Tiburon means Shark

I crossed the Golden Gate Bridge this morning.  First time in more than six months.  I’ve seen a lot of these United States in that time, but with all due respect to the rest of the nation, there is NO PLACE more beautiful than San Francisco and the North Bay Area.  It just warms my heart to be here.  The hills are green, the sky is sparkly blue and the air is crisp and clean.   Even the freeways are beautiful – I forgot how amazing it is here.  Okay, the state is in a mess, there’s no doubt about that, but wow, it’s just absolutely breathtaking here. 

I got back to Sacramento late on the 10th.  Pulled up to Robyn and Cindi’s house and Higbee was so excited to get out of the car – she bolted right to the front door.  She was so excited to see her little buddies Zoey, Dexter and Emily.  Apparently she was so excited, she went into heat!!  I’ve been running errands since then, trading out summer clothes for winter ones, getting the car serviced, my teeth cleaned and so on.  Seems like being “home” means doing chores!! 

Friday night, though, was our traditional food and wine night – Cindi cooked an awesome dinner and we enjoyed it along with several bottles of wine.  After a relaxing and lovely repast, we sat to watch a movie, but everyone was so beat from a long week (and full bellies), we all crashed.  It was so great to hang with my girlfriends – Robyn referred to me as her sister, and it felt really good.   

Now I’m at Edith and Eckhard’s place in Tiburon.  Secured a wonderful cottage to enjoy with Bill for the month of December.  Also got to watch the opera last night – it was GREAT!!  Here’s the deal:  The Metropolitan Opera in NYC does a simulcast of their operas – and the Mill Valley movie theater shows them first as a live simulcast, and then later in the week, as a repeat.  The live show is on a Saturday afternoon, so last night was the repeat – but who cares?  It was marvelous!  Last night’s performance was Turandot, which was quite dramatic, and it was strange to see people dressed up as Chinese singing in Italian – but the highlight still puts shivers down my spine – “Nessun Dorma” is absolutely spectacular.  So this makes my third opera ever – the first was a long time ago, Hansel and Gretel, and just a few weeks ago I got to see The Elixir of Love with Liana in Houston and now this one – I have to say, I’m kind of getting hooked on opera – who knew? 

I’ve been so crazy with activities, I feel like I haven’t had much time to reflect on this trip and what I’ve learned.  Obviously, the highlight has been Bill – I can’t even begin to describe how blessed I feel to have met him – I am truly the luckiest woman in the world.  But in addition to that, I feel strongly that I’ve learned so much about Bikram Yoga.  I made the absolute right decision to go out and seek examples of the aspects I want to have in my studio – community, successful operations, excellent and efficient design and of course, further understanding of how to teach and how to use the dialogue to help people improve their health.  My studio, wherever it will be, will be spectacular – I know what I want and I know how to create it.  

On My Last Leg

NOTE:  I'm home, but have to catch up on blogs.  I wrote this last week, but couldn't get internet access in Vegas.  So here it is......more later!!!  

I left Houston several days ago. I was sorry to go, and Higbee, who has become the South Boulevard mascot, was sad to leave all her friends too.  After teaching a total of 41 classes, I packed up my stuff, hugged everyone goodbye for now, and started the long ride home. 

First though, I got to enjoy Liana & Lucy Day!!! We had so much fun together! We started with an 8am class, then did a little tour of our favorite places – went to Anthropologie, Restoration Hardware, and then had an excellent sushi lunch. Our afternoon was even better!! Bought some new jeans at The Gap, then we bought each other “Holocaust Rings” (you have to have seen, “The Hangover” to get it). And then we went to the movies and saw, “Where the Wild Things Are” The only thing that was good about the movie was that it finally ended. HORRIBLE – do not waste your money. It’s dark and depressing and not at all happy in any way shape or form. But I got to sit next to Liana and we both wore our beautiful rings!!!

Then 3 long days of driving ---- 500 miles each day to finally arrive in Las Vegas. I’m here for the last stop on the trip – Fall ’09 teacher training! Strange, this adventure started with training and now it’s ending with training! Very apropos and not even planned, but it’s funny how that works out.

