Cape Cod 2011 - Animal Stories

Jaynie - or Jaynie Lu as I call her - is a new addition to our 'local' vacation. She's a wonderful dog to travel with - she never barks, doesn't bite, is well house-trained, and loves to walk. She's a treat to have along with us.
This is the first time Jaynie has been to a beach. As a dog rescued from a West Virginia dog hoarding house, she's never experienced anything beyond what Tony and I have been able to expose her to, which has been limited to blazing hot temperatures last August, 3 foot snow drifts through the winter (where she learned quickly how to swizzle her nose in the snow and jump for joy), and pelting muddy rain this Spring. So, the wonder of dry, warm ocean breezes and shaded wooden decks is opening her to the beaty of olde Cape Cod.
Jaynie makes friends wherever she goes, and this trip is no exception. Although the new 'friend' is another species of life. Burt the Bee has joined us for breakfast each morning, and Jaynie is questioning this new friend - with good reason! Burt is a very large bumble bee that finds us all very interesting. He hovers over the table like a buzzing hummingbird and checks each of us out each morning. Once he's secure that we're not going to swat at him, he does regular sun loops on the deck and goes back to his hive in late afternoon. But, Jaynie continues to back away from his buzz and sits in whatever shaded area she can find to avaoid any confrontation. Our virtual family on the shore;-)

Cape Cod 2011 - Setting Sail

We started our ocean trek on Saturday - at a later time than our original intention - with little dog in tow and high expectations for a restful week of warm breezes and clear skies. So far, the hopes have proved true. The cottage that we rented last year has been spruced up a bit - fresh paint inside, new kitchen appliances, new deck table (that I'm sitting at to type this) and an absolutely beautiful ocean landscape! Although the ravages of the winter storms have consumed at least one house in the neighborhood, this cottage still remains - much to our delight.
Kind spirits are with us. The first night greeted us with clear skies and a expansive, midnight blue snapshot of the Milky Way, big dipper, and flickering constellations that took our breath away. Being so far from Boston has its benefits - evening does allow darkness to blanket the sky, letting the stars reveal their magic.
Sounds of the shore touch every moment: waves breaking, birds chirping, singing, whistling, bees buzzing. All of this woven with a sun-drenched sky, warm breezes and soaring seagulls that dart up and down the shoreline. This is the vacation we needed. A week of healing and peace. There are agels in the wind.
Breath and enjoy!

May 2, 1977

Age: 19

Moving On

Hop on a plane to forever,
jump on a train to remember
the times of joy and laughter that
come and go
in lifetimes
connected by threads of reality
and separated by dreams and illusion.
They leave at sunset - return at sunrise.
"All on board!" shouts the bearded man.
No one arrives.
They can't stand the pain
of living memories taht exist
in Never-Never Land.
So,
when you hear the whistle shout,
stop,
pick up your ticket,
hop on a bus to Disneyland
where dreams are reality
in technicolor.

Background: Better to have loved and lost...

April 31, 1977

Age: 19

Tequila

Waking with a Tequila Sunrise
hangover
racing through my head,
shaking me,
leaving me weak and uneasy.
Outside
there is no sunrise.
The rain had to come sometime -
Why not today?
The sky is gray
and I'm in a deep blue.
Even my clothes -
Blue jeans.

Background: When I was in college, the drinking age was 18. There were dances with drinks and nearby pubs that all of us took advantage of frequenting on weekends, only to discover the pain of a hangover.

April 30, 1977

Age: 19

Recalling Days

"School days, school days, those good old golden rule days..."
Lines harmonized in h-o-p-s-c-o-t-c-h days
when one plus one equaled two,
and pie was for eating with ice cream.
Adding was counting apples
on John Smith's trees.
Subtracting was
eatingthemallup.
Square was a figure we drew during recess,
whose definition was not bro ken down in to syl la bles
of stress' and non'-stress.
The major novel was Dick and Jane
with Puff and Spot as protagonist and antagonist.
Our time was spent
reading rhymes.
'Iambic' was a foreign word,
'Pentameter', too.
Imagination and colors of red, white and blue
painted the futures of the little people
sitting behind the desks of Kindergarden U.


Background: Recalling simpler days...

April 29, 1977

Age: 19

Syncopation

Love.
Why play the song anymore?
The words have grown old.
The record is warped,
the tune not as sweet as it was once before.
The needle keeps skipping
to and fro,
the words become unfamilier,
not connecting in time.
I'd rather be tripping
on white-capsuled candies,
listening to the music of
the leaves and the breeze,
than hear an old-fashioned love song
that can't follow the beat
of syncopated time.

Background: No clue.

April 27, 1977

Age: 19

Wheels

The Wheel of Fortune
spinning round-and-round,
always speeding up,
never slowing down.
The immortal Hand may stop it anywhere,
bringing good luck, bad luck, or awful despair.
The numbers may change -
sometimes better, sometimes worse -
giving you the feeling of a blessing,
or a curse.
It keeps on spinning -
even now.
I wish I could stop it.
I don't know how.

Background: That was college;-)