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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
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
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
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
It’s a bit of a paradox; how sinking into something can transport you to a higher place. I spent the afternoon at the Arboretum, with my macro lens. It seemed fitting, given my recent focus on going deeper. Aren’t the patterns incredible? The balance. The contrast. Light and dark. Lines and Circles. Spirals. Being among … Continue reading Day 13: Higher Ground
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
Morning rises over Picket Post, and Pippa and I bask in the growing sunshine entering through the open side door. Direct morning sunshine applied liberally to the face upon waking does a world of good. There is something psychologically powerful about rising with the sun. That’s a lot of energy, rising into the sky! I … Continue reading Day 10: Weathering Weather
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
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
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