Getting seriously excited!

I am excited, to say the least. This weekend I am finalizing my packing, making sure bills are paid, details taken care of. I will work the first of the week, Mo will arrive Wednesday from Oregon, and we leave for San Francisco on Thursday evening so we can be ready for our 6am flight to Chicago, and then on to Istanbul by way of Frankfurt. We are traveling with Go-Ahead Tours, a first for us, since past international travels have been mostly with Grand Circle. It's a chance to compare. I am taking the laptop, and plan to write daily and upload photos as well. My last two international trips were journaled sporadically with pen and paper, so hopefully this time I will actually keep better track of everything. This trip has a fairly ambitious schedule, so it might be even more important to keep good track of things since it really can all run together after a few days.
Day 1 - Istanbul
Board an overnight flight to Turkey from San Francisco via Chicago and Frankfurt.
Day 2 - Istanbul
Land in Istanbul, the ancient capital of civilization known previously as Byzantium and Constantinople.
Day 3 - Istanbul
On a guided tour of Istanbul, visit 15th-century Topkapi Palace, home of Ottoman sultans; the ancient Byzantine church of Hagia Sophia, illuminated by 30 million gold mosaic tiles; and the stunning Blue Mosque. Pass by the Hippodrome, an elaborate stadium once the site of ancient chariot races.
Day 4 - Istanbul
Free time to explore Istanbul. Plan to visit the Museum of Ancient Civilizations. Possibly join an optional morning cruise among the Bosphorus Straits, the ancient waterway that connects Europe and Asia. View Ottoman palaces and medieval castles during this half-day cruise along the Bosphorus Straits, which separates Europe and Asia.
Day 5 - Canakkale
Stop for a guided tour of Bursa, the first capital of the Ottoman empire. Continue to Canakkale, a town coveted in centuries past for its strategic location.
Day 6 - Kusadasi
A local guide leads a tour of Troy, where Homer’s Iliad comes to life. Tour the ruins, where experts have identified the relics of nine civilizations dating back 5,000 years. Then follow the Aegean coast to Pergamon, visit the ancient Greek Acropolis. Continue on to seaside Kusadasi. Day 7 - Kusadasi
Visit Ephesus, one of the Mediterranean’s best-preserved classical cities. View the Library of Celsus, the Temple of Hadrian and the house where Mary is said to have spent her final days. This afternoon, opt for a journey to the village of Sirince for a firsthand look at Turkish rural life. The peaceful village of Sirince lies in the hills outside of Ephesus. On a walking tour led by tour director, stroll past some of the country’s best-preserved 19th-century architecture.
Day 8 - Pamukkale
Stop today at the ruins of Miletus. Next, visit Didyma’s Temple of Apollo.
Day 9 - Pamukkale
Take a guided tour of Pamukkale’s travertines, a cascade of snowy white calcium terraces formed from hot springs. The tour includes the ruins of Hierapolis, the Roman spa city built around Pamukkale’s calcium rich waters. In the afternoon, opt for an excursion to Aphrodisias, the best-preserved Hellenistic site in all of Turkey, dating back to at least the 1st century B.C. The site includes a temple dedicated to Aphrodite. In Aphrodisias, explore the city that honored Aphrodite, goddess of love. Ancient sculptures made of glowing marble date back to the late 1st century B.C. in this beautiful getaway.
Day 10 - Antalya
Cross the Kale River Delta to Demre. Visit the 4th-century Church of St. Nicholas. Continue to the ruins of Phaselis, an ancient Lycian city. Later reach Antalya, ancient retreat of Antony and Cleopatra.
Day 11 - Antalya
View the Old Town and visit the archaeological museum and Hadrian’s Gate. Later, a trip to Aspendos and Perge. Perge was settled for new Greek colonists and prospered under Alexander the Great. The ancient remains of the city include the Great Theatre, Hellenistic Gates Roman bath houses and a magnificent stadium.
Day 12 - Cappadocia
Stop in Konya. Visit the Mevlana Museum. Continue to Cappadocia. This evening, an optional excursion to see a Whirling Dervishes performance. The Muslim sect known as the Whirling Dervishes was founded in the 13th century by Mevlana Celeldin Rumi. Learn about this fascinating sect and its modern-day practitioners during this special cultural performance of dance, music and tradition.
Day 13 - Cappadocia
Tour the rock churches of Göreme and visit the towns of Pasabag and Avanos. This evening, attend a traditional Turkish Folklore Evening. Taste Turkish wine, snacks and beer at this authentic Cappadocian restaurant, carved out of sheer rock.
Day 14 - Istanbul
Enjoy a free day in Cappadocia or opt to visit the Eskigimus Monastery. After an included dinner this evening, board your return flight to Istanbul, where you’ll spend your last night in Turkey. Day 15 - Istanbul
Depart for home .

