Off on another adventure

Back in November, it seemed like a great idea to book a tour to Spain, Portugal and Morocco. We had great plans to prepare, learn Spanish, research sites, figure out how to pack lightly. Yeah, well none of that happened. ‘

Sporting my cap from the University of Coimbra

It’s April 25, 2025, Day 10 of a 22-day tour of Spain, Portugal and Morocco.  I’ll start by sharing the rookie mistakes we have made so far.  First of all, we brought a one large suitcase, two wheeled carry-ons and two backpacks.  We thought we were smart to share a suitcase, but it ended up weighing over 50 lbs and we were redistributing the weight at the airport and regretting the weight at each stop.    I think we imagined that there would be porters like in old movies, but the hotel staff cheerfully watched us struggle to drag everything in,, without even the benefit of a luggage cart.

So Lesson #1, only take what you absolutely need and can easily manage.   If you are going from cold and wet to warm and dry, a good pair of Columbia hiking pants will take you anywhere.  Study your itinerary carefully and think through what you will actually need for each day.   I’m not accustomed to wearing clothes more than once, but will need to adapt.

One of our smartest choices was a Lands End raincoat with a removable quilted vest. They have kept us dry on the wettest days.

Escaping the rain at a cafe in Braga

On a more positive note, VPT Tours (Viajes Para Todos) is a good service, contracted by Wingbuddy. a Canadian travel provider we found online.  They have taken us to interesting cities and UNESCO world heritage sites.  The  drivers are awesome, navigating narrow lanes and steep roads that would be harrowing for a novice driver.  The tour guide led us as a group for parts of the day and then we had some free time to explore. Most hotels provided a fabulous breakfast buffet and the tour hosted us for many lunches and dinners as well.

Breakfast buffet at Praga Hotel in Madrid
Manuel, our local guide in Porto

One of the benefits so far are the delightful Canadians we have met.  We are forming a little family of travelers, the only other Americans on the bus are a charming couple from Texas.

Bus Buddies in Lisbon

In upcoming posts, I will describe our impressions of Madrid, Salamanca, Braga, Porto, Coimbra, Lisbon, Caceres, Seville and Torremolinos.  At the Costa del Sol, we board a ferry for Morocco, where we will visit Tangiers, Fez, Casablanca, Marrakesh and Rabat.

It’s an ambitious undertaking and is most enjoyable if you are fit and healthy.  We have some challenges with both, but we will persevere and keep you posted. 

Before and After

Before and after

A moment in time

Inexorably

Changed everything, changed --

That invisible

Shift-snap-break, crumbled --

Betrayed my order



The curve so gentle

Weighted gradients

Invariably

Imposed on the graph

Of points that were you

There in front of me

Then gone from my view…



Sweet before, rich

Recollections banked

Incontiguous

Yet felt close as whole

Within softest realm

Saved indelibly

Now static and passed.



Now, while new now comes,

All after, marching

Unrelentingly

How ephemeral

We are you and me

Begging persistence

Of this present held.

Little River

It’s the little rivers that make me cry

Cry rivers

Flowing, flowing

Bound on either side

Allowed only one direction

Like time

Like the direction of time upon flesh

Agitated by the rocks

Acquiesced by the banks

Amplified by every down pour

Sedimented with what was washed away

From beyond, from the past

Swept along mercilessly

Or if slowed or plateaued for a span

Or in the shallows rested and sun-speckled

Overhung by bough, it’s the rivers

That make me rejoice with respite and nourishment

Astonished by sparkle and babble and effortless motion

Seeping, winding, ever-seeking

Carving new shapes and life into the earth

Without blueprint

Asking nothing.

It is the little rivers — not the oceans, so vast and awesome that silence us with their scale

To which we defer, small and in refuge on shifting shores

Demanding and tribulating us with each fathom …

No, it is the little rivers that make me cry.

A Saturday in St. Pete

Nancy and I started this Saturday with Chit, Chat and Chew at Unity of Midtown. We met in the fellowship room for a hearty breakfast provided by Audrey and team. Our conversation ranged from learning about each other’s diverse cultures to how Unity Principles can apply no matter what your theology. In attendance were teachers, a mental health professional, Reiki and other healing professionals, an environmental scientist, to name a few, with a variety of backgrounds ranging from growing up in rural Alabama and
conservative Tennessee to emigrating from Lithuania. We found common ground in the discussion and enjoyed getting to know each other better. Look for us on Facebook under Unity of Midtown or on the web at https://unitytemplestpete.org/

Rev Linda sharing Unity Principles, sister Hazel photobombing the shot

One of our members encouraged us to attend the Natural Food Festival on 22nd St. S. She was volunteering for One Community Grocery CO-OP. Their mission is to build a self-determined, community-owned cooperative grocery store that meets the community’s needs for fresh, healthy, nutritionally dense foods. They are currently partnering with St. Pete Youth Farm and Worden Farms to provide local produce with online ordering and pop-ups. For more information on how to become a member/owner, go to https://ocgc.coop/.

