tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-160176472023-12-19T12:03:30.489-08:00StephanitelyThe random thoughts and goings on in the life of Stephanie Roth Sisson, traveling writer and illustrator of books.Stephanie Roth Sissonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10446071301465656460noreply@blogger.comBlogger185125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16017647.post-86993296750355813522016-10-17T17:36:00.001-07:002016-10-17T17:36:36.379-07:00Onward<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">So, back in Mauritius, Fred and I rented a home that was once a lighthouse. My office is at the top and I can see the ocean on all sides. It's connected to nature- to the tides, the smell of the ocean- everything we loved about the Hermosa House. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1jLvqiNO4J1j4CgCUR1KI68rnnW-0GzfRg6M1GyT_729G0BA_eurNrXaCwn97TmYPCDk9fVqQAIs8N79RirnhKrh_5i6rP_qIUkML63w-PtC2BRr_IcCoa2nwX5h2IbfAaoEu/s1600/Screen+Shot+2016-10-06+at+8.05.19+AM.png" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="237" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1jLvqiNO4J1j4CgCUR1KI68rnnW-0GzfRg6M1GyT_729G0BA_eurNrXaCwn97TmYPCDk9fVqQAIs8N79RirnhKrh_5i6rP_qIUkML63w-PtC2BRr_IcCoa2nwX5h2IbfAaoEu/s320/Screen+Shot+2016-10-06+at+8.05.19+AM.png" width="320" /></a></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">It's funky and I can't wait to join him there. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Right now I'm here overseeing the construction of the new digs and finishing up my Rachel Carson picture book biography which I think comes out in Fall of 2017- or it may be Spring of 2018. There was an announcement about it from my publisher in Publishers Weekly a little bit ago that had the date. I am set up in my parents' kitchen with my monitors and digital tablet and Fred is in Mauritius with doing what he does so well- using his optimism for a better tomorrow in Africa. Making a difference. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">His mornings are spent paddle boarding on clear turquoise water with sea turtles and color fishes. And I am here walking on white sand beached collecting treasure from the ocean and paddle boarding through mangroves (well, we did that together actually) ...</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigVDsH3MWSyfZ8reb8CiYSBP290b8U-9All45t-VRgZyS8MzRsot294RiGEiladHNNbDlT9LuNjGNlY2kcSG4YUJJqsymlPyXuZdWdD6u8NSLBttBz8GpjEcwe2wXlc9wVPBCs/s1600/IMG_7042.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigVDsH3MWSyfZ8reb8CiYSBP290b8U-9All45t-VRgZyS8MzRsot294RiGEiladHNNbDlT9LuNjGNlY2kcSG4YUJJqsymlPyXuZdWdD6u8NSLBttBz8GpjEcwe2wXlc9wVPBCs/s320/IMG_7042.jpg" width="240" /></a></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Sarasota is the perfect compliment to Mauritius- it's full or arts, culture, great food and an endless variety of enrichment activities like great jazz music. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">So now we go forward with Sarasota as our American homeless and Mauritius. What a life! I would have never predicted- but, then again, nothing in my life have I predicted- nothing- except being an artist. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">I am feeling very fortunate indeed. We live in two white sand beach areas with the most amazing birds and clouds and wherever we are together, it's just like when we first stepped into the Hermosa house and made it our own. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span>Stephanie Roth Sissonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10446071301465656460noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16017647.post-54271063696743184832016-10-17T17:23:00.002-07:002016-10-17T17:23:59.786-07:00April...A Lot Has Happened Since.<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">In the last three years, there has been very little time for reflection- we have always been on the move. Even before the three years, just before we made the decision for us to start a new company on the podunk island I had never heard of before- Mauritius, we had been in constant flux- constantly adjusting. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">When we bought the Hermosa House we were in a very different place in our lives. We thought that we would retire there- even though at the time we bought it we were both in our early 40's . I was 41 and actually, Fred was still in his late 30's. When we walked into the house for the first time it was after having gone house hunting up in Washington State. We had both caught some awful respiratory thing and had gotten back to SLO and climbed into my old 92 Nissan Sentra with the dent in the door and saw an open house sign on the way back to our apartment. The realator no doubt looked to the car and us and thought that there was no way these two could afford this house here by the sea. We walked in and instantly loved it and then we put in an offer. