Words To Mark This Moment In Time

Today stands out from others. Today, an Elder is returned to the Earth. This Elder was the last Native speaker of the Tututni Language. This man earned a Purple Heart for his actions during the Korean war. This Elder fought many battles, not the least of which was the battle he had to overcome just to begin speaking his native tongue out loud once again. To make his mouth form those sounds and his vocal cords allow the breath to pass by, was a victory hard won. You see, this man was taken to a Boarding School as a young boy and whipped anytime he spoke a syllable of his Mother tongue. He had to learn English quickly and he did. It was harder to overcome the fear associated with speaking Tututni many decades later, but he did. And when he did, a world of forgotten memories came flooding back to him. Times with his Mother and Aunties. This man, he loved to tell stories about them. He loved to tell stories. His heart shone brightly when he spoke his language, and even more brightly to see young ones eager to learn it.

Imagine for a moment what it might be like to have your first language be so obscure, so rarely spoken that it was deemed extinct. What does it mean for humanity when we loose a language of the people? What does it mean for humanity to forbid the speaking of a language? How closely entwined is your identity with your Mother tongue? How does your language influence the way you relate to others?

To this Elder, I say thank you. For modeling the courage to overcome fear and make something beautiful happen. For believing that to loose something so great as the language of a people is too terrible to fathom. Thank you for all the stories and smiles and words that you generously shared - with so many. My family will keep your memory strong. We continue to speak and sing in that nearly lost language. So will our children. We are grateful for your walk on this Earth. Rest, dear Elder, in peace.


Obituary 
Chosin Reservoir Purple Heart Warrior
First Warrior Tribute
Tutudin Language Aritcle Written for the Register Guard
Another Article about Tutudin Language Restoration

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Cuijas - a Cute Mexican Mystery

More commonly known as besuconas (many huge kisses) for the incredibly loud kissing sound they make. Really, its remarkable that such a big sound comes out of such a little critter. I fell in love with them while we were in Barra de Navidad, Mexico. The trouble is, we don't know what they are called in English, so we have not been able to do any research. No matter really, the besuconas would regularly make me squeal with delight upon hearing and seeing them. Aren't they adorable? They are white, nearly transparent, fast and sooo shy usually only coming out during the cooler hours from dusk to dawn. Getting pictures was a feat all on its own.

During the day, they happily hide and sleep behind things hanging on the wall like pictures, or are tucked behind vines or other foliage. The people love them as they eat insects and are said to bring good luck.

If you can tell me more about my new favorite lizard/gecko/chameleon - ish friends, I will be forever grateful.

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Casa Holistica Sol - Our Bed and Breakfast in Mexico

You know that feeling you get when you go somewhere for the first time and it seems like you were meant to be there? Everything is right in the world. Everything is comfortable. That feeling is what we experienced when we ended up at Casa Holistica Sol, the Bed and Breakfast we stayed at while in Barra de Navidad.

Lucero, our hostess, was a joy. We made all of our arrangements with her online via email which worked great. She sent Jose, a man with a truck, to meet us at the Manzanillo airport and drive us the 20mins. back to Barra de Navidad for a good price. (Side note: the Manzanillo airport is closer to Barra de Navidad than it is to Manzanillo). Jose's little truck was big enough for two people in the front, while our luggage and another person rode in the back. We spent about 10mins convincing Jose that TOIL would be happy riding in the back with the luggage instead of driving the truck of a stranger to a location unknown, in a foreign country. I have to confess, TOIL did have a look of sheer panic for a moment or two. Once that was worked out, we had a nice drive to Barra with a stop on the way to get some fresh coconut juice.

Lucero greeted us with open arms, got us settled in our spacious and clean room and sent us to eat at what turned out to be our favorite restaurant, Mexico Lindo, home of the best Camarones a la diabla (shrimp of the devil), dare I say, in the world. They were so good AND SO FREAKING HOT that I made TOIL swear that for the rest of my life he had to make sure nothing that hot passed through my lips ever again unless it was Mexico Lindo Camarones a la diabla good. I sweat my way through one whole plate of them, which was a holy experience to say the least. I digress, back to Lucero and Casa Holistica Sol.

Without a doubt, if you plan to visit Barra, we highly recommend you stay with Lucero. Her prices are very reasonable. The house is clean and conveniently located on the opposite side of town from the tourist area. Each room has a private bathroom. Every morning we had a lovely Breakfast of fresh fruit with yogurt and granola, bread, coffee, and fresh squeezed juice paired with great conversation. Good for body and soul. Speaking of body and soul, one of the many perks about Lucero and Casa Holistica Sol is that Lucero is a licensed massage therapist and gives an AMAZING massage. The house is about a 5 - 7 min walk from town, 2 min walk from the canals, 3 min walk from the bus stops and a 3 min walk from the beach. There was hardly ever anyone at "our" beach. Pretty nice.

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Have you ever smelled something that took you back?

Back to a time of innocence when everything was happy and good in the
world? This is TOIL smelling goat cheese which he claims smells like
an action figure toy of his youth. I asked him if the cheese tasted
like the action figure of his youth. He said no.

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Try as I might, I am still here in my mind.

And I'm ok with it. We are back from our 10 days of bliss in Barra de Navidad, Jalisco Mexico. While I am quite functional in my daily life, my vacation is still fresh enough for me to easily remember what it felt like to sit in the sand, watching the sunset.

Our "honeymoon" was filled with great people, adventures and a heavy dose of relaxation. We experienced plenty of local sights AND spent a lot of time doing relatively nothing. This is a change of vacation attitude for me. Until this trip, I have prescribed to the "lets take advantage of ______ and, come on lets go do _____ because who knows if we will ever make it here again" travel perspective. Things have definitely changed.

Perhaps it was the travel voucher that assisted with our new vacation attitude. Perhaps it was the location. Maybe I am getting older and a teeny tiny bit wiser. Taking a "plan less, relax more" vacation was AMAZING and our preferred way to vacation from now on. Traveling on the cheap was a joy and quite possible in Mexico.

My big take away from this vacation was the realization that I need to allow for more processing and transition time in my life. AND that I function so much better with less stress in my life. Go figure.

When, if ever, have you gone on a vacation where each day was filled with unplanned adventure and lots of relaxing? Where did you go and how did you make it work?

In the days to come, I will share more stories and photos of our trip.

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