The beauty of nature stuns me

The beauty of nature stuns me.   

Detail of Moro Rock aka Inspriation 

Being an artist starts with the heart.  When I look at something I'm not looking for the surface.  I may think of mixing paints and moving brushes and I do so intuitively, but mostly I look for vibration, sensation and essence.  In order to reconnect with my heart I often turn to nature.

When I'm connected to it, harmonies of color caress my eyes.  Sunlight on stone turns it to hammered silver.  Starlight mixes with treetops...  It's all so fleeting.  The moments last forever; the sum of them passes in the blink of an eye.  I'm grateful for the glimpses of eternity I've just seen in the mountains and ancient trees.  I'm grateful for the glimpse of the speed of time as my family morphs yet again into another form.   People are the other thing I turn to for inspiration.  Without my relationships to the people I love my life would be rather empty.

I didn't realize just how experienced I am at camping in the high Sierras until I got this note today from my mom.  I love hearing bits and pieces of memories I don't recall....

Sequoia

"You were too young to remember, but probably remember the stories. (I don't.)  Your first camping trip was when you were just under two and Patrick (my brother) was eight months.  We started out in CA, crossed the high Sierras, camped outside Salt Lake City, through Denver.  Stopped in Ohio where your Green Grandparents were living while your Grandfather built a dam.  On to Newport RI.  Spent about a month on the road.  Quite a trip.  You had a 1/2 size sleeping bag & a tennis net for a playpen.  Patrick had a car bed. So you are a very experienced camper.  Lots of stories about that trip..............in a VW, pulling a trailer for the luggage because it was also a cross country move. The lights went out, etc. etc."   

Andy, He's 6'1" so you can get a sense of the
size of the tree with that to scale it. 

I introduced my children to the Sierras and the Smoky Mountains but I don't know the mountains as well as they do.  My son has hiked a decent portion of the Pacific Crest Trail.  My daughter's intimacy is with the Himalayas as well as the mountains of the West Coast of North America.  Laura's friend Hannah, who joined us on our trip, worked for the National Park Service in the Santa Monica National Forest.  They've got creds.  I was in good hands.  I'm not sure when these "kids" grew up.    It was a right of passage for me to have them do so much on this trip.  

I was impressed at how well we managed to make our adventure work with little drama. (I shouldn't be with the above resumes though.)  Things could have gotten bad when we realized we left two of our four sleeping bags behind after rearranging the car numerous times to fit everyone's gear. (Prius, no extra stowage on top and four people.) 

Laura, You should see her eyes light up when she spots
a flat place to do a yoga pose in. 

We didn't want to run down the mountain to get bags once we'd realized our (well, probably my) mistake. We couldn't find blankets at any of the park markets so Andy slept under car mats and extra sarongs with every bit of clothing he'd brought.  Laura and Hannah shared a sleeping bag and spread an assortment of soft things on the ground and I slept in the car.  They did all have tents!

My tent was made to go over the back of of the car, so I was glamping to begin with.  Just for the record, I offered to share with Andy but he wanted to use his new tent. Probably didn't want to spend the night with his mom either....Little old for that and apparently not cold enough to go there! (oh I should and do feel really guilty) I used his sleeping bag.  It was in the upper 40's our first night.  We'll never forget essentials like that again. 

Every turn was more beautiful than the last.

The list of stories goes on.  We chased the sun around the panoramic rim of the park late the second day braking to stop at almost every turnout and joking about what fine American tourists we were.  Chased the sun up Moro Rock the third night and managed the ride home without permanent damage to any of our cramped limbs.  

You can't begin to know how I clung to the edges of the

 rockshere!  I had no idea this rock was here so it 

was a remarkable surprise!

We'll enjoy looking back at this short adventure but, for me, it was a glimpse into what our lives will be as they move forward.  Our roles are shifting.  I don't have to do everything.  THANK GOD. I used to try and it's a great relief to realize my days of being super woman are done.  I have a loving family community and I'm only a part of it.  I look forward to more adventures with them and the friends we've each gathered into our lives.  I'm sure many of you are reading this now.  

