Monday, April 13, 2009
A flurry of marketing
I seem to be churning out ads, flyers, posters, and postcards like a dairy does butter lately. Just some samples:
Monday, April 06, 2009
The season of blossoms
The 'dry' season in Nicaragua (otherwise known as summer by Nicaraguans) runs between January and May and gets increasingly hot and dry as the weeks go on. The winds of January and February have more than one practical purpose. They serve to contribute a somewhat cooling influence, but they also assist in the distribution of seedlings.
We have many trees that flower brilliantly in this otherwise grey time. While most of the trees are leafless, a startling number bloom beauti
ful colours of pink, orange, red, and yellow. For a few weeks, my small back patio was carpeted in these lovely pink blossoms. Last week our parking lot was covered in bright yellow flowers. Unfortunately that only lasted for 1 day, so I missed taking a photo of it.
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
San Juan Sunsets
Yes, I have found time to do a little painting. I'm obsessed with sunsets lately. If you visited here... you'd find out why. I don't think they show up too well as photos... but they are hanging on my living room walls, so I guess I don't hate them too much. :-)
More Local Wildlife
I thought having this preying mantis land on the table one evening was pretty cool.
But then my daughter (who was here visiting recently) asked me it I thought it was a stick that had blown against her window screen, or one of those stick bugs. I went outside and took a really close look at it and declared it a stick. So I plucked it from the screen. Boy, was I wrong! And impressed. Fortunately both of these insects are harmless, unlike the scorpians and tarantulas we occasionally find! (They are basically harmless as well... but a bite from either would smart a tad!)
Back in the saddle again
Time does seem to fly doesn't it. Here it is almost April and my last post discussed Christmas season festivities!!!
The first quarter of 2009 has been, to some extent, a tiny bit tumultuous. As the year came to a close and I still had not found a source of income, decisions had to be made on what to do with my life. Strangely, this forced me to come face to face with my own personal commitment issues. Funny, how you can wander along in life not really thinking that you 'have' a particular issue until one day BAM - it is clear as day to you that you do.
Should I stay in this country? in this relationship? What about work? Should I do one thing or another? If I went back to Canada, should I live in this city? or that city? I found myself unwilling to make any of those decisions, as they would all mean that I was making a commitment... closing a door on the other options (to some extent). And it dawned on me that I had rarely made a full blown commitment to anything... that I am a person that likes to keep my options open.
When I've had a job, regardless of how much I've enjoyed it... I've always monitored the job ads... kept my eye open for something else, something better. When I've had a house, I've always looked at the real estate section... keeping my eye open for something better, something else. I'm not saying this is completely a bad thing... one won't find opportunity if one doesn't look for it. On the other hand....
Anyway.... after a few agonizing weeks (and one long distance therapy session) I made a decision... then spent a few more weeks struggling with that decision... but here I am. I am a full-blown partner in a business down here. I am an entrepreneur! Scary as hell.... but that's the decision I made.
Buena Vida Fitness Centre is scheduled to open on April 1, 2009.
The first quarter of 2009 has been, to some extent, a tiny bit tumultuous. As the year came to a close and I still had not found a source of income, decisions had to be made on what to do with my life. Strangely, this forced me to come face to face with my own personal commitment issues. Funny, how you can wander along in life not really thinking that you 'have' a particular issue until one day BAM - it is clear as day to you that you do.
Should I stay in this country? in this relationship? What about work? Should I do one thing or another? If I went back to Canada, should I live in this city? or that city? I found myself unwilling to make any of those decisions, as they would all mean that I was making a commitment... closing a door on the other options (to some extent). And it dawned on me that I had rarely made a full blown commitment to anything... that I am a person that likes to keep my options open.
When I've had a job, regardless of how much I've enjoyed it... I've always monitored the job ads... kept my eye open for something else, something better. When I've had a house, I've always looked at the real estate section... keeping my eye open for something better, something else. I'm not saying this is completely a bad thing... one won't find opportunity if one doesn't look for it. On the other hand....
Anyway.... after a few agonizing weeks (and one long distance therapy session) I made a decision... then spent a few more weeks struggling with that decision... but here I am. I am a full-blown partner in a business down here. I am an entrepreneur! Scary as hell.... but that's the decision I made.Buena Vida Fitness Centre is scheduled to open on April 1, 2009.
Monday, December 08, 2008
The Christmas Season OR How my dog became a nervous wreck.
