Pam's Life

What We Did On Our Summer Vacation

2008-09-03T23:21:00.000-07:00

SUMMER OF 2008
Year of the golden rat (1960, the year that I was born).
Summer Olympics began.
On 08/08/08.
Right after the opening ceremonies that Friday night, my daughter and I boarded a 747 for Oz to meet wonderful friends and go to many incredible and amazing places. ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE WORLD!

part I - Brisbane, Scarborough, Australia Zoo in Beerwa, Moreton Island, and Cairns
part II - Whitehaven Beach, Daintree Rainforest/Cape Tribulation; Magnetic Island, Fraser Island, 1770, airports and Sydney

Well, sort of. These are just a fraction of the hundreds we took. If we could only find them all, some seem to be missing unfortunately and hopefully they will turn up. Anyway, kudos also go to Carol, who took all of these because my cheapie camera I've had five years chose the second day of the trip to cease functioning. I let Carol do the job and she makes me proud. Most of these are really great composition, perspective and focus.

So, I hope you enjoy these snapshots. We enjoyed the incredible whirlwind. And I have to say something nice about Qantas: they were really great.

Gnoite, mite.

2008-09-01T20:42:00.000-07:00

The Porpoise of Our Trip.

2008-09-01T11:21:00.000-07:00

We met this little guy on the speedboat trip to Moreton Island, where we snorkeled around the shipwrecks that comprise an artificial reef. It is actually a dolphin, a pun for the title seems appropriate. We also spotted a dugong, known here as a manatee. That was cool.

2008-08-31T14:05:00.000-07:00

Click here, select slideshow and wait a sec to run a brief glimpse of the day we spent at Lake McKenzie.

Lake McKenzie.

2008-08-31T13:03:00.000-07:00

We met a dear friend of mine for a photo shoot at Lake McKenzie during the trip. This is a freshwater lake accessible only by 4-wheel drive. Pam hired a healthy sized jeep to take us there, and the trip was an adventure all by itself. She truly was one fantastic driver. It was a 10-12 km drive from the resort, along enormous stretching hills of sand, which tossed the jeep around like a real-time roller coaster, with dozens of hidden dingoes lurking in the brush. When we got there, we swam, took a look around, and it was so simple and beautiful to be able relax and let Anastasia work her magic with the camera, capturing all the best light, rather than having to fuss and fumble around with settings, etc., on my own. What she does speaks volumes. This is us, no makeup, no special effects, nothing - just myself, and my beautiful daughter, Carol, enjoying one of the most wonderful times of our lives.

My longtime friend Anastasia Bourke has lived in Australia for almost twenty years, has two grown daughters, a thriving photography business all her own, and a beautiful three-month-old baby granddaughter, Bailee.

And They Ate Vegemite.

2008-08-31T10:06:00.000-07:00

Hello again, dearest ones. We have returned from our magnificent adventure abroad, to the intriguing, mysterious, beautiful and wondrous land of Australia. I have much to tell.

But before I begin I ask, "How did this all come about? How, and why did this happen to me???" At the conclusion of the first phase of this long awaited journey, the answer is: just because. Just because it's just because, it just happened. Fell out of the sky, and right into the center of my very being. My well-being, I should say. As if Almighty God Himself has some kind of a "rewards" program. The Mileage Plus program. The thought amuses me.

Mileage rewards, perhaps. Miracle, absolutely. An Australian diamond, brilliant and fine, was given to me by sheer fate. A gift to me from Fate itself. And her name is Pam Russell.

But wait a minute. That's my name. It was, although it's changed it still is part of my life record. My former married name, my daughter's given name. What a great name, Russell. And what fine people we are! Mighty people. Mighty women! Together, the combination of our shared minds and collective hearts was powerful, electric, palpable, warm and good.

