Beth and I arrived in Saigon (HCMC) after spending an extra day getting a visa in Bangkok. Our friend, Mai Anh, sister of Chao Anh our store mgr, came to pick us up at the airport but we took too long and so she returned home after a three-hour wait.
We didn't know her last name, we didn't know her phone number or address! And so we went to a hotel next to the noodle restaurant our president of the '90s, Bill Clinton, went to in his day
as our leader.
At the hotel we recovered from driving in the "Sea of Motorbikes." There are probably only five stoplights in Saigon because the traffic flows along and everyone gives way when they see what you are doing! The hotel waiter told us to just keep moving as he demonstrated the little walk we would do in traffic, which was like a very slow surf moving toward the sand. This motion tells the cyclists and "autoist" our intended direction and allows safety as we, too, walked toward the noodle restaurant, Pho 2000.
We were also told to keep our belongings inside as pickpockets were on the ready; we knew this but were happy to be reminded that nothing else would threaten us. We practiced "Gaam ong" for "thank you," reminding Beth of her grandson's favorite phrase, "Come on!" -- the constant desire for moving to the next thing in his world!
Through the magic of telecommunications, pleas and insistence, Mai Anh came to pick us up the next day, and we were on to our adventure of shopping to save our store (I work, Beth owns) and found wonderful luxurious clothing for Oakland from Vietnam.
We enjoyed the constant smiles of the people who forgive and move on, trust the American people to be of good will and befriend us as we enter their country with awe, open hearts and appreciation. Our hotel had no wifi, just lots of very sweet people, serving us incredible breakfast with coffee better then Peets in our own little drip-pot of saucers, lids and filter.
Our very favorite experience was being drenched with rain in the little motorboat from which we saw the Mekong Delta. Our guide gave us each life vests to keep our bellies dry as we looked out on the gray sea spattered with lime-size rain drops, creating circles which merged into each other as they disappeared into the depths of the water. We were covered in water as was everyone in our clouded sea at that moment in time. The shore was green, the market was motoring along, and we were immersed in the coolness of the moment.
- Lynne Z
Thursday, March 26, 2009
Saturday, March 21, 2009
Nothing Fancy
My story, in this my 74th year, is told in this new Mary Oliver poem I just discovered.
I would like to write a poem about the world that has in it
nothing fancy.
Whatever happens, the morning sun glimmers it.
The tulip feels the heat and flaps its petals open
and becomes a star.
The ants bore into the peony bud and there is the dark
pinpoint prick of sweetness.
As for the stones on the beach, forget it.
Each one could be set in gold.
So I tried with my eyes shut, but of course the birds were singing.
And the aspen trees were shaking the sweetest music out
of their leaves.
And that was followed by guess what, a momentous and beautiful
silence as comes to all of us, in little earfuls if we are not too
hurried to hear it.
As for the spiders, how the dew hangs from their webs
even if they say nothing, or seem to say nothing.
So fancy is this world, who knows, they may sing.
So fancy is this world, who knows, maybe the stars sing too,
and the ants the peonies and the warm stones,
so happy to be where they are, on the warm beach,
instead of locked up in gold.
- Phil S.
I would like to write a poem about the world that has in it
nothing fancy.
Whatever happens, the morning sun glimmers it.
The tulip feels the heat and flaps its petals open
and becomes a star.
The ants bore into the peony bud and there is the dark
pinpoint prick of sweetness.
As for the stones on the beach, forget it.
Each one could be set in gold.
So I tried with my eyes shut, but of course the birds were singing.
And the aspen trees were shaking the sweetest music out
of their leaves.
And that was followed by guess what, a momentous and beautiful
silence as comes to all of us, in little earfuls if we are not too
hurried to hear it.
As for the spiders, how the dew hangs from their webs
even if they say nothing, or seem to say nothing.
So fancy is this world, who knows, they may sing.
So fancy is this world, who knows, maybe the stars sing too,
and the ants the peonies and the warm stones,
so happy to be where they are, on the warm beach,
instead of locked up in gold.
- Phil S.
Friday, March 20, 2009
Reading
If reading counts as part of my story, I'm still keeping track of all my reading. I have my huge list on an Excel spreadsheet and I just logged in book number 3959 since I first logged in 2/19/1960!
- Margie H
- Margie H
Mike and Marinda
Mike and Marinda met for the first time November 23rd, 2002 at the wedding of the daughter of mutual friends. Mike and Marinda sat at the same table for dinner, but Marinda was up and down so much (she was the wedding planner) that she didn’t remember Mike at her table. Mike and Marinda met again at brunch in May 2004 at the same mutual friends’ home in Sausalito.
