Changing channels

Yes, I know it’s been months since I posted. Seems that having a “real” life doesn’t leave much time for writing about said life. I’m sorry for the absence; I’m not sorry for having so much fun.

I knew there had to be a special reason for the Universe to drag me from the beach back to Idaho – in the winter, even. And I was right. There’s a wonderful man in my life who makes me happy, keeps me busy, and treats me better than I’ve ever been treated before.

Anyway, add a full-time job, an active social life, renovating an old house, and you have – you’ve got it. No time to write (well, except for work). Hence the dust on this blog.

After losing my original blog, I never have been able to find the same level of enthusiasm for this one. So rather than continue to do a poor job, I’ve decided to stop for a while and focus on other things – like getting my books into print, and creating a new website. Oh, and continuing to spend time with that wonderful man.

So, I’m going to officially back away from blogging for a while. I’ll eventually add a blog to the new website, which I’ll transition to this address as soon as I get brave enough to flip the “on” switch. But since I haven’t been posting for months, you won’t notice the absence anyway. And if you do, you can always find me on Facebook – although I admit I don’t post much there, either.

This isn’t really goodbye; I’m just taking a breather between sites. I’ll be back in less time than it would take me to post here again!

So thanks for following me here. Find me on Facebook, or at http://www.bethhanggeli.com shortly. Love ya! See you soon –

Meeting of the Minds 2013

Well, I’m back. Exhausted, happy, hoarse, footsore, but full of music and friendship and warmth. My time in Key West was magical, as it usually is. Spending five days on the island with my music friends is something I look forward to every year, although I’m never sure I’m going to be able to return the next year. But so far, I usually have been able to.

Anyway, it was an amazing five days. I ran from 8am until 1-2-3am most days. Duval Street is about a mile long – my hotel is on one end, and music venues are scattered along the entire street, but mostly on the OTHER end. So I walk miles in pursuit of music, friends, food, and fun (okay, and a rum punch or two). If I were smart, I’d rent a bike and save my feet; remind me of that next year, when I’m limping around town on bruised, swollen feet.

Meeting of the Minds, for those of you who don’t know, is the annual gathering of Jimmy Buffet fans, called Parrot Heads. It’s a bunch of days of live music, fundraisers, auctions, parties, awards, and general merrymaking. Now, I don’t consider myself a true Parrot Head  – most of them are considerably older and richer than me – but their presence attracts Trop Rock musicians, and that’s one of my worlds. So I join the masses for a few days, and soak up hours and hours of great music played by my friends.

MOTM is like Old Home Week. Friends from all over the country gather. I bump into them wandering Duval, in bars, listening to music. We form habits – meeting at certain places, sharing meals, catching up over cocktails. Days are filled with music and laughter, hugging friends we haven’t seen in a year, sharing a beer while listening to our favorite artists and songs. It feels like we’ve been together forever, and the good times will never end. Picture a party filled with hundreds of your best friends that lasts a week, and you have an idea of how I spent the last few days.

But all good things must end. On Sunday, we start saying goodbye. We promise to keep in touch, and see each other sooner than later. We know most of us will return next year, so at least we can look forward to that. But it’s sad to bid farewell to such wonderful friends.

So I’m exhausted, tired of walking and talking and laughing and not sleeping. But I’m deliriously happy. I wouldn’t trade a second of it. I return to a place that isn’t known for its live music – although I’m going to work hard at finding the music that IS there, as well as convincing my musician friends to trek north and play for us…once the snow melts.

In the meantime, I have great memories of a wonderful time. I’m dreading returning to the dark and cold, but hopefully the sunny days I just spent will carry me through. And if not, I guess I’ll be heading south again – definitely before another year passes, anyway!

Thank you, Key West. I’ll be back.

Separate lives

I leave for Key West in the morning. EARLY in the morning. Returning to Florida, where half of my heart lies. The other half is here in North Idaho, where it’s been for many years. Do you think maybe I could have picked two places that were a LITTLE closer together? Having lives in places 3000 miles apart is rough. When I’m in one place, I miss the other – even though I enjoy where I am, when I’m there. But part of me always wants to be somewhere else.

I know, I know, you can never have everything. My father always said if there was a perfect place, it’d be full. And my financial advisor has reminded me that I don’t have to MOVE to a place I love – I can just visit it.

So this week, I’ll visit a place that I love, back in the midst of my crazy music world with my crazy music friends. And hope that the memories I make will carry me through the North Idaho winter, until I can get back again. Unless I win the lottery… (although I understand that requires buying a ticket). But I’ll also look forward to returning to Idaho, to my friends and my life up here.

