it!) and headed to the hall of fame …. It has a good exhibit tracing the history of the music and I really enjoyed the exhibit on Hank Williams and his family - they truly seemed to live what they sung about. (Pictured)
  
• Downtown Nashville – I drove around a little – must admit, it didn’t inspire me in the way some of the other cities have – maybe just a little too big and too much concrete. 

The day finished in grand country tradition with a performance at the Grand Ole Opry – it was pretty cool to be there and you certainly felt the musicians awe at performing there (Ricky Skaggs 27^th anniversary performance that night).  Unfortunately, it has become a little too touristy for me … from the theme park / mall setting to the seeming focus on the older artists – though to give credit where credit is due – Little (very literally) Jimmy Pickens was the highlight of the night (he can tell a joke!) and the rest of the crowd, of a certain generation, really enjoyed the show …. However, I still think there is opportunity to spotlight the up and coming artists more – the future of the industry.

Thursday, May 14th - I Found the Music in Memphis

I arrived in Memphis last night – got there in time to watch the Idol Results show (first season in years I’ve been hooked).  Afterwards, I decided I was going to head out and find some Memphis blues … I headed for BB King’s club on the main music street.  As I arrived, I found a street party with a LOT of motorcycles – I discovered that it was ‘bike night’ – apparently happens every Wednesday night in the summer when literally hundreds of motorcycles and people take over 3 blocks of Beale Street.

It was great – beer and wine for sale on the street and live bands in the clubs and outdoor patio areas – the highlights …

• A Tokyo newlywed playing and singing the blues – seriously, not bad …
  
• A trio that were just wild – electric guitar, large cello (?) and drums – they were bouncing all over the stage – reminded me of Jerry Lee Lewis
  
• Standing against a tree in a park watching a band of 10 in a pavilion with an older man sitting on a stool, singing the blues – definitely old school and amazing
  

I have to admit, it was the first time on the trip that I felt a little lonely –it would have been nice to share - but I’m so glad I got out and found it – I was smiling all the way back to the hotel :-)

Today, I was up and out early so that I could attend an Iyengar yoga class with Lou Hoyt at Eastern Sun Yoga – it was a great class.  As Lou said afterwards, one of the wonderful things about Iyengar yoga (and pros of the regulations), is that you can go to a class anywhere in the world and know what it is going to be like. I found her to be an excellent teacher – a lot of focus on leg and foot alignment, which was a nice continuation from Cliff’s focus on feet yesterday.  In particular, she helped me with my Halasana and shoulder stand – with all the driving, my upper back is definitely a focus this trip.  Her studio is the opened up main floor of a small bungelow – it has a lovely airy feel – nothing like doing Shavasana with a warm soft southern breeze flowing through …

The ladies at class were incredibly friendly – curious about my trip, described as going to a wedding in Toronto with a slight detour south - and happy to give me advice on Memphis.  Their best advice was to lunch at Miss Cordelia’s on Mud Island and then walk along the Mississippi – it was beautiful – and yes, they’ve had a lot of rain and the trees are literally in the river.

I then headed for the National Civil Rights Museum, which is located at the motel where Martin Luther King was assassinated.  It's an exceptional exhibit that traces the history of the civil rights movement as well as a video recalling the events that led up to MLK's death - it's hard to believe just how recently it all happened and how long the struggle took - puts Obama's victory and what it means to the country into even more perspective for me.

And then, yes, I did go to Graceland – as I was told, no visit to Memphis would be complete without it.  They were right – but they do take advantage in how they price it … It was most interesting to see how relatively normally he lived - and I had the chance to once again see the lovely green shag carpet I grew up with!

Wednesday, May 13th - Me and Bill

It’s a lovely day and I am in Little Rock, and I have a full day of Bill Clinton world exploring to do.  First, the capital building where appropriately enough, there was a political demonstration on the main steps – a bus tour of union autoworkers raising awareness for ‘buying American’ I believe.  The Capital was much grander than others I’ve seen, Wyoming for example, and at the same time not so big that it lost the feel of a real work place.  I had the feeling that Bill’s energy would definitely have been a force in the place when he was in residence.

Curious to see Bill and Hilary’s home, I drove by the Governor’s mansion – it’s set in a lovely neighborhood full of beautiful old brick houses with lovely gardens.  I quite like Little Rock – it is a nice size with lovely residential areas close to downtown.

Then I was off to his presidential museum – it is stunning - a huge glass structure overlooking the river in the middle of an open park area.  They’ve done an excellent job with the exhibit – provides the history both chronologically as well as by topic area - and even has his daily schedules ... lots of blank 'work' time during the impeachment ....  It is of course, much like his book, a one sided view on history but still, very hard not to appreciate all that was achieved.  Definitely worth the drive to see it!  Like the picture?

