Texas is good

Enjoying the wonderful summer down here. Love it. Misty wants to move here and Tabs wants to stay another month. Pete likes it but doesn't want to move here and the Pip probably wants to go home. She has a stomach bug today. The River walk is gorgeous. So much fun-lined in restaurants and bands playing spanish mucsic and jazz. The girls and I walked for 4 hours straight today! We walked to the Mexican market--bought some wonderful Mexican trinkets (the goils were in heaven)! Saw some wonderful old mansions--got turned down from entering the Spanish Govenor's Mansion as they refused to take Canadian $!!!Texans generally polite, friendly and a little plump.The Mexican food is devine.Will go to Mustang Island instead of S. Pdre as it is 2 1/2 h closer! It is just off the shore of Corpus Christi.Heard it was 80 o there today! Peter is looking for a Davy Crocket hat to fit--Not!

Texas-Day2

Exhausted from pounding the pavement with the threesome. Oh...the shopping! Gotta love San Antonio. Bought 6 dresses for 130$ total. Went to the Alamo, a river boat cruise and attempted the Guiness Book of World records Haunted house with Mist and Tabs. Both were clinging to me hystraically and crying 2 minutes into it so we had to exit early and get our money back. It was rather terrifying I must admit. The weather is gorgeous! Summer is here! Will tour the King Williams district tomorrow (historical mansions) and the Children's museum. We were going to go to the Whytte Museum but it is "The working Body" show--carved up human cadavers--no thanks! Peter is full on conference so I am hoofing it with the 3 gals all over. Took girls to their favourite restaurant ever tonight "Rain Forest Cafe". Pip was besdie herdelf with excitement over all of the moving animals. Wouldn't touch her supper as her constant elephant trumpeting might have been interupted!

Wild Tales from South Texas—Day 1

We made it—whether like summer, palm trees…so great. Flat, flat, flat land, dry with some bare and some flowering trees and big sky. Mist and I are loving the Mexican food. San Antonio is so interesting--So many old buildings. We are across the street from the Alamo and the river actually runs through the bottom floor of our hotel. Many Mexican Americans and a lot of Spanish.

The flight here was not so great. Tabs suffered from nerves and they wouldn’t let her use the washroom for a long time because of turbulence. By the time she was able to leave her seat she was so stressed that she got really sick and nearly fainted (nausea, bowels,weak). I had to have her lie on my lap and she literally passed out asleep for twenty minutes. I was terrified we’d have to land the plane early and take her to a hospital she was so instantly ill. But she awoke so much better and I gave her ginger with ice. Pipper freaked everytime it was seatbelt time. She awoke on the plane in a fowly, tossing everything about ,all over the plane--got a rep with the stewardesses as the “Wide awake, wild-one!”Didn’t get to our hotel until 2 am.—trouble with the rented vans. Pip had her first boyfriend fall in love with her—a Spanish boy, one year old named Sergio. He spoke no English (no language at all actually) but he was obsessed with the Pip and especially fond of her shoes. We met him at the Dallas airport.

In general the Texans are much more engaging of strangers than Canadians. They smile at you in the airport etc. Canadians are like, “stranger—must totally ignore.” They also yell a lot more in public and no one seems to mind. One guy at the Dallas airport was shouting at the airline staff for a long while and no one did a thing. Man, he’d have been tasered in an instant in Canada. While I was at the Vancouver airport, a pilot darted up to me and asked “Do you host a travel show?” I told him, “No…but maybe I should.”

The men here have a certain style: short coifed hair, straight legged but loose blue jeans, a pressed tailored shirt hanging out and nice leather shoes. In general, the Texans are not as tall as BC folk.

Walked and shopped today…Tomorrow exploring.

Migration for the Nation

A cold snap in Kelowna. My family wants to hibernate, however we've decided to migrate--we're flying south on Friday. Texas and Mexico here we come! I had an incredible night last Friday. Night snowboarding at Big White. It was another wonderful world up there. Everyone was from another country. An international experience. And so fun. We were the very last ones down the run--the only ones left on the mountain. I had to fly--no time to practise as they were shutting the run down in front of me. We were the last and only ones to ride the chair up. So beautiful. I want to go every Friday night. I figured out my weakness and am dying to practise and overcome it. French class is going better. I was the first one there last night. So much to do before the trip. I am overwhelmed.

Weldy

Weldon John Arthur Hart
July 17, 1992 - January 19, 2008

Woo-Woo
My Angel
My Boy
Little Buddha

Our energy will forever cruise the universe together.

Delinquent

King Louis thinks I am one bad student. I was sure the class started at 6:30 and showed up to the first 2 classes at that time (wondering why he seemed to have started early and why everyone else was there with their books open at 6:25).However, I learned it started at 6. Then, just as I rudely sat down late, my cell phone rang--even though the girls were under strict instructions only to call in an emergency (Peter was teaching and Mist was babysitting), they called to ask if they could drink the rest of my diet coke! And the door locked behind me as I left to take the call--so I had to sheepishly knock to get back in. By that time I was a little flustered and my French was pretty pathetic.
I oscillate between feeling terribly pathetic and lost (academia wise) and then suddenly obsessed. I am back to my original thesis idea--the literacy of girls and the process of creative writing. I have read many fascinating articles and am already obsessed with the topic. My masters will be based on Canadian adolescence girls and I think my phd will based more on global literacy of girls.
Mist has a friend over--Nicole. Pip is playing with them. Tabs is at Holly's as her guest for "bring a friend to Brownies night." Won't see Peter and Tabs until later this evening--will take M & P to Taco Time before Mist goes to ballet.
Must study french tonight to prove to Louis that I am not a delinquent.

