More Images of our Friday Jaunt

Quilting Blocks and Conservatory

Shell Roundup at Pt. Robinson

Vashon Island - day trip

May I suggest a daytrip for Seattlites?

Begin by taking the ferry from W. Seattle to Vashon Island. We ambled over last Friday, the last day of Mid-Winter Break. The little town of Vashon has many sweet spots to grab a meal, coffee, or picnic fixins. From there, you have options: beaches, farms, playground, cinema, galleries, library, an outdoor pool in summer, teepee camping in warmer weather.

It was too early for the spring lambs when we went, so we headed to that vestige of Vashon called Maury Island. Allegedly it is a separate entity, but as it is physically attached, although by a narrow slip of land tissue, it is a wonder that each segment is considered an "island". On Maury is Pt. Robinson Lighthouse and park. It hosts a narrow stretch of beach with sightlines from Seattle to Tacoma and in the distance, Mt. Rainier. The sand is a coarse, light brown adorned with small blue seashells and white seashells ranging from ring-setting size to salad plates.

Being the Pacific Northwest in February, even on one of those rare sunny, mild days that bridges life from early Fall to Spring, a beach trip calls for hats, wading boots, and sweaters. That this is beach gear didn't strike me as odd until my mother in Georgia commented on the fact when I emailed her a photo. When you grow up in the South, beach means powder-soft, white sand and hot sun, bare feet and bathing suits. Funny how I've grown to enjoy these bundled up tidepool adventures as much as the bare-footed, sandy-bottomed kind.

After shell hunting and listening to a seal sing to the heart of the world, head over to the south end of Vashon for the ferry to Tacoma. (You'll have to retrace your path over the connective tissue between Vashon and Maury before heading south to the ferry.) This ferry is free. Ride to Pt. Defiance, see the zoo if you're up to it; then wander downtown for art: the Tacoma Art Museum, Museum of Glass, and Washington State History Museum. All three cluster in the rehabbed brickwork of old downtown. The TAM presently hosts an exibit of Renoir prints that's worth seeing, and its art room for patrons to try their hand at creating the types of art exhibited in the museum is well set up. I wanted to try printing techniques, since we'd just seen the Renoir, but my daughter was tired and more interested in the quilting blocks, so we made quilt designs. After Frank joined us, we took paper and pastels and drew images of our day or from our imaginations.

After such a long day, it's time to eat! In the museum district lie an array of cafes, restaurants, and shops. Take your pick. Or head into another part of the downtown area to find other pearls. We retraced our steps to a park being renovated up the hill near the Church of Christian Sciences (the name was similar to this). Someday this park will not doubt stun us with its beauty and usefulness. It is still in construction phase, but boasts a large central path for strolling, smaller paths throughout the trees, a playground area, and a conservatory on top of the hill. We also wandered around a bit looking at gorgeous old churches and architecture, which this part of Tacoma boasts in abundance. Then, we meandered home up I-5 to sleep.

Trust me, 6 year old and adult-somethings will enjoy the trip. The costs could be small or large, depending on whether you drive, take public transportation (combined with biking, this could be exhilarating), pack food to take along throughout the day, or eat in restaurants, and how many pay sites you visit. Third Thursdays are free at the museums. Wednesdays the three museums hosts a one ticket entrance fee for all three (less than the cost of all three purchased individually on another day).

TAM (admissions info)
Museum of Glass (admissions info)
Washington State History Museum (admissions info)
Point Defiance Zoo

Mid-Winter Break

My daughter is home with me this week, and that is glorious most of the time. The fits and starts, the rainbow imagination, the compelled play.

The sun, supposed to disappear two days ago unbeknownst to the sun, has shined and warmed.

But today I walk in sadness, occasionally wondering that my legs stand, bend, walk, carry. My heart, full of the waters of weeping, brims full, threatening to burst, but leaking instead into my body, filling me up from the soul. On occasion I've cried. But mostly I sit until I think of something to do so that I can move again and look purposeful for my little girl and not drown.

I only have one child, and for her I am more than grateful, but today it seems not enough. Tomorrow the state of things may seem bountiful or even too much, but today I feel barren.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Precinct 37 Caucus

The Dems turn out! So many people showed up to vote today in the bluest precinct in the state. Babies to old people with walkers. Black, white, brown. Asian, Mexican, African-American, Caucasian. We ALL showed up today.

We don't have the final delegate tally today. Two people in our group signed in and failed to vote for anyone and left. This was a failure to explain clearly where to cast your initial vote on the sign in sheet or to make sure that all the people present understood what was said. It served as a lesson to all of us to get answers and listen and wait.

This year's caucus differed from 4 years ago in several ways: significantly higher turnout, especially among minorities and the elderly; there were only 2 candidates instead of an entire field; none of the voters present came forward with talking points for either of the candidates, so there was no depth of discussion to sway anyone from one side to the other. Last time we separated into tables and had discussions and swayed folks before the second vote. This time three people gave brief insubstantial opinions about candidate generalities and no one offered depth of information about specific agenda points (e.g., education, the war, healthcare). There may have been someone there with the information, but none came forward. This division bothered me as it smacked of an inability or even a lack of desire to talk with one another. Was it apathy? How opposite the passion in the room. Perhaps I misunderstood. I was truly hoping someone would answer some questions. Isn't a major Democratic point this year the need to unify and talk with one another, to come together? If our group was representative, there was a desire for change, but not a desire to talk, come together, or unify. It wasn't nasty. Not at all. There was a kindness and joy in the room, but with an intense vibration underneath. I think, perhaps, what I witnessed was more of a live and let live attitude.

