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 Enga mellom fjella: where from across the meadow, poems sing from mountains and molehills. |
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Enga mellom Fjella  Sentinel Marked as if you own me I bow before the Bitterroots and just like you my rocky soil, my withered grass lays prey to the empty sky. © Kåre Enga 2007 "Sentinel"   Reader's Choice of Poems: "Zmitri" "In the midst of silence" "Between us" "Boise City" "Plain cover jacket" Reader's Choice of blog entries from my old blog "L'aura del Campo" :"Death of Jeannie New Moon" "Doing and don'ting. A scene in 2nd person." "When is it proper to tell someone you love them?" "Footprints in the snow, in memory of Nyia Page" "Wheat penny. Gave in, started a forum." FACES     PLACES            Kåre  Enga~ until everything was rainbow, rainbow, rainbow! And I let the fish go. ~ Elizabeth Bishop The Fish |
| ME: just me. July 10: The hysteria of the day before. Packing went slow. Everything went s.l.o.w. To bed too late. July 11: A very long trip. All day. Jen picked me up at 4 in the morning and got me to the airport. Once in Costa Rica I couldn't do anything with my phone (too late). Took Tuasa bus into town. No single room at Gran Hotel Centroamericano so I went to Hostel Van Gogh. Fortunately they had a bed. July 12, San José: Managed to get new telephone number. Luís helped me with that. Met up with Brian and we ate at the same Chinese restaurant we ate at before. We both like dim sum. People in hostel from Cork and denmark. Andreas from Århus is amazing! July 13, San José: Evie and I visited the zoo. Took some of pictures. Wandered around Barrio Amón. Found out the Jade Museum was open... ...and Evie turned into a tour guide! she'd read up about it but had never been there. It's new and world class. Glad we went together. Even took photos of phallic objects... read penises. The collection has lots of jade but also stone and ceramic artifacts. The Spanish were mostly interested in gold so they ignored everything else. Brian decided to go with his mother to Limón. July 14, San José: Took the bus to the university in San Pedro and took photos of the awesome street art. Walked back. Exchanged some money with David. Got a 1914 5 centavo coin.  And a Venezuelan note (a pink one). Fish al ajillo (garlic). Later yuquitos (fried yuca). Sat on the floor while talking to Evie. Had a difficult getting up. The pain... but no harm done. Teenagers from San Carlos played pool (but should've turned their other toys off). I picked on them. To their delight. July 15, San José to Pérez: Got up early and took my time packing and getting ready. Wandered to the bus station. Took photos in Plaza de la Cultura of shoe sculptures. 3 hours on the bus. The mountaintops were clear of clouds. Unfortunately I didn't have seat by window. Bought my usual rootbeer, bread and white cheese at rest stop. Arrived about 4. WAs able to get to market before closing, eat and see friends. Ran into people I knew within minutes. Small town... July 16, Pérez: Feria = farmer's market. Gave licorice to Sam and Marguerite. Hugged Ilena. Spoke with Franklin, José, Ronaldo, Maxine, Susana, others... Ate one of Sam's TexMex enchiladas. Very good. Had my pinto con natilla at Soda El Molina. Saw Johnny at bus stop. Met Aarón in park; he plays pool. Got call from Mary. Met Carter at Delicias; he writes essays. Very social day. Unfortunately felt weak, tired and depressed. July 17: Midnight of the 16th/17th. I need sleep. Awake at 7. Up at 9. Shouldn't have gone back to sleep. Wandered down to feria (farmers' market) and saw a couple friends. Not busy on a Friday. Bought avocados. Shopped with Sam after we ate gallo pinto at a new place. I had to eat something... Posted animal pictures. Edited photos of penises (phallic artifacts from Pre-Columbian times). Bought one liter of milk in a good plastic container I can re-use. Sent a postcard to my friend Gary. Cost 600 colones = that's over $1. Costs went up again. Went to writer's group. Met up with my friend Johnny in the park. Late evening? Roar of macho motorcyclists tearing up the town. Miserable until they left. 53.295 views as of July 16. |