We were all awake at 5:30 this morning. Two very loud 'bombas' went off in what sounded like the next room. Bombas are fireworks... but usually do not have any visual display just a really big noise. They are routinely set off by families for pretty much any celebration... and firecrackers are every child's favourite toy it would seem. I would like to say that we are growing used to them... but frankly the loud ones still rattle my nerves a bit and cause the dog to shake violently and run to me like a baby to it's mother.
This time of year is particularly celebratory, as you might imagine, and they have Christian festivities leading up to the big day on the 25th almost every day it seems. They have some I've never heard of, and are very particular to Nicaragua... such as "La Purisima" which has been celebrated here for the last 8 or 9 days and reached its epoch yesterday. From an outsiders point of view, this celebration seems to consist of going to church a lot; parading a statue of the Virgin Mary through the streets pretty much constantly; and setting off 'bombas'.
Last night, as we came home from a brief visit out to Mango Rosa we found about 500 people blocking our driveway as they slowly wound their way through the streets following a statue of the 'Virgin' in a half ton truck and accompanied by one of the worst marching bands I think I have ever heard. We reversed direction and went over to El Pozo for a glass of wine!
Here is a thorough description of La Purisima and today's big celebration: "La Griteria".... which will have the entire town shouting at 6pm this evening apparently.
This description is lifted from the ViaNica website at: http://www.vianica.com/go/specials/8-december-celebrations-nicaragua.html
La Purísima
During colonial times, the Spanish brought their religious catholic fervor to Nicaragua, which was embraced in an incredible way by the natives (obviously after being imposed), with a mystical character and intense piety. This is how the popular religious Nicaraguan festivities were born, and in December ‘La Purísima’ is celebrated, one of the most widespread celebrations.
Imagine ‘La Purísima’ like this: a richly decorated altar is placed in a corner of a family house, with a statue of the Virgin Mary‘s image. In front of this altar, a lot of chairs are arranged, that will be occupied by family members, friends, and neighbors invited by the house owners to celebrate its ‘Purísima’. Once all the guests arrive, the celebration starts with prayers to the virgin, but these are alternated with traditional songs. All the assistants accompany with whistles, tambourines and other instruments. While this takes place inside the house, outside some family members fire rockets and the so called ‘caraga cerrada’, (firecrackers) that contribute a lot to the boisterous celebration. Meanwhile the singings and prayers take place, the host distributes to his/her guests fruits, traditional sweets, caramels, traditional drinks, sugar-cane and many other gifts.
‘La Purísima’ is a celebration to the ‘purest conception of Virgin Mary’, taking place on December 8th, according to the catholic calendar. ‘La Purísima’ is a tradition celebrated in all parts of Nicaragua by thousands of Nicaraguan families. These celebrations take place at the end of November and during almost all of December.
‘Purísimas’ are made for devotion or for gratitude to miracles that persons attribute to Virgin Mary. The families, or a couple of members of a family, realize a "novenario" of prayers to the virgin lasting nine days. Sometimes, the first eight days the prayers are private, but the ninth one is celebrated as described previously, but every family puts a little of their own style. It is interesting how each family inherits the image of the virgin from their ancestors; some of these images have been in the same family over a century.
Nowadays, the ‘Purísimas’ are also celebrated by big enterprises and institutions, and even by Nicaraguans living abroad or by Nicaraguan embassies.
La Gritería
Directly related to ‘La Purísima’, this other tradition, called ‘La Gritería, is more boisterous and more massive.
At 6PM every December 7th, a common yell is heard in different cathedrals and churches: Quién causa tanta alegría? (Who causes so much happiness?). This is how another ancient tradition starts along with the massive response ‘La Concepción de María’ (Mary’s Conception).
At that time, in cities and towns people start exploding fireworks and firecrackers. In the biggest cities, it gets so noisy that any uninformed tourist might think that a war has just started in Nicaragua. At midnight, firecrackers explode once again (the same happens at 6AM and 12PM, but on a smaller scale).
During ‘La Gritería’ Virgen Mary is also venerated. It is a celebration used by people to thank the virgin for miracles and it takes place before the official day. Faithful people decorate altars in their houses in a place were it can be seen from the street. In some neighborhoods you can find more than three altars in just one block.
