Goodbye Pacific...

Goodbye San Diego. Why aren't you satisfying anymore? Time to move on. I will always love southern California. I will miss surfing the pacific with my girls. I will miss Mexican food, and warm weather. I will miss the aloe plants blooming and the big palm fr awns with their seeds. I will miss my nature walks any time of the year. All my amazing friends of course but I am out. Change is necessary. I will be back to Turkey by January...hello 2008.

Floating...

Float:n. suspend on water; cork on a fishing line. I feel strange because I am suspended right now. I am doing some major transitioning in my life. Sometimes happy, sometimes sad, sometimes good, and sometimes bad. LIFE.

The Deeper that sorrow carries into your being the more joy you can contain. -Kahlil Gibran-

So I'm back to reality?????

It's strange! I feel strange! I am depressed and confused. I am usually happy and confident but now I am just plan confused and what is all this crap I own? I have so much stuff!!! Except photoshop...I don't have photoshop now. So...no photos.

COME-GO...STAY-LEAVE...

Some of my friends were joking before I came to Turkey, "Don't fall in love." But I did fall...Hard! What do WE do now? Change our everything...life, country, culture, language, goals, ideas for the future and what we thought our lives should be like...Or do we forget it ever happened and know we will always have a friend in a far away place? Many tears will be shed...many, many smiles too...

Still can't get used to it...

Turkish Toilet














My painting praising toilet paper...














Close up of the beloved paper...

So I have been here for almost six months and it just doesn't get easier for me. Someone tried to tell me Turkish toilets are more sanitary...I guess because not everyone sits on the same seat. How about seat covers? Also when you are peeing it splashes up onto your feet...gross!! Another thing that I am still not used to is having to carry toilet paper around in my purse because a MAJORITY of places do not offer it. I guess I am spoiled by the public toilets in America. There is usually never any soap either, but they do have lemon flavored alcohol cologne that everyone is always squirting all over their hands before or after they eat. Turks also seem to love the smell...blah lemon flavored rubbing alcohol. I do like how normally you get these hand wipes after eating (even though they are normally lemon flavored alcohol ones). It seems a little better you are actually wiping germs off instead of just rubbing them around on your hand. I have learned to horde these little wippy treasures in my purse for situations like above when I am faced without toilet paper or soap. The painting above just makes me laugh. I really do praise the little packets of Kleenex they sell around here. Also at restaurants my friends and I are always sticking napkins in our purses just in case. And to clean the toilets they just hose them down with water...OK easy but..then there are gross muddy foot prints everywhere???????And people don't flush them so some omit horrid odors!!! Ohhh Sweet Turkey I really do love you though...

Complete Inspiration

Sagrada Familia


















Sagrada Familia inside

This is one of Antoni Gaudi's many masterpieces throughout Barcelona. This Church was started in 1882 and Gaudi worked on it for over forty years until his death. The project continues and is only 50 percent complete. They anticipate 25 more years of work. The reason I am so inspired by Gaudi is his respect and love for nature. His muse is nature as is mine. Really please go tto Barcelona so you can fully appreciate it.

With the flower pots, surrounded by vines and olives, cheered by the clucking of the hens, the twittering of the birds and the buzzing of insects, and with the mountains of Prades in the background, I captured the purest and most pleasing images of nature, who is ever my mistress. -Antoni Gaudi-

Big eggs and ham...things I miss...

Beautiful fruit variety...


















Avocados...yes please!


















Prosciutto hanging everywhere...


















Little piggies in Spain...


















Actually, no I don't miss ostrich eggs because I have never had them...but thought this was a cool photo. I recently headed over to Barcelona and Madrid, Spain. These photos are from the open air market in the middle of Barcelona. You can find so much variety but for a pretty steep price. Since Turkey is a predominately Muslim country there isn't much demand for pork so it was a good treat. Also here in Turkey they have great beautiful fresh veggies but nothing tropical, no avocados, no limes, etc. I will be going back to America soon...to all it's choices????? Huh????