| ME: Oh... just being me. Whether that's good... or bad... depends on p.o.v. July 3rd: Places are closing up early. This is to be expected... but not enjoyed by all (ME, for example). It's hot but breezy. My problem? My rooms don't catch the breeze. I don't have a/c. I don't have internet either. I'm cheap. And proud of it! But it does get dicey on hot days. Still working on strong verbs in Norwegian. Slight complication... sometimes there are two verbs spelled the same but delcined differently and with different meanings. Then there are the transitive verbs (which I think take regular declensions) versus intrasitive verbs that change in 'wonderful' ways. But I'm making progress!  In the food department of my life: sautéed turnips last night; today ate brats. If I could find an a/c unit that ran on gas... 53.277 views as of July 3rd. |
| ME: Day 8, June 26: Boiled underwear while I listened to NPR. Didn't get up till 8... the big decision had already come down from the Supremes. Now to dissect and note the tenor of the dissent. My concern? The push-back. Not as strong a decision like the ones in Canada or Mexico. There are many places that will be facing a new reality... one they don't approve of. May reach 100º tomorrow. Now? 93º at 8 pm. Forecast is 101, 103, 96, 94, 96, 98, 96 with searing sunshine. Not amused am I. I'll try to stay in the shade and sit in a/c. Market in the morning is still doable as it may only be 65º. Highs tend to be around 5 p.m. Day 9, June 27: Went to market and bought cherries, ginger pear jam. Ate biscuits and gravy. Went to the bank... needed money. Hot day. Very hot. tried to stay out of the sun. Went to Bernice's in the evening and worked on my Norwegian verbs. Strong verbs are a bit tricky... like English but I begin to see patterns. buy / bought / have bought seek / sought / have sought think / thought / have thought blæs / bles / har blåse græt / gret / har gråte læst / let / har låte Patterns. Put a fan in the window. Hope for a cool night. Day 10, June 28: Not very cool in the morning. Friend posted that it reached 101º yesterday. 80º at 11 a.m. Maybe a break come Tuesday? One can only hope. I make small but steady progress on unpacking... almost done. Cleaning... maintaining. Soaking plants... one-by-one. Mexican bridal-wreath is blooming. No internet yesterday, so I'm catching up on the news. Disturbing images from Pride Parade in Turkey... celebrations elsewhere. Russia is upset... that can be good and bad. Got up before my alarm went off. This bodes well.  Day 11, June 29: Sat with Jane and her husband. Then I scooted to a corner to work on the internet. I putter with tasks: plants in the hallway (not mine) are watered. I wrote in my journal: "I'm so bored with myself. At least I'm not vegetating at home. Getting up early enough to get something done. Coming up on 7 pm - and a poetry reading = something to do." So I went. John burgess from Seattle was quite entertaining. I bought his book, "By Land". After, I went to the food store. It rained while I was inside. Not much, but real rain! Day 12, June 30: "I gladly pay you Tuesday for a hamburger today..." First hamburger was strange, second was normal; however, I'm not amused by hamburgers for lunch. Not my thing. Paid my WDC account with my 10% discount... at least that's out-of-the-way. July = pay my post office box! Met with Spanish speakers today. Everyone was looking good but I had trouble hearing and it was worse when people were loud. Ah... glad to be sitting quietly on a bench. Same at Senior Center. Bingo on Tuesday is painful but I sat in the back away from the speakers and was pleasantly surprised. Day 13, June 31: Socretes Club, Men's Group. Back into routine. But Men's group... I want to do more than talk about the latest Hollywood movie fail. At least the Socretes Group is cpable of intelligent conversation. Even had a chance to agree with Mary Alice... I don't all the time. Went under the bridge. Met AC and DC two frilled bearded lizards. Saw a fish swimming at the surface. A beaver carrying a stick was going upstream. Sat late at night on a bench outside the bread-store. peaceful and cooling. Room was still too hot although I did put an inadequate fan on. Better than nothing? Day 14, June 32: Good lunch/dinner. Chicken was done correctly. Potatoes and gravy, vegetables? Fine. Nothing fancy but fine. Sat next to someone who was choking but she indicated she had it under control. David and I weren't sure... Visited folks but I'm really enjoying this quiet corner. Might become a bad habit. Would a Fransiscan's wardrobe fail be due to a bad habit? Don't hit me; please don't hit me. 53.265 views as of June.26.2015 |