I’m trying to learn to appreciate where I am when I’m there, instead of always looking ahead – or behind. I never have quite mastered the “now” concept, although I keep trying. I read something that DJ Jeff said, about how he learned to appreciate every day this past year, when he knew his days were numbered. Heck, ALL of our days are numbered – we just conveniently ignore that fact.

Anyway, for the next few days, I’ll try to live in the now. I’ll soak up every ounce of fun to be had, enjoy being with my Florida friends, and fill my memory banks with good times. Then I’ll return to Idaho, where the rest of my life waits. Which is filled with some pretty good stuff these days, as well. If it would just stay above freezing until, say, June…

I’ll try to post pictures on Facebook, although I’m not promising anything. I hope everyone has half as much fun as I’m going to have, and I’ll wish you all were with us, down on the island.

Be back soon!  Stay tuned!

Don’t waste a second

My Trop Rock world lost another of our shining stars today. DJ Jeff lost his battle with cancer this afternoon. I saw him in May, when I was in Key West, and we recently exchanged Facebook comments about trading hugs next week. He was instrumental in bringing Trop Rock to the Internet through Beachfront Radio, so touched all of our lives through the music.

I ache for his lady – you could tell how much they loved each other by just being around them. I would be lucky to find someone to love me that much. Carol stood by his side through this whole ordeal, and I can’t fathom what she’s dealing with right now.

Jeff was always positive and cheery, squeezing every second out of the time he had left. Even though we knew the situation was dire, we still hoped that he would be the exception to the rule. I guess I convinced myself he would, so it was such a shock to read that he wasn’t able to.

We’ll all be in Key West next week, and I know his name will be everywhere. We’ll have time to comfort each other, and reminisce, and celebrate his life. And curse cancer for taking another of our family way too soon.

It’s yet another reminder that life is short, and I better stop wasting precious minutes of it. I’m vowing tonight to work harder at figuring out what *I* want out of life, instead of trying to please everyone else and be what they want me to be. Because every second I waste, Jeff would like back.

My heart hurts tonight.

Sail on, Jeff.

North Idaho pictures

I’ve been urged to post pictures when I have nothing of value to say. So here are some, since I have none. 🙂

 

Marina at the Coeur d’Alene Resort

The view from my cousin’s dock on Lake Pend Oreille

Sunset over Lake Coeur d’Alene

Phil and Dave on the dock, shooting the rainbow

Pisces

My friend Dave shared this with me recently, and although there are a few small things that aren’t quite accurate (my memory is selective, don’t really have any nervous habits, and don’t know that I’m moody), overall it’s a pretty good picture of me.

While I don’t read my horror-scope every day and believe that that’s exactly how my day is going to go, this description pegs me pretty well.

Maybe Dave knows me better than I thought he did! 🙂

Does your zodiac sign describe you as well as mine does me?

October already?

Where did September go? Heck, where has 2013 gone? I still have to stop and think what year it is, and it’s almost over already. What’s going to happen in 2020 – will I even realize the year has changed before it’s gone? I guess the fact that time is flying is good. It means I’m busy.

Life in Idaho has been fun. I have lots of great friends here (that’s not to say I don’t have great friends in Florida), so am out a lot. I’m staying with wonderful friends who keep me sane, and warm, and not lonely. Work is – well, work is always work. It’s fun to see my name in the paper, and I work with nice people. (If you want to read any of my articles, go to http://www.cdapress.com and search for my last name; there’s one now, but will be more as time goes on.)

The weather is getting cold, and dark, and gray, and wet. Idaho’s weather is my albatross. If I wasn’t such an outside girl, I could tolerate it a lot better: I’d just stay inside until April! I have always been an outside girl, so not having windows to gaze out of, warm weather to revel in, beaches to walk – it all makes me a little stir crazy. (Okay, a lot stir crazy.) Not to mention having to wear SOCKS every day. That is the worst. I’m truly taking life day by day, focusing on the good, trying to ignore the bad, and pretending that winter is never going to come.

In three weeks, I’ll be in Key West for 5 days, back in my music world with my music friends. I’m counting the days. I might pitch a tent in Mallory Square and refuse to leave.

Anyway, I’m still out here. Trying to decide where my path lies. The Universe keeps shoving me in one direction, and then another. I’m looking for a crystal ball – or maybe a Ouija board – to help me make those big decisions. If anyone has an extra one, I’d love to borrow it. Maybe I need to visit that fortune teller on Duval Street…

Anyway, I’m fine, I miss my Florida life, I’m enjoying my Idaho life. Par for the course, in Bethland. I’ll try to check in more often. But in the meantime, here are a couple of pictures from Lake Pend Oreille. Enjoy!

