slowly she turned

Living the Slow life in North Carolina

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  • Art Oasis

    I’m excited to announce that paper and book artist Susanne Martin and I will have a space together at August Art Oasis outside the Greensboro Cultural Center on Davie St., in downtown Greensboro. This will be my first venture as a paper and book artist.

    First Friday August 7 from 6:00-9:00 pm
    August Art Oasis

    Green Hill Center for North Carolina Art, in partnership with Downtown Greensboro Inc. & with support from Face to Face and synerG, presents an August Art Oasis, First Friday August 7th, 6-9pm. The Greensboro Cultural Center will be transformed in to a mecca of music and art to include street art & pottery demonstrations, belly dancing, an Artist Bazaar, hip hop dance and base line DJ music thumping through the atrium. All programs are free and open to the public.

    The August Art Oasis is in conjunction with The Green Hill Center for North Carolina Art’s current exhibition, Gallery Nomads, highlighting the most vibrant art venues in the Triangle and presents works by over fifty artists.

    Artists will be setting up camp in the Artist Bazaar, creating a street market of locally made arts & crafts for sale. Gallery Nomads artists Bart Cusick and Garrett Scales will be demonstrating free hand aerosol and stencil art techniques in front of The Greensboro Cultural Center from 6-7 pm. ArtQuest is inviting kids of all ages to participate in Chalk It Up!, a demonstration of sidewalk graffiti with Joy Waegerle and Brian Stacey. Greensboro’s own Scooter Nerds will have a scooter display, as well as an up-and-running scooter transportation system traveling to and from Elm Street. Bellysima will be performing a nomadic belly dance from 7-7:30. A hip hop dance performance by Dreams in Motion will be in the gallery from 7:30-8:00. DJ music will be provided throughout the evening by 1Adam12 & Deafrent (Wise Guise, Runnin Crew) [GSO].

    Participants from the Greensboro Cultural Center include: Art Alliance demonstrating the pinch pot technique while selling locally made pottery. Daliana and Troupe Bellysima will perform a variety of folkloric and cabaret numbers to thrill the spectators. The talented drummers of Wesley Williams’ Urban Dance Theatre will add a special element to the experience. The Native America Gallery and the Center for Visual Art will be opened with diverse yet equally exciting exhibitions. The African American Atelier will also be participating.

  • The Five Mindfullness Trainings

    Thich Nhat Hahn’s teachings were my first introduction to mindfulness, and my first steps in healing my frantic soul. He is on Facebook (yes! really!) and posted this today, which I’m sure that he would like for me to share with you.

    You can also go to the Plum Village website and the Mindfulness Bell for more about Thay’s teachings about Buddhism and mindfulness.

    The Five Mindfulness Trainings

    Sisters and brothers in the community, this is the moment when we enjoy reciting the Five Mindfulness Trainings together. The Five Mindfulness Trainings represent the Buddhist vision for a global spirituality and ethic. They are a concrete expression of the Buddha’s teachings on the Four Noble Truths and the Noble Eightfold Path, the path of right understanding and true love, leading to healing, transformation, and happiness for ourselves and for the world. To practice the Five Mindfulness Trainings is to cultivate the insight of interbeing, or Right View, which can remove all discrimination, intolerance, anger, fear, and despair. If we live according to the Five Mindfulness Trainings, we are already on the path of a bodhisattva. Knowing we are on that path, we are not lost in confusion about our life in the present or in fears about the future.

    Reverence For Life

    Aware of the suffering caused by the destruction of life, I am committed to cultivating the insight of interbeing and compassion and learning ways to protect the lives of people, animals, plants, and minerals. I am determined not to kill, not to let others kill, and not to support any act of killing in the world, in my thinking, or in my way of life. Seeing that harmful actions arise from anger, fear, greed, and intolerance, which in turn come from dualistic and discriminative thinking, I will cultivate openness, non-discrimination, and non-attachment to views in order to transform violence, fanaticism, and dogmatism in myself and in the world.

    True Happiness

    Aware of the suffering caused by exploitation, social injustice, stealing, and oppression, I am committed to practicing generosity in my thinking, speaking, and acting. I am determined not to steal and not to possess anything that should belong to others; and I will share my time, energy, and material resources with those who are in need. I will practice looking deeply to see that the happiness and suffering of others are not separate from my own happiness and suffering; that true happiness is not possible without understanding and compassion; and that running after wealth, fame, power and sensual pleasures can bring much suffering and despair. I am aware that happiness depends on my mental attitude and not on external conditions, and that I can live happily in the present moment simply by remembering that I already have more than enough conditions to be happy. I am committed to practicing Right Livelihood so that I can help reduce the suffering of living beings on Earth and reverse the process of global warming.