| No sense in me posting here on a daily basis as blog is near its limits. So... one a week. Added on to and edited. ME: Day 1, the 19th: Started Book 47 of my eleven-year-long hand written journal. This is important as I had trouble journaling on this past trip. Exhausted. Managed to get to Senior Center for the $4 Father's Day lunch. Saw friends. Stated unpacking. Dumped most of my luggage. No need to hurry. Added up my bank reserves. Enough for another trip without stressing. Plants okay. Small changes where I live and where I hang out. Only gone less than 4 months. Evening writers' group. They seemed to like my travel writing. Day 2, the 20th: Pride Parade. Took photos of my friends. Went to morning market and ate apricot-blackberry pie. Bought salad turnips and butifarro sausage. Went to Butterfly Herbs. Gave cardemom from Norway to Ingrid. Made lots of phone calls. Spoke with my sister for over an hour. Have about 19 days of calling left on my pre-paid account. This is good. Day 3, the 21st: Up 7ish. Took shower. So nice to get back into a routine. Sleeping in spite of the warmth. Started at Le Petit. Bought bread. Posted photos on facebook. Visted artists along the river. Headed for Butterfly Herbs. Sipped coffee and ate a pasta salad. Saw more folks. Checked news and facebook. Headed to Liquid Planet as they still have $1 drip on Sundays. Made new list of goals. Now time for objectives and/or monitoring progress. Hope springs eternal they say. Day 4, the 22nd: "Why aren't the crows plucked and stuffed?" Woke up with a weird story in my head... after going back to bed... after catching a glorious dawn, pink in the southwest. Posted edited sunrise and sunset photos on facebook. Shaved off beard. Small tasks every day pile up and I feel I'm making progress. Have 9 postcards of Norway displayed by my door. A long hot soak with the terse verse of Emily Dickinson. Day 5, the 23rd: Called my mother and my friend Gary... he answered! I need the cheer. Began studying Norwegian... again. Lyndia gave me 3x5 cards... now have 200 of them. Chicken, roasted vegetables, bread pudding. Overate. Did a wash. A double load for $2.50 for 40 minutes; soap 25 cents. Met my friend Travis. Good to talk with a fellow traveler. Told my friend Joyce, I was in 8 countries, stayed in 34 places. I should count again , but that's about right. My legs swelled a bit... not good. My cousin had a stroke... also not good. Day 6, the 24th: Got up at 6... lay down again... got up at 9... late. Snatched the last loaf of Birdman's bread. $2 for day-old.Did a blog entry in "O Pinion" and posted a travel piece. Went to Socrates Club. Polled them on the Supreme Court. 6-3, 5-4. on both major issues. Same at Men's Group. Met a nice Hawai'ian couple. Day 7, the 25th: Up early. Out at 8. Went to Le Petit to connect to internet. 2 court cases settled. ACA survives to fight another day. Never understood why the GOP opposes a plan that is basically their idea and one that helps their base. Sat by myself at Sr. Ctr. and got some work done. Went across the river. Music. Food. I ate sweet and sour chicken on rice noodles. $7. Talked to folks about birds. Went and sat by the bronze fish. tyler came over and we sat on a bench and chatted. Made phone caalls. Some answered; some did not.  A sticky evening. Took an aspirin and took a shower. |
| Will I find my Muse... I've written a few things on this trip but very little. Taken thousands of photos though. I'll be back on the 19th. Time enough to sort it all out when I get home. 53.249 |
