News Trend Nayli's Bedroom|Actual

Welcome to Nayli's room.

Nayli is the sixteen-year-old daughter of my host family in Havana, a diplomat's child who has grown up here, there and everywhere around the world. No doubt that experience has contributed to her thoughtful personality. She is sensitive and quiet, qualities that go hand in hand with her natural intelligence and passion for artistic expression.

But one quick visit to Nayli's Cuban bedroom will tell you much more about her than my fumbling words. Graciously, she invited me and my camera in for a tour.

^ The bones of the room belong to the embassy: wall color, furniture, bed linens  and window coverings came with the joint and don't necessarily project Nayli's preferences. But she has reinterpreted the room arrangement to create defined sleeping, seating and work zones, and added some pieces of her own: the chest of baskets, for example, and the oriental rug underfoot.

^ Nayli collects extravagantly. Her pen and pencil collection takes my breath away; her box full of erasers entertains me endlessly. She's drawn to miniatures, like these tiny turtles.

^ This girl also has a natural penchant for organization. Her bulletin board is a work of art, where metric conversion charts and school calendars effortlessly share real estate with amine inspiration and three-dimensional accents.  Craftily, she made her own display cases for her pen collections, and has been creating a second bulletin board for her desk during my visit.

^ Her love of tiny details pops up in every corner of the room.

^ While most of her treasures have been collected over the years, new additions are happening all the time. The vase of tiny blossoms is a Cuban handicraft and the University of Washington sign a gift from her Husky brother.

^ Everywhere I turn, I find tiny vignettes and sweet arrangements of interesting treasures. The red tray full of tins and tiny metal cookware might be my favorite but it's awfully hard to choose.

^ And just when I thought I had seen every magical thing there is to see in Nayli's room, I discovered this: a door that leads to a tiny private balcony with sweeping views of the garden and grounds.

Beautiful as it is, the lush landscape is a perfect reminder that even though Naylis's Cuban bedroom is far from her permanent home in Kuala Lumpur, her little tropical sanctuary is a place that is truly her own.

* * * * *

Check out more stories about my once-in-a-lifetime trip to Cuba and my wonderful friends who lived there:

I Will Bake You A Pie

Cuban Makan

Cuban Economics

El Malecon Cloudburst

A La Playa

Creepy Cuban Kudzu

Plaza De La Revolucion

Old Havana

Poolside in Havana

A Cuban Sunset Story

Sunset Chasers, Cuban Edition

The Puppy At The Castle

Old Havana On The Eve Of Fidel's Birthday

An ASEAN Celebration

Nayli's Bedroom

Varadero, Cuba

Winding Down

Dear Cuba

Aqil's Chicken

The Gentle Art Of Reframing

My Cuban Home

Tickled Pink

Full Circle

Chicken Drumsticks

News Trend Varadero, Cuba|Actual

Climb into the dark blue Mercedes in a pounding rain. Leave the flooded streets of Havana behind and travel south.

Oops. There's a highway bridge closed. Ask a friendly local for directions. Backtrack and find the unmarked detour route.

Follow the twists and turns of the jungle road. See the backbone of Cuba, the Sierra Maestra Mountains, marking the center of the islands to your right. Watch for glimpses of the Caribbean Sea on the left.

Take note of the entrepreneurs selling cheese along the side of the road. Here and there, a hopeful Cuban holding a hunk of homemade cheese on a piece of wood, standing on the side of a not-that-busy jungle track. Imagine what they would say if they could see the cheese selection at the average first-world grocery store.

Loop back to the main highway and zoom on. Two hours into the trip, descend a smooth hill into the cultured city of Matanzas. Roll out to the Hicacos Peninsula where the resort town of Varaderos sits, poised just above the waters of the Caribbean.

Park the car, grab the cooler, and climb over the ridge of dunes to find this.

