Apples on the Road

Well today is the day...... Julia, Pam and I are all ready to leave for New Jersey. We are driving to London Heathrow today and flying first thing tomorrow morning.

We are all SO excited (and a bit apprehensive). Julia has never flown before, Pam has flown twice and me just a few more times.... but never so far as the States!

The next time I write in here will be from the other side of the pond!

It really is interesting, before connecting with Johanna through iChat I would never have considered flying to the States, let alone staying for a holiday of 2 months!

What is the difference? The difference is that with iChat I have seen where I'm going to go, I have met many people who I will now see in "real life" And it all now feels so familiar. It will be so interesting to actually be there and see how well I really know where I'm going to go!!

Ohoowoohoowor!! We are off!!

See you State Side!

I am so lucky to have just gotten the Mobile broadband card from Sprint when I did!!

We are off!!! After meeting me outside of the baggage pickup, we went for the car. It was wonderful to be together, laughing and hugging and falling back into our silliness from my last visit a few weeks ago!! I had missed them so much, even though Alix and I spent so many hours on line, it isn't the same as being able to reach over and hug in person.

I was on a magical mystery tour... these amazing women had planned the way home to include a sightseeing tour of places that they thought I would love... and they were so right!

Our first stop was Hebden Bridge. It is a lovely little town about 45 minutes from Manchester Airport. It reminded me of New Hope, Pennsylvania USA. Alix drove us through a few neighborhoods that she knew from the past, and then parked the car so that we could enjoy strolling around in the lovely air. The town is very hilly and had quaint, (to me), brick and stone walkways. ... and lots of beautiful homes tucked away among the steep alleyways. Stone is used for homes and walkways so very much more here than it is at home in the States. I love the feeling it generates in me... somehow deeply rooted, like an old and proud tree among the saplings that surround it.

We ate lunch outside of a sweet little coffee shop at the edge of a stream that runs through this section of town. It was so lovely catching up with each other, feeling the breeze, and sharing different foods. The parade of people going by was eclectically varied, and great fun to watch. It is a town I could easily see myself living in.

After we explored a few more streets, we went back to the car and on to my next surprise... we were heading for Blackpool, UK. It's a well known seaside resort in Britain and a must-see destination for this American!! I love my friends. The care and thought that had been put into planning the day's events was so touching. I always know I am blessed with amazing people in my life and days like this fill me with gratitude and appreciation.

When we arrived, I had to laugh again at how similarly places have evolved on both sides of the Atlantic. Blackpool reminded me so much of Ocean City, NJ USA!!! There were definitely more signs advertising fish and chips, for sure, but if I transposed them with the Pizza signs in Ocean City, I could feel as though I was back at 'the shore' as we call it, in New Jersey!



We walked and prowled along the boardwalk, with Alix, Julia and Pam telling me stories from their past visits to Blackpool. As we rambled, Alix saw the Louis Tussaud wax museum, and bought us all tickets. I haven't ever been in a wax museum...and was amazed at how lifelike a lot of the figures were.... I had to run back to get a disposable camera so that we could have a photo of Pam with "Harry Potter"! Goodness knows I missed my digital camera where I could have just downloaded the photos into my trusty MacBook and printed a copy off for her. Now we have to wait to develop film, which I haven't done in such a long time!

My next cultural experience was after seeing a figure of an older woman outside of what looked like a bar entrance. I was about to enter the world of Coronation Street...a soap opera that has been running in the UK for a very long time! The figure was one of the characters, and the bar a main set where a good deal of the show takes place. I loved the very lifelike wax figure of the bartender and a few other characters. The museum had cleverly set it up so that their snack bar was part of the set, and we had tea in what was set up as one of the booths in the TV show.

Okay, I'm about to make the mouths of a LOT of people water...I had my very first authentic fish and chips!!! We ate it walking along the street, smelling the sea air and laughing and chatting.

I was and still am feeling quite delighted to have this uniquely British experience. Sharing friends, life, caring...and of course, telling you all about it on this blog.

