Street Performers and Enlightenment

Another fun weekend in Atlanta. We took the train downtown to Woodruff Park to attend the first annual (we hope!) Street Performers Fair. We were entertained by some of the best street performers in the country, including jugglers, clowns, acrobats and break dancers. We've always enjoyed encountering street performers during our visits to other cities, particularly San Francisco, so the opportunity to see the best in one place was irresistable.

The heat and humidity of the summer has given way to beautiful fall weather and the temperatures were perfect under a clear blue sky. Michael had just returned from a business trip to St. Louis and was a little annoyed when he got off the plane and I announced that we were going to attend a street fair. But the day was spectacular, the acts were entertaining, and I treated him to a burrito at Moe's, so he soon perked up and had a great time.

The admission was only $1, but of course tipping was encouraged as each act passed the hat after their performance. The crowd was enthusiastic and responded generously, so hopefully these talented performers (who often sleep in their cars as they travel around the country) were well paid for their efforts.

Monday afternoon the rain and drizzle that we desperately need in our area moved in, but I didn't let it discourage me from attending an amazing event at Centennial Olympic Park. The Dalai Lama, who was recently in Washington DC to accept a Congressional Gold Medal, was in Atlanta. After 15 years of effort on the part of Emory University, His Holiness was formally installed as a visiting professor at that great institution. There were three days of events at Emory, culminating with the free public event on Monday.

Despite the weather, thousands of people streamed into the park for an afternoon of Tibetan music and a talk by the Dalai Lama. Understandably, security was very high. No purses, backpacks or chairs (although they did allow umbrellas), and everyone was patted down before entering. The rain held off during the afternoon and early evening, but low clouds hung over the park and surrounding skyscrapers.

The atmosphere was literally a love in. The amicable crowd included tatooed and pierced kids with green hair, Buddhist monks and nuns in traditional maroon and yellow robes, workers in business attire, tourists, curious onlookers and senior citizens in wheelchairs. When the Dalai Lama walked on stage, following a fascinating chanting performance by a group of monks accompanied by traditional Tibetan longhorns, an electric vibe shot through the crowd. So much has been written about this truly genuine compassionate leader of the Buddhist faith, and seeing him in the home city of Martin Luther King, Jr., was poignant.

His message, delivered in fairly good English with occasional assistance from his interpreter, focused on inner disarmament -- letting go of anger, hatred and jealousy and cultivating compassion and service to others. For a religious "rock star" he was amazingly down to earth, and his joy and sense of humor shone through every sentence. It was a delight to be a part of the event and now that he has an association with Emory University, hopefully there will be other opportunities to hear him speak in the future.

A lot of our attention has been focused on San Diego this week in lieu of the devastating fires. As I write this the situation seems to be stabilizing and hopefully the fires will be contained soon. On the positive side, it has been good to reconnect with many friends in that area through phone calls and e-mails. Our thoughts and good wishes are with you all.

Kathy & Mom's Visit

We were excited to have our first visitors over the weekend. My sister, Kathy, who is the best middle school math teacher in Colorado, is on her Fall Break and she brought Mom out for a visit. Mom had been a world traveler in the years before her Alzheimer's progressed, and she was very excited about packing, boarding an airplane and heading off on another trip. We're thrilled and honored that their first destination was Atlanta.

Michael and I met them at the airport where we all boarded the MARTA train to get back to our condo. We use MARTA often to get around downtown Atlanta, and it's also the best way to get to the airport. The train lets passengers off inside the airport terminal and it's so much easier than fighting the horrible Atlanta traffic. We had fun riding the train toward downtown Atlanta, going right past the state capitol building with its gold dome and by Turner Field, home of the Atlanta Braves baseball team. Just south of the downtown area the train goes underground until it eventually emerges in Buckhead which is the area north of downtown where we live.


We have a lovely pond in our condo complex and Mom got a real kick out of feeding our ducks, which are actually just a bunch of freeloading fowl. Many of the local residents frequently stop by to visit (and feed) the ducks. When the ducks notice people walking toward the pond, they immediate rush over to sample the treats! Their delighted quacks draw even more ducks, and before you know it you're engulfed in a feeding frenzy. The ducks' motto seems to be "What have you done for me lately." As soon as other humans approach the pond, they quickly turn their backs on you and scurry over to see what their next course will be.

Mom and Dad were married in 1948 and spent their first summer together working at Grand Lake Lodge in the mountains of Colorado. Mom was a waitress and Dad was a bell hop. That was the summer they met another young waitress, Betty B, and became life-long friends. Betty has lived in Atlanta for many years and has provided great insight and advice as Michael and I navigate and investigate our new city. Mom really enjoyed visiting with Betty and we all had a delightful dinner together.

