April 8, 2009, $28 gas My heart is leading me. It is time to go to work. The work that I found is in Sunsites/Pearce, AZ. I will be helping in the building of an adobe home. The home is for a 70 year old man who is moving here from Corvalis, Oregon. He is a recluse and wants to care for his wife who has Pick's disease. He came down with his puppy, Princess, and his friend, Trent, who has had several construction businesses. The job seems to be a good fit for me. I am excited to gain experience in adobe construction, am trilled to have work that is not corporate and in the mainstream mundane of society and am happy to be able to camp out on the work site. The site is less than a 4 hour drive from Phoenix, an hour east of Tucson, and just north of Bisbee. Once off highway I-10, i followed a series of directions given to me over the phone by Trent, my soon-to-be 'boss'. The wind is howling. Some gusts must be 70mph and there are big dust storms in the distance. When i turn on to Treasure Road I feel like I am off the map. It is a bumpy and dusty desert road - washed over one million times by monsoons and left to bake at 100 degrees beneath the sun. I hear that the road moves with tarantulas after the heavy rains that come in July. I take a left on Central Road, over a cattle guard and take a right when the powerlines end. The first site I see; other then the expansive nature and tall mountains, mesquite trees and brush, is Trent's large greyhound bus parked beside a makeshift shed. The site was empty when i pulled in, beside old Bill who wears his grey hair in a pony tail. He walked up with a youthful bounce in his step and a smile on his face. Immediately I sensed the peaceful and kind presence of Bill and knew that I was in the right place. There is a reason for me being here beside saving up for a motorcycle and/or a diesel truck. Bill told me his history and a couple of his dreams and proceeded to show me around the site. The home is a duplex style and about 4000 square feet. About 4 feet of the exterior walls are established. We are about 5,000 feet elevation. The days are hot and the nights are cold. Beware of mountain lions, brown recluse, rattlers and other snakes, and the neighbor's dog. I told Bill some of my story. Things became interesting when I told him that I would like to go up to B.C. on a motorcycle when this project is done. 'Do you have a bike?' He asked. 'No, I'm looking for one,' I replied. 'Come here,' He motioned his index finger to follow him to the shed. He showed me a 250 Honda Rebel motorcycle in excellent condition. It barely has over 1000 miles and he is trying to sell it. I expressed my interest and told him that if things go well here I would like to buy it from him. I asked him to keep his eye out for a diesel truck. 'I would like to do the veggie oil thing,' I said. 'Come here.' We walked to the edge of his property on the west end where a barbed wire fence runs along empty BLM land of an expansive and beautiful desert that seems to stretch all the way to the mountains. He showed me a dark green Dodge Ram 2500 that he has set up for veggie oil and said he would be willing to sell it. Oh, how some things are meant to be. Bill was on his way to town before I pulled in. He went on his way after my welcome and I was left alone on the site. I took a nap and woke up some time later by Trent and two workers, Chris and Kyle, returning from a diner in town. Trent told me some history of the area. He pointed out Cochise stronghold where some 10 miles away to the west the mountains become jagged and rocky. He told me of the old mine that he discovered that holds an underground lake. He wants to scuba dive in it, but he also wants to live beyond that experience. He has kids in Oregon to go home to. He affirmed that the land beside us is BLM land. BLM land has so few restrictions. It is great to have this open land as our backyard! He pointed out a mountain to the east. There is a deep vertical mine shaft that he has rappelled down. It seems that I may be getting in to some adventuring. At the tool shed, I met Chris ('lightfoot'), a 5'4, 280 pount mixed man from the hood of East San Diego. He has a quick mouth and strong words. But, i can sense that he has a good heart. He gave me two tecates. The other man I met was Kyle, a native of New Mexico and a rancher. The crew only worked a half day today because of the high wind.
Thu. April 9, 2009 I woke up early and had my first full days work. I spent 9 hours pushing and smoothing freshly made adobe mud into wooden forms to make blocks. Oh, my body was sore when the day was done. But, it feels so good! Today, I met three other workers: Dustin (a 20 year old supervisor), Bobby and Mark. When finished, Chris, Kyle, Trent, Bill, Princess and I sat around, had beer, tequila, and spoke of life, Spirit, transformation and told stories. We ate chicken, potatoes and beans. I joined Kyle and Trent in the greyhound bus and conversation went deep: love, spirit, talking in tongues, Curanderos, missions and callings. I see/feel that the people here have big hearts and are together for some reason that we do not know yet. It was a full moon tonight. I played my bamboo flute. Chris, the 35 year old former dope pushing ganster from San Diego did not want me to play the flute at night for he believes it calls dark spirits.