    True Love

    Aware of the suffering caused by sexual misconduct, I am committed to cultivating responsibility and learning ways to protect the safety and integrity of individuals, couples, families, and society. Knowing that sexual desire is not love, and that sexual activity motivated by craving always harms myself as well as others, I am determined not to engage in sexual relations without true love and a deep, long-term commitment made known to my family and friends. I will do everything in my power to protect children from sexual abuse and to prevent couples and families from being broken by sexual misconduct. Seeing that body and mind are one, I am committed to learning appropriate ways to take care of my sexual energy and cultivating loving kindness, compassion, joy and inclusiveness – which are the four basic elements of true love – for my greater happiness and the greater happiness of others. Practicing true love, we know that we will continue beautifully into the future.

    Loving Speech and Deep Listening

    Aware of the suffering caused by unmindful speech and the inability to listen to others, I am committed to cultivating loving speech and compassionate listening in order to relieve suffering and to promote reconciliation and peace in myself and among other people, ethnic and religious groups, and nations. Knowing that words can create happiness or suffering, I am committed to speaking truthfully using words that inspire confidence, joy, and hope. When anger is manifesting in me, I am determined not to speak. I will practice mindful breathing and walking in order to recognize and to look deeply into my anger. I know that the roots of anger can be found in my wrong perceptions and lack of understanding of the suffering in myself and in the other person. I will speak and listen in a way that can help myself and the other person to transform suffering and see the way out of difficult situations. I am determined not to spread news that I do not know to be certain and not to utter words that can cause division or discord. I will practice Right Diligence to nourish my capacity for understanding, love, joy, and inclusiveness, and gradually transform anger, violence, and fear that lie deep in my consciousness.

    Nourishment and Healing

    Aware of the suffering caused by unmindful consumption, I am committed to cultivating good health, both physical and mental, for myself, my family, and my society by practicing mindful eating, drinking, and consuming. I will practice looking deeply into how I consume the Four Kinds of Nutriments, namely edible foods, sense impressions, volition, and consciousness. I am determined not to gamble, or to use alcohol, drugs, or any other products which contain toxins, such as certain websites, electronic games, TV programs, films, magazines, books, and conversations. I will practice coming back to the present moment to be in touch with the refreshing, healing and nourishing elements in me and around me, not letting regrets and sorrow drag me back into the past nor letting anxieties, fear, or craving pull me out of the present moment. I am determined not to try to cover up loneliness, anxiety, or other suffering by losing myself in consumption. I will contemplate interbeing and consume in a way that preserves peace, joy, and well-being in my body and consciousness, and in the collective body and consciousness of my family, my society and the Earth.

    I definitely could practice the last two more.

  • Dear God,

    I am writing to ask if I have done something to offend you. I have been sweating for three weeks now. The first week, I thought it was the medication. The second week, I was in Alaska walking around in shorts and sandals on a very cold ship deck looking at icebergs, wishing that I could get on one. Now I have returned to North Carolina, where it is a lovely 79 degrees, I am off my meds (something else we should discuss at a later time), and sitting in front of an air conditioning vent soaked in sweat.

    Since you made me in your likeness, I figure that we can come to some kind of agreement on this issue. What is it that you want? Let’s talk.

    Laurie

    P.S. Thanks for the butterbeans!

  • I hope that you’re enjoying the Alaskan weather that we sent ahead of us. No need to thank me. Sometime during our trip our funky programmable thermostat that we don’t have instructions for and don’t quite understand reset itself to 65 degrees, so we returned to a very chilly inside temperature too.

    Got back to the house around 10:30 a.m. this morning, then spent most of today sleeping. Poor Sandy did not take the day off after all because he thought we were coming back yesterday. But he works at night so it wasn’t so bad – he got it about four hours of sleep before he went in.

    This is just a warm-up post. I have not been on the Internet for eight days! Did I miss it? Not really.

    I will be spending a lot of my spare time uploading photos to Flickr in the next few days, and will work on posting the details of my trip in between paying close attention to the kitty royalty in my lap and around my feet.

  • Vancouver

    Sunday, July 19 8:18 a.m. Waiting to disembark the ship with a tour. Dread going through all the customs & security lines. [Wasn’t nearly as bad as the day we came, when we had to go through Canadian and then right back through US customs within a couple of hours!] We are sitting in Pacific Heights looking at the Vancouver waterfront.

    There was an incredible sunset last night and we passed several coastal villages. I looked at the rock and driftwood strewn shores and imagined myself there walking along the water.

    [More writing and photos to come about Vancouver and my thoughts about the trip in general, but that’s the end of my handwritten travel journal.]

  • At Sea, Saturday, July 18

    [Sunset from Friday night – the sun didn’t set until around 10 p.m.]

    around 10 a.m.
    we are back in the inside passage on our way back to Vancouver tomorrow. Yesterday’s waves and sun and clouds were a nice change but I started getting sea sick after dinner because the ship was rolling back and forth so much.

    We both played bingo yesterday and we both ate linguini with lobster tail, shrimp, snapper, and mussels for dinner. I continue to be pleasantly surprised at how good the food is. I had suspected that we would have to go to the restaurants that charge extra to get anything close to what we have been eating in the “free” buffets & restaurants.

    Just saw a whale! Drinking coffee and juice in “Pacific Heights” a whale jumped out of the water and showed its head, then rolled.

