The End of A L o o o ong Year..., And The Beginnings Of A New Blog.

Hello Everyone,

Its been a long time since I last wrote - almost 5 months.  When I came home from Mexico I was well rested and felt very relaxed, despite a broken toe (but I won't go into that!)  I had spent 6 days with the Pacific Ocean outside my bedroom window, the sweet and gentle company of my friend B, squawkings of parrots and the delights of exotic flowers and trees, food and art - all of it, so very different from my daily life - and just like my Dad used to say "A Change Is As Good As A Rest," and I had both...   Now I understand how a place can change a person... I definitely felt changed on returning from Mexico (in a good way,)  Having had those days to do absolutely nothing if I wanted to - which I opted to do every day... and I came to realize how busy I make my life, and filled with things that are not necessarily the best use of my time.

SOOOOO..., on returning, I let go of some of the busyness (including A Year Of Finding Love.)  I travelled alone to England to visit my sister for a couple of weeks, which was blissful..., especially staying in North Yorkshire with my Nieces and their children...  We took long walks in the countryside, and reminisced about old times and laughed at the silly stuff of life.... And again, I experienced a great sense of replenishing and healing.  I felt awash in love for and from my family..., and it was hard to leave them all...

Yet I was very relieved  to arrive in Seattle and be met by CG...  Coming home after a long trip was so very curious...  Walking in the house and being met by the dogs, the familiar smell of the place and the reassuring connection to the belonging and furniture that we've accrued over the years... it was so very satisfying and comforting to be back to ones "nest."

This summer I have learned that I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE going to new places and seeing new things, and learning about new places and get filled with inspiration, which feeds a big part of me... and then - I LOVE to return home... - to my nest, my sacred space...

So with great fondness I bid "A Year Of Finding Love" farewell and invite you to visit my new blog "Neinah's Nest."

Please click on this link  http://neinahsnest.blogspot.com/ if you'd like to visit - I'd love to hear from you:)

With Love,

Neinah

Saying Adios To Paradise...

Well, its time to bid farewell to B. and head home to the frigid north...

I leave with wonderful memories of this beautiful place, and shared experiences with a wonderful friend and healer.

Rather than write words, I will let my photographs do the talking, I have loved sharing this experience with you, and so thank you for all your lovely emails and comments...

I feel like I barely scratched the surface of knowing this place its culture and its people... 

So, until the next time I will say "Adios Mexico"...

Bat Watching...

Last night after dark, B and I shared a most wonderful experience...

Standing just a few feet away from this most bizarre tree in her garden...

(have you ever seen anything so fantastic & peculiar?)

We held our breath, becoming an audience of two... it felt as if we were in the middle of a filming of a National Geographic Special on fruit bats.. 

These little leather winged creatures swooped and zoomed silently amongst the branches to bury their heads deep into the nectar filled flowers, (as seen above) from this very strange "Gourd Tree." 

The Flowers seem to grow right out of the tree trunk and have a most unusual odor... which the bats seem to find irresistible....  - I can tell because the morning after it looks like they had a grand old time with spent flowers all over the place...  

What a great example of symbiosis... The tree gets pollinated and can set fruit, and the Bats get drunk on the wine from the flowers... - what a wonderful relationship... 

I wish I had photo's to share of the bats, but their much to fast, and the light is not sufficient...

However, this morning, as I pondered the loveliness of the bat and what a treat it had been to behold I wondered about the symbolism and meaning of bats in native cultures... and here's what I found...

Though much maligned in more modern cultures, the  bat in native cultures is thought to be highly sensitive to its surroundings, and therefore a symbol of intuition, dreaming & Vision, and is considered a powerful totem to shamans & medicine people...  Bats ability to "see" in the night allows them to see through illusion, go to inner depths, and used in journeying.  

Bat is powerful medicine, encouraging us to release fear and any old patterns which no longer fit in with new patterns of growth.. and therefore symbolizes new beginnings, trusting ones instincts and rebirth...

Powerful stuff... - hope you enjoyed.

Love,

Neinah

The Joys Of Traveling...

I LOVE to travel to new places, for many reasons, but here
are a few...

I get to see new and different faces, like this one...

..and this one...

I get to try new foods...

Lime & Chili Salt covered Papaya... for breakfast..mmmm...

I always look forward to spotting new and wonderful bird friends...

...like these two orange breasted parakeets... 

..or this very illusive bird who comes in the morning just to drink 

from the gorgeous flowers of this dew drenched tree...

(sorry the photo isn't clearer, its a miracle I captured any image of him..

but that's what I love... the challenge of it all...)..

