An Autumn drive for you who are far away...

The Lights of Life are Shining

On December 1, something very special will happen in Concord, New Hampshire. Every year, Concord Regional Visiting Nurse Association (CRVNA) and Hospice fills our town, and the surrounding towns of Contoocook, Penacook, Pittsfield, Henniker, and Hillsboro, with hundreds of electric window candles. Downtown businesses, shopkeepers, and restaurant owners light these candles in their windows, so that every evening in December, the memory of loved ones who have passed shines for all to see.

Anyone can make a monetary donation or simply add a loved one’s name to the Lights of Life Honor Roll. The list of names will be published in the Concord Monitor at some point during the week of December 5. You can visit http://www.crvna.org/donations/lightsoflife.php for more information.

CRVNA holds a ceremony on December 3 to celebrate life and honor the people we carry in our hearts from year to year. Mom, Scott, and I will be there.

These are the names I added to the list this year:

Larry Cox

Les Cox

Lee Holman

Kenny Cox

Katie Gober

Caralee Ladd

Anne Heine

Frans Amelinckx

Jack Savage

Tom Little

Casey Migacz

Pete Vanderboom

Tip Snyder

Mae Beck

You are among heroes, each of you ~ the most beautiful, most true, most loved, and we remember you fondly.

Celebrate these wonderful people with me, and if you have the chance to drive through Concord, enjoy the beautiful candles and pick one for your special person. Happy Holidays!

~Ally

Great things I did on my summer "vacation"...

...and it's not even half over yet!

1) Went on a 3,008-mile road trip with Scott to visit friends, family, grandkids, and an old college buddy.

2) Had dinner in Andover with Kel.

3) Talked on the phone regularly with Robin in Canada.

4) Helped Laurel and Conrado (and Bumbers) move into their first new home!

5) Went surfing with Scottie and Mattie in Hull at the wonderful (and missed) Nantasket Beach...followed up by dinner at our favorite Indian restaurant, Punjab Cafe in Quincy.

6) Went kayaking on a beautiful mountain lake with Barb and Ted.

7) Planted flowers on Dad's pretend grave for Father's Day and introduced Scott to the Concord Beef & Seafood store. (And later, the quirky, strange and delicious Gas Lighter Restaurant, which has a Ms. Pac Man machine!!!...I am in heaven.)

8) Hiked up to the Canterbury Water Tower with Izzy and Tammy.

9) Doggie-sat for Dufus, our favorite canine neighbor.

10) Went to Beech Hill Farm (to visit our favorite goats and their new goat-lings, donkey, and ice cream barn), and to Dimond Hill Farm for incredibly fresh and delicious produce.

11) Started going weekly to the Concord Farmers' Market, and sometimes the Art Market and other local farm stands.

12) Went to the wonderful hidden treasure, the Mill Brook Gallery and Sculpture Garden.

13) Took photographic adventures with Scott, including Merrill Pond and Bear Brook State Park, to name a few.

14) Saw the hysterical musical, "A Year with Frog and Toad," and yes, I said Frog and Toad.

15) Had a great Fourth of July with Mom, Laurel and family, and Scott, including swimming at the pool AND Lake Winnisquam, and fireworks in downtown Laconia.

16) Swam in the Merrimack River with Mom and Scott on a lazy hot afternoon.

17) Went to warm and inviting gatherings with White Mountain Sangha.

18) Enjoyed backyard-neighbor barbecues and fellowshipping.

19) SWAM IN OUR NEW POOL!!!!

20) Just enjoyed a wonderful and too-fast weekend at Grape Island in Maine with Laurel & Co. and Laurel's family, including old summertime friends and Conrado's sister Shanti (whom we just love).

What am I missing? I'm sure I'll remember some other fun soon.

I am blessed and grateful.

~ Ally

(photo by Scott Snyder)

For your reading enjoyment and visual enrichment

Just wanted to invite you to continue following the Rock, Water, and Light blog that I write, with my husband's incredible nature and art photography. I wrote a piece tonight on formative memories, life paths, and looking at the stars. If you're into stars and all.

Scott is also doing a year-long photographic exploration of Shaker Village, nearby in Canterbury, NH. His blog for this project is called Hands to Work, Hearts to God. The name is taken from a Shaker concept of living fully in the moment, with your heart dedicated to worship in all mundane tasks. Beautiful thought, really.

We want you to be part of our lives.

~Ally

I work with his mom!

(photo from the Web)

New Hampshire's Kris Freeman is going to the Olympics! The Concord Monitor tells the story.

"It was as sure a thing as frost heaves in February.

Kris Freeman, the 29-year-old from Andover, would be going to Vancouver for next month's Winter Olympics.

After posting the best World Cup results of his career during the first period this season, all that was left was for Freeman to get the official nod. That came yesterday, when the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association unveiled its cross-country skiing Olympic team."

Read more about him.

What we've been up to

I processed some of my photos tonight and wanted to show you what Scott and I have been doing.

