February 8, 2013
Well, I have made the decision to head back to Wisconsin when I complete my Permaculture Design Certificate February 17, 2013. It has been an awesome learning experience and I have a great new skill I can utilize.
I feel the draw back to Wisconsin, still feeling the need to be closer to family - my mom and my sister's who are in the area. I am deciding where to re-locate and am going out on a limb that I hope I don't fall off of and will go to Viroqua area to be close to my dear sister Patti. She has been dealing with breast cancer again, after a 10 year break from the first time. We are and remain extremely close. She has been my rock as I have gone through the process of "what is my next step".
I have learned so much in my time in California. I had good friends who welcomed me into their home and cared about me. I will forever be grateful to them for all they did and all the many kindness they showed me.
I will be back on the blogging as I get closer to leaving and am again on the road. There is comfort in knowing that people can track me going home (in case I get lost or something worse).
Until the next blog...
Love, Fai
Friday, February 8, 2013
Monday, June 18, 2012
The weekend...
It has been a couple of days, so let me tell you what I have been UP to.
On Saturday, we got up at 3:30 a.m., picked up a friend of Karry and Nadine's, Jim - who I met when I was visiting in February, and drove to Windsor where the annual Hot Air Balloon festival happens. We wanted to get there before sunrise, because just prior to sunrise the "Dawn Patrol" fires up and takes flight to check out the weather conditions. (Last year, I was told that only 3 balloons launched because the wind was so high that the other balloons were not allowed to go up at all). So, just before dawn broke, these 4 beautiful balloons fired up and took off. It was extraordinary. After they circle around for awhile, they give the thumbs up and the other balloonists start to unfold their balloons, hook them up to the basket and eventually fire them up. The great thing about being there is that there is not much of a barrier between audience and the action on the field with the balloons. No, you can't just run out there, but you can. You can walk into the area and watch as they fire up the balloons.
Nadine and Karry - Nadine has the best hats, Karry is half asleep.
The girls with Jim.
Now for some balloon shots, my phone did not pick up the Dawn Patrol very well, so I have none of those.
It was all over by 10:00a.m. but the balloons flew longer and we got back to the house we could see them high in the air over the valley. It was great fun. We laugh alot.
Love to all...
(Thanks Bruce for keeping up with the blog!)
Fai
On Saturday, we got up at 3:30 a.m., picked up a friend of Karry and Nadine's, Jim - who I met when I was visiting in February, and drove to Windsor where the annual Hot Air Balloon festival happens. We wanted to get there before sunrise, because just prior to sunrise the "Dawn Patrol" fires up and takes flight to check out the weather conditions. (Last year, I was told that only 3 balloons launched because the wind was so high that the other balloons were not allowed to go up at all). So, just before dawn broke, these 4 beautiful balloons fired up and took off. It was extraordinary. After they circle around for awhile, they give the thumbs up and the other balloonists start to unfold their balloons, hook them up to the basket and eventually fire them up. The great thing about being there is that there is not much of a barrier between audience and the action on the field with the balloons. No, you can't just run out there, but you can. You can walk into the area and watch as they fire up the balloons.
Nadine and Karry - Nadine has the best hats, Karry is half asleep.
The girls with Jim.
It was all over by 10:00a.m. but the balloons flew longer and we got back to the house we could see them high in the air over the valley. It was great fun. We laugh alot.
Love to all...
(Thanks Bruce for keeping up with the blog!)
Fai
Friday, June 15, 2012
I made it!
HI, and yes I am here and safe. My last day of traveling was a LONG one. I got in last evening - Thursday after a long, hot drive and a couple of missed exits. I was completely wiped out but happy to see Karry and Nadine, so we had some wine, danced, played with the drums, laughed, caught up and went to bed late. Woke up my usual 5:30, but thought it was 7:30 (wow, I slept in!) walked around the house once, went back to bed for a couple hours, got back up for a few hours, and then went back to bed for a couple more hours. Finally I felt relatively rested.
We went down to the Farmer's Market in Occidental - it starts and 3:00 p.m. and ends at dusk. Great booths, great food. We ate yummy Indian food. Delicious!
Tomorrow we are going to the Hot Air Balloon show. It starts at 5:00 a.m. with the lighting of the balloons before the sun comes up! Can you believe it? I arrived in Paradise.
