Kathryn Costa - Collage Diva

Paragliding at Mt. Tom

Last weekend we drove over to Mt. Tom where Mr. Wonderful worked with a few paragliding students. The mountain is a steep climb and especially wearisome when carrying heavy paragliding equipment. Pictured here is Fernando flying overhead.

This is a cool shot of Fernando flying along side a bird.

This is perhaps the most interesting shot of the day. I love the blue sky and fluffy clouds.

While Fernando was hiking the mountain and working with his students I went shopping and hung out in Northampton where I found independently owned bookstores, paper stores, kitchen shops, bakeries, and more. I was in heaven. It was my kind of outing. I made it back in time to catch Fernando's flight and descent.

Let's Fly!

My sweetheart is introducing me to a whole new world, the world of paragliding and hang gliding. On Sunday we drove out to the Bershires to Mount Greylock. It is the highest point in Massachusetts at 3,491 feet.

There were over 30 pilots there eager to fly. Mount Greylock is not for the faint of heart - it is a place for advanced level pilots. I learned that the winds in this region are rarely suitable for flying so when it is "flyable" everyone flocks to Greylock.

I walked down to the launch area before things started happening. In the background stands the impressive Veterans War Memorial Tower. The memorial was originally intended to be erected in Boston's Charles River Basin, before plans were changed to build it on Mount Greylock.

Pictured here are a number of paragliders patiently waiting for their turn to take flight.

Here is my sweetheart staging his spiffy new equipment. Today was his maiden voyage with this beauty.

Here is a look at the launch point. You can see a paraglider in the distance and a hang glider just moments from running off the edge.

It was a blast to watch everyone take off.

Here is my Fernando moments from his take off. On his helmet is a high definition video camera that he controls from a wristband. Notice those lines...so many and they are so thin! I would surely tangle them up.

Here is Fernando preparing to launch.

Weeeeeeeeee! There he goes!

I'm looking forward to our tandem flight. I'm pretty excited to experience flying.

After I watched Fernando catch some thermals, I walked around and noticed his friend, Flavio over by the War Memorial. Of course I love the color of his canopy set against the blue-bird sky.

Be certain to click on most of the photos in this post to get a closer look at them. 

Thanks for swinging by. I'll be certain to share the story of my first flight!

Until then,

Namaste,

Kathryn, Collage Diva

What's Cooking?

Our feathered friends (see this blog post to meet them) gifted us with a beautiful array of eggs.

What is sooooo very cool is that my Mr. Wonderful pulled out my camera to take these photos. I can't tell you how awesome it is to have met a guy who I can play with. The best part is that it comes so naturally for us. Be sure to click on this photo above to really take in the details.

I couldn't resist sneaking in a shot myself. I really wanted to show off these beautiful blue eggs.

Before we made our breakfast you could hear us oooooooh and aaaaaaah over the gorgeous color.

Yes, even as adults, me and my guy still play with our food.

Would you like to join us for a yummy omelette and some coffee? But wait, don't eat it just yet.

...I see a darling curly-q at the end of some parsley. I must capture it!

On another evening I was preparing a salad with radishes. Oh dang it. I need to use a tripod. I didn't quite capture the gorgeous leaves. oh hum.

Mr. Wonderful and I have discovered how well we work in the kitchen together. I'm pictured here prepping up some fresh ginger, garlic, and onion.

Here is a close up of the spices I use for Dahl, a tibetan lentil soup. The brown spice on the left is my homemade Masala, a collection of spices including green and black cardamon, cinnamon, cumin, and more. I have a special grinder just for spices and a separate one used exclusively for coffee. My house Masala is a recipe I found in The Kopan Cookbook: Vegetarian Recipes from a Tibetan Monastery .

On another night I made my favorite cashew rice recipe. It has a delicate balance of sweetness from raisins and red onions.

Although we have a lot cooking in the kitchen, Mr. Wonderful and I are cooking up much more! We are collaborating on OUR dream project. That's right, we are combining our talents on a series of amazing projects. Stay tuned!

Cheers to good eats and creative collaborations!

Kathryn, Collage Diva

 

Mother's Day Reflections

On a recent walk I came upon these sweet Lilies of the Valley. How fitting seeing that they are my mother's favorite flower and Mother's Day was around the corner. As I walked home savoring the sweet perfume of these little gems I thought about my son coming home in a month.

If you are not familiar with my story, my son is now 16 years old and last June left to live with his dad. He typically goes out each summer and lives with me but this year we decided it was time for him to get some quality time with his dad. I realized that there are so many lessons a boy needs to learn from his dad that I just have no clue about. It was one of the most painful a difficult decisions, ever. It was unexpected too as he was out on his vacation when it was decided and he wouldn't come home until Christmas vacation. Let me tell you I cherished those two weeks!