Then, at 6PM sharp, thousands of Nicaraguans go to the streets to ‘shout’ to the virgin (the word gritería could be translated as ‘shouting’), which means visiting each altar and singing to the virgin Maria. This is basically how it is done: people hang around in groups, stop at an altar, intone traditional songs (the same as in ‘La Purísima’), house owners give fruits, candies, toys, instruments to make noise, natural drinks, and other type of gifts; finally, they move on to another altar. House owners who have placed altars wait until another group comes to sing. This is how ‘La Gritería’ is celebrated, lasting until the house owners have no more gifts to give away or until streets have no more singers.
Not only Catholics and religious people participate in this tradition. It is interesting to hear how people who do not know the songs’ lyrics make up the whole song or just sing the end of each phrase. This is a good opportunity for poor people to collect items, and it is interesting to see how people from different social classes participate in ‘La Gritería’
This time of year is particularly celebratory, as you might imagine, and they have Christian festivities leading up to the big day on the 25th almost every day it seems. They have some I've never heard of, and are very particular to Nicaragua... such as "La Purisima" which has been celebrated here for the last 8 or 9 days and reached its epoch yesterday. From an outsiders point of view, this celebration seems to consist of going to church a lot; parading a statue of the Virgin Mary through the streets pretty much constantly; and setting off 'bombas'.
Last night, as we came home from a brief visit out to Mango Rosa we found about 500 people blocking our driveway as they slowly wound their way through the streets following a statue of the 'Virgin' in a half ton truck and accompanied by one of the worst marching bands I think I have ever heard. We reversed direction and went over to El Pozo for a glass of wine!
Here is a thorough description of La Purisima and today's big celebration: "La Griteria".... which will have the entire town shouting at 6pm this evening apparently.
This description is lifted from the ViaNica website at: http://www.vianica.com/go/specials/8-december-celebrations-nicaragua.html
La Purísima
During colonial times, the Spanish brought their religious catholic fervor to Nicaragua, which was embraced in an incredible way by the natives (obviously after being imposed), with a mystical character and intense piety. This is how the popular religious Nicaraguan festivities were born, and in December ‘La Purísima’ is celebrated, one of the most widespread celebrations.
Imagine ‘La Purísima’ like this: a richly decorated altar is placed in a corner of a family house, with a statue of the Virgin Mary‘s image. In front of this altar, a lot of chairs are arranged, that will be occupied by family members, friends, and neighbors invited by the house owners to celebrate its ‘Purísima’. Once all the guests arrive, the celebration starts with prayers to the virgin, but these are alternated with traditional songs. All the assistants accompany with whistles, tambourines and other instruments. While this takes place inside the house, outside some family members fire rockets and the so called ‘caraga cerrada’, (firecrackers) that contribute a lot to the boisterous celebration. Meanwhile the singings and prayers take place, the host distributes to his/her guests fruits, traditional sweets, caramels, traditional drinks, sugar-cane and many other gifts.
‘La Purísima’ is a celebration to the ‘purest conception of Virgin Mary’, taking place on December 8th, according to the catholic calendar. ‘La Purísima’ is a tradition celebrated in all parts of Nicaragua by thousands of Nicaraguan families. These celebrations take place at the end of November and during almost all of December.
‘Purísimas’ are made for devotion or for gratitude to miracles that persons attribute to Virgin Mary. The families, or a couple of members of a family, realize a "novenario" of prayers to the virgin lasting nine days. Sometimes, the first eight days the prayers are private, but the ninth one is celebrated as described previously, but every family puts a little of their own style. It is interesting how each family inherits the image of the virgin from their ancestors; some of these images have been in the same family over a century.
Nowadays, the ‘Purísimas’ are also celebrated by big enterprises and institutions, and even by Nicaraguans living abroad or by Nicaraguan embassies.
La Gritería
Directly related to ‘La Purísima’, this other tradition, called ‘La Gritería, is more boisterous and more massive.
At 6PM every December 7th, a common yell is heard in different cathedrals and churches: Quién causa tanta alegría? (Who causes so much happiness?). This is how another ancient tradition starts along with the massive response ‘La Concepción de María’ (Mary’s Conception).
At that time, in cities and towns people start exploding fireworks and firecrackers. In the biggest cities, it gets so noisy that any uninformed tourist might think that a war has just started in Nicaragua. At midnight, firecrackers explode once again (the same happens at 6AM and 12PM, but on a smaller scale).
During ‘La Gritería’ Virgen Mary is also venerated. It is a celebration used by people to thank the virgin for miracles and it takes place before the official day. Faithful people decorate altars in their houses in a place were it can be seen from the street. In some neighborhoods you can find more than three altars in just one block.
