Frontier Days

Nothing beats a summer day out west like a trip to the rodeo. My friends, Keri and Fred, accompained me to my first Western Rodeo in Cheyenne, Wyoming. It was the 113th Frontier Days, the world's largest rodeo and western celebration. Our afternoon began with a little bull riding followed by some steer roping and bareback riding. It was intense :) but we did enjoy some wild action by Cody, Chet, Troy and my favorite Buster Record Jr.

We drove around downtown Cheyenne, population 53,011. It was a sleeping Sunday in the state capital. Seems a little odd that the state capital is located in the most southern corner of the state...does anyone know what is going on up in Teton or Big Horn county. Guess everyone was at the rodeo :) Took some photos of these large boots displayed in town (see future blog). We also visited the Wrangler store...didn't know they still made Wranglers!

Got to catch the mountain sunset.

Please Don't Stare

It's America and we all know that our right as a home (apartment) owner (renter) is that we can decorate as we see fit. What we choose to display often reflects our core beliefs, political affiliation or latest craft project. We've all seen flags, pink flamingos, or "vote for" signs.
But have you ever seen a 5 foot Jesus in a cast iron box?What about a 4 foot Statue of Liberty standing on a window ledge?
Or a wood carving of the Brooklyn Bridge around a tree?

Can you believe some just left this beautiful work of art just sitting out by their fence?

Riding Side By Side with the B and D Trains

Here are a few photos from my bike journey through Brooklyn Heights, Dumbo and over the Manhattan Bridge. Enjoy!

Time is Neutral

I used to write whenever I traveled. From the time I was very small, I carried a notebook in the car and would scribble away while we drove across the country on a move or a family trip. I couldn't go anywhere without a pen and paper. I'm not sure when I stopped writing while traveling, or why. Maybe it's related to my discovery that NyQuil is an effective way to avoid flight anxiety, or when I realized that much of my writing done in the air or the car was only so much melodramatic scribbling. Regardless, I brought a journal on this trip to LA, and for the first time in many years, I wrote as the jet cut across the sky.

I realized as I wrote that I have spent years waiting for my life to start, as though there would be some magical age or event or accumulation of events that would mark my point of entry into the "real" world. So much time spent waiting, not acting, not realizing my own agency. I stumbled across the following in The Autobiography of Martin Luther King: "..time itself is neutral; it can be used either destructively or constructively... We must use time creatively, in the knowledge that the time is always ripe to do right."

It's the most empowering thing I can imagine. All too often, I tend to wait for time to do something, when that isn't even possible. Changes only occur because they are effected by us; things only happen with humans, not with time. And while I thought that this might cause me to panic, feeling that there isn't enough time to do the things I want, it has instead made me feel that there is so much more space and time for everything I have to offer. Effectively, I feel that I am in control of time, because I can choose how to spend it.

That Was Some Really Spicy Salsa!

What goes through your mind when you see and upside down pig on a menu at a Mexican restaurant? I mean the pig as always been an iconic symbol thoughout life. There is an "oink oink here and oink oink there" every time you sing Old McDonald Had a Farm. There is of course our favorite pig Wilbur who is saved from being slaughtered by an intelligent spider named Charlotte in EB White's book Charlotte's Web....

There was also that pig Babe, Pooh's friend Piglet, Olivia, Miss Piggy....
and of course there is Porky The Pig.

But why the upside down pig? Did they want us the think of the demise of the pig? Or was the pig a metaphor for how we would feel after the meal? When I think of Mexican food pork isn't the first thing that comes to mind. Sure it makes sense that Fette Sau in Williamsburg has a pig on their business card. There is this store "Under the Pig Antiques and Collectibles" in Park Slope, Brooklyn who has a pig predominately displayed on their street sign. Surprisingly there are quite a few antique shops that have Pig in their name: Pink Pig Antiques, Spotted Pig Antiques, The Painted Pig Antiques. You get the idea.

So where does one get to see the upside down pig on the menu? Bonita (in Fort Greene) where they serve Comida Tipica Mexicana. Jess and I were in search of good Mexican with a touch of spicy. The look and feel of the menu does not correspond to the candlelight atmosphere and clean, crisp white walls and mirrors. The music gives this place a real hip modern feel rather than the hole in the wall Mexican joint the menu might suggest. 4 stars. But the upside down pig wasn't the only picture that had us puzzled. Can anyway tell us why the cow has a "T" branded in it?

Pedaling Through the City

While the fanfare of Summer of Deb* may be fading as we get older and seek adventures outside of the city or country, the concept will always remain close to heart. The motto has always been to pursue, explore, and participate in new adventures. With that in mind, my goal this year is to be more active, sporty, and be outside as much as possible. A few weeks ago I did some free kayaking in the Hudson River at Pier 96. Totally awesome. This weekend was the 4th of July. and my bike has finally come out of hiding. I took it out for its first of many excursions through Brooklyn and NYC. I rode from my humble abode to the Brooklyn Promenade over the Brooklyn Bridge, across Reade Street, over the West Side Highway, down to Battery Park over by the waters edge, up Broadway and back over the bridge. About 6 or 7 miles according to one of my friends. It was totally cool coming down off the bridge. I just need to buy a bell, since pedestrians don't know how to share the walkways. My butt still hurts, but it was super fun!

So what's next? Well riding the bike will be a focus this summer. I've been studying the NYC Bike Map and planning out the best routes to Prospect Park and Coney Island. Sailing in the Hudson has been on the list for a few years now, time to cross that off. Anyone know of where the closest batting cage is? Mini Golf? Outdoor Yoga? (you get the idea)

The Deborahs will be traveling throughout the summer, so we will keep you updated on our journey.

*Summer of Deb (circa 2001) was a self initiated program decided to start living life to its fullest by seeing and doing things in NYC. What was the point of living in NYC if you weren't taking advantage of all the cool things (even the touristy things). The first summer included all the basics: Bryant Park Movies, Cloisters, Concerts, etc) to some special events like the Brooklyn Cyclones' Ladies Clinic, Trapeze, Saratoga Racetrack, Governor Island, Fire Island... Gosh, I don't think I ever kept a list. Mainly the plan it get together with friends and have good times.

What Direction Are You?

Over drinks the other night my friend Jess was sharing different personality types as related to points on a compass. Always intrigued by lists I quickly got out my notebook and jotted these key elements for each personality type. To find out more...just google it.

North: direct, clear, able to make quick decisions, leader, not a listener

East: Intuitive, decisions made based on feeling not facts & figures, uses experiences to guide them.

South: emotion based, impulsive, decisions are made in the moment

West: asks questions ALL the time, can't take things at face value, I've been told that the western person likes to write things in composition notebooks ;)

Favorite 80's Tune

Nothing can compare to all the Michael Jackson songs that have swarmed the airways in the last week, but this song will always bring a smile to my face. Cruisin' in the car with my cousin Coryn, this song always played at full blast (on repeat). This fun YouTube video features a 1980s pop classic. The rock band Toto scored their biggest hit with Africa in 1982. The song is instantly recognizable. But it has been reinvented.

Perpetuum Jazzile is an a cappella jazz choir from Slovenia. It’s hard to think of something further from an ‘80s rock band. But their version of Africa may best the original. The group has amazing voices.

But the beginning of this video is really striking. Group members simulate an African thunderstorm with their hands.
It’s really something to see and hear.(Don't turn up your sound - the sound of raindrops begins really soft.)