Marinda grew up in the north suburbs of Chicago along Lake Michigan. She was baking at 5, making dinner at 8 and made her own clothes in high school inspired and taught by her artist mother, her aunts and grandmother. “I thought everyone knew how to cook and sew until I got to college,” Marinda said. She moved to New York City in 1967 to fashion merchandising school and then on to a career in fashion retailing, living in NYC, San Francisco, Tokyo, and Phoenix.
In the early '80s food was fashion and Marinda shifted to her other love – food and cooking. She started teaching cooking classes and then was hired by Martha to manage Martha Stewart’s catering company. Marinda left catering and opened her own event planning business in 1985 while living in Connecticut. In 1991, Marinda moved back to Marin County near her brother and his family. Divorced since 1994, Marinda focused her time building her event planning company, MF Productions, and caring for her daughter. She also participates in a local church community, volunteering, taking classes, serving on their board and is now a licensed spiritual counselor and teacher.
Mike’s life could be a story. Born in Egypt (Mike’s dad was a Suez Canal pilot), he spent his school years at a Jesuit boarding school not too far from his parents’ home in Liverpool, England. Most summer holidays found Mike and his sisters visiting his parents in Bahrain and Nigeria. Mike learned to cook as a child from his mum and loved to cook and entertain his friends – wherever he lived. In 1981, Mike emigrated to Canada and became a Canadian citizen (still a British citizen, too).
Mike’s 28-year career in the oil industry, working for Phillips Petroleum, Shell and Fluor has taken him from the wilds of Northwest Scotland to Thailand, from Venezuela to Saudi Arabia, and from Calgary to Houston. All this traveling, staying usually 2 to 3 years at an oil construction project location, didn’t present Mike with many opportunities for dating and he never married. Three years in Saudi Arabia with no women did not add to his prospects. Women do make a huge difference, he declared.
With his years of experience, Mike and a friend created a project management software program for the Engineering & Construction industry. A few sales were made to big companies and then the dot com bubble burst and no one was buying software. So in 2003, Mike decided to take a sabbatical, moved to Marin County where he had friends, and started an 18-month Cordon Blue Chef course at the California Culinary Academy in San Francisco.
That brings us back to that brunch in May where Mike and Marinda were reintroduced after which Mike called Marinda about a business proposal. He had to do an internship to complete his degree at the Culinary Academy. “Would you consider having me come work for you for three months, and you don’t have to pay me?” Mike asked Marinda. “Yes!” she said. There were several big events coming up and she welcomed the help. So Mike came to work in Marinda’s home office every day Monday through Friday.
After a couple weeks of working with Marinda, Mike told his friends that he was attracted to her. Marinda told her friends she had a very lovely man working with her – it was a wonderful manifestation that men were coming into her life. There was one in her house (with no clue that “man” was Mike)! Over the summer, Mike and Marinda had some dinners together, Mike cooked several times and a friendship developed. After his 3 months internship was over and his graduation from culinary school, Mike asked Marinda out for a date.
In March, Mike asked Marinda to marry him – and to try on his mother’s diamond solitaire (which Mike had carried around the world with him for 25+ years). It fit Marinda’s finger perfectly. “It’s like the glass slipper!” Mike said. "It’s meant to be," said their friends. “I feel like I’m marrying my best friend,” Marinda said.
So Mike and Marinda got engaged. Then the attorney recommended that Mike get married before he left the states (Mike’s visa ran out in October 2004 and he was required to leave the U.S. by May 5, 2005). Mike called Marinda and said that they needed to get married right away. So Marinda (& Mike) organized a perfectly lovely wedding ceremony & celebration for 24 family and friends at Marinda’s brother’s home that included a catered delicious (of course) seated dinner, live music, and chocolate wedding cake. Friends commented that no one but Marinda could have done this in just one week.
The immigration lawyer started the paperwork for Mike to be sponsored by his wife. This process takes months to go through channels, so Mike worked on a project in Calgary for Fluor. Marinda visited Mike about once a month and focused on construction of a second story master bedroom suite addition. After a year, he was back working for the company in the US. Marinda and Mike enjoy their newly remodeled home - and their new life - immensely. And they lived happily ever after.
- Marinda F
Marinda grew up in the north suburbs of Chicago along Lake Michigan. She was baking at 5, making dinner at 8 and made her own clothes in high school inspired and taught by her artist mother, her aunts and grandmother. “I thought everyone knew how to cook and sew until I got to college,” Marinda said. She moved to New York City in 1967 to fashion merchandising school and then on to a career in fashion retailing, living in NYC, San Francisco, Tokyo, and Phoenix.