5x7 oil sketch done at our campsit 

Hannah Garcia, Mary-Gail King, Laura King, Andy King  

There are so many times I've forgone things like this thinking time and money were too limited but all I can say is I'm glad we all managed to pull it together.  I'm so fortunate (again, still) to have a life where I am able to do these things.  I do it on a budget with a make it happen attitude, little time, and a lot of teamwork.  

Two big lessons.  

1.  Have a checklist and check it twice.  

2.  Know each other's skills and support each person in using them for the good of the group. 

Laura, my professional packer 

I will definately do this again.  I've learned a lot about what to do to make things more comfortable.  I've learned not to take beans. (No one ate them.  I just got a hard time for bringing about six cans.)  I loved adding someone to the "family" and will do that again at every opportunity.  Let's put it this way.  Life is too short not to do a little something with someone you love any chance you get.  

You may not have the Sierras in your back yard but if you're in the US there are 59 National parks and  6,624 state parks.  There are nominal fees (much cheaper than a theme park) and your getaway will require nothing but gas and a picnic.  

Sleeping in my Prius was surprisingly comfortable. I bought a great tent that attaches to it, but the only thing you really need is a nice, thick sleeping pad and a sleeping bag or blankets to get started on your camping adventure.  I thought sarongs draped over the windows in an assortment of colors was nice for privacy and bling.  They came in handy for more essential purposes though!  

So pack your car and hit the highway.  It was so refreshing and has been the perfect way to recharge my creative battery.  I was running out of shapes to paint....

Road Trip! or My Children's Backs

The car will have the Habitent on the back and be 
wrappedlike this:  to protect it from marmots.

As I prep for the first road trip I've had in way too long, it's been fun to think about some history. Time is rather plastic.  It compresses and expands depending on what I'm thinking about.  Not unlike what happens when I meditate, my mind darts around looking at different experiences before focusing. Since one of my favorite indulgences is to allow my mind to wander before I focus here goes....

Growing up I moved around. I went to ten different schools vs. the four most people attend before going to college.  I have no idea how many miles my family of six logged as we traveled the southern perimiter of the country (VA-FL-CA) and went up the middle (TX-OK-KA-MO-NE-IA-MN) but I got good at entertaining myself, keeping arguments to a minimum, being prepared or suffering the consequences....

Raising my own children they somehow became incredible adventurers. I have no idea (seriously) where it came from.  I like a good road trip but they are professionals.

Andy King: Andy's Adventures

Laura King: Adventures in My Shoes Travel Video

Nothing is particularly easy in life for anyone; security is an illusion and being commited to a life of magic is worth the blood, sweat and tears.  Being financially solvent and wisely managing personal resources is critical, but making good choices and living simply (and well) make adventure possible.  Be sure to check out Laura's video & blog and Andy's blog for some intense inspiration.  They show me what's possible and I adore spending time with them.  We're going on a road trip next week which is incredibly tame by their standards but that's not the point...  I'm ready for glamping with my Habitent and paint and am now  scouring the internet for tips on avoiding marauding bears and car eating marmots (really!) I'm not sure how the hiking will work out but we're a good team and I like to stop and paint the flowers so it should work out fine.

No idea where it came from;)

Getting My Mojo Back: Summer, Growth Spurts, Playing in Water & Family

I'm not sure where I am but these are my people.  This
is my place.  (There is actually a hand in that cookie jar!)

It's been too long since I've blogged.   I've thought of all of the deep, meaningful things I could write, but rather than overthink it I'll jump right in and ramble a bit about summer memories.

I've talked about my extended family here before. My family has always had its toes in the water, lakes, rivers and the ocean.  If it was wet my Florida cousins and I were in it.  Several of us were from further afield but somehow managed to make it back when we could.  I love this photo of some of us taken at a cousin's.  I'm not in the photo but this exemplefies "us."  My sister is the Renoir model on the far left, Grandma behind her, multiple cousins and Aunt Gail to the right glowing in the bright red shirt.  Man she was fun. We all were.  The Coke, sun tea and Jiff as "unhealthy" as they "are" kept us fueled for all of the physical fun we had and make me smile.  After all, food made with love feeds both the body and the soul.  I can imagine watching Grandma, Aunt Gail and Reggie piling a grocery cart high with treats.   My brothers, sister and I managed to lose our shoes in June and would have to buy new ones in September.  Running around barefoot seemed to make our feet grow.