My cousin taking pictures of the rainbow, and his neighbor Dave

The view from my cousin’s lake cabin

Anniversaries

It just occurred to me that today would have been my wedding anniversary, had I stayed married to my first husband. I don’t know why I thought of it; the date just rang a bell somewhere in my head.

We were married in 1992 and divorced in 1999, after being together 10 years. We didn’t have any contact; that was his choice. He didn’t believe that folks should stay in touch if they had been in a relationship, and no longer were. Maybe that was less painful, in some ways.

He passed away a couple of years ago. I don’t know who lives in the house we built up on the mountain. I’m sure our dogs are long since gone. I guess the only evidence that we were marred is the marriage license – and the divorce papers – in my file cabinet. Oh, and some pictures in that blue Rubbermaid box in a storage shed in Florida.

I’ll take a moment tonight to raise a glass to what was, and what isn’t anymore. I guess we all could do that: some things only survive in our memories. I’m spending a lot of time and energy these days trying to forget things, but I guess it’s okay tonight to remember a few.

Tomorrow is my sister’s birthday. That’s a great reason to raise a glass. Maybe I’ll have to raise two…maybe you’ll join me!

Pictures!

As my cousin Pam suggested, I’m posting pictures since I don’t have anything intelligent to add this evening. It’s almost 11pm and I’ve been staring at the computer for over six hours tonight, so I’m brain dead. So here are a few shots I took the past couple of weeks, to keep you amused until my brain revives. I have a ton of work to do tomorrow as well (figures the online jobs would come back to life as soon as I got a “real” job), and then back to the real job on Monday, so I’ll get back when I can! Hope you’re having a good weekend!

Raspberry truffletini with the girls!

Maree’s new baby, Clarabelle

Sunset on Lake Coeur d’Alene

Sunset at Independence Point, Lake Coeur d’Alene

Last hot day at the beach

Gotta love goats at the fair!

Still kicking

Yes, I know it’s been 2.5 months since I posted. I considered stopping altogether, since I obviously have lost the ability to post on a regular basis. But I figured I should at least bring you up to speed on where I am and what I’m doing, so you don’t think I fell into a Florida sinkhole – or got et by a gator – or emigrated to Australia – or joined a convent – or (fill in the blank).

It might surprise you that I’m living in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho again, as of 10 days ago. No, I didn’t plan to move back, especially with winter approaching. But I returned for a quick visit last month, and ended up with a job. It’s a good job – Special Sections Editor for the local newspaper. I’m getting paid to write, for the first time ever. It’ll look good on the resume. It’s nice to see my name in the paper (and not in the police blotter!). I don’t really have to report to anyone, and I come and go as I please. I’m back among friends in a familiar, much-loved place. And best of all, I’m not sitting alone on my couch, worrying about paying the bills.

Do I miss the beach and my life in FL? Of course. I always miss where I’m not – it’s one of my peculiar afflictions. I miss my friends, the live music, my Trop Rock world, walking on the beach, the warm weather. But for now, this is fine. I’ll ride this wave as long as I can, and then go on to Plan B – or Q, or whichever plan I’m at now.

I’m living with dear friends now, and will be housesitting for other friends when they head south for the winter. My furniture is stored in St. Augustine, so I don’t have to completely say goodbye to that town. I’ll still be in Key West the first of November for the annual Jimmy Buffett convention, Meeting of the Minds; it’s my gift to myself for leaving the beach. So I’ll see my friends and hear live music and thaw out for a few days, and have a blast in one of my favorite places in the world.

I still hope to move to KW one day. But right now, I’m here. I’m busy with friends and work, it’s not snowing yet, and the sun is out. I have a reasonably active social life, and know where the hardware store is. It’s all good.

So that’s what I’m up to. My work will be online at the Coeur d’Alene Press website, in the Special Sections (the first is Family, which will be out in the next couple of days – I wrote the intro). I’m not doing long feature stories at this point, just shorter “advertorial” pieces. If I write anything of substance, I’ll make sure to let you know.

So if you don’t hear from me, don’t worry. I’m still out here. Just busy trying to keep all of the balls in the air.

I hope you had a great summer, and are in the midst of a stellar fall. Enjoy the warm weather while it lasts! And please don’t remind me that winter is coming – I’m doing a fine job of playing ostrich, with my head firmly in the sand about THAT issue. And praying that global warming hits North Idaho with a vengeance this year….

Stay tuned for more Idaho stories!