After the sun has set, slip back into the car. And still wearing a soggy swimsuit under sandy clothes, reverse the trip. Drive all the way back home in another wild torrent, knowing that this is a day you will never, ever forget.

* * * * *

Check out more stories about my once-in-a-lifetime trip to Cuba and my wonderful friends who lived there:

I Will Bake You A Pie

Cuban Makan

Cuban Economics

El Malecon Cloudburst

A La Playa

Creepy Cuban Kudzu

Plaza De La Revolucion

Old Havana

Poolside in Havana

A Cuban Sunset Story

Sunset Chasers, Cuban Edition

The Puppy At The Castle

Old Havana On The Eve Of Fidel's Birthday

An ASEAN Celebration

Nayli's Bedroom

Varadero, Cuba

Winding Down

Dear Cuba

Aqil's Chicken

The Gentle Art Of Reframing

My Cuban Home

Tickled Pink

Full Circle

Chicken Drumsticks

News Trend Whale Bones|Actual

As we strolled north on Kalaloch Beach, Gracie slowed her pace to stop and sniff at a beach log lying silver and splintered near the high tide line, and that was my first clue that something very strange was going on.

Unlike my dogs Casey and Ranger before her, Gracie is not, under any circumstances, a beach log sniffer. She prefers dead birds or seagull poop.

So we stopped to investigate what had captured her curiosity and quickly made a fascinating discovery.

This was no beach log. It was a skull.

My fourth-born and I began to speculate, but it took us only a moment to draw an inescapable conclusion.

A whale skull.

As we stood over the bones, trying to wrap our heads around this amazing find, a man stopped by to chat.

"Yeah, a class of pilot whales washed up here a couple years ago," he informed us.

Well. We can get LTE service on the beach nowadays so the moment he stepped away, we Googled.

Bless him, our informant was mostly wrong.

This was in fact the skull of a malnourished, underweight grey whale who washed up here on Kalaloch Beach last May.

Scientists have noticed an uptick in grey whale deaths along the West Coast this summer. Apparently, for reasons not yet clear, the dead whales are skinny and underfed, maybe because of problems with last year's food supply.

Nearby, perched on an actual beach log, we found several sections of vertebrae. This one was about the size of my hand with fingers extended.

To be this close to the bones of a giant beast was a thrill. We circled round and round, imagining where the eyes fit into the skull, where the baleen plates would hang from the jaws.

We pondered how many sections of vertebrae would be required to build the spine of this 32 foot long animal. Our best answer: a lot.

And then, just as our brains began to ache from all this imagining. Gracie decided it was time to go.

And so we said goodbye to the whale bones, and set off down the beach, in search of our next big adventure.

* * * * *

My family and I go to Kalaloch a lot. Here are stories from our trips over the years:

2019

Wide Open Spaces

Whale Bones

Ways To Play

The World Of Packet Dinners

Windows

2018

Walking On Rialto Beach

2017

Gracie Goes To Kalaloch

2015

The Last Day Of My Summer Vacation

2014

With Joy And Wild Abandon

With Hope And Desperate Longing

With Peace And New Beginnings

2012

It's All About The Food

It's All About Playing On The Beach

It's All About The Sunsets

It's All About The Artistic Inspiration

It's All About The Memories

2011

Discovering Tide Pools

Discovering Sunsets

2010

Balanced Rocks

sometime before 2010

Golden Pup

News Trend Ways To Play|Actual

Sure, you can always build a sand castle.

Or swim, although rare is the Kalalochian who actually dives out among the breakers; the North Pacific is a bit chilly for that.

But when it comes to options for playing at the beach, Kalaloch offers so much more.

^ Splash in the shallow waves that lap about your ankles. Jump the curving white edge of the incoming wavelets...Or just stand there and let them lap over you, brisk and cool.

^ Cruise along the edge of Kalaloch Creek where the freshwater is considerably warmer than the saltwater waves.

^ Oh, what the heck. Just jump into that creek and wade straight through it.

