Take A Giant Leap

It was March 1, 2004 when I took a giant leap into Blogland.  I had been reading blogs, enjoying the community and comradery of bloggers, for about 2 months before I took the leap.  Four years have passed and it is startling to think of the way blogging has changed my life.  Many amazing friends both near and far have come into my life as a result.  I truly never expected the friendships to be so true, so strong and I never thought I'd meet so many bloggers face to face. Everything about this community amazes me…the generosity, warmth, caring, sharing can't be match anywhere by any other group.

With a Blogiversary comes a party and you're all invited! Parties mean party favors and, while I'm a little sad that I can only give out a few, we can still have a great time, don't you think?  I appreciate each and everyone on of you who stop to read and comment, whether it's daily, weekly, monthly, or just once in while. I appreciate those of you who read and never comment. You do count even if you don't weight in on a post. I know you're there and I'm pleased you stop to read.

To start the party, let's do the prizes first...

You'll love knitting Miriam's new Flutter Scarf pattern (your pick of a hard copy or PDF).  Miriam puts so much thought into her designs and she creates some of the best lace around.  You'll also receive a skein of Lark's alpaca/soy yarn. This yarn is so soft, so beautiful and it's also hand dyed by Anne of Wooly Wonka...a total Utah package!

A skein of Sherbet, a vibrant shade of STR light weight, which just screams summer and we're all in need of a little summer, eh?

This is a very big bump of Spinderella's thrums (easy to spin!) in a mauve-y shade…with a Barebones Spindle. (Must spread the spinning bug.) Another totally Utah package!

Other goodies will also be included in the gift packages....goodies like chocolate (and more!).

Now, here's what you must do to join the party.   

Last year you told me your secrets and it about blew me away…you were so open and generous and it touched me deeply.  This year I'd like to hear a story.  The story must be about the landscape, the place on this earth that brings you peace and joy.  Is it an exotic beach, a mountain top or is it your own backyard?  Maybe it's the city block you live on, or the park around the corner.  Tell me where it is (not necessarily the exact spot), describe it, what it means to you, and include how often you are able to go there. 

Three comments will be chosen at random for the above prizes, but I'm going to read every comment carefully and handpick the one that speaks to me, makes me want to pack my bags and head on out.  That person will receive a special prize (TBA).  So, get ready, get set and tell me where to go!

The contest is open until March 13th, the day before my birthday, and to celebrate that event there could be another contest and more prizes. On March 14th I'll announce the winner of this contest and we'll keep the party going.   

Let's party!!

Comments

[sandy]

4 years!!! WOW! Impressive! You are my idol, my knitting guru, my friend. And I love you!
xoxo

[Rachel]

Wow, I am first! probably the result of reading this post in Israel (I am here visiting my mother, hence the recent quietness). I think I must convince you to pack your things and come visit Jerusalem, there is no other place like it in the world! It is so beautiful and unique it is hard to describe it. Although in recent years they ruined the entrance to the city with ugly big buildings and bridges and highways, lucky for us it is hard to destroy this city. Jerusalem offers so many unique experiences: walking on the walls surrounding the old city, walking in the small alleys inside the old city or enjoying the view in numreous spots where you can sit and look towards the old city are only a few treats. Walking around the city and viewing the beautiful old houses is another favorite thing I like to do there. Recently I even managed to almost feel like a tourist there, an old wish of mine and it was great. OK, I talk too much.

Have a great bloggiversary party! We are very lucky you decided to start this blog, it is one of my favorite daily treats and meeting you and Smith in person just made it even better, Hugs!

[Manise]

Happy Blogiversary Margene! Looking forward to may more years of reading you! Mwah!

[Sherie]

One of my favorite places is Isla Mujeres, Mexico. This is a very small island (just 1/2 a mile wide and 7 miles long) off the coast of Cancun. Your charming adventure begins with a 70 peso ferry ride. The ferry is small and crowded with the island's inhabitants. Once on the island you walk to your hotel (there are several) and dicker for an acceptable rate. As soon as your bags are dropped off in the room it's time to go to the beach. Only a short walk from anywhere on the north end of the island awaits paradise! The beaches are clean and pristine. White sand goes on and on. And incidently, that sand never gets hot! The water is turquoise and crystal clear. Snorkling is perfect and there are many types of fish to spy on. The people are friendly and happy. After a day lounging on the beach there are a few restaurants to choose from and a small area of shops to find treasures. Forgot your book? There's a used book store too. Even a small grocery store for supplies, just be sure you can read the labels in Spanish! Bicycles and motorscooters are available for exploring the village and south side of the island. At night visit one of the beach bars to sip a pina colada, wiggle your toes in the sand and watch a magnificant sunset! Ahh, paradise.