| When I was homeless I didn't count the days. But... two years was more than 104 days. I should be thankful instead of complaining. This trip has not gone as well as planned. That said, there have been many nice times and I always meet nice people. Like the Swedish-Finn on the train yesterday. A lawyer! Well spoken in at least three languages. She reads two more... "Swedes will fight to the last Finn." Or in other words... willing to sacrifice others but not themselves. Ah... the Swedes. Finns don't trust the Russians either. Two hours... three? The train was delayed. Great talk about the Finns. History too. She'd even lived in Australia. So I should be thankful. Once in Lillehammer, I shared the room with Arne from Grimstad. Closer to my age but spoke English. Nice chat but it was late. Great bed here. Great breakfast. I could go to sleep for a week. And I might but, I'd like to do that in Molde. Ideally I get back to Montana before July. Just need to buy tickets. There's no easy cheap direct way. High season... my bad. I should've known. Really... I should've known... because I look into these things to not be caught. I'm cautious with planning and miserly with spending money. Did okay in Ireland, Japan, South Africa, Portugal. Australia was challenging though. I'm under budget but I need to check my balance as I don't know how much I have left! Once I have my ticket back... 53,235 |
| Ireland... Wish I had the energy to get to know you. I fear my body will shut down if I don't shut up and listen to it. Outside 'tis a cold and rainy day. Inside I just can't... I should be on the road to Dingle, to Cork, to somewhere. My body complains. I am going nowhere. My mind has been swirling like this song, "Vivir mi vida", sung by Marc Anthony: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YXnjy5YlDwk I have this urge to be back in Costa Rica. I feel estranged from everybody and everything. It doesn't help that I finally found pictures online of a friends' family. Just makes me realize how heart-broken I am. Like "Il pleure dans mon coeur" by Verlaine in this version of Billy Cowie: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sx-eI-VV4Gs But I should be thankful like Mercedes Sosa: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cIrGQD84F1g o su canción: solo le pido a Dios... I'll have to go out in the rain eventually. I'll have to continue my journey as well. I'm just not ready yet. 53,221 |
| Me... ...very tired of traveling. My writing has suffered tremendously but I did write something and posted it today. I feel the urge to write... not just the energy. Plus, a small voice keeps nagging at me that I'm in Oslo to experience Oslo and not just sit in a room and write. So... ...off I go on another walk. Yesterday's inspired me. There's hope. 53.197 |
| I didn't felt well Saturday night; felt better Sunday. Today's Monday... Quite frustrated with my stay in Tavira, but it's turning out okay. Shouldn't do travel for this long next time. It's exhausting. Lots of photos and I've actually been writing... just not posting. So... Lisbon and Lagos went well. Evora next. Then Coimbra. "Coimbra tem mais encanto na hora de despedida". 53,150 |
| I really couldn't continue this blog as it was reaching its limits. I haven't done as much writing as planned on this trip though, so maybe that wasn't a bright idea... Or maybe not. I'm surviving. Finances are doing okay. Health is holding on. Japan: loved it. Will go back to Yamagata, Toyama, Nara... if only for the people. Tokyo is interesting. Gardens at Mito were very nice. As were the ones in Kanazawa and Okayama. Takayama is relaxing. Beppu has hot springs. Fukuoka... I could live in the place I stayed. Great places everywhere except Okayama... didn't care much for the hostel. Australia: lovely stay with Linda and Dirk in Wangi Wangi. Nice visit with Flavio in Sydney. I preferred Brisbane though. Melbourne is easy to visit. Cape Town: dodgy. People are friendly... or more likely... not. Glares and grumpiness. Only 5 days though. I'm off tomorrow. So... Japan... YES! I really didn't have time to properly visit Kyoto; there was no place to stay in Sendai; not enough time to explore Tohoku; didn't get to Shikoku. Australia? maybe, maybe not. I'd like to visit Adelaide and I really did like Brisbane. Cape Town? not likely (great place to stay though). The area east of Johannesburg and Mozambique might entice me back to Southern Africa. Off to: Dubai, Portugal, Norway and Ireland. Next trip? Probably a visit to Costa Rica and I must see my mother if she visits my sister. Elsewhere in the world? Senegal still beckons as does Burkina Faso, Camaroun, Rwanda. Tromsø, Norway in winter and/or a month in a town like Molde. The Baltics and the Balkans, Antarctica (in my dreams). |
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