3 parts

Lynn sent a two part series last fall of what she called - 'Three Part Characters'

On the flip side of the first, Lynn wrote that school was a blur last year as she had to learn and do seven new psycho-social and cognitive evaluations with her students last autumn. A number that is far above what had been normal for high school level. She reflected that because of the pace at work, she had been socializing most with me - who was half way around the world in Accra - making her feel a bit hermit-like. Reading this while at work, I remember smiling because it was so similar to how I had been feeling.

On the second card, Lynn wrote that Jordan, her dog, had been having skin problems a lot. The veterinarian knew how to fix his itchy sad state, but the solution was horribly expensive because Jordan was allergic to dust mites and needed allergy medicine for life. Apparently, Lynn lamented, Jordan was a high maintenance dog in addition to being a badly behaved one.

With horribly chapped lips since the start of fall, Lynn wondered if the veterinarian would be willing to check her out too.  Funny how easy it is for us to care for others while we ignore ourselves. 

Punched flower

Falling behind. As it is the morning after the bi-annual changing of the clocks,  this is a fitting post and postcard. With no more than a few days at 'home' at a time, I have been flying fast since my last work trip and finding it hard to remember to bring postcards to the office to scan. Yes, I am behind on posting. But since time is literally changing, I have decided to fix this problem before I leave today on another long work trip.

It had been months since Lynn had drawn a postcard last autumn before she sat down to punch out this card using a needle. While she found making dots a soothing way of getting back into the groove, just as I do, she admitted that holding the tiny needle was hard on her hands. So even though the card turned out fantastically, she was left with 'a little claw hand' and thoughts on how to make the process less painful next time.

Around four years ago Lynn and I made a pact to send two postcards every month. It has not been easy or painless to keep our promise, but somehow we find our way even if it is delayed at times and keep thinking of new ways to transform a 4x6 card. Happy (slightly belated) Anniversary Pal!

Life's a beach

Jessica drew this a view from her lounge chair at the beach, but don't be fooled the book is a prop! A good friend and lots to say kept her from getting beyond the first page of her book.  Jessica wrote that she and Merilee ran, ate good food and enjoyed some much needed down time.  She told me of all their fun in the hopes that I could visit her soon, unfortunately it was not to be.  Sorry I missed Ghana pal, here's hoping your closer location will get us together sooner rather than later.

Nova Scotia shopping

Lynn relied on one of my favorite sources of inspiration for this post card - a travel magazine. The image is from the Saa Paper Factory in Chiang Mai, Thailand, a city where Lynn studied abroad years ago (I should note that the drawing was not tilted on the card - this is a factor of crooked scanning). The card reminded Lynn to tell me about shopping in Nova Scotia, where she saw handmade cards from Chiang Mai selling for $35. The price took Lynn by surprise, remembering low Thai prices, but apparently was not so surprising since Nova Scotia prices were consistently high for Lynn's budget. Too bad, because she was yearning after Etsy-like jewelry - an itch I felt recently while in Sri Lanka at Barefoot in Colombo. Luckily, Asian prices are easier to swallow. :-) 

Tube, as in the London Subway.  Jessica stepped off a plane into London and felt the clean, smooth, shiny and sparkly surroundings. I remember a similar feeling when I took a flight from Cairo and landed in Athens.  It was my first trip out into Europe after months in Cairo and after all the sand and grit I fell in love with the sunlight of Greece.  However, unlike me Jessica felt the world was too plastic, and she was separate from nature.  So it sure was a good thing this little lady bug on a well heeled man reminded her nature was still connected to the people in London.

Dining in PA

While in Pennsylvania, Lynn went to her brother's local farmer's market to buy August peaches and tomatoes. Afterwards, they took their loot home to have as part of their lunch followed by happy family time, hanging out time playing games. Lynn, you are probably not surprised to hear that I think that this sounds like a perfect PhD defense celebration.

Apparently, the PA trip was filled with culinary experiences - some of them a bit more rough then the above farmer's market lunch. In addition to dining at home, Lynn's family hit up a local German restaurant where the wait staff yell at the customers. Apparently ,the waiter threatened to beat them if they didn't clean their plates! They also went to a tavern from colonial times where a fork flew down from second floor breaking her mom's beer glass. What gritty dining experiences!

Watercolor blots

Lynn made a series of water color blots and then squinted her eyes to find shapes in them.  This fish and the jellyfish postcard, posted earlier, were from this series. 

Last summer, Lynn's brother defended his PhD. She drove down to Pennsylvania with her husband to cheer him on, wondering if she would understand anything he said even though he had been discussing nanotechnology for years. She confirmed later that indeed she had really only understood 10-15 percent of of his defense. Luckily, this meant he knew complex material (he passed!) and not that he was hopefully confusing to his professors as well.

Once home, Lynn headed to an outdoor concert. Enjoying being outside and music simultaneously. It reminds me of concerts at Interlochen's Kresge Auditorium, where the notes roll over you as water and trees dance around you. Lovely.  Tonight, I am headed to listen to Fatou in NYC with friends. While I am sure the setting will be less scenic, she is a Malian singer and the wife of one of my colleagues. I can hardly wait!