Four Years of Mood, Magic and Mystery

It has gestating for months, it has been under construction for many more months and it has been re-edited for yet another month or so, but finally it has arrived!

I have rounded up the most meaningful images I have acquired over the fours years hiking, playing and simply enjoying the times I have spent in the Big Morongo Canyon Preserve and it's adjoining Covington Park.  This oasis with it's velvet green soothing interior echoing the songs of dozens of birds who flit around in the cooling shade is  relatively unknown to the thousands of tourists who pass daily, literally within a quarter of a mile of it's gates, on their way to the much more famous Joshua Tree National Park.

The oasis has more to offer than the serene green canopy and gently flowing water.  Within 5 minutes of walking the shade gives way to rugged barren hillsides with brittle sharp desert foliage, rocky trails and brilliant desert sun.