I also managed to get in a lunch break yoga class - which was a nice interlude – in a lovely little studio in the middle of industrial downtown Little Rock.  Cliff is not Iyengar certified but definitely teaches in the style – and has a really good understanding from what I could tell.  He’s been practicing for a long time (on the wall, pictures of him with Mr. Iyengar from the 60s or 70s I think …).  Not being certified, he’s caught a little in the Iyengar politics – there are definitely pros and cons of it being such a highly regulated body …

I left by late afternoon for the drive to Memphis – more green rolling hills, beautiful lakes and rivers that seem very full (I've heard a few 'finally the sun' comments ...).

Tuesday, May 12th - On the Radio on the Road to Little Rock

I knew today was going to be another big 10 hr driving day – the good news, what was getting me through, is that it would be the last big driving day for a while.  By the end, I’d be in Little Rock and from there my explorations of the south east would begin – with everything much closer together!  The drive itself was uneventful – from the flat fields of Texas, through the rolling hills of Oklahoma to Arkansas.

I did stop briefly in Oklahoma City – I wanted to see the memorial to the Oklahoma City bombing – it was beautifully done and very moving.  

Landscape wise, I was surprised by the dense green of Arkansas – all rolling hills filled with green trees broken up occasionally with rivers that seemed to go right up to the tree line.  You couldn’t see far ahead for the first time in days and it felt almost empty.  In that way it reminded me of Galiano – where it feels like the woods just swallows the people up.  I went off a few exits early to explore and see what I could find – across a huge lake there was a small town, quite picturesque hidden amongst the trees, though with less character on the Main Street.  The pleasant, but less glamorous side of small town America.

On the long drives I do get desperate for real radio / live voices (lost CBC 30 minutes past the border) and NPR (US public radio) is limited to near the big cities.  Ever since Portland, the majority of my options fall into two categories - Country or Christian.  Country is growing on me but doesn’t meet the ‘talk radio’ criteria.  So I tried some Christian radio today ….. I found one program ‘Intentional Living’ that initially was ok – very common sense in many ways (nb for reference I’d classify myself as a spiritual Christian but not following an organized religion if that makes sense.).  However, it wasn’t long before I started to get frustrated with the fund raising aspect of the programming (encouragement for Intentional Giving to go to support Intentional Living ….) – it was just so overpowering to the programming.  Well, it must be the season, as when I switched to another station, it also seemed to be dominated by the request for money – and they had a tag line I couldn’t quite believe – “it’s not for K-Love (the radio station), but for God through K-Love ….” – you have to be kidding me ….  As you can see, it got me just a little wound up.  But wait, it gets better, I switched back to Intentional Living and heard an announcer encouraging a listener to take advantage of the radio’s prayer services specifically for people to participate in / listen to while on the road driving – a way to get a little church / prayer time into one’s busy busy life – well, for me, my reaction, how about encouraging a little Intentional Driving to ensure we will all still be living ….

It might be time for satellite soon … (and I’m done with my soapbox for now …)

But my evening recovered, I arrived in Little Rock just before 7pm – and just checked in and then headed right back out to find food.  I had heard about the River Market area as a good spot for the evenings – I found it and then very quickly found where I was meant to eat …. The Flying Fish …… A very casual spot serving local fish – crawfish, catfish, if it came out of the river, it was on the menu.  I had to try the deep fried catfish and shrimp basket complete with fries and … I know I could have had it sautéed with rice or salad, but somehow, that would have just been wrong … it was very very good and felt very very local!

For some crazy reason, I am really excited to be here in the south in the land of Bill Clinton - I can’t wait to explore more tomorrow!

Monday, May 11th - Doing What I Want to Do

It was actually Sunday night when I was feeling a little overwhelmed with all there was to do, all the things I should do and see and relatively speaking, so little time.  I realized that a large part of this trip is about me finding out what I want to do – I have the flexibility and so all I need to try and do is be present enough with myself to know - and then go do it.  And at the same time, pushing myself a little too e.g. do I really want to stay in, crash and watch TV or go out and explore in the evening too – so far, when I’ve done the later, it’s been great!

So along that vein, today I slept in and had a slower morning – I decided I didn’t really want to go to the morning yoga class I found, rather I wanted to try and connect in with friends – I love skype!

I then headed out to enjoy the sun of Santa Fe – it was a beautiful day.  First, I went to the Georgia O’Keefe museum – she was an artist that I knew very little about other than she painted large flowers, but I quickly discovered what an incredible artist and woman she was.  Afterwards, I ‘walked’ Santa Fe – my favorite way to see a new place.  The main downtown area has a nice feel to it – touristy but not overly so.  (The picture is from a store that caught my fancy – Mom, you’d love the clothes – lots of colour!)