This is Bear Brook State Park, where we went in October. It's so beautiful there.


On the anniversary of our wedding, we went to the apple orchard in Canterbury, and saw these little chickens in the road~
At the orchard...

I saw this tree at Bear Brook and thought it was so stunning and comforting.
This is Sarge, my friend from Concord. We visited his sister's grave.

And you know this guy.
Here are a few great shots by Scott that you may have missed:

The spotted newt, New Hampshire's state amphibian~







Which was your favorite?

~Ally

A few of the MANY great things about New Hampshire

1. First stop on the political campaign trail: our town!! (Yeehaw!)
2. The WOLF - 93.3 FM
3. Crazy big-draw events like Bike Week and Nascar Races
4. Multiple yoga studios to choose from in Concord

5. Shaker Village, Canterbury
6. Great children's museums in Meredith and Concord, plus the cool old-timey store for kids in the NH History Museum
7. The Krista McAuliffe Museum
8. Waterfalls, rivers, and hiking trails everywhere!

9. Franconia Notch
10. Trains that go up mountains in fall

11. Pine barrens and Karner Blue Butterflies
12. Eighteen miles of prime coastline with great swimming, rock hunting, AND surfing beaches
13. Polly's Pancakes and maple syrup making farms
14. Castle in the Clouds, Moultonborough
15. Lupine Festival every June in Sugar Hill
16. Mount Monadnock, our highest peak, that can be climbed by children and old people and experienced rock climbers
17. Mount Wantastiquet, Hinsdale

18. Pisgah State Park and Bear Brook State Park
19. Madame Sherri Forrest and castle ruins in Chesterfield
20. Spofford Lake
21. Winnisquam Lake
22. Pittsfield Balloon Rally
23. Sled dog races! Supposedly there's even a sled dog run you can pay to join for the day.
24. Snow, glorious snow
25. Concord's Audubon Society trails and nature center
26. Winnipesaukee!
27. Laconia, small town home of the greatest fireworks! (Though the Pittsfield Balloon Rally this year did the biggest, most dramatic show we have ever seen, second only to the sesquicentennial blowout in Lancaster, PA several years ago.)
28. The Flume Gorge
29. Mount Washington
30. Borders on Canada, Vermont, and Maine - what more could you want?

31. The capital is a mere hour from beaches, mountains, and Boston! And only 35 minutes from a great regional airport in Manchester.
32. Carter's Apple Orchard and country store
33. We live here.


I could go on and on. The Curious George Museum, a tram ride up Cannon Mountain, the Androscoggin River, fantastic and affordable antiquing, cottage industries of every sort, farms, great fishing and hunting, Harman's Cheese, camping, diners, Beech Hill Farm, outlet shopping, sacred Native American land (like Kearsarge Mountain and the wonderful Native Indian Museum), New England's Stonehenge in Salem, gemstone mining, moose! Come for a visit! There's something for everyone.

~Ally

Travel Tip: Route 28 in Alton is NOT a good place to run out of gas

Ahem. You can see where this is going...

So on Wednesday night, after a very, very long and arduous day, two things happened to me. Two things that I did not believe really exist happened to me.

1) I ran out of gas. Yes, actually ran OUT of gas. As in, the car would not move another inch. And after then turning it off, magically restarting it, and miraculously going another two or three miles on literal fumes, it stopped again. This time, no dice. Thus, I got out of the car in my now-sweaty (as it was 90+ degrees) work outfit, and started walking down the road toward the elusive gas station. At which point,

2) An actual honest-to-god Knight in Shining Armor (a big honking Chevy Silverado of armor to be exact) rescued me, the Damsel in Distress. (!!!!) I was on the cell phone wailing my woes to Mom, who frankly sounded too preoccupied to come help me, when he drove up, slowed down the truck alongside me, and said out the window, "I have gas in my truck if you need it."

???

Who does that? And who, but my Knight in Shining Armor All, keeps gas in the back of their truck??

GOD. BLESS. MY. KNIGHT.

I hesitated for the wee-est of seconds, and then decided to take a leap of faith, hopped (scrabbled) up into his mondo truck, and was driven back to my vehicle where said Knight put two gallons of beautiful life-affirming unleaded gas - not even diesel! - in my car. I said, "How do you have gas in your truck?" He said, "My old girlfriend used to run out of gas twice a week."

I then tried to give my Knight a fiver, to which he said, "No, no," and I said, "Take it!" and he said, "No way." He then smiled a beautiful shy smile at me, watched me start up the car, and I drove away. I may have fallen in love just the littlest bit. ;)

Needless to say, DO NOT run out of gas in Alton because it is miles and miles between gas stations. And above all, always hold out hope because fairy tales do sometimes come true.

***

~Ally

What Mom and I Did Last Night

Went we kayaking with a group of women for a Sunset Kayak along the Merry Meeting River in Alton. Delightful!