I did notice on my way across the country that the earth is getting dryer and dryer. The grass in CA is already drying out. There is fire in the East Bay - Alameda and high fire alerts all over the area. Where I am is pretty close to the ocean and up a mountain and relatively safe from fire.
But Mother Earth is getting scorched and she is crying.
Now that I am here, I might not blog as often, but do find this is a good way to keep in touch. It is more select than putting everything on Face Book which I do not care for.
Please drop me a line if you are inclined by emailing me at faizy0623@gmail.com
Love to you all.
Namaste,
Fai
We went down to the Farmer's Market in Occidental - it starts and 3:00 p.m. and ends at dusk. Great booths, great food. We ate yummy Indian food. Delicious!
Tomorrow we are going to the Hot Air Balloon show. It starts at 5:00 a.m. with the lighting of the balloons before the sun comes up! Can you believe it? I arrived in Paradise.
I did notice on my way across the country that the earth is getting dryer and dryer. The grass in CA is already drying out. There is fire in the East Bay - Alameda and high fire alerts all over the area. Where I am is pretty close to the ocean and up a mountain and relatively safe from fire.
But Mother Earth is getting scorched and she is crying.
Now that I am here, I might not blog as often, but do find this is a good way to keep in touch. It is more select than putting everything on Face Book which I do not care for.
Please drop me a line if you are inclined by emailing me at faizy0623@gmail.com
Love to you all.
Namaste,
Fai
Wednesday, June 13, 2012
The Layers
How Many Lives Have You Walked Through?
THE LAYERS
by Stanley Kunitz
I have walked through many lives,
some of them my own,
and I am not who I was,
though some principle of being
abides, from which I struggle
not to stray.
When I look behind,
as I am compelled to look
before I can gather strength
to proceed on my journey,
I see the milestones dwindling
toward the horizon
and the slow fires trailing
from the abandoned camp-sites,
over which scavenger angels
wheel on heavy wings.
Oh, I have made myself a tribe
out of my true affections,
and my tribe is scattered!
How shall the heart be reconciled
to its feast of losses?
In a rising wind
the manic dust of my friends,
those who fell along the way,
bitterly stings my face.
Yet I turn, I turn,
exulting somewhat,
with my will intact to go
whereever I need to go,
and every stone on the road
precious to me.
In my darkest night,
when the moon was covered
and I roamed through wreckage,
a nimbus-clouded voice
directed me:
“Live in the layers,
not on the litter.”
Though I lack the art
to decipher it,
no doubt the next chapter
in my book of transformations
is already written.
I am not done with my changes.
some of them my own,
and I am not who I was,
though some principle of being
abides, from which I struggle
not to stray.
When I look behind,
as I am compelled to look
before I can gather strength
to proceed on my journey,
I see the milestones dwindling
toward the horizon
and the slow fires trailing
from the abandoned camp-sites,
over which scavenger angels
wheel on heavy wings.
Oh, I have made myself a tribe
out of my true affections,
and my tribe is scattered!
How shall the heart be reconciled
to its feast of losses?
In a rising wind
the manic dust of my friends,
those who fell along the way,
bitterly stings my face.
Yet I turn, I turn,
exulting somewhat,
with my will intact to go
whereever I need to go,
and every stone on the road
precious to me.
In my darkest night,
when the moon was covered
and I roamed through wreckage,
a nimbus-clouded voice
directed me:
“Live in the layers,
not on the litter.”
Though I lack the art
to decipher it,
no doubt the next chapter
in my book of transformations
is already written.
I am not done with my changes.
Stanley Jasspon Kunitz was an American poet.
He was appointed Poet Laureate Consultant in
Poetry to the Library of Congress twice,
first in 1974 and then again in 2000.
He was appointed Poet Laureate Consultant in
Poetry to the Library of Congress twice,
first in 1974 and then again in 2000.
How do you get out of UTAH?
Good evening friends and family,
Since I have left Milwaukee, with each mile logged, I feel like I keep shedding shackles, negative energies and a garbled mind and replacing it with peace of mind, insight and humor. It is a difficult trip to drive solo this long and far, but I am enjoying the ride. It was the best decision I have made in a long time.