Fri. April 10, 2009 I must have scooped several thousand shovel loads of sand and clay! I spent 5+ hours mixing adobe. The wind picked up so we called it a day. All the workers went home for the weekend and left only Bill, Trent, Princess and my self. I walked around the BLM land. I found a beautiful pond. The high winds sent ripples and played tricks on the waters surface. Oh, the dozen birds were magical: black, burnt orange chest, blue feathers, pointed wings. The crow called out to me.
Sat. & Sun. April 11, 12 2009 It is so great to take time for one self. I set up a tarp and a kitchen outside of my van. I am reading the Bhagavad Gita and finished The Still Small Voice. Painting, playing with pastels, cooking, drinking tea, walking, talking, playing instruments, stretching, and silence filled my weekend. We had some rain sprinkles, high winds, chilled air and a moment of midday hail. I was amazed! I am happy to be here. It feels right. In moving slowly, many blessings are shown. Trent came back to the worksite with a feast. He cooked all day: enchaladas, cornbread, salad. Yum.
Mon - Fri. April, 13 - 17 2009 Learning adobe, Chris got fired (but gave me a wonderful cd he produced/mixed - check it out here, we had some more wicked wind on wednesday, working hard and feeling good.
Sat. April 18 2009 Blessed Earth Day. I planted a garden of onions that i dumpstered in town. I went to Benson/Pearce. In Pearce we browsed at a community yard sale where I got a picnic set. Here, I was shown the old jail, a small one room building of adobe and the courthouse which was even smaller and falling down. Behind here, until only a couple of years ago when the community decided to cut it down, was the old hanging tree. Pearce is a ghost town. It has only a few buildings beside an old mine. This old mine collapsed many years ago and took 1500 people with it. No memorial is in place for the lives lost. In Benson, I dumpstered not only bunches of green onions but $180 worth of cheese (a full wheel) and vegetable platters.
Sun. April 19, 2009 Went into town for a shower and laundry.
Mon. April 20, 2009 Dustin's 21st birthday was today. We went to TJ's bar in Sunsites to celebrate. All of us bought him drinks and the shot of wild turkey that i bought him set him over the top. Sorry. We came back to the site and enjoyed gallons and gallons of fresh stew. Tue. - Thur. April 21 - 23 2009 The coyotes seem to be getting closer and closer to our camp. Worked all week. It is hot. Trent walked around the site in his boxers and mocossins. A funny sight to see. While on top of the ten foot house walls with Kyle a dust storm blew right over us while laying tar paper. We get dust devils ever few days sometime as big as 100 feet high. I chanted at the BLM land pond and saw the universe dance before my eyes. On Thursday Bill came back seeming a little lost and in despair. He is suffering for his ill lover and wife. I asked if I could give him a hug and he wept in my arms.
Fri. April 24, 2009, $24 gas Drove up to Phoenix to see Jenna. She had a new moon gathering. I got there a little late but just in time for great conversation, a warm fire and positive celebration. We had a wonderful weekend together and it will always be in my heart.
Late April Sometime in late April a night hawk began to circle my camp. I have been enjoying the local libraries cheap book sales. 10 - 25 cents.
