It's suddenly September...

Not sure where the summer went! I had the same masthead all summer, both because I didn't have time to make a new one, and because I really liked that one. I'm sure if I hadn't liked it (see: May) I would have found time to make a new one, but the cupcakes were just so cute it was ok they got some extra time.

This month's banner is from a picture I took in July 2006. It's a bit of a door at a temple we visited in Korea. I love the temples there because they are so colorful. There's something joyful about walking on a path up a mountain to a temple that is meticulously painted in pinks, teals and yellows.  

Add to that a majestic statue and you've got something really special.

I always love visiting religious sites in different places. You can tell a lot about a culture's philosophy on life by the way they create and treat their religious locations and ceremonies. 

We leave soon to go visit Korea. I haven't been back since I lived there in 2006. I was in a much different mental state the last time I stepped off a plane in Seoul, so I am excited to see if/how my experience of Korea changes (or doesn't!). 

I will try to post a couple of times while we're there, but if I don't manage it there will definitely be lots of pictures and adventures to share when we return!

Advice from Writers

Well, I've officially survived the summer! The students started class yesterday so there is no more pretending that it is still kindof-sortof summer time. We made it. No major disasters, and after 2 weeks without conferences on campus I'm starting to feel like a human being again.

Being a human being entails things like waking up to exercise in the morning, practicing for choir, and thinking about doing more writing. Specifically editing, in hopes of having something to share with the world this semester. The curator at Blogging A-Z's FB page posted this link full of lovely quotes of advice about writing from famous authors. My favorite is this, by Kurt Vonnegut:

Find a subject you care about and which you in your heart feel others should care about. It is this genuine caring, and not your games with language, which will be the most compelling and seductive element in your style. I am not urging you to write a novel, by the way -- although I would not be sorry if you wrote one, provided you genuinely cared about something. A petition to the mayor about a pothole in front of your house or a love letter to the girl next door will do.

Here's to getting back into a routine, and getting some work done!

Colorado is on Fire.

In 2002 they had record wildfires in Colorado, just like this year. Except that year it was more dry and things were burning faster. The governor at the time is infamously remembered as saying "Colorado is on fire." which he later had to retract to state that actually less than 1% of the state was burning.

It's been a rough summer in Colorado. We started with wildfires all over (but again actually less than 1% of the state was burning..) and now Aurora. It all feels so big and at times has been quite scary.  I was not directly impacted by the shooting in Aurora, so am not going to wax on about it too much. Others have written about their experiences and perspectives much more eloquently than I can. 

This state is full of rough and tumble - take it as it comes - we do crazy stuff in the wilds of the mountains for fun - kinds of people. They say you are only given what you can handle and we can handle a lot. But as the inimitable @erikbates wrote on my FB wall, "Is it just me, or does God need to go ahead and give the entire state of Colorado a break?"

One thing I have loved about this place is the recognition that difficulty is part of life. In our fast-paced instant gratification world it sometimes seems as though we forget that. Not sure if it's because people are always going up to do crazy stuff in nature, or if it's a lingering bit of the Wild West in the CO culture, but there's a real respect for the cycles of nature, and the world's ability to heal itself.

This is a picture that Chris took toward the end of the Flagstaff fire. I realized on my drive home that day that it was about to rain on the fire, so dragged him and his camera up to the ridge so we could catch the glory of it. I'm not sure what kind of rain we will get to dampen the fire of what happened this weekend. I know it will come and we will heal and something good will come of it. It has to. That's how life works. But hey, let's just not push it too much more for a bit, shall we?

Book buddy

I have a book buddy at work! Yay!
And just over 2 weeks left in the conference season! Double yay! Soon maybe I will have time to do things like think, and write..

(Also, we were not in Aurora last night - we are safe. Sad and horrified, but safe.)

Happy 4th of July!

This is the first 4th of July I can ever remember wishing for it to rain. They've canceled the fireworks in most cities in CO due to fire danger, so no fireworks for us this year. No rain, either. Just more hot, dry weather. It's strange for the 4th to be so quiet.. No bottle rockets, big explosions, or even kids squealing about their sparklers. Oddly flags did appear at the end of everyone's driveways last night. We think it was this weird realtor who is always putting ads on the porch? Not sure, but it is pretty festive!

We did have a lovely day - yard work, preparing for tomorrow's overnight guest (Yay!), painting dining room chairs, and BBQ. I also made my first blueberry pie, and it turned out better than I could have hoped. I tweaked my Mom's pie crust recipe to make it gluten free, and it actually worked! Here is the recipe, because I know that GF pie crust is a bit of a holy grail:

GF Pie Crust

1 c sorghum

½ c glutenous rice flour

½ c almond flour

1 tsp salt

2/3 c oil mixed with 4 T cold milk (coconut milk works too!)

Mix dry ingredients directly in pie plate. Mix milk and oil until combined, and then add to dry ingredients, reserving 1 tbsp. Once dry and wet ingredients are combined, press into pie plate, reserving some for top crust. Mixture should be a bit sandy, but when you press into the side of the plate it should be sticky enough not to crumble. If necessary add the extra milk/oil to achieve the right texture. Bake at 425 for about 10 minutes until the crust is a little toasted. Add filling. For top crust: either just crumble the reserved crust on top of the pie, or first mix in 1 tsp sugar, 1 tbsp oats/quinoa flakes and a bit of butter, and then crumble on top of filling. Bake per pie directions.

Hope everyone had a good holiday!

Not on fire!

There has been a lot of focus on the wildfires in CO, and the Flagstaff fire is actually only 7 or 8 miles from here. I have pictures of that too, but wanted to share some photos from our hike yesterday that show just how lush some of the state still is.

Colorado Columbine

These are from up near Nederland, on the Woodland Lake trail. I cannot begin to describe how beautiful the entire hike was (I've never seen such wildflowers!), but hopefully the pictures will give you some idea.

So many wildflowers by the stream!

Skyscraper Reservoir

Neat little flower!

Field of wildflowers, extra lush by the stream.

The flowers even grew on a log!