Cloudy Skies/Sunny Skies

I am sitting in the Eugene airport waiting to return to Arizona.  Just as I have finally acclimated to the cool, rainy Northwest it is now time to return to the hot deserts of the Southwest.  I am returning to the sun of the South with my own internal sun lit and replenished.

My two week visit started out as too much time, and ended with not enough time.  The generosity of three friends enabled me to split my visit among homes which hopefully made it easier for all of us.  This was the first time in years that I was able to spend hours, full days and over nights with friends, finally having time for long conversations, hugs, laughter and tears.  I feel full and blessed to continue to have these people in my life.

My legal issues with my son have been resolved and completed, each of us breathing a sigh of relief that we can now move forward.  It has been a painful learning experience for both of us but we made it through the tunnel and our bond remains unsevered.  Definitely one of the most challenging events I have gone through.

I decided to return to Riverbend Hot Springs in Truth or Consequences, NM for a 6 week workcamping stay so won't be back in Buckeye very long before I head down the road.  Hot mineral springs, starry skies and the Rio Grande are calling me back.

Life feels good.  It feels expansive, full and rich.  Some days the sky is cloudy and some days the sky is sunny.  Life is living the full spectrum.

Winding Down

All Guests Received a Smile on a Stick

I was up early this morning.  Early enough to attend my first (and last of the season) coffee and donuts event.  It started at 8:30 AM, which is why this was my first attendance, and by the time I arrived at 8:32 AM there was standing room only.  Nothing like free coffee and donuts to bring out the masses!

This is my first year here and by a show of hands I am definitely in the minority.  For most people this is at least their 3rd year and one older gent has been coming here for 15 years.  The sites and some other aspects are not ideal, but the people are what make this place a destination year after year.  I will miss them and would not hesitate to come back again.  There was a outdoor dance on March 17th and it felt like the end of summer camp, that time when you know you will be returning home and you are remembering all the good times you have had.  It was a very emotional evening and not just for me.

I have decided to fly to Eugene for two weeks and when I return on April 8th most people will be long gone.  I have attended my last line dancing and only one more game of water volleyball remains.  I will sneak out in the dark hours of the morning and avoid the many goodbyes that I always find such a challenge but I have added many fond memories to a long list of people I have met and enjoyed.

Anything is Possible

I am so in love with this video that I just had to share:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-FYxl2iWPIA

Big Wheel Keep On Turnin'

The conversations still tend to revolve around food, but the new conversation is now all about "when are you leaving?".

Some of us have been here for quite a few months.  Because this park is smaller than most of the other Arizona parks we have bonded over water volleyball and line dancing and with the weather getting warmer and Canadian visas expiring....well, it is just time to start thinking about who is leaving when.

And my answer to that is.....I DON'T KNOW!

I didn't realize I was so set in my ways until March rolled around.  In all previous years the middle of March found me winding my way back to Oregon with a summer workamping job lined up somewhere in Oregon.  That is not going to happen this summer.  No heading back to Oregon in March and no workamping job for the summer.

I have a general idea of what my summer will hold, but it shifts and changes daily.  I don't know when I am leaving Arizona, but when I do the plan is to revisit New Mexico, spend some time in Colorado and then make my way to South Dakota to change residency.  I am excited about exploring new territory but there are mountains along the way so I don't want to get there too early and be subject to Spring storms.  The slower the better.

Then my dream begins. My vision of joining a traveling healing arts festival becomes reality for the rest of the summer.  Where and when are still being developed but every step has been filled with creativity, amazing people, wonder and magic.  They are coming from around the world to join this caravan and I will be one of them.

When I submitted my application video I said "I am a one-man-band that has been waiting for the Philharmonic Orchestra, and you have finally shown up".

Gonna be a good summer :).

Rhythm

I watched her fold her laundry.  She did it with slow intent, present with every motion.  I watched and I watched, falling in love with this slow beautiful rhythm as each piece of laundry was smoothed, caressed and folded.  It was a poetry I had never seen before.

I knew this woman but I had not always had the kindest thoughts towards her.  She teaches line dancing and she never seemed to be quite on the beat or rhythm, always moving slower than the music.  Such a challenge!  But eventually the class would find some beat to the music that we could all connect to and by the middle of the song we would all be in synch.

You see, she has Parkinson's, a condition which affects the motor system with one of the symptoms being slow movement.  Some of her days are better than others and on a really bad day she will step aside and allow her husband to lead the class.  Her rhythm will be too slow for the faster pace of the music.  But she will watch and step in to help the beginners in the class, slowly going through each step until it is mastered.

There is a different ease to this dis-ease, a presence few of us master in our more fast paced lives. My aunt also has Parkinson's and I wonder if they are here on this earth to specifically show us how to slow down, to slow down our conversations, to slow our actions, to be present in each and every moment.  And to even be more present as we fold our laundry.

3-2-1

The women at the pool talk about food.  They talk about it a lot.  They are the ones that inspired me to use my convection oven for the first time, a good thing, and to buy my first jar of Nutella, not such a good thing.  But they did pass along a recipe that I think should be passed along again.  It is called 3-2-1.

Mix together a box of cake mix (any kind or flavor will do, I chose Devil's Food) with a box of angel food cake mix.  I mixed it all together in a large ziplock which is easier for me to store.

Then here is the simple part:

3 - add 3 tablespoons of the dry mix to a coffee cup or ramekin
2 - add 2 tablespoons water to the dry mix and stir
1 - bake it in the microwave for 1 minute

That's it!  Even I can remember this simple recipe.  Put whatever you want on top.  That is where that jar of Nutella comes in handy.

Coffee Cup

Perfect Little Cake

They told me I can experiment and make up-side down cake or a multitude of variations, but I think I will stick with the original 3-2-1.  Doesn't get any easier.

Only One Rule

Looks Kinda Like This, Without the Ref on the Side

An outdoor swimming pool is my number one requirement for my winter residency.  I love to swim and bask in the sun so an indoor pool won't do it for me.  Gotta have an outdoor pool.

And now I have discovered a new activity...water volleyball.  I don't know how much fun it would be at another park because at this park, there are no Rules.

There may be a set-up from the back to the front; a set-up from the front to the back; a set-up that travels horizontally down the line; one person may hit the ball as many times as they like and your team can hit the ball as many times as it takes to get it over the net.  Just when you think the ball is dead someone will scoop it out of the water and the play will continue.  You may hit the ball under the net while it is still on the other team's side.  No Rules!  I laugh and laugh as it will sometimes bounce off someone's head or get completely lost in the sun and land in no man's land.  There is a lot of floundering and a lot of excuses: "The ball was slippery!", "It was Vic's ball!" "I was setting you up!" "I can't breathe and play at the same time!" and a lot of yelling "It was out!".

I am a die hard and will play on just about any day.  The pool is heated but some days it has been bitterly cold getting in and out with cold temperatures and the wind blowing.  On a good day, the teams can be stacked with 7-9 players on each side.  On one of those cold days, we were happy to have 4-6 on each side.  It is just too much fun to miss one of the two days per week we play and so I am almost always there.

Oh, but there is one Rule.  And that one Rule is, Don't Hurt The Old People.