^ As the tides wane, water flows out of the creek, leaving spongy sand that is deliciously soft and cool under bare paws...

^ ...And bare human feet as well.

^ If you're up to it, step a bit deeper into the swells. Jump some waves, dodge the big ones but be prepared to get wet, just the same.

 ^ Or, maybe my favorite of all, walk along the wide strip of wet sand, glistening with water from the occasional surge, and reflecting blue sky and clouds for you to walk upon.

* * * * *

And when your clothes are half-soaked, your legs covered with goose bumps, and your toes approaching frostbite, then it's the perfect time to head in past the high tide line and explore the beach logs.

^ Step up onto the long and lean tree trunks that line the upper beach, tossed into heaps by fierce winter storms, tumbled this way and that across the sand. Most are stable, a few are not; challenge yourself to migrating along and across, over and under the tangle..

^ But not all beach logs are straight. Keep an eye out for an ancient giant, flipped on its side and half-buried in the sand. Climb it, build on it, and by all means, sit for a portrait in front of it.

^ Here in the so-called lagoon, a huge log suspends itself across the creek. Scramble up top, walk to the far end, then settle yourself and celebrate your success. And when you're done, if your ankles can take it, jump off  into the soft sand below.

^ While you can always build your own log cabin, why not move into an existing shelter? By the end of the summer, there are plenty of options built up along the beach, all worthy of a tour.

 ^ And if you are very lucky, at the end of a long day spent exploring all the ways to play on Kalaloch Beach, you will find a shady spot tucked in among the logs that is just the perfect place for a well-deserved nap.

* * * * *

My family and I go to Kalaloch a lot. Here are stories from our trips over the years:

2019

Wide Open Spaces

Whale Bones

Ways To Play

The World Of Packet Dinners

Windows

2018

Walking On Rialto Beach

2017

Gracie Goes To Kalaloch

2015

The Last Day Of My Summer Vacation

2014

With Joy And Wild Abandon

With Hope And Desperate Longing

With Peace And New Beginnings

2012

It's All About The Food

It's All About Playing On The Beach

It's All About The Sunsets

It's All About The Artistic Inspiration

It's All About The Memories

2011

Discovering Tide Pools

Discovering Sunsets

2010

Balanced Rocks

sometime before 2010

Golden Pup

News Trend Dear Cuba|Actual

Dear Cuba,

You are a funny little country and after spending twelve days with you, I have very mixed feelings.

This is the airport in Havana. What more can I say?

I am sad to leave my hosts but let's face it. They are only living with you to serve the diplomatic aims of their motherland, Malaysia. Not because they love you. Because - let's be honest - they don't.

Havana city center on the distant horizon, this afternoon's storm gathering force.

I mostly adore your jungly piece of Caribbean real estate. Sure, your August days are a bit hot and steamy, but your insane cloud formations and monstrous tropical storms really do it for me.

Heading north to Florida, the Keys appear below me in fascinating detail. I could trace out the causeways that link each one to the next.

Your beaches are sweet. Not always turquoise blue, but rich in velvety soft  sands and warm waves. Me gustan muchas las playas.

Clouds over the Everglades. I have no words for this sight either.

But here's the thing. I am deeply worried about your people. They seem to me like ghosts; pale, washed-out inhabitants of what should be a vibrant, lively culture. There is precious little joy on your island, and that is a tragedy.

Shame on you, Cuban leaders, for letting it come to this.

I don't know how to help you, Cuba. And to tell you the truth, no one in this whole world does.

Waiting in Miami for the morning to come, and the plane to take me home.

But I wish you all the best, with your neat agromercados and vintage cars and dozing dogs. I hope to see you again.