[Carole]

4 years! Congratulations, my friend. I feel so lucky to know you. Now, I'm not trying to suck up or anything but the place that speaks to me is the mountains. I love the feeling of being in a valley and having the mountains all around me. It makes me feel safe, as if the world is contained within, and nothing bad can happen as long as I can see those mountains. On the other hand, the other place that speaks to me is the ocean. I love to watch the waves roll in and roll out. It makes me think how big the world is and I want to ride the waves to the other side.
Is it weird that my two favorite places evoke the exact opposite feelings in me? Probably.

[PumpkinMama]

My soul's home is the wind and the waves of an east coast beach, but not the summer beach. Give me the noisy, chill blasts from stormy fall waves with gulls reeling in the wind, and the no longer green beach grass rustling. You musn't forget to add the smell of the salt air, photos of landscapes can't give you the smell, but isn't that part of what evokes such strong feelings in us, regardless of our chosen landscape?

[DebbieB]

Happy 4, Margene! You have enriched my world, and I don't mean that lightly. I read your blog first thing in the morning, and the way you pull things back to center no matter how chaotic they get - that reminds me to center myself, too. I'll share about my favorite spot when I have more typing time. Thanks for putting yourself out there!

[Wendy]

A very happy blog-i-versary, dear Margene!

My favorite place in the world is Wales. I've spent several long idyllic vacations there, and the most perfect place in Wales (in my mind) is in the mountains in mid-Wales -- the Brecon Beacons. There is a waterfall, Sgwd yr Eira, where there is a path behind the falls so you can actually walk through the falls. It's so beautiful it hurts, and my heart still flutters whenever I think about walking there.

[Cindy/Snid]

Happy Blogiversary (you made me realize that I completely forgot about mine (#2) last week!).

I'm not going to join in and tell you about my favorite spot right now, because I am missing it and it would make me cry...

[Kim]

Happy Blogiversary!!! Ok, my serenity spot is not a fancy place or even very far. It's my own back yard.

On early summer evenings, I like to take my kitting or a book out into the back yard...the dogs are quietly grazing in their yard (yep, they graze like blessed cows) and the birds are out singing their evening songs and grazing for worms. The gentle quietness of it all is what I love best.

[Barbara-Kay]

Our home looks out on a 5-acre Louisiana lake. The back of the house is mostly windows, so any room makes for scenic views. Since we moved here 4 years ago, I have become a bird watcher. The egret has her favorite fishing territory along the far shore, but the "johnny come lately" blue heron wants her spot. He is bigger, and drives her off. Then she sneaks back in behind him!

Lately we have had 14 mallard ducks in residence. They fly the lake like a race track, at about 12 feet "off the deck". Just wait a moment, the duck flight will be back around.

I could think of many places in the world I'd like to visit, but my own back yard has become my peaceful spot. Knitting, anyone?

[kelly]

Happy Blogversary Margene! Now are you ready for your trip???
Pack up some knitting, and nice cable knit sweater,a pair of wellies and of course Smith and Moxie. There will be no big city adventures or high rises here, just the sweet smell of the great outdoors and a few sheep.
Your off to my home town in Ireland. Many days of your trip can be spent going from small town to small town, roaming the glens, Moxie will LOVE all the new smells and adventures. Don't forget to wear your wool sweater and wellies for the glens tend to be a might chilling and wet on occasion. You'll pass by sheep, some goats and many a hedgerow. You may take a lunch with you and decide to stop on one of the many stone walls for a bite to eat in the fresh air, or you many wander down to one of the many small villages for a bite to eat at the local pub. Fish and chips or steak pie and chips with a good ole slice of wheaten bread slathered with butter, now thats a lunch. Don't forget to wash it all down with a pint of Guiness and your off again. This time to visit some of the many ruins that were once forts and castles of days gone by. Many pictures will be taken and would be a perfect time for a photo shoot of that new FO. On the way back to your b&b in the near by village you'll stop by the local woolen mill and stock up on some fabulous tweedy arans and learn the history of the mill.
Before settling in for the night you'll stop back off at the local pub again for a night cap and a banter with the locals. You'll learn lots about the locals, their customs and maybe an irish song or two.
Thats just day one, meerly the tip of the iceburg. You are sure to come home with many a story, many a smile and dreams of when your next trip to the emerald isle will be.