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"> We had so much fun remodeling it. People said it would ruin our relationship - that remodeling was one of the most stressful things a couple could do. Years later I heard the story of just such a case down the street where a twenty-some year marriage went kaput over a remodel. We made that faux-cape cod bungalow into something pretty amazing and we loved it. We traced out names into the concrete on the garden wall after we built it. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">After we moved to MRU, I would fly back four times a year for my work, to see friends and to connect with something familiar. Mauritius had not been so fun for me. A male dominated Hindu culture with nerve shattering driving conditions, an over-spraying of pesticides (ah yes, did I mention my next book is about Rachel Carson?) and a disconnect from nature facilitated by the compounds that ex-pats live surrounded by walls- both to keep things out and in. My trips were about a month or longer in duration and would time with Tristam's school needs and once a year, with the SCBWI conference in LA to meet with the tribe. This last year it became clear that we were not going to return to Hermosa for another 10 years or so. I hadn't realized it, but being there was starting to depress me. On the one hand, I loved it- the sound of the waves at night from our bedroom , the smell of the ocean air , the comfort of being in a place that is yours and familiar to you. But it was becoming a ghost of an idea that had been laid out as a couple and here I was alone. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">So...we sold it. Our wonderful realtor put up the sign and I remember the pang in my heart and our amazing neighbors and dear friends helped us to keep the place up while it was on the market- and it sold quickly. And we are building a place in Sarasota, Florida- on the other side of the county, but still on the west coast of that state just down the street from my parents. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">I packed up the Hermosa house and then movers (Meathead Movers- would not recommend FYI) came and put our stuff into a box. It waits somewhere in California for word to have it shipped out to Florida. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8z77P22eTUqw6IwoRIM2fs3bJYqzorjmPGJFRw5uT7AaTePJQEh690oNJ8KaNXmqIDkeLT7WETi1Kz0gFriJi3O1azk97Jdty5K3a63M-GXxsDkZsAPTCZoicAp2tfUUkI-Tt/s1600/IMG_7135.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8z77P22eTUqw6IwoRIM2fs3bJYqzorjmPGJFRw5uT7AaTePJQEh690oNJ8KaNXmqIDkeLT7WETi1Kz0gFriJi3O1azk97Jdty5K3a63M-GXxsDkZsAPTCZoicAp2tfUUkI-Tt/s320/IMG_7135.jpg" width="320" /></a></span><br />
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<br />Stephanie Roth Sissonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10446071301465656460noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16017647.post-76729779724232982482016-04-10T03:28:00.000-07:002016-04-10T03:28:02.098-07:00First Post of the Year- and it's April...That's How Things Have Been Going.<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">So much has happened in the last months including a trip home to California, a trip out to Florida and Washington D.C. as well as coming back here to Mauritius. Here are some pictures of home: </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMpSdBJufyAqOGvLgQ2aN4bImvqmH7I6YvCqKf2BK2rIyYTHhrMo35bEeL9IFTlIagUxTJftdtcFJ65ZtVHTH-KMeRFd20mcUmvzLKw2NUeMiHANN9tKO3oWXM0YVgbBpk-z9y/s1600/IMG_5748.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMpSdBJufyAqOGvLgQ2aN4bImvqmH7I6YvCqKf2BK2rIyYTHhrMo35bEeL9IFTlIagUxTJftdtcFJ65ZtVHTH-KMeRFd20mcUmvzLKw2NUeMiHANN9tKO3oWXM0YVgbBpk-z9y/s320/IMG_5748.JPG" width="320" /></a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Downtown SLO</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwi-xxOcD-2HtlQJTyHydcBuqEvq4D-uUblpmY8yKmK7-6R29a9Fu3b29jkP0VfhodE0OwKFUMRYHj9xraFWQ3mnXihDzeBFQuMMWwMpkhkGEXgifCmkk7FQung8dR6BoGOGPU/s1600/IMG_5725.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwi-xxOcD-2HtlQJTyHydcBuqEvq4D-uUblpmY8yKmK7-6R29a9Fu3b29jkP0VfhodE0OwKFUMRYHj9xraFWQ3mnXihDzeBFQuMMWwMpkhkGEXgifCmkk7FQung8dR6BoGOGPU/s320/IMG_5725.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Taking Care of the "ladies" in our worm bin</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUXeUTS7Wy7SEaJ_mH4rf5AST-KbEQhkRCfkeAQUlzFbn-_GR7pXnYqXorMW2FD1dqJ2R2or4a1dxgy5aEryhOTh9pB9RKI778X40dtXGq_Zfbtlhwqp84BEk73cXp_IUTjed_/s1600/IMG_5730.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUXeUTS7Wy7SEaJ_mH4rf5AST-KbEQhkRCfkeAQUlzFbn-_GR7pXnYqXorMW2FD1dqJ2R2or4a1dxgy5aEryhOTh9pB9RKI778X40dtXGq_Zfbtlhwqp84BEk73cXp_IUTjed_/s320/IMG_5730.jpg" width="240" /></a><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Tending to the garden. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Taking in the sublime central coast sunsets.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">This time both Fred and I flew into the U.S. together. We haven't been home together for a couple of years now and it was wonderful and it was the holidays. The town as decked out in enchanting little white lights and we broke out our boxes of holiday decorations and used ALL of them . Had an absolutely great time. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihgxFkNYidVW-Gnu3LMNN69p0UaHgGEGDCeQ04aisXaDGKO_CErGY-aMxavpYdxnKDQAlHS69Cc-XjVAtY55a0LFZWC6BeUaGlA9Sc-LTi-KyKgIsd2GNfATlyY-0Dq0eLd29J/s1600/IMG_5505.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihgxFkNYidVW-Gnu3LMNN69p0UaHgGEGDCeQ04aisXaDGKO_CErGY-aMxavpYdxnKDQAlHS69Cc-XjVAtY55a0LFZWC6BeUaGlA9Sc-LTi-KyKgIsd2GNfATlyY-0Dq0eLd29J/s320/IMG_5505.jpg" width="240" /></a></span>Stephanie Roth Sissonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10446071301465656460noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16017647.post-76637575544891974222015-11-27T04:32:00.002-08:002015-11-27T04:32:26.069-08:00Geeking Out at the WHO Shop in London<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Anyone home?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Christmas Dalek!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Yes, I think I hear someone in there! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Weeping Angel! Don't blink. </span></div>
Stephanie Roth Sissonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10446071301465656460noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16017647.post-90975630926166986642015-11-27T04:23:00.001-08:002015-11-27T04:23:44.743-08:00Catching Up With STAR STUFF: Carl Sagan and the Mysteries of the Cosmos<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Fred and I just got back from a quick trip to London where I got to meet a woman I consider a true genius, <a href="http://www.vivianeschwarz.co.uk/" target="_blank">Viviane Schwarz</a>. We have been "virtual studio colleagues"- a term she coined for ummm.....at least 10 years. Anyhow- we got to hang out for whole day. We went to the Tate modern and went from hot drink to hot drink- which is what she said Londoners do. It was freezing, so I totally get the tea thing now. </span><div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Anyhow- I did a check of STAR STuFF when we got back to Mauritius and found the following stuff: <a href="http://www.vivianeschwarz.co.uk/" target="_blank">STAR STUFF as a top 20 books of 2015</a>, the <a href="http://www.teachingbooks.net/tb.cgi?lid=4461" target="_blank">Orbis Pictus Honor for STAR STUFF</a>, <a href="http://whattoreadtoyourkids.com/category/biographies/" target="_blank">What to Read to Your Kids</a>, <a href="https://www.commonsensemedia.org/book-reviews/star-stuff-carl-sagan-and-the-mysteries-of-the-cosmos" target="_blank">Common Sense Media</a> and <a href="http://www.ala.org/news/press-releases/2015/03/alsc-names-2015-notable-childrens-books" target="_blank">ALA Notable Books</a> and many wonderful bloggers out there . THANK YOU!!</span></div>
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Stephanie Roth Sissonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10446071301465656460noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16017647.post-40418060935705329942015-11-15T05:46:00.000-08:002015-11-15T05:46:02.836-08:00Pictures from Home<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Sunset down the street.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">A writer's typewriter at the SLO Center for the Arts. ART! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">An sweet girl at the Dias del do Muertos in the Mission Plaza in SLO. Love what she did with her crutches. I wish that I had gotten a few more pictures of her. I only took this one. </span></div>
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<br />Stephanie Roth Sissonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10446071301465656460noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16017647.post-21978849647225189882015-11-15T05:11:00.001-08:002015-11-15T05:16:06.013-08:00The Planetary Society's 35th Anniversary and Bill Nye the Science Guy!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">With Bill Nye the Science Guy at the opening event of the Planetary Society's 35th Anniversary. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Carl Sagan's table at the Planetary Society. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Me signing the white board at the Planetary Society's headquarters.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Neil DeGrasse Tyson accepting the COSMOS Award. It was presented by Nichelle Nichols (aka Lieutenant Uhura from the orginal Star Trek- total goddess btw).</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Susan Ganz Schmit, Shane Prigmore, Cecil Castellucci and me. </span></div>
