Inside the Cathedral

I'm in London for an event you might have heard about somewhere on the news....Because I plan to experience as much of the Games as I can, I've scheduled some posts to keep this little blog of mine going while I'm gone (and to help me catch up with my never ending backlog of photos taken on other trips.) If you want to keep up with me in real time, and see a few of my London photos, catch me on Instagram @jamieshaw_lj.  
One of my favorite parts of travel is exploring old buildings and churches. Maybe it is because I spent most of my life in the Western US, where old means mid- to late 1800s, but I love experiencing historical buildings. The detail and craftsman ship blows me away, especially when I stop and think about the tools that were available when the buildings were crafted. The cathedral in Lausanne was no different. I've visited several times and each time I go, I find something new to marvel at - the building is simply stunning. Here are a few photos from my trip there last fall.

The inside of a cathedral seems to be a fitting place for a listen to the new Bon Iver: Beth/Rest.

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The New Mosque

This weekend finally brought a bit of time away from the office. I hit the Old City both Friday and Saturday - I wandered around just enough that the maze of streets is starting to make a tiny bit of sense.

Friday we were at the New Mosque (new, as in built in 1700 instead of earlier....) just as the sun was starting to drop down and was sitting behind one of the minarets. 

We were back again on Saturday - this time after dark. We'd been to see a whirling dervishes show and wandered down to the waterfront looking for someplace to eat dinner. The whirling dervishes show was a cool experience - not quite what I expected, but I'm glad I can say I've been. I left the theatre feeling slightly dizzy and I wasn't the one spinning in circles for 30 minutes. I honestly don't know how they do it.

Istanbul does an amazing job of lighting the mosques and monuments in the city. So even after dark you can see their beauty.

I saw this Bon Iver cover of Bonnie Rait's "I Can't Make You Love Me" on Black Eiffel and have had it on pretty steady rotation this week.

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The Cabin

I mentioned Friday I had spent some time at my parents cabin - and since my sister and her family missed out on the trip thanks to the flu, I thought I'd share what she missed.  First up, the road to the cabin.

Next, the steps leading up to the balcony - and if you look closely a glimpse of the old outhouse.


There have been some renovations and it looks better than ever, best of all - the new roof that made the balcony the best part of the cabin.


Grandma and Grandpa put up a tire swing for the little ones - they will love it.

The log chair at the fire pit, aka the king's throne.


My favorite grove of trees - the sun always seems to shine through these trees in the most beautiful way.  We spent tons of time here when we were growing up, but adult life means it is much harder to get there - but every time I do I fall in love with it all over again.

When I think music and cabin I think of Bon Iver holed up in a cabin creating his amazing For Emma, Forever Ago album, including this song: Flume Pin It

Thoreau

Another photo from my arboretum trip, can you see my reflection in the drop of water?

Corinne over at Trains, Tutus and Tea Time posted photos and the story of her recent visit to Walden pond.  It was an amazing, beautiful post that has had me dreaming of a visit or just a week alone in nature.  Either option sounds heavenly right now.

Can you imagine a week without the worries of work, email, cell phones or any other electronic leash?  Don't get me wrong, I love all of these tools, but there are times I want to escape from them all with nothing but a few dozen good books.

With Thoreau already on my mind a quote of his jumped out at my as I read through a local newspaper over the weekend:  "Success usually comes to those who are too busy to be looking for it."

At first the quote didn't seem to fit with my idea of Thoreau and what he stood for (at least in my mind.)  But after a bit of thought I've decided it is a perfect fit.  True success is living the life you love and not striving for the world's idea of success.  If I spend my life occupied with the things that bring my joy, what the rest of the world thinks or says won't particularly matter.

Bon Iver, another guy who escaped the world to focus on his art for a period seems the perfect match for a post about Thoreau.

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Concerts

Thanks to Your Heart Out I got my hands on the line up for The Gallivan Center's 2009 Twilight Concert Series (it's in Salt Lake City for those of you outside of the great state of Utah.)

There are several acts I'd love to see - so this post is me searching for concert buddies.

I'll be in town and would love to see the following:

July 9 - Bon Iver & Jenny Lewis
July 23 - M. Ward & Land of Talk
July 30 - Sonic Youth & Awesome Color

A little something to tide you over til July.

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