Conversation with the Daily Coyote

Shreve in Wyoming was accusing of pimping out her coyote "charlie" by selling calenders and such. I ordered a calendar and in the process reminded Shreve that the Nez Perce coyote stories would have had coyote being the pimp! She wrote me back with this:

Hi Sue,
Laughing about the coyote pimp observation - so true!!!And yes, totally fine and easy if you'd like to send a check - just make it obvious what you'd like and where you'd like it sent, as my brain is NOT to be trusted these days! Based on your history and experience with coyotes, what do you think it means that they are becoming such a stronger and more obvious presence among humans these days - even in cities and suburbs. What are they bringing us? What are they saying? I understand the logical, physical reasons causing it (people can't stop building 5000 square foot homes and stripmalls!) but the possible metaphysical meaning entertwined with that is something I am pondering a lot recently and would love to hear your perspective or ideas.......

This was so much fun, because it's been a long time since I had a conversation with someone who thought of coyotes as anything other than ... well.... coyotes...

My answer to Shreve was fun, because it made me ponder and made me remember.

First thought, that we humans will need to keep our sense of humor in order to survive in the midst of the strip malls and mcmansions. We will have to learn to survive and to adapt, to change our ways if need be in order to continue to survive, even thrive in the changing environment. Coyote most of all teaches me about surviving and thriving and adapting, and about having fun in the process, so I would imagine those themes might be relevant to humans on a larger scale. I have read that coyotes are even learning to hunt in packs like wolves in some places, behavior that I'm sure you know isn't natural to them. Coyote also reminds me that there is magic in the world, something that I can forget in the midst of the everydayness of living, working, all that ordinary stuff. Maybe Coyote is coming into our midst more to try to remind us about that magic. Shreve, I can't tell you how it feels to have someone actually ask a question like you asked. I have been away from magic too long. I'm a soil scientist, on the verge of retirement after 32 years mapping soils in the mountains and canyons of Idaho, Oregon, Washington, and now California. Coyote has visited me often, physically, and metaphysically, if I pay attention. You remind me to pay attention.

Halloween in Klamath

I traveled to Klamath on October 31. The real reason for the trip was the need to get all my "stuff" out of Melody's space, but the great side benefit of it all was a magical Halloween night sending Hillary and Savannah off to a costume party and then trick-or-treating on Pacific Terrace with my grandson. Melody and I had a magnificent time, kicking deep piles of leaves, smelling wood smoke on the crisp night air, and listening to all the kids and parents laughing as they made their way through the night.

It's been a long time since the reality of Halloween tradition has lived up to my memories and fantasies of what Halloween is all about. It smelled like Halloween is supposed to smell. I ate a tootsie roll and it tasted like Halloween is supposed to taste. No more artificial mall tricks or gather at the school or church treats. It was the real thing.

I am not sure what happened in the intervening years, I just know that for a time, there weren't any kids at my door. For a time, there was no place to go and the newpapers were touting all the other things to do on Halloween night. For a time. But last Friday night, my kind of Halloween came back in full force. I'm just tickled that it did so while I still had a grandson still young enough to participate and I got to share it with him.

More photos of all the fun we had are here:
http://picasaweb.google.com/kyotesue/HomeToKlamathForHalloween#