... And I absolutely love to photograph the creativity of others, expressed in so many

colorful, beautiful and unique ways...

..flowers in the kitchen,, oooh the colors here are sublime...

...garden doves seem in intimate gaze...

 ...detail of hand painted wardrobe...

...the beauty and ingenuity of local architecture...

There so much to see, so much to do, thank you for dropping by and sharing with me...

Love,

Neinah

From Tulips To Tropical...

Q:WHAT DO YOU DO WHEN OUT OF THE BLUE A FRIEND INVITES YOU TO THEIR HOME IN A TROPICAL PARADISE?

A:  YOU PACK YOUR BAGS, AND HEAD OUT ON THE NEXT PLANE AVAILABLE...

Which is exactly what I did when my friend B. invited me to stay with her at her beautiful family home in Mexico

Its quite remarkable how life can change on a dime, 11 days ago, I had no idea that I would be booking a flight to leave the cold and grey of the Pacific Northwest (where we are all longing for the elusive spring weather to show up.)  And now, I find myself here,  in the tropics enjoying fabulous 82 degree temperatures, lathering myself in spf 30 sunscreen sitting under giant "palapas," drinking chilled hibiscus tea by the gallon fantasizing about what life would be like to live somewhere sunny and cheery, warm and colorful everyday....?  Sort of like when our family went from having a black and white t.v to a full technicolor t.v in the 1970's... (it was a radical shift for us!) 

See what you think...

Looking over tiled roofs, Orchid and Palm trees to the Pacific Ocean...

Surfing all day till the sun sets...

Afternoon tea in the shade of an Orchid Tree...

Plants that bedazzle...

And flowers that bloom year round...

Its easy to see the allure, this is a very special place.   

As I sit and listen to the flocks of the dearest little green parrots arguing as they fly over the house and sip my iced tea, I feel layer upon layer of stress falling away.

This place is working its magic on me and I feel a healing taking place... - So glad my friend asked...

So glad I said "YES."

With love, 

from Mexico.

Neinah

Tulips...

At the moment the local markets are filled with myriads of brilliantly colored tulips, making me believe that Spring must have arrived... - surely???

But then, just a few days ago, as I drove to work and left a few pale shafts of early morning sun behind me, I found myself driving into a snowstorm...!  Thankfully it was short lived, and a little later in the day, the sun came back, making me appreciate all the more those short sweet little sunburst moments... AND tulips because they are exquisite harbingers of spring, and their multitude of colors brighten my day (regardless of what the weather may bring.)

So, dear ones, in celebration of spring (which is just around the corner,) here's a lovely poem for you and a few more photo's to brighten your day...

Love,

Neinah

Tulips

BY A.E. STALLINGS

The tulips make me want to paint,

Something about the way they drop

Their petals on the tabletop

And do not wilt so much as faint,

Something about their burnt-out hearts,

Something about their pallid stems

Wearing decay like diadems,

Parading finishes like starts,

Something about the way they twist

As if to catch the last applause,

And drink the moment through long straws,

And how, tomorrow, they’ll be missed.

The way they’re somehow getting clearer,

The tulips make me want to see—

The tulips make the other me

(The backwards one who’s in the mirror,

The one who can’t tell left from right),

Glance now over the wrong shoulder

To watch them get a little older

And give themselves up to the light.

A New Sacred Place...

Peace and Quiet

Yesterday I visited a gem of a place on this little island.  My friend Dianne  who is a fabulous fountain of fascinating facts relating to feminine awesomeness http://www.femininefaceofmoney.com/ and all round cheerleader and great friend, recently told me about this place, and recommended I check it out.

Despite living in the area since 1993, clearly, there are still wonderful surprises that I have yet to discover about this corner of our world.

This little park, has a great and healing atmosphere with its exquisite views of the water, under-stated asian style landscape -  that doesn't distract from the natural beauty that surrounds, but also lends a person to go inside and experience ones own inner landscape....

Everything has obviously been done with so much care and thought... here's a few more photo's so you can see what I mean...

A wise owl welcomes visitors...

A smiling fox (or bear) beckons..

A Tibeten Prayer Wheel... look at the detail...

Surrounding the base is this quote...

"Faith is the daring of the soul to go further than it can see"


This was such a treat, and my first experience with a prayer wheel.  It's presence added great tenor and quiet import to the park.

As directed, I slowly turned the wheel nine times clockwise and said a prayer, on completion of the ninth turn the sound of a deep toned bell resonated from within the hollow wheel, its vibrations moved inside me to my core.

Sitting down, I was able to receive a respite from my over active mind and just be at ease with myself and the world - at least for a little while...

Needless to say, I plan to visit this sacred place often.