SUNSET 3/1/08

Men at Work

Due to powerful wind in Frankfurt, all flights were delayed. A lot. Some people had been waiting in lines for 5 hours to rebook a cancelled flight. When the sunset was just a few minutes away, we found a window in a hallway between terminals where we could look outside. Several men were seated in front of the window, and there were 2 men asleep nearby. The departure board conveniently displayed the time so when there were 5 minutes to go, I approached the men seated by the windows. I asked if they spoke English and when they said they did, I explained that the sun was going down in a few minutes and that I was ringing bells everyday at sunrise and sunset. They asked me to repeat what I had said and then asked why. I explained that I had made a vow to do this all year and that I believed that it was a good thing to do. I said I liked that it was a fact that the sun rose and set and that because of that it was something we all had in common.

So they said OK they would ring with Norman and I. I said I would start the movie by focusing on the time on the board down the hall and then wheel my cart back toward them. It was so wonderful to hear those tiny little bells and I realized as I got closer to the men that while I was down looking at the clock, the sleeping men had woken up and they were also standing there ringing. It was pretty wonderful.

The guys were from Manilla and were returning from working on ships. They had been in Texas before crossing the Panama Canal and stopping in the Bay Area. They were glad to be going home.

SUNRISE 3/1/08

Cowlick and Antenna

Everyone was sound asleep this morning when it was time to ring. So I crept upstairs to the roof and found the sun. Today is our last day in Barcelona and the first day of visible sun in the morning. It was so nice to see the color.

SUNSET 2/29/08

3rd leap year in the leap century

We rang once and rang again. (I forgot to turn on the camera the first time).
This is the 3rd leap year of this leap century. This is how we make up for the limitations of our calendar. Leap centuries occur every 400 years. We are so lucky.

SUNRISE 2/29/08

Let's Leap!


We thought we were finished with our quiet leap year morning bell ringing when we heard a sudden burst of percussion coming from the house. Nil had just finished taking a shower when he heard us playing downstairs. Afraid that he would miss out, he hopped out of the shower, grabbed some bells and started playing. Thank you again, Nil for a wonderful leap year surprise.

SUNSET 2/28/08

Up On The Roof

Thank you Nil, for shooting this evening's video segment. Nil is my friend Barbara's son and he invited us up to his room to ring the sun down.

SUNRISE 2/28/08

Next to Cleanliness

Every morning at Las Hermanitas de los Pobres.

SUNSET 2/27/08

Our Familia

The Sagrada Familia looked so eerie in the fog. So we focused the camera on it and then five of us walked around Barbara’s apartment with the loudest bells we could find. Her son, Nil is studying percussion and he had a really nice cowbell. I got so excited running around with the bells that I didn’t think until after we were finished that it might have been nice to see everybody playing their bells. Next time...

SUNRISE 2/27/08

Sky Line

We have been staying all week with my friend Barbara. She is originally from Minnesota and she went to a powwow in Leech, MN about 4 years ago. Most of the people participating in the dances had these little bells attached to their clothes. They are made from rolled up snuff box tops. They are very lightweight and make the most delicate sound so far for the morning ringing.

SUNSET 2/26/08

Norman Under Fire

That’s Norman sitting in the memorial plaza outside of the Santa Maria del Mar. The plaza, called Fossar de les Moreres, is built over a cemetery and the flame at the top of the long steel arch is an eternal flame commemorating the Catalonians who were killed in the War of the Spanish Succession in 1714. The poem written on the wall is by Frederic Soler and is called “El Fossar de les Moreres”.

SUNRISE 2/26/08

Moon on a Wire

This is the third time we've seen the moon at sunrise so far this year. I love this one.

SUNSET 2/25/08

Cowbells on the Corner

If you listen carefully you can hear us on the street ringing the cowbells. We certainly bothered a dog somewhere. The view is from the 9th floor and eventually we made our way down to the corner.

SUNRISE 2/25/08

Little Bells on the Balcony

Rainy but not depressing. We ring from the balcony. Sleepy but enthusiastic, we notice one of the neighbors on a balcony nearby. Maybe they will be there tomorrow.

SUNSET 2/24/08

Barcelona from a Balcony

We arrived in Barcelona this evening. It's warmer here and there are bells in the air. Las Hermanitas de los Pobres (http://www.camineo.info/news/142/ARTICLE/2914/2007-05-16.html) is the name of the convent across the street, and they toll bells every half hour. On the hour, they ring the number of hours for the time. On the half hour there is just one little dong.It's a wonderful way to keep track of the time.

SUNRISE 2/24/08

Goodbye Grey

I couldn't believe it when I was scanning the landscape from the hotel window this morning. First there was the moon, hiding in the trees. Then a glow on the ground that when I zoomed in to see what it was- it was the "Auf Wiedersehen" sign. Goodbye to me, too.