Hablo español, un poco

I'm in Quito, Ecuador! It's my first time outside the country since 2020 and it's delightful. I scheduled my first day for just walking around and soaking up the scenery. Which primarily seems to be baroque churches, quite frankly. I didn't include any photos with this post, but if you can just imagine every wall, ceiling, and column covered with gold gilt intricate carving, you'll be reliving my day.

The best thing happened at the Quito Astronomical Observatory. It's pretty old as these things go in the New World (founded 1873) and still seems to be quite active in public engagement in the community.

When I walked up to pay the entrance fee, one of the attendants heard my accented Spanish and told me he had a proposal. I was momentarily apprehensive, as proposals to single clueless women tourists have the potential to be a problem. But he wanted to offer me free entrance in return for proofreading their short brochure about the observatory for English speaking visitors. I mean, I'm a physicist and a former writing tutor, I was not going to say no. I got the chance to be useful and then geeked out on nineteenth century sextants and meteorological equipment for a few hours.

This evening my brain hurts from talking, reading, and thinking in Spanish so much. Several people have complimented my Spanish, but I think they says more about the kindness of Ecuadorians than my skills. I mean, sure, if you are willing to talk to me slowly and stick to the present tense, I can usually follow and respond. But throw in a jest or am unexpected conversational direction and I'm lost. So I am simultaneously encouraged and discouraged with my language skills today. But I know I'll get it eventually.

Stoic Camp

The Stoic philosophers were so named because the founder, Zeno of Citium, taught his students on a porch, or stoa. And I had an awesome time learning about Stoicism on a porch (and in a lodge and on hikes) last week in Wyoming. I've been interested in Stoicism for a year or two, but that has been limited to reading a few books and participating in a one week online event called Stoic Week. I also read a few blogs, and one of them posted an advertisement for Stoic Camp earlier this year. This seemed like exactly the kind of thing retirement was supposed to provide time for, so I signed up.

Each morning and afternoon we read and discussed the writing of Epictetus and Marcus Aurelius in groups, and in the evenings we had guest lecturers who helped connect Stoicism to other schools of western philosophy. Shared cabin lodging and meals were provided by the camp, and every day with good weather, we had time to hike. But mainly, I got to learn about a really interesting topic with people who were really passionate about it.

Before I went, I predicted that I'd either love or hate Stoicism by the end. And I'm definitely leaning in the love direction. It's a philosophy that resonates with me, but of course the real test will be putting it into practice over the coming months and years. 

Near the end of the week, we all got up before 5am and hiked up a ridge to watch the sun rise and ponder.

The last day, the weather turned. The roads were closed and I wasn't sure I'd be able to get back to the airport in time for my flight. But thanks to a lift from fellow campers in an unreliable pickup and a lot of good fortune, I made it. If I needed to, I could have stayed an extra day or two. I continue to be grateful that I have the funds to pay for unexpected situations like surprise hotels or speeding tickets or dental bills. I will never forget the year in Albuquerque in my twenties when things like that weren't possible, and which now provides a foil for my current life. 

If you want to learn more about Stoicism, you can read more at Stoicism Today, some of the podcasts from Philosophy as a Way of Life (co-hosted by the leader of the camp), or just read the Wikipedia page.

And so it begins!

As a reminder, I've been doing some consulting for my old company. They hired my replacement, and the last two weeks I worked daily, onboarding her. In fact, I really like her and am a bit sorry I won't actually get to work with her. But not enough to keep working, of course.

So my contract has ended, and that means I am officially, absolutely not working any more. That very afternoon, I deleted my work email and Slack from all devices (Yay!) and aimed myself in new directions. I've got two trips planned for May, assuming I manage to continue avoiding COVID.

Yesterday I arrived in Denver. I got to play tourist for the weekend, then I'm off to Wyoming. I'm always surprised by how expensive, dry and White it is. There's a very progressive/hippy/alternative vibe that it is much harder to find in DC. 

I went to the city botanical gardens. They did a very good job with plants from arid places. My friend M said I looked like I was on safari in this picture. Good thing the photo didn't show my saddle shoes; that would have ruined the vibe.

Every Japanese garden I have every visited had been lovely.

There were also many cottonwood trees, but I couldn't manage a good picture of them with the seeds blowing on the wind. Cottonwoods release seeds in the spring attached to white, cottony fluff. We had a few on our property when I was growing up, and my parents grew up in a county named for them (shout out to Cottonwood County!).  My father said he remembered small drifts of the cotton fluff at the right time of the year.

And not in the garden, but downtown, I saw this pioneer monument. Its depiction of maternal protection and gun violence really struck me.

And so my really, truly, not working life begins. I have one or two trips planned every month until I leave DC, so stay tuned for lots more.

Annapolis in Style

I recently stayed in Annapolis, which is so close (a 45-minute drive) that the only reason we could call it a vacation is that we brought suitcases. We were there to celebrate L's 40th birthday, and we were able to do it in style because my friend CA knew someone who loaned us their vacation house. 

Located on the Chesapeake Bay, Annapolis is the capital of Maryland and known mainly for seafood, the US Naval Academy, and it's brief stint as the capital of the US in the 1780's. We spent most of our time strolling the narrow streets and visiting antique shops. We also splurged on a seafood meal, confirming my finding that seafood restaurants are even worse that steakhouses at providing vegetarian options. 

The view from the back patio was stunning. Honestly, though, I was most wowed by the fox that trotted through the back yard in the evening. I have never seen one up close before.  

We tried our best to look glamorous.

The town has a tradition of flower baskets and arrangements displayed on May Day. I thought the Blood Mary-inspired arrangement was particularly clever.

Unfortunately, we all returned to our homes infected. Both of my friends were had COVID, and I was hit with something that knocked me out for a week, but was not COVID. We are all recovering well, but it was not quite the final flourish we were hoping for. Luckily for me, I'm completely well and will be able to continue with some previously-planned travel.