Fresh Air

Drake Lake - Day 5

This trip is fantastic.  Upon arrival in Buenos Aires, Alan and I went for a swim, followed by a spectacular lunch in one of their finest restaurants.  That evening, we attended a very sensual tango performance.  The Argentinians take their tango very seriously, and we saw several different (but equally sexy) styles during the dinner show.  As a city, BA is a cross between Paris and NY...filled with style and well dressed people.  It's also a bit dirty, and the pollution is bad, but I'd like to return to explore it further.

The following morning, we traveled by charter to Ushuai, located in Patagonia.  It's a small but thriving city and has benefited greatly from the extensive tourism opportunities that have arisen from interest in visiting Antarctica.  Alan and I rented a car, and spent the afternoon hiking in the mountainous region that abuts right against Chile.  Alan went for a plunge in the icy lake water but I was happy enough to take pictures.

We boarded the Nordnorge in the afternoon, got settled in our cabin and more or less hit the hay right after dinner.  For an expedition boat, the Nordnorge is very well appointed and comfortable.  We've been at sea now for two days, crossing the Drake Passage.  According to the Captain, the 600 mile section separating S. America and Antarctica is usually much more tumultuous, but we're having a very gentle crossing.  When it is like this, they call the passage "Drake Lake."  I cannot tell you how thankful I am for the calm, as I am just getting my sea legs under me now.

This afternoon, we'll be landing on Half Moon Island, home to some ungodly number of Chinstrap penguins.  The briefing this morning was enough to scare the bejesus out of you, what with fur seals that bite and baby penguins too curious for their own good.  Nonetheless, there is a boat full of people that are anxious to view these wonderful creatures "up close and persona" as they say.

More later, but we're off to a good start! 

I Love You Thiiiiis Much!

This is a gentoo penguin; one of the many life forms I'll be seeing shortly as I abandon the cause at home and take wing (hopefully with slightly more loft than this fellow can generate) and head southwards to Antarctica.

Yes, the business is sleeping.  Yes, the house is going on the market.  Yes, I am so tired of packing and cleaning I could just scream.  But I know a secret, and that secret is that as of about 8:30 am on Wednesday, I'll be on a plane to Buenes Aires and all of normal life as I currently know it will be a pleasant memory for the next three weeks.

Our route will be quite exciting - and if you're interested you can take a peek at the itinerary at   http://www.norwegiancoastalvoyage.com/tours_antarctica3.asp.  The good news is things start out with a bang, as we're attending an Evening of Tango our first night in South America.  Hopefully, this will really be a performance, without the audience participation such events sometimes encourage.  Its been years since I've danced, and though I still harbor deep hopes that Alan will one day want to learn, it isn't on the current agenda and I'm sure that I've grown two left feet in the interim.

I'll have Internet connectivity on board ship, and will try and post a bit of this and that as we journey across Drake Passage and into the heart of Antarctica.  The trip should provide a much needed break from all that has gone before us most recently, and a refreshing opportunity to hit the ground running upon our return.

I wish you all well in my absence, and Bon Chance!

WWF = Women; Worldly and Fascinating

I recently attended the 10th anniversary Annual Meeting for the Washington Woman's Foundation, a wonderful celebration of the growth and magnitude of this powerful group of women.  From the very first meeting I attended in 2003, I have been continuously impressed with the caliber, quality and interesting nature of the members of this organization.  This impression has only been reinforced over time.

The rotunda at Benaroya Hall was abuzz with talk of this year's slate of potential recipients.  I had a chance to meet up with many old freinds, and meet some new folks as well.  Our membership is over 400 strong now, and I have to admit that there were a notable number of men in attendance as well!

Founded to provide women with both the power to leverage their philanthropic power as well as the education necessary to make appropriate and personally relevant choices, this group caters to women of all ages, socio-economic status and degree of experience in working with charitable organizations. 

I love the fact that I can personally contribute to WWF, then select organizations from my personal list to receive donations that I would have given in any regard, and to also participate in selecting deserving organizations that receive "pooled" funds from the group as a whole.  I personally know some of the groups that have received funding over the years, and getting a "chunk" of $50 - 100K allows these groups to consider much larger, more sustainable projects.

It has become quite a feather in an organization's cap to receive funding from WWF.  This is because we've developed a set of criterion and a review process that really asks organizations to consider their goals, results, metrics for success and means to evaluate that success.  It's not about handing out money on a platter...it's about making a real and sustainable difference through our giving.  The bar has been raised, and organizations are responding in a very positive manner.

Recently, in a spate of personal housekeeping, WWF started an endowment fund in honor of Colleen Willoughby; founder, leader and all around amazing woman.  As any non-profit organization recognizes, a perfect world is one in which there isn't a constant struggle for fundint dollars just to keep the doors open.  Endowment funds can assist to provide operational income, allowing for greater programmatic focus for fundraising efforts.

I am encouraging both my family and freinds to get involved with this great organization.  Through this group, I have learned so much, and have met so many excellent women.  I am thankful to have been invited to participate, and look forward to what the future will bring.

If you're interested, I'll bet there is a neighborhood meeting happening somewhere near you.  To find out, please visit their web site at http://www.wawomensfoundation.org/.  You'll be very glad you did!

Pitchfork Archeology

Naked tines
Sift endless layers
of paper, deals and people.

Room to room and remnant to remnant,
I move in reverent silence
And ache with grief and longing.

Each shard a reminiscence tied to place and context;
I hear words, see faces, some long gone. 
It's hard to stay on task with ghosts that tug your elbow
and your heart.

Research, plans, handwritten thoughts and strategies.
Patents, trademarks, products; phases; specs.
Some stacks a seamless periscope
from beginning through the end.

As we near bedrock,
The purity of purpose re-emerges
From hidden depths of disappointment.

From sound foundation's base, I know we'll build again.

Towards the Tipping Point

Middle ground;
Safe and central, unconflicted.
The fulcrum may rest easy here,
but experience teaches change, not stasis.

You can't know middle ground until the end, 
As only Hindsight knows these mysteries, and she's not telling.

With backward glance, I gently tick
the wayposts toward the tipping point,
and pillowed graceful glide to Vision's End.

With wavering grace, we walked that tighrope,
shifting weight and weathered blows
in thin, responsive slippers.
Parasol askew, the world tipped,
revealing safety's net as false and unsupportive.

Odd that failure has its own beauty.
Each small setback like a wrinkle
marring porcelain skin's perfection
but with purpose and design.

I've got more character now.

When the World Was New

Fresh,
the scent of new potential hung in the air;
Shimmering, dazzling in inherent, unformed possibility.

Such exuberance has resonance,
an energy and life beyond its source; 
Hope and purpose crafted to conveyance
through the minefield called "success."

When the world was new,
uncharted ground passed swiftly under feet
running with vector and velocity,
to craft that which had not been, with value yet to be determined.

Would that "idea" alone would be sufficient.

But business beats to many drummers,
And silent forces rage, with klaxon effect.
No one sees full spectrum, but night vision helps.

Much anticipated, the birth unfolds in passion paired with pain;
Perspective often lost as wizened, red and squalling,
Hope and Hard Work's child arrives.

One prayer answered, illusory in magnitude and effect,
Suspending and obscuring, for just a moment,
the hard work yet to come.