Connect the Words

Hail, Odd, Seeking, Blue, Allegedly

2009-10-23T10:13:00.000-07:00

The odd thing about Autumn is that it is neither here nor there. Some of the leaves feel an earnest desire to remain on the trees, where others seem like they have been waiting all summer to leave their post. Why, just the other day their was a huge hail storm that resulted in the once fluffy maple tree outside the living room window to become a brush of sticks and windmills - such a quick, unexpected change. Allegedly, the neighbor to our left had paid a former employee of mine to summon a storm just so he would have access to the leaves for use in stuffing pumpkin-looking leaf bags. Not a terrible crime, considering he was just seeking some fun out of the blue.

Feeling a little Rogue

2009-05-20T08:36:00.000-07:00

Waking in the wind and fresh air, lying on my back and enjoying the moment. Nerves a little heightened not knowing what to expect nor what to anticipate. The others where in a little disarray, largely due to the size of the group. Eight is an interesting number. Slightly different agendas resulted in one tenuous moment. It didn't last long.
It was cool, beautiful, and refreshing. The waves sank over the sides of the raft chilling me to the core with their beauty. So much productive water that one could see the past, presume the future. The wild and scenic Rogue River is on my list of most beautiful things.

Trout Creek

2008-07-26T13:34:00.000-07:00

No immediate destination. I am here. This is where I'll be for the next 20 hours or so. Countless thousands of gallons of water have passed me in the last 30 minutes. The Rock escarpments, 1,000 or so feet above me, show signs of wear from uplift and collapse. It's dry, very, very dry.
Absolutely amazing that the trees and grasses and reeds and sage survive in places like these.
At times in the past, there have been single, cataclysmic events. A result of which is that nothing lives. Nothing we can easily see, that is. Forrest's gone, nothing larger than a chicken survived some of these events.
This phenomena has happened remarkably quickly. For instance, the object that very likely collided with the planet around 65 million years ago. It would have been certain destruction in the immediate vicinity, and perhaps for about a quarter of the circumference of the globe. The impact would have resulted in a nuclear winter. No sunlight, no heat, no photosynthesis, no food for secondary producers, no luck!
Within weeks to months there would be mass starvation, mass distinctions.
But, as most things go, it came to an end. The survivors were now the leaders. Now hundreds of times smaller than their predecessors. Bacteria, insects and plants. From there, things grew along new hereditary planes.
It's the plane that I am on right now. My kids, too. How did I end up here? Where was I before? Where have I been? What will happen next, I am not interested. I did not know before, and it did not concern me.
I currently have no immediate destination. Later that will be different. But that's then. In the mean time, I will enjoy this.

The Best Time is Now

2008-01-03T23:55:00.001-08:00

This is the time of year when there is a undeniable feeling of starting something. Although, it can certainly be the type of feeling one is not aware of, nor even necessarily sensing, until a time comes when it is crucial to think of such a thing. At that time one becomes aware of the fact that they have been thinking about getting such an activity underway for quite some time...perhaps even years or seconds. This can get confusing, especially if it has been occurring year after year.
At times during the past year I have felt happy, sad, anxious, tickled, nothing, bewildered, defensive, open, aggressive, contemplative, decisive, tricky, funny, counseling, considerate, loving, confusing, frustrated, confident, sarcastic, placated, placating, obtuse, obscure, brief, short, succinct, even, at times, verbose. But I digress.
Last year I worked my way from being 39 to becoming 40. It was not hard nor difficult. In fact, it came upon me quite suddenly and unknowingly. It is still not uncommon for me to hear from others that they too didn't think it was coming, and are currently under the impression that it is still not here. This is the position I am in. When I know what it is that I am meant to do, I'll let you know, as I am presently unaware of the variety and time-frame. Just today it occurred to me that I have always wanted to live in Africa, you know, like savanna grass-lands Africa, not thick bushy can't breath Africa. That dry arid land with an escarpment in the distance. Acacia trees the primary treed resident, other than the occasional baobab. Prior to moving to Bend, and being around mountains and snow and water and dryness, I had wanted to have the experience of this, but for some reason or the other just didn't think it was what was available to me. Until I met Joanna, who, unbeknown to her, helped me realize that the only person stopping me was holding me together. And now here I am, two years later. So, if savanna grass-lands Africa is and has always been in my mind and on my taste-buds, can it happen too? I wonder. Hmmm. Whatever.
There is no real purpose; is what is somewhat valuable. Somehow knowing and being this makes things a little easier to perceive. Because then there is no reason whatsoever to say, take things personally, for example (regardless of Toltec Nation reasoning). Nor is their any reason to be defensive (which is a result of taking things personally I do realize, but let that one slip by) because their just isn't any purpose. Now, this is by no means meant to sound like I am saying that their is no reason. It is different entirely. Reason implies search. Search indicates loss. Loss is in the past. We exist now, in the present.
There is no real Purpose, just Reason and Self-Esteem.

