I begin this last day of writing a month in a minivan in a state of art-pray, thinking about snakes. As a young girl, I often caught garter snakes to play with for short times. Other than foul-smelling pee, they were harmless. You could find them under hay bales at harvest time, and every old … Continue reading Day 31: Arriving Alive (the final instalment)
Category: Arizona desert
Day 30: Off Ramp
I laughed when I woke up this morning. How will I ever leave this place? Has it been three days or a week? Time is circular in a portal. Not straight at all. Instead of planning, which always leads me astray, I simply wait and watch. Now with earnest. The first sign comes from Kokopelli. … Continue reading Day 30: Off Ramp
Day 29: Nature Speaks
Words aren’t working today, so I’m going with images. Apparently, I’ve used up my word quota for the week, and I remind myself that communication isn’t restricted to words. So, I’ll take you on a visual journey instead. This first collection of photos were taken up a very night mountain in Cave Creek Canyon; 8,500 … Continue reading Day 29: Nature Speaks
Day 25: A Foot.
There are times I’m prepared to pay $52 for the luxury of having 24 hours to take two baths, a hot shower, do three loads of laundry, update my iPad and phone, take a swim, buy water, make important phone calls, clean the inside of the van, wash out my fridge, download music and be … Continue reading Day 25: A Foot.
Day 15: The Places In Between
I’ve never really been a “fan” of tourist attractions, but I can cook up good fun with very few ingredients, and in the absence of other obvious attractions in an area, have probably visited as many as the next person. Today I took a little day-trip along the Apache Trail, with a plan to stop … Continue reading Day 15: The Places In Between
Day 11: Leaning In
I feel the rain closing in. Picketpost is doing its best to hold it back, but you can see it climbing that mountain, and just know eventually it’s going to lower itself over the other side. But I’ve decided it doesn’t matter. There is such peace when I stop running away from something. Today I … Continue reading Day 11: Leaning In
Day 8: Live, from the Arboretum
Sue met me in the parking lot of the Boyce Thompson Arboretum, and before we could finish proper introductions we are caught in some kind of desert-spell. My travel guide points over my shoulder mid-sentence, and we pivot to witness a large Saguaro, it’s small root ball hanging vulnerably below, in the bucket of a … Continue reading Day 8: Live, from the Arboretum
Day 5: When Lost isn’t All Lost
I searched for those keys at the crack of dawn, for as long as I could. It’s hard to intently scan the ground in a blooming desert, without falling under the spell of every wildflower and sparkling rock. You try focusing on the desert floor when every bird for a mile around is singing, and … Continue reading Day 5: When Lost isn’t All Lost
Day Four: Desert Attack
Woke up, put on coffee and ate a bag of peanuts on the east side of the van, where Pippa and I met up with Sunshine for breakfast. Sometimes she just stays like this for a minute or so. Nose up. Still. Soaking it all in. My in-house batteries (responsible for running my fridge, lights … Continue reading Day Four: Desert Attack
Day Three: Free Birds
Desert News: The Sonoran Bird Collective is gathering this week near the Peralta Trailhead in Arizona to celebrate the desert bloom with traditional gospels. Performances begin at sunrise and go well into the evening. Everyone is invited. Admission is Free. It’s glorious here. I can’t leave yet. How can I leave half way through a … Continue reading Day Three: Free Birds