I headed out by mid afternoon – off to cross the middle of the US by the end of tomorrow.  The landscape was again a little moonlike – I’m still waiting for the camera that takes pictures from the car while driving, but until then, I at least got a couple pics when slowed for construction ...

The sun went in when I crossed over to Texas (seriously) – an advantage of the Santa Fe detour was that I crossed through, so I can at least say I’ve been, but it did feel more than a little surreal when I got to Amarillo for the night.  I also have to confess that in salute of good ‘ol GW, my music of choice for the Texas section was the Dixie Chicks Taking the Long Way (if you haven’t seen their documentary Shut Up and Sing, it really is good).

Sunday, May 10th - The Road to Santa Fe

Yoga finished about noon today (a really energizing final class with Swati) and I grabbed a final salad from Whole Foods (love them) and hit the road.  I changed my plans yesterday based on conversations with the people I met – basically, why drive 8 hours in a straight line through the Kansas farm fields when I could drive 5 hours through the red rocks of Colorado and New Mexico AND visit Santa Fe – they seemed to think it was a no brainer … and I agreed, so off I went.

I did stop at the Garden of the Gods about an hour south of Denver – incredible red rock formations made over the centuries – I watched the video and as I learnt about the formation of the Rockies and North America – I thought just how much more my brother and nephew would appreciate the story, especially the part about the dinosaurs …

I then discovered that New Mexico really is the sunshine state – as I was literally starting to come down from the pass that separates Colorado from New Mexico, the sun came out – and with it the orange in the rocks and the blue of the sky.  Welcome to New Mexico!

One of the things I love about driving is when I go over a hill or turn a corner and then boom, something dramatic changes – it happened when I crossed into New Mexico – all of a sudden it felt like I was driving on the moon – much more arid rocks, uneven terrain and table top hills dotted in the distance.  It then happened again about an hour out of Santa Fe when I turned the corner and then everywhere there was green – all of these little shrub trees (technical name I know) fully covering the ground, with specs of orange coming through.

I arrived in Santa Fe in time to stroll around the main Plaza and enjoy the Cathedral and the adobe buildings in the evening light.  It was beautiful.  I tried to find a restaurant with live music and did in fact, but once seated, and the band stopped and my order still hadn’t been taken, I realized what I really wanted was take out from Whole Foods and to call my mom and wish her a Happy Mother’s Day – so I left the restaurant and did just that ….

Saturday, May 9th - Weekend Yoga Workshop in Denver

The workshop with Swati Chanchari was wonderful.  It seemed like the Friday evening session was just for me as it was all about getting the hips to release and deepen and given all my driving, they really, really needed to …  She has a lovely teaching style, lots of stories and demonstrations (almost into the pose and then “come quickly, take a look” was a frequent refrain) and she uses very apt metaphors (“the wire around the tree after 5 years is part of the tree, the back of the chair needs to be part of your back ….”).

Swati is from India where she and her husband Rajiv run the Yog-Ganga Centre, focusing on Iyengar yoga – a number of people here have been and from what they’ve said and the pictures, it looks wonderful.  Funny enough, it was a spot I considered for my trip last fall – maybe this fall instead.

The workshop was held at the Iyengar Yoga Centre of Denver – a big studio, in fact 3 studios. It is the largest Iyengar studio I’ve seen – could be the Semperviva of Iyengar with classes running in all studios.  It was founded by 3 people and has a very friendly, warm and welcoming energy.

I was lucky to stay with one of the teachers who billets people visiting – she was lovely.  An older woman who has had a very rich life – lived in Germany, DC, California, Katmandu and now Denver near her grandchildren.  She had also traveled many parts of the world studying with Iyengar teachers and was also a big Obama supporter who’d worked the convention and been to the inauguration – we had some great conversations and I’m very grateful for her warm hospitality. 

Meeting her was a good reminder of how full life can be and how it doesn’t need to be rushed – there is plenty of time for all the potential experiences.  Inspirational.  Still the question of financing I need to figure out – how do I finance my life in a way that stays true to the potential longer-term journey.

She also introduced me to the local community and one lovely couple in particular (both also teachers) who we had dinner with Friday night and who I ate again with on Saturday evening with another teacher.  Lots of yoga talk – both of Swati’s teaching, time in India, yoga philosophy – some of which went over my head if I’m honest, but very interesting to listen.  And all over great food – finally, a little green – Thai on Friday, Whole Food’s salad and really good vegan buffet at Govinda’s Spiritual Food, at the local Hare Krishna Temple ... (never would have thought I’d be there myself, but I really enjoyed it and the Dal was excellent).  All in all, a really great 48 hours in Denver.