Thinking In The Mean Time

2007-02-15T16:10:00.000-08:00

Sometimes when I think that there is really an answer to whatever it is that I am trying to find out, it befuddles me to think and find out the true answers and reasons to the existence of whatever it is that some long and dark bearded stranger interpreted to be only a few c.m. away from the edge. That edge is often forgetfulness. It comes and goes when you least expect it. Just this morning, for instance, I left for work without my work. What would posses me to do such a thing? My brain, perhaps...

Now, had I been seeking out the mysteries of some inward soul, or pontificating over the whereabouts of a seamless division between the creation of will and the demise of desire, then I would not be surprised to find out that I had forgotten such a primary element of my day. But I did no such thing. I was just going to work, saying goodbye to my TV viewing son, my stressed-out, anxious, uncannily smart dog, and my extremely pregnant wife. Yet, I forgot.

It turned out to be a good thing, though, because I was able to concentrate my energies on a singular thing while in the Office, instead of trying to do all the things that would be helpful to do.

This week I've won $6 in Scratch-Offs. Spent nothing (except for the money that I've won, which has gone into buying more Scratch-Offs and cups of coffee, and a little spare change, and a tip in the form of a winning $1 Scratch-Off).

Sorry, this is getting a little Long Winded. I should go and provide some entertainment.

A question to leave with:

In the event of something happening that is unexpected, what would you do with the frozen nail clippers in your money pocket?

A Head in Need

2006-07-09T23:04:00.000-07:00

Ahead in need, is ahead indeed. A head in need is a head, in deed. Indeed a head in need is a head. The weather was quite unsure of itself this day in July. The pressure of the atmosphere pushing on the surface was a little unstable I thought. My head thought it too, and the manner in which that thought manifested itself was quite miserable to the beholder. Me. It began quite innocently as I woke with a happy toddler and a sick wife. Some call them migraines, I call them shitty headaches. It made me stumble and fumble and foresee things that I shouldn't be foreseeing. It resulted in me not being able to be the person who I am, although I was the person who I was. I played and delayed whenever possible. I slept but never wept. This type of situation has existed as long as I can remember. In fact, I recall sitting in my drapery-darkened bedroom when I was around 7 years old (almost 32 years ago now) reorganizing my toy closet and straightening my cars. This wasn't just because I was an introvert, my head ailed me and I didn't know how to express it otherwise.
Mid-afternoon today it stormed. A funny kind of storm. Sunshine and blue skies on the east side of the house, dark clouds and big thops of rain accompanied by hail fell on the deck on the west side of the house. I gathered hail for Nicholai to eat. He liked that. The moment was a turning point. Within half an hour my head had cleared, leaving me with a certain surreal sense of the day. We went and played at a potluck with other toddlers and many adults. My head was clear. I could believe that just an hour or so prior I could barely write my name with a crayon.
A head. Indeed. I am affected by the pressures of Gaia and Sol.

Understand what you need

2006-06-25T22:20:00.001-07:00

Sometimes when I wonder, thoughts come to my head that make me feel a little sad, glad, excited, overwhelmed, noncommittal, unsure, determined, reassured, and in-touch. Wondering about us. As a entity, a thing, a species, a cock-sure lump of nitwits who are determined to find out exactly how long it will take to eradicate all that surrounds us so as to assure our downfall. Regardless of whether some feel that we have no right to pull the planet along with us, we are doing it quite successfully. Isn’t that what they say? Survival of the fittest. Surely that implies that some are to not survive. Which in-turn implies that of those destined to not survive, and by the very nature of not surviving, there is bound to be an impact of some sort on the surrounding life and non-life. So not surprisingly, we are performing, as our own philosophy would have us perform where we in the place that we find our selves in.