    I should go to this bingo thing that just started but I am so happy sitting here. There is a raffle for a free cruise after bingo & you have to be present to win. We got tickets when we played yesterday. It has been the only cruise directed thing we have done. [I went, I didn’t win!]

    Sandy wants to at least play the slot machines before it’s over but we have been happy looking at the scenery and reading our books. [We tried the slots and didn’t see the appeal. A more boring and faster way to lose your money as far as I can tell. Video poker was a little more interesting way to lose a few bucks. I’m not much into gambling, as you might guess.]

    3:30 – aggravating development: the camera is not functioning. I’ll have to get a disposable camera for Vancouver. Hopefully I will be able to find the warranty I bought when I get home.

    [So there you have it. I’ll post the stunning sunset from later that evening and the Vancouver photos when we get the other photos back!]

  • Skagway, Alaska

    [The following was written the day after we visited Skagway because I tended to write first thing in the morning.]

    friday, july 17th – AT SEA-

    About halfway through the day yesterday, l lost my capability to use words to describe the beauty we were seeing. So I’ll have to print out of lot of photos when we get home to fill out this journal. At a certain point in Tracy Arm Fjord, I was overwhelmed. I kept seeing scenes that were more beautiful than the last most beautiful sight that I had ever seen. The train ride up to White Pass Summit and back was much the same way.

    Today and tomorrow will be very lazy & relaxing. The ship is on the Pacific Ocean now. I slept so long and deeply last night and this morning. I took a lot of Dramamine yesterday because I did not want a repeat of the Tuscany trip disaster!

    We spent a few hours on our own in Skagway, learned the story of the town and I bought some button made from fossil walrus ivory. We had a light brunch at Olivia’s Bistro next to (and part of) Historic Skagway Inn. It had a beautiful little garden and we ate bread pudding & rhubarb crisp at little tables outside. I chose the rhubarb because I had never eaten it before but more importantly it had been grown in their garden. [Recommended! Local food experience #2 of 2 of the whole trip.]



    [I loved the Arctic Brotherhood building, which was covered with thousands of pieces of driftwood. We tried to steer clear of the hokey tourist places and concentrate on the local businesses and the Klondike Gold Rush National Park buildings and exhibits.]

    After that we went on the tour we purchased. A bus took us to Gold Rush Brewery where we tasted some really great beer and then panned for gold at their “Klondike Gold Fields” there. Was kind of cheesy [but great fun] because it was seeded with paydirt from Dawson City, but the tour guide was fun and the location was lovely. It was next to the Skagway River. I wanted so badly to go down to the river but there were signs warning us not to. I don’t think that it was forbidden and I wish I had done it anyway. It was blue, cold glacial water and I collected a lot of smooth granite stones.

    [I said to Sandy and the tour guide that putting me next to a river for a couple of hours and telling me not to play in it is like putting a kid in front of a closed toy store with a hundred bucks in his hand.]

    [And just for fun:]

    [Don’t hate us because we’re beautiful.]

  • White Pass Railway Ride

    [These photos do not do this experience justice. Not only were we trying to get photos from a moving train, our camera, like those poor pack horses and mules worked to death on the Trail of ’98, was on its last legs. This was an expensive ride, and well worth the money.

    Sandy took many of these photos from between the railcars, since I was drugged out on Dramamine and pretty much reduced to smiling and nodding.]

    [It’s a good thing that folks can’t get off the train by the time they see this scene. There were a few scary places with straight down views.]





    [Thank God this bridge was no longer in service!]

    [One of the two original Klondike Gold Rush trails. This was the harder, yet more travelled trail because it was a bit shorter. Unbelievable how many people and pack animals came over this steep narrow rough trail.]

    [This lake is actually at the summit of White Pass in Canada.]

  • Sawyer Glacier

    [Just when you thought that it couldn’t possibly get any prettier, we came to Sawyer Glacier.]




    [The way back.]

    [The following was written the next morning.]

    Thursday, July 16. 7 a.m. the ship is barely moving as it moves in to dock. Had a light breakfast only because of meds. I am overstuffed from eating all week. Sandy is still in bed. We have a tour this afternoon. It is sprinkling. We have gone to bed before sunset EVERY night! [It was overcast and the sun set around 10 p.m. and we are old married people.] Our days have been full of activity and beauty and too much good food.

    It was good to be with Sherri yesterday and not feel so touristy. Got the perspective of a 12-year resident. Now we are back to cruise ships lined up along docks. It will be fun today I’m sure but the wilderness and natural experience of yesterday will be very hard to top.

    I bet I took 200 photos yesterday alone before I finally became overwhelmed by the enormity of what I was seeing.

    I guess that it is fortunate that I am having a lot of intense hot flashes [here] because I was out on the deck in shorts and sandals a lot while everyone else bundled up & shivered in the cold. It is too hot inside the ship for me.

  • Icebergs in Tracy Arm Fjord

    [The nicest surprise of the trip was that I fell totally in love with icebergs. I’d love to do a series of photographs of nothing but icebergs.]


    [Harbor seals rest on icebergs where they don’t have to worry about being eaten by orcas.]