Then, at 6PM sharp, thousands of Nicaraguans go to the streets to ‘shout’ to the virgin (the word gritería could be translated as ‘shouting’), which means visiting each altar and singing to the virgin Maria. This is basically how it is done: people hang around in groups, stop at an altar, intone traditional songs (the same as in ‘La Purísima’), house owners give fruits, candies, toys, instruments to make noise, natural drinks, and other type of gifts; finally, they move on to another altar. House owners who have placed altars wait until another group comes to sing. This is how ‘La Gritería’ is celebrated, lasting until the house owners have no more gifts to give away or until streets have no more singers.
Not only Catholics and religious people participate in this tradition. It is interesting to hear how people who do not know the songs’ lyrics make up the whole song or just sing the end of each phrase. This is a good opportunity for poor people to collect items, and it is interesting to see how people from different social classes participate in ‘La Gritería’
Library Humour and a Quick Note
I'll try and get a 'real post' up soon. Life is full and busy. The weather is cooler now and I need two sheets at night!!!
As many of my friends and 'readers' are librarians, I thought I would share this bit of library humour, courtesy of my mother who forwards the odd joke along with her political bits.
A bloke walks into a Glasgow library and says to the prim librarian, "Excuse me Miss, dey ye hiv ony books on suicide?" To which she stops doing her tasks, looks at him over the top of her glasses and says, "Fook off, ye'll no bring it back!"
As many of my friends and 'readers' are librarians, I thought I would share this bit of library humour, courtesy of my mother who forwards the odd joke along with her political bits.
A bloke walks into a Glasgow library and says to the prim librarian, "Excuse me Miss, dey ye hiv ony books on suicide?" To which she stops doing her tasks, looks at him over the top of her glasses and says, "Fook off, ye'll no bring it back!"
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
Picking Coffee
Nicaragua's tourist industry does not focus exclusively on the development of high end resorts; or even eco-tourism... but is also developing rural and alternative tourism. For example, in Matagalpa we were told of a Coffee Cooperative that hosted tours of the coffee fields. 
We drove up to the mountain village and for less than $10 each we were guided on a short hike up the mountain (with our English speaking guide pointing out the names and attributes of various plants along the way); taken to pick coffee for an hour or so and told more about coffee than I'd ever known before; (Did you know that the pulp surrounding the coffee bean inside the berry is quite sweet? I tasted it!) and served a plentiful, if plain, typical peasant lunch.
The skies opened up just as we sat down to lunch so we had a pleasant hour sitting on the porch, digesting our lunch and watching the rain pour down on the lush mountain valley.
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
Biblioteca Movil
San Juan del Sur's public library operates a mobile library that distributes books to local schools in the 'campo' (country). They invite volunteers to come along on these trips to visit with the kids; help with the crafts projects; assist the kids to pick out books; play sports with them etc.
I 
was pleased to have two very good friends from Vancouver visiting with me. I know B & G from library circles as they were both librarians. So... the 3 of us decided to spend a day going out with the mobile library. I really enjoyed the day, and hope I will make the time to do this more often. While it would be easy to find fault with the program: not
enough books; the books are mostly in bad shape; not enough of the kids take advantage of the program; the teachers don't seem to support reading; the library staff don't seem to know anything about the books... the fact is it isstill doing SOMETHING... and the kids who DO use the service obviously appreciate it and enjoy it, and I believe will ultimately benefit immeasurably from it.See: http://www.sjdsbiblioteca.org/
Miami Beach
In October I went back to Toronto for a brief visit with my daughter. My flight routing took me through Miami, so on my way back to Nicaragua I decided to spend a few days in Miami Beach. While the largest renascence of the fantastic art-deco architecture in Miami Beach began in the 70's and probably reached it's hey-day in the 90's, renovations continue, and we saw many buildings covered in scaffolding.
We didn't stay in the beautiful, yet slightly unreal, Miami Beach for our entire visit - but visited downtown, Little Havana, Coral Gables, the Cape Florida State Park, and drove through a variety of suburbs and neighborhoods. Miami has a bad reputation... but I kind of liked the place. Like many cities built on the ocean, it offers beautiful views and reasonable access to beaches... what's not to like?