It is no secret that geologically we have only realized the smallest fraction of our world’s existence. It is also no secret that regardless of our involvement, the world we inhabit has a definite life span, which is ultimately determined by our Sun and other objects flying through the vacuum far above our head and far below our feet. There are yet other determiners just geologic inches below our feet. Bubbling liquid minerals that feel quite an urge to surface and apply another coat. Like a cake with icing, sprinkled with powdered sugar. Boom! Ooze… Sprinkle :)

Why is it that the center of everything is only apparent when not being looked at? As in the behavior of a particle. Sure you can see many centers when looking away from the center, but stop to examine its exact location and pwang! It presents itself all over the place, simultaneously and/or concurrently. My oh my what a pleasure it is not knowing what is going on. It is still my standing that we need to ‘understand what you need.’ I made a bumper sticker that says just that. I sometimes wonder how many or if any people explore that statement to the extent that I intended. Understand what you need. The first interpretation is often to just understand what it is that you need so as to not overuse the resources that surround us on this planet. The intended meaning is to understand what you need to understand. We are in an informationally obsessed western world. I have found my self driven to the edge of a precipice by this information. It is no fun when the most easily obtained information is the negative stuff. Death despair disease crisis crime cunning news is all around us. There are a couple nifty things going on other than the quilters at the University Lutheran Church of Hope you know; but you have to dig deep and far to encounter that stuff first. Instead of trying to understand it all, or thinking that in some way I might be able to understand things that are ‘going on,’ I decided that I need to understand the things that I feel that I need to understand. Huh, imagine that. Putting societal pressures of what you should or should not know aside and focusing on the things that you feel are valuable. Let me try that.

On that note, I pass the candle on to the next brave soul who wishes to announce their nonsensical landerings in the direction of center.

I thought.

2006-06-24T23:15:00.000-07:00

Just when I thought it was time to come to some sort of conclusion, things changed. I am still waiting for something else to happen. However, it came to me the other day, as I was biking home, uphill, on my one-speed Schwinn, from seeing Mission Impossible III, and it was 1:30 in the morning, that it is me that decides my destiny. Silly really. That it even seemed like a revelation at the time. It also occurred to me that the things that I've been saying to teenagers for the past 6 years are the same things that I should be saying to myself. Actions speak louder than words. Stuff that you and I know, feel, sense, describe, know. But without doing any of those things they are worthless. Not to say that I would think of myself or anyone else as worthless if they didn't act on the very things that they are talking about. But the sentiment is one that appeals to me.
Now. I set out to perform something back in January of this year, and once I stopped just a little, I seemed to have stopped for sure. Silly me. This is what I want to be doing. Whether the prose is being read or not, for the time being. In order for it to happen I need to stand my ground and just make it so. Words seem choppy in the middle of the night.
It is with certainty that I remark. My only wisdom is that which befalls upon itself the tide that changes with time and knows not when to start, but when to stop.

All the Time

2006-03-22T00:08:00.001-08:00

Mountains all the time. Some go up and some go down. Here they continue to go up, for the most part. Some are currently going up at a rate of an inch per year. If we wait a little geologic time, and most likely a very little geologic time, they will spurt and spoof hot stuff. I'll have to check-in with future generations.
There seems to be little bustle around pending catastrophe. I guess that's somewhat akin to being bitter. The main difference is that the former is in the future and the latter is in the past. However, if it is all just a cycle then what's the real difference anyway? Both bitterness and obsession over pending doom are not helpful to the daily passage. I like passage because it implies something that is continuous yet the off-shoots lead to equally reasoned unknowns.

It seems to me that the future is a spiral, not a circle. When I think of a spiral the image that comes to mind is not a Slinky. It's the lines that would be made by a spinning-top point that was drawing a picture with it's point. The size and direction of the spiral would change as it spun from the initial thrust. The shapes would be relatively consistent, barring the last few moments. As the momentum suddenly runs out the spinning-top would shoot-out a final boost before falling. That line would be lengthier than the diameter of the last several rounds, and form an S-shape before reconsolidating into small circular motions and falling over. Where are we on that continuum?

