The Tree

Handmade felt wall hanging and shroud.  Maybe for Margaret Atwood?

Dimensions 33 inches wide by 77 inches tall

All the stuff!

We have all our stuff literally stuffed in the carport- this is a side effect of putting all of the shop tools in the back of the sea container.   We have been unearthing things out of the boxes- but there is nowhere to put anything in the house yet so it is in piles!  It's making me crazy.  Over a year with minimal stuff has changed me.  My clothes box had too many summer shorts- why did I need these?  Our CD's - they are now all on the ipod.  hmmm.  More than five forks would be nice- but there are only four of us and maybe company can bring their own.  No more BYOB it will BYOF!  Bring your own fork. I am looking forward to some things- putting them in a place.  If there is no place for them to live then I will have to find a place (this does not include "in storage") or it will have to hit the road.  There is a theme these days of cleaning out, getting rid of, being free.  One of my mentors Mors Kochanskis- used to ask us to think about how many hours or days or years of our lives went into something.  For example he used to drive an old Dodge Dart that if you asked him he could tell you exactly how many workshops he had to teach to buy that car.  It wasn't worth it to him to have a fancy newer car and work four times as many workshops.  So I am thinking- how much of my time goes into taking care of this stuff.  Cleaning it, putting it away, finding it....maybe I don't want to spend my time that way.  Maybe time and space and breath are more important to being a full human?

Unearthing of the stuff.

We decided we wanted to live in the Creston area.  Looked at houses and properties and ended up in Wynndel on a half acre lot with an small, old, but well built house.  We've been working on the house for the last month and a half, using the tools we had in the trailer and a bunch we borrowed from my gracious sister and her husband.  Sort of continuing on in the Ditzler/Perry fashion kloodging it together- making it work.  Our new mantra when we think of something we want to fix or do is:  how do we do it smaller, do we even need it, is there another way?  Trying to not spend money where we don't need to.  Trying to not make work.  Trying to not be in a hurry or stressed.  It's amazing the old habits that came rushing back when we bought the house.  Worry about money instantly- for no reason- we're fine.  A feeling of rushing- no need- we don't have a schedule.  After a year and half of regrouping it is now practicing new habits and new ways of being within our regular life.  I didn't actually want to get our stuff out of the sea can.  I felt so light and free without it.  Wanted my art stash, pizza stone, kitchen aid, summer quilt.  That's about it.

But we opened it up, loaded it up and made it here.  The kids and I took one trip with a teeny useless 5x6 ft uhaul.  Got the table and chairs (which were last to go in) and all of the random shit that goes in last because there was no where else to put it)  Then Greg, and I rented a big car hauler and a 6x12 ft uhaul and hooked up both trucks.  Loaded everything to the gills and just about fit it all!  We had to leave Bertha- the red canoe, three greenhouse fans that Greg wants as environmental art and our wooden outdoor chairs!  That's it!  One more reasonable truck load and we are fully here- no more ties to Alberta other than family.  Big white made one more trip hauling a big, heavy load.  She kept overheating so Greg had to drive the whole 6 hours with the heater blasting and the window open.  Of course it was a 30 deg C day.  No break down.  Not even a flat tire.  Stunning.

It was daunting to load and unload.  The car port at our new place is stuffed full because the house isn't fully ready to move into yet.

I found my salad spinner and cast iron frying pan!  Greg used his pin nailer, air compressor, chop saw etc to install some flooring- made it way easier.  But there are a lot of thing we don't want anymore and likely never needed.  Creston Buy and Sell will be busy as will kijiji and Gleaners.  Gleaners is a charity in the Creston Valley that takes in usable clothes, shoes, household, farm, building stuff and organizes and resells it.  It puts hundreds of thousands of dollars back into the community here.  It also runs the food bank which apparently takes 15 years of Gleaners volunteering to do.  There are many things that the kids weren't ready to let go of because they were still kids when we packed.  Now they are teenagers and don't really play with toys that often.  It is all a process.  I really need to get rid of some stuff!

One last trip

We bought a house in the beautiful Creston Valley of British Columbia.  Actually gets four seasons including spring!  Has lots of fishing, hiking, fun stuff to do that's close.  We can grow food- including fruit.  It's quiet and not busy and everything we need is close.  Bonus is that my sister lives here. We love hanging out together, but have always lived far apart.  We had about two weeks of limbo before we had to be anywhere for papers, signing, transfer of money....blah, blah.  So the end of April we ended up heading out to the Olympic Peninsula west of Seattle, Washington.  Ocean, eagles, wind, waves, sand, but we all got a horrible flu.  Ten days of coughing, aching, headache, fever, chills, nasty sick.  Can't think of a more beautiful place to be miserable.  Still managed some walks, sunsets and exploring.

Same clothes- re-newed people inside

These two have grown up so much in last year.

Cancer man.