May 2, 2009 Trouble in the desert. A disgruntled man, Jim Ed, came by wanted his water truck. But, this truck now belongs to Bill. He lent $1000 to Jim Ed, a former worker on site, and then he took off the next day and did not show up for work again. The truck is written in contract. But, the disturbance brought several Sheriffs out to the site. Oh, they respond slowly. The tension was kind of high. We all stood around trying to act tough, leaning on the truck and killing time. Loyd was the man who drove Jim Ed to the site. Loyd is a humble country boy. His cousin, a legal man from Mexico, was also there for the ride. As I was sitting on a cooler he came up to me: 'Are you bored?' he asked. I replied a simple 'yes.' 'I'm bored,' he said, 'we dont want to be here.' We both smile. When Bill and Trent left the site, they gave me a shotgun to hold on to for a moment in case Jim came back. I would never shoot a man, but they told me that Jim him self may have murdered 3 people. Oh, the wild western desert. Fortunately, he has not come back. Jenna visited the site today and we went to visit bisbee, AZ. But, first we had a morning coffee and tea at the Peppermint Cafe on Dragoon Road. Here we met Nochita. He is a beautiful man of Apache heritage. He seems much more powerful then he allows for words to say. I walk in to his small cafe and feel a smile come on to my face. It is filled with his art/crafts and his talent is remarkable. We three talked story for an hour or two. He told us of when the Dali Lama and Nelson Mandela stopped at his place for an afternoon of prayer on their way to San Diego for a Peace Conference. The Dali Lama does not fly. Bisbee is a beautiful old mining town where homes are build on steep hillsides and only 20 years ago it was mostly boarded up and abandoned. Then, artists and musicians and hippies seemed to move in a brought a lot of beauty with them. The first man who came up to us in the historic downtown offered us a pipe and smoke. We declined but the man was nice to see and chat with. He wore a big smile on his face. He has been living in a local cave for several months. Jenna and I stayed in the Canyon Rose hotel ( a little more comfortable than a cave) and watched the movie Crazy People. When we left town we stopped at a small sanctuary full of saintly depictions on the side of the road. I said a little prayer and then continued back. When back, Jenna and I spent some time sitting at the pond and then she left for home.
May 4 - 8 Joe is an older local man who has been visiting the site. He is a wonderful story teller, a gold searcher, and a embracer of freedom. He has riden horse and mule all over the western country. I drove a small tractor and have been embracing the nearly 100 degree heat and dust devils and spiders (not too close though). On Friday I ventured in to Tucson to find a couple of extra workers who may want to come out. Trent gave me $30 for a motel and I drove in with Bills VW Rabbit. I immediately went to Epic cafe and ran into Keeper, who i met last time I was in Tucson. Some Time Later - May 18, 2009 Life has been brilliant. What is needed always comes. Blossoms. I've been working hard and my hands hurt. Bill took Issac and John back to Tucson. They did not seem to work well with the surrounding of we and them. Noah, the third worker stayed. He is a nice addition to our environment. He is from Lubbock, Texas and seems to be on his first unplanned journey. I took the weekend and went to Phoenix (15th, 16th, 17th). It was Jenna's birthday on saturday and we mostly did our celebrating while moving her materials to a new place: a beautiful little cottage surrounded by gardens and good feelings. There are even chickens in the backyard! The bedroom is a quaint little loft with a old wood ladder leading upward. We watched a great movie staring Forest Whitaker... Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samarui. Roofing is a pain and we are slowly coming to a close. May 19, 2009 This is All there is. Everything there IS is here. There is no other reality. We and you and That is everything. Infinity is in our eyes and on our hands. It is always. Much closer than it seems. The rain is coming. May 20 - 27, 2009 A trip to Phoenix to celebrate my birthday with Jenna (23, 23). The adobe house had some battle wounds from the rain. Some of the walls washed away. I'll be here longer than expected. There is nothing that can't be fixed. Trent and Kyle caught a Rattle Snake and brought it back to the site. They skinned it and cooked it. It was 4+ feet long. They are soon on their way to Oregon. Check out the pictures Big birds are attacked by little