[CindyCindy]

Wow. I just finished reading some of the comments. Can I come, too? As we have discussed before, my heart belongs to the Mississippi river. Ole Man River is not just a watery slash in the earth. This river has a heartbeat. He is not unlike us. He will take guff and abuse and finally, he'll take over part of the land and all that we build close to him in our arrogance. My favorite spot is at the confluence of the Missouri and Mississippi. The flow of both rivers parting company is awe-inspiring.

[Sarah HB]

I have two...one I see every day and one I haven't seen in many years.

The one I see every day:
It is the view out my bedroom & bathroom window. It is part of what drew me to this house after seeing it the first time. Every morning (at least in the spring, summer & fall) I can look out my window as I get ready and watch the sun rise over the McDowell Mountains. It is a very calming time for me because it makes me smile about where I have come in the past year and how life does renew and bring you peace!

Second place, the one I don't see except in my mind is on the North Shore of Lake Superior. Winter or summer, doesn't matter, but the crashing of the waves, the birds, the winds...a gorgeous place to watch the sun rise and just be. I will see it in October this year and I am looking forward to the "renewal" of my spirit.

[Carla]

Wow- 4 yrs. I wonder when I started reading you? I think it is close to 4 yrs!
I don't know that what I am sharing is my favorite landscape but it is what I miss most. I have lived in the midwest since 1986 and it is VERY flat. I went to high school and college in New England and I really miss the mountains. ( I am not a big climber or skier. )
However I do love the mountains and find a sort of peace when I know they are surrounding me. So I miss them and am happy to visit places that are not FLAT!

[Norma]

My brain is empty at this early-morning hour, and you know most of my stories anyway (told you a good one yesterday, but not about a PLACE, hahaha), so I'm just going to wish you a happy, happy BLOGIVERSARY, and I'm now off to think about prizes for my own next week. Eek, you've raised the bar pretty high. :)

[deb]

Happy Blogiversary Margene! You forgot to mention how you have enriched OUR lives - every day I read you!

My favorite place - easy! Home. No matter where I am - traveling, shuttling my daughter around, out with friends, enjoying a rare evening out with my beloved husband - I can still fell the suble pull of the place I love the most calling me back. Our home. We built our home together right after we were married. We suffered through a very sad miscarriage while building our place. We moved in to an unfinished house at Christmas and shared our first and best Christmas ever here. We were finally blessed with our daughter and she has been raised in this house. Four cats, a dog and a hamster have lived here. My stuff is here; my life is here; my love is here. I rest here.

[Karen]

Happy Blogiversary!!! Thanks for sharing yourself with us.
The place that brings me peace and joy could be most anywhere but the one I'm going to tell you about is not only a place but a time. In the evening when everyone is settled, my son sleeping in his room, my daughter in her room on the computer or talking on the phone and my husband watching tv, I climb into my bed with my knitting and enjoy the comforting thought that everyone is home where they belong. I don't get to enjoy that feeling as often as I used to now that my daughter is away at college so it is all the sweeter when I do.

[Michelle]

Margene, what a great question. I was not going to enter so that other people could have a better chance at winning, but I have to share a magical spot with you.
2 years ago my love and I went on a trip across Canada, we got in our van and just started driving, no plans, just a bunch of maps and a yearning for adventure. Everyday we chose a new path. I remember so clearly when we were in Alberta I think in the banff area we decided to take a hike up a mountain, our trip up was through the woods and when we reached the top there was snow and ice (it was summmer) we walked across the top of the mountain and came across the most stunning and peaceful meadows. As we decended the mountain we came across a stream...sat down and just enjoyed the stunning beauty of the meadow and the little rocky stream...it was the most peaceful place in the world. I have no idea how long we sat there but time just stoped. I doubt that I would ever find that place again, but it was simply incredible and I think of it anytime I need a break. Oh and I forgot to mention the hundreds of monarch butterflies...stunning

[Hillary]

Happy Blogiversary! Reading your blog has brightened my day or inspired me so often. I'm truly thankful for your presence in Blogland.

