John surprised me with a new camera as an anniversary gift. We tried it out in the following video where we show some of the quirky features of our hotel.
Notes on this video:
1) of interest is the latter portion of the video where we sneak into an adjacent room (that was unoccupied during our stay) despite the fact that there was a large sign saying not to sneak into other rooms and that NO CAMERAS or VIDEOTAPING was allowed. Enjoy our quick escape back to our room when we hear someone coming up the stairs.
2) In the moments at the end of the video, I look decidedly stony. Part of this was bliss at having a very romantic anniversary. Part of this was complete lack of sleep. When John and I finally settled into bed (after watching Amelie, having a delightful carpet picnic, and a lovely test of the hot tub’s features), I heard a loud scritchy-scratchy sound in the wood paneling about the head of our bed. As we were on the top floor of a 127 year-old Victorian inn (just under the eaves), we knew that some type of animal had tunneled into the space above our heads. Despite my efforts to pound the ceiling with my crutches, the beastie kept up his racket. John, my hero, saved the day by pulling all of the bedding off of the bed and making us a sleeping space on the other side of the room. He wrapped himself around me, assuring me that any beasties would have to gnaw their way through him before they could get to me. Ok. So I maybe slept 10 minutes that night. So remember that as I you see me looking so spacy at the end of this vid.
3) I will probably only keep this link up for a few days. I’m feeling a bit shy about posting this to the web. :)
September 4, 2006
So John and I had this absolutely crazy and lovely anniversary celebration. When we touched back to civilization this morning (meaning, when we were back into a wireless zone), I checked my email and discovered that my former editor at Irreantum died last night. This after a semi-truck spun out of control and smashed into her car a few days ago. Her teenaged daughter, perhaps paralyzed from the accident, is still in ICU. Whoa, tough news.
Then, just after I returned home and gave my kiddoes huge squeezes and gave a prayer of thanks for their safety, I checked my email again and had a note from my friend Linda. Her doctors have given her 2 months left to live–liver failure seems imminent and she has gone off chemo so she can enjoy her last few weeks with her family.
Last night John and I spent some time in a wild “secret garden” in the moonlight. It was scary and serene. When the paths were uneven or I was timid, John’s strong, warm arm was there to guide me. I suspect that I need to head to my own “secret garden” now. My plants are surely thirsty from my two days away, and I am feeling off-center, ungrounded. In need of a shoulder to lean on. In need of the deep peace of my garden place.
~Kahlil Gibran