Our last night of this year long journey was in Missoula, Montana KOA.  The trailer ahead of us at check in had its bumper falling off!  They pulled into their campsite and Greg noticed that the man was walking very slowly with a cane and upon meeting him it was clear that he wasn't old, but sick.  His wife had a limp because of knee surgery.  Greg went to help them remove the spare from the bumper and heard their story.  This was their farewell trip together.  He has terminal cancer.  They look like they were maybe in their late 50's early 60's.  Just another reminder of why this year was a good idea and that it is possible to wait too long.

Airplanes and rollercoasters.

Since we drove past it last spring, Leland has been asking to go the the Hill Aerospace Museum.

Part of our timing in heading north is to be in the Salt Lake City area for opening day of  Lagoon Amusement  Park.  Tons of roller coasters and sick scary rides.  I went on the wooden roller coaster that has been around since the 1920's.  Creaking, rattling, banging, up down and turn but no upside down.  Also on this crazy ride that takes you way up high and then you free fall down.  Yikes- my stomach stayed at the top.  Of course the kids and Greg went on way more rides.  One of the called Wicked even scared Greg!

Lone Rock Beach

The road from Flagstaff to Page AZ was washed out in a monsoon rain in summer of 2012 and the detour wasn't great when we were in the area last spring.  This time there is a new paved road through the Navajo Nation that gets you to Page from the south.  We camped at Lone Rock Beach on Lake Powell.  Gorgeous sand and sun.  We had our own tropical oasis.  Kids played in the sand and buried each other.

nice fake cry

We sat in our chairs and read and drank adult beverages.  Walked on the beach, had a barbeque and discussed staying for a week.  Paradise until it wasn't....next morning we are being pelted by a sand storm.  Other rigs are hooking up and moving out.  There is no question that we have to hit the road as sand can be worse than snow to be stuck in.  Also we already have sand in every crevice of the camper- no need for more.  It also looks like rain which means any dirt roads that are great when dry turn to impassable gumbo.  So we just keep driving to better weather.

Paved Paradise...you know the rest.

Sedona is gorgeous.  Should be a National Park.  But way too busy for our liking.  We had a great boondocking campsite outside of town for four days with a gorgeous view of some red cliffs, under a tree, watching the sunsets, just hanging out.  Our second night there, just at dark a car pulled in and a young woman asked if she could camp near us because she was by herself and a guy in a truck had been driving back and forth past her camp and was creeping her out.  Of course, not a problem.  We had a great chat- she had been travelling around the world for the last year and a half and this was her last month before she started a job as an engineer.  Great night for stories but a crappy, creepy man, reason.   When we hooked up to leave on Sunday morning the truck had a low tire- spike in it.  No problem- change it- carry on, get it fixed in town on Monday.  Get to Sedona- busy four lane road, on a hill, we have a flat on the other side!  Totally flat- wreck the rim if you drive on it flat!  In the middle of traffic we chock the trailer and truck, jack it up, put on the semi-flat spiked tire.  Of course nothing is open except tourist stuff.  A guy at a jeep rental place tells us to go a couple miles back up the highway to the Big O tire.  It opens first thing on Monday morning and people have stayed in the parking lot before.  We carefully drive back to the Big O next to a school bus.

Gorgeous view of the rocks- lovely foreground of highway and gas stations and traffic roaring past. Joni Mitchell's "paved paradise and put up a parking lot." is running through my mind.   It all ends well- we meet one of the employees who is checking what we're doing- it's cool to stay the night.  We get two new tires for the back of the truck and head on our way north.

Mission San Xavier del bac

by Leland

March 2014 Saturday

On March15, 2014 a Sunday, me, Mom, Dad, & Anna went to the Mission San Xavier.   The Mission san Xavier was started in 1783 and completed in 1797.  And in 1887 an earthquake in Sonora damaged parts of the Mission and major repairs weren’t started until 1906.  Just to give you a part of its history.    Also, Mission san Xavier isn’t the original Mission the original Mission was started in 1700 by a Missionary from Spain called Kino but was never finished.           

The entire thing was crazy- the art was amazing, but a little weird.  It was so overwhelming.  I loved the paintings, everything had a meaning, and they were not only paintings they were messages- prophesies, to carry the thoughts and beliefs of those who painted it for as long as the paint will last. I think that is the intention of all artists, to express themselves, so that a piece of them will last as long as it can. So when they die, they never really leave you they continue their existence. Just in a different way. So it was pretty cool.         

It turns out we took no photos at the Mission- we were all too overwhelmed- the photo above is from their website.  Haha.

    

Wiley Coyote Cactuses

Was getting too chilly to head north so we zigged and headed south.   I didn’t think we would get to the Sonoran Desert on this trip but with this zig we headed toward Tucson and the Saguaro cactuses.  You know the ones- the iconic arms, the striking silhouettes, Wiley Coyote.   Saguaro (pronounced Sa-waro) cactuses are perfectly evolved for their environment. They start out as a tiny seed near a nurse tree and it takes until 50 years of age before they start to grow an arm which starts out as little prickly bud.  They have ribs that expand and contract depending how dry or wet it is for water storage.  All shapes and sizes and homes to tons of cactus wrens and curved billed thrashers.  