Another Friday Afternoon In This Universe.

2006-02-24T22:43:00.000-08:00

Perhaps it isn't real after all. There are times and occasions when all the bubbles that extend themselves from me are small. On yet other occasions they are large, big, actually. This concept makes perfect sense to me. I am aware that when initially expressed the way it has been, it can easily be understood as senseless.
Conceptually, this has been a part of my psyche for the past 10 years or so. There are many analogies for such a similar sensation. Some so complex that I realize I would probably not even understand what I am reading. That was a noted area for me to work on when I was in Standard 6, which is 8th Grade. A test result came back that told me I wasn't understanding enough of what I was reading. Actually, it told them that the things that they asked me (something they believed that I interpreted from a reading sample), I was unable to correctly verify as true, false, unclear, invalid, made-up, confusing, round-about, or missing. That was odd, I remember examining, because when I read, I read. It is not in my head to take particular note of an idea or issue presented. Somewhat like the weather. The clouds that float above our heads are strongly influenced by wind. Or a lack of wind, several miles, or hundreds of miles away. High and Low pressure systems. I guess weather is a poor analogy. But by now, only four sentences later, you have probably let the thoughts of what I was just writing about escape into a different place. Now they come back. Or could if you really wanted them to.
The bubbles. Yes, Big Bubbles and Little Bubbles. I recall a cardboard cut-out figure of Tiger, from Winnie the Pooh. Big Bubbles may be the easiest to explain, and the most difficult to get out. There are days, hours, minutes, parts of minutes, etc., when it is remarkably difficult to express, exhume, or react in the way that my head would like to. Sure there are reasons. There are always reasons. It’s enjoyable to be able to express oneself in the way that we feel is our way. But all too often our way never manifests itself as we fully intend. So, those Big Bubble days or moments are when it's just stuck. Having a very difficult time getting to where it's trying to go or be. Bubbles can be and certainly are malleable. They can inflate, too. Every other word is awkward and in, yet out of character.
Those large, ungangly bubbles are sometimes non-existent. Little Bubbles. Easy is the flow and glee. Non-influenced by anyone but your glands. And, just as your pituitary can instantaneously let your entire physical being 'feel' afraid - goose pimples (goose bumps) - so too can some combination of internally produced chemicals change your outward expression. Odd. Our perception of time is odd. Why would it be different for a continental sublimation zone and the blink of a fire-fly’s blinker? This is where another Universe could come in. Another Universe could store all the time and distribute it like a coin-dispenser on a gas station attendant's belt. That's questionable though.
Little Bubbles. I like Little Bubbles. Although, to be tritely honest, Big Bubbles are a vice.

2006-02-21T23:24:00.000-08:00

wee!

Just When I Thought

2006-02-21T22:45:00.000-08:00

Just when I thought that I had nothing to write about, I found myself writing. What, I thought, am I going to scribe about on such an occasion. You see, I am writing such material because I just want to write. It is not always easy for me to write stories, or even sense for that matter. I don't even know who my audience is. I was given a marvelous idea by Judd the other day. If I perceive my problem to be a lack of stories to write about, how about picking a theme that can be returned to whenever I feel that lacking feeling? A nice idea.
Today I was feeling a little less glum. The high desert was cloudy and in the young 30's. The wind was blowing to the northeast where there were high cirrus clouds. This told the weather tale of it getting nicer - low pressure system to the NE sucking air from where I stood and filling the void several hundred miles away. As the day moved from a.m to p.m the skies cleared and the temperature rose. But, as we all know, that doesn't matter if there is a wind. There was a wind.
I was stuck in my head as I walked from camp to camp talking to kids. A little ironic as I must have just said to at least six kids that they need to focus more on their 'hard skills' - which are the 'doing' skills, apposed to reading and writing, the 'soft skills' - to get out of their heads and into their bodies! I need to focus on the hard skills in life a little more. I wasn't feeling particularly challenged in my job, I dwelled. It's nice and all, but the classroom experience is something I have always enjoyed. Not to worry, I assured myself, this too shall pass and the next thing that destiny has lined up will be in-front of me before I know it. I can't be rushing things just yet. I need to experience this environment in a few more seasons. The fact that it's the middle of winter and I spend 6 to 7 hours a day wondering around a sage desert has somewhat of an affect on my glumness.
This is a good lesson to me. It has taught me to listen to me more and ignore the people that are telling me what to do.

