I know..it's not October Yet...

But I have little time this week to work on graphic design and upload so, heck, I did it early. Which is fine, 'cause I like October, and the more of it I can have, the better!!

Busy me this week. Lots of work, much hiking, going to workshops, seeing friends...feeling pretty full, on the whole.

Highway Robbery

Have you noticed? Have you seen this before? ...three of four lane shut down on a major highway, almost midnight (overtime, eh?), what. maybe FOUR workers with yellow jackets working under, say, ten halogen generator powered lights, a strip about 1/4 mile long with not one, not two, but THREE troopers sitting in their cars, lights on, prolly cruising porn on their laptops...

Or this: A street partially blocked off by tree workers, or electric workers and not one, not two, but THREE police officers, one fore, one aft and one daft (watching the cranes or diggers).

Um, yeah...and there is a hyoooge uprising about us using Normal Folk to hold Stop signs and direct traffic.

So, in Californina, I saw THIS:

Take a looksie at that turn ahead. Not a little one, mind you. I saw this all over California...this, or maybe Joe Schmoe college student with coffee standing there with a walkie talkie directing with his buddy on the other end. I saw this LOTS of times in California.

So, I ask you, with all the people out of work in our system, and all the debt and financial woe in our town, sity, state and country systems, why the hell are we not paying Joe to do this work, or even using machines to save money, instead of paying six or seven police to Make Sure We Are Safe? in higway construction areas?

I am gonna assume it has something to do with literacy. 'Cause, well, ya know, you sorta have to be able to read the hand painted signage.

My Day with Ben and Jay

The sign on Ben's door

Wow. Wow. Wow. What a gorgeous day!!! I drove up to Newburyport to meet Ben at his house. We sat and had tea talked for a long time about things going on in our worlds, in our hearts, in our Spirits, about art, about promoting ourselves as artists, and in believing in the process, leaning into fears...then we made some yummi lunch for later, chicken and veggies, pasta and sauce. We decided to head over to the local wine shop for some wine before his other guest, Jay Schwed, was to arrive from Maine. Just as we got out the door, Jay turned the corner! Big hugs all around. The quote of that moment was: "Embrace Embracing!!!" Off we went to the wine shop for some tasty wines.

We came home, and had lunch and some wine and talked deeply about Jay and his healing arts, about his wandering the world making things better for people using sound and his journey with crystal singing bowls. We decided to head out to the beach to play, and ended up at Salisbury Beach. The wind was really strong, so we tried to find someplace suitable. Unfortunately, the wind was so strong that it was difficult to really get into the process, as the bowls were in danger of tipping and possibly breaking, and considering there was probably 20K dollars worth of crystal bowls involved we decided to head inland a bit, to Newburyport Center and the park there...we set up and Jay did his Thing. What a blast! So much fun! And healing, too! People started to gather around to watch and listen to him talk, joke, tone and play his bowls. What a joyful day I had!! Here are some images from the day. Enjoy!

Unloading Big Bertha

Cozy in their silk bags


Setting up


Jay playing


Gold infused bowl...deep!


What a great storyteller!!!

For more about Jay and what he does go: HERE!

Hmmmm,..Odd...

I have been having a huge run of Deja-Vu sensations the past few days, on the order of two or three a day. It always makes me feel as if I am balancing on the edge of Magic and Time. I often wonder, "did I dream this?" or " have I *really* experienced this before somewhere, somehow?"...It feels like I have wandered to the edge of Julia and looked back for a moment, at some point on the span of What is Life. Or maybe I am looking ahead, I dunno.

It is a bit disconcerting when it happens over and over again for a few days at a time.

I have been insanely busy the past few days, working hard and spending time developing a Seekrit Project. I have also been making new friends, which feels INSANELY GOOD. It has been a long time since I have enveloped new women into my life, and I currently am developing relationships with two new women-friends, Laura and Brynn. It is quite invigorating to have wonderful, nurturing and exciting people in my world. I am also growing a new friendship with a man named Ben, who is, among other things, a photographer.

