Trampolines

I don't ever remember being on a trampoline as a kid. But now, they are everywhere! Ava has friends with trampolines in their yards, they are at the festivals, the art shows, the garden shows, there is even a big new one at our Hannover Zoo, in addition to the trampoline-net house that she already loved. Ava adores the trampoline- the jumping, the freedom, the soaring, the flying, the risk, the tricks. She was thrilled to discover a trampoline in her cousin Kristy's backyard when we made our big summer roadtrip out to Indiana. She and three-year-old Hailey had fun doing tricks and performances, but then they had to get off and wait their turn while my mom got on! 73 years young and making her way on to the trampoline. Mom was always good at jumping into a fun moment, and she had to loosen up for her big NFL Cheerleading show last weekend- where the original Redskinette Alumni performed on the field during halftime. Go Ava! Go Mom! Keep those high kicks and flips coming!

Peaceful Piggy Meditation

Children can be so open, so willing. Our stay in California this month with long-time friends Chau and Jim affected us in many ways. We left their house of peace and love with a few special gifts: meditation beads from Vietnam, our Stillness Jar and the book "Peaceful Piggy Meditation." On the next stop, we shared the book with our hosts that have two little girls close in age to our daughter. On our last evening, we gathered in the living room on pillows. The children gravitated to the story of creating a peaceful place in the home. The girls wanted to immediately create the space. Peaceful Piggy suggested a stone for solidness, a crystal for clear thinking, and a flower for beauty. The six year old gathered a crystal, a rubbing stone from her aunt, and a rock she painted for her mother. The nine-year-old brought a crystal glass to use as a bell. My daughter, visiting from Germany, didn't have her own special things with her- so she ran to the art table and made two drawings of hearts to place in the circle. Amy lit the candle and the girls took turns with the bell. After a day full of laughter, tears and emotions, the faces became angelic and still. We breathed together slowly, and in the manner of Thich Nhat Hahn we said words on the in-breath and out-breath, such as Calm, Love, Joy, Peace, Happiness and Kindness. I could feel the energy in our circle, loving and peaceful. We ended with prayers of gratitude. We had another meditation circle the following morning before we said goodbye. Back in Germany, we set up our own special place with our sea shells, rocks, polished stones, and beads from Vietnam. We start our days sitting together in the early morning by candlelight, continuing the circle of peace and love.

Sunflowers, Pumpkins and Apples

A field of very large, yellow faces stood tall in rows and invited us yesterday to share the warm, yellow afternoon sun with them. Indian Summer in northern Germany! Sunflowers of many types, each in their own rows, greeted us cheerfully as bees nibbled on their seeds. Yellow petals with yellow centers, yellow with dark centers, oversized centers, small centers, orange and yellow fire-like petals, flowers that had already burnt up in the sun. The three of us had the field to ourselves, strolling in and around. It was a pick-your-own blooms field, and we assembled a lovely bunch to take back. "Daddy, let me try to cut!" our five year old asked. She knelt down and freed her favorite flowers from their spot, and put them with the others in her little hand. We also wandered through the pumpkin patch. A real pumpkin patch! Did the Great Pumpkin live here?  All kinds of pumpkins grew here in rows, the large light orange carving pumpkins for Jack-o-Lanterns, the rich, deep colors of the Hokaido pumpkins we use for our fall and winter soups, the white small pumpkins, the yellow and white squash, and the multi-colored small decoration pumpkins. We selected the shapes and colors that we found delightful and we loaded up the back of the wagon.

We drove further through the countryside and found a gorgeous, old, stone farmhouse with an apple orchard. We pulled over and took out a large sack and started gathering rich, brown, shiny chestnuts from under large tree.
Little one loved finding chestnuts still in their shells with the pointy, pokey spikes all around. She would carefully open them and pull the chestnut out of the soft inner flesh. We shared a crisp apple from the orchard while we moved on to the next chestnut tree. Husband lifted little one way up into the tree so she could pick the chetsnuts right off of the branches. We laughed and laughed when he would hang from the tree and perform a hanging dance to get the chestnuts to rain down on us. We drove back home with our car loaded with the colors and textures of fall- deep orange, golden yellow, apple red, and mahagony brown. We made "tablescapes"  outside and in. We could almost feel the warm sun on our faces when we looked into the sunflowers on the long wooden table.

The Art of Seeing

One of the things I love about photography is that what you create depends on what you see. And how you see! And I see with my heart. I get so excited at the capturing the moment- the emotion, the joy, the sadness, the tenderness. Living with my exuberant, joyful, expressive five-year-old gives me an endless supply of inspiration.

Deep Blue Yoga

We began our September California trip in a large, rented house with a view of Lake Tahoe. Four best girlfriends and their families shared the house, with laughter starting upon arrival and providing a backdrop for the entire Labor Day weekend.

The four dads bonded and talked tech, and the seven children played dolls, swung in the porch swing, played in the sand, made God's eyes from sticks, rode bicycles down the hill, and ate pancakes, watermelon, and shaved ice.

During all of the energy, love, emotions and laughter, we found an oasis of stillness. We took our yoga mats up to the large deck with a view of the deep blue lake surrounded by the deepest royal blue sky. Side by side, led by Amy through a slow, fluid series of stretches, asanas and sun salutations, we melted our bodies and souls into a moving yoga flow.

The effect for me was profound. In triangle pose, following my arm and looking back up to the sky, I was inspired by the beauty of the healthy green pine tree loaded with pine cones reaching into blue. During sun salutations I would swing both arms up over my head, pull down the buzzing, loving energy from the universe into praying hands before my heart. The warm, yellow morning sun poured down over us. In mountain pose, I stared at the mountain crest bordering the lake and felt the permanent, unchanging solidness of God's earth. In the balancing poses, we stood still and solid high on our wooden deck, in a synchronous mid-air balance that the mountains and trees provided for us. I centered myself by staring at a tall, old tree on the lake's border, and my body was stable and strong. I was moved by the shared experience with nature and the women I love on that deck.

I am filled with gratitude for our Deep Blue Yoga.

Serenity in the morning

One morning I woke up very early in my friend Chau's California home. It was 6:00 am and I peaked over the staircase to the large living room below. A mantel running the length of the room was lit by ten candles symmetrically balanced among the buddahs, orchids, photos of zen masters and ancestors. A lovely smell of incense filled the room. Chau sat on her meditation cushion in her dove gray cotton dharma master robe, quietly meditating. I was infused with a loving vibration, a calming energy, and a tingly feeling all over my body as i looked on. The next day, I awakened and discovered the same beautiful ritual taking place. This time I joined in, taking a cushion next to Chau. We have a number of shared experiences over the years in meditation, and I was reminded that it could be such a peaceful place of beauty that could draw me in, open my heart, and still my spirit so I could hear God's voice so clearly.