mexico

The Holidays

That time of year again. I spent Christmas Day watching the Lord of the Rings trilogy. Seems to be my new holiday ritual. I always see new things in it. This year I paid particular attention to the landscape since I have just been to New Zealand. I did recognize some of it. That was fun. Of course it always ends well which is another plus.

This year was pretty eventful. I went to Mexico in January. Enjoyed the good food in Oaxaca. I was surprised by how hot it was, though. Oaxaca is at 5000 feet and I would have thought it would have been cooler in January but not so. Did some traveling around the countryside and saw some ruins and some textiles and some art. All good.

I was called for Jury duty. One boring day of sitting around and then nothing more. Big disappointment. I was hoping for a juicy trial.

May took me to Miami and Key West. Another hot one. Nice to see the ocean and old friends.

In August I went to see Taliesin in Spring Green, Wisconsin. This was where Frank Lloyd Write lived and worked. He was quite the eccentric. It is a beautiful setting.

At the end of August my book came out but I had to postpone my launch until December. The launch went really well and I am pleased with the book. You should read it!

In October I went to Fiji and New Zealand. Wonderful trip. I had to go to Fiji because my father always said it was his most favorite place to visit. I would concur, it was pretty great. And New Zealand was beautiful plus I got the bonus of seeing a couple of old friends.

November was my son’s wedding. It was a lot of fun and I am happy for him.

I have three book ideas I am working on. Actually I think I have narrowed it down to two. It is kind of slow going but as the days get lighter so do I. The brain is churning away.

Looking forward to Florida, Spain, and Belgium in the new year. And who knows what else. Anything can happen!

I hope you and yours have a wonderful New Year!!

My New Book is Out!

The day has finally come. It feels like I have been working on this book forever.

But now, here it is!

I have set up some pages to go with the book. Lots of pictures and videos. Praise from readers. And info on where to get it. Also info on how to get a review copy. Click on Much More Info below or on Echoes of a Global Life in the menu above.

ECHOES OF A GLOBAL LIFE by Kathleen Gamble
A story of survival from Burma to Moscow and beyond. Memoir. Travel stories. Living in interesting times.

Echoes of a Global Life is part memoir, part travelogue, part history lesson. Kathleen lives in a world of constant change. Moving from city to city she says goodbye to one and starts to explore the next. Never two the same. She is a survivor. She keeps on going. Through trauma, including a plane crash, and other scary times, there is also humor. Kathleen was born in Asia and lived on five continents before she was eighteen. She takes you to Burma, USA, Mexico, Colombia, Nigeria, Switzerland, and Russia. She weaves in parts of each country she carries with her. Her family lives through a coup in Burma, student rioting in Colombia, two coups in Nigeria, and political unrest in Russia. Sometimes things are fabulous. Sometimes they are not. She is a Third Culture Kid, rootless and restless. As an adult she lived in Moscow for nine years during the 1990’s where she witnessed history in the making and a terrifying exit. Life is never boring.

Much more info

Alebrijes on Raspberry Island

From the Minnesota Latino Museum: “Alebrijes are a Mexican folk art of colorful and fantastical creatures, often the combination of multiple animals (for example, the head of a fox with the body of a goose, fish fins, and horse legs). “

These creatures are made from papier-mâché and/or wood. When I visited Oaxaca in January I saw a lot of these but they were much smaller. These are giants. They are here for the summer located on Raspberry Island in the middle of the Mississippi River just south of St Paul.

In other news….

I read the second book in the Chara series, Ocean. You will remember I read the first book, Atmosphere a few weeks ago. Ocean is the second book in David Scott Moyer’s Chara series. It continues with the original characters from the first book and adds more humans from Earth into the mix. However, they have a very different mission and threaten to destroy all the first mission was able to accomplish. This book is full of tension and suspense and surprises. Again, I found it hard to put down. I recommend it and look forward to the third book in the trilogy.

I also read and enjoyed The Wedding People by Alison Espach. I found it kind of predictable but it was an overall “feel good” novel with good insights into human relationships and self discovery.

It is has been super hot here and my air-conditioning decided to quit working at the peak of the heat so have been a bit stressed lately. Was told I have to wait a week for service. Plus I just bought a new unit so not happy. Plus plumpie just started a war so am dreaming of foreign shores….

Have a great day! 🙂

Friday Photos – Mexico
Olmec Head, National Museum of Anthropology, Mexico City

I am featuring random photos each week that pertain to my upcoming book, Echoes of a Global Life. 

I lived in Mexico City from age severn to fourteen. I went to a British School and wore a uniform. We traveled around Mexico a lot.

School Uniform
Picnic at base camp Popocapetl Volcano

Acapulco

Teotehuacan

1968 Olympics

Oaxaca – Tombs

View from the tomb site.

At Zaachila there is an archeological site where two metal doors cover the steps going into underground tombs. There are two other tombs at the site but they are too damaged and cannot be entered. The ones we saw were of Zapotec royalty. The day we were there we shared the area with about thirty, first graders on a field trip.

In the first tomb you could still see the red paint on the entrance to the tomb.

This tomb was built for Lord 9 Flower, a direct descendant of the famous Zapotec king Cocijoeza, who was famous for battles against the Aztecs. Also inside the tomb was the resting place of Donaji, the last known Zapotec princess.

We were not allowed to enter past the door so photos are best possible…

It was very cool.

Oaxaca – Museums

Oaxacan Museum of the Cultures – Regional History and Culture
The building itself was worth the visit.

The Oaxaca Textile Museum

San Bartolo Coyotepec Popular Art Center

Community Museum, Teotitlan del Valle

Teotitlán del Valle is a town of about 4,000 people. Most of them are weavers and belong to a weaving cooperative. They use all natural dyes to color their fabrics.