Disco. I've been listening to this internet radio station for the past couple of weeks at work, and now....here at home. It's called "Disco Gold" - and I can't help it. I love it. They play lots of ABBA - which in fact is what's playing right now. I'm boogeying in my chair.....ITS SO FUNK-AY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Diggin' the Dancing Queeeeeeeeeeen! They play lots of Earth Wind & Fire too.... what's wrong with me?? So many years I fought the Disco urge. But for some reason it's taking me over.

Oh no...."Celebration" is on now. I'm remembering when I used to own my very own roller skates with red sparkle laces!!! Oh yes - you didn't realize that the Aimee you've come to know was actually a roller disco queen at one time. Hey, I was like...10 years old - can you blame me??? My mom even took me to roller boogey lessons - where I learned to do the Camel, Shoot the Duck, and Figure 8. Boy, that sounds far worse than it really was. *grins* I remember replacing the plain white laces with glitter red ones, and pulling on my body leotard with the tiny little ballerina skirt to go skating in. Hmmm - I'm positive I have a picture of me in this very outfit. Now I need to go find it.

I loved the way the roller rink would smell like Murphy's Oil Soap and Mr. Clean whenever we walked in. We'd stand in line, pay our money ...and knew that there was no leaving once we were in. There was wall to wall shag carpeting everywhere in the 'lace up' area - so even when you had your roller skates on, you had to do this funky little walk til you got to the smooth wooden skate floor. They always had the best disco lights, with a big disco ball right in the middle of the rink. The fun thing to do if you had a good partner was go in the middle right beneath the disco ball, face eachother....crisscross your hands, then start to skate round and round in a tight circle. The more you pulled 'in' with your arms, the faster you went, until you were almost ready to go out of control and fling halfway across the rink. But, just at the last minute - you'd extend your arms, slow down...and just skate off into the boogey wonderland.

There was a little concession stand next to a line of pinball machines. The floor in the concession stand was at a slight incline, and it was bare cement - so every time you crossed over from the shag carpeting to the cement, you'd go sailing right up against the counter with a BANG! I *always* got a blueberry slushie at least some point in the evening. We'd go scoot into one of the four booths that were up along the window looking out to the roller rink. One wall of the concession stand was one of those big wall murals that was supposed to look like you were gazing out on a beach to a tropical sunset. This was so out of place with everything else that I loved it.

There was a "DJ" booth over in the corner of the rink. If you were really brave, you'd skate up to it, get the DJ's attention, and request a song. It was always a rush when they'd actually play it, ESPECIALLY if it was 'couples only'. Over at the opposite end of the rink, high up on the wall...were these big light-up signs that would tell you if it was "ALL SKATE" - "COUPLES ONLY" - "SPEED SKATE" - "GUYS ONLY" - "GIRLS ONLY" - or "SPECIAL". I look back now and grin at the thought of the 'guys only' skate. It was their chance to really impress the girls...and heck, when you are 10 years old...someone sashaying like John Travolta *is* pretty impressive, especially when they're on wheels.

Wow... I went on a hunt for this song, and finally found it. Chills... just...chills.

So we went swimming in the Tumwater River this weekend. It is so gorgeous up there, I think I need to go take some pictures of it and post them. Imagine high Alpine-like mountains, with a canyon gorged through the middle, the river snaking it's way down...sometimes whitewater, sometimes serene. We found a little sandy cove hidden from view between big boulders, that leads right out into the river, and a nice smooth riverbottom, easy on the feet. Surprising, as most of the river is full of rocks. The water goes to about chest/shoulder high....and when you are there swimming, looking up at the huge granite cliffs and sweeping forest....seeing salmon leaping out of the water, and a family of mud ducks swimming by, you have to think it's a pretty fantastic day.

We got there late yesterday, about 4:30. Me, Larry and Beth braved the initial shock of cold, but soon grew used to the water. The sun was still slicing down through the canyon, and was utterly dazzling on the water. Even Griffin got in on the act, and up toward the bank, pawing at the water and biting at the splashes he made. By the time we were done, we were all craving to climb into our cars and soak in that summer time heat that collects in vehicles. It was there, waiting for us like a big blanket right out of the dryer...and we had to laugh when we got home and shut off the air conditioning in trade for the balmy heat. Felt supreme after being in that cold river.

I'll see about getting some pictures, because verbal descriptions just don't do it justice. If I'm lucky, I'll be able to time it so you can see one of the salmon flailing out of the water. Glad I didn't see one up close! They're big enough to make it sound like someone through a good sized rock in the water when they jump!

There's a story behind my newest 'song of the day', Yellow - by Coldplay. When I went to London in November of 2000, Coldplay was unheard of in the States. I traveled with my headphones, knowing that at some point I would head to the Virgin Superstore in the heart of London, and do a little shopping for some music to be a backdrop to my UK experience. Sure enough, one night we wandered to the music store...which might I add is impressively decorated on the outside by massive, lifesize granite stallions rearing up out of a water fountain! Anyway, I went in and asked someone to direct me towards a really good CD that hadn't been released in the States yet. They ushered me over to "Parachutes" by Coldplay. I bought it, no questions asked. Figured it would be an adventure.

So, once we made our way back to the bed & breakfast to get settled in for the night, I lounged back on the goose-down coverlet, slipped on my headphones, and turned on my new CD. When the music flooded my senses, slightly haunting...with a vocalist who's range borders on fragile at times, and powerfully determined the next.... well, I was in love. Even though I had nearly 20 CD's with me - I didn't play another one after buying Coldplay's. So, my entire UK journey is forever marked with this music. The train rides through the country, the quiet nights tucked away in postcard b&b's...the long flight home. This song in particular was my companion. It observed my dream-come-true trip with me, and always offers up vivid flashes of memories for me every time I listen to it. So.... enjoy. I sit here listening to it, smiling to myself. "Look at the stars, see how they shine for you.....and everything that you do...."

Midweek, and the sun is blazing. This is the kind of day that makes it impossible to walk with bare feet on cement sidewalks. That didn't stop me when I was a kid, though. Back then, it didn't matter if you went into the local grocery barefoot - and I often did. I would bail out of mom's car, and my tender tootsies would touch down on that sizzling blacktop, hopskipping through the doors and onto that smooth, cool tile of the market floor. The frozen food section was my destination, where the tiles were slightly chilled, and a soothing balm to my little feet.

I wear shoes now, but *only* when I have to. For the most part, I'm a naked foot kind of person, who likes to feel the green grass up against my instep. Sure, my toenail polish is almost always chipped, but it's a small price to pay for feeling the ground beneath my feet. Now, my head is another issue.... it's usually up in the clouds. ;)

So, the agenda today? Footloose (no pun intended!) and fancy free. I have some website work to do, but I might blow it off in favor of...roaming.

To all of you who have taken the time to sign my guestbook and guest map, THANK YOU! It's the little things that count, and in this case, it makes me grin to see that someone has visited my website. :)