Italian for Beginners

true indigo, RGBisMe, Yugio & Ravenboy



What a wonderful weekend for my 44th birthday! RGBisme and I made a trip to NYC for a day of letterboxing all over the city. We were thrilled to find Lives to Dance, Hah-Cha-Cha as well as Patience and Fortitude. We later met up with Ravenboy and Yugio to tackle Italian for Beginners. Nothing beats stamping into a box with good friends over a hot cuppa.





Yugio checks out her second letterbox ever with Ravenboy



We were sad to find that 2 of our boxes had gone missing but that happens in an urban setting. We were happy to find that the 2 others we checked on were doing well and then we planted a new one.





RGBisMe takes a break from urban boxing



It was hard to say goodbye to Yugio & Ravenboy after they shared love, laughter and showered me with birthday gifts. RGBisMe and I managed to do a little boxing on our way to and from NYC. There is a fun road side series, Highways of Warren County, which we were just able to complete in the failing light on our way home.





is it this way?





my best shot at a mystery box

Fog

IN PLACE 6-17-07!!

Thank you flyboy

careful folks, this cat has a habit of running off!!!





The fog comes

on little cat feet.



It sits looking

over harbor and city

on silent haunches

and then moves on.

Carl Sandburg

Fog Lover Kitten-Cat

In loving memory of Fog Lover Kitten-Cat
November 1989 - February 14, 2006

Don't be dismayed at goodbyes.
A farewell is necessary before you can meet again.
And meeting again, after moments or lifetime,
is certain for those who are friends.
~Richard Bach

Snowy Owl

On top of a road sign on I99 near exit 78


On top of the street lamp on I99 near Bellefonte

Welcome Home

Welcome home Maga11!

After a day in Lewsitown Hospital, Maga11 has returned sans gall stones. We are glad things went well and got to watch the operation done right in the waiting room. An odd set up but it's a small town.

Our Life Lately

If you have been wondering why I haven't been doing much lately I think this link pretty much describes our life right now.

Wheel of the Year Turns but Again

Not sure what this next calendar year will bring but I am thankful for all of the friends I made and kept in 2005.

Health, Love and Friendship to you all!

Yuletide

Time to make this dark time of year a little brighter so we will decorate our tree next week with Ravenboy.

Why is She Such a Misfit?

Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer travels to the Island of Misfit Toys. There he meets many different toys that are misfits for differing reasons. Above, Rudolph stands with a doll that was on the island. At no time in the movie does it say why she is there. I need feedback as to WHY THE DOLL WAS A MISFIT.

Goblet of Fire

We went to the midnight showing of Harry Potter & the Goblet of Fire last night. I am still pretty tired as I wasn't able to drift off to sleep until probably after 3:30 AM.

This movie had to, by far, do the most condensing of the written book into it's 2 hours and 15 minutes. I missed quite a few things but understood the omission of most of them. One character that was sadly missed was Sirius Black. His '"face" is briefly seen in the Gryffindor common room fire but it is nowhere near enough exposure to develop his character into what it will need to be to reflect what a huge loss Harry suffers at the end of the next in the series.

This movie was much darker on every level. The William's score starts the action by playing a variation in minor keys as it dives right into Harry's first scar burning dream. Even some of what would be the most light hearted scenes ( dancing lessons with Mcgonegal ) have the characters with comparatively drab costumes and expressions when you compare it to Prisoner of Azkeban's classroom boggert lesson with Professor Lupin. The music is less light hearted and the colors through the entire film lean to blues and greys. Much missed are the vast pastoral views are the grounds but the scope and perspective of the World Cup scene is awesome.

Refreshing developments in character include those of Neville (I could have danced all night) Longbottom, Fred & George Weasley with and the introduction of Mad-eye (abducted auror) Moody, Cho (but can this Seeker fly) Chang, Lord (?)Voldemort. Speaking of the dark lord, I found his corporeal self just a bit too vulnerable. I knew how this story ended but there really was not a time when I felt he might conquer Harry Potter. When Potter steps out from around the gravestone (wand at the ready) and faces He-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Named, there is never a doubt who is the stronger presence. The 14 year old boy s clearly the victor from that point on.

A big change in how Dumbeldore is portrayed. I would be surprised if we didn't find high blood pressure medication hidden somehwere in his office. He is surlier than before, no more warm and fuzzy head master.

