Age Irrelevant

World's largest Spruce tree in WA.

Closer view of the spruce tree.

This week I have been celebrating my date of origin some (age irrelevant) years ago.

Last night a friend and I went off to see a new movie, "Hello, My Name is Doris" which seemed an 'age appropriate' story.

It is impossible to see the top of this tree from
the bottom, and the girth at the base is quite
massive. Well worth the trip.

There is a bias about older women having relationships of any length with younger men... I dated a younger man last year and when it was all over, I realized he was still too old for me.

When a woman is youthful, energetic, still thinking and creating, why can't she be seen as she is?

Why do folks want to say "She's doing all right for the age she is..." or "She's robbing the cradle?"

World's Largest Spruce Tree is about 1,000
years old. I don't think I even want to live
that long... 

When men date women who are much younger, other men crow and chuckle and sigh like the biddy hens in the barnyard. But if a woman in their midst is going with someone much younger it is interpreted as desperation.

"Hello, My Name is Doris" is about an older woman (Sally Field) who has a youthful outlook, ready to explore more of life. She is living... not just coasting along. And she reinvents herself as the movie progresses.

Men who were born around my date of origin are, in far too many cases, tapping their toes waiting for the Glory Train to pull into the station and take them out of this world.

So, don't ask me ever again about my age... it is just as irrelevant as how much money I have or what color my skin is. I am. But who I am today is different from who I was yesterday, and I will continue to be different in the days, weeks and months to come. I am evolving.

So, in looking for some photos to give some relief to the rant, I found these from my trip to the RainForest in Quinault, WA last summer. It's not far away from Sequim or Port Angeles and so it's an easy day trip to go and explore some natural history.

Here's a link to read more about the tree, it's location and the area where it is situated with some walking trails and other activities.

Stay tuned... isn't this a joyous life?

Festival Internacional de Cine De Barichara

Coro Polyphonica de Barichara presented at FICBA's first
annual event in Barichara, Colombia.

Perhaps you didn't hear much about this international film festival this year, but that was possibly because it was the first year, and perhaps because it didn't get much 'international' coverage, but the Festival Internacional de Cine de Barichara (FICBA) holds promise for the future. (The only 'official' link I could find - even before the event - was this one on Facebook and they never posted the schedule there. In fact, I am not sure anything was ever posted, even afterwards. Strange.)

At any rate, it was announced on the last night that plans for the second annual FICBA will be supported by local and regional entities and it will take place again in late June or early July of 2012, and some major young, international directors are promising to attend. This year there were 4 categories: Animation, Experimental, Documentaries and Fiction with 9 international 'samples' plus 5 architectural 'samples.' Running for four days and nights, there were lots and lots of young artistic faces in the village, and the awards all went to young Colombian competitors.

I was not in the mood that weekend for sitting in a folding chair for two hours over and over again, so I only went to one presentation and was sadly shocked at the subject matter. "Violeta Y Mil Colores," was filmed in New York, directed by Harold Trompettero, (in Spanish with English subtitles) and classified as a documentary. It is about a young woman who is wanting to commit suicide because she is so disillusioned with her life. I left before the ending. There were other movies that friends of mine attended and raved about and I wish now I had seen something more hopeful.

There is no movie theatre in this region, so everything was well-attended by all ages from here and from San Gil and Bucaramanga. For the younger crowd, after a day of forums, instructional presentations and informational seminars followed by movies in three locations from 6-10 p.m., there was a disco bar that functioned from 10 p.m. to 3 a.m. I was pretty glad I was living in the hills away from all this!!

On Sunday evening, just before the award ceremony, our Coro Polyfonico de Barichara (the group has a Facebook page) sang two songs for the SRO crowd. We did a rondel, "Dona Nobis Pacem" by Mozart, and "Padre Nuestra," a Spanish version of the prayer, "Our Father," which were well received. But some days afterwards, several people asked me why we were singing such semi-catholic songs. I said, "It's what we were most practiced in..." I expect that with a full year to practice, we'll have a wider repertoire to offer if we are invited to present again next year.