It feels good and healthy and nutritive to be adding these juicy and abundant connections to my world. I feel more balanced, on the whole, and also feel that my other relationships are under less pressure to Be anything other than what they are.

I need Deep Intimacy in my life. I want and adore having people I can show my intense side, my creative side, my profound side, my spiritual side, my fears and my joys, and know that I am not being judged. I love that those people are not responsible for my happiness, but add to it.

Brynn!

Laura!

Ben!

I really love my life right now.

Well, except the financial part, but I am working on it...

The Last Day:Part Two

When I left you last, our intrepid travelers had hit the seacoast of California, and Morro Bay, headed up the coast to Carmel for lunch, and then to San Jose to return the Steed and stay at a hotel near the airport.

Here are some pictures of the last leg of our adventure.

Walking the beach in Big Sur

Cool metalwork art on a fence at the beach

Sculpture in Santa Cruz, where we stopped for ice cream

Wheeeeee!

Returning the bike, and talking about how the lower kick-stand spring FELL OFF on the highway, a very SCARY thing. Clanky clanky clanky clanky.

Scott M. of the bike rental place, and Scott A., Senior Adventurer

Reflection

Life is not a reflection ON you.
It is a reflection OF you.

You are not responsible for the happiness
and pleasure of others.

You ARE responsible for shining your light
as brightly as you are able
so that the brilliance of who you are
can bathe others
in hues of the soul
which is you.

Back to the Trip: Last Day/Part One

It was a cool morning, thank the Gawds. We headed up the coast toward Carmel. Along the way, we stopped here and there to take in the breathtaking views. The first stop was a vista for viewing elephant seals. We were not disappointed!

Then it was a long and leisurely ride up the winding coastal route 1 heading North.

As we wound up the coast we found a nifty gallery to pop into. They had wonderful works there, many sculptures and some really gorgeous photography. Too many Benjamins on the tags for us to buy anything, plus if we stuffed ONE MORE THING into our side bags we would burst, so we just looked, drooled and headed back up the coast.

We rode into Carmel and stopped for lunch. We were pretty much starving by then. We had a marvelous lobster and artichoke bisque, and seared tuna sandwiches, beer and lemonade. I looked at the pretty fish on the ceiling. Scott looked at the pretty hostess at the door. Ha!

Fortified, and needing to speed things up a bit as we had to get the bike back to the rental place by 6PM, we headed further North.

Am, Am Not

I am not just bone
covered
in moth-wing feelings
fragile, wind-carried

I am iron pans
gripped with quilted
cloth
heavy and warm

I am rushing streams
and mossy banks
with abandoned nests
a-flutter with down

I am more than the joy
I quake forth
or the fear
I crush down into my pillow

I am more than either
you or I know
more than you
will ever love

I am not the quiet child
waiting for your cue
to make a sensible
and willing victim

I am the cough in
the silent theatre
reminding you
that I am there despite the silence

I am not the sum of all
of my parts
but more than the quotient
of a thousand stars in a box

I am all these things
and more
and none of these things
and less

Love/Hate

I have a love/hate relationship with chatting online. I love it because I have "real time" connection with someone. I hate it because you can't see their face, or get their tone of inflection. I love it because there is a snappy magical cadence to it. I hate it because words get tangled up sometimes and come out wrong. I love it because it can make someone's day. I hate it because in a blink of an eye, something typed can seem hurtful when it was not meant that way; there is less editing time. I love it because I can play with words. I hate it when I have an unarmed opponent. I love it when I have time to sit with some coffee and type phunni things. I hate it when I am busy working on something and someone pops into my day unexpectedly. I love it that I can stay connected to people who live far away. I hate it that people have, like, 10 chats open at a time sometimes and I feel like I am at the bottom of the pile. I love it when I can chat something lascivious to someone. I hate it that I can mistakenly send it to someone else I am IM'ing with who is, say, a conservative frothing nun or something. (Not really, but you get the idea)

Neighborhood Watch

The Sun will come out to Morro...