Bear Season

We spent hours getting our yard ready for winter. We cleaned the gutters out and raked leaves and acorns until we were exhausted. We bought a huge amount of bird seed for feeding the birds this winter and found that thistle seed costs more per gallon than post Katrina gasoline. No worries, we found a great squirrel proof way of storing it in a metal garbage can closed with a bungie cord.

I got up this morning to make some tea for us before we start our drive to get Raveboy. I looked out to enjoy the yard that we could proudly enjoy with him during his visit. In the dim sunrise, I saw that RGBisMe seemed to have allowed some of the empty bird seed bags get blown way up into the field beside our house. My stomach tightened when I saw the concrete birdbath was knocked over. Nothing could pull that over but a... BEAR.

I looked closer and saw that all of the small bird feeders were down and destroyed and what looked like a river of seed running down the hill past the wrought iron shepherd's hook (bent in two) from the field onto OUR PORCH. On our porch was the toppled metal can, lid off and all of the expensive seed pulled out.

I have declared an early bear season in Dale Summit.

Super Day, Super Mom!

A perfect day to hike, Maga11 really helped me out today with getting the a letterbox hidden for my submission on the 2006 Atlas Quest Calendar. The calendar (and I guess these photos - hehe) holds the only clue as to where to find this awesome box. The Crayola Posse really pulled together on this one. RGBisMe helped me out with the photo by holding back a young tree when I took the picture then getting it to look it's best on Photoshop. Maga11 took the day off to drive us to the location and brave the steep and rocky hike with me. It was hard leaving the box as I put a lot of energy into the carving and making the log.





Although the hike was a bit of a challenge, we took our time and enjoyed all of the diverse flora and fauna this area hosts. The sculpted sandstone boulders also increased the difficulty of easily maneuvering but added to the "eye candy."



A huge thank you to Maga11 for a day filled with love, laughs, and a thankfully easier descent.

In the Upper Room

I am thinking Hallowe'en is becoming the traditional time for a trip to NYC to see an American Ballet Theatre performance or 2 at City Center. We took the folks for the second year in a row which means that my Metropolitan Museum of Art letterbox is now a year old. It has gone through maybe 5 - 6 logs this year and is still doing well. Amazing.



Back to our trip. We got into the city early enough to replace Peggy's Park letterbox then scoot across town and grab some food. Ravenboy was kind enough to set aside 2 complimentary tickets that we picked up along our way.



The folks, Maga11, Toolman Luke & MagaB enjoyed a nice brunch while we ran to meet Ravenboy at the stage door. He offered to sneak backstage to watch the matinee since he can only have 2 comp ticket for each show. The things that go on back stage of a show are amazing. We stood by and watched all of the stars of ABT hustle by, check the call board, and move on to get into costume. It was probably 15 minutes until curtain when we saw one of Raveboy's friends speed into the building. He looked totally out of breath and wide eyed. "You ok?" Ravenboy asked him. The tall fellow nodded as he was totally out of breath. Fifteen minutes later we saw the same young man, perfectly poised, onstage and in costume.



The folks enjoyed the first show and as we exited the theatre, there was Ravenboy to greet us! We lauded his performance in Mark Morris' Gong. We were able to follow his every move as he fore told us he would be dressed in solid "orange the color of the gates that were in Central Park." He was pleased that the first show was complete but he was constantly distracted with thinking about the evening's performance. He sat across from me at the restaurant we took him to and at one point he seemed to not hear any of us. I asked, "Are you ok?" "Just running over choreography," he grinned nervously.



Twyla Tharp's collaboration with composer Philip Glass produced the 40 minute long non-stop aerobic In the Upper Room. Thirteen of ABT's finest dancers are challenged by Tharp's modern variations and Glass' typical phrasing in 6s. Alternating between the stompers in sneakers and ballet crew in red point shoes and flats, the piece builds to a frenetic climax in 9 movements. Sadly, the smoke machine that is to provide the mood for the beginning of piece must have gone crazy and pumped into overtime. The first movement is to start with a smoke filled stage and 2 dancers emerge, much like Patience and Fortitude, guardians of the stage. The smoke did not dissipate until well into the second movement as we saw the ballet crew throwing themselves through the smoke into very difficult jumps and lifts. We found out later that Ravenboy couldn't even see his own feet and these dancers had to catch young ladies that were running at them from the opposite side of the stage. I cannot imagine what was going through their minds in the blinding fog but not a slip nor miss was visible from the audience. Even though some folks left when they couldn't see through the second movement, most of the sold out house stayed to rise spontaneously to their feet at the drop of the curtain. Ravenboy is part of one awesome company.