Local produce from Worden Farms
Sarah Gold sharing vision of new Grocery Co-op

Another fun vendor was 15Olives, a family run grower, producer and distributor of olive oil and infused vinegars. We were treated to a taste test of the the 3 most popular olive oils from grapes grown in North Florida. We chose the Robust variety, which has a slightly peppery aftertaste. Here’s what we learned about olive oil from these experts.

A quality oil will have a smoke point somewhere between 380 and 410 degrees Fahrenheit. The more impurities in an oil, the lower the smoke point. We were also reminded that EVOO has anti-inflammatory properties and can reduce the risk of heart disease and Type 2 Diabetes. The antioxidants can also help fight cancer. So use lots of pure olive oil in your salads and to saute your vegetables. Check them out at 15Olives.com

Fresh olive oil is best dressing

Going Nowhere

Many years ago when living in Hawaii and California 

I spent as much time as I could between “make a living” necessities 

by painting Spiritual and ethereal paintings. I loved this realm and 

the room with the door marked “infinite supply of images” in my inner most

being was a welcomed place to be. 

At the encouragement of a friend, and a lifetime of courageous leaps 

into the unknown, I decided to move to New Mexico. This of course, was quite

the detour from warm beaches, palm trees, and moisture, to a dry and cold

though visually stimulating environment. 

As I merged with the pinions, cedars, and sage, I noticed inspirations in the 

forms of rusty metals and discarded items in the desert. It was 1990 and I began by

picking them up and putting them together in interesting ways. The first pile I 

accumulated was mistakenly hauled off to the dump with other trash on garbage

pick up day but I continued anyway.

I never imagined making three-dimensional artwork before but was curious as to what

I could create using a totally different set of tools and I always knew that the infinite

supply of Spiritual images were always there anytime I wanted to visit.

The pieces grew larger and larger, from a tiny ornament to hang on a friend’s

car rear view mirror to eventually sculptures for a 5 star resort where some were

6ft tall and weighed over one hundred pounds.

One day as I was drilling and putting together one of my sculptures I burst

out laughing. Here I was, using different tools to create something totally 

different from the Spiritual images I was used to and as I stared at the sculpture I noticed that 

the shapes of the piece I was working on, even though it was wire and rusty metal, 

it still had the qualities that I had been expressing in the paintings.

One was made of paint and air (I had been an airbrush painter) and the other

with discarded materials found in the desert, but the energy in them was the same.

Both had a dedication to beauty that I love so much but they spoke two different

languages in that interpretation.

This reminds me of something that I many years later heard Deepak Chopra say…

“the self does not go, nor does it come, for space and time derive their meaning 

from consciousness alone. Where can the self go? When all that is, is within it. If a

pot is taken from one place to another, the space within it does not move from one

place to another, for everything is forever in space”.

On some level I had been curious to see and experience something I had never

experienced before. Moving to New Mexico and making art from discarded materials

could not have been more opposite than painting Spiritual images in Hawaii and yet,

I had gone nowhere. 

Will play for socks

Socks for the homeless

Vision Duo is an interesting combination of violinist Ariel Horowitz and marimba player Britton-Rene’ Collins. They formed their duo after becoming co-winners of the Concert Artists Guild International Competition’s Ambassador Prize. Both are classically trained musicians who can improvise jazz and contemporary styles in their mixed genre programs.

We were treated to a set that opened with a Blues number followed by nocturnes written for violin and marimba and a heart rending version of Coyote, written by Connor Chee, a Navajo composer. They also included a Bach sonata, a collection of tangoes and excerpts from the opera Carmen.

The venue was the Prince of Peace Lutheran Church in Largo. The price of admission was socks for the homeless. For upcoming concerts (we’re looking forward to the Bach-a-thon on March 19), checkout @ARTFORFAITHSAKE on Facebook. You can follow Vision Duo online at visionmusic.com

Vision Duo playing Coyote by Conner Chee

Ariel Horowitz is also the founder of the Heartbeat Music Project, a non-profit that offers music education to students on a Navajo Reservation.

