Chinese Thunder Drums

Last night, I was invited to a performance . . .

Jigu Thunder Drums of China

Talk about celebrating my birthday with a BANG!

These professional shots of the troupe
give you a very small picture of a very GRAND experience.

If you want a mini-taste of Thunder Drumming,
go here.

Moab, Once Again

It has become an annual tradition.
An autumn get-away to Moab, Utah with a pack of gal pals.
There were ten of us this year.

Some of us took hikes.

Others hung out in and around our lovely cabin at Pack Creek Ranch.

One of my favorite parts about hiking around this area . . .

R*O*C*K*S!

There's a huge outcropping of colorful quartzite, within a mile of the cabin.

I shot ten photos of various "favorite" rocks.
They were all spectacular, but I won't give you the A-Z of my rock mania.
Here's one great sample:

Looking up from the trail, we saw layer after layer of geological history.


However, it's important to look down regularly.

If you miss the prickly pear cactus on the ground and you'll get a poignant surprise.

Moab is full of contrasts.

From the front of our cabin, I took this shot of the La Sal mountains with very fresh snow.

More shots in front,
with our friend J, a yoga instructor, teaching a duo warrior pose.

In addition to yoga,
there was a LOT of horsing around.

Some of us discovered that we can still climb trees.

Amazing what you can do when you've got a crowd cheering you on!

I thought about hanging upside-down like an opossum.

Then I thought better of it. My spine has it's limits and I need to respect them.

************************************

My friends provided my with NON-STOP LAUGHTER.

We didn't need techno entertainment.

We did bang-up job of providing our own . . .

We ALL took our turns modeling the wig and there may be a group shot down the road.

HILARITY SUPREME.

Thanks gals for an unforgettable time!

2009 Moab event here.

2008 Moab event here.

Sharing the Glories!

Our daily canyon walks have been mighty GRAND of late.

Chica can testify!

. . . and so can my friends who joined me yesterday.

They decided to do a little "bouldering" along the way.

Coming down is ALWAYS more challenging than monkeying up!

The native Utah Gamble Oaks are NOT known for brilliant colors.
They count on the Canyon Maples to provide the magic.

But there's an exception to every rule.

Can you see where some tiny critter had a midnight snack of crimson delight?

(All photos were taken TODAY, except for the shots of my friends. Get out there, folks!)

A Petite Surprise

There's a new little dumpling is baking
in my daughter-in-law Jill's tummy.


Yes. The same Jill who had her RIGHT hip replaced last New Year's Eve.

Also, the same Jill who had her LEFT hip replaced in July 2009.



"Thumbs up!" said her doctor and things were set in motion!

This family of four now makes room to become a family of FIVE!


And THIS GRANDMA is elated!

BTW, I just BAWLED when they Skyped with the news.

Happy tears.




See little Audrey announcing her UPGRADE in status - HERE.

Not too much TIME will pass
before we'll find out what flavor baby we're getting.



Good work, A & J.

Especially J!

Celebrate Life

My cousin Peggy chose to celebrate life.

She truly walked the path of SIMPLICITY.

For twenty-five years, she lived without a car to reduce her carbon footprint.

She promoted causes for a better world. Ceaselessly.

On Saturday, family and friends honored her with a CELEBRATION OF LIFE.

Okay. We DID use a car to get there.

A really really HOT car, owned by a cousin who came from Colorado for the celebration.
Another cousin from Arizona is waving from the passenger seat.

So many people came to honor dear Peggy and celebrate life . . . especially HER life!

Yesterday, my cousin received the Gandhi Peace Award posthumously.
Her biography is on the Gandhi Alliance for Peace site - HERE.

The award ceremony was really amazing.


Beginning with Buddhist monks.

Then, dancers from India.

So young and graceful. So full of vibrancy and color.


I hope to post a decent photo of my tall red-headed cousin - SOON.

In the meantime,
here are two shots (taken last night) with my goddaughters' children.

On the left, Dana's Emma and her foster child Ashawn.
On the right, Paige's Brooklyn and Jude.

I love the way Emma (on the left) is checking me out!