For detailed information on the art-deco architecture of South Miami Beach see: http://www.miamibeach411.com/news/index.php?/news/comments/southbeach-artdeco/
Tuesday, November 04, 2008
The Rainy Season
I was sitting on my step watching the rain one day last month and thought it might be cool to try and capture it. Downpours like this were a pretty regular event for a couple of months, but right around the first of November, the clouds cleared and we have had pretty clear skies ever since. I guess the rainy season is over!
Friday, October 10, 2008
Mass murder in the kitchen
I just finished an ant mass-murder spree, and now feel like there are about 100 of them crawling on my body! Sometimes when I get up, if we haven't wiped down the counters really well, there will be a swarm of them on the counter... that was this morning. Always a few of them escape when I go after them with a sponge soaked in bleach and crawl up my arms - and then I feel them even when they're not there. I promise to try and post a few more 'thoughtful' entries soon. Meanwhile...if you'd like to read a good rant on health care, check out John's latest - I'm present in the story.... but remain unnamed. :) http://existentiallyyours.blogspot.com/2008/10/healthy-debate.html
I found this pic through a google images search posted on another blog. If it's yours - let me know and I'll credit it or delete it.
Getting busy at the Galeria
Been busy this past month at the Galeria. Our September show of jewelry wasn't necessarily a financial hit, but it was a beautiful show and the staff were proud because it was the first show the gallery had done that was ready in time. The opening went off without any serious hitches and all in all we did a good job.
Our October show was scheduled for October 23, but just last week the artist canceled because some collector came and bought up his entire inventory! Well... good for him... not so good for us. I had done a fair amount of work on promotional materials for the show, and was pretty happy with the flyers etc. (see below)
Meanwhile, work continues on general promotional materials for the gallery, staff consultations, meeting artists, and planning future shows and programs. I've also been doing a bit of work for the arts festival that will be held in the Central Park on December 6.
We've been having some flooding problems, especially in the studio and in our storage cupboard. There is a major flaw in the roof design and pretty much the entire roof needs to be redone. So... management has decided to close the gallery for the next month while these repairs are conducted. This will give the staff a chance to get the administrative house in order (boy does it need it!) and for me to get the promotional materials finalized. Still tons to do!
Our October show was scheduled for October 23, but just last week the artist canceled because some collector came and bought up his entire inventory! Well... good for him... not so good for us. I had done a fair amount of work on promotional materials for the show, and was pretty happy with the flyers etc. (see below)
Meanwhile, work continues on general promotional materials for the gallery, staff consultations, meeting artists, and planning future shows and programs. I've also been doing a bit of work for the arts festival that will be held in the Central Park on December 6.
We've been having some flooding problems, especially in the studio and in our storage cupboard. There is a major flaw in the roof design and pretty much the entire roof needs to be redone. So... management has decided to close the gallery for the next month while these repairs are conducted. This will give the staff a chance to get the administrative house in order (boy does it need it!) and for me to get the promotional materials finalized. Still tons to do!
Monday, September 15, 2008
Bailey gets measured
This Saturday the first 'farmers market' was held in the Sports Park. We picked up some fresh spinach, basil and green onions and unfortunately missed out on the fresh baked bread! (We'll get there earlier next week). One of the vendors had hung this scale, so I took the opportunity to see if Bailey had lost or gained any weight this last month or so. I switched him to a raw food diet and I haven't been too sure if he is getting enough to eat. Last week he ate a chicken head and neck 5 days, and some Mahi Mahi the other two. About every other day he gets some raw vegetables as well. My friend Kelly snapped this photo of him as I was weighing him. You can see the original shot (as well as some other really beautiful photos) on her blog at Picasso Dreams
Saturday, September 13, 2008
Yoga in the jungle
About 3 miles outside of town there is a 'yoga community'. We met the yoga instructor from El Camino del Sol and she invited us to come out to one of her evening classes, which we did. I have to say it is the first time that I have done yoga to the background sound of monkeys howling in the trees. I keep meaning to get back out there for another class (and this time bring my mosquito repellent!)Picture courtesy of Nicayoga.com
Lago Masaya
On our trip to Juigalpa we were so single-minded about business that we regretfully did not stop to take any pictures, except for these shots of Lago Masaya which lays inside one of the craters of the massive Volcan Masaya.
Friday, September 12, 2008
Road Trip 2
Last week some business took us clear across the country! Well... almost. We went to a city on the other side of Lake Nicaragua called Juigalpa. The drive took 4.5 hours, so to arrive in time for our noon meeting we left San Juan just shortly after 6am. It was the first time I had been anywhere east of Managua, so I was very interested in seeing this new country. It was an absolutely beautiful drive through some of the prettiest valleys in the country. Juigalpa is the capital of Chontales province (actually called departments here) and Chontales is ranching country. Driving by all those pastures I did have to wonder how much jungle had been destroyed to feed our North American taste for beef.