Bikram taught last night’s class and he was in classic form. It was a very energetic class and in his typical Bikram style, he gave us wonderful direction and threw in some irreverent comments about Emmy and Rajashree. He shocks on purpose, I think, but even so, no one can teach a class like Bikram.
This morning, though, we had an equally energetic class! Misha, whom I met in Minneapolis, was able to teach. She has taught make up classes, but this was her first time on the podium with all 300 students in attendance. Misha is a protégée of Diane Ducharme, and even in Minneapolis, she taught a strong class, but on this one, she hit the ball out of the park. She used almost straight dialogue, and she connected so well with the students. She encouraged us, she supported us, and she just rocked the podium. I was really impressed, not just with her ability, but with the power of the dialogue. When you use it, your class is almost guaranteed to be powerful. It’s amazing how you can focus, how you get the information you need in an efficient manner, how you can push beyond what you think you can do when the dialogue is provided properly. Misha did a great job, but she certainly had a leg up because she knew the dialogue inside and out.

I’ll be here for a few days, will help where I can, practice as much as I can, and then I’ll head back to Sacramento. Am ready to be home. Have to get ready!! Bill is coming in December, but before then, I’ll be taking a quick trip back to Houston to see him as soon as he gets back to the US. I am so very excited about the next adventure!!

Sending love to all!

Deluge!!!!

First of all, thanks to everyone who has sent good wishes via email or Facebook and of course my five buddies below who are happy for me and for Bill.  He returned to Africa last week and it was hard to say goodbye, but the good news is that his month stint will be up soon enough and we will be together in November/December.  

So I haven't JUST been falling in love since I got back to Houston - although some would say that's enough.  But wait.....there's more!!  

Bill and I went to New Orleans to scout out locations for a studio.  We found a few places on Magazine Street, which borders the Garden District (old money) and the Irish Canal (up and coming gentrification).  The first place, which had parking, was a former Hollywood Video and it would have been a perfect location, but the landlord/managing partner of the building was, to put it kindly, not so kind.  It wasn't too hard to determine that he would not be a person I would want to work with over a long period of time.  The second place also offered parking, but was entirely too big -- a pretty cool building though!  Formerly a funeral home, then the recording studio for Nine Inch Nails.  If those walls could talk!!!  

But there had already been a bid on the building, so that didn't work either.  The third opportunity was a PERFECT fit - a beautiful former warehouse for sale, it would be great to build out, but there was no parking included in the sale of the building.  And no parking is a show stopper.  

Perhaps another trip will be in the cards in the future.  We'll see.  By the way, that's Bill smiling in the warehouse-wonderful smile, huh!  In addition to studio scouting, we got to stay in a beautiful B&B, and for me the highlight of the trip was sitting with Bill on the porch of the 1900's structure watching it rain like crazy a few feet beyond our sanctuary, while the street cars splashed through giant puddles and we sipped on wine with Higbee sitting at our feet.  It was a beautiful afternoon.  

I also went to San Antonio to attend yet another seminar with Diane Ducharme - I'm starting to stalk this woman!!  I've seen her in Palm Desert, spent a lot of time with her in Massachusetts,  attended her seminar in San Antone -- and guess what?  I'm going to see her in Vegas on the way home!!!  In any event, I learned so very much from the event, and also got to see a bunch of friends from training - Jill, Carlos, Casey and Mani!  

I'm pretty sure I win the prize for seeing the most people from Fall 08 training over the last year. At some point, I'm going to go through the yearbook and make a list.  I'm guessing I've seen at least a third of the US students from training.  Another bonus from this adventure!

And of course, I've been teaching.  Since I arrived in Houston, I've taught 33 classes and yesterday, I taught 4.  That was an amazing experience.  Overall, I feel just great.  I have been able to put to use all the things that Diane has taught me, not just about my own teaching, but also about how to help people with physical problems - most importantly is how to encourage them to not be afraid of their bodies and do the best they can -- the right way.  Every time I come out of the studio, I can't help but feel I have the best job in the world.  I have the honor of helping people improve their lives.  What a wonderful profession.  

Have also been spending some time with my wonderful "little sister" Liana.  We bonded when I was here in June, and this time, we got even closer.  I got to go with her when she bought her new car, and last week, we went to the opera together - it was a dress rehearsal, and we were definitely in the nosebleed section, but "The Elixir of Love" was wonderful and very apropos for both of us!!  

