CrossStreetMarket 8 11 10

Smalltimore

Baltimore - August 10, 11 and 12, 2010

Being in Baltimore takes me back to my days living in Maine and Boston - especially those hot sultry summer days where the air is a constant character caressing and reminding you of it's presence. The chirping cicadas and humidity beckon me to open up and enjoy the earth and it's seasons. As I landed on Tuesday night, I noticed that the color green dominates, unlike in LA, where people and roads and buildings canvas the landscape. So much development opposes the simple pace and natural setting of east coast towns.

My lovely hosts, Cat, Peter, Ruby and Vivien Smith have been showing me all the neighborhoods and nuances of their lives here. Gorgeous mansions are everywhere (and for a steal!) with bricks, shutters, and edifices matching those of their neighbors. The sameness pervades and comforts. There's something about the slow, richness of tradition in the habits, architecture, and even food that is a welcome change from the quick pace and forward motion in the West.

Before I left home, I had much emotion; sadness and fear all wrapped up in a little black package in my belly, producing copious tears. I've had lots of loved ones make their transition (translation: die) which has transformed a normal goodbye into This-May-Be-The-Last-Time-I-Ever-See-You. It was terrifying. This added to a leap into strange worlds for 9 weeks equaled an unexpected rush of separation anxiety.

Flash forward to seeing Cat and Peter, my dear friends who were the first I made in LA over 11 years ago. They lived above me and we would regularly gather for cosmos, Sex and The City, delicious dinners, cards, and lots of laughter. Then, they "abandoned" me and moved to Baltimore 6 years ago. [Ha ha, if you know me at all, you know I love to pin that kind of b.s. on others for the sake of a laugh - "abandon".] (;

Time and the world turns and here we are chatting it up as if no time has passed, underlining the fact that love never dies, it just changes form. This is a mutation of my imaginary boyfriend's quote "Energy never dies, it just changes form" -Albert Einstein.

The returning instills confidence that not everyone I love dies too soon. This comforts me greatly.

Peter has been working up a storm, hence his absence in the photos! Here we are at lunch at the Cross Street Market today:



















http://www.youtube.com/user/petersmithtv#p/a

As humanity marches forward, changing, evolving, and exploring worlds unknown (mostly internally hopefully - (please?)), some things remain constant: the warm shoulder of a friend who will do whatever it takes to help you calm down, the traditions of a culture, the seasons. I am grateful for both newness and the unchanging nature of Love, of Gratitude, and of Humans. We want to connect, to hold on, to explore, and this is what I celebrate on this summer's eve in Baltimore, Maryland.

Here's a little new music Peter introduced me to, performed in an elevator. Maybe you'll like it too:

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