Happy Birthday

This year my birthday coincided with a full lunar eclipse and with two other birthday friends' celebrations - Ani Drolkar, whose birthday is on the 6th of October, and Maura whose birthday is on the 8th of October... (Maura and I are birthday twins!) On my birthday there was something for every part of me  - the part that meditates and prays, the part that resonates with the heavens and nature - and the part that enjoys good company and good food!

The great thing about the time difference between Australia and the USA is that one can have two birthdays. So my birthday began with birthday wishes from family and friends on Tuesday evening here in the USA (which was the morning of Wednesday the 8th in Australia) - and concluded with a birthday wishes from family and friends and dinner on Wednesday evening here in the USA! Talk about value adding...

I calculated the time difference and worked out that my exact birth time would be at 12:22am  I was determined that this year, at the time I was born  a) I wouldn't be asleep  and b) I wouldn't be driving! Fortunately I was at our Temple doing a prayer shift for two hours from 10pm-midnight (as part of our ongoing 24 hour prayers for peace vigil). I took the opportunity afterwards  to walk around the Stupa at the temple while I was being 'born' so-to-speak. I imagined my family, particularly Mum walking around the Stupa with me - and then it branched out to Dad and my wider family (yes you!). It was a dark and stormy night and yet exhilarating. Afterwards I drove slowly home in the dark trying to avoid running over frogs on the wet road - including the biggest frog I've ever seen. Was it a frog or a frog-a-saur?

After a few hours sleep I got up to watch the lunar eclipse underway just before 6am. It was dark, and the sky was beautifully clear allowing me to see the earth's shadow gradually occluding the bright full moon. There wasn't an earthly being around - which was just as well because I was in my pyjamas and thongs. Then I meditated until the eclipse passed. And then it was off for a catch up sleep, brunch, a walk and a cuppa with my Aussie friend, Ani Kunzang.

And finally there was the joint birthday dinner at... Bassets with Ani Drolka and Maura and friends! And Ely sent me a Basset Birthday card too. It was raining Bassets! When I see a basset I am always reminded of our beautiful-hearted Basset, Abigail (named after a risque character in a risque Australian sit-com last century - No. 96) and her irascible sister, Tumshie (named after the Scottish word for Turnip - although she was better looking than that). Here are some photos of the day

Kunzang and I

Basset and friends

Ely Basset

Poolesville Bassets (It's the month of Halloween so Bassets has 'Hallow-eenified its exterior and interior ) - and has even entered its own 'Basset Hound' in the Poolesville Scarecrow competition!)

Not everything is a Basset - here is a bird card from Mum and Dad and a Halloween-ish Rabbit (that had escaped inside Bassets)!

And here we are inside Bassets celebrating!

The Birthday 'friends' Maura, Ani Drolkar and me and a mini-pumpkin, a duck and a couple of owls

Celebration!

Poolesville Day

I live in Poolesville! in Montgomery County, Maryland. And yes, there is a community Pool without an 'e' (which I enjoyed swimming in) but the name of the town comes from the surname of the Poole brothers with an 'e' who were settlers in the late 1700s who bought up land in the area.

Before the Poole brothers by a few more years were the Montgomery Native Americans who had settled the area over 10,000 years earlier. There are signposts to native Americans on the highways and by-ways around this general area but more hidden is their history. Perhaps their story lies in the embrace of the land criss-crossed with hunting and trading trails and signs of ancient habitation. Outwardly there are the ubiquitous road signs. One of the main roads heading towards more built up areas is the Great Seneca Highway and of course there's the Potomac River not far away that wends its way through Washington DC. And of course there is the living history of the descendents. But no Poolesville stalls for them.

If you're looking for history - the public face of history here is all about the Civil War and the battle between north and south. Poolesville Day is one day in September and is something for everyone. It's a celebration of a small town and it's offerings. It was a beautiful day in September. Many, like moi, came out to enjoy the day. I took pictures of some of the characters. I was particularly taken with the animals and people dressed as animals and cars that looked like cars! And of course my perennial interest in history surfaces. Our Buddhist centre has an annual  stall there of which I took a few snappy photos. Along with lost balloons!

 A Hugo look alike Em!

Is this an American Scotsman of a Scottish American? I bought 6 raffle tickets off him for a good cause ... I had a faint hope of winning a quilt or a kindle book - but it was fainter than the flag on this resident's forehead!

 Our Lady of Fatima made an appearance!

Spot the the contemplative face painted fairy!

 Cute!

 This pig really listened to me when I was talking with her.

 Our stall

 Ayla with the mirrored sunglasses look promoting our Aviary for neglected parrots  - the Garuda Aviary at our stall.

 Claire -  meeting and greeting at our stall

 Wiley - Claires beautiful rescue dog.

 Some of the current cemetery residents!

 Old Poolesville Town Hall - now a Museum

 Dad - check this surgical kit out!

 The old Pooles Homestead with young Poolesville residents playing drafts

 An instant ancestor! What is not an instant ancestor?

 Whalen Commons - a central meeting place - good for walking around I find

 Common sense planning! Funerals are generally over-priced.

 Free at last!