So it's been a deluge, not just of the rain this season, but of love, laughter, learning and leaning (that's the best alliteration I could come up with that refers to the yoga).  

I'm the luckiest girl in the world.  

p.s. Bill, I'm still drenched and soggy from the rain - will post a pretty picture of me in new glasses tomorrow when I have a better chance of not looking like a wet rat.  xo

Back in the Saddle Again

I have returned to Houston. Am teaching like a madwoman – putting to use all the things I’ve learned on my trip. It makes a difference – I am so much more confident and comfortable up on the podium. I’m able to give people with bad knees guidance so they won’t hurt themselves, I understand the poses better and I know the dialogue more and more and more. I just LOVE this path!!!!!

But here’s the real reason I’m back in Houston:

A few years ago, when I was in the total dumps feeling sorry for myself and rather hopeless about a future partner, I went to Safeway. As I was checking out with my single person's basket, the checker, a rastafarian guy with dreads, asked me if I had found everything I needed. I looked in the basket and told him, "well, all the food I need is in there, but there's no man in that basket!" He replied, "Don't worry, he's on his way." I looked up, a bit shocked and said, "Excuse me?" He again said, "He's on his way, custom made, just for you." I almost burst into tears and said, "I've waited so long!" And again he said, "Don't worry, he is coming, custom made, just for you." I held on to those words, and after a while, really started to believe it.

He's here.

His name is Bill. I was introduced to him in July when I was in Houston. Cheryl, a teacher at the Houston studio insisted that I meet him, but by the time I had agreed, he had already left for work. Bill does accounting for an oil company and works 30 days in Algeria , and then has 30 days off. I gave Cheryl my email address and my blog address, and Bill started to email. We kept up a correspondence, and then talked on the phone when he got back to Houston and I was in Massachusetts . He made a quick trip home last month to attend his mom's funeral in Kansas, and we spoke even more. And when I returned to Houston , we actually got to meet in person. And all I could say was WOW. He has a killer smile and eyes that light up a room. He is intelligent, articulate, interested in a variety of things, likes good wine and does the yoga. He's an adult.

I feel very different this time. I'm not jumping up and down excited, there aren't chills all over my body (well, most of the time) and I'm not super giddy. I just kind of know that this is the right one, so I'm going with the flow of it - not pushing one way or another. It feels so right.

So Bill is going to come to California after Thanksgiving. We are going to make a tour of Northern California. He'll fly into San Francisco , and then we'll head up to Marin and into the wine country (he's a big fan of french wine, and I'd like to introduce him to some good California reds), then on to Sacramento, up to Grass Valley to see one of his sons who lives there and then down hwy 49 to Yosemite . I wanted him to come to the Bracebridge dinner, but he'll have to return to Houston and get back to Africa before the dinners start. That will have to be something to look forward to.

After the priest gave my mom last rites at the hospital before she died, I asked her to do me a favor. In her typical crusty New England style, she said, "WHAT." I asked her that when she was out of pain and floating around checking up on us, to help me find my man. The right guy. She looked at me in the eye and said, "Lucille, your father's already working on that." Very UNtypical response, and one that shook me to the core. Those were her lasts words to me. But I think together my mom and dad have come through and although I had to drive all over the friggin U.S. to find him, he's finally here, custom made, just for me.

Land of 11,842 Lakes

WROTE THIS SEVERAL DAYS AGO - BUT JUST GOT IT ALL POSTED.  SORRY FOR THE DELAY. 

Greetings from Minneapolis, Minnesota!  This place is a series of contrasts. On the day I arrived, Mark brought me to the classic Nye’s Polonaise room, which was, I’m certain, quite the fashionable place to be in its day. It’s still crowded and there’s karaoke, of a sort, at this place, you get to sing the classics with the piano player. That’s in the main room, the room next door has the famous 

“most dangerous polka band in the world.” I think the only danger they have now is of falling off their chair. Or maybe getting gummed to death by the accordion player. I’m pretty sure she forgot to put her teeth in before show time. But then right down the street there was the place where Prince became famous and the more modern places are packed too.
Donja know now that the people here sound a lot like that movie, “Fargo.” Prairie Home Companion is produced right down the street, and at the gas station the other day, the guy behind the counter said to Mark about me that, “that girl doesn’t talk English like we do.” But the Walker art museum has a beautiful collection, and the architecture and town design is fabulous. People here are very progressive, recyclers, and kind of granola-ey. It’s fascinating!