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Stephanie Roth Sissonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10446071301465656460noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16017647.post-2310037986716533162015-11-15T05:00:00.000-08:002015-11-15T05:00:20.629-08:00Over a Month Without an Entry!<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">I think that this is a record- I haven't blogged in over a month. It's not that i haven't been thinking about it- it's that I have been a bit busy. Mostly I have been on the road. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">I flew from Mauritius to California. Then in California I made a ver trips: attending the Planetary Society's 35th Anniversary in Pasadena, heading up to the Bay Area to meet with my amazing agent, Abigail Samoun, and then over to Pebble Beach to visit my dear friend Dina. In between all of that I got to attend my critique group's meeting and learned that one of our members is being published for the first time. Her name in Cindy Rankin and she comes up with some of the most original and engaging material in the group. Her book about the 1906 San Francisco Earthquake had a character in it that has been living with most of us who have been fortunate enough to get to know her for the last few years. We have been begging Cindy to send her book out into the world. She has. And someone in the publishing world fell in love with her as we did. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">I also got to see my dear friend, Sharon Lovejoy on three different occasions. I first made contact with Sharon when I was still in college. She wrote a book called <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/133787.Sunflower_Houses" target="_blank">Sunflower Houses</a> that I was absolutely in love with . I wrote to her all of those years ago and then in 2000 or 2001, I was invited to join a critique group and there was Sharon! We have been great friends ever since- kindred spirits. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">When I was in town I don't let many people know that I was there. The days were filled with work and meetings and I have a hard time no to people I care about. Fred and I will both be back in California for the holidays and hope to catch up with our dear ones then. In the meantime- elephants.</span><br />
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<br />Stephanie Roth Sissonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10446071301465656460noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16017647.post-89893553401314459262015-10-05T08:58:00.004-07:002015-10-05T08:58:57.324-07:00Getting Ready to Fly Across the Globe<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">I've done it a bunch of times now: fly across the globe. It takes 29 hours to go from the airport here in Mauritius until arrival in Los Angeles. It's a long haul. I'm getting a bit better at it. I watch lots of movies and try to sleep as much as possible. One thing that I have learned is that that is too dang long of a flight to get into a car afterwards and drive another 3 or so hours home and feel safe about my driving. So now, I get a hotel room in L.A. before the final leg (which does not include the 29 hours). </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">I used to feel that it was a crazy travel time, but I've read since about the times when making that journey took months by ship. Very unpleasant and precarious months. So, ship of the air- not bad- and it's Emirates- which is just about as nice as an airline gets. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Los Angeles International has become my favorite airport to arrive at in California because of this: </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">It's got a sense of humor and place. Plus, the traffic has gotten SO bad coming back from San Francisco or San Jose that I am not bothered by the traffic in L.A. anymore. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">But when I get home- the miles melt away. The smell of the Pacific (which smells different than the Indian Ocean), the pelicans and our home. I wish that Fred was coming with, of that trip I'll have to wait for awhile. In the meantime I have dear friends to see and some kids to tell about Carl Sagan. I LOVE that there is now a sort of "my first Carl Sagan book" out there. </span></div>
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Stephanie Roth Sissonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10446071301465656460noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16017647.post-76761711214493044442015-09-30T04:58:00.000-07:002015-09-30T05:00:24.341-07:00Three Day Wedding and Uncle Fred<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">A good friend of ours here bestowed a really sweet honor onto Fred. She asked him to be her "uncle" at her wedding. The uncle presents trays of offerings to the groom's family (the groom also has an "uncle" who does the same for the bride's family). The wedding took place over 3 days. Here are some highlights. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Jess heading to the wedding. She had to change saris 5 times during the ceremony. This is sari number one. Gorgeous, right?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">The trays being prepared with sweets, fruits, perfume and a sari. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Me and "Uncle" Fred before the ceremony. That sari took two friends about 40 minutes to put on me. It's one big long piece of cloth, wrapped, pleated, tucked and draped- and held in place by a lot of safety pins. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">One of the after parties. The final dance was a sega dance (the traditional music/dance style of Mauritius).</span></div>