Pam is still a kid, but she is grown up, smart, organized, simple, easygoing and kind. Pam is in great shape - of course, she's a semi-retired registered nurse; who now, with her partner Peter, aka Red, runs a large and busy farm with horses, dogs and sheep, and she's headed in the right direction with a keen interest in developing real estate and other projects, including artistic ones. That is what I mean by brilliant. She is perceptive, intuitive and communicative, an effective listener with a strong determination to meet long-range goals using good sense and deep respect for humanity and her country. What great influence - exactly the kind that should be demonstrated to the young women who were there along with us, Carol Anne and Emily. I'll fill you in on that and other details as we go along.

THE TRIP

Carol and I departed SFO at 4:10 p.m. aboard Qantas Flight 3232 on August 9, 2008 and arrived in Brisbane at 6:05 a.m. on Monday, August 11, a long, uneventful flight. The fun began when we got off the plane as the warm Australian sun was just arising that day, when Pam and I met for the first time, and it was just wonderful. This woman, this brilliant Australian diamond, arranged for a stretch limousine to take us to our first destination. She actually choreographed the entire trip for us down to the finest detail. We first landed at the Pearl of the Bay Bed and Breakfast, at Oyster Point in Scarborough, near Red Cliff if you know the area. There, proprietor, designer and owner Rosemarie saw to it that our needs were extremely well taken care of. On the way there, the first thing we noticed were the traffic signs, and that we were driving on the left side of the road. We picked up on the lay of the land, the largeness of space, and the crisp cleanness of the air once we got away from Brizzy airport.

[more to come! stay tuned!]

'Ello from GBR!

2008-08-17T01:29:00.000-07:00

Having fun now!

Anthem.

2008-08-08T12:38:00.000-07:00

Correction: The below is a beautiful poem. THIS is the Australian National Anthem:

'Australians All Let Us Rejoice'

Australians let us rejoice,
For we are young and free;
We've golden soil and wealth for toil;
Our home is girt by sea;
Our land abounds in nature's gifts
Of beauty rich and rare;
In history's page, let every stage
Advance Australia Fair.

In joyful strains then let us sing,
Advance Australia Fair.

Beneath our radiant Southern Cross
We'll toil with hearts and hands;
To make this Commonwealth of ours
Renowned of all the lands;
For those who've come across the seas
We've boundless plains to share;
With courage let us all combine
to Advance Australia Fair.

In joyful strains then let us sing,
Advance Australia Fair.

LET THE GAMES BEGIN! WOOHOO!

Australia, Here We Come!

2008-08-08T12:29:00.001-07:00

I have been using it so much, I finally had to add the word "WOOHOO" to all of my spell-check dictionaries! Here is a poem Pam sent me -- not sure if it's the National Anthem or just a poem, but here it is, and it surely evokes longing in the heart:

The love of field and coppice,

Of green and shaded Lanes,

Of ordered woods and gardens,

Is running in your veins;

Strong love of grey-blue distance,

Brown streams and soft, dim skies -

I know but cannot share it,

My Love is otherwise.

I love a sunburnt country,

A land of sweeping plains

Of ragged mountain ranges,

Of drought and flooding rains,

I love her far horizons,

I love her jewel sea,

Her beauty and her terror -

The wide brown land for me.

Note To Self

2008-08-08T07:45:00.001-07:00

I found this website several months ago called oopsimsorry.com, where you can send anonymous messages to people. This was quite some time ago and I completely forgot about it. I sent a message to myself, because honestly? Sending anonymous messages to people is kind of, well, creepy. This is what I wrote:

www.oopsimsorry.com - Virtual conscience: A message from the Virtual Conscience

Oopsimsorry Team

to me

show details 6:09 AM (1 hour ago)

August 8 2008

Dear Myself,

OK. You're about to embark on the biggest adventure of your life. See the beauty of everything without going overboard. Maintain simplicity but embrace discipline. Avoid self-toxification; all your lovely wine will still be here when you get back. The beauty of life has been given to you on a silver platter -- don't toss it away now. Have a wonderful time and stay safe to live to tell about it!
You can be the happiest woman in the world and your joy will show on your face. Remember to bring lots of storage for your photos. Go for the gold!!!

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Pam's Next Gig.