It's no secret that I love my adopted home here in Virginia and working in DC but there is one thing I miss about Long Island - the water. When I think of the most relaxing, soothing place it's Northport Harbor and the beaches in the north shore of Long Island. I love and miss the water! As a kid, I looked forward to long walks along the pier where I would listen to the sound of the water gently lapping at the pilings while peeking in all of the boats that were tied up. There was a playground and a bandstand there and as a young adult my friends and I would often go there and hang out. Sometimes we'd walk up the small main street and eat ice cream or gaze in the windows of the shops.

Just thinking about Northport Harbor makes me long to be there. I hope that this is the year I get to share it with my daughters because they've never been there.

[Angie]

Happy Blogiversary, Margene. My favorite place is home and one of my favorite times there is sitting in my little kitchen garden looking north while the sun warms my skin and a breeze plucks at my hair and clothes. Seeing the far ridge covered with trees, the field full of waving grasses,and the sensations from the sun and wind make me feel so healed and at peace with myself.

[Chris]

Happy blogiversary! I'm honored to have had the chance to meet you.

One of my very favorite places in the world is the Black Hills. I worked for the Forest Service in the Black Hills during the summer of 1991, spending 40 hours/week tromping around through the ponderosa pines.

On the weekends, I'd go hiking. My favorite hike was to and from Harney Peak (the tallest point in SD and tallest point between the Pyrenees and the Rockies). Most of the hike is through forest, but it does feature some great views of the Needles and other features.

Upon reaching Harney Peak, you can see into Wyoming and Nebraska from the old stone fire tower (built by the CCC). You can see the back of Mount Rushmore. You can see towns and roads, but the often times busy Blacks Hills seem very quiet and peaceful from this perch.

I've been back to do this hike a few times since 1991. Once with a now ex-boyfriend on the way back from Glacier National Park. Once during a week long solo vacation to the Black Hills in 2005. And once on the way back from Estes last summer. Each visit has been restorative, invigorating, and soothing.

[Kirsten]

Happy Blogiversary Margene!!!

[Cara]

Thank blogland for you my friend! Happy Blogiversary!

PS - My favorite place in the world, right now, is my new baby's room. Yesterday I sat in there for awhile and it just make me happy and peaceful.

[Jennifer]

Happy Blogiversary Margene. What would we do without you? Blogdom is a very good thing.

Hmmmm... My favorite landscape would probably have to be Where Knitting Iris lives. I've never been there in person, but it's so inspiring to see through her blog photos. She seriously makes me want to move to a place that looks so serene. I can almost smell the fresh air on her blog.

Maybe I can go take a whiff of some of that outdoor clean fabric softener and pretend I'm being transported...

[Birdsong]

You sure know how to throw a party, grrlfriend! I am glad you stuck it out here in blogland, as I never would have met you otherwise:) My story will be forthcoming.... and you know it will be good, as I love to write about sense of place.

[Danielle]

Happy blogiversary, Margene! What a great question, and even better answers. My favorite place is not a point on the map, but a place that can be found almost everywhere in the world. I like to be underwater. The stillness that surrounds me when swimming beneath the surface is unlike anything on land. Yet it is so fleeting, with just a short time before I have to come up for air.

[Marcia Cooke]

Congratulations, but ONLY four? I thought you were older than that, blogwise, anyway! Glad to say that I am one of the people you connected with through the whole blog thing...I feel the same way. As for my special place, the first thing that popped into my mind was Arches, NP and especially, Delicate Arch. It got into my soul the first time I saw a photo, and I will never forget my first opportunity to hike up to see it. It is just the most awe-inspiring thing on the planet, to me, anyway. At the time, I thought it was a Once in a Lifetime experience, but as you know, we repeated the hike last summer. We both recognize that the second trek up was probably our last (in this lifetime) but I never expected to be there even once. The photo is my computer wallpaper, so I get to go there every day in my mind and always with the same sense of awe as when I first saw the place.