Mind Games

For the first time in years--truly--I spent a Saturday relaxing. I didn't jump out of bed and run out of the house to hike, or anything. It was the first no work, relax day in sooo long. It was great. I needed it. I find the weeks Peter works 12h days exhaust me. The girls are watching "My Neighbor Totoro" down stairs in their fort. Pip too. They made snow forts in the front yard all day. It is a rare relaxing Saturday for us all. I can't remember the last time all my girls shared a movie.We even ordered pizza tonight as I was too tired to kneed dough.I Love Studio Gibhli--my favorite animated movies of all time. We sold the Volvo today. For the first time in years we own only 2 cars. Weldy is causing me so much mental anguish. His incontinence makes it impossible for us to find him a baby sitter. Yet we need someone for 10 days while we're in Texas. I hate this all. There is no health care for aging dogs. I am his nurse maid and I cannot travel at this time and leave him as no one else would care for him. What can I do???He is 15 1/2 years old. His hind end is extremely weak. He poops in the house 2-3 times a day and sometimes eats his own poo. Yes, I know, everyone would not keep him on. But he is Weldy. I have had him since he was 6 weeks old. We have been through so much together. Good and Bad times. Life and death are so difficult.
I am taking a rare movie in bed tonight--The Italian, about a Russian Orphan. Peter will be home with the groceries shortly. Tomorrow tobogganing. Friday we skated. I am getting better but still afraid of speed. That is my mental block. Speed. Speed on ice, speed on snow. My mind defaults and panics when my speed picks up. Everything is a mind game.

Versailles

Under pressure...So many questions! I don't know why in the bleep I want a PHD in the education of girls!!! I just want some money, travel, altruistic pride in helping my fellow gals on this planet and perhaps a ticket on getting published not only research writing but my creative writing! Is that enough? Do other's have any better reasons for doing all that school? A lot of people say do an MFA since all I do is write and paint--yet I believe an MFA will get me squat in the job department. It won't help me get published and if I get an academic job, it won't lead to much travel or research. So although perhaps it seems I am stretching myself thin, I am in reality only living outside the confines of my own cloistered ego. So perhaps that is what surprises and makes some people question my ideas.
Will take my 3 little princesses skating tonight--pushing Pip's stroller around the ice is an awesome total body workout. Have decided to put "Project Literacy on hold until spring as my face has broken out from all the stress this past week as I am up to my eyeballs in everything and nothing this month! Peter works from 8am-8pm for the next 3 weeks, so that in itself has my stretched. I love my French class! My instructor looks like he just walked from Versailles. All he needs is the high heels and a white wig--I swear, his essence is totally 18th century France!

Pick Me up and Break on Through

Yeeha...I did it. Tabs is a genius. One tip from her and I broke on through--I can skate in my hockey skates! I love it. And I must say, although it is nearly killing me, I LOVE snowboarding. It is so mentally and physically challenging. So we shall skate again tonight. And we are going to do 5$ Fridays at Silverstar: from 3:30 pm to 8--5$ lift, 5$ equipment and 5$ supper. I also am loving my Buddhist studies. I am learning sooo much. Right now I have a huge thirst for knowledge--I want to drink up everything I always wanted to do or know about, so I am going with the flow. Thanks to an inspirational duet by Theresa and Kyran, I am also LOVING Ryan Adams. His "Pick Me up" is one amazing song. Gotta apply for my masters, start tutoring literacy, start french, and go to Texas and Mexico all in the next three weeks--man I am starting to sweat a little. Not to mention finish 2 paintings and send my novel to Orca and Raincoast.YIKES. My gals are great, Peter is busy and nothing else new. Oh yes, we have a new darling little neice: Beatrix--Love the name. Carolyn had her on Peter's B'day.

Avalanche

Happy Birthday Peter! You're going out tonight but it is a little surprise. and Happy New year everyone else! Mine was spent singing Karaoke on Kootney Lake with my family,T,KW, Jop and Paul. Spent the day Snowboarding at Whitewater with PJ and Mist. T and KW looked after Pip and Tabs. I've never seen more snow in my life then the surreal world of whitewater. The trees: Tall narrow pillars shooting to the sky like craggy mountains. Car trouble--stranded at night on the edge of the "no stopping avalanche area" road. Mist and I hitch hiked a ride back to the chalet with some American women. Jop drove out to rescue us. I have a baseball sized bruise on my butt from the crazy body bending (unintentional) moves I did on the mountain. Theresa fattened me up with out-of-this-world delicious cuisine. Had a great Christmas with Mom and dad--Mom fattened me up with her out-of-this-world delicious sweets. The Woo had diarrhea the entire time we were away. Payed Julia 20$ a day to look after him. But I bet she says no when it comes to our Texas trip. Busy, busy time--I apply for my Masters now. I hate paper work! Tabs Birthday tomorrow.