birds when they steal. I went to memory lane and rattlesnack crafts, ran over a nail and got a flat. May 29, 2009 - 174,000 miles I have not written much. The wind is too strong. But, I will recollect some. I am up in Phoenix taking a few days off work. I haven't been tracking gas money spent of miles. I am near a blank slate. Oh, such joy. What comes next we will only know when it unfolds. Early June Oh, Life. Thank you. You are a blessing. You are beautiful and full of gifts. Your wind brings me comfort. Your sun warms my soul. Your earth lets me rest. Your clouds give me dreams. your mountains give me hope. Your valleys give me answers. Your waters give me life, over and over again. Bill asked me if I may have been Vincent Van Gogh in a previous life. Maybe... I found a rattler. Well, I almost stepped on it. I heard it rattle and looked who I was invading...a beautiful diamond back rattler. Young and minding its own business. I let it be. I caught the smallest rabbit I have seen. It sat in the palm of my hand. I let it go, thinking to domesticate it was unnecessary. Noah was sent to Willcox. I am the last worker on site. Why do people sacrifice great opportunity and true relationships for falsehoods, drugs and other illusions? It's a pity. The Yucca and some cacti are flowering! Oh, such beauty. A wonderful glory! Some sunsets make the mountains appear to be on fire! Orange and red flames exploding. We climbed a mountain! Bill and I. He too me into the Coronado Forest (N.P.) and I went exploring into an old abandoned mine. It was dark and wet, full of pipes and tracks and rock. It was too flooded for me to desire to climb all the way through. I turned back and found bill reading in his Suzuki Samauri. We naturally began to climb the mountain. We began on a faint trail and soon followed no trail at all. We just went up. Toward some jagged rocks on the peak we climbed. And climbed until the sun went behind the mountain. Bill searched for gold as he carried two dry yucca sticks and was followed by his dog, Princess. So much beauty we found. We brought a large yucca stem back to site with plans to make a didgeridoo. After a long day of moving block we were blessed with a most beautiful complete rainbow stretching over the entire property. It came and went and lasted for nearly an hour. The monsoons are here. June 15, 2009 I'm here in Phoenix visiting Jenna. I took and alternate route which took longer than the I-10 but was much more scenic and relaxing. I-10 from Tucson to Phoenix is not the prettiest drive. I went to Willcox and drove up to highway 70 through Geronimo, Globe, Apache Juntion and other small towns. I went slow, took my time and stopped in Globe for a few hours. Her I looked through thrift shops (bought some books and an old crank video camera from the late 30's), check out some art and local artisan stores. Jenna is out of the hospital after a long spell that kept her there for 8 days. The doctors found her illness to be Valley Fever. She was sick for 3 weeks and it is nice to watch her health and energy return. We are practicing communication. Words...words...words. How can we say what we honestly mean to say? Presence, consciousness, attention. Truth. We all need to try and learn to connect deeper. It takes energy. It is not easy and done at the snap of the fingers. But, it will feel good when we do. I have been wanting to go to an IMAX movie. Hesitant that he theatre is at a large shopping mall and these usually make me sick. But, i held my tongue and my stomach. Jenna and I went and tensions were high because we were (maybe) running late. But, when we got there all the doors were roped off. The mall was on fire! Oh, wonderful! She and I went to a talk, An Evening with the Mystic, by Sadhguru Vasudev, a visionary humanitarian, a mystic, and prominent spiritual leader of today. Research the foundation he established www.Ishafoundation.org . He spoke on inner transformation, the mind and the wonders of being human. It was a brilliant speech: fluid, in the moment and true. June 20, 2009 Happy Summer Solstice I am considering practicing the Gerson Therapy for preventative medicine. Check out thier website at http://www.gerson.org/default.asp. It wont kill you. I need to acquire a juice press, grinder and enima bucket. If you have a loved one who is ill, even fatally ill, even if the doctors gave them words to prepare to die: please, research this method. Jenna and I went to a sweat lodge ceremony for the solstice in Mesa. The owner of the home and the leader of the sweat was Don. I felt a need to sit out the 4th round. The sweat was hot and felt to be without much fluidity.