[Amy]

My favorite place is in my backyard. I live in the "icebox" of Pennsylvania, Lopez. It is a small village nestled in the Endless Mountains. My favorite place is my garden which is in use from late May until late October weather permitting. I spend most afternoons and evenings in the summer knitting, spindle spinning, wheel spinning and rigid heddle weaving amongst the tomatoes, eggplant, cucumbers and whatever else we might fancy to plant. My two young sons often join me to talk about fiber, knitting, etc. It is my idea of paradise and it's right outside my backdoor.
I love reading your blog because it inspires me to keep spinning and knitting!

[Rosa]

The moment I pull into my driveway, I find peace and joy. My mortgage payment is the first bill to be paid because I want to ensure a safe and comforting environment for my children. Why? Because when I was 4-years-old my mother and I became homeless when a fire in our apartment destroyed everything we owned. We were placed in an emergency family shelter for several weeks. We overstayed our welcome and we were put out one evening. We didn't have a lot, but what we had was hard to move from the small room into a cab, and onto a friends' apartment. We ultimately found a one-bedroom apartment in a high-rise project in NYC. I lived there from 5-years until I went away to college at 18-years. My mom made certain to pay the rent first before buying food, clothes, or other "necessities." I learned from very early on, much like Dorothy, that "there is no place like home."

[Roxie]

Oh, you are so on! How many times can I enter? There are lots of ways to talk about my favorite place. Let's start with poetry.

Listen to the ocean

I listen
to the ocean’s persistent hiss and rumbling thunder as
under the waves, small stones and sand tumble
in a rattling clatter, polishing agates to gems, wearing shells
well away. Washing out my worries, unknotting my nerves, pummeling
the lumps out of my crumpled soul.
I brought a guy here, years ago, to show him the roaming sport of beachcombing.
(Raised in the East where seas cast up condoms, syringes and sewage, he had no notion of the ocean’s potent treasures.)
It was a hit. The first bit of jasper captured him. He wandered enraptured,
prodding, nodding, stooped and staring and, (how dare he?)
forgetting me entirely.
So I went wading, with knowing toes plucking prizes from the foam.
When wind and rain drove us back to the car, and he wanted to compare,
smugly showing his handful of flakes and chips,
I tipped out my shoes and emptied pockets and knotted socks,
and piled high a mountain of misty swirled worlds in agates,
picture jasper, and sand blasted beach glass.
I was lucky that day. I sure didn’t get lucky that night.
But every storm casts up new stones, and
men come along regular as busses, and
I can always sit in the sand and
listen
to the ocean.

Happy blogversary!

[drpj]

My spot will not be the one with the most glamorous spot to go packing, for sure. Growing up, my dad was just the breadwinner, he worked and housed and fed and clothed us, but he was no caretaker. I never had a close relationship with my dad and now we struggle to rectify that, without admitting to ourselves all that we missed during my childhood. The only times I can remember being close to my dad were when he had to stop at work for one reaon or another when his store was closed and had me in tow. That was when he would actually talk to me and show a real interest in my life. So now, whenever I'm anywhere that the smell of asphalt or tires is strong, I feel at peace with my relationship with my dad and a calm washes over me. Back then, he owned a tire store.

[jillian]

Happy Blogiversary Margene!!

[Lucia]

I'm going to spirit you off not only to a place, but to a moment. The place is Oquossoc, Maine, where we rent a cabin every August, at the shore of Rangeley Lake. The moment is at about 7:15 on a brilliant morning. The rapidly disappearing mist rising off the lake turns silver in the warming sunlight. Nary a breeze ruffles the water's surface, the green mountains ringed about the perfect blue silence. The temperature is about 48 degrees; you realize as you step into the water that it is much warmer than the air. It surrounds your body, a heavy silk robe fit for a queen. Just for this moment, you are queen of this world, and also subject; it belongs to you, and you belong to it.

[Cheryl S.]

Growing up in Holladay, I spent many of my waking hours at the foot of Mt. Olympus. The views of the mountain from my home, my schools, and especially my local shopping center have been burned into my memories. I could never go to Olympus Hills mall without being moved by the sight of the mountain which looms so close as to fill your senses. Though my current view of it is from much farther away, it's always a beautiful and comforting sight. Whenever I come back from being out of town, nothing says "home" to me more than to see it's beautiful 'face'. Sometimes, especially in the winter after a good snowstorm, or in May when the mountain is lushly green but has been dusted with a late snow, I drive to the mall just to drink in its beauty up close. No photograph could ever capture the nearness, the depth and dimension, or the sheer massiveness.