To Come: More.

La Pine

2006-02-17T23:11:00.000-08:00

Today I was a Special Education teacher. They had me sit in a room with several other Special Education teachers and Educational Assistants and help high school students who needed help. Although I have a fine job, I don't work on Fridays for that outfit so I have signed-up to substitute teach for this school district. Doing whatever it is that needs to be done.
This past tuesday I received a phone call from a female computer asking me if I was interested in working the abovementioned job. Seeing as I'd like to eventually be in the school system where I would have the option of getting the summers to me and my family, I figured I should expose myself as much as possible. Then those who I have exposed myself to can decide for themselves if I'm worth it or not. Be careful how you express things. That was an early lesson I learned.
So there I am, waiting for the chime - I guess nowadays they chime and don't ring, must be some high-falooting psychological/political espionage reasoning they have - chatting with adults and students, drinking coffee and having a fine time. The day begins with a trot as a handful of students slanter in and prepare to look like they are working. This is the case for perhaps a third of the kids. The other half are extremely disinterested in anything worthwhile. It became apparent through observation and being told this, but if they have nothing to do, they can read a newspaper or a magazine. Whatever happened to military school and corporal punishment? Sometimes I get the feeling that we are teaching kids how to do less and less and expect little of themselves because we don't really understand what our own issues and boundries and capabilities are as teachers/parents/substitute teachers/grown-ups/post-20's folk.
As the day and hours of the day proceeded I met some very interesting individuals and had some wonderful conversations about spirits, leaders, colors, bones, feet, and most things purple.
One of the day's hours I had a class of 10 for Remedial Math. Remedial, nice word. On other days they work out of a text book. Today they had a blue worksheet to complete. This was not done before, the worksheet thing. Three of the kids where very self-disruptive and disruptable. They really didn't really know. They understood what I said when I told them what I hate about my job. They also mistook their rights as students for those of another century and civilization. Whatever that means, but that's what it seemed like - remember, those civilizations and centuries don't have to be in the past. Some learned how to add three digit numbers, others how to determine the number of seconds in a 1/4 hour. It's all good I guess. I'm still undecided I guess. It's all about guessing right and knowing where the luck will fall.
As the time went into the bigger numbers and back to the little numbers I got more into the swing of where I was. No different to from where I have come. The main difference being that you can't do nothin' if they're stoned. The Office Manager liked me, I liked her and the locale. Looks like they will give me a call when another teacher wants a long weekend.
2/17/06

Nothing Happened Today

2006-02-14T23:40:00.000-08:00

The funniest thing happened today. I became aware that I am really someone else. It’s really baffling how this could have gone on for so long unchecked, but somehow it just slipped right on by. The first clue was people getting frustrated with me because they were apparently talking to me, addressing me, and I was not responding. They would bring it to my attention, and I would just scoff in response, as I felt they were daft. I am not the kind of person who would do something like that! It then occurred to me that the people giving me feedback on my behavior were very unfamiliar to me. That’s odd, I went on, why would an apparent stranger talk to me as if they’ve known me for years? I see. There is no me. No you. No one in-between. There is only a middle with a small protrusion where the handle used to be. Fine, as long as we are all coming from the same direction, there are no problems, no conclusions, and nothing to argue about. We all seem to understand what we need (to understand, that is). It is very important that instead of striving for agreement we rather collectively aim to just understand one another’s warped perspectives. I believe that is the crux of a successful media conglomerate’s success.
Now, I have been sure for years that there is one place that we all go to when we are not here. I am not referring to something like a “heaven” or “hell” or any of those more commonly thought of end-of-life destinations. The place and time that I am thinking of is something attached to the field we currently experience. The field that makes us what we are. Not the matrix or energy field or universal connectivity. But perhaps something more like a plateau. A plateau that extends its surface to where there is no longer a need to be anything. A place where all the pieces are found out to be distinctly separate, contain no value, assume no dimension, and don’t have a beginning nor an end. It’s a little puzzling at first, but if there were such a place, would you too not think it likely that we are living that in our daily lives? Along with that burning log, the flashing light, the stoic fragment of volcanic rock, the ringing in our ears…along with all the other things that you might be able to think of.
What comes to mind when I think of the above last sentence is all the things that I might think of. Here’s a short list:

