a bed of clouds

today my new york friend, whose daughter missed mine so much she decided to go to a week of horse camp to be with her bbfl, took me to eat and then shuttled me to her house where i was nicely established in her guest bedroom.

after taking a red eye home, and then trains, we raced to our house on foot with only enough time for my kiddo to shower, for me to check in with school, and do requisite paperwork (very quickly), then race off to see our friends, the horses.

we arrived a little early, which was just fine with us, and after scratching and kissing and generally getting reacquainted with each other, we found our new york friends having just arrived. my daughter chased a gaggle of geese through an open field in front of the outdoor arena and i called my dear friend,

turn around, do you see the geese?

yes.

we are there too.

and she waved and we waved. and all that led to my being comfortably installed in her guest bedroom because she ascertained that after sleeping in a near upright position on the flight home, i needed real rest in an actual bed, and i couldn't argue. i was just too tired.

i woke at 2:47 and looked at my clock and she came into the room shortly thereafter. she laid at the foot of the bed and we talked for a while. i was grateful to be home again. to be back in the arms of friends and familiar faces (most of those equine, but familiar none the less). bucky looked stunning from afar, but he always does, and i didn't go to him today, it will have to wait.

so after my approximately three hour nap, we went to retrieve the girls and set off on our separate ways for about an hour. i took my girl to the tack shop to try to secure the items for this weekend's horse show (and struck out competely), while she went home and probably fixed a fabulous meal for her family from scratch. she's one of those fabulous cooks i tend to hook up with.

i returned home with just enough time, not really, to check in with school and verify that the profs i listed as potential advisors actually agreed to that, and then into the shower and back to my friend's to attend a belly dancing class.

the class left me wanting in many ways. but since my friend dances as i do, i explained my issues and she clarified my dilemma.

my instructor says a belly dance step is the width of a foot, not a shoulder width stride like they were taking tonight.

your instructor is traditional egyptian. this is more of a latin fusion style.

ah!

so i learned a great deal. and showed off a mandarin and forest belly dance shirt and hipwrap my college friend bequeathed to me out of the goodness of her heart. i didn't have high expectations for that orange belly dance get up being sent my way, but what i recieved far surpassed any thoughts i'd mustered.

the instructor and my friend were oohing and aahing over the intricate (and heavy) beadwork which adorned both pieces.

is it egyptian?

it must be,

they agreed.

and i slipped out of my shirt and into the top, which fit me like a glove, and they were oohing and ahhing. the hipwrap needs some closures, but it is a striking piece. with my black hair and the black skirt i'll likely wear under the wrap, it is gorgeous.

we danced, and i did my best to follow. the class was scattered and disorganized. i'm used to fifteen minutes of hipdrops per leg, and what i got was two or three of one thing, then five of another, and two of a third, punctuated with everyone talking and then the instructor put on music and they were off.

i was so lost, i just stopped dancing at one point, because it was a routine. and i said,

can you just show me the first five moves?

oh yes,

she said.

i do that.

and they all agreed she's very good at breaking things down, but it was still hard to follow the way she teaches, i'm just not used to it.

i contemplated walking out and just standing in the yard (sometimes stars are our salvation, or at least mine), but i hung in there, and tried to get the steps down.

then they broke out the veils.

after much discussion of why mine was "wrong" or at least too big for me, another was produced, and i didn't feel like arguing. i kept going back and forth between the two, and i learned a veil move i had admired from the first time i saw these ladies dance.

that was what i was there for. those were the goods i paid to recieve.

and recieve them i did. i excelled at the veil work, and it felt like it salvaged my night because i would happily do a veil dance for my study rather than a straight dance.

but i'm tired now, i sat in my friend's car while she sampled all kinds of music for me and at 9:14, i finally said,

i'm so tired i have to go home.

so an hour later, here i am, still not in bed yet, but not far.

my days seem endless but it is good to be home, if, for nothing more than my friends. how i love them. how i love them.