(all photos in this post by Barbara Bald)

After meeting with mom and a real estate agent all afternoon, trying to find a job, have a baby, plan my dismal finances, and basically solve the world peace crisis, I needed a break!
The trip and great food were organized by the River Run Deli in Alton. We stopped for a picnic after paddling upstream for 45 minutes.

Then more kayaking back down river. Beautiful weeds and lily pads, lotus blossoms and birds, frog chirps, girl talk, and setting sun.
After putting up all our gear, we were given wonderful ice cream sandwiches made with ginger cookies and chocolate ice cream - yum! And then we saw this mama Robin nesting with two or more chicklings right at the deli! A great end to the evening.
Thank you to God and to Barb, who invited us, for small miracles and moments of joy.

~Ally

What's Going On Right Now

1. I am up late as usual, enjoying a blog or two!

2. It has been raining incessantly in New Hampshire...until about two days ago when this big yellow ball appeared in the sky, and the air got hot. We don't know exactly what's going on. But someone said something about "sunshine"? I will have to google that to find out what it means.

3. I am trying to find some pet sitting gigs in our condo complex for extra money.

4. Am reading "The Time Traveler's Wife" and enjoying the mind bending aspect of thinking in time travel mode. Best question the girl always asks the man, "When are you from?"

5. We are hooked on watching Battlestar Galactica, or as I like to call it, Battlestar LaGeektica. We are in Season 2.5 right now and deep in the thick of man's fight against the Cylons to keep from going extinct! Plus a whole lot of other General Hospital*-type drama. [*If you're too young to know that show, think the great slutty parts of Grey's Anatomy.]

6. Scott is taking a million photos of the beautiful New Hampshire slice of earth and working on his permanent portfolio online. Selling prints already, but there will be a beautiful online gallery to peruse soon. Stay tuned!

7. Coming up to Dad's DDay anniversary. Must find some other term for it than "Death Day." Not looking forward to the passing of this milestone. The summer has been rough all the way around, stupid with milestones.

8. We are getting ready to go camping on Grape Island in Maine next weekend. Mom will watch our cat babies.

9. Still working on the pregnancy project. Am now off reading pregnancy books b/c they always make me think I am pregnant (which is only fun until the darn stick reads "negative" AGAIN). Am now reading novels and autobiographies about women who struggled to get pregnant. Whoa, those books are an emotional roller coaster, but so good and not quite as threatening.

10. Working part-time at the bankruptcy law office and still greatly enjoying that work. Continuing to look for full-time work in this dismal economy. My unemployment has been recalculated (since I have been on it a whole year! Ack!!) and now it's worth even less, if that's possible! So I am hitting the pavement with renewed vigor, looking for full-time work. Or freelance. Doing some editing and that's highly enjoyable.

And how are you?
~Ally

The one I didn't submit to the lilac photo contest

But I do still love this one. Such papery, feather fineness. So much lavender love.

~Ally

Happy birthday, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.!

(photo from Web)

Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. is one of the most impressive persons of the last century. I always loved learning about him and the peaceful equality and justice he sought, as we watched films and celebrated Martin Luther King Jr. Day, growing up in Chicago. Though there was terrible prejudice in our town, there was also an educational equality - our school, led by a black woman in the 1970's, chartered a path for blacks and whites (and Indians, Koreans, Hispanics, and others) to live together, learn together, and go beyond skin color to real heart-based friendship. It was a special time to live in the outskirts of Chicago, and I will never forget the lessons learned.

(photo from Web)

To celebrate the holiday, President-elect Barack Obama issued a national "call to arms," asking for us ordinary folks to offer acts of service in our communities. You can find a local event at usaservice.org.

Mom and I thoroughly enjoyed helping box food for low-income seniors, with the Community Supplemental Food Program in Concord on Friday. With about ten other volunteers, we bustled around a chilly warehouse making packages of 2 beans, 2 corn, 2 cereal, 1 dry milk, 1 macaroni...you get the idea. Those 135 boxes that we assembled in two hours will be delivered to local individuals and couples who need extra food to survive the winter. We got good exercise, made new friends, and it felt very good to help out.

Then today, I dropped off a bag of dry foods to Plus Time NH in Concord, which will donate the items to NH's Food Bank. This collection goes on all month, as do several of the events. So if you missed the chance this weekend, check Obama's link above for more events in which you can contribute.

It's wonderful to have a President that will keep us individually accountable for the health of our nation. It's wonderful to have a President who cares about the poor again. We're all in this together!

Happy MLK Day!

~Ally

(photo by Scott Snyder)

Sensing the Light

"The presence of that absence is everywhere." ~ Edna St. Vincent Millay








Oh Lord my God, when I in awesome wonder
Consider all the worlds thy hands have made
I see the stars, I hear the rolling thunder
Thy power throughout the universe displayed

Then sings my soul, my savior, God to thee
How great thou art, how great thou art
Then sings my soul, my savior, God to thee
How great thou art, how great thou art.

(Stuart Hine)

~Ally