Dying saguaros

    Everything is prickly.

Goofy girl

Arizona Sonoran Desert Museum- amazing.   It is an outdoor- natural history museum combined with a zoo.  Very well done and well worth going to if you are in the area.  Highlights were the artificial cave- Leland loved the bat ears.

and the turtle shell...

The free flight raptors were semi trained to fly over our heads and dive and land on branches nearby.  

and the hummingbird aviary.

Rock Trees

Petrified Forest- rocks and ancient trees that have turned into rocks!  Anna was in rock heaven!  

Shit Show

A word about shit.

Yep the real human stuff.  We have been doing some boondocking in our travels- which at its most basic is camping not in a campground-  off of the side of a back road -legally.  This is usually on public land like Bureau of Land Management or in National Forests- similar to crown land in Canada.   We love it- we can find an out of the way spot down a forestry road and pull off.  No one around, dogs can relax and run around, kids can be loud- no noise or rules.  But the major drawback to boondocking is that humans are disgusting and apparently no one has taught most of us how to shit in the woods.   We have been in sites where there is so much human shit that we have had to tie the dogs up (they are disgusting and will eat it) and the kids can’t run around.    Toilet paper all over, piles of shit right on the surface- NASTY!  So here’s how you do it in a nutshell.  By the way our kids knew how to do this by the time they were toilet trained.    If you have a toilet in your trailer or camper- use it- that’s what it’s there for.  If not- go away from the campsite, away from a trail and away from water.  Dig a hole with a trowel, shovel, stick, rock or the heel of your boot, 6 inches deep.  Shit in that.  Wipe- wrap used toilet paper in a clean piece and set aside or put in a bag in your pocket.  DO NOT BURY, BURN, OR LEAVE TOILET PAPER!!!!   Bury the shit with the soil you dug out.  Now cover the spot with a large rock or log.  Take the toilet paper with you and burn it in your campfire or put it in the garbage.  So- not so hard.  Remember the kids’ book We all poop?  Learn to do it right and don’t inflict your remains on others.  Enough said. 

Grand Canyon Side Trip

South Rim

Only this family could make a trip to the South Rim of the Grand Canyon an afterthought....we were all pumped to go to the Petrified Forest and Greg and I realize that we are only 60 miles south of the Grand Canyon South Rim.  So we found a boondocking site just outside the park and went in exploring for the day.   It is breathtaking- but too many tourists and really it is impossible to take a photo or describe it.  The Grand Canyon is one of those places that must be experienced.    We were all inspired and loved the views and the rocks and also the tower at Desert View.  

We had a big brainstorming session about a round house and cool stairs and pictographs on the walls....we aren’t that rich.  

Funky Town

Chloride- an out of the way place off of highway 93 on the way to Kingman, AZ.  Middle of nowhere place that used to have a silver mine.  The now have funky houses, a tourist information centre a ton of local character and characters including the guy that drives this “truck”.  Yep it drives.

  At 10:30 in the morning he was already buzzed on some kind of hooch and was chatting me up at the info centre aka liquor outlet, art gallery, used bookstore and general mercantile.  I asked him if he had a friend that followed him around with shovel and the store owner started laughing and said know it all falls down into his boots!   If you are driving past- go in.  Totally.  

Death Valley

Death Valley....

Sounds forbidding- so beautiful and at the same time harsh.  There are springs here that feed life as long as it stays in balance.    

“There is no shortage of water in the desert but exactly the right amount, a perfect ratio of water to rock, water to sand.  There is no lack of water here unless you try to establish a city where no city should be.”  Edward Abbey

It feels like there is enough water here.  When we were at Red Rock and Lake Mead it felt sort of dirty to use water- knowing the water level in the reservoir and knowledge of climate change.   There shouldn’t be a city there- or so many people.   For sure not green grass, casinos and fountains.  Likely in the future it will be a surreal ghost town.

A land of extremes – low- Badwater Basin – below sea level with no diving equipment! 

  Hot- we only got to about 87 deg F but it can get to 130 F!.  It is super dry.  Water- springs, and snow and salt and a swimming pool.  Weird.  The area gets about 2 inches of rain per year!  We were there for rain! 

It does turn “dirt” to gumbo and rain to snow at the higher elevations.   Our friends from Kentucky that we met made the mistake of going up to 11,000 ft the day before it rained.  Apparently they are still (one week later) waiting for it to melt so they could get their truck and camper out.  Expensive lesson, but will make for a good story some day.  

 We drove a backcountry canyon road, rock, cliffs, up and down, switchbacks and one way through Titus Canyon- unbelievable that we were actually allowed to drive there. 

I love seeing Leland in the mirror.

Checked  out mines, views, a new rock formation at every turn.  We met an archeologist who was volunteering at the park demonstrating flint knapping and got the kids really keen to see some ancient ruins and cliff dwellings. Even saw a  real live roadrunner!  No picture though.