Stephanie Roth Sissonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10446071301465656460noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16017647.post-60533945893951013942015-09-30T04:39:00.000-07:002015-09-30T04:39:18.674-07:00Back in the MU heading back to CA for an Important Gig<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">I have been back in Mauritius for over a month now and am settled in again. Summer is coming on this side of the planet. It's getting warmer, there is more birdsong and I am awoken by sunlight coming in the window because the angle is now just right. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">I haven't written for awhile- I haven't really felt like it until now. Not sure really why. Maybe because I have so much writing to do for books and spend so much time in my studio at the computer...anyhow, today I feel like it. So, "hello".</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">This morning I saw a needle fish darting across the surface of the water. Such and odd looking creature. close to the shore, brown jelly fish sat and tried to push themselves back into the Indian Ocean. A man picked one up- I gasped, wouldn't he be stung?? Not that kind of jelly fish. These had ridden the north winds onto to shore and they were harmless. They are moon jellyfish. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">It's just 10 days to go and I am off to the U.S. again- this time to speak at the <a href="http://www.planetary.org/get-involved/events/2015/35th-anniversary-celebration.html">35th Anniversary of the Planetary Society</a>- of which Carl Sagan was a founding member. I couldn't pass that up, could I? (No.) It will be the first book event that I attend for <i>STAR STUFF: Carl Sagan and the Mysteries of the Cosmos</i>. I was here when the book came out and then for most of the year. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">It's going to be a whirlwind trip. I arrive home in California on the 13th, speak and sign books in Pasadena on the 24th and fly out South Africa for 10 days on the 25th, then back to Mauritius. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">I'm glad I'm doing all of this traveling now while I can. It is exhausting and I can see losing my appetite for going to far flung places in a few years. Then I think I will content myself with my garden, my work and family.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">In the meantime, here are some photos of Mauritius.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">More bananas than we know what to do with from a tree in the backyard. The bummer is that they go ripe almost all at once!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Double rainbows!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span>Stephanie Roth Sissonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10446071301465656460noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16017647.post-67650686750614617712015-09-30T04:18:00.002-07:002015-09-30T04:18:42.792-07:00Noodle puts STAR STUFF: Carl Sagan and the Mysteries of the Cosmos into and Infographic!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">The folks at <a href="http://noodle.com/">Noodle.com</a>, who specialize in all things educational put <i><b>STAR STUFF: Carl Sagan and the Mysteries of the Cosmos</b></i> into an infographic! How cool is that? What an honor to be in the company of those books. </span></div>
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<br />Stephanie Roth Sissonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10446071301465656460noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16017647.post-44348396442262804672015-09-25T06:25:00.001-07:002015-09-25T06:25:36.237-07:00The Most Outstanding Fact of Life and A Fascinatingly Disturbing Thought...<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="344" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/K2wp5Qe3JV0" width="459"></iframe>Stephanie Roth Sissonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10446071301465656460noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16017647.post-23700188188100071952015-09-13T06:09:00.001-07:002015-09-13T06:09:33.963-07:00The Time You Have (In JellyBeans)<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="270" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/BOksW_NabEk" width="480"></iframe><br /><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Perspective.</span>Stephanie Roth Sissonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10446071301465656460noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16017647.post-83572655025471452382015-09-08T01:56:00.001-07:002015-09-08T01:56:32.341-07:00WOWIE!! Breakthrough Initiatives Launch Press Conference. Royal Society, London,...<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="270" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/fUhkAxw0pgs" width="480"></iframe>Stephanie Roth Sissonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10446071301465656460noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16017647.post-70330901174668021152015-09-03T08:09:00.004-07:002015-09-03T08:14:29.574-07:00There and Back Again.<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">This blog has been so very quiet.