Summer games and family...

I'm sure at least some of you have noticed the same wonderful thing I have about summer.  My mind turns towards tossing off those tennis shoes, grabbing sunscreen and a hat, swimsuit and shorts. (That swimsuit is waiting at the door as I write.)  I revel in  giving myself freedom to grow and relax, choosing to fill life with what I really want to do.

I am so grateful for summer!  I haven't had a pool in a few years,  and was walking and doing a little bit of surfing for my aerobic exercise last year.  As my knee started to seize up this year I gradually stopped that, stopped my 2-3 times a week of dancing and even easing off of yoga with predictable effects on my body.  I do great as a rule, but  became rather depressed, lonely (I spend a lot of time with those people) mushy, just not generally happy in my body.  Summer and the water have healed me....

I have worked my way back slowly from the malaise.   It's taken the support of my community of fellow "movers," a major attitude shift that required a tremendous power of mind and willpower,  a good holistic chiropractor, knowledge about food and mind-body connections but I'm back!

LAST year.  Still haven't gotten out although that will
change by the end of the month.  Almost there!

The key to moving again for me was swimming.  I felt like a bug pinned to a display board, nervous and stuck until I found my way out, in part to my friend Maria Bucaro, a thought leader in positive approaches to women's body image and experiences.  Maria invited me to go swimming with her a couple of months ago with her and another friend.  For the record, we hadn't met much in person.  We just had an immediate connection when we did meet in person and stayed in touch with the magic of Facebook. I make that point just to affirm the real life value of FB as a tool to connect and stay in touch with friends and to make new ones.  I am a huge fan of social networking for just that reason.

When Maria saw a post on FB about my dilema re. exercise she invited me to go swimming in Ventura at an amazing aquatic center.  When I first jumped into the water I went with a floatation device because I was worried about my stamina (OMG) but rediscovered my love of a good pool when I realized that the pool was filled with salt water!

It was inspiring to be with Maria because she is so good at enjoying the physical pleasure of being in her body.  When she finished her laps she flipped to her back and floated in the sunshine soaking up the pleasure of being in her body.  It helped me enjoy the experience more to be with her!  I've even made a couple of other new friends who are helping me stay motivated to go.  I like social exercise and have a hard time keeping up whatever it is without personal connections.

So I'm getting my mojo back!  I'm back to ballroom dance (quick step for the last several weeks), swimming, some power yoga, soon I'll be walking, climbing and practicing NIA.  All of this moving about is getting my mind back to a positive set point, helping me focus and keeping me more efficient due to higher energy levels. THANK GOD!

It has taken money for good health care, determination, support from my friends and community and a love of living in my healthy body to get this back.  As a result I'm painting better and more than ever, have made new friends including a very nice one who continues to reach out at the pool.  Thank you Angela Rocket, you've kept me coming when I want to skip!  I especially appreciate the fact that all of this is a gift.  Not everyone has my mobility, lack of pain, tools, skills or good health.  I am so fortunate.  I love my body and I love my life!

Here are a few of the resources I've used to support me over the years along with tags describing how they've helped.  There are countless others, but these powerful resources are readily available and easy to find online.   Many have free or inexpensive ways to get started with their work too.  Let me know if you'd like help connecting:

Peak Potentials, business education, personal development, motivation, networking
Depak Chopra Center , holistic medicine education, detox, meditation and meditation instructor training
Robert Allen, mentor, coach, writing and marketing education
The Artist's Way, writing, self discovery, learning to play, artful life
Maria Bucaro, Author of Love Your Body Now, she's a life coach and facilitator of a free private FB group that I'm loving called Love Your Body Now.  I can add you to that group any time.