Inter-Continental
An internetty friend over at China Calling suggested we post a Google Earth image of where we live. Cool idea! I love Google Earth and we've had some fun playing around with it in the past. So I thought, hey, I'll post satellite images of our Irish home, our Portland home, our property on the eastern flank of the Cascades, and the City in China where Thor lives.
The interesting thing was this...you know how when you type your location into Google Earth and the image "flies" from one place to the next? Well, as I flew over vast stretches of land and giant oceans to get to each place I started feeling knots in my stomach. Anxiety. Almost a cold sweat. I started to feel, well, a little spread out. I felt an overwhelming need to pack up shop, go grab Thor, return to our nest and never leave. Ever. I suddenly needed all of these things that I love to be very very close to me.
And then I looked at the scale of things. Look at our Ireland home at 7,500 ft (obviously not a lot of demand for high res satellite imagery to, say, count sheep). We are one of the little brown dots near the top of the screen. Let's just say it'd take a while to walk down to the store to pick up a loaf o' brown bread. Yet, look at our Portland home at 3,500 ft. Ack! Houses upon houses upon streets upon freeways upon Plaid Pantrys. Then compare this to where Thor lives in China, viewed from 35,000 ft. Even at this elevation it's poor resolution because, well, because it's China. Gazing at that image I can almost hear the noises, the shouting, I can almost smell the warm, dank, choking air. At our cabin you can hear the wind touching the leaves. It's amazing to me how different these places are.
I suppose, though, that when you bring it back down to a human-scale, it's all about home. Floyd and I have "homes" in several places (does that sound pretentious or what?) and we've been traveling so much over the last couple of years that we joke about the concept of home. Where is home? We've taken to saying, "Home is where the Jezebel is" (Jezebel being our cat). Now that we've added Thor to the mix, I'm thinking that home is wherever she is. So here are some pictures of our "homes" on a more human scale. Thor's home? Well we don't really know what it looks like, but this image is certainly closer to the truth than any of those other doorways.
So it looks like I won't really feel at home until we've got Thor and Jezebel taking naps under the same roof (sigh....).
The interesting thing was this...you know how when you type your location into Google Earth and the image "flies" from one place to the next? Well, as I flew over vast stretches of land and giant oceans to get to each place I started feeling knots in my stomach. Anxiety. Almost a cold sweat. I started to feel, well, a little spread out. I felt an overwhelming need to pack up shop, go grab Thor, return to our nest and never leave. Ever. I suddenly needed all of these things that I love to be very very close to me.
And then I looked at the scale of things. Look at our Ireland home at 7,500 ft (obviously not a lot of demand for high res satellite imagery to, say, count sheep). We are one of the little brown dots near the top of the screen. Let's just say it'd take a while to walk down to the store to pick up a loaf o' brown bread. Yet, look at our Portland home at 3,500 ft. Ack! Houses upon houses upon streets upon freeways upon Plaid Pantrys. Then compare this to where Thor lives in China, viewed from 35,000 ft. Even at this elevation it's poor resolution because, well, because it's China. Gazing at that image I can almost hear the noises, the shouting, I can almost smell the warm, dank, choking air. At our cabin you can hear the wind touching the leaves. It's amazing to me how different these places are.
I suppose, though, that when you bring it back down to a human-scale, it's all about home. Floyd and I have "homes" in several places (does that sound pretentious or what?) and we've been traveling so much over the last couple of years that we joke about the concept of home. Where is home? We've taken to saying, "Home is where the Jezebel is" (Jezebel being our cat). Now that we've added Thor to the mix, I'm thinking that home is wherever she is. So here are some pictures of our "homes" on a more human scale. Thor's home? Well we don't really know what it looks like, but this image is certainly closer to the truth than any of those other doorways.
So it looks like I won't really feel at home until we've got Thor and Jezebel taking naps under the same roof (sigh....).
Labels: Adoption, House, Ireland, Me, Motherhood
posted by Millicent at 9:49 AM
12 Comments:
You are such an amazing writer. I feel like I've been in withdrawal and now I'm getting this incredible needed "fix" with all your posts lately... DON'T STOP!! Well. Unless you have to... ; O ) Like when Thor comes home and you're super busy being mom to little girl and kitty cat...
Cool stuff!!
Soon your will have both furry baby and Thor baby home. I am sure we will be able to see your smile from Google Satellite images when you have both in your arms.
Keep smilin!
It IS all about home and Thor's is (are) waiting, with open arms and a world to discover WITH you two.
I love the doorways photos! Now that's a great meme... (of course, most of us only have one picture to show ;)!)
I love the doorways. I'm glad to hear I'm not the only one who gets vertigo from google earth. I felt the same way when I was zooming over the arctic in an as-the-crow-flies trek to China from Atlantic Canada.
Okay, now I am publically among the ubernerds.
Reading your post I was caught by your image of flying over land and sea to find your daughter, and then to bring your little family home. And something tugged at my memory.
So I searched around and found it. Your "home" home state's actual Latin tag is:
Alis Volat Propriis
Meaning?
"She flies with her own wings"
Your wings have taken you far, and will take you further still. We love to see you soar; it reminds us of what can be when love and strength carry you aloft.
Nice interpretation of the meme!
Hey, they said she was "reasonable", but nobody said she'd take a nap!
(Some dreams come true, other times you have to drink a lot of coffee to get through the day).
I love the door way. Great pics. I love Ireland, how did you come about moving there? Tho haven't been....yet.
I am so so so late with this congratulations, but I have been a little bit out-of-the-loop...OMG!!! CONGRATULATIONS on the match with little Thor!!!! That is just amazingly perfect news, and I couldn't be happier for you guys. And can't wait to hear more about her.
Just checking in, missing your posts... sensing life is continuing to change dramatically for you guys!
Hope all is well... thinking of you!
fun pictures...yes...home is where your family is...and there is beauty where your home is- in a dense chinese City, or the sprawling Irish countryside, or a north Portland neighborhood...it's all in how you view it. Hoping you are all under the same roof soon in one of your beautiful homes.
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