Late June in Pearce I am back in Pearce. Oh, how my energy shifts when I am here. It is much more beautiful and fulfilling then the concrete jungle of Phoenix. The stars are many, the mountains surround me, the quiet stills me, the peace engulfs me. I enjoy it here. Such a small world! My Aunt and Uncle who are on the farm in NE Ohio sent me a map of where they have 4.5 acres in Arizona. It happens to be only a few miles away off Cochise Stronghold road! Oh, glorious. There is a reason I am in this area. It will not fade with quickness. There has been a fire for two days blazing atop the mountain between Willcox and Safford (maybe 70+ miles away). It made the southern air look foggy and the night look magical. I have been spending much of my free time browsing though second-hand book stores. I have found many wonderful books for 10 and 25 cents. Life is beautiful. Everything is a magical mystery. The clouds play theatre shows and the ground moves in breathing synchronicity. Magic. Glorious. We are all connected beyond what our connection allows us to see and understand. Let's dive in and find it or be content to float on its mystery. I went to visit my Uncle Steve's land today. It is literary maybe 5 miles away from the work site. It is a nice piece of land, 4.5 acres, not near any development. It is a couple hundres yards from the nearest powerlines and the roads are still only two track roads. It is full of mesquite trees and brown grass and has a wonderful view of the jagged and tall rocks of Cochise Stronghold only 4 or 5 miles to the West. Bill came home with a huge 3000 gallon water tank. Eventually we will be getting this into the air. 20 or 30 feet? That will be interesting. We are soon to have water and this makes Bill excited. The roof is full of clay. Next we will be putting a liner down and then topsoil. The rooftop garden will be beautiful. A monsoon came. It rained for 20-30 minutes. I've never seen so much rain. It was warm so I stayed out in it feeling like I may be blown away. I took a rag and showered off some and then washed my van. It was a beautiful element to be. It put about 4 feet of water in the big hole that is dug (which will eventually be a pond). And there aren't any leaks in the house! A great relief! Joe, the story-teller, told us of the Giant Lynx's in the area. Is says that 6 pair were ste free in the nearby mountains. Noone thinks much of this until you see one. He saw one...actually two. He saw something running faster than anything he's ever seen, chasing a jackrabbit. The jack rabbit was to it's right. He threw off his glasses and picked up his binolculars beside him. It was a giant lynx! Bigger than the coyotes, he said. And the coyotes around here are husky. All of a sudden a second lynx ran out and cornered the jackrabbit. All he herad was a little yelp from the rabbit and it was gone! They hunt in pairs, he said, and they jump 12-15 feet into the air. Maybe we should domesticate one? June 29, 2009 Early July I caught a tarantual. Jenna and I went to some local spots and stopped at the 'quatro casitas' in Dragoon. Here we chatted long with the owners. They showed us their beautiful humble chapel and their magnificent adobe home. They left us with wood wind chimes in hand and a bushel of peacock feathers. Jenna and I took a weekend and went to Patagonia, AZ. Here, on the 4th, a large festival of sorts was occuring - food, music, sorbet, a goat, and lots of children. We left the 'downtown' area and went out into a wilderness conservatory. Oh the trees! They were so magical and magestic! more than one hundred feet tall they stood! Nowhere in Arizona have I seen such nature. We watched the birds, touched the trees and saw the deer. The water in the creek was so clear. We did not stay long as we knew we were in the conservatory after hours. We walked back tot he car and found the gate closed. Jenna went to open it and 2 signs on the gate said the park would be closed for several days due to mountain lion sightings. Oh, how I am glad that we did not have to tango with that! When we returned, I found the tarantual to have escaped from his cage! Kyle has retruned from Oregon. We have begun stuccoeing the interior of the home. July 10 - Bill and I went to Willcox and met two inspiring men. They rode enduro motorcycles and are heading south - through Mexico, Central and South America! How free and romantic! July 11 - Bill and I went mining. Up and down layers and floors of empty luck and search. Old machines and shining walls everywhere. A cold and clear pond. I found some small rocks of Bisbee Blue. At night, stars shine like gold. July 12 - Bill has left for Oregon. I sit still and the earth moves. July 23 - Don't be jealous, but today I woke with a sunrise rainbow. Oh, how it rained last night! It sounded like the world was washing away. By the morning the storm cleared and the sunrise exploded in to new birth, new beginnings, new awakening, over the multi-layered silouetted pointed top mountains of the East. Fog and mist rest on its lap and the sun dances on its head in layers and layers of brilliant horizontal ribbons of gods bright eyes stretching horizon to horizon. God sees the whole world. In Beauty. No sin. The rainbow told me. When it turned around to the near tall mountains of the West, it stood, as tall as any rainbow, stretching her hand, maybe in morning calisthenics or maybe climbing high to hold gods hand. Is it not always both? Magic. Movement. Miracle. August 19 - (from Tucson) Life is good. Thank you. |
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fire in the desert
cow in the backyard
Willcox bookstore. 10 and 25 cent books!
backyard
Sunrise
horned lizard
fly, dragon fly
