Sol 61: Coming up on three weeks in Bali. We’ve had some highs and some lows. The awe at the constant beauty around us has not waned. It seems every time I look up I see something unique, amazing, delightful or a bit different and quirky.
The bargaining never stops.
New Kite Flying Friends
My husband is tallying a list of ‘things I have seen being carried on a scooter’ and it just about contains everything possible. I’ve seen tiny, tiny babies nestled between ma and pa, panes of glass being held aloft, piles of branches, sticks and grass, complete mini-stores where one might make a meal or sell you a plethora of snacks. All of this wheeling by you.
Dewi makes the best meals!
The places we have stayed have been varied from an estate/villa such as the place we are at now to a house in the middle of a more tattered neighborhood where our point woman was amazing. She arranged for our boys to fly kites with her sons and made the best Nasi Goreng.
Emade, our amazing driver from Ubud. Email him for driving at nyoman.wati72@gmail.com
We ended up leaving early though as we found a dead bird under our bed and a bird nest above our son’s bed in the thatched roof that was less than sanitary. Bird poo on your sheets and pillows? We had to draw the line somewhere. The host (whom we never met) told us by email ‘that is nature’ and I am inclined to think it is but, it doesn’t have to be on my son’s head.
Dinner on Jimbaran Beach.
We are getting more adaptive in the heat. I wouldn’t say more used to it. You can see why people have plunge pools to dip into and wash off the heat of the day.
Monkey back rubs at the Monkey Forest Sanctuary.
We can see Mt. Agung from our current house and she is still resting. We are grateful for this but, also are acutely aware that there are several thousand people still living away from their homes out of the evacuation zone in refugee camps. This is heart breaking and a struggle.
Jatiluwih Rice Terraces
Our boys have adjusted to mom and dad being the guides/teachers for the interim.
They are adjusting and we are soaking up our last week here as Friday, we head to Malaysia
There are very typical Bali experiences I am committing to memory. I share 10 of them with you here.
- the sweeping up of all the flowers that fell overnight with a broom made of palm leaves.
- the sweet smell of incense and tiny offerings that show up before most doors or walkways.
- the low, guttural mooing of the cows with giant bells around their necks.
- the assortment of flying bugs some bedazzling with colorful, sparkling wings and others just larger than I have ever seen before.
- houses with open walls that get transformed in the evening to a closed in space with the pull of a curtain.
- the frogs that take up residence in the bathrooms or guarding the end of our bed.
- the offer of a 100 cab, scooter rides if you are merely standing on the side of the road.
- the vibrant color of fruit smoothies that rival any modern painting
- the intricate carvings in wood and stone that are done with a hammer by the roadside
- the absolute kindness of most people who wish to see you well.
Canyon warning the rabbits they may become pets or someone’s dinner.
Nothing like seeing a structure that is over 600 years old when your own country’s european settlement history started after this temple was built.
My new favorite Pringles flavor?
Doorway to our current bedroom.
Boys paying respects by wearing a sarong and really looking good while doing it!
Night food market.
Grilling the meat and using the fan to bring in the customers as well as spread the smoke.
Kelvin in his element with the cutest photo bomber in the back!
Tenenungan Waterfalls
Reading Kindles while waiting for a ride.
Family photo
A huge shout out to our friends Robyn and Mark who hosted us a couple times in Australia. We want them to know we so appreciate them!! Happy Wedding next month!
Any lover of indie rock from the 90s might know what I am taking about.
It makes you feel that you are really on the long haul. Then there are the serious but, somehow seemly cute signs warning
you of Kangaroos and Koala bear crossings.
magic of 
discussions of favorite candy bars and breakfast foods while swimming and diving for Australian coins. We were kindly and generously served Australian wines and given some great insights of places to go and very kind inquiries of our travels. Thanks Fiona and Tony!!
at times. It is hard to see him sad and we work to help.
are not profit putting their earnings back into research which they were conducting while we where onboard. We saw an amazing array of whales, mommas, escorts and babies, who seemed to be just flirting with our boat all afternoon doing all the activity described on the phamplet. Even our guides seemed to be impressed with the activity.
We have seen people laying out high teas complete with champagne and several tiered cake trays, hot plates with kettles and a ‘civilized’ spread that would challenge most high-end dinners out. These folks know how to enjoy the out-of-doors!
work with ended up at 
time one the beach and riding bikes along the water front for a couple of miles enjoying the giant Pelicans seeking snakes and brown snakes waking up after a long winter and sunning themselves on the beach.
Yesterday, we found the giant bouncy pillow and it rocked! Also, made quick friends with a local lad on the zip-line. These are playground toys that would likely be inaccessible in the US due to our litigious culture. It was fun to watch the boys bouncing all over the place.
The regular coffee cups, the choices of shirts to wear, the boys Legos, that favorite pillow or cuddle blanket. Even going through shampoos, a lucky necklace or board game. We have been reducing our possessions to the smallest of piles to take with us.
neighbor’s relief, I am sure) and our halls echo with our voices, we are aware that it is really us that makes a home. We ever we are, we will be fine.
We check the mail. Return keys to my office, measure the boys growth on the wall for that last time for a while and return that leftover dish from our Bon Voyage party.
That price tag smarts more for me than the pain of the shots, although, my sons will beg to differ.
The folks there were mostly great but, with each day new people had to be told what we were doing and I was beginning to feel like I was in a Groundhog Day movie.
This academy opened the world of possibilities for us to repackage our trip, ideas and come up with an alternative plan (note: not to be confused with alternative facts).
Changing jobs, leaving schools, packing up, preparing goodbyes and selling belongings. We still have a lot to do but, we have a couple of Homeland style planning boards with tasks that we are following up on.
I have never seen ourselves as people who home school their kids. We have always sought out the appropriate education philosophy for our boys and embraced our school as they plan for our kids.
d to research and seek out a way to investigate their question. The steps to find out the answer to their question has the child find out the place where one would learn about that interest.
I realize how much we depend on our schools to keep our kids ‘on track’ for their learning. It is their professional job! I am not a professionally trained teacher. Kelvin and I both have skills to share, like any parents but, the responsibility of being in charge of a year’s worth of eduction feels very daunting to me.
We already started a practice of writing in a small journal at the dinner table after our meal where we each write a little bit about the day. Oakley will write one sentence and Canyon a couple. Kelvin and I also write and we all check each other’s work. We generally write down what we are grateful for that day. Noting small, notable things that happened that day.