Encyclopedia of Moi: R

Roosters (and Hens):  I have a small collection of chicken items.  Some are from my grandmother’s dish set and some are from my Mom’s.  I have some that made me laugh and others I thought were pretty.  And they are another thing I like to pick up when I travel.  The picture shows my “travel chicks”.   

Raku:  I like pottery and raku is my favorite type.  To make raku, the piece is removed from the kiln at its peak heat and quickly stuffed in container of straw or sawdust.  The carbon combines with the glaze (and the cracks that happen because of this treatment) and produces something absolutely beautiful and unique… or a broken pot…   The fun thing about raku is you don’t know what it will look like until you clean it off.

"Rose" Turkish Delight:  Another favorite candy.  I can blame this sweets addiction on my Iranian friend Nazzi.  Rose water is used a lot in Persian cooking and she would have these treats in her home.  Have you ever wondered what a rose tastes like?  Try a rose Turkish Delight.  (BTW, a Turkish Delight is a jelly candy covered with powdered sugar).  

Ribeye:  A top choice for a steak.  Rare… thank you very much.

Rhino:  Did you know that a rhino’s hide feels like suede covered concrete?  But behind the ear is as soft as a baby’s cheek.  I didn’t until I met Morani in Kenya.  This tame rhino has been greeting visitors for a long time.  That is Himself standing behind him.   Rhinos are one of my favorite animals.  Used to sit and watch them for a long time at the zoo.   

Rocks:  I am a card-carrying rock hound!  Everywhere we go I bring back rocks I’ve picked up.  I use them in decorating my yard.  I have them set about the house.  And a have some really nice pieces that I’m going to set up a display when I finish my hobby room.

Rust:  Rust is a great patina.  I’m using it more and more in my decorating.  It gives the feeling that something has been around a long time, a sense of place.  

Russia:  I grew up being taught in school to mistrust and even fear the “evil USSR”.  But I felt there had to be something beyond the government.  The art – literature, painting, folk art – was just too beautiful to believe that everyone ‘behind the Soviet curtain” was bad.  Then the curtain fell.  And Himself and I sponsored 2 families thru a grassroots program under the US State Dept.  And eventually I became the President of this national organization and made a trip to our sister city “Chelyabinsk”.  And came home with many new friends.

Rift Valley:  In school as we studied tectonic plates and all that, I’d daydream about what it would be like to see “the Great Rift Valley” of Africa.  In 2006 I sat on the edge of that valley in Kenya.  We had just visited a series of geysers in Bogorio Park and now we sat on the opposite valley wall.  Incredible.   

Round up:  I would love to take a vacation at a working ranch.  Not a ‘dude ranch’ where cattle are herded back and forth between the same pastures each week, but a real ranch that takes in guests.  That would be fun.