I think that if we pulled into the Econolodge a minute later than we did, I would likely have imploded, like an eggplant when you bake them too long at 350 degrees. We rang the bell (it was after 9PM) and waited until a tiny Indian Man came forth sing-songing about how nice it was to see us. I don't know much about seeing anything at that point. My cheeks were numb from the wind. My shorts were literally soaked through, making me look as if I had peed my pants. Key. Key. Key!, Man, JUST GIVE US THE FUCKING KEY! It was dark-ish and a bit foggy, but I could smell that we were by the ocean.

I grabbed my toiletry kit from the bike and headed straight for the room. Peeling off clothes as I went, I headed directly to the shower. After that, I remember watching some TV about Yellowstone Park and volcanoes, and not much else. The alarm was the next thing I heard. Another long day of driving ahead, we stopped by the "lobby" (about the size of a broom closet) and got some hot water in a styrofoam cup for tea. I ate some Cheerios from one of those knob-turny-dispenser thingies. On the way out the door I looked up and saw THIS:

Shortly after Columbus reached the American shores, a Portuguese explorer, Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo, traveled the land now called Southern California. In 1542 he discovered and named Morro Rock.

Today geologists associate Morro Rock, an extinct volcano, with eight other extinct volcanoes in the region. Collectively they are known as the nine sisters, and they run from Morrow Bay to San Luis Obispo, along the South-central California Coast.

Morrow Rock currently serves as a nature preserve protecting, among other things, the peregrine falcon, which tastes a great deal like chicken.

By that marina was a lovely old man watering the flowers. I spied this wonderful California Poppy, remembering that it is one of my mother's favorite flowers.

Crossing Hades

After leaving Mariposa, which was dry and hot, but at least it was shaded, we headed across the state via Rt. 41 all the way to Morrow Bay, about a five hour drive. In heat. In heat like, well, hinges. Hinges of Hell. It was the kind of heat which burns your lungs when you take in a big breath. And, with heavy duty bike jackets on, the kind with protective shell inserts we most closely resembled oysters on a grill. We began to bubble and pop. Much Gatorade (tm) was consumed. Eventually, we decided to hole up in a dive diner and eat until the sun began to go down, effectively reducing the temperature from 115 degrees to about 90. Ahhh...

Here are some images from the ride. I know they are not much to look at artistically speaking, but they remind me of all the colors, and the whizzing of the air, and the rising moon...at one point after the moon rose we passed a ranch that went on and on and on and on...and on a post of the fence was an owl the size of a Buick. It took off just before we passed it. I thought it would knock us over. Needless to say, I did not get an image of it. Too bad. That thing would have looked just about right for one of those Sequoias we saw earlier in the day.

Fleas Among Giants

You *think* you know "BIG". You have an idea about Grand Things, and Large Scale. And then, you go to Mariposa and see 2,000 year old trees.



This little girl was so sweet. She ran up to the tree and was totally entranced with the inside of it. To her, it was a cave. Someday she will look back on the pictures from this vacation and really get how big that tree was.




This wonderful man was working on making this into a display for the park. He was sanding the fallen tree trunk, and will be varnishing it later. That is some big tree.




Fires come to this valley in Mariposa about every 11 years. Fires are important for many reasons. They clear out the competitive trees, allowing for more light. The heat from the fires pops the pine cones, spreading seeds. The carbon left from the fire is nutritious to the soil and is important for the ecosystem. Many of the trees here bear the black scars of fires, either prescribed or lightning strike fires. What I found interesting was the tree's ability to create new bark around the wounds. This takes a long time, but it does happen. Many of the trees were, indeed, burned beyond repair.







Because of the ecosystem here, there were different plants than I had seen in Yosemite. I simply adored this light, sage green color, especially with the red of the trees and the blue of the skies.




Did I mention BIG. Mmmmmm, yeah. Big. Big. Big.



As we left the park after about a 3 hour hike we saw these two wonderful deer just hanging out by the trail. The one with the antlers walked right up to and past us so calmly. Just moseyin' along...






I am so grateful that I was able to see such beauty, and such wonderful trees. The colors, the sizes, the shapes were all so deep and rich and big. I have a much larger sense of respect for the dignity of trees now. Wow. Mother Nature is so amazing!!!