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Here's what's been going on. I went home. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ1ZhCGmpHJCyoqbNJhdfSafGJjMhSkUqMx75RAoSFiUad7ktyFWWqxIShGHDD4le_jKhRGkudY1Yz7IEno0rDQEkNM1j8XqUZnTx6exyqLdJIm2fknqXAnRlx3hlpfrsOLgd4/s1600/goinghome1.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ1ZhCGmpHJCyoqbNJhdfSafGJjMhSkUqMx75RAoSFiUad7ktyFWWqxIShGHDD4le_jKhRGkudY1Yz7IEno0rDQEkNM1j8XqUZnTx6exyqLdJIm2fknqXAnRlx3hlpfrsOLgd4/s320/goinghome1.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">A soft welcoming blanket of fog. People who knew how to drive safely in lanes, and not stop for NO reason- (because in the U.S. you would get a ticket arrested for being a danger on the road to others and you have a freaking CLUE). Driving was stressless and fun- especially in Fred's car- Sasha. I relished it. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">There were California brown Pelicans gently drifting overhead in clean smokeless air - they look like creatures that belong to another time. Glorious. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">And sunsets of the awe inspiring kind. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">I hung out with our neighbors who have been keeping watch over the casa. And I was grateful for having such kind, generous and caring people in our lives. All of them inspiring- we are the youngens on the street and the folks around us are farther on down the road, but totally awesome. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">I took a quick trip to see loved ones in Minnesota. I was happy to see that my parents are looking great and getting better and better- you would never believe their age if you saw them. I admire that they are heading off on new adventures and this next year are venturing over here to visit and we are heading out on safari with them in Botswana. I also popped down to Rochester to visit my sister and her family. She and her hubby have 3 teenagers now- all doing fabulous. Garrison Keillor's Lake Wobegon quote tag line , <a href="http://prairiehome.org/listen/podcast/">" Minnesota where the women are strong, the men are good looking and all the children are above average.</a> "</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Can you tell I loved being home? But I missed this guy </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">he's good reason to cross a globe...but I had some more adventures in between...</span></div>
Stephanie Roth Sissonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10446071301465656460noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16017647.post-91530399439111290902015-08-24T01:12:00.001-07:002015-08-24T01:12:29.437-07:00Ripple | Playing For Change | Song Around The World<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="270" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/MHo1fNnXFVU" width="480"></iframe><br /><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">All time favorite...so great to see it rippling across the world :)</span>Stephanie Roth Sissonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10446071301465656460noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16017647.post-77745984798380977362015-07-06T21:00:00.001-07:002015-07-06T21:00:09.752-07:00Photos <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span id="goog_1464029149"></span><span id="goog_1464029150"></span><br />Stephanie Roth Sissonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10446071301465656460noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16017647.post-66097014507794595172015-07-06T20:56:00.001-07:002015-07-06T20:56:36.558-07:00Fare Thee Well<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="270" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/XDs0Uhu4BkM" width="480"></iframe><br /><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">This weekend was the last group performance of the Grateful Dead. My sweet husband offered to get me tickets and fly me out to see it. I said was happy just to drink a toast from home and listen to some tunes and reminisce and something had occurred to me- that time with the Dead as the soundtrack to our lives, that came with a cast of characters- all of whom are strewn across the country/world and some lost. </span><br /><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">That time for us began in the 80's and went through until Jerry Garcia's death and reappeared from time to time with Phil and Friends or other shows, but it was never the same again. That time was a formative one for me. It was all about Joseph Campbell and finding my way- or general direction as it turned out. Without the Dead I don't know if I would have attempted half of the things I have, gone very many places- I don't know if I would have thought it possible to craft this life. Grateful Stephanie. </span>Stephanie Roth Sissonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10446071301465656460noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16017647.post-27636338392642485672015-06-04T21:42:00.001-07:002015-06-04T21:42:21.592-07:00I Forgot to Tell You about Cape Town<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">We did an impromptu visit to Capre Town in April- just 4 days, but it was wonderful!!! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">The above picture is pretty representative of most of the pictures of me there- always in mid sentence or in the middle of something.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">For 4 days we ate delicious food- not the sort on cuisine we get here (although at home we cook some lovely meals). We dined on fresh organic vegetable and salads, fresh oysters , non-overcooked and over-salted foods- it was glorious. We went to a jazz club and heard a live band (not a guitarist playing "Hotel California"- which is the usual here), we took a hot yoga class, went to actually book stores (bliss!) and walked- yes, walked! They have sidewalks there- </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">I look forward to our next visit. We came back from that one feeling recharged and ready to get to business again. </span></div>
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<br />Stephanie Roth Sissonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10446071301465656460noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16017647.post-15364033467654234132015-06-02T01:42:00.000-07:002015-07-07T10:26:18.555-07:00Possibility<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">The floor of my Indian Ocean Studio are covered with projects. The walls too. Just one month and one of the three will be done and then just one more beyond that and 2 of the 3 will be done ...and the third on is extra special- a work that I have put a few years into - one on the scale of STAR STUFF:Carl Sagan and the Mysteries of the Cosmos. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">A lizard on out Hot Dodo Studio fence - our little version of the Bikram studio we love so much. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"> Life is good- very, very good. </span></div>
Stephanie Roth Sissonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10446071301465656460noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16017647.post-19249039301883608792015-05-05T22:48:00.001-07:002015-05-05T22:48:15.581-07:00So Many Happenings...<br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">This has been a busy month. Lots of book projects rolling. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">6 months seems to be an interval that that has me feeling like I want a change of pace. And soon- it will happen. Fred and I are heading out to explore Cape Town as well as Namibia and then I'm heading home for a few weeks to check in with friends family and out lovely case in California. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Yesterday I found out that STAR STUFF: Carl Sagan and the Mysteries of the Cosmos is a finalist in<a href="http://www.commonwealthclub.org/events/special-events/california-book-awards"> the California Book Awards</a>!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">The next few weeks promise to be a whirl wind of activity- deadlines, events among many other things. Life is never dull it seems. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">So- onward . </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span>Stephanie Roth Sissonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10446071301465656460noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16017647.post-3322736811969125452015-04-29T23:37:00.001-07:002015-04-29T23:37:15.884-07:00We Are Dead Stars<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="270" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/UUo-Q8hhvB0" width="480"></iframe><br /><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Another long absence from the blog. I think about posting this and that and then the day gets busy. My day starts at 5:30 and goes non-stop until 10. It's filled with a workout of some kind (a must), my work (writing, illustrating, researching etc. ), housework (we don't have maids or gardeners or any of that like other expats - can't stand the loss of privacy with a staff and it's uncomfortable having people around when you are trying to get things done, and then there is being taxi mom taking T to various activities and then the day to day of grocery shopping etc. Wow- long sentence. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Above is one of the projects I have going. It's a quick little magazine piece. The main focus is the next book I'm writing and illustrating. It's taken awhile for the story to show itself. My method seems to be to research the hell out of something until I know my topic so well that I can approach it from any angle on the fly and have enough material to have many threads running through to play with. I have finally gotten to that place with this next book and it's a relief and a joy now. Then I have 2 other books that I am illustrating. So, I'm pretty busy there, but happy. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">A covered surface in my studio. Fred bought me shelves, but we haven't put them together yet- soon things will be very zen in here without the piles. Piles stress me out. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">This is Jolly. When we moved in here he was a puppy. Jolly is one of thousands (I'm guessing) of wild dogs here on the island. Jolly has a good life for a wild dog. The residents of our housing complex have all adopted him. He gets fed and played with, has a flea collar and gets his belly rubbed and his ears scratched. It's not all good though. He has been beaten by some of the locals. Fred was petting him one day when a very mild mannered Indian man on a bicycle peddles by smiling and Jolly hid behind Fred's truck and growled and shook. The thing is, you can't approach someone like that because they will take it out on Jolly. Many of the locals here feel that beating animals is fine. We are the outsiders here- and we can't behave as we would back home. We did give thought to adopting Jolly, but we are renting this house and the furniture in it. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">This is a sweet little bird that flew into the window downstairs and died. This little bird is tiny, tiny- no idea what it is. It was a beautiful little creature though. We had this happen again this morning with a zebra dove, so no I am keeping the shades drawn on the big window. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Then this little guy was just spotted downstairs. I carried him and the chair outside and he scurried off. Isn't he amazing? The color, the scales- </span></div>
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Stephanie Roth Sissonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10446071301465656460noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16017647.post-52865003001776048232015-03-06T05:30:00.002-08:002015-03-06T05:30:21.230-08:00Life Out Here, on a Speck<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Mauritius is really out there. There are times when I feel that reality more than other. When I'm flying the leg of the trip from Dubai and the map on the screen in front of my seat that shows the route to Mauritius basically shows the Indian Ocean and the flight is 7 hour long- and then you can see by the on board cameras that there is a bit of land appearing (after the 7 hours)- and you think, "Wow- they found it in all of that vast ocean- the speck". Another time the remoteness of our current location hits me is when I'm driving. The width of the island on the northern end is around 5 miles- the size of the entire island is 788 square miles- drive takes about 20 minutes. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Still, it's good thing to change the scenery and everything else and live here for a bit (no idea how many years we will be here, but we're calling it home for now). It's good to have to find a new way to do everything- to make a brain that has gotten used to doing things in a certain way and going certain places and experiencing different things. One thing that I love here is talking to people- like this young woman I met named Jessica. Jessica has this total island attitude and out look and is so happy and light- there is a wonderful uncomplicatedness here. In the west we have so many more complications- and really, why? Well- maybe the transitional nature of where the west is right now- a lot of in-between-ness a lot of undefined things...but maybe it was never really any different ?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Okay- the picture portion of this post. Above is a gecko walking around outside at night on the illuminated surface of a frosted bathroom window. Forget TV, Fred and I spent an evening watching this little creature fill its belly with wiggling, moving bugs- they moved in its belly too! It had a feast with the light attracting the bugs. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Here is my Fred. He's carefully placing the shells that our kid arranged on a restaurant table. I marvel that the guy- he is the one that got us all to come out here. A couple of year ago I had only heard of Mauritius as where the dodo bird met its fate when people showed up and messed up what millions of years of evolution took to create. Fred is one of these people who has these visions of what is possible and then he goes out and creates. I suppose that I do that too, but I do it on paper- or digitally these days- in the art/literature realm. The expression of out ideas and the distribution is different. My distribution is bigger, and my travel is usually within- his travel is farther (but I suppose I'm here too, huh...) but few people experience that direct idea (for now).</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">This is looking north on the northern end of the island- not far from where we live. The clouds always fascinate me- they move so quickly and it's always a show. Last night I was in the pool looking up at a moon lit composition of billowy clouds moving overhead. I'm so grateful to be having these experiences- and sharing them with my Pookie. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span>Stephanie Roth Sissonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10446071301465656460noreply@blogger.com0