Muchos besos y abrazos,

Diane

* * * * *

Check out more stories about my once-in-a-lifetime trip to Cuba and my wonderful friends who lived there:

I Will Bake You A Pie

Cuban Makan

Cuban Economics

El Malecon Cloudburst

A La Playa

Creepy Cuban Kudzu

Plaza De La Revolucion

Old Havana

Poolside in Havana

A Cuban Sunset Story

Sunset Chasers, Cuban Edition

The Puppy At The Castle

Old Havana On The Eve Of Fidel's Birthday

An ASEAN Celebration

Nayli's Bedroom

Varadero, Cuba

Winding Down

Dear Cuba

Aqil's Chicken

The Gentle Art Of Reframing

My Cuban Home

Tickled Pink

Full Circle

Chicken Drumsticks

News Trend The World Of Packet Dinners|Actual

It was after a week of middle school church camp that my youngest came home, sat me down, and introduced me to the glory of the Packet Dinner.

First we went into the dining hall, and made our packets. I took a big piece of aluminum foil, put ketchup on the bottom, then tater tots, then ground beef, then carrots and corn, and there were some other things that I didn't want. Then we folded up the Packets, put them in our backpacks, and hiked up to a place where there was a big camp fire. Then we cooked our Packets over the fire and ate them. They were so good! Do you think we could make something like that when we go camping?

The short answer: YES.

And so for the past decade and then some, our camping meals have featured the Packet Dinner. We've put some spin on the concept, developing other flavor profiles on the basic creation, and this year, we had a rousing success with the Taco Packet

We stuck close to the classic, tried-and-true construction technique. Salsa, rather than the usual ketchup, for the first layer, then the traditional tots and pre-cooked ground beef, this time seasoned with the flavors of Mexico. On top of that, we laid on some refried beans.

So far, so good.

And then, as the cherry on the top, we dabbled queso. And by 'dabbled,' I mean smothered the entire shebang.

^ Que bonita, right?

From there, we folded up the foil and popped our Packets onto the grill.

^ This orderly cooking fire was built by my daughters, which accounts for its appropriately modest size. My fires generally produce flames shooting two or three feet above the grill, which is maybe a tad excessive for dinner prep. Better than my pyrotechnical skills wait for the after-dinner entertainment.

* * * * *

Over the years, we've perfected our Packet Dinner cooking technique.The secret to an evenly cooked, unscorched dinner is not just to spin the Packets, my friends, but to flip them.

Yes! Find a good pair of long tongs with soft flipping edges. This feature is key to keeping your dinner safely wrapped up inside; one false move with a sharp pair of tongs will rip open the foil and  send your dinner spilling into the coals, which is a fate I wouldn't wish on anyone.

So keep those Packets flipping from one side to the other and back again, so your dinner cooks evenly and stands the best chance of staying scorch-free.

* * * * *

How did our Taco Packets turn out? See for yourself:

^ Daughter Number Three reported small bits of scorching around the edges but warm throughout and ridiculously lezat.

^ Daughter Number Four went salsa free and made up the difference in queso. Also delicious.

^ I topped my creation with sour cream and green onion, and report that the explosion of Mexican flavors in my mouth that made all my Packet Dinner dreams come true.

We all agreed that heating the queso made an unnecessary mess and wasted a good portion of the precious golden goodness. Next time, we will add it after cooking and waste nary a drop.

Ah well, there's always something new to learn in the world of Packet Dinner.

Which is just further proof of their inarguable glory.

* * * * *

My family and I go to Kalaloch a lot. Here are stories from our trips over the years:

2019

Wide Open Spaces

Whale Bones

Ways To Play

The World Of Packet Dinners

Windows

2018

Walking On Rialto Beach

2017

Gracie Goes To Kalaloch

2015

The Last Day Of My Summer Vacation

2014

With Joy And Wild Abandon

With Hope And Desperate Longing

With Peace And New Beginnings

2012

It's All About The Food

It's All About Playing On The Beach

It's All About The Sunsets

It's All About The Artistic Inspiration

It's All About The Memories

2011

Discovering Tide Pools

Discovering Sunsets

2010

Balanced Rocks

sometime before 2010

Golden Pup