More later...we are off to Scotland again!

I'm back in Scotland!! I actually only was home (in NJ ) for 2 weeks,yet it felt as though I was away for much longer.

I learned a new phrase while I was here..to get something "sorted"....It is pronounced more like "sawrt-ed" and is used to convey getting something fixed, or arranged.and that was what I did when I was home. It felt wonderful to see my friends and my dogs, and to plan my return...and I could hardly wait to come back again.

While I was home, Alix set up both of her computers as as well as both of mine so that we could not only keep in touch with my friends in the US but also so that I could see into my house. Though it specifically watches the room with my desktop iMac computer, it allows me to hear my dogs.

It was so much fun watching her via my laptop, as she spent the day figuring out how to have my computer automatically open its video at our invitation from the UK. I went out shopping for gifts to bring back as well as some neccessary items for home. I left my laptop on my kitchen counter, facing my door. It was delightful to check in and say hi as I walked back and forth doing my fussing (scottish term is fettling) as well as having her there to say hello and welcome me home as I came in the door! It was like she was sitting in my kitchen with me, working alongside me to help me get ready to visit her.

Again, we delighted and were awed all over again, knowing that she was 3.333 miles away, setting up a computer in NJ, so that when I was in Scotland I could feel at home!
We are consistently amazed at the incredible capabilities these Apple Macs have and give us! By the time I was up in the air, Alix had created the links so that we also could activate our sharing and video to home as well as laptops, wherever we were! EXCELLENT!

The trip was fun. I was flying into Manchester UK this time, so did not have the change of flights to deal with in Edinburgh.

I love people-watching, and had ample opportunity during my 3 hour time period of waiting for my flight...I am chronically early when I fly!

I enjoy trying to figure out where everyone is from. There was one classic, elderly couple who I really enjoyed observing.

They were of the era when one dressed to travel. She was head to toe in bright red, with matching little red shoes. He had a waistcoat, starched collar and softly wrapped - over shoes, built for the comfort of a man of his age. She had accessorised with gold jewelry galore, and was very perfectly coiffed and made up. He carried a little bag that had books and snacks for both of them, and the polished air and accent of someone who was accustomed to traveling and being in control.

They were in delightful contrast to the tall, pony-tailed man dressed totally in Harley Davidson motorcycle regalia. His leather vest declared his home state as North Carolina. He had his own unique poise... not so much unlike the elderly couple's as one would imagine by the difference in their presentation of themselves.

He too was perfectly accessorised for his world. Some of his leather was polished, other bits were artfully worn-looking. His hair was perfectly twisted in a leather tie, and he had boots that declared him loudly as an American.

The flight itself was made more delightful because of my travel-mates. I had filled my iPod and was prepared to snuggle down for a bit of sleep as I had on my previous flight. This plane was much fuller than the prior one had been so there was no extra room to stretch out in. I am short so I tucked myself in and dozed all curled up in a ball. When I smelled coffee, I cracked open one eye and my lovely seat-mate asked if I was all right. She was somewhat amazed at how I had contorted to get comfortable!

We started to chat. She and her partner were from Liverpool, UK and on their way home after spending 3 weeks in the US, which they had loved!

I told her that Alix, and her (now mine too) friends Julia and Pam were going to be coming over for their first visit at the end of June. She told me to send them her reassurance of how much they would enjoy their visit! Our conversation started to roll all over, collecting topics that ranged from the reputation of Liverpool as the home of the Beatles, to the spiritual connection she had felt in Sedona, AZ. She wasn't at all shy to pull out her photos and I enjoyed a vicarious visit to Joshua Tree. We chatted the whole rest of the trip, which went very quickly. By the time our landing was announced, I was truly delighted at the depth of the connection we had shared. We hugged as we stepped away from the plane and back into our separate realities, acknowledging our time together, and the gift of having been 'well met'.

It was marvelous to race as quickly towards my friends as I could. I saw their faces and grabbed them into the biggest of hugs. I am back in my second home in Scotland......

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Porridge & Pyjamas!!