But there are so many places that you and I both know well in Utah that I could have mentioned. Big Cottonwood canyon (especially Silver Lake), Bryce Canyon, Arches, Canyonlands, Grand Staircase Escalante, and well, just pretty much pick a place in Southern Utah. What a feeling it is to be able to stand in the beautiful red rock and be able to look for hundreds of miles in each direction, with virtually no signs of civilization - just amazingly beautiful landscape.

[--Deb]

Will it surprise you at all that I'm going to say Martha's Vineyard? It's that nice, little island off of Cape Cod in Massachusetts and I've been going up there since the summer I was 15. At that point, it had been almost 25 years since my Mom had been there, but prior to that, she spent every summer there, growing up. Her godparents lived on the island year-round; her grandmother lived and died there; her mother grew up there until she moved to NJ where she met my grandfather . . . She had real ties to the island (which makes the fact that she went almost 25 years without seeing it truly remarkable). She has since passed her love of the island to the rest of us--it's a beautiful place, it's true, but the best part is being there with Mom. Her enthusiasm is infectious. I've been to the island without her and had a lovely time, but it's not possible to be there without thinking of her, and how could that ever be bad?

And, of course, I named both my dogs for spots on the island, and have brought both of them to vacation there. You know, gotta spread the love to the next generation!

[Nancy]

Happy Blogversary! I've become far more of a lurker these days but I never let one of your posts pass without reading. I always enjoy them!

I guess I would have to think of Iceland when I am thinking of a place that bring me peace and joy. I never would have guessed such a thing but when I went to visit my cousin in 2006 I was startled at how much I felt at home. The landscape is far more raw and pure than I am used to which was breathtaking. The air was the cleanest I've ever breathed in. Even the tap water tasted pure! I think what really did it was reconnecting with this small remaining piece of my family. It truly brought to mind the idea that home is where your heart is. I hate to travel as a rule. I always feel a pull to get back to my home, my place of safety. That never happened in Iceland. Being with my cousin, her family and my aunt (who is my late mother's twin) made me feel completely safe and comfortable in what should have been a completely foreign place. I now dream of retiring there. I have never been more at peace than I was for that one week.

All the sheep helped too;)

[Meadow]

When I first read the rules, I immediately thought "my garden" I love being out in the garden in my backyard, right in the middle of the "city". I go there in the morning when it's still cool outside (funny saying that in the middle of winter) and quiet, most of the neighbors (and kids) haven't woken up yet. Just me and the cool, soft, dirt. I love watching the vegetables growing, amazed at how such a tiny seed can grow so quickly. I also go walking on the grass in my barefeet in the evening after a long hot summer day, nothing cools you down and relaxes you more than bare feet on cool grass.

But then you said that you want a story to make you want to pack your bags, well if it's in your own backyard you don't need to pack ;). But I can't think of a better place, so I guess your stuck with dirt, bugs, and veggies ;).

[Pi.Grrrl]

Delurking to wish you a Happy Blogiversary and an early Happy Birthday (the 14th is my birthday too). Thanks for sharing your writing, your projects and your inspiring view!

One of the places that brings me the most happiness is my friends' cottage on a pond in northern Vermont. I'm lucky enough to have been invited up there at least once a summer for the last 20 years. I've been there with one person and with over 20. It's a simple unwinterized cottage on a pond with a good-sized field behind it -- perfect for extreme croquet, vollyball, and lots of tents.

I love the location, the great sky and light in that part of VT, and the tremendous lake-effect thunderstorms that keep us on our toes staking out the tents. More than that though, I love the vibe, the cooking and eating, the games--indoors and out, floating in the pond, making music, and hanging out with my friends and their families in place that's away.