Starstruck @ Starbucks

It's been requested that I tell a part of my trip to the city which I had hoped to avoid.



Between the two performance we saw, we were happy to take Ravenboy out for a bite to eat. He had to hurry back to the theater long before we could even get into the lobby so we were left with almost 2 hours of trying to find things to do with ourselves. We did a little sight seeing and shopping and eventually found ourselves in a Starbucks near the theater.



Many of the dancers were stopping in to grab a coffee and dart back to the theater before it got too late. RGBisMe kept naming them as they came in and eventually notices one of American Ballet Theatre's biggest stars coming down the street. "Here comes Angel Corella. He is coming in for coffee."



I have been watching performances of Angel Corella on video and on stage for almost 10 years. Young Ravenboy would watch him on tv and then try to imitate exactly the huge leaps and multiple turns this exciting dancer performed. He was Ravenboy's idol and now they are in the same company. Ravenboy also says he is a nice guy. I do not work with him, so to me he is a huge star and I am star struck if he ever walks by.



Mr. Corella walked in the door of Starbucks and I couldn't help but smile at him. He returned my smile. We explained to MagaB who he was and it seemed to take them forever to give him his coffee so I absolutely had to sneak another look at this handsome and talented young man. So do I just look at him? No, I hide my face against RGBisMe and peak at him with one eye... and the man SAW ME. I was so embarrassed. I couldn't even look up as he left but looked across to Maga11 who was beaming and waving good bye to him. I was just glad that he didn't know we are Ravenboy's family.





Prior to In the Upper Room in the final performance. Mr. Corella performed in the Le Corsaire pas de deux. The audience cheered madly for him and his partner. They really are crowd pleasers and brought the house down as well as warming them up for In the Upper Room. My throat was sore from cheering by the end of the night.



We waited outside after the final show to give Ravenboy a ride back to his apartment. I looked around the corner to see if he was coming and saw him about half a block away walking with a handsome, young spanish dancer. "NO!" I freaked out! Angel could NOT know I was Ravenboy's mother, I would run and hide. As the family all went to greet Ravenboy, congratulate and hug him, I saw that he had been walking with another dancer from the company. It was his good friend Luis. I had made a jerk of myself yet again.

A Very Short Autumn

I was just hiking in short sleeves the other day. The colored leaves were at their peek. Today has been a different story. The progression of today's weather is recorded below.

Tour of PA

What a week! Maga11 and I started out not knowing how long we would be gone nor where exactly we were going. Our tour of south central to eastern PA was for two purposes: to photograph potential subjects for pen and ink drawings and letterboxing.


Our trip took us first through Cove and shooting the DeCoven Diner. It was closed and could be torn down at any time. Camp Hill turned up nothing even though we were looking for a mill there. Carlisle was a very good stop for letterboxing and photographic subjects. We took some time boxing in the Seven Gables tree park then went on to shoot Old West on Dickinson campus. The old theatre in the middle of town, courthouse and Carlisle Diner were next. Of course taking in a meal at the diner was a terrific break. We tried to get one more box before we left town but a Hallowe'en parade forming in the park where the box was totally chased us out of town.


We were able to photograph another diner, covered bridge and nice barn before we crashed outside of Gettysburg. Niiiice motel, too nice with features we never would be able to take full advantage of. It was a perfect jumping off place for going to the Arendtsville Round Barn as well as a barn on the Gettysburg battlefield. A letterbox close by was just too tempting not to grab.


After this the boxes, subjects and towns all started to blur together. Diners, barns, mills, a mill with a box, a bridge with a box, courthouses, bars, and mansions. Sometimes we couldn't find the photographic subject, sometimes we couldn't find the box, sometimes the park was closed, sometimes the diner was closed, and sometimes even the road was closed. What balanced it all out was the great time we had visiting, stopping when saw something great that wasn't part of our plan and being flexible. When are we going again mom?