Portable devices left in the seat pocket of DC-10 aircraft in the mid-to-late ‘80’s.
Comfortable ways to cross your legs.
Thoughts a rock might have.
Discarded tealeaves, which, if read, contain the winning PowerBall numbers.
Seldom remembered pieces of notebook paper.
Imprints on the back of fifteen envelopes.
Things that are of importance to other people that you never realized were even things.
Such a list.

2/14/06

Skiing Under The Moon

2006-02-13T23:35:00.000-08:00

On this lovely crisp evening seven grown ups, two little ones, and five dogs at Tumalo Falls, about 20 minutes from town, went to slide on very packed, icy snow. What is it about us human folk that make us want to experience variety? Is it that we feel some sort of a need not to repeat the same activity over and over? A deer, for example, wonders endlessly in search of one thing. In fact, so do many other living things. Not us. We get to enjoy all sorts of things over and over. One another, ‘nature’, food, television, travel, education, jobs, telephones, hats, and books are just some examples we take for granted as part of our experience.
We set out on pretty bumpy, icy snow as we headed up into the hills along Tumalo road, which ended at a parking lot and the lower of many many waterfalls that cascade through the mountains. Joanna had Nicholai on her back in a backpack carrier. John was pulling their new ‘chariot’ with Ella in it. The rest of us were free to ski as we could. I, not being too stable when it comes to balance, had to concentrate heavily on not falling over. Softer snow offers me a little more support, as it can be more forgiving on the skis and head.
A little way into our ski we could see the approaching hill-mountain was glowing nicely. It didn’t take long to realize the rising Moon, which was not yet in our sight, was making it glow so mystically. Within minutes the hills in front of us started to glow some more, and we realized that the presence of the Moon was imminent. Looking behind us we saw another hill, and in spectacular silence, the rays of the full glowing Moon. Watching with a combination of cliché and surprise, I could see conifers on the top of the hill silhouetted by the bright Moon. The Man in the Moon quickly showed us his left eye, then nose, and looked down on us as our path suddenly change from black to shiny white.
I envisioned myself planet-surfing. The rock on which I was standing whipped down with amazing speed as the stationary Moon let me see more of what it was really made out of. It never ceases to inspire and strike me how much we don’t know. How much we are in the grips of the planet on which we stand. How little we realize that. How often we look at something a quarter the size of our planet, 250,000 miles away, and not feel humbled by the enormity of it all. Once again I realized the value of seeing a full Moon rising. I don’t remember when I last sat and watched a full Sun rise. It has happened, but not intentionally. That’s something I should plan for. Although, the Sun being 93,000,000 miles away rings differently in my eyes. That’s a lot of miles. The Moon’s distance is almost manageable. Steve Coy’s Ford Ranger has gone that far. My head spun with the excitement of seeing a full Moon rise and anxiety over falling to the ground in misbalance. Funny contrast, but real in my brain, and it was difficult to let go of the anxiety.
We skied until Joanna’s shoulders could bare the weight and strain no longer, and we returned back to the car. The others kept on going. I can only assume they had a glorious time basking in the reflection of the Sun off the Moon. Nicholai fell asleep in the car, then in bed. The Winter Olympians skied and skated in Italy. And we ate and rested in the United States.
2/13/06

