What do all of these women in this photo have in common? WE ARE ALL CANCER SURVIVORS! Don’t we all look absolutely fabulous? Get out of our way cause we are marching forward into cancer advocacy as the next step in our recovery! This photo was taken at the “Life Beyond Cancer” 4–day weekend retreat at Miraval Resort in Tucson, Arizona.  That’s me on the end at the bottom right.  In addition to cancer survivors, also attending this retreat were social workers and oncology doctors and nurses.  Our objective was to focus on the many components of advocacy and wellness through and beyond the cancer experience by attending workshops, lectures and by participating in group activities.  Armed with this experience and relevant information we were able to return to our communities and begin to support existing services and advocacy programs to reach back and help others forward in their cancer journey.

Please help sponsor the next generation of cancer advocates by donating now at: http://www.lifebeyondcancer.org

Orange Sherbert Floribunda

I knew it was going to be a long hot summer last winter when I was unemployed and conducting a demoralizing job search.  Although there are lots of things to criticize, there are also many things to be aware of and thankful for.  For example, although we are experiencing drought conditions and have mandatory water rationing here in San Diego County, using a drip system I am still able to water my rose bushes responsibly and have been rewarded with a 3rd glorious bloom cycle.  Although those pesky green caterpillars destroyed my crop this year, I found a fabulous new non-toxic product called “Green Light Worm Killer” with BT – its good stuff.  Of course we are all suffering from this crippling economy.  Despite it all, I have still been able to get out and have some fun with friends and family.   I guess if I had to complain about something, my one regret in 2009 would be that I haven’t been able to kick my addiction to Milk Chocolate.  In any case, my health does not seem to be any worse for the wear and BTW, what’s the point of being perfect in an imperfect world anyway?

Arrive early, ask quietly….trust your instincts…

I was looking on Ravelry.com (http://www.ravelry.com) for a quick scarf pattern and found this one.  As an intermediate beginner, I wasn’t sure how complicated the cable stitch would be.  However, always the optimist, my co-worker, friend and knitting mentor Julie Alvar came to the rescue and showed me how.  In a New York second, I was on my way!  Julie also suggested that I purchase a row counter – which I did and turns out that it is the best thing since sliced bread.

I purchased the yarn at Common Threads in Encinitas (http://www.fiberartshop.com).  It was my first time there and I was absolutely overwhelmed with the inventory to say-the-least.  At any rate, I settled on this berry flavored multi-colored Berroco Pure Merino Heather Color #8616 which looks like tweed, but turns out to be as soft as new newborn baby’s skin.  It is such a compliment to the pattern without being too busy for the cable stitch pattern.

I am knitting this scarf for my nephew’s wife Renee.  They live in Salt Lake City and so, it should keep her nice and warm this coming winter.  Hopefully she will like it!

Nine Step Weekend Recovery Program <– (Click Here)

In November 2002, Kathryn Kern was diagnosed with breast cancer. Her treatment was successful, but in the process, she had to give up her travel business and take a corporate job. The combination of facing a life-threatening illness and changing careers made her value her weekends more than ever. Now she has a Nine Step Program for keeping her weekends free, pleasant and worry-free.

The Guy Fleming Trail

Since I have a lot of time on my hands these days I have been taking advantage of our beautiful weather and hiking 6.8 miles daily at Torrey Pines State Reserve. Soon, I will have to start traveling to the high deserts and out northeast to the Inland Empire and Palm Springs areas for warmer weather. Joshua Tree, San Rosa Plateau and Anza Borrego Desert – here I come!

Another new hobby my sister Liz and I recently picked up is Geocaching. It is a great activity for anyone. Once you find your 1st cache with your GPS – you are hooked! Log on to geocaching.com to get started with a free account. Our moniker is “Kern Sisters”. Go check out our stats. After you’ve tracked down a couple of caches, I can guarantee you will soon be picking up travel bugs and hiding your own cache for others to track down. I found 3 locally here in Torrey Pines State Park! Liz is taking Mr. Hoppity, a travel bug that we took from a cache up in LA, and taking him with her to Hawaii next week to place him in a cache there. A cache we found in Brawley, CA was a cache that my childhood friend Kathy Glenn and her husband Reggie had hidden. I have not seen nor heard from them for years until I logged in my find on the geocaching website. What a great way to reconnect! Geocaching will take you places you have never been, no matter how well you think you know an area. Caches have been hidden absolutely everywhere – all over the world. So much fun and a great way to spend time with family and friends. Go and try it!

North Shore Haliewa Shrimp Shack

Go figure. I HAD NO IDEA how beautiful Hawaii was. Probably one of my best vacations ever. Perhaps that was because it was a family holiday and not a trip I organized for a group of rather eccentric travelers. So, no responsibility or liability – just pure unadulterated pleasure!!! We stayed in a quaint two-bedroom house on the windward side of Oahu, near Waimea Beach. It was absolutely heavenly. Hiking, ATV riding, horseback riding, swimming, kayaking, snorkeling, boogie boarding, rode in a submarine, climbed up Diamond Head, went to a luau and much much more! The website we rented the house through was http://vrbo.com (Vacation Rentals by Owner) and we can all highly recommend! I definitely had my reservations about 7 people inhabiting a 2-bedroom house for a week – sight unseen! Turned out that it was the PERFECT size. It was great to have the owners check in with us from time to time to make sure all was well. But, probably the best aspect of renting the house was being able to drive into and out of the madness of Honolulu and Waikiki when we wanted to – back to the safe refuge of the north shore. This year a week in Oahu; next year a week in Maui!!!!

On a Dubai Safari with Yemeni Driver

Back from Arabia and glad to be home! Egypt is such a favorite country, but after traveling there over 7 times already – this is my last trip there for awhile. It would have been great to have taken the opportunity to travel in the remote western Oasis areas, but it was not in the cards this time. It was great to see the many friends I have accumulated there over the years, but it is finally time to leave well-enough alone and focus other adventures for awhile.

Visiting Dubai was interesting, but it is still very much a City in its infancy. It will take some time before it’s soul develops any character. It was rather astounding to visit the small and meager National Museum which featured a video focusing 100% on the future. Although there is diversity in the brands when it comes to the shopping malls, there are certainly no bargains for our poor weak dollar! I was able to get out and do a desert safari with a Yemeni driver and some Kazak tourists which was really fun. Anyway, everyone has different travel objectives and my interests have always been culture oriented. In a city with 80% foreign residents, it was just not my bag….

Leaving for Egypt tomorrow, which is Thanksgiving Day. Lots to do in the meantime. Had to expedite the renewal of my passport which cost me some $$. Now I have an empty book as opposed to one that is filled with VISA’s from the off-the-beaten track destinations I used to frequent with my groups. The old passport represents evidence of a life well-traveled. The new passport is a second chance at another beginning. It just occurs to me that the first VISA in my old passport was to Egypt! They say there are no coincidences in life…..

Photo of me at the alabastor Mosque of Mohammed Ali in the Citadel back in 1995.