Uncle Chris goes to Florida to visit Capt. Al & Heidi

Yes...I did have a lovely respite from the DC area just last week staying with my old buddies, Alan and Heidi in Ft. Myers, Florida. Sitting on the Gulf, it was in the high 80"s when I got there and felt very nice indeed.
And yes, we did get out fishing twice, into the flats and "backcountry" as Al says. Man, his boat is a real peice of work. VERY fast and that was in choppy water (it was windy and a little chilly the days we went out) and still handled well....sitting up top of the waves. Then, back in the mangroves, it was warm and quiet. Except for the osprey that exploded right next to the boat while I was reeling in my fish and almost getting it! Then we had three or four bottlenose dolphin harassing us until we had to move somewhere else. The next time we were out, we had a Manatee sitting down in the shallows below us just munching away quietly. Until we started the electric trolling motor. He/she didn't much care for that.
The wildlife in general was thick. White Ibis, Anhinga, Black Skimmers, and great shelling n Sanibel and Captiva.
But the highlight was a birthday party for Al where he and Heidi cooked several Mexican dishes that were out of this world including homemade tamales. All washed down with copious quantities of dark rum and fresh squeezed grapefruit juice. Check out Heidi's pond in the backyard and Al's nice redfish (barbequed with lots of friends).
Today we finish packing and drive to Baltimore airport early for our lights to Puerto Escondido. We'll be checking email regularly but sorry, no cell phone. Love all you guys.

Chris

Feast of Epiphany

It is grey and chilly here in Washington, DC and I sit at my sister Wendy's desk thinking about this day that marks the end of the Christian celebration of the Christmas season. Traditionally, on this 12th Day of Christmas, Christians around the world celebrate the "late arrivals" in the Nativity Story: The Three Kings (aka, WiseOnes). I have always been fascinated by how different gospel writers in the New Testament include different characters in the birth stories, probably to strengthen their own different theological perspective about the person Jesus. Only the author of Matthew mentions these star-followers in his/her version of the story. The author seems bent on making the point that even the "outsider" (the Gentile person, in this case) from afar and from a different religious tradition (probably Zororastrian) is included in recognizing Jesus as a new manifestation or revelation ("epiphany") of God's ongoing connection with humans. I have always thought of Epiphany as a good reminder to deepen my awareness of the presence of the Holy in my life, and to consider what "new thing" God is doing within me. This was always a favorite time for me in the local church, where both at the Carmel Valley Community Chapel and later at the Community Church of the Monterey Peninsula, we would haul dried wreaths and even whole Christmas trees down to Carmel beach for our annual "burning of the greens." Surrounding the huge bonfire, we would sing "We Three Kings," sip hot chocolate, and talk about our hopes and intentions for the new year ahead.

These photos on this blog entry are taken at National Cathedral (Episcopal) in DC, where Chris and I attended a number of services filled with colorful pagentry, gorgeous music and insightful preaching through Advent, and then a playful children's nativity pageant with both Marcella and Nic right before Christmas.

One final note on the Nativity Story. My youngest neice, Madeline, has at age 3 become a devotee of the story about Jesus' birth. After unpacking several creche's at her family's home (my youngest sister, Penny's in New Jersey), Madeline and I re-enacted the story with numerous stuffed animals throughout the house. "Can we do the Jesus story again, Aunt Annie?" she would plead. She had learned about the story in her preschool at a local Presbyterian Church, and her mother marveled at how her youngest Unitarian Universalist child was so focused on the unfolding drama about Jesus! We pinned a rubber baby Jesus to Mary's stuffed tummy under a dishcloth, and one of the Kings was played by a blue Elmo character from Seasame Street. When the whole Swallow clan (22 of us!) was assembled in St. Michael's at my parents for Christmas, I directed a re-enactment of the story, with all the older cousins graciously serving as King Herod, WiseOnes, shepherds, angel, my brother Pete as a cow, with everyone singing carols accompanied by Chris (keyboards), cousins Joe (bass) and Nic (guitar). Madeline played a solemn and attentive Mary with her baby doll Jesus, and her daddy Mike as Joseph. And so closes the Christmas season, 2005. A peaceful and joyfulled New Year to all our family and friends out there!

-Anne