She said, “It’s deep
and intimate.” And I said, “What more could anyone want?”
I’ve been planning on
hiking the Elk Park/Chicago Basin loop in the Weminuche Wilderness this summer.
It’s a little over 40 miles and close to the end the trail passes the Chicago
Basin, a beautiful alpine area surrounded by some of the biggest mountains in
Colorado. I’ve been wanting to do it, but not inspired. This morning I thought,
why not just hike the other way and get to the basin in about 9 miles? Hang out in the rock and tundra and snow and wind for a few days and suddenly
I’m inspired. I realize I don’t have to do epic hikes. Whew, what a lightening.
Why would I want to do an epic hike? Because I can, or maybe because I could,
and because the rewards are so great, e.g., Northern Wind Rivers.
But I don’t seem to have the push now.
----------------
 |
| The stage Friday night. Saturday night the lights really came on. |
Last weekend we had
the annual Atrium Obscurum psytrance gathering (New Era Transmissions) in the
deep woods of East Texas. It was a deep experience for many of us – a
transformational gathering. There were just over 200 people camping, talking,
dancing, in an amazing sparkling now – together. The music started about 9pm
Friday and continued without cease until 1 pm Sunday. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hFPPAArPHeE
We worked hard
setting up, keeping it going, and taking it down. Happy to say that cleanup was
close to zero – a few cigarette butts was about it.
From my Facebook post: I want to say that I am proud to have
worked with AO on NET – not in a prideful sense, but in a humbled sense of
having helped create something beautiful. I’m grateful to be part of this good
work. And I had a really good time. Big respect and appreciation for all the AO
crew.
---------------
 |
| Sometime Saturday. Rope, one of the people I camped with in green shirt |
Leslie, Sometimes we meet in
the hall or somewhere and it’s almost unreal. Like in a dream.
----------------
From the book The Hill Fights:
The First Battle of Khe Sanh, p. 94-95 (This section is about a Marine named
Montgomery): “When he came to… blood flowing from shrapnel wounds. ‘I looked around. No one else was there.
Mortar shells still exploding… I crawled on all fours to a bomb crater. I hurt
too bad to go any farther so I started calling for help. Two Marines hiding in
another crater answered. As soon as I told them I was wounded, they crawled
over and patched me up.’ (Montgomery asked them to take his photo.) With
mortar shells crashing behind them, the man took Montgomery’s picture.”
 |
| Part of Atrium Obscurum crew at Friday morning meeting Willa, person I don't know, Nick, Kitty, Laura, Luis, Jessica reading, and Dawn standing |
I was the one who
took his photo. What he didn’t mention was that he was covered in blood,
smiling (going home – if the medevac isn’t shot down), and shooting me the
finger – so long, sucker. I’ll think about your dumb ass out here in the
boondocks while I’m laying up in a hospital eating ice cream and checking out
the nurses
--------------------.
This was written in 2005, on
what I thought was my last trip to Hong Kong: On what I thought was probably
the last Star Ferry ride of my life I'm staring across the harbor, feeling the
engines throbbing under the deck, feeling nostalgic ... a little girl, maybe 4
or 5 years old, sitting right behind me in her Dad's lap - starts singing over
and over again, first in English and then in Chinese ...
"Row row row your boat,
Gently down the stream.
Merrily merrily merrily,
Life is but a dream."
Another grace note for the trip.
"Row row row your boat,
Gently down the stream.
Merrily merrily merrily,
Life is but a dream."
Another grace note for the trip.
 |
| The AO DJ set-up. Sunday about noon |
"Those were the days my friend,
We thought they'd never end,
We'd sing and dance forever and a day.
We'd live the life we'd choose,
We'd fight and never lose,
Those were the days,
Oh yes, those were the days."
We thought they'd never end,
We'd sing and dance forever and a day.
We'd live the life we'd choose,
We'd fight and never lose,
Those were the days,
Oh yes, those were the days."
Of course I'm thinking of Leslie - talk about nostalgic - yet thinking, yeah, that's pretty much how it's turning out. These are the days.
Rode that big 747 to Taipei, on to LA, and then Dallas. Home.
 |
| Charles Kemp, working on decos |
The other day someone
said (rationalizing giving up his dreams), “You can’t change the world.”
---------------
Reality, when I
experience Leslie…
© What
I see now
© What
I remember
© What
is real/50+ years of loving
-------------------
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