blue – M's Adventures

A View For My Room

December 10, 2020M's Adventures

In Lima, I had the luxury of ocean views. I now live inland, with no ocean views. But, I may have a remedy. I’ve been looking on Instagram, of course, and I’ve seen some azure seas that beckon like jewels glittering from the Internet. Most of the tropical views that I see on Instagram from Italy are from the South, on Sicily, or Amalfi, or Puglia… Or, I could use a photo from my archives. This photo of our “taxi” seaplane from the Maldives is still one of my favorite photos.

My plan was to paint directly on the wall… but, then I thought, why invent the wheel? I looked online and found sticky decals that already have pre-printed tropical views. There are even decals of views of forests, or even outer space.

Other than for view, I also want to be able to give directions to the bathroom by saying, “To the left of the Maldives” or some fun phrase like that. I may have to play the sounds of waves, a fan, some sand, and it will be a complete view to a tropical location. Or a kitty litter box. Oh COVID, we are all cats now.

Sloe Drink from a Slow Walk

August 17, 2017M's Adventures

The sloe berries are blue when ripe and they grow on tall bushes/low trees (clearly my grasp of botany is limited) in temperate climes like Denmark. They look like blueberries but are super sour and probably not delicious in their raw state (my friend tried one and I surmised this from the look on her face).

To make a sloe drink, you pick the berries, freeze them for a few days, and then put them in to the alcohol (vodka? gin?), let them marinate for a few days. Then drink.

Last year, when on a bike ride through Amager Faelled in Copenhagen, I noticed this guy picking something from the bushes. After racing over to him like an excited puppy, I asked him what he was doing.

The berries matched his eyes, and he was accommodating enough to model the sloe berries for me.

Colombian Colors

June 18, 2015June 18, 2015M's Adventures

His dad was showing him how to wave the flag. — The dad enthusiastically showed his son how to fly the colors.

With Colombia taking part in the beautiful game (soccer), I have seen lots of people wearing the national colors.

These kids were actually watching Celine Dion on a karaoke machine.

Soccer is the national sport and Colombians are passionate about it. They also like baseball but really, it’s all about “football.”

The three colors of the Colombian flag represent the gold found in Colombia; the blue seas, and the red blood shed fighting for independence.

That is the most patriotic monkey I've seen here. Doesn't even detract from the beautiful woman. — That is the most patriotic monkey I’ve seen here. Doesn’t even detract from the beautiful woman.

Colombia’s national day is July 20. Maybe I’ll see more patriotic colors then.

A little girl who is the gold in her father's eye. — A little girl who is the gold in her father’s eye.

Touched By A Manta Ray

March 7, 2013March 7, 2013M's Adventures

True blue color therapy in the Maldives.

I have never been into sand or sun or beaches but visiting the Maldives changed my mind. It seemed as if the water was not as salty as in other tropical places. But, maybe the fact that I was touched by a giant manta ray, has influenced my opinion. We paid the $48 for an outing to swim with giant manta rays, sea turtles, and fish. When we got into the water, the giant rays swam around us like a flock of kites gliding around our amateurish flailing limbs. I assumed that this was a popular feeding ground that the guides knew about and I also assumed that seeing the rays was a guarantee. Apparently it is not. So I feel even luckier. I am fairly sure that I was touched because I had stopped flailing around and was simply floating away on my back, totally ignoring the manta rays. Once I had been patted on the back by the ray, it had all my attention!