Yay! Another pledge!

Joanne! :-)

Thank You & A Reminder!

Oh, you just thought I was through posting! After 4 1/2 hours of sleep I'm ready to do another 24 hours! (In your dreams!)

I just wanted to say
again to my generous sponsors, to my wonderful monitor Bella, to my supportive family (2-legged and 4-leggeds), to the AHF, and to Blogathon. You all helped make my Blogathon experience both successful and fun!

We raised a total of $242 for the AHF, which will do a lot of good for the people, wildlife and environment of the Himalaya.

And you can still sponsor me (until 9 p.m. Pacific time, July 31) if you haven't already!

And just a reminder to my sponsors: when you make your donation to the AHF, please annotate on the remarks/comment section of the online donation form or on your check that you were my Blogathon sponsor. And if your pledge was less than $20 and you want a written acknowledgment from AHF for tax purposes, don't forget to request one (one will go out automatically to pledges over $20.)

Thank you again!

Turn Out the Lights...the Party's Over!

Well, I may not have gotten around to posting about Mt. Everest last night, but I sure do feel like I climbed it! But you all made it a lot of fun, and I thank you for keeping me entertained with your posts and comments, and for sponsoring me! You all did a great job, and I'm proud to know ya! :-)

Sweet dreams, sleep well!

Zzzzzzzz......

This is my friend's dog Lola, who lives in Iceland. She falls asleep like this while watching television, and snores her head off. I think she looks like a Blogathoner!! ;-)

If someone doesn't sponsor me soon...

I'm gonna hold my breath till my FEET turn blue!
Damn, too late. But please Sponsor Me anyway! Ya big booby! ;-)~

Mandala Videos/Maximum Eye Candy!

This first video, "Mandala Creation," is very brief, just 19 seconds long...


This one, "Sand Mandala," is done in extreme closeup with chanting in the background. It's just over 2 minutes in length...

I think they're both brief enough, different enough, and beautiful enough that they're each worth watching. :-)

And there's a new poll at the bottom of the right-hand column! (About mandalas, imagine that!)

AHF Project: Buddhist Monastery Restoration, Champa

Politically part of Nepal, but culturally and geographically Tibetan, Mustang (also know as the ancient Kingdom of Lo) is in a remote part of the country along the border with Tibet. AHF has many projects there...

From the AHF web site:

Nine years ago, AHF started a race against time. In the fabled kingdom of Lo, called Mustang in the west, spectacular gompas built in the fifteenth century were on the verge of collapse. Earthquakes, weather and time had taken their toll on these Tibetan Buddhist cathedrals; portions of the roofs were sagging, soot and dust obscured the sacred images, and sections of some of the 20-foot paintings were hanging like curtains, literally detaching from the walls.

The daunting mission: to restore them. Without careful intervention, these rare treasures would be lost forever.

Restoration architect John Sanday, always up for a challenge, led the AHF team of carpenters and wall-painting conservators. Together, season by season, the team painstakingly restored the structures and the astonishingly beautiful wall paintings. As they went, they trained a local Loba team in the art and science of conservation: replacing roofs, fixing twisted structures and meticulously removing centuries of black grime from the paintings.

Thubchen Gompa, Champa Gompa, Lo Gekar, Tsarang Gompa and two giant chortens have all been rescued. As work draws to a close, the results are stunning. And, as important, the Loba community has new connection to their heritage and 100 new local artisans have the skills they need to save other treasures.

A carefully restored mandala painting in Champa, an ancient Tibetan Buddhist monastery AHF is helping to refurbish

(Both photos copyright American Himalayan Foundation, used with permission)