Gifts

I still don't have my laptop back so no pictures until I do. I plan to pick up the new and improved version next week on my way to Sedona.

The Mayan Elders are traveling the US with the sacred Crystal Skulls and one of the planned stops is Sedona. Two years ago I was in Sedona for the Thirteen Indigenous Grandmothers, now I will be there for the Thirteen Crystal Skulls. It has been an interesting two years since I was last in the presence of the Skulls and I am pleased and surprised that this is my next "mission". I am meeting up with the gypsy soul sister I met while in Truth or Consequences and looking forward to the magic the two of us create.

The new iPad was on my birthday wish list so I gave myself an early present and that is what I have been using until the return of my laptop. I love it, but it does not replace my laptop. The main problem is I can't get Espn3 so I missed all football games today (go Big Red!), I can't get Adobe Flash, copy and paste functions seem to be a real hassle and I can't download pictures from my camera. What I love is that I can read a book, watch a movie, browse the Internet and listen to Pandora with such a small, portable devise and when there is no wi-fi available I can connect through Verizon on a month to month basis.

Happy early birthday to me:).

Transition

For 10 years I was a childbirth educator and for a few years I was a labor and delivery doula. During that time I was present for many women during their labors and the birth of their babies. It was during those years that I became intimate with the phase in childbirth known as transition.

It is during this phase that labor becomes the most challenging, women ask for drugs and feel they can no longer endure. Contractions become very intense, very close together. This is usually what is shown on tv when women become she-devils, lashing out at anyone in their path. Sometimes it is the only way they know to get them through their pain.

That has been my experience lately as we humans are transiting to the next level. From earthquakes, floods, droughts and Occupy Wall Street, we are all undergoing a birthing process and are in the transition phase and it can feel daunting.

I have been in the birthing phase for 10 years, the same amount of time I taught Lamaze, and I will be glad when I can finally push this baby into a new world.

Should Be

Just back from my sister's wedding in North Carolina.

Computer should be back from its repairs this week.

Should be back in Mesa soon.

Should be blogging soon.....

99 Degrees

I know it is not in the triple digits, but 99 can still feel a lot like 100.  After the cooler climates of the higher elevations I am not prepared for these hot days.

I get to the pool everyday, but an hour is about all I can stand before I retreat back into my air conditioned motor home.  Thankfully the sun sets around 6:00 PM and around 9 or 10 PM I can turn off the air and open the windows.  I don't do the heat very well and this morning I turned the air on before 10:00 AM.  That is how hot it is.

It is no wonder I have no concept of the seasons.   The calendar says mid-October, my inner sense believes it is August.  July in Oregon felt like October.

By November it should feel like June.  If this all makes you dizzy, imagine how I feel!

What I Wouldn't Do

My sister is in love.  She has reconnected with a high school sweetheart and they are so in love that they have decided to celebrate this love through marriage.  What started as a small event has now grown to include all the family members as well as first cousins.  And with that, I needed to find clothes to get me through four days of festivities.

My recent shopping sprees gave me a good start but now I needed to put everything together.  I went through my entire wardrobe mixing and matching, throwing things on the bed, trying on multiple outfits with multiple accessories.  With limited space and no full length mirror, this was not as easy as it used to be, took several hours and left Minnie in a state of total disorder.

But the decisions have been made, the packing has begun and I am looking forward to this most blessed of events. 

What I wouldn't do for my sister.....

Back in Arizona

I am back in Mesa, Arizona at Val Vista Village.  They had a special offer of 3+ months for a total of $695 which was too good to pass up since I need to be in the area.  Next week I am catching a flight to North Carolina for my sister's wedding and I can also be here for the family gatherings at Thanksgiving and Christmas.   Nothing compares to City of Rocks, but it meets my needs at the moment.

Last year I was here during the peak season and it feels quite empty in comparison.  Yesterday I was the only one in the swimming pool.  The only other people were a man and a woman sitting at a shaded table.  Soon after I entered the pool the woman joined me and started up some conversation.  Very quickly she asked me if I wanted to go to Rocky Point, Mexico the next day with her and her male friend.  They would only be spending the one night.  I thought this invitation a bit odd and it got even stranger when she continued to tell me stories of women sharing men.  Ok, enough of that, thanks but no thanks. 

I do believe I was propositioned in the swimming pool.

Rally

Steve's Dog Bridget

It was my first rally.  There were four humans and four dogs.  Minnie managed to accommodate four humans and two dogs for our first evening meal together and I loved every moment I spent with this wonderful group of kindred souls.

Brian

Dina, Brian's Traveling Companion

Brian (http://manywheelsbrian.blogspot.com/) traveled in from Truth or Consequences and reaffirmed why I love that town so much.  We had some wonderful conversations while surrounded by the towering Standing Stones at City of Rocks.  He only stayed two nights but I hope to meet him again somewhere in our travels.

My Favorite Camp Site

Another Camp Site

 It was a challenge to choose a favorite site since they were all spectacular and had names such as Perseus, Andromeda, Cetus, Cepheus and Cassiopeia.  In the end the clear winner was Cassiopeia which had a massive oracle stone within the circle and I spent some time just sitting within this group of rocks.

On Saturday Steve drove Robi (http://tumbleweedsandlemonade.blogspot.com/) and I to Pinos Altos which is a funky Old West town.  I liked it much more than Tombstone, AZ which had too many tourists, too many stores and basically, just too much.  What Pinos Altos also had was a saloon with some of the best food your money can buy.  We were all surprised by the quality chef that works here and Robi thought he should go up against Bobby Flay while I thought he should go on Chopped.  What we were most impressed with was what he managed to do with the green chilis from Hatch, NM but I am sure all of his food is exceptional.  If ever in the area, check out Buckhorn Saloon (http://www.pinosaltos.org/great_businesses_and_destinations_in_Pinos_Altos.php?r=11,re5gy)
Unfortunately, I didn't get a picture of Steve or Robi, too busy enjoying their company to make it a kodak moment.  But I am sure we will gather again and I will try to get photos next time around.

Sunset at City of Rocks

I was in City of Rocks for four days.  It was too short but long enough to let me know I will be back.

 

City of Rocks State Park, NM

Inside the Stonehenge Circle

 Lately I have been thinking a lot about standing stone circles.  I have visited the famous circles of Stonehenge, Avebury and Stanton Drew and numerous unnamed circles in Scotland.  But nothing quite compares to the HUGE stones I have found at City of Rocks.  They are everywhere and I have only begun to explore and experience the energy and history they hold.

And I find it quite fitting that the name of the site which will be my home until I decide to leave is Xena.

Hopefully I will get some pictures taken tomorrow but until then, thank you Steve (http://haven106.blogspot.com/) for this most delicious of invitations.

Roller Coaster

 My life has been a roller coaster after that evening of perfection.

I spent several days in Elephant Butte and when my pain body started sending stabs of pain through my body, it was back to Riverbend for another night of soaking.  Amazing how those healing waters can soothe away all my aches and pains.

While there I met a woman who claimed herself a Medicine Woman.  I appreciated her honesty but it was another example of what I fear, an assumption that somehow that knowledge makes one superior to others.  It is that fear I continue to struggle with and keeps me riding in the back of the bus.  Maybe some day I will get the balance just right.

My ex-husband continues to slide further into a bottomless pit of alcoholism and I wonder daily if today will be the day I will be called back to Eugene to help my son through that process.  I have no familiarity with death and hope I will have the strength needed to see us to the other side.

I wish life were always those moments of perfection, but life is an adventure to be experienced and I bought my ticket for the roller coaster, with all its ups and downs.