Boardwalk and Pu’u O’o, uploaded by amybaeder.

You know that picture I posted with the lava? See that steam in the background of this photo? That’s what lava-hitting-the-ocean looks like during the day. Theoretically, it would be really easy to drive to that spot because a road does go to that location, but, alas, hardened lava now covers the rest of the Chain of Craters road.

The boardwalk you see surrounds petroglyphs made by ancient Hawaiians. If you click on this picture, you can get to my photostream where there are pictures of the actual petroglyphs.

Fireshower, uploaded by amybaeder.

Rain. Crowds. Trekking across old lava fields for a mile…..we endured all of this to get this picture of new land being created by lava on the Big Island of Hawaii. I wish we could have gotten closer–this was nothing like the pictures I had seen in guidebooks of children crouching down to view glacially-moving lava at their feet–but we did get some amazing video with lightning coming from what seemed like within the lava “splashes.” Despite the effort it took to get to the viewing location, this experience was completely worthwhile–where else can you even get close to seeing this kind of fireworks show?

P7050103, uploaded by amybaeder.

Cute as these shoes are (and they were free, too!), they were the WRONG shoes to wear to trot all around New York City. In this picture, I’m kicking up my feet in Bryant Park, right behind the huge Public Library. After we watched WALL-E on 42nd street, I ended up buying some comfy Sketchers bike-style shoes to replace these. Aaaahhh.

Cool Ghanian Bottlecap Hanging Sculpture, uploaded by amybaeder.

I went to the Met expecting to see all the classics, which I did (check out the rest of my flickr pics). I also came across this amazing bottlecap sculpture done by a contemporary artist from Ghana, El Anatsui. Imagine a wall-hanging of this as big (or bigger) than your bedsheets–glittery goodness!

Manhattan I, uploaded by amybaeder.

I love this view from the Empire State Building! Maybe I will make it my wallpaper….for my computer, that is.

Justin and Amy: Empire State Building, uploaded by amybaeder.

We made it to the top! After standing in a variety of lines and paying lots of $$, we made it to the 86th floor of the Empire State Building. Thank goodness it was breezy up there–we were toasty-hot after walking all around Manhattan. The skyline views amazed us as the city glittered that Tuesday night. I even got to hear some Southern accents, as there was a tour group there full of 65- to 80-year old Southern tourists.

By the way, don’t let the movies fool you–you will NOT be up there alone and it is not quick nor easy to get to the top!

I officially checked out of my room, turned in my grades, and completed district-directed professional development yesterday at 4 p.m. To celebrate, I went to Starbucks on that lovely, sunny, warm afternoon and then got my nails done. This time, I even got a design on my big toes just for the heck of it. Afterward, Justin and I went to Jalisco, a Mexican restaurant we like close to the theater. We ordered fajitas and enchiladas, but they charged us for two fajitas and one enchilada plate. After notifying them of the mistake, they just charged us for one entree! We walked several blocks to Intiman and went to Namaste Man, a monologue by a man who grew up in Nepal and a variety of other locations when growing up. He artfully and hilariously describes his experiences in international school and of his lack of belonging in Nepali culture and American culture.

Today is a room-temperature, yet cloudy, Saturday. We slept in (and I’ve been getting plenty of sleep lately!!) after leaving the bedroom windows open all night. I made raisin toast, eggs, and bacon for breakfast while we listened to This American Life. I worked in my garden; Justin went to Lowe’s. Today is laundry, de-clutter, vacuum, dishes, and all-around chores day. Tonight: a bridal shower (read: Mexican food and Wii games). Tomorrow, I anticipate reading and going to Ohana Project. Perhaps I shall even watch a movie (I’d love to go to Get Smart with Justin!). No grading or lesson planning awaits.

Monday (and for two weeks thereafter) I shall be attending a “Summer Institute for Biology Teaching” from 8:30-3:30 at the UW. I expect I will enjoy it, although I will be missing the home visit training and the AP Bio institute.

Well–it’s time to de-clutter. Hopefully I will blog again before two more months pass!

I worked in the garden on this glorious, 76-78F sunny day–a rare event in Seattle, especially for April. I got a mini-farmer’s burn from before I changed into a tank top. The gardening weather couldn’t have come at a more perfect time, as I had some basil, tomato, and eggplant started inside on March 1 that were ready for the outdoors. Before my outdoor adventures could begin, I had to stop by Lowe’s (where everyone else in the universe converged today) for some more garden soil to fill in my beds. They hadn’t had replenishment in 2 years and needed to be topped off.

Next came a miniature ethical crisis: should I tear out my 4 wild-and-crazy, huge, full-of-blossoms-yet-no-good-for florets broccoli plants? Normally, the answer would be “a thousand times, yes.” However, there were 4 or 5 happy pollinators enjoying the nectar of this cruciferous vegetable’s flowers. Who am I to discourage bees from my garden or to take away their food? Justin assured me that they would find sustenance elsewhere, so I ripped them out. I hope my little bee friends come back for my tomatoes, eggplants, basil, and other garden delights.

Some new developments in my garden include carrots (planted from seed outside today with the already-thriving Swiss chard), peppers transplanted outside (not doing great yet–we shall see), dahlias planted from seed near the rose bush, and alyssum planted outside near the rose bush. I also planted more peppers inside today, along with more mint and some new cantaloupe. I hope to plant mint outdoors in front of the house to serve as a space-filler with a nice scent to mask the smell of cat poop that lingers near the house. There are some cats (not Virgil–his evil cousins) that think our mulch (and my garden beds, if I didn’t have the netting) is their personal litter box.

I have decided to keep some basil indoors for kitchen use, and I’d like to use my chives and rosemary more than I do (which is hardly ever). I will likely keep some mint indoors as well. May thru July brings a new wave of planting, including hollyhocks, watermelon, squash, beans, aster, lupine, more alyssum, and who knows what else. As weather permits, I would like to use our fire pit/patio more and keep up my gardens, in general. I think what usually interrupts this process are our summer activities: when the garden usually needs the most tending and harvesting, we’re traveling or in our summer jobs/workshops.

More garden updates to come….in the meantime, does anyone know what veggie or fruit grows particularly well in Seattle or Seattle-like climates?

I got a voice mail from my dear friend Andrea. She was explaining that she and her husband were going to check out a neighborhood and its church this weekend, and she told me about Circle of Hope. This is, at first glance, what I hoped Seattle Metro Church could be. As I think about what we have done right and what could have been done better, I remember that we’re only human and that CoH started in 1996–when we were still in high school, worrying about Homecoming, SATs and band competitions. I would still like to be part of a community like this, and the closest I have found to this is Ohana Project. Justin and I have gone there sporadically since November or so (and regularly this last month). We have friends there, which helps, but I also enjoy the diversity of ages, races, and backgrounds, the fellowship, the authenticity, and the service-oriented nature of Ohana. I still hunger for more depth in theological/bible study, and I am not sure where to go or who to turn to for this. Here’s my ad that I will put out on Craigslist:

Teacher/Theologian wanted. Must be available at the whim of a 20-something’s desire to study the bible in-depth. Must be able to deal with her frustration, questions, and crazy schedule.

Here are the promised pics–now that my pedicure is not fresh anymore!