2008-08-05T07:15:00.000-07:00

Come hear me sing and play at the San Gregorio General Store on Sunday, September 21, 2008 at 11 a.m. I do folk oldies, some contemporary tunes, you know, folksy kinda stuff, some originals, some covers. It's fun. I love San Gregorio, it's just beautiful and the Store is just so cool...when I first found the place somewhere in the mid-nineties I took one look around and said wow, I love this place because, where else can you shop, drink a beer, and listen to live music all at the same time? It's great. I'll never forget the time I was doing a gig there and Joan Baez walked in with her beautiful daughter and her beautiful Mother. Seriously, it was the coolest thing ever. And she was so nice. I told her I and my whole family have just always loved her. Her skin is perfect.

Fabulous Reunion.

2008-08-05T07:02:00.000-07:00

Samuel Ayer High School's Class of 1978's big 30th Reunion is all the buzz here in town! It started Friday night with a cocktail reception and just about everyone was there; more showed up at the mansion on the hill the next evening, hosted by our generous benefactor and entrepreneur classfellow, Rick. And WOW was everything just incredibly FABULOUS beyond belief! We had just the most marvelous time. It started out with cocktails on the veranda, fruit, wine and cheese brought in by a gourmet catering service, what was the name of the company, they were fantastic. Everybody just mingled, caught up with each other what's been happening over these many years, everyone looked so beautiful and happy, all dressed up and just having fun talking and visiting with each other again. The Reunion Committee, Mike, Maxine, Leah, Pat, David, Connie, everyone else just did a tremendous job and we thank them for all the efforts to bring that wonderful Reunion to us, all the photos, the raffle prizes, everything was beyond perfect. Yours truly got to tickle the ivories a bit too, Rick has a beautiful Steinway that I could have played all night. I did a modified version of "Imagine," asking "Imagine no Milpitas....no Samuel Ayer.....all of the beautiful people....with all the fluffy hair.....You may say I'm a Trojan, but I'm not the only one....I hope someday you remember....how our lives began as one....", etcetera. It was actually very funny. We left kind of early, we were exhausted because we'd had a big day before going to the party. We laughed, we danced, we had a WONDERFUL TIME. Only I'm curse myself for not having my camera all together yet by Saturday, it needed some things to get it going again and I just didn't have the time to get over to the store, crummy excuse I know but at least I got it together by Sunday, when they had a little reunion picnic for the families at the park. That was really nice, we got to see one another in our casual clothes and hang out a little bit more. This is me with one of the coolest women I've ever known. I sure wish I had gotten more, but I'll surely be able to get some more from the good folks who did have their cameras together. Jacqui met Carol at the picnic, we sat with Bev Selle, class Valedictorian. We missed a lot of people who weren't there, our dear departed Matt Wyatt, Erin Barker, and Marty Bishop also passed away this year, sad to have lost our classmates. I mentioned lots of friends to my good old friends, friend Margot in Australia whom I'm going to visit soon, Gail in Bakersfield, we missed everyone who couldn't make it, too many to name here. Carol Anne was kind enough to join me for awhile at the picnic. She is so beautiful. It was a super fun weekend.

Pam's Mighty Goods.

2008-07-18T19:27:00.000-07:00

Check out my stuff for sale. Browse, yet, browse wisely. Then, hit the Contact link over in the right column there --->, and talk to me.

Only 22 More Days of This:

2008-07-18T11:52:00.001-07:00

Sarong is Sa-Right.

2008-07-08T20:16:00.000-07:00

Taking 4 sarongs to Oz, a wardrobe staple... specifically a beach and/or spa staple. Wrap one around the upper body, tie in the middle. Wrap another around the bottom, tie on the side. Hopefully the two clash like heck because no one cares, especially you, and that is the art of living.

Lucky.

2008-06-29T20:34:00.000-07:00

Yesterday morning driving to Big Basin, an SUV struck a piece of wood in the fast lane on 280 and flung it directly toward my windshield. God was certainly watching over me because it struck the hood, flipped once and hit the passenger side of my windshield, hard. Dented the hood, did not crack the glass. Lucky...18 inches to the left and had I been going faster, who knows what could have happened. The wood was about two feet long, about 4x4 with jagged ends. Not like construction wood, more like a piece of broken furniture such as a table leg or something big. Dented the car hood. I saw it flipping through the air towards me with real torque on it, and I was doing about 70. Thank you, Lord. Some wake-up call.