It has been a UTAH day. I am in for the night - only 2 miles of Utah left to go in the morning then on to Nevada. I took a major side trip today. Left Rawlings about 9 a.m. I get up early but still get out and back on the road about the same time each morning. I went south off the I80 after Rock Springs WY and down into an area called the Flaming Gorge Reservoir. I was talking to my friend Lynn 'Friske" Watts and told her I was thinking of veering off. With a name like Flaming Gorge, how could you pass it up! It was outstanding. Turned out it was a 200 mile side trip, but decidedly worth it. There will be pictures, of course.
Traveling and seeing what different states do for visitors along the highway is quite interesting. Nebraska definitely has had the best signage along the I80. Wyoming had lousy signage and Utah's was all but non-existent. I do not think they want you coming in off the highway, they make it quite difficult. And it is not easy to get into Salt Lake City. That was OK with me, I actually wanted to get around it as soon as possible. At a rest area outside of SLC, I saw a dad coming out of the rest area with 5 children, all blond, and very close in age. It ended up that they were parked next to me and the mom in the big vehicle waiting for them was holding a baby. They were at least half my age. The Mormons like to procreate as much as possible, building the tribe. They couldn't quite figure out what I was. But then again, I came from a tribe too, 8 of us between 18 years of age. Then there were the gypsy tribe too...
I am going to try to make it through tomorrow to Occidental, not sure if that is possible or wise until I get back on the road tomorrow and see you it goes. I was Up and Down mountains all day today, literally, and probably alot of the same tomorrow. Get to see Lake Tahoe tomorrow!
I miss you all and am having a great adventure. Looking forward to getting to my new home, resting and my friend Karry tells me we are going to a Hot Air Balloon show this weekend. So I must get some rest.
Love from me to you.
Since I have left Milwaukee, with each mile logged, I feel like I keep shedding shackles, negative energies and a garbled mind and replacing it with peace of mind, insight and humor. It is a difficult trip to drive solo this long and far, but I am enjoying the ride. It was the best decision I have made in a long time.
It has been a UTAH day. I am in for the night - only 2 miles of Utah left to go in the morning then on to Nevada. I took a major side trip today. Left Rawlings about 9 a.m. I get up early but still get out and back on the road about the same time each morning. I went south off the I80 after Rock Springs WY and down into an area called the Flaming Gorge Reservoir. I was talking to my friend Lynn 'Friske" Watts and told her I was thinking of veering off. With a name like Flaming Gorge, how could you pass it up! It was outstanding. Turned out it was a 200 mile side trip, but decidedly worth it. There will be pictures, of course.
Traveling and seeing what different states do for visitors along the highway is quite interesting. Nebraska definitely has had the best signage along the I80. Wyoming had lousy signage and Utah's was all but non-existent. I do not think they want you coming in off the highway, they make it quite difficult. And it is not easy to get into Salt Lake City. That was OK with me, I actually wanted to get around it as soon as possible. At a rest area outside of SLC, I saw a dad coming out of the rest area with 5 children, all blond, and very close in age. It ended up that they were parked next to me and the mom in the big vehicle waiting for them was holding a baby. They were at least half my age. The Mormons like to procreate as much as possible, building the tribe. They couldn't quite figure out what I was. But then again, I came from a tribe too, 8 of us between 18 years of age. Then there were the gypsy tribe too...
I am going to try to make it through tomorrow to Occidental, not sure if that is possible or wise until I get back on the road tomorrow and see you it goes. I was Up and Down mountains all day today, literally, and probably alot of the same tomorrow. Get to see Lake Tahoe tomorrow!
I miss you all and am having a great adventure. Looking forward to getting to my new home, resting and my friend Karry tells me we are going to a Hot Air Balloon show this weekend. So I must get some rest.
Tuesday, June 12, 2012
The Pictures...
 |
| The Sign |
 |
| BIG MARY |
 |
| Offerings, I added the 3 oranges, traditional Buddhist offering |
 |
| This looks like KWAN YIN |
 |
| Little Mary with her Mom Saint Ann |
 |
| Kwan Yin Again |
 |
| The Prayer |
 |
| from a distance |
 |
| A Field Of Marys |
 |
| Perspective with the smaller Mary |
 |
| Her Back - what I saw from the highway |
Next Leg... Oh, yeah, getting there.