Went shopping at the Mall of America, but I also stopped at the jam packed Wedge food co-op for some supplements and free range chicken.  
We’ve been having a spectacular Indian summer. 

The days and even nights are warm, and the beauty of the place is certainly enticing, but when Mark mentioned that there are days in the winter that are 30 below ZERO, the decision is easy and I will certainly be gone before I experience that contrast! The city is truly a tease – Friday night we at outside at a really nice Cuban restaurant, but finally, tonight, I can feel the cold air just waiting to blow in.

Mark and I went to training together and are fast friends. We went camping for a few days on the bluffs by the Mississippi river. Strange that I’ve seen the last part of the river before it flows into the gulf, and now I’ve been to nearly the start of it! We just went for a quick trip and didn’t pack a lot of food, so for dinner we went into the nearest town for food. Had a hell of a time finding a suitable restaurant (meaning not fast food), and finally ended up finding a Mexican place that looked ok. Here’s the irony – it was called, “Chula Vista!” It was nearly a year ago to the date that we had our first meal at the Chula Vista in training. Gotta say, the Fairmont Acapulco restaurant was much better than the one in Minnesota. After a good night’s sleep and a great morning hike, we packed up the camper. Unfortunately, the campsite was on quite a slope, and when I tried to saddle up the camper to the trailer hitch, I bingled it and lost the camper – 

it started rolling down the hill and nearly went over a cliff – despite attempts by both me and Mark to slow it down and stop it! It ended up hitting a small barrier (probably designed just for that) and the treacherous drop was avoided. I laughed like crazy at the escapade, Mark was a little rattled.
I’ve taught twice here and practiced a lot more than that. It’s been wonderful to see Martha’s studio – she is very well known as a passionate and excellent senior teacher. I took her class once, and even though she is 8 months pregnant, she still kicked my ass. She has an amazing “you can do it” attitude, and an incredible ability to withstand the heat and humidity despite 

her condition. She is a great teacher.
So is Mark. He has great passion, and compassion. I love his energy, his humor, and his ability to get people to go beyond their expectations. His practice has improved considerably and he looks strong as well. I’m very impressed.

We went to see a movie made locally called, “Into Temptation.” Mark wanted to see it as there’s a woman in 

the movie who practices at the studio. I wasn’t exactly too thrilled with the idea of what I thought was a movie about prostitution and sex shops. But it wasn’t really about that at all – it was about redemption in a way and it was so well done, I was crying at one point. If they end up doing a

 nationwide release, go see it. Or rent it on Netflix. See? That’s what I’m talking about – contrasts. This place is full of them.

Michigan Sunsets

I betrayed the Motel 6 chain, but really, they betrayed me – the hotel I wanted to stay in was poorly run, smelly and dirty. So I’m at another number – Super 8. Good enough for a night in Wisconsin. It smells like cows here. But not so happy cows – Happy Cows come from California.
After a week at Eileen’s I’m exhausted. She lives a life that I would not have the energy to live. She’s a single mom with three kids, a business, a busy personal life and an extended family. She handles it all well, with grace and 95% of the time, with a great big smile.  Not so sure I could pull that off. But we do what we must at the end of the day, don’t we?I arrived on Thursday evening, tried to get here for the sunset, but wasn’t too heartbroken when I missed it – I’d been traveling west for two days and had been staring at the sun plenty long enough. Friday got my hair cut and highlighted. Everyone on Facebook has seen it and yes, it looks great! Thanks for the compliments! After we dropped the kids off at their dad’s, we took a bike ride around town and watched the sun set over the lake. Eileen lives in the western most part of the eastern time zone, and on the east coast of Lake Michigan, the sun sets over the water very, very late in the day. We enjoyed a couple of beers on the beach and then had an outstanding dinner in town.
Over the next few days we helped Eileen’s mom (she’s still Mrs. Dwyer to me) finish up and prepare to go. After something like 26 years, she is moving to Florida to get out of the northern winters. She’s amazing – she sold her house, gave away most of the contents and sold off the rest, and Eileen’s brother Edward is going to drive down only a carload of clothes and mementos. Pretty brave for a 79 year old!!! We helped pack up the last of the stuff, join her for church, and did other chores before Mrs. Dwyer went to the airport. I was so happy to get to see her and help out.

