new thoughts on an old idea coming up.....
But first, a bookend to an earlier post:





 

MERRY 2008! WE HOPE YOU ARE ALL NOTHING BUT WELL. THIS IS WEB PAGE 22 AND THE LAST IN OUR SERIES. What a ride!I have been pondering how to end this chapter of web page building. Something pithy, wise, prophetic, perhaps funny?I am at a loss... Looking back I know I have changed and been changed by this process. I used to live in my car, a tent, a shack, a barn, a rented room, a chaqteu by the river, a lodge and a fire station. Nothing compares to living in a dwelling that was organized, constructed and consecrated from motivated vision, sweat and blood! I hope to enjoy the next process of transforming our home into an environment to sustain and flourish. May we all be blessed by creating spaces in which we can do so..... AMEN! 

 

fasting on a cruise (or farting on a curse)

Why is it we are body specific when we "take a break" or vacation? For instance, we go skiing and free our minds and bodies from our daily grinds. We go to spas to relax our muscles and mentally "check out" from our work-a-day lives. Howzabout, we give our digestive tracts a break and let our brains think less about planning, preparing and chewing foodstuffs? How much time do we spend pursuing the epicurean pursuits? For an answer: look here or ; journal your time; or look and click here;or make a guess. Let's say you spend an hour per day doing these things and two hours digesting. No vacationing for your teeth, your stomach and your, ugh colon (and crap.) What if we give peristalsis a temporary rest?

I propose a fools task for myself. Being an April 1st guy and an admirer of Percival it will not be a stretch to follow folly. I will soon be on a boat, in a world where pizza is always available, "A place where the beer flows like wine. Where beautiful women instinctively flock like the salmon of Capistrano" ... a little place called "cruiseship planet."
I, with the help of semi-public journaling will: put my nose up to cattle calls; fatty feasts and flatulence; bulging baggy bottoms and "Mercia" abundance. I hereby declare for all of my loyal follower (thanks ma) to blog and twitter my way to a juice and salad diet whilst surrounded by a smorgasbord of smakerals. Can this be done? Should this be done? Will I do it or will I cave to the pressures of "the normal"? Standby (you can sit Ma) for more installments of "pleasure delayer" or "torture depravator- the movie".....

Holidays

Everyone is squeezing as much in as possible - feel the frenzy! So easy to get caught in the moment and not remember to go even faster - to see what you are made of. Let's all ramp it up until something blows and pops. Stroke out in your 30's - why wait til you you are elderly. Drive more, don't question low gas prices, trample people on your way to great deals, drink and smoke more, zoom zoom zoom!

out of California

Born Here, From Here-- who cares! There is life out of California, different to be sure, but life indeed. Recently, spent time in New Mexico and in Oregon and was remembering John Steinbeck words from "Travels with Charley" reminding us that: "there is no life on the interstate." During a cross state sojourn he drove Rocinante (his cool truck) and met people (real Americans) as he drove and stopped at back road spots. During his time, the box super-stores and McMansions were not a pervasive and insidious blight on the fluorescent saturated landscape. What he could easily find by slowing down is still available. Try it, "How one thing is done is how all is done."
We live in paradise and in the best of times- feel and know that.
It is an honor to be here now. Easy? Hell no, but what are viable alternatives? Difficult can be fine....

amongst the frenzy!

How is everyone's mental health? I am maintaining sanity by focusing on the beauty of night skies, melodic tunes, breaking a sweat, children's laughter and hugs from patients.... So much noise and confusion can distract from all the intense beauty, really too much beauty to absorb. Sure, I am keeping up with most of the environmental unrest, political upheaval, and intense angst found even here in the Bubble of the Carmel. I am also paying attention to the happiness from my young boys, and my wife's musical groove and the changing of the seasons.... Way more impressive than the frenetic noise. I was watching Once (again) and my eyes swelled with tears as the earnest musical stylings effused from the music makers-- very nice and JOYFUL! Don't we all want to sing,pick up a guitar or sit down at the piano and participate in the universe song? Let it out, and when you feel great -- shout it out!

fast track

If you want to get to know your neighbors the easy (though traumatic way) wait for an Earthquake, Tornado or a 100,000 + acre fire. Though dramatic, devastating and nerve wracking--disasters do serve another purpose: bringing people together. It is easy to isolate yourselves into a never ending commute between vocation and avocation and escapism to your yon pod (read : home) and life therein. This Basin Complex Fire enabled us to meet and greet our neighbors for the first time and reengage us with our known neighbors and established allies.
If you want to appreciate your home and all its lovely amenities, a near disaster can also facilitate this. If you want to appreciate your family being under the same roof safely sleeping, apply the same situation. Are you complacent in your daily routines; are you lazy in your general appreciation; have you taken your routine for granted, are ye bored? Watch out what you ask for, the universe is listening....
For a while our newly built home stood as a reminder of our transitory nature and our fragile hold on our possessions. I envisioned our home being transformed into ash flying into the ethos. Alas, our home still stands and our connection to our community has improved.
I do not wish for a repeat anytime soon but I am glad for the reminder of what truly has import.

jamesburg frontier

Jamesburg is in upper Carmel Valley, California. We are building a home and a barn on our south facing 38 acres.
We would like to create a suitable environment where we can raise our boys and be close to the surrounding wilderness.
Merely one half hour from the Carmel Valley Village (civilization) we are surrounded by oaks, mountain tops, big sky views and if you know where squint-- the Pacific Ocean!
Will the process of constructing ever be a bore? Not yet!