It's All About Style.

2008-06-27T18:47:00.000-07:00

I know this is sick, but I just had to describe TJ's (my dog's) new hood ornament.

Well, as some of you know, TJ loves to dig. He is ten years old and still just revels in a good, satisfying, deep-down dig in the back yard. Both dogs dig behind the two benches, and it's fine, they're not destroying anything so I just let them have at it. I don't think he's burying anything, more just creating a cool place to lie down in. So, for years he's had this minor little booboo on his big black nose that heals, then he re-hurts is and it's just cyclical. Lately, it's become a work of doggy folk art. It's formed into a big V that overhangs his nostrils in this thin little wing-like pancake, and white hairs have gotten caught up in it and when he eats and licks his chops he works at them and they're just all kind of knitted into the flying V part, like a lacy doggy doily. Dude is stylin'. Acts like a sun hat or something. It is interesting, gross, and I'm not EVEN touching it.

Proud of My Girl!

2008-06-27T10:40:00.001-07:00

Fantastic news: Carol Anne made the Dean's List at West Valley College! She has worked hard for this achievement and I do believe I'll reward her with a fabulous trip to some beautiful, ancient, faraway land. Hmm, how about AUSTRALIA?

Meet Baby, the First Computer.

2008-06-18T07:12:00.001-07:00

I found a fascinating article about the Granddaddy of Them All. The story is just slightly inaccurate in that it says the composite photo is comprised of 24 smaller photos, but I see 33. Can't fit this Baby in your pocket.

In Dreaming of Oz.

2008-06-10T20:29:00.000-07:00

In dreaming of Oz the mind wanders long
over oceans of clear azure blue
with clouds lazing low
the sands gleaming gold
the seabirds sweet calling to you
the morning's so fair
you never know where
your feet are about to take you

In dreaming of Oz it will not be long
till I'm breathing her clean coastal air
swimming long hours
this life is but ours
we'll begin it the day we get there

Sublime Flash Video

2008-06-10T06:12:00.000-07:00

The entire world is fascinating indeed.

These Things are Cool.

2008-06-10T06:11:00.001-07:00

Pam sent me this. I've been Warholized!

#1 Best Red Wine Review

2008-05-31T08:57:00.000-07:00

This has to be the funniest thing I have ever read. Woot.com is my new favorite favorite.

Like a boy named Sue, being called "petite" has only made the Dry Creek Valley 2003 Petite Sirah even tougher. There's nothing petite about its rich, dense, muscular dark fruit flavors and rigidly structured tannins. This is one two-fisted, bare-knuckled, rip-snorting roadhouse brawler of a wine from the mean streets of the DCV9 Estate Vineyard in the Dry Creek Valley. It's crying out for red meat. Let its black cherry and pepper flavors linger on the finish just as long it pleases...we sure wouldn't tell it to leave.

Something Wonderful.

2008-05-29T07:20:00.000-07:00

Now that the dust has settled, I want to share about some wonderful things that have been just sort of bestowed upon me that make me so incredibly happy. First, I received my CCLS Certificate in the most incredible way, at a big, wonderful, totally fun conference two weeks ago, in Pleasanton. It was truly the most fun fun I've had in a really long time. Nothing can compare to the feeling of accepting that big, huge, gorgeous certificate. The applause was overwhelming, it brought tears to my eyes, tears of happiness. I felt honored and humbled at the same time. What a wonderful classy group of people LSI is, and all the associations involved with it, all the fun stuff. I just had to thank them. Who else do I thank? Thank God for all my blessings, and this super, fun event counts as one of the finest blessings ever.

RIP Hagen The Whistler.

2008-05-27T19:46:00.001-07:00

This gentleman was a truly one of the greatest Hollywood composers. All his songs were really great. My favorite is the theme from That Girl. The guy was a legend, and this is the first time I ever knew his name.

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