What a year! December invites reflection, and in the spirit of that, I figured why not list some of the top wisdom gleaned in 2022? So, without further ado, allow me to present: Shit That Took Me 20 Years Longer Than Most People Take to Learn. 1.    It’s not the challenge itself, it’s the nature … Continue reading Letting it All Hang Out →

“This SUCKS!” I thought, as I made my way down the first few switchbacks that – if you continue down 5,000 feet – take you to the bottom of the Grand Canyon, our day one destination of a three day backpacking trip. My Osprey pack was firmly strapped to my back, stuffed with food clothing … Continue reading Bringing Baggage into the Grand Canyon →

Do you struggle against impermanence? I do. Sometimes I feel as though I’m at the edge of a chasm, and can feel an immense grief wafting up from the depths; pain from loss that hasn’t yet occurred. It’s hard for humans to grasp: we’re all just passing through. Yet, in a world of constant change, … Continue reading Nothing Lasts Forever →

“NOOOOO!” I wailed, as the blue “Welcome to California” sign with its painted orange poppy flashed past. Just like that, like it or not, here we are. Back to celebrate the holidays with family, spend time with friends, take care of dental and vet appointments before resuming the nomadic life early next year. Oh, and … Continue reading Reality: Whose to Choose? →

I love the Oregon coast. Walking along the bluffs hundreds of feet above the Pacific Ocean's churning power, a wayward wave slams into the rocks below with such force; the resulting “boom” akin to an explosion. You can taste the brine in the air. We squeeze through a narrow path under giant trees draped in … Continue reading Salty Air →

I owe a lot to technology; this lifestyle would be exceedingly more challenging without it. Without solar panels, computers and internet, we’d need to be where the jobs are. But, we’re not totally off grid, are we, if we’re still tangled in the world wide web? When I get a compulsive need to share – … Continue reading Silence is Golden →

Perhaps one of the worst things you can do is misdiagnose the cause of your dissatisfaction, or choose the wrong remedies for it, like I did. I’ve always prided myself as someone who loves to “go deep.” Those questions and musings which dance around the periphery of our existence…the absurdity of it all…the dark undefined … Continue reading Vulnerability →

I hand Charlie over to Chad, and slide out of the truck. As I make my way toward the convenience store, past farmers fueling up their rigs (in small towns like this it’s usually dusty pickup trucks with tool boxes and loose straw in the back) it hits me: there will be running water inside. … Continue reading Convenience →

I’m outside, flat on my back. If it sounds like I’m in distress, I’m not. Quite the opposite in fact: I’ve been doing yoga in the sun. A luxury I indulge in when there’s no one else around. It’s not something I want to subject other people to, me huffing and puffing as I jerk … Continue reading Free to Be →

We are not like the pioneers. Our dinner is grown, packaged, sourced and killed by others. Placed abundantly on shelves with sections containing flavors from far off continents. Do we want a stir fry with those deliciously plump egg noodles? Or maybe we should have nachos, since the avocados are perfectly ripe… We are not … Continue reading Sipping LaCroix on a Battlefield →