So, here I am in Rawlings, WY. Real cowboy country. At a Best Western, more expensive and not as nice as the AmericInn of last eve. Oh, well, these peeps are even more out in the sticks than Lincoln, NE. I had a great day driving, altho it is wearing on my neck a bit. Brought my Yoga mat in to stretch tomorrow morning before piling myself back into the car.
There is a part of Nebraska that, about 40 miles east of the border of WY extending another 15-20 miles into WY that is nothing but rolling hills, well trimmed - signs of recent mowing, no houses, no animals, just miles and miles of the well cut turf. Weird, I thought it must be hiding the Nuclear Warheads. It looks just like that sort of thing. There are signs, not the regular highway signs, but ones with an interesting shape (sort of like a shield) with a number in it, then underneath it says Link. Anyways, it seemed quite strange.
Also, I passed what I thought was a regular semi. As I went by it, I saw it was much shorter than a semi and was all black and looked more like a Armored Car, no sign on it, nothing, but 2 men in it. "Men in Black". After passing them, they put there lights on, and added more gas, trying to keep up with me - or so it seemed. They about over took me, but circumstances allowed me to get ahead. Now I don't feel paranoid, just observant. Then I saw 3-4 RVs that were painted camouflage. Kinda creeped me out.
When I was rolling past Pine Bluffs, almost the end of Nebraska, I saw the BIGGEST statue of what looked like a Jesus from the back, but then as I zipped by, I saw it was the Virgin herself - Mary. It looked amazing, so I got off at the exit and tried to find it. Something that large you would definitely think you would be able to find it quickly. I back tracked through the town (poor, low housing, dogs in the street, etc.). Finally when I thought I was near it, but couldn't see it, I asked a woman riding a lawn mower if she could tell me where it was. She sure could and did and then I made a wrong turn. Ended up in a little poor neighborhood and asked a little boy on the street. He pointed me in the right direction.
It was amazing, out on the edge of town, next to an area of town designated "camping" which looked more permanent than what I usually think of as camping. It was their housing. It was an interesting site and a great place to sit and catch up to myself.
I have pictures of all of this and will post them after this.
The sky was very interesting today and what I found out was smoke from the fires in Colorado was making its way into the atmosphere over NE and WY. It was quite windy today.
My plan tomorrow is to spend at least a couple of hours in UTAH hiking.
There is a part of Nebraska that, about 40 miles east of the border of WY extending another 15-20 miles into WY that is nothing but rolling hills, well trimmed - signs of recent mowing, no houses, no animals, just miles and miles of the well cut turf. Weird, I thought it must be hiding the Nuclear Warheads. It looks just like that sort of thing. There are signs, not the regular highway signs, but ones with an interesting shape (sort of like a shield) with a number in it, then underneath it says Link. Anyways, it seemed quite strange.
Also, I passed what I thought was a regular semi. As I went by it, I saw it was much shorter than a semi and was all black and looked more like a Armored Car, no sign on it, nothing, but 2 men in it. "Men in Black". After passing them, they put there lights on, and added more gas, trying to keep up with me - or so it seemed. They about over took me, but circumstances allowed me to get ahead. Now I don't feel paranoid, just observant. Then I saw 3-4 RVs that were painted camouflage. Kinda creeped me out.
When I was rolling past Pine Bluffs, almost the end of Nebraska, I saw the BIGGEST statue of what looked like a Jesus from the back, but then as I zipped by, I saw it was the Virgin herself - Mary. It looked amazing, so I got off at the exit and tried to find it. Something that large you would definitely think you would be able to find it quickly. I back tracked through the town (poor, low housing, dogs in the street, etc.). Finally when I thought I was near it, but couldn't see it, I asked a woman riding a lawn mower if she could tell me where it was. She sure could and did and then I made a wrong turn. Ended up in a little poor neighborhood and asked a little boy on the street. He pointed me in the right direction.
It was amazing, out on the edge of town, next to an area of town designated "camping" which looked more permanent than what I usually think of as camping. It was their housing. It was an interesting site and a great place to sit and catch up to myself.
I have pictures of all of this and will post them after this.
The sky was very interesting today and what I found out was smoke from the fires in Colorado was making its way into the atmosphere over NE and WY. It was quite windy today.
My plan tomorrow is to spend at least a couple of hours in UTAH hiking.
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