Jim Thorpe

RGBisMe and I spent our first letterboxing anniversary with one of the best boxers around, Lightnin' Bug from Allentown, PA. He was nice enough to allow us to tag along while he checked out some potential spots for future boxes. It was great to see a master at work. We met at a local park and did some autmnal hiking. We just loved hearing Lightnin' Bug's mind work, he always has the most creative ideas. He is also one of the most positive people we have ever met; a real decent fellow and a friend to all creatures (including orb spiders)!



We got toward the end of one of the trails where there was an obstacle that I tried to tackle. HA! I really could have used Ravenboy's 180°+ turnout but I managed.


We ended up being obstacles oursleves as we got in the way of a woman who needed a clear trailway for her photograph. "Are we in your way?" "Yes." she clearly responded. We cheerfully moved out of the picture.


We enjoyed the sights at Glen Onoko State Park. The short hike to the falls was very pleasant and we stamped into a nearby letterbox. Before we said our goodbyes, we stopped at the nearby tunnel to look out over the Lehigh River. Many rafters were ending their days' journey there as were bikers from the area's rail trail. The sun was setting and the train whitsle made the whole moment feel nostalgic. Being out enjoying nature with good friends is what autumn is all about for me.

Team Little Dog

Jan and Barney at the final Secret Garden letterbox.

We lured Team Little Dog into visiting our area a couple of weeks ago. They stayed overnight at Poe Paddy State Park after a day of buzzing around central PA counties looking for letterboxes. Not every search ended in success (who WAS that man that sat in his car in the park 2 days in a row!?) but we hope they had fun.

They started their second day by almost being blown off the mountain at Air Sylph then cam into town for a few more urban boxes. I joined with them while they sought out some Magical Mystery Tour and Ticket to Ride boxes.


See Barney at the far end of the bridge? Sneaking away to check things out.

We went on to tackle mountains, got turned away from finding Angler's Heaven because of a scheduled target practice, and generally enjoyed the back roads of the area. I hope they will return soon so we can visit together again!

Knoebels Gathering

see more photos at this link

Cyclonic's gathering at Knoebels was a perfect blend of great folks, laughter, and well thought out letterboxes. Blessings of the International Weather Workers were upon even those of us who camped the night before.

Nothing beats a meal with Janila when there is a letterbox for desert. We stamped up at Team Little Dog's "Piece of Pizza" before we set up camping at Knoebels. Cyclonic, his sister EB, Sewsowbusy, and Hikers & Hounds were the perfect hosts on the Hawaii section of the campground. They shared their canopy and showed us a preview of the most imaginative event stamp ever. Cyclonic's 4 color image creatively used a registration frame to bring the four stamps into alignment. Judy required extra "spirit" for hers to come together.

Bright and early Saturday morning, the boxers started meeting at pavilion Q. We were happy to see Lightinin Bug again and finally get to meet Star Wars Lego Boy. They brought some fun event only boxes and we were thrilled to eventually find their "World's Largest" letterbox. JBZfarm came soon after with Rainbow Girl bearing homemade cards and gifts for many and PA Paddler sharing cookies and a beautiful event stamp! It was fun watching them find the many nearby event boxes. I will never forget Hunter/Jumper asking her daughter, "Where are you *getting* all of these?" as they stamped into Janila's perfectly carved "Whitman's" table box.

The "Feedin Frenzy" was in full swing at no time at all. So many new faces for us! We were thrilled to meet Phynstar (whom we later tortured with a ride on the Phoenix), the gracious Charmed1, Teddy Bear and Flutter Bye. The von der Insels (Dave & Diane) came from Rhode Island and we had a chance to meet Anne of Green Gables, Gerania and later Lotus and crew. It was wonderful to again to see Sprite, Sheba and Death Moose.

It was a perfect day in the park but I was glad to have come many times before because there wasn't enough time to enjoy all of the rides. There were people to chat with and letterboxes to explore. We are glad we took time to be a part of the caravan that took Cyclonic's Covered Bridge Tour; a series of 6 local covered bridges situated in some of the best central PA landscape. Cyclonic made sure his directions led us to view each bridge at it's very best. In the end, we came away with yet another print of a master carving and an experience that shared a slice of this area's history.

I can't think of how things could have gotten any better except for having more time to visit before we had to drive back home. Thank you Cyclonic for the energy you put into making an event where we have gained new friends and warm memories.

American Ballet Theatre

Here is a shameless plug for a fun calendar. The 2006 Men of ABT Calendar, you must get it just for March, September and November!

What kind of mother promotes her son in a beefcake calendar!?