november changes

Now that all the leaves are gone and the region shades itself with browns and grays, I think about how so much can change in just one week...from the oak reds...

...to the golden beauty of the maples...

I'm reading Ellen Meloy's The Anthropology of Turquoise and in it, she explores how the body experiences color and constructs a connection to home; "Color is the first principle of Place." Color intoxicates the senses, makes suggestions to the nose, imprints upon memory, invokes emotion, beckons the touch, and fills the heart.

Here, I am surrounded by all manner of color: a riot of reds, browns, greens, yellows. The land where I choose to live is the full spectrum of nature's creation. Each season brings on a fresh palette of color...

....and soon, this will blanket the earth...

november changes

Now that all the leaves are gone and the region shades itself with browns and grays, I think about how so much can change in just one week...from the oak reds...

...to the golden beauty of the maples...

I'm reading Ellen Meloy's The Anthropology of Turquoise and in it, she explores how the body experiences color and constructs a connection to home; "Color is the first principle of Place." Color intoxicates the senses, makes suggestions to the nose, imprints upon memory, invokes emotion, beckons the touch, and fills the heart.

Here, I am surrounded by all manner of color: a riot of reds, browns, greens, yellows. The land where I choose to live is the full spectrum of nature's creation. Each season brings on a fresh palette of color...

....and soon, this will blanket the earth...

november changes

Now that all the leaves are gone and the region shades itself with browns and grays, I think about how so much can change in just one week...from the oak reds...

...to the golden beauty of the maples...

I'm reading Ellen Meloy's The Anthropology of Turquoise and in it, she explores how the body experiences color and constructs a connection to home; "Color is the first principle of Place." Color intoxicates the senses, makes suggestions to the nose, imprints upon memory, invokes emotion, beckons the touch, and fills the heart.

Here, I am surrounded by all manner of color: a riot of reds, browns, greens, yellows. The land where I choose to live is the full spectrum of nature's creation. Each season brings on a fresh palette of color...

....and soon, this will blanket the earth...

Jeep Porn

I was talking to my husband this weekend about all that has changed for us now that the election is over. We laughed at the idea that getting DSL and new laptop coincided with election of Obama. Now, I have a faster internet connection which means being able to see all those YouTube videos of Jeep roll-overs and crashes.

We sat and watched most of them, and while the first dozen were rather exciting, a feeling of dread started to set in. Do people really do those things? It was like watching porn, not sex porn, or even food porn, but Jeep porn. It was one of those phenomenas where people are anxious to watch, yet barely get the opportunity to participate. The dread started to arise when I realized we could actually participate in the metal crushing, rock climbing mania.

Now, I like to be alone when facing of my failures. I have been known to cry while caught up on some rocks in Pucker Pass, Utah. My heart has been known to beat real fast as we inch our way down the Jeep trail. When covered with tears and on the verge of a panic attack, I like to be alone. It was clear to me that in the YouTube videos there were a lot of people around to witness the crash. The possibility of this too embarrassing for me. But, then I realized if you are going to roll your Jeep over, wouldn't it be better to have tons of people around to help?

I don't see a single tear in any of these videos. Certainly, there were women's voices all over, screams aplenty, but no tears. Are people so overjoyed with the adventure? Or am I just a wimp?

On our first Jeep to the Southwest at the end of December, Shannon at the rock shop said to us that "adventure is knowing when to turn around". Maybe I'm not a wimp, I'm just spending too much time looking for our turn around spot, preferably the spot before the Jeep rolls over.

I loved the video titled "Best friend and wife in Jeep Roll". The wife kept saying "I don't like it, I don't like it", but all the while, smiling. That so reminds me of myself on a Jeep trail. I might not like the moment because my face is tearing and my heart is getting ready to jump out of my chest, but truth be told, when it's over, I'm already looking for the next adventure!

Jeep Porn

I was talking to my husband this weekend about all that has changed for us now that the election is over. We laughed at the idea that getting DSL and new laptop coincided with election of Obama. Now, I have a faster internet connection which means being able to see all those YouTube videos of Jeep roll-overs and crashes.

We sat and watched most of them, and while the first dozen were rather exciting, a feeling of dread started to set in. Do people really do those things? It was like watching porn, not sex porn, or even food porn, but Jeep porn. It was one of those phenomenas where people are anxious to watch, yet barely get the opportunity to participate. The dread started to arise when I realized we could actually participate in the metal crushing, rock climbing mania.

Now, I like to be alone when facing of my failures. I have been known to cry while caught up on some rocks in Pucker Pass, Utah. My heart has been known to beat real fast as we inch our way down the Jeep trail. When covered with tears and on the verge of a panic attack, I like to be alone. It was clear to me that in the YouTube videos there were a lot of people around to witness the crash. The possibility of this too embarrassing for me. But, then I realized if you are going to roll your Jeep over, wouldn't it be better to have tons of people around to help?

I don't see a single tear in any of these videos. Certainly, there were women's voices all over, screams aplenty, but no tears. Are people so overjoyed with the adventure? Or am I just a wimp?

On our first Jeep to the Southwest at the end of December, Shannon at the rock shop said to us that "adventure is knowing when to turn around". Maybe I'm not a wimp, I'm just spending too much time looking for our turn around spot, preferably the spot before the Jeep rolls over.

I loved the video titled "Best friend and wife in Jeep Roll". The wife kept saying "I don't like it, I don't like it", but all the while, smiling. That so reminds me of myself on a Jeep trail. I might not like the moment because my face is tearing and my heart is getting ready to jump out of my chest, but truth be told, when it's over, I'm already looking for the next adventure!

A Bold New World

A sand sculpture of president-elect Barack Obama, created by Sudarshan Pattnaik, is seen on the beach in Puri, India, Wednesday. By Biswaranjan Rout, AP

A Bold New World

A sand sculpture of president-elect Barack Obama, created by Sudarshan Pattnaik, is seen on the beach in Puri, India, Wednesday. By Biswaranjan Rout, AP