[Michele in Maine]

My favorite place is simple and not especially exotic. It's called Bear Island, and it's located in Penobscot Bay off the mid-coast of Maine, where I'm lucky to live (on the coast, not the island). I visit Bear every year to paint with fellow artists and writers (six women). We travel there by mail boat, and stay in an old family house right on the harbor. The house has no power save solar, no plumbing, and is filled with the flotsam and various artifacts one would expect to find all over the island - sand dollars, driftwood, and lots of wonderful arrangements of shells, plus little paintings left by other visiting artists. There are old issues of National Geographic stacked near the couch, and lots of old, long out of print children's books as well as assorted left-behind mysteries. There's a woodstove, of course, and lanterns and candles. The most whimsical part of the island is the trail around the perimeter which is filled with fairy houses, built out of moss, fishing line and netting, shells, seaglass and bark. They are entirely captivating, and our little group also contributed our own offering during our last stay there in the Fall. We always go the final week in September, when there is no one else on the island (it is privately owned by a family). The smell of the salty air, the beautiful blue ocean, the rocks and cliffs, all contribute to a magical, inspirational retreat.

[Stephanie]

Happy Blogiversary Margene!!!

The first place that pops into my head as my version of heaven is the farm that we are members of. We belong to a CSA (community supported agriculture) that is in Carnation, Washington (and c'mon...how could you not love a placed called Carnation?) They have cows and chickens and acres and acres of fields growing all sorts of organic veggies. It's nesteled in a valley that is just so beautiful. My whole family looks forward to going out there every week to pick and dig up potatoes or carrots or whatever Farmer Erick has for the kids activity that week.

Sadly with gas prices the way they are...this year we have to take a break from the farm. It's too hard to buy a membership and then also drive every week. It makes me so sad....but hopefully next year we'll be able to do it again.

[Sil]

Happy blogiversay Margene! And our b-days are two days apart (mines the 12th)! Very cool.

The place that makes my stomach leap is landing/taking off on the south to north runway at SFO. You take off and get a really amazing view of the city, the golden gate and the east bay before the plane banks to the right and takes me to work. Sigh. That's the view that means I'm home.

[Beth S.]

Here's one I think you will enjoy. My husband proposed to me by a little waterfall on a very narrow stretch of one-lane road next to the Delaware River. We spent the morning "taking a drive" in the vicinity and pausing in various scenic locations (of which there are many along the riverside.) He would stop the car and remark innocently, "This is a nice place for a walk, isn't it?". But there was always something objectionable about the spot he found (like the giant patch of poison ivy he almost pulled me into, heh.) This went on for quite a while. Eventually we spotted the waterfall and he pulled into a tiny little turnaround a few yards away from it. There he set a little plastic shopping bag on the pavement (!) and got down on one knee, and that is how we got engaged. A big rig passed us at one point while he was reading me the very serious poem he'd prepared, and I was laughing and crying at the same time as it roared past us. I always remember that moment when we go home to NJ to visit my parents and decide to take River Road. :-)

Happy fourth blogiversary--and many happy returns!

[leah]

4 years congrats! I just started a blog for many of the reasons you just listed! Thanks for letting us into your world!

As for a story...mine starts with a place..the Lake of the Ozarks in Missouri. My parents had a lake house there and as a kid we would go in the summers to get away. It was always fun family time. So that is the background for the story. I loved going on boat rides, you know feeling the wind in my face and feeling so close to God because the rest of the world disappeared as the sun kissed your face and the ridges full of trees showed their glory. My dad would take me on rides before he went fishing with my brothers. My dad and I didn't spend a lot of time growing up, he worked hard to provide for our family and my two brother demanded a great deal of his time. So one morning he comes to wake me up for our ride, he said it was foggy but if I wanted to we could still go. We did. It wasn't long and we were completely surronded by fog. I couldn't see anything (how he navigated our ride and got us home? that is the magic of a true dad) the whole ride seemed like a dream...me, my dad and everything else disappeared in the fog. To this day I love foggy morning, because they remind me of the special time I had with my dad on the lake (in fact we often call eachother now just to say it's foggy) It's our special memory on the lake.

[Kim]

Happy Blogiversary!