Winter Fest in Bend

2006-02-11T15:27:00.000-08:00

This is a nice time of year to be the person who I am. Just yesterday I had my first moment in a long time (as far as I remember) where I was truly in a good mood. It wasn't because anything extra-ordinary had occurred, I just was. I enjoyed the moment, and shared it with my wife. We decided to enjoy the moment. And we did.
The City of Bend is having its WinterFest 2006 this weekend. There are vendors, wine sharers, beer sharers, ice sculptures, magicians, kids story-tellers, drummers, ski-ramp with ski-people ramping, fireworks, Live Art, aero planes, people, music of a wide variety of kinds, and art in the formal and informal sense. A nice thing to have this time of year. People are out of their houses, showing themselves and others that they too have the yearning to be somewhere other than at home.
The ski-ramp hosted single and double ski skiers. Some were young, and others younger. Fireworks popped in the sky as Nicholai looked on, not in amazement, but rather with a ‘what’s this all about?’ kind of look, and ‘why would they want to do that?’ expression. It was chilly but not uncomfortable that first night. My son and I had walked into town from the house, which is a decent 10-minute walk for most of us. He’s a rock star! We also checked out the Leer Jet fuselage and small two-person helicopter. He was all about that.
The second of the three days I went to the festival on my own in the middle of the day. It was a little strange to be there on my own, but after a little bite to eat I went wondering to see what they had to offer a person like me. There were six or eight ice sculptors doing their thing. Some very traditional looking, others in shapes of things that couldn’t quite be made out. A magician took a white ball and put it on a red kerchief, he then showed us that the white ball had become one with the kerchief by holding the silky fabric in the air for us to see. Half a ball on either side. Not a very impressive trick using magnets. There was a tent set-up for kids to play Go Fish, and Pie Throwing. Sponsored by the Free Church. Are they nihilists too, I wondered? Just around and next to them was a sort of petting zoo. I say sort of because I don’t really know what a petting zoo looks like. There were two horses. Actually one was horsepony and the other half horsepony and half pony. There was also a great-looking flopsy eared rabbit. Just a little further on was a large exhibit tent. In it were food and wine vendors from all over. A tasting set-up. The roof of the tent was clear plastic, and the heat in there was just great green-house warmth.
I was in no mood to drink wine, but I walked to all the food sampling tables I cared to visit and had some great boysenberry pie (boysenberries are very readily available in these parts I hear), fig bread, butternut squash spread, ‘nutrition bar’, olive crisp bread, and red liquorish. Several artists were displaying there work in the middle of the large oval. A potter whose work I found to be appealing will be making us a couple plates to add to our small dinner plate collection (we first need to tell him that). We bought a mug from him today. It’s waiting in the kitchen for me to make coffee and drink out of. After I biked home I found that the house was quiet. Sleeping people. I stepped back out into the early evening air and thought about the next day.