There was excitement on each side for her/his candidate. THIS was different from last time and was in itself exciting. People were (unlike last time) leaping up to volunteer to be delegates, despite the time commitment and obligation. THIS was huge. This is change in itself. There were a lot of young adults staying the whole time, smiling, thrilled to see democracy in action, relishing the process. THIS is huge.

Our group sent 6 delegates for Obama and 2 for Clinton. I do not know the overall tally for the 37th. It will be posted later.

Final thoughts: As a party, we must break the crust of "live and let live" and unite through dialogue behind a person. We have embraced our potential as voting Americans, as diverse people with a united agenda. Let's make it official and truly unite. Our country needs to move forward with another cosmic shift.

2008 Caucus Day Pancakes

(2008 / HC = Hilary Clinton / BO = Barak Obama)

Last performance

Here is the crew at John Stanford Elementary for the final New Year's
performance of the week. Go Dragon's!

Candi-date

Well, until today the presidential candidates have pretty much ignored us Northwesterners out here in the political boondocks. But we Washingtonians are feeling like somebody's darling right now. We've seen our first t.v. ads for this year's campaign. Clinton, Obama, McCain, and Huckabee's wife are all coming to town today or tomorrow. Adults are being courted, wooed, and trained to present their candidate's case to their precincts.

We caucus on Saturday. On Sunday, we'll probably feel like we were picked up in a bar and left on the side of the road with our socks inside out, as they'll all leave and take their t.v. ads with them, leaving nothing but the signs sticking in people's yards like someone else's dirty laundry.

Elections are fickle. But I do wish they'd take their laundry when they go.

Lenten Readings

Today's (Yesterday's -- Ash Wednesday's) readings: Joel 2:12-18; 2 Corinthians 5:20—6:2; Matthew 6:1-6, 16-18

What jumps out at me from the first reading are "return to me with your whole heart" and "For gracious and merciful is he, slow to anger, rich in kindness, and relenting in punishment."

What is a whole heart? The image I have is a literal interpretation of the colloquialism "heart in hand". But the heart in my image is broken, or in pieces, or hurting, or sick. I am having a hard time with the concept of a whole heart.

"Gracious and merciful..." The contrast of the God the prophet describes as gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and relenting in punishment with the actions called for by the people of gathering to plead for God's mercy and relenting confounds me. IS this God what is described at first or at second? Is this God relenting only when the people cast themselves down in fear, pleading for their lives? Has the anger been building for some time (as in, slow to anger but really boils when he gets there)? How much graciousness has this God shown these people already, is he at the end of his rope? I guess what I'm asking is, what are the terms of this relationship?

I'm not trying to be facetious. The prophet does confuse me. But more than that, I find myself asking myself how I think of God. What cultural portrayals of God did I grow up with and therefore use to paint God and all interactions with God? Is "my" God gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and relenting in punishment. Or is my God to be appeased in some appallingly degrading way in order to somehow gain an unlikely bit of mercy and relenting? Do I tell God everything like an approachable parent, or do I conceal in fear and then throw myself down in pleading, suspecting that punishment is sure unless an ego is appeased, because I know that I do not deserve the reprieve in any event? In other words, is this a healthy relationship or a bitter, biased, unhealthy one?

And what about my own graciousness, mercy, anger, and relenting?

Lenten Reflections -- this is what our church calls our activity during this time of year. I suppose it is an echo of looking through "a glass darkly".

Lent

Ash Wednesday, an ominous title, reminds us that we come from ashes and will return to ashes, or so many religious leaders tell us.

This day could also remind us that we all have dirt on our hands and so might bear that in mind when bearing with each other.

Or we might ponder the work of our hands and how our work feeds the fires that warm our families, friends, neighbors, world. How our work provides heat for cooking to feed the world.

Maybe the ashes remind us of our connection to all of creation, even to the very soil on which the ashes fall or the trees whence ashes come. This could lead us to stewardship of the earth and to reflect on the price we pay when we fail through hubris to recognize this critical connection.

And if we reflect today on our work, we realize that we can choose to work harmoniously or acrimoniously, but we do need to work. There is much to be done, but our work could take on the nature of the child's work -- which most of us call play -- as children are not averse to getting dirty, and can even find joy in doing so.

I will ponder the joy of unity with others and all things and the joy that comes from playing in the dirt (the physical soil or the mental and emotional dirt of community) in order to nurture this unity. How do I nurture not only the joy of unity, but the joy of the work in myself and others?

Finale

Best Free Entertainment in Town

Well, obviously the disclaimer reads: my child danced in the show. So here's the review:

If you're wondering what children can do to learn social studies, why not look to the arts? At Dearborn Park Elementary School in Seattle's Beacon Hill neighborhood, the music and dance teacher, Helen Zhou (a/k/a "Miss Jo"), teaches the children songs and dances from different countries, cultures, and religions. The children learn about these different countries and peoples through artistic expression.

Before you think, "oh, isn't that quaint", check out some of the costumes and props (like the dragon below) that the teacher makes to go along with the learning experience. These are top notch artistic endeavors. And doing an intricate Chinese Fan Dance while snapping a couple of fans in and out in sync with other dancers takes a fair amount of skill and concentration if you watch closely.

The kids (and their teacher) amazed us all again with the high quality of their performance. Watching the big kids help the little ones backstage and afterward made my heart thump a little happy dance of its own.

This year the children performed native dances from China, Taiwan, Tibet, and Japan. (I may have missed a country, but think that's the list.) Over the next three days our little crew will perform at 3 other local elementary schools. We have reason to be proud. The schools they will visit will benefit from the cultural experience as well.

Dragon at Dearborn

Happy Chinese New Year

It is chaos and creativity at Dearborn Park Elementary today. The
school prepares to perform dances and songs for the holiday.
Costumes, energy, and lots of time and talent. The anticipation
overwhelms the space and little bodies. I can't wait either.