Fish from the seas

    Sun again after several days of fog and misty rain. This little vacation town is quiet. I just remembered it is summer here and the children are out of school. Mucho confusing para Norte Americano. I look up at the big dipper. Is it upside down? The sunset is in the same place it will be in Pleasant Bay 6 months from now, in summer.
     We went to the port city nearby and toured the extensive fish markets..phew! There is every possible tidbit of every kind of life form imaginable on the tables for sale and consumption. Most of the fish are brought in from the south. Can it possibly be fresh laying out in the daylight with no ice or refrigeration? I had trouble looking at some of the lumps of whatever it is. Soy una spoiled northemericano, si.
     During a home barbecued dinner we discussed vitaculture: Viticulture (from the Latin word for vine) is the science, production, and study of grapes. It deals with the series of events that occur in the vineyard. When the grapes are used for winemaking, it is also known as viniculture. It is a branch of the science of horticulture, and permaculture: Permaculture is a system of agricultural and social design principles centered around simulating or directly utilizing the patterns and features observed in natural ecosystems. Ideals are useful but not always applicable with force. We grow as we learn. 
    I want to visit the beach in the morning light and see how it differs from the forceful sunset rhythms. The sun comes up from behind the coastal mountains to the east. Beyond is the big busy hot city and Argentina and the Atlantic. What a world!

First week

    Good Monday morning from Santo Domingo, Chile! The song birds are singing in the sun. Yesterday the crowds were at the beach to celebrate the warm calm day. In the evening they gather to walk along the boardwalk or have snacks at the bistro and watch the waves roll in from Tahiti or New Zealand or somewhere across the Pacific.
   Luna the cat is sitting on the dining table with my coffee. She owns the place. I must begin to look in depth at the trees and flowers and cloud movement so I can do some painting. The surf is so fascinating. It never stops and at sunset the light highlights and intensifies every curl, froth, dip, outline of the water as it roars onto the beach. Golden orange! We could be anywhere in the world. The people are happy!

 

Christmas, 2015

   I am far from the home front. This is my dream and I am appreciating it to the max. It is a bit grey this Christmas morning. Cool. Heater in bedroom. Whining cat. Sarah sleeps late. We are taking it slow because I have some body aches and need to get my strength up to keep up..or out of the way. Luna the cat is not impressed with me in the least!

    Chile is quiet here. No mad road chaos or crowds in shopping confusion. I haven't ventured out alone yet but once the holiday is over I will attempt a silent hand signal visit to the grocery store down the hill. We eat well and simply, fruit and veggies mostly, and have fun making decorations for the free-form 'tree'. 

    I am happy to be learning to have a perfectly beautiful South American winter/summer experience and I wish warm breezes and sunshine to our brave Canadian friends! 
FELIZ NAVIDAD!    

Halifax to Miami

The trees and flowering bushes tell the tale far better than the crowded roads and junk business signs. Florida still has most of its magic, especially when the snow flies elsewhere.

I discovered the amazing contemporary ALT Hotel at the Halifax airport and spent a night in compact comfort. The hotel is arty, Scandinavian in its streamlined functional furnishings and quirky. There are swinging seats in the lobby and several conversation rooms around the deli-type food court, I Macs to use in the common area. Clever lighting surrounds a luxurious bed filled with big fat pillows and comforter in pure white. There are NO drawers, but one under the bed, several benches and shelves and 2 hooks. Don't travel with excess there or you will be stumbling over your suitcases in the night. Eco-friendly and streamlined is the new class.

Before I left on this trip I fell and crunched my foot. It is not responding well to miles of airport walking and hours of sitting. I ask for wheelchairs when I can to get to the gates. Growing old is not for the clumsy.

I am now near the Miami airport in an ok motel with a kitchen. There is plenty of green all around and some lagoons. The bus goes to the grocery store and if I can walk I am going to take a taxi to Best Buy (Saturday before Christmas crowds!) to find a new power cord for my laptop and look at baby video drones for my friends in Chile who make art movies. Imagine flying a little plastic bug over the Pacific Ocean shore and photographing it from above! Hopefully, the cat won't eat it before we get it going and the wind won't take it away. Photos to follow...carry on!

Moving into the Warm

    As 2015 is coming to the height of the dark season in Canada, I prepare to travel south of the Equator. Winter turns to Summer! The human world seems a fair bit mad and staying clear of negatives takes determination. I plan to turn off the media hype and concentrate on relaxing in the land of earthquakes, volcanoes, Spanish communication and family fun. Yea! I'll be in touch. Love, Ann

     

Winter in Chile

2015 brings me to another adventure: Chile!I saw vineyards, the Pacific and the Andes.Met friendly people and had an art show.