2/12/06

Stuck in the Mud

2006-02-09T23:04:00.000-08:00

Today was an interesting day. All went smoothly up until the end. I heard from a co-worker that they too thought there would be some kind of a mishap. Indeed there was.
We leave the site sometime between 2:30 and 3:00 pm. I had some time to kill so I was on a short hike up the bluff. The snow is pretty hard-packed right now, so the uphill walk is pretty sure-footed and easy to stick the tip of your boot into and take a step. The climb is pretty steep and it doesn't take long to get out of breath. I climbed for about 10 minutes, straight up, and on turning around realized that it doesn't take long at all to gain elevation.
While catching my breath I heard a somewhat discomforting sound. The rumble of a Sub not going anywhere. A Sub is neither a sandwhich nor a below water-level floatation device (in this case). It is a Chevrolet Suburban (today it was New Old White, a 1984 model, white with blue pinstripes, and jacked-up a little so that the basebooards are about mid-thigh - I'm 5'10"). The rumble of the engine travels pretty well in the desert, especially when other noises are Eagles, Coyotes and Jack Rabbits.
Even to the untrained ear there is a distinctive rumble-whir-sloosh that goes with a large rubber wheel rapidly rotating in a slice of sticky desert mud. Looking toward where the noise was coming from I saw our vehicle moving stationary up the road. I had a wonderful view of it. If I held a ruler up at arms-length it wouldn't have measured no more than 8mm. I recall thinking to myself (and anyone else that was listening) - 'that's an odd place to park...oh well...perhaps Midnight Ember is just running over to Slanty Camp to drop something off, and parking there in the meantime'. I then saw the door open and she stepped out. I kept going up the bluff. The noise previously described incubated and gradually caught up with the image and thoughts I had just had. Not a moment later my mobile rang. It was Midnight Ember, the Sub was stuck. Would I be able to assist? Well of-course. After all this was my (and 6 others) ride back to town, about 90 miles away. The sun was steadily setting (as per usual) and I soon found out that the Spirit Chaser (the Head Field Instructor) was not in the field with the other Sub. Hmmm, I began, this could take a while.
A fifteen or so minute walk later and I was looking at the problem. The left rear wheel was floating in water, surrounded by goowey mud. A couple folks where already there doing some proactive problem-solving. It started by cutting small sage bushes and shoving them in the hole in hopes of gaining some traction. No go. As soon as we got that left rear somewhat grabbing, the front right would start to dig and sink. Another ten or so minutes later we had 8 orange-wearing teenagers tugging on a rope tied to the front tow hook. No go. Another ten or so minutes later we each had grabbed an arm-full of split wood and tried to rail-road-tie the tires. Less of a go. With each attempt we were just digging the Sub deeper and deeper, until the under-carrage of the vehicle was just inches away from the mud. Lion requested all the staff together for a huddle. The decision was to stop now before we just dig ourselves deeper. The Spirit Chaser was about an hour and a half to two hours out. We'd wait.
I went for another walk. The Sun had gone behind the bluff and it was getting a little chilly quite quickly. Medicine Heart and I walked out further into the desert to where the Sun did still shine. An hour or so later we landed ourselves back at the Sub. She stayed while I went to a near-by camp to see what they were up to. I had time to spend. After chatting with kids and Staff at the camp I felt it was time to return. There was a fimiliar rumble of a Sub in the distance, struggling up and down and through mud pools. It was the Spirit Chaser.
I'm always amaized by how long it takes to travel horizontal distances, especially in the sage desert. You can see for a long way, but takes a way long time to travel from there to here. I walked back to our Sub, and arrived while the "rescue" Sub (Old Blue, a Suburban made in about 1979) was a couple minutes away. He approached.
Instead of stopping and saying Hi, How are Ya? He whipped on past us, stopped, and, speedily, hasily, and somewhat wrecklessly backed up to within 10 feet of New Old White, promptly digging his left rear tire almost as deep into the mud as ours was originally. The four of us that were standing outside our vehicle couldn't believe our eyes...and with a glance at another told the Spirit Chaser to get back in his Sub and step on it. He did as the four of us now adrenalin-pumped-desirees pushed like tomorrow was not an option. We pushed the Sub for a good 40 feet. The tire track left in the mud from that left rear tire was knee deep at best.
After a short discussion he repositioned the Old Blue in a more appropriate place, and hooked a yellow tow strap between the vehicles. I climbed in the New Old White and everyone else climbed in the Old Old Blue to weight it down as much as possible. Old Blue reversed a little then he gunned the bejeepers out of it. As it fish-tailed down the muddy road I stomped on the gas (in first gear, and 4 Low) as the nose of my Sub figuratively lifted up and hopped out of its grooves and on to the muddy road it should have been on in the first place. There was much rejoicing.
After that we were left to our own devices. With barely enough twilight to get us to the tarmac we hustled off along a pretty trecherous mud and water-soaked single-track road toward Hampton - a town which consists of the Hampton store. Nothing else. No houses. Nothing. Nice quirky people who make decent road-diner food. Spirits were high and bellies being filled, as per usual, on the Sub-ride home.
2/9/06

We've all gotta begin somewhere

2006-02-09T00:17:00.000-08:00

Here I go with my first installment of actually writing to whoever is intersted in reading my writing. There is a clumsey start.
I don't have any material to write about, so I will just keep on with this endless ramble until I decide that I've had enough and want to step outside for a toast. Okay, perhaps that's it for today, and I'll wait and see what happens to what I just wrote.
2/8/06

We are Here.

2005-12-09T01:09:00.000-08:00

This is the place that our Moroukian Family has settled. It's been a strange and wonderful experience thus far. Joanna has been here since Wednesday the 30th of November, myself the 1st of December.
We are in our very cute house just off an off-ramp. No hastles though.
More to soon come.