It’s raining today. Raining! Not snowing, well, sort of sleeting, but I’m calling it rain and that means spring!! So, as we near the end of winter, I figured I’d share a few of our favorite moments where we really made the best of this crazy cold, long, snoooooowy winter we’ve had. I took the photo above on the coldest day of the year (it was somewhere around -40 F), and I was fairly skeptical about why I was living here, rather than, say, Hawaii. So, here are some of the reasons why we love Minnesota. Just so we remember. Because sometimes it’s easy to forget. 
We went tubing for the first time this year and I can’t believe I’ve been missing out on this for the last 22 years that I’ve more or less lived here! So. Much. Fun. Like can’t wipe that ridiculously silly grin off your face kinda fun. Kinda like this other activity we did this winter. But, as you are laugh-screaming while your face is sprayed with snow as you speed down the slope, you can’t help but have an inkling that, at any moment, this could be a serious disaster if you were to let go. But no matter, you keep holding on for dear life, tethered to your friends tubes, and as you reach the bottom, you all collapse in a pile of laughter and relief that you are still alive. And alive is how you feel. And, as soon as you can stand again, you find yourself running back to do it all again. Continue Reading →
a little florida retreat
* Yikes, we are so behind in posts….we’ve made it to Easter Island and are trying to get our feet under us. There were all kinds of events and work to do as soon as we hit the ground, so we’ve been a bit swamped, not to mention slooooooow internet is always frustrating. So we’ll do our best to keep this updated while we are here, but it may not be as often as we’d like.
When we fly to Easter Island, we usually go through Miami, which is a short 2.5 hour drive from where Nona (my grandma) lives in Fort Myers. So, whenever we can add a little extra time to our trip, we try to fly to see her first, then drive to Miami to catch our plane to the island. This time, Ta’u was busy on a shoot in Hawaii, so I went on my own to see her before meeting him in Miami. I think the last time it was just the two of us was when I visited her for my 11th birthday, my first solo trip across the country (Minnesota to North Carolina) and even then my grandpa was around, at least in the evenings after work. As an adult it was a whole new experience and we had a fantastic time together just sharing stories about life and how we see the world and exploring the golf course complex on which she lives. 
We raced her neighbor down the street on our golf cart, then took an hour and a half golf cart cruise past all 27 holes right at sunset so we wouldn’t disturb too many golfers. It was terribly windy and getting dark but we still had to sneak by at least 7 or 8 groups that were still out on the course. Continue Reading →
Leap of Faith
What do you fear most and when did you realize you had that fear? For me, one of my biggest fears (much more than flying, although perhaps the two are related) is heights. I can remember the exact moment when I realized I had a crippling fear of heights. And not just any fear….a lay down on the ground paralyzed kind of fear. Not kidding. If it hadn’t been for my amazing mom, my remains would probably still be laid out on one of the platforms below the bell at the top of the Torre del Mangia in Sienna, Italy. Have you ever climbed that tower?
photo from wherefivevalleysmeet.blogspot.com
- I was 9, and on vacation in Italy with my family. We were lazily driving from Naples to Torino (south to north) exploring many of the beautiful little towns along the way. We stopped in Sienna to climb the famous Terre del Mangia, the bell tower that rises 289 feet, the third tallest tower in Italy. It’s great for the first 470 steps or so because you are climbing stairs inside the tower. You feel all nice and safe and cozy…you’re just getting some exercise. Then all of a sudden you come out on top and then there’s a ladder going up through the middle of a platform above you. You climb the ladder, all, “sure I can do this” and then you realize you are above any last fragment of wall surrounding the top of the tower. And then there’s another ladder to another platform to reach the bell itself, which is suspended above the tower with only a rope railing separating you from imminent death. Bring on the terror. I made it up the ladder to that first platform and said oh heck no and laid down, completely content to never move again. Clearly I did make it back down, but only because my mom is incredible. She talked me through it and then backed me down the ladder practically in her arms. I often forget it these days now that I’m supposed to be all adult myself, but sometimes I am reminded how powerful my mother’s protection still is.
This summer I visited my mom who now lives in the mountains in North Carolina. Feeling in a mood for taking risks, we decided to go ziplining. If you are ever in the Asheville area, there are a ton of options, but we really enjoyed Navitat because throughout the tour they taught us about the flora and fauna of the canopy and forest floor. 
We learned about the Hemlock that are dying on the East Coast from the Woolly Adelgid insect infestation and what they are trying to do to save them. 
There were 10 ziplines, the longest of which was over 1000 feet, 200 feet above the ground, and took nearly 30 seconds to cross. Also, there a few rope bridges and two places where we rappelled to the ground to look at the plant life and take a break.
So seeing as how I have a fear of heights I wasn’t sure how I would do with the ziplines. I’ve been on a mission lately to challenge that fear and I’ve been doing pretty well….making it up a rickety old fire tower in northern Minnesota was one of my recent accomplishments. 
