Otter's Outings

I've detailed my big art adventure , but now it's time to address the wonderful bookends that surrounded it.  I flew in to Pittsburgh and rented a car.  This doesn't sound revolutionary, but all of my preliminary planning involved renting a bike, taking the train to mosaic school and on and on.  The remains of Hurricane Gordon would have made this a total disaster.  Thank goodness for some maturity and willingness to not be so fiscally conservative that you are riding a bike in the remains of a hurricane.... First stop, Ohiopyle State Park.  This gem features a massive waterfall across the river, several smaller waterfalls and trails for days.  I'd seen it on my Great Allegheny Passage bike ride, but didn't have time or inclination for full exploration. I arrived to see clouds gathering and then the rain dumped with a ferocity that made me question my hard set determination to hike.  I rolled up my pants, donned a rain jacket and cap and was off....

Being in India for a day is all I need to remind me of how much I love the country.  It’s starts with the hospitality of the people and then floods out in exotic directions that assault the senses at every turn. It is definitely true that you leave a little bit of your heart everywhere you travel in the world. There’s no question that a little bit of my heart is in India. Some faces are familiar and the energy that courses through both city and countryside feels rich and ubiquitous.   This trip has taken us from the urban capital, to the mystery that is east to Lucknow and now to Bangalore. My colleague isn’t quite as open-minded or even a hint of openhearted to the adventure of it all. It both makes me laugh and makes me sad. I feel so blessed that I can turn my face to the world to see everything with fairly fresh eyes. Some of our highlights have been in seeing a monkey with quite possibly the largest balls I’ve ever laid eyes on, seeing his tiny counte...