Triune

Daughter of a daughter
     of daughters all the way back
          to mitochondrial Eve
Beyond that, back to Shakti --
     actualized, energized into mass and motion
          the big bang your first mother
Formed from space and time
     an abyssal pin-point
          through the void and darkness
Unending, emergent
     bounding light-streams beaming
          particulate and bright
You are … what your Father
     didn’t tell you
          about the holy trinity
Inexplicable Ghost
     above the pedestal
          maiden, mother, wise one … 
All your lives fierce and strong
     braided, scrubbed and biding,
          making sense, soup, and bread 
Within so as without, elemental
     the round of the world
          the square of the hypotenuse
The multiplier
     your tender, burdened hand un-stopped
          transmuted by beauty and pain, 


Her-story buried in successes –
     the figure in the prow,
          the cargo stowed in hold;
In brilliance, discovery, and necessity
     and the bias of all utterances
          whole, fundamental and geometric

Daily Food Quiz #1

Why should I eat this?

Why should I eat this meal?

  • a. It’s pretty.
  • b. It’s nutritious.
  • c. It has the right acid/alkaline balance.
  • Answer: All of the above!

Let’s start with pretty, as with our model in the photo, we are drawn to beauty. We instinctively choose brightly colored food because it indicates ripeness and freshness. We know we should eat fruits and vegetables, but I think it’s important to think about why. Conscious eating requires not only attention but also intention. If we notice how attractive our food is, how delicious it tastes and give thanks for each mouthful, we will enjoy it more. If we recognize the health benefits of each element on our plate, we can increase those benefits by appreciating and affirming them as we are eating.

For example, raspberries are pretty in a salad and add a tart sweet taste. They also have a significant amount of Vitamin C, which is necessary for collagen production. Collagen is the protein that makes up 75% of our skin and helps to repair and prevent damage. Raspberries also contain potassium which helps maintain blood pressure and manganese which helps to regulate blood sugar. What if we consciously affirm these benefits while we are eating and give thanks for our improved skin and optimal blood pressure?

Another factor in getting the most value from your food is the acid/alkaline balance. If you consistently eat a diet of 75% fruits and vegetables, you protect your body from a number of chronic diseases caused by acidity and inflammation. Inflammation underlies a number of serious issues and is a trigger for premature aging.

We will explore these topics in more depth in this series, but here are the 3 points I’d like you to consider:

  • Eat as many fresh and raw fruits and vegetables as you can, ideally 75% of your daily intake. If you can’t get what you want local and in season, it’s better to buy it frozen rather that imported from a long distance.
  • Pay attention to what you are eating and express gratitude for your abundance
  • Affirm the specific health benefits of at least 3 items on your plate

For this meal we can also affirm the health benefits of spinach and lentils.

  • Spinach: Spinach is a great source of zeaxanthin and carotenoids that flush free radicals from your body, reduce inflammation and support eye health.
  • Lentils: Good source of dietary fiber that reduces cholesterol and protects against diabetes and colon cancer. Also have a significant amount of potassium which counters the bad affects of salt and lowers blood pressure. And of course, they provide a good quality plant protein. For a good lentil soup, jump to Recipes:

The more you are aware of how each food affects your body, the more you will balance your diet to achieve your particular health goals. It’s not enough to hear that fruits and vegetables are good for you, you must internalize their benefits by affirming them with gratitude. Conscious or mindful eating also helps with digestion so that you get more actual nutrition from your food.

Kindred Spirits welcomes contributions on any topic that is related to quality of life. My name is Deidre Lines and I am the administrator of the blog. If you respond with a comment, please provide a short bio or link to your site and I’ll be glad to add you as a contributor.

If you are interested in more information on nutrition and anti-aging, visit my website at https://pws.shaklee.com/deidre-lines

Sea Worthy

When the Vessel begins to be overcome by terrible winds and current, a course correction is needed. The captain gives aid, tacks, adds power, doesn’t abandon or shut Her down. They persist together with aim and purpose toward their destination, they do not permit themselves to be misguided or swept away into peril to be dashed upon the rocks.

Wellness Wednesday at Unity Temple of Truth

Introduction by board member Celeste Davis

Imagination leads to intuition. It can also lead you to a challenge for which you hadn’t planned to volunteer.

As I was sitting in the sanctuary last Wednesday, I started musing about a meditation based on harmony with nature. So here I am leading a meditation with some wonderful music I found on Spotify. If you search for Harmony with Nature, you’ll probably find some of the same selections, but I’d like to acknowledge them.

I recommend Going to the Sun by Grant Geissman and Tim Heintz and Tennessee, also by Geissman and Heintz with Charlie Bisharat. We then listened to Sacred Forest by the Robbins Island Music Group. We then enjoyed Endless Canyons by Geissman and Heintz with the addition of Jim Walker. This was followed by Braes of County Kerry from the album Celtic Mist. We closed our meditation with two selections from To Honor a Queen by Hawaiian artist Ozzie Kotani.

Please join us for Wellness Wednesday at 6.30pm each week at Unity Temple of Truth at 511 Prescott St. in St. Petersburg FL 33712