A Life of Adventure

I get inspired at NANPA by the adventurous lives I see. Norman Wu was at one of the first NANPA Summits I attended. He told us about what it took to photograph UNDER the Antarctic ice. His book, Under the Antarctic Ice has amazing photos and he also made a documentary, Under Antarctic Ice. Several NANPA photographers lead tours every year to Antarctica. I already have an idea who I want to go with if I get to go.

On one of the panels this year, Michele Westmorland talked about her experiences in Papua New Guinea. She has done film footage of the native people there and leads cultural tours. I was impressed with her respect for the native cultures. I found a trailer for her film Headhunt Revisited. There is more of the story of this amazing expedition at the The Smithsonian Magazine. Whether I get to visit this amazing place in her group or not, I've been inspired to find out more of her view of honoring cultures and to get more information about her project.

This Summit, I sat across from a 68 year old gentleman. He had a heart attack in 1969 and began an exercise program. He is an inspiration - he's climbed Kilimanjaro and Mount Rainier. He's going to be going with a group to the Galapagos Islands this year. His eyes sparkle. He smiles and laughs. He is living a full life.

While for many reasons I may not get to do all of the things I hear about at NANPA, the stories inspire me to get out and experience this wonderful world that God made. I was browsing Nancy Rotenberg's site last night. She has an essay there about enjoying the world around her while she was confined to a chair. When you are truly aware, your backyard holds amazing wonders.

When my children were growing up, we made efforts to take them as many places as we could. So many of my children's friends never left the state of Texas while growing up. (Yes, Texas IS a big state, but still . . . ) We used saving techniques such as over withholding on our income tax. A large refund check in the spring often funded our camping trips throughout the United States. One year we drove to Alaska.

As I get older, I need to stay active. My body needs to be outdoors moving and my spirit still needs to experience new things. I want to be a vibrant old lady that people will want to be around. Whether exploring my backyard or going to far off places, I want to see and experience as much of God's creation as possible. I want to keep having adventures all my life!

After the Convention - Heading for Adventure

After the Alamy meeting on Saturday, I walked around the Time Square area. Every other trip to New York, I have attended a Broadway show. I walked the theater district, but I did not find anything that jumped out at me. While I would like to see Brooke Shields, she is appearing in the musical "Chicago." I have seen the Broadway play once as well as the movie. Since I really don't like the premise, I was not tempted. I chose to eat at a French restaurant I had passed. Then I headed back to the hotel to finish the Photography blogs.

I tried to find a way to rent a car from the city to start my explorations. When the first car rental place said no to dropping the car off elsewhere, I was tired enough that the train ride to Connecticutt sounded like the best option. Sunday morning was the dreaded "moving day." I repacked my belongings - how did it get so heavy . . . . . . I must be more tired than I thought. Fortunately, Penn Station was one block away - two blocks to get to the entrance I thought was the right one. Stairs . . . . . I made it up stairs with those same belongings several days ago. As I stood there pondering whether to walk around to another entrance, a kind gentleman said, "May I help you?" With a sigh, I said yes and watched him walk those heavy bags down the steps. I got my ticket purchased and did not have long to wait. Down the escalators with those big bulky bags . . . . .Finally, on the train - one bag stored by the door, the other two in the overhead shelf. AHHHHHH. I pulled out the items I thought I would use - my Bible, my journal, my computer, my ipod . . . . About an hour down later, I realized that all I really needed was the IPOD. The station stops were short - so I loaded everything else back - so I could get off fairly quickly.

After the stop where they switched to a diesel engine (from the electric one I presume), I decided that lunch might be a good idea. I negotiated my way to the dining car (which was at the back of train.) While it was just a simple heated chicken sandwich, it tasted mighty good. At last we got to Hartford, where to my dismay it was down the stairs with the big suitcase to get off the train. The conductor was offering to help people . . . .sigh . . . . the big bag DID get off the train with me. From there it was not difficult to get to the taxi and then off to Bradley to get a rental car. My taxi driver was one of the most talkative ones I've ever had. He was from Africa and loves being in the States because we are free. He dropped me off at Budget. I asked for four wheel drive - they gave me a Trailblazer much like my trailblazer at home - complete with a Texas tag! Later in the afternoon, I realized that while it is a SUV, it is NOT four wheel drive. There is snow on the ground at the higher elevations in Vermont. But at least I have the ground clearance and the confidence to take this vehicle on dirt roads that I would not have wanted to take a car on.

I drove north through Massachusetts, enjoying the fall colors around me. I headed west in Vermont on highway 9. I immediately head out on those little dirt roads hoping for some little streams. All I found the first day was some very pretty foliage next to the road. I kept taking little roads - and finding myself looping. As it got dark, I headed back to Brattleboro for supper and a Motel 6.