As you know, I grew up on a large potato farm in Idaho, and our house was surrounded by miles of potato fields in all directions. When I was maybe seven or eight, I remember a day when Mom was digging around in the garden, my brothers and sisters were flitting around in the kiddie pool in the back yard, and I was bored with all of it. I decided I wanted a change of scenery (I think this was maybe one of the first signs of my nomadic tendencies) and so I decided to run away from home. My goal was to walk across the field all the way to Canada, where my malamute dog Yukon (who was, of course, running away with me) would help me find a pack of wild wolves that would become my Iditarod race team (I was a strange child, what can I say?). After I was sure I had travelled about 200 miles and was surely halfway to Canada, I stopped in a hard, cracked patch of dirt to take a break. From that dry spot in the field I could see the homes of my grandparents and all of my cousins, and I could see that my brother and sister were flying kites in the back yard. The buzz of the tractors and the farm equipment hummed in the distance, and I tried to pinpoint which of the four digging machines off in the distance would be the one driven by my father. The wind was blowing, as it always is in the fields of Idaho, and I could catch the faint smell of my Dad's potato cellar on the breeze (an odd damp muddy sortof smell that I've always loved for some reason). It has been 15 years since I lived on the farm, more than half my life. But I can still very distinctly remember the moment when I looked around at the brown earth that surrounded me and realized "Whatever you do in your life, and wherever you run off to, this is home. If you were to travel across the planet, you would still belong to this hard, cracked patch of dirt and everything that comes with it." So, I abandoned my plan to run off to Canada and set off for home, where I found that my Mom was still busy in the garden and hadn't even realized I was gone.

The end.

[denise]

Congrats on your blogland-versary:)
May you have many more entries.

My favorite place - being with my children and grandchildren. No matter where they live it's their laughter, their voices and everyday interaction of their lives I enjoy. I am happiest and at peace when I am spending time with each of them. There is no greater joy for me then being with my 2 children and 3 grandchildren. I don't need quiet, I need to have the sounds of my family around me ... this is what fills/feeds my heart and soul.

[Lisa]

Congratulations on 4 years of blogging. My favorite landscape is Acadia National Park in Maine. There are mountains, hills, woodlands, ponds, lakes, ocean views. When my husband and I took our first vacation (outside the honeymoon) it was to camp in Acadia. We took 15 rolls of film--540 pictures--and over 200 digital pictures. There can be hundreds of other people in the park and you feel alone, communing with nature. We live in NC now and every summer I long to go back to the little campsite with the rock beach and the views of Cadillac Mt. I won't win any inspiration with my comment, but thank you for bringing back some great memories of a wonderful carefree time!

[moiraeknittoo]

There's this one spot on the land where I used to go to summer camp in the Front Range of Colorado. A creek that really does swell to river state in the summer when the snowmelt higher up in the peaks gets to flowing meanders through. There's a lovely wildflower and weed meadow next to it, and you can cross this home made wooden bridge to get to the other side of the river. Even that high up, in the summertime it does get hot, and as you're trudging through some dusty areas, you can smell the water long before you hear or see it.... I love that little spot. The sun shines down on this one spot that has a "bank" and shallow water, and you can wade in and screech at the chill (snowmelt, remember?), and splash and watch the droplets glitter like diamonds in the shafts of sunlight.... Whenever I need to journey, I imagine that spot in my head. The smell of the trees, the strangely loamy and damp earth, the quality of the sunlight and the sound of the water. I don't even know if that spot exists anymore, but it will live forever in my head as one of the most peaceful spots I've ever experienced.

[Donna]

I have been enjoying your blog for some time, but have never commented. Thank you for this wonderful comment topic! I have had a stressful week and needed someone to remind me of the things in my life that bring me peace.

The physical location that brings me the most peace and joy is my own backyard. I know, it’s not exotic or interesting, but it is mine and my family and I are making it into the exact place we all need it to be. All I have to do to center myself is look out my back window and concentrate on the green – yes we have green all year round in Oregon!

I lived in Los Angeles for a couple of years in my 20’s for the sole purpose of helping my career. I missed Oregon desperately and never felt at home there. My best friend, a native Californian was having a hard time understanding what I missed the most. She was an art student at the time and asked me to give her a picture that represented “home” to me. I gave her a picture of a gorgeous green field. She then painted a huge picture of it for me so I would have one place in my house to focus on when I needed to be comforted. Now I feel so blessed that I just have to look outside to see “home’ every day.

Congratulations on 4 years of blogging!

[Kim]

Happy 4 years! Thanks for sharing a part of your life with all of us.