Away

 Charleston, SC, Nov 10, 2012 Betsy and Jim's wedding

I have been away. Let's be definitive, my last post was exactly one month ago-maybe. I am not quite clear what day it is. It could be December 13 or it could be the 14th. I have gone beyond all bounds; around the bend and over the edge. There have been moments this past month of complete joy and utter fragility. Honestly, I think November felt like spring, too much coming forth and bursting out.  The coming and going. The impending leaving of everyone.

 

 
That emptiness of Thanksgiving leftovers; I am left feeling hung over. Maybe I should drink more alcohol. I have exactly one photo of my whole family together this year- and this is it. I am blessed. Thank you person who was walking by, thank you cell phone for having a camera.
 

 Lane Stadium, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg VA- Go Hokies! Nov 24, 2012

As a self described homebody, someone who craves all things still, this last quarter of the year has severely tested my need to be still. The list makes my head hurt to even consider. 

Singapore, Dec 13, 2012

cell phone photo 

This is my husbands list, I left mine home. 

As I sit in a hotel room in Singapore, with intermittent internet connection, I cannot fathom how I got here. Besides the one hour drive to the airport, the 2 hour flight from Roanoke to Atlanta, the 14 hour flight from Atlanta to Norita, Japan and the 7 hour flight from Japan to Singapore. Oh and the layovers, I forgot the layovers. This is my husbands life on a regular basis. The world slips away and he moves forward in grace, with one planned footstep after another.  I have come to be with him. My first solo international flight. As always he figured out the logistics and made the arrangements. I found a way through all my photo client work and fear of travel. I made it here, albeit a day late. (A long story of airline imagining fog and flight cancellations.) 

My husband had one more day of work. So I strolled the grounds today, alone. 

 old bench Singapore, Dec 13 2012-

cell phone photo

Small Stone 
This time by Teri H Hoover

Blown down in last nights rain, tiny white blossoms have faded into the color of old paper, reminding me of the origami cranes I saw yesterday.

 Singapore, Dec 13, 2012 
In the distance you can see the barges and ships so indicative of the worlds busiest port.

From Wikipedia- Singapore-An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the Singapore Strait to its south. Singapore (新加坡) is a city-state in Southeast Asia. Founded as a British trading colony in 1819, since independence it has become one of the world's most prosperous countries and boasts the world's busiest port. Combining the skyscrapers and subways of a modern, affluent city with a medley of Chinese, Malay and Indian influences and a tropical climate, with tasty food, good shopping and a vibrant night-life scene, this Garden City makes a great stopover or springboard into the region.The country is highly urbanised with very little primary rainforest remaining, although more land is being created for development through land reclamation. Singapore is the world's fourth leading financial centre, and its port is one of the five busiest ports in the world. The economy depends heavily on exports and refining imported goods, especially in manufacturing, which constituted 26% of Singapore's GDP in 2005.