Saturday afternoon we went to the catholic church; Sunday we went to Eileen’s alternative church – it’s spiritual but not religious – and it was an interesting study in contrasts. Saturday was full of mostly senior citizens and we did the usual “sit down, stand up, kneel down” routine, and I have to say, there were very few people smiling. The sermon was not so memorable, they talked about Ted Kennedy’s funeral, and that’s about all I can remember. At the second church, it was bless the pets day, and it was pandemonium – dogs barking, kids laughing, they even brought kids up to the altar for a little talk. I guess that’s typical. It was happy, funny and joyful – in my opinion, a wonderful alternative – but hey – different strokes.

We got to go sailing on the lake on Monday. So this summer, I’ve been boating in the Pacific, the gulf, the Atlantic and now on the Great Lakes – how cool is that?

Eileen’s kids are wonderful. They are sharp, independent and funny. They had their first day of school on Tuesday and I got to take their picture before they boarded the bus. Well, actually Joseph and Audrey boarded the bus – James goes to another school so he was driven.

A kid that James knows was killed in a boating accident over the weekend. It shook up the town and made everyone realize how precious their kids are – the sorrow could be felt for days – life is short – you just never know!!!

And on that note…..sending love to all.

I heart NY

Drove across New York to the tune of $25 for the toll road, but I got an “I heart NY” bumper sticker. I’m not 100% sure it’s true, but it does chronicle my short ride across the Empire State. Highlights included lots of hedgehogs on the side of the road sitting like sentinels, and a view of the Oscar Meyer Wienermobile – maybe the hogs were there to salute the giant hot dog!

Spent the night in the Niagara Falls/Buffalo area. Another Motel 6 – brand new and really nice! But it was strange being in that town. There were no young people there – most folks were 50+, I’m guessing the younger generations have left to find greener pastures. Stopped in Target to pick up something cheap so that I could get some cash back from the purchase, and three different women nearly bumped into me as I was shopping around the corners. “I’m Sorry,” “I’m Sorry,” “I’m so, so sorry.” Was the response I got for the near misses. I thought about that. What did they have to be sorry about? Why would they apologize for not bumping into me? “Excuse me,” or “Pardon me” might be a little more appropriate, but even that seemed a bit unnecessary. In addition, I just couldn’t imagine any man apologizing for nearly walking into me – they might expect an apology, but to give one? I just don’t think so! So it made me wonder about the women in the area and how much (or rather little) power they had in their lives. Wasn’t there long enough to give it a more thorough exploration, but still, I wondered.

Stopped at Niagara Falls. I went there when we lived in Erie. The first time was in the winter with a school group – I remember getting out of the bus, looking around impressed, and then getting back in the bus – it was too friggin cold to give it a good look. The second time was with my dad and grandmother. It was a warmer day, but still really overcast and wet. I remember getting one of those plastic rain jackets and going on the boat by the falls. I think I did it by myself while my dad stayed with his mom – I thought about that and how they let me explore on my own even as a young person. Probably one of the reasons I am such the adventurer now. But this time, WOW – it was a spectacular day – picture perfect!! Beautiful blue skies – amazing views and Higbee and I had a great walk around the state park and looking at the rivers, falls and the woods in the area. It was a fun morning, and I got yet another sticker for the camper.

Crossed into Canada to make the shortcut into Michigan. I was surprised at how easy it was – I fully expected a closer inspection – and thought for sure I’d have to raise the popup, have the dog x-rayed, but the guy just asked me a few questions (he didn’t even raise an eye when I told him I had been on the road since May to visit yoga studios), and we continued on to Canada. It looks a little more like Europe there. The architecture looks like Northern Europe, and the signage, well, that is exclusively Canadian. The re-crossing back to the US was just as easy except for the LONG lines as the border. The bridge that I took over the waterway showed spectacularly blue water though, wish I was able to capture an image of it.

Then another long drive to Eileen’s. Whew. I broke all the rules on that trip – stayed exclusively on the interstates, drove WAY longer than I was supposed to, ate crap from rest stations, and arrived absolutely spent.

But even though I can already detect a cold winter breeze here, it’s truly beautiful. I know why Eileen lives here. More on that later.