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: The Van Tribe
Community
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 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 27: Portals
I’ve been fascinated by doorways since I was a child, so finding myself in a placed called “Portal” doesn’t come as any surprise. I was the kid that wanted to fall into Alice in Wonderland’s Rabbit Hole, climb behind the dresser in The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, and was first in line to … Continue reading Day 27: Portals
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 22: Close Encounter
We sat on one ridge, and the bobcat on the other. Kim had his binoculars, and I, my camera with zoom. Pippa lies beside me; as of yet, oblivious to our growing excitement. It is in a picture-perfect location for a photo. Something right out of a National Geographic. A sculptured rock overhang, sunshine … Continue reading Day 22: Close Encounter
Day 20: A Balancing Act
Today’s cosmic performance presents the much-anticipated Spring Equinox and an emerging super-moon all in one over-stuffed celestial piñata, featuring a super-sized moon rising in the east exactly as the sun sets in the west. How is that for a sweet harmonic convergence? Splitting the day exactly in half for us, to the very minute. A … Continue reading Day 20: A Balancing Act
Day 19: Today’s Traffic
I don’t ever have to be convinced to sit in a hot spring, but there is something particularly sweet about a natural hot springs pool in the middle of the desert. The water in the two concrete pools circulates continually. It drains each night and refills each morning when sun hits the solar panels, keeping … Continue reading Day 19: Today’s Traffic
Day 18: Notes from the Field
We were visited three times last night by a Great Horned Owl, and once alerted to the presence of a nearby human by the screeching of a car alarm. Although the second sound definitely brings out the worst in me (there is a reason they call it a panic button) I no longer imagine the … Continue reading Day 18: Notes from the Field
DAY 17: On the Move
It takes about a half hour to pack the van. Not bad, considering how I tend to explode out of it when I settle somewhere. A mat, table, camp chair, water jug, dog kennel and my solar panels all need to find their places once again. I take time to tidy as I go. Each … Continue reading DAY 17: On the Move