BIG SNOW - Jackson, WY

Sculpture - from my sculpting days - snowball at the ready! Remember the deck in the summer?



Wee cabin in big snow.



Moose in Mound. There is a moose sculpture in that mound. You see a bit of the rack?



The bridge - and, as you notice the snow depth, you understand why we were snowed in and others were snowed out.

As of yesterday afternoon, Dec.27, all but one of the family members expected to arrive on this White Christmas Day, had finally made it in to Jackson. The one, Heather, had an unprecedented experience of getting as far as Phoenix, AZ and being turned back from further travel because she was " not found in the computer". She had been rerouted through Phoenix on the 26th because of the cancellation on the 25th by Delta - rerouted in a most bizarre way partially on USAir. The result was a lamentable comment on our dependency on technology and the abdication of human effort. Sad all the way around!

But, for those that made it, except for missing Heather, and they all surely do, not sad at all. Great snow and more...and more ....coming.

Christmas 08 - HIdden Joys

The following is from my much beloved friend Suzanne -

Dear Friends: I have been wondering what kind of greeting to send in these
bittersweet days, when things are changing and growing unseen, like the child
of Mary. Perhaps my wish is that you may be able to "smuggle God into the
world," where God is already so obvious yet hidden too. Let us enjoy and
humbly hope these winter days, knowing that each ordinary day is bursting with
possibilities, if we will only see, hear, smell, and tell the brightness.
Love, Suzanne

Christmas by Elsie

It has been a great privilege to be shooting an update at Journeys School of work I did about 4 years ago.
Preschool at Journeys is a exceptionally special place with several teachers and several activities going on at the same time.
Here is a little girl - very joyous and very bright little girl - translating her Christmas drawings to her teacher.

Elsie's "essay"-

A MOUSE IS WIGGLING IN A CHRISTMAS PRESENT FOR A GIRL NAMED EMILY.
SHE GRABBED THE BOX THAT THE MOUSE WAS WIGGLING ANd SHE PUT 7 PIECES OF TAPE ON IT. AND THEN SHE RIPPED IT OPEN. AND THE MOUSE RAN OUTSIDE AND THEN SHE SCREAMED. SHE THOUGHT IT WAS A TINY BEAR CUB, BUT IT WAS REALLY JUST A BABY MOUSE.
_______________________________________________________

THIS ONE WAS WIGGLING TOO. AND IT HAD A HAWAIIAN STATE FISH IN IT WHICH IS HUMU-HUMU-APU-AH-AH. IT WAS IN A BOX THAT WAS FILLED WITH WATER IN THE PRESENT. EMILY TRIED TO RIP IT OPEN BUT SHE COULDN'T. AND THE FISH WAS IN THE WATER SHUT TIGHT IN THE GOLDFISH BOX. IT WAS REALLY JUST THE FOOD GOLDFISH BUT IT WAS REALLY TIPPING 'CAUSE SHE WAS WIGGLING IT.

( comment by Elsie: it is sooooooooo funny!)

Tokyo 11 08 very cool restaurant

On my last day in Tokyo, a rainy one, O and J took me to a very cool restaurant. O and J know how to order everywhere they go. Me, I am still on noodle. With M.!

Japan 08 Funky Tokyo

Tokyo is full of startlingly dressed kids, especially girls, but the cat in the stroller did seem a tad unusual. ( maybe not?)

Japan 08 Swanky Tokyo

Despite recession for Japan being officially declared during my stay, Tokyo remains swanky.

Above a couple a chicks shopping in a swanky mall.
The second image is in the same mall looking down from several floors up at tables and chairs. Little graphic tendency do pop up!
The last is the muy swank Prada store.

Japan 08 Kamakura

A great day trip to Kamakura started as all do with M tucked in the back pack in the back on a taxi.
We went on by train for about an hour and then, after a needed stop at a noodle shop we set out through the town and up the path for the Shrine Walk.
This walk that took up eventually from one to another along a rolling ridge encompassed many intriguing shrines of varying sizes.
Above you will find the Happy J before the sign indicating the God of Happiness, Hotei, waiting inside the cave.
A short trek upwards through brilliant red banners took us to the tiny shrine for foxes. Yes, foxes but I cant tell you why! An in image above has the tiny little fox figure, again in the aprons and with various small structures around them, tucked into a rock alongside the trail.
Another Shrine was what we westerners might call money laundering. It was the money washing Shrine where the belief is clean, blessed money brings more money.
The large and famous Kamakura Buddha and the impressive temple about to the Goddess of Mercy await near the end of the walk.
The last image is of a tiny Shrine located on the walk down from the Goddesses temple and very near a cave of Buddhas that you have to very nearly crawl to get from one end to the other. I dont know what this lovely little Shrine is for but it had a most compelling beauty and despite it assumed antiquity was slightly reminiscent of an Amon hotel, elegant and serene.

Japan 11 08 Tokyo

Japan 11 08 Tokyo

MY BABY







HER BABY

Koyasan

JAPANESE MAPLES



BIG PAGODA, LITTLE GIRL

Koyasan/ Okunoin

Back in bloggerland after a brief jaunt and back to posting more images and info about my relatively recent and absolutely great trip to Japan.
We left off in drinking sake in the monastary ( where one could order it with one's veggie meal) in Koyasan and continue now to the extrodinary graveyard, Okunoin.
Quoting from A Guide to Koyasan -
Surrounded by mountains on three sides and with the Tama River running along the foot, Okunoin Temple sits in a traquil location. Here, you will find the mausoleum of Kobodaishi, hall of lanterns, offerings hall, fudo hall, mausoleum bridge, ossuary, sutra hall and mizukake jizo guardian deities, where you throw the water over the Buddha figures for the mass of the dead. This is the central sanctuary of the Daishi faith. On both sides of the cemetary path a half million tombs develop impressive aspect.

Note: for a most impressive video of this overwhelming place please click over to jolie's blog and scroll down to November 20. The place to find the latest and greatest of M.