The first few ziplines at Navitat were easy. The platforms weren’t too high, I felt pretty safe with all the gear I had keeping me tethered to the lines and the rides weren’t too fast or long. 
But then we got to the biggest one…you couldn’t even see the end of it, just a rope going off into the great beyond….you crossed over a whole valley so when you were in the middle, the view was incredible out over the mountains, but it was high. I finally got that crippling feeling of fear and I asked my mom if she would go first, which of course as my protector (even at 30 years old!) she did. Only later did I realize she was dealing with intense fear of her own (which made me feel guilty and terrible for only considering my own fear in the moment), but she set that aside to make it easier for her child….I will forever be grateful that I have such a strong and caring mother. Thank you mom! 
In the moment when I finally had to take that leap, I remembered what Ta’u had told me before I went. We have been taking lots of metaphorical “leaps” into the unknown lately and so he reminded me of that and told me to trust that life (or the line in this case) would always catch me…all I needed to do was trust and take that leap of faith. And so I leapt.
Here’s a little video capturing some of our zips (what do you call a ride on a zipline?). The funniest thing about the video is that it makes the zipping seem so smooth and easy….it totally didn’t capture the height or much of our fear…we look pretty chill. Although if you look closely at our faces I think you can see some of our apprehension.
In the end we both made it and had a blast and are already talking about when we’ll do it again. Navitat told us they were building a new course with lines 2000 feet long and 400 feet high and you go much much faster…..a new challenge? We’ll see.
I always thought I’d have to go to Costa Rica to try ziplining, but apparently it’s getting very popular right here in the U.S. Next time we want to go in the fall….the leaf colors in North Carolina are supposed to be breathtaking. Have you ever gone ziplining? What have you done to challenge your fears lately?
Another corner of home
Photo by Yann Arthus-Bertrand
This weekend I’m heading off to another corner of home…..Easter Island, or Rapa Nui. One of the smallest, most remote inhabited places on the planet, it is nearly 2000 miles from any other populated land and it has a surface area of only 60 square miles – about the size of Washington D.C. But, unknown to many, it has a thriving population of over 6000 people, not to mention the 80,000 or so tourists that visit each year.
This is the first time in 10 years that I will travel to the island without Ta’u. I will miss his presence very much, but I’m getting excited to take on this new challenge. I’ve definitely let him lead the way with his huge extended family there – he’s related to most of the islanders which can get pretty confusing trying to keep them all straight and remember who’s related to who. Knowing who someone is there means knowing how they are related to you, so when you get introduced it’s not just, “this is so and so” but, “this is so and so, he’s your cousin, he’s the grandson of my father’s brother’s daughter.” You’ve got to learn fast, and as someone who’s terrible with names anyway, this is the ultimate challenge. When in doubt I know to smile and wave at everyone I see just in case they are family (which most likely they are) and try not to let on that I can’t remember who’s cousin’s wife’s brother-in-law they are. So being there on my own, I hope, will force me to learn by doing, shall we say.
I won’t have too much time to see family, though, because for most of my visit I’ll be leading and guiding a tour on the island. They will meet me in Santiago, Chile, and then we’ll head to the island together where I’ll get to share the statues, or moai, in all their glory, as well as the less glamorous, but just as important everyday features like house foundations and rock walls. This group is all about lecturing and continuing education so I’ll be doing a lot of this fancy posing while I discuss the details of life in the past.
I’ll also get to enjoy views like this. Oh, I miss this little island so much. I can’t wait to get there.
We have some exciting posts planned for while I’m away, so keep checking in. One of them may or may not include an epic video about our recent log rolling experience, and we have a whole week of Boundary Water Canoe Area (BWCA)-themed posts including survival skills and gourmet food.
Happy weekend!
What does the giraffe say?
I have a much younger brother and when he was about three and a half, Ta’u and I were asking him to make the sounds of animals. We went through a number of them. What does a dog say? “Bark bark” What does a cat say? “Meow meow” What does a cow say “Moo moo.” We exhausted all the domestic animals fairly quickly along with the common wild ones like lions and bears. This was one smart little guy. So, in an effort to try to stump him…I mean, he might be nearly 20 years my junior, but he’s still my brother, so I had to make sure he got his fair share of sisterly fun….we shouted out “What does a giraffe say?” With no hesitation, as if he was asked this everyday, he swayed his little head and body from side to side, mimicking the movement of the long neck of a giraffe, while murmuring “mmmmmm, mmmmm.” And that’s how we learned what a giraffe says. Like I said, he’s one smart little guy.
So when I saw this video last week, it made me think of my brother. I bet he knows what the fox says. Have you seen it? It was made by Ylvis, a Norwegian variety show group made up of two brothers. It’s totally weird but funny in that scandinavian humor sort of way.