I've been thinking a lot about my son these days. I've missed the little blondie who stole my heart. Now he is an emerging adult and I realize that his needs are different now. As much as he still needs a mother's love, I'm so aware that I could easily s-mother him. I took some time to sit with my journal on Mother's Day and write about my feelings. I quickly filled three pages in my notebook and throughout I paused and asked,

"What does my son need?" 

At the end of my journal session I realized what he needs most of all are two things:

love and understanding.

I know I have already fertilized the soil with lessons of right and wrong, my expectations, and so forth. I know too that there comes a time when a plant needs to be left alone to grow. If I keep watering and fertilizing it, it will grow weak and die. My son like the plant needs some autonomy to make decisions and to practice the lessons I've already taught him. He is a smart boy, he doesn't need me to sound like a broken record. When my son lived with me, his father use to be the "fun" parent and I was the "parenting parent" but now the roles are reversed and I get to be the "fun" parent. I'm looking forward to listening to his stories, to observe what and how he thinks, and to share lots of laughs. I have some unique outings in mind that will get us out in nature and enjoy what our beautiful state has to offer.

Parenting a teenager is so tough. It is a challenge to find the balance between protecting and guiding. My hope is that I can parent from a place of love and understanding, not fear. I trust that I can give him the space he needs to grow. It is less than one month away until he arrives. As I prepare his room in our new place, I will savor the solitude as I anticipate the time we will share with each other.

Although this blog post is going up a few days past Mother's Day, my mother's heart sends out a lot of love to all the mothers out there, even those women who have never had a child but are an important role model to others. Motherhood is one of the most challenging and rewarding roles and I'm so grateful for this opportunity. As much as my heart was broken in the last year it still manages to overflow with love and understanding.

{soul hugs}

Kathryn, Collage Diva

Feathered Friends

Look who is greeting us today!

"Quick, follow me this way!" says one rooster.

"Hey wait! The party is happening over at the barn!"

"Are you sure? I thought we were meeting in the back garden?"

I loved watching this gorgeous group of roosters and hens.

Naturally I couldn't resist snapping a few shots of tattered...

weathered...

and worn facades.

Swing by tomorrow to see the fabulous gifts from these feathered friends.

Until then,

Namaste,

Kathryn, Collage Diva

A Walk in the Woods

Mr. Wonderful led me through the woods behind the Octopus tree (see the last blog post to check out the cool tree) to find these greens.

Had I been walking by myself in the woods, I would have overlooked them.

Fortunately for me, Mr. Wonderful was with me to show me these "ramps" also commonly known as wild leeks.

A quick Google search led me to the photo above and this website with some background information and recipes. When we returned to the Morningside a couple of weeks later, Mr. Wonderful's friend had harvested them and sent us home with a bag full. How delightful! The taste is a cross between onion and garlic. We enjoyed them in our soups and salads.

As we walked around I spotted some of the first flowers of spring.

I loved how this one was nestled next to a tree. Check out all of the great textures in this shot.

As we continued on our walk we came upon the "castle," a charming little spot where Mr. Wonderful spent his time when he taught at the Morningside flight park.

When we came upon the door I was reminded of this funky door in Portsmouth that I had photographed. I love how Mr. Wonderful painted the stairs - now, have I not found the perfect guy for me?

If you look closely in the window you'll catch a peek at us in the reflection.

I'm having so much fun. Be sure to visit again soon. I have more photos and stories to share.

Until then,

Namaste,

Kathryn, Collage Diva

Sharing the Creative Journey

There is someone very special to me who I would like to introduce to you! Pictured here in this old and fabulous tree is my Mr. Wonderful, Fernando.

Many of you may know that I've been single for a very long time. In January I decided to try a couple of dating sites. I met so many nice people with interesting lives. Meeting Fernando was different, my walls vanished and the connection was instant and continues to be so easy, so natural. I feel as though I've known him for many lifetimes.

We share so many things in common including a love for nature.

We are both passionate and expressive and love art and writing. In fact, when we shared our dreams, we discovered that they fit together so well. It is so incredible the many connections we share.

We have already started to collaborate on a dream that we both have. It is a publishing project that I'm so excited about. You all will be the first to know of it, but for now, I need to keep it close to the vest as we nurture it.

We both love to go out on outings, enjoy picnics, and capture the details in photos.

Today's photos are from an afternoon we spent at Morningside, a flight park located in Charlestown, NH where Fernando taught hang gliding and paraglyding for many years. Oh, I can't wait to go flying with him!

I do feel like I'm living in a dream these days.

It will take me some time to get back into the groove of blogging. Rest assured that I'm collecting lots of photos and stories to share. I promise, I'll be back soon.

Until then,

Namaste,

Kathryn, Collage Diva