I am getting ready to go back to Scotland for another few weeks of work .... and play.

I got really excited this morning as I watched Alix making her now-to-me famous Porridge. She is a wonderful macrobiotic cook, and has been concocting delicious recipes since 1984. It made my mouth water remembering the taste as I was packing!

When I am in Scotland, much of our work is done in our pyjamas, and morning has been graced by bowls of hot steaming porridge made of oat groats and assorted added ingredients. The morning's vote was always whether to make that day's breakfast porridge sweet or savoury. Many mornings there was a good bit of debates since both are so good! Sweet means adding sultanas, or currants, raisins, honey, and milk or cream and butter. Savoury is my favorite. Ingredients that can be added can be far more varied... Soya sauce, miso, tahini, peanut or pumpkin butter, sometimes some fish, nutritional yeast flakes, and some vinegar such as umeboshi, rice or balsamic ..... and all put in to taste. It is never the same and always a wonderful start to the often chilly days. I take great delight in it with a cup of hot tea.

I made my version of it when I came home to New Jersey, and while it was good, it didn't hit the spot as much as in Scotland, so I am delightedly anticipating my first mouthful! I will post some of the recipes I watch when I am there!

From 3333 miles away!

I am consistently fascinated by the Apple computer... As Alix and I are working, I rerun my internal mental tape how we got to the place of working together. When we initially made contact, the first thrill was that of SEEING each other through the I-cam....not only visualising using a photo..or the combination of a photo and voice, but to be able to see another person's expressions, eyes, laugh...certainly brings them to life so much more completely.

As we chatted....and chatted....and chatted more and more, we began videoing some of our exchanges. It was (and still is) great fun to replay them. We were intending to use bits of the video as part of this project, and still may, although the time spent in reviewing the by now hours worth of footage to pick out what we feel are the gems, is a bit daunting.

We now have a video archive of ourselves and four of our very dear friends as we got to meet, bond through laughter and stories, and connect on very deeply personal levels.

We know that this intimate passage into friendship happens in 'real life' when like minded people are fortunate enough to meet. To experience this happening through the magic of a computer and over a vast physical distance is still mind boggling to us all.

We found ourselves spending more and more time connecting through the computer. Both Alix and I are people who spend a good deal of time online anyway, and it became our 'normal' to video chat as we did other work. Once I upgraded to the Leopard operating system, more and more was possible to do and share together.

I am out and about a good deal, and often in coffee shops with wireless access. I would invite Alix into whatever space I was in, delighting in showing off bits of my day to day American life. Her world is so lovely yet so different than mine. We love the connecting and marveling over the similarities and comparing what was not the same, as well.

Of course, a highlight to us both was when I would have my class at the Apple Store and was able to invite her to watch and comment. It is a 160 mile trek for her to get to an Apple Store.
I am spoiled.. I have two within 20 minutes of my house. Since she is physically in Scotland, and I am in the USA, in NJ, we connect with a 5 hour time difference, which I often forget about since there is such immediacy in our connection.

One of my favourite memory-moments was when I was taking a class, and invited her to video chat, forgetting about that time difference. She was in her bed! I was introducing her to the fascinated Apple staff and she blithely commented that she had never had so many men in her bedroom at once! Her humour spiraled through the store, and another, very immediate friendship-connection between Alix and the wonderful Apple Creative staff was born!

Alix just reminded me of another silly story. It is often late in the evening in Scotland when we connect. Alix and several friends were sitting in her living room cuddling in around her lovely fireplace, chatting with three of us in my living room in New Jersey. As the light waned in Scotland, The NJ crew commented on them needing a bit more light to let us see them clearly. They scurried around, moving furniture and lamps. Without really realising what I was saying , I offered to hand her friend Julia one extra lamp I had here! Time, space, distance... electrical current...all of it had not even occurred to me as I reacted literally as though they were all in the same room as I was., and was about to hand it to her....that's how real the connection had become. It has heightened since then.

We are truly inhabiting an alternate yet very real reality of our own, and Apple's creation.