On Sunday we enjoyed an easy hike along the banks of the nearby Chattachoochee River. Despite Georgia's record drought, the Chattachoochee River is magnificent, especially compared with the "wimpy" rivers of Colorado and California that we are used to. We were hoping for more spectacular fall colors during Mom and Kathy's trip, but we had to settle for a beautiful blue sky day with mild temperatures in the 70's and a smattering of reds and yellows in the foliage. I assume that the fabulous fall colors will erupt in a few weeks in our area, since we're finally having colder overnight temperatures. With the millions of trees in and around Atlanta, it should be incredible.

Monday morning Michael headed off to work, while Mom, Kathy and I took the MARTA train back to the busy Atlanta airport. Fortunately we gave ourselves a good 2 hours before their flight, because when we got off the train the line to go through security was snaking throughout the terminal. We knew the situation was dire when we spotted the TV news crews filming the crowd as many frustrated passengers were having to rebook their flights for a later departure. I waited in line with them until we hit the X-ray machines, where we said our final goodbyes. I walked away wondering if Mom really posed such a threat that the security people felt compelled to put her through the discomfort of removing her shoes . . .

It was a wonderful visit, although we did miss Dad and look forward to showing him around Atlanta next time. For now, I know he enjoyed the much-deserved peace and quiet at home. In addition, this couldn't have been a worse weekend for him to stay with us. We don't have cable TV and as a result he would not have been able to follow the amazing success of the Colorado Rockies baseball team. Over the weekend the Rockies swept the Arizona Diamondbacks to advance to the World Series for the first time in franchise history. Even more incredible is that the Rockies have won 20 of their last 21 games, including the exciting extra-innings game against the San Diego Padres at the end of the regular season to make it into the playoffs as the Wild Card team. GO ROCKIES!!!

Hindu Temple

A funny thing happened to us on our way to purchase a wireless router on Saturday. After checking the ads, we decided to head out to Fry's Electronics. Living in the middle of the city is accessible to many cultural opportunities, but we discovered that a trip to Fry's means driving way out of the city to a location where they can build their monster stores on much more affordable land. So we consulted our area maps and headed northeast to Duluth, Georgia.


We soon realized that on the way back we could swing through Lilburn, Georgia, to see the new Hindu Temple in this eastern suburb of Atlanta. We'd been reading about the Temple since it opened about a month ago.


The gleaming white temple, reminiscent of the Taj Mahal, is one of the largest of its kind in the world. It's constructed out of Turkish limestone, Italian marble and Indian pink sandstone. No steel or metal was used in the Temple. Even the HVAC ducts are made out of stone. Each piece of stone, which was hand-carved and imported from India, was numbered, divided into sections and eventually set in place. The entire structure was fit together like a giant jigsaw puzzle. Thousands of volunteers worked on the project and they were still working on it as we toured the grounds.


Walking through the interior was serene and peaceful. The walls, columns, doors, windows and ceilings are all intricately carved. Unfortunately no cameras were permitted inside. The detail was amazing. All guests must remove their shoes before entering. Since we were in shorts, I was provided with a long skirt and Michael was provided with long pants to wear into the temple. I also had to cover my shoulders with a jacket. They request complete silence from all guests while in the building, which just added to the visual sensory experience. There was no furniture in the rooms we toured. Just ornately carved columns and many alcoves to divide the space.



The outside of the Temple is a work in progress, with a huge reflection pond. The landscaping has not yet been installed. Georgia is in the midst of one of the worst droughts in history. We're currently 16" below normal for the year. Last week they ordered that all outdoor watering and car washing in the northern part of the state is prohibited. It will be interesting to see how the Temple will handle installing new landscaping under these harsh circumstances.



Our visit to the Temple was mesmerizing and we're looking forward to attending one of their many festivals planned in the months ahead. We're especially looking forward to the vegetarian food!

And by the way, our new wireless router works great. Michael didn't even need to bother our computer guru, Al, to get it hooked up. The timing was perfect, because last night we were following the exciting Padres vs. Rockies wild card playoff game on the computer since we don't have cable TV. At 10:00 p.m. Eastern time the game was tied and headed into extra innings. So we took the laptop to bed to keep up with the action. Sorry to say the Padres lost the game (on a questionable call) in the bottom of the 13th inning. But we're excited for the Colorado Rockies who they played their hearts out at the end of the season to clinch the playoff spot. My parents live in Fort Collins and my sister is in Denver and they are wildly excited.