We arrived in plenty of time for our meeting, so took a brief stroll around the central park and browsed some leather worker's stands. Having a coke at the small park cafe, we were approached by two precocious teenage girls who wanted us to help them with their English homework. I decided that's what I needed was a teenage girl to sit and talk to me for a couple of hours every week!
Map copyright GraphicMaps.com
We arrived in plenty of time for our meeting, so took a brief stroll around the central park and browsed some leather worker's stands. Having a coke at the small park cafe, we were approached by two precocious teenage girls who wanted us to help them with their English homework. I decided that's what I needed was a teenage girl to sit and talk to me for a couple of hours every week!
Map copyright GraphicMaps.com
Road Trip / Shopping in Nicaragua
I have been making a list of things I wanted for the house since I arrived, so the other week we set off in the new truck (wanted to see how it managed in 4th gear anyway)on a shopping trip to the Pueblos Blancos. This collection of villages lays in the volcanic highlands just to the south of Managua and about a 90 minute drive from San Juan. Each of the villages is known for a different artisania or handcraft. Our first stop was in San Juan del Oriente, which is one of the two locations in Nicaragua renowned for ceramic arts. (The other being up north in Jinotega province) I wanted to take a look at the 'art' ceramics; but I also wanted to buy some functional plant pots for our deck.
At one of the pottery workshops in San Juan del Oriente.
It was awful quiet in town and I think we were the only tourists I spotted during the entire hour that we wandered from one pottery workshop to the other. Bailey upset the natural dog order in town, as usual, and everywhere we were greeted by barking dogs either eager to meet him, or eager to eat him... I was never too sure which.
Some of the work is absolutely beautiful and the prices are unbelievable! A beautiful vase about 8 to 10 inches high might set you back $10, or $20 if you want a really intricate one!
Since we were ahead of schedule we took the time to go the extra hours drive to the southern outskirts of Managua as there were a couple of errands we wanted to do in the city as well. After lunch in Managua and a brief shopping foray at Comercial Central (where I happily stumbled upon an arts supply store) we headed back to the Pueblos Blancos and to the furniture town of Masatepe. Here we looked at lovely wicker sets of a couch and 2 chairs for the outlandish price of about $500 or a rattan set for about $300! Unfortunately all I needed, or have room for, was a simply folding deck chair which we use both inside and outside.
From Masatepe we headed back to Catarina to stop at one of the dozens of nurseries in this town of plants, to pick up some soil and a couple of flowering shrubs for the pots I had bought earlier.
All in all a very successful shopping trip!
Here are the pots I bought. I bought two of the one below right (they are about 2 feet in diameter) and have planted lettuce; basil and arugula. I have my fingers crossed that I'll be having fresh salad next month! All five pots set me back about $10 I think. The gardenia on the left is doing ok (although not flowering). The bouganvilla however has dropped all it's flowers and is losing it's leaves too. Anyone know anything about tropical gardening?[While the Pueblos Blancos may have once shone white in the surrounding green jungle, as the houses and roads were all constructed from the chalky pale volcanic ash type soil of the area, today the century old buildings are painted in various colours and one has to do a little research to find out why in the world these towns are called the White Villages)
Tuesday, September 02, 2008
Local wildlife
The largest, most beautiful butterfly (or was it a moth?) flew into the house the other night. It's wingspan was about 6 inches across when it was in flight, and 4 inches or so when it landed. It landed on the top of the chair and I ran to get my camera and then proceeded to try and get a picture of it. The poor thing was panicking as it tried desperately to find it's way out of the house and would not sit still, making picture taking a bit of a challenge. Finally as it crawled pathetically around on the counter leaving wing dust behind and I was able to get a couple of not very good shots. Then, I turned my back for a minute and it simply disappeared. The next evening, however, we found it, half dead and damp, laying under our dish drainer. It limped out a bit... but I thought for sure it wouldn't survive. We decided to try and get it outside anyway... and sure enough it managed to fly into a nearby tree. About an hour later I went outside and was startled to have the same moth (I'm pretty sure it was the same moth because I've not seen another like it since) fly right by me. I think it was coming back to say 'hello, and thanks'.
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