October 21, 2010

In the thick of my day I’m coordinating appliance repairs, authorizing insurance coverage and tracking tax payments.  My focus is keen, streamlined efficiency.  I’m an organizational hub of emails, text messages, phone calls and tasks.  Or something like that.

And at day’s end I’m side by side with Jeb in his bed.  The lights are low, the full moon high, and we’re reading The Boxcar Children (for the second time).  Henry, Jessie, Violet and Benny have made it through the storm.  They open up the door of the boxcar to discover a brook and waterfall nearby.  The sun is shining on the trees that drip with raindrops.

These kids make something special out of the most simple. And they never seem to lose their cool. 

Henry’s gone to town to get milk.  Benny and the girls are picking blueberries in the woods.  It’s the end of chapter 3 and it’s lights out in Jeb’s room.

In the dark he asks, “What’s dry ice made of?”

I realize I have lived 37 years and have no idea.

“Is it cold?” he asks.

I really don’t know.  I suggest we research it tomorrow.

I’ve got a link in this post but am too tired to read the answers.  I still don’t know if dry ice is cold or what it’s even made of.

October 20, 2010

Last night I began reading Stones of the Sur, the book of photographs by Morley Baer with poetry from Robinson Jeffers.  It speaks of a time in the 1930’s when artists like Ansel Adams and Alfred Steiglitz honed their craft and inspired.

Baur and Jeffers found a home on the remote and rugged coast of Big Sur, where the landscape shaped their art.

photo by Jessica Dofflemyer
photo by Jessica Dofflemyer

Looking forward to the time in six weeks when I’ll be reunited with this magical coastline, I poked around at some of my own photos from when I was there last winter.

On an isolated stretch of beach, I meandered with my new love picking a few special stones along the way.  When we ascended the bluff, we looked down and photographed our footsteps that wove apart and then together.  So smitten we were with our blossoming connection, every detail had significance.   Warm heart flutters and butterflies mingled with tangerines and chocolate in the salt air.  My pocket full of stones eventually made it into a special box, bought at the Phoenix Shop at Nepenthe, specifically to house them.

I still have the stones.  And I’ll return to Big Sur soon.  But pathways have crossroads and sometimes we diverge (I now note in the photo our steps fall far apart).  Waves come and sweep the sands.  They shape and smooth the rocks.

With Baer and Jeffers I’m reminded that the art remains – words and photographs capture the essence of a feeling.  The love of a land and the experiences lived there.  These gifts are alive forever in our hearts.

October 19, 2010

photo by Jessica Dofflemyer

It’s night and I’ve been up since 5am.  This post may be short and cryptic.

Today ended with words of wisdom:

The tree is an excellent teacher for one seeking truth.  It serves as a true model.  Consider that when the wind blows, there is no tree that moves in the opposite direction.

When you are seeking the answer to a question, look to a tree.