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: Mental health on the road
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 28: No Exit
It’s 6:50 pm and dusk is turning to darkness. I’ve come in from my art-play perch by the creek, and bring Pips inside with me. She would have preferred moving indoors just as the sun dipped below the mountain, but I try to keep us both outside until dark. I have guidelines designed to keep … Continue reading Day 28: No Exit
Day 24: Pippa’s Ride
Meet Pippa; the sassy Italian Greyhound who is my constant companion and best friend. She is now two and a half years old, and has been with me since she was eight weeks. She has now spent almost half of her life on the road with me. Baby PippaCrate Training: harder for ME than for … Continue reading Day 24: Pippa’s Ride
Day 23: My Outside World
My time in Arizona is coming to a close, but I want to visit one more area before heading to New Mexico. It’s not easy to leave Indian Breadrocks; it’s been a deeply restful time deep in nature with a dear friend who loves nature as much as I do. There has been very little … Continue reading Day 23: My Outside World
Day 21: An Ode to Play
I used to hate climbing things. I would literally dread a hill or long set of stairs, bargaining with the universe to do extra sit-ups if I could be spared. Today I felt joyfully compelled to climb a rock. I climb slowly and purposefully, knowing this means a physical payment plan tomorrow, but I accept … Continue reading Day 21: An Ode to Play
Day 14: Honouring the Ebb
Life on the road offers many opportunities to experience being all in one place at the same time. I treasure this state of mind and call this being in the flow. In my experience, it opens a lot of my soul-doors. I’ve been delighting in this state for some time. But every flow has an … Continue reading Day 14: Honouring the Ebb
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 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
Letting Go of Perfect
It used to take me the better part of an hour to scope out a van-camping spot, before finally settling on what felt like “the perfect one.” In the early days, I stayed mostly at provincial parks, and even if I were the only one there, I would race around in a panic, sure someone … Continue reading Letting Go of Perfect