In the early '80s food was fashion and Marinda shifted to her other love – food and cooking. She started teaching cooking classes and then was hired by Martha to manage Martha Stewart’s catering company. Marinda left catering and opened her own event planning business in 1985 while living in Connecticut. In 1991, Marinda moved back to Marin County near her brother and his family. Divorced since 1994, Marinda focused her time building her event planning company, MF Productions, and caring for her daughter. She also participates in a local church community, volunteering, taking classes, serving on their board and is now a licensed spiritual counselor and teacher.
Mike’s life could be a story. Born in Egypt (Mike’s dad was a Suez Canal pilot), he spent his school years at a Jesuit boarding school not too far from his parents’ home in Liverpool, England. Most summer holidays found Mike and his sisters visiting his parents in Bahrain and Nigeria. Mike learned to cook as a child from his mum and loved to cook and entertain his friends – wherever he lived. In 1981, Mike emigrated to Canada and became a Canadian citizen (still a British citizen, too).
Mike’s 28-year career in the oil industry, working for Phillips Petroleum, Shell and Fluor has taken him from the wilds of Northwest Scotland to Thailand, from Venezuela to Saudi Arabia, and from Calgary to Houston. All this traveling, staying usually 2 to 3 years at an oil construction project location, didn’t present Mike with many opportunities for dating and he never married. Three years in Saudi Arabia with no women did not add to his prospects. Women do make a huge difference, he declared.
With his years of experience, Mike and a friend created a project management software program for the Engineering & Construction industry. A few sales were made to big companies and then the dot com bubble burst and no one was buying software. So in 2003, Mike decided to take a sabbatical, moved to Marin County where he had friends, and started an 18-month Cordon Blue Chef course at the California Culinary Academy in San Francisco.
That brings us back to that brunch in May where Mike and Marinda were reintroduced after which Mike called Marinda about a business proposal. He had to do an internship to complete his degree at the Culinary Academy. “Would you consider having me come work for you for three months, and you don’t have to pay me?” Mike asked Marinda. “Yes!” she said. There were several big events coming up and she welcomed the help. So Mike came to work in Marinda’s home office every day Monday through Friday.
After a couple weeks of working with Marinda, Mike told his friends that he was attracted to her. Marinda told her friends she had a very lovely man working with her – it was a wonderful manifestation that men were coming into her life. There was one in her house (with no clue that “man” was Mike)! Over the summer, Mike and Marinda had some dinners together, Mike cooked several times and a friendship developed. After his 3 months internship was over and his graduation from culinary school, Mike asked Marinda out for a date.
In March, Mike asked Marinda to marry him – and to try on his mother’s diamond solitaire (which Mike had carried around the world with him for 25+ years). It fit Marinda’s finger perfectly. “It’s like the glass slipper!” Mike said. "It’s meant to be," said their friends. “I feel like I’m marrying my best friend,” Marinda said.
So Mike and Marinda got engaged. Then the attorney recommended that Mike get married before he left the states (Mike’s visa ran out in October 2004 and he was required to leave the U.S. by May 5, 2005). Mike called Marinda and said that they needed to get married right away. So Marinda (& Mike) organized a perfectly lovely wedding ceremony & celebration for 24 family and friends at Marinda’s brother’s home that included a catered delicious (of course) seated dinner, live music, and chocolate wedding cake. Friends commented that no one but Marinda could have done this in just one week.
The immigration lawyer started the paperwork for Mike to be sponsored by his wife. This process takes months to go through channels, so Mike worked on a project in Calgary for Fluor. Marinda visited Mike about once a month and focused on construction of a second story master bedroom suite addition. After a year, he was back working for the company in the US. Marinda and Mike enjoy their newly remodeled home - and their new life - immensely. And they lived happily ever after.
- Marinda F
Prima
One never knows where one’s life-altering triggers will come from. For me, one such was Prima, my splendiferous first horse. So beautiful and elegant -- and stubborn, strong-willed, not possible to push around.
Loving Prima taught me to love. Having to learn how to negotiate with her led to my success in business. I cherish what she brought to me and to those I now touch. Prima, you are always with me.
- Fay L
Loving Prima taught me to love. Having to learn how to negotiate with her led to my success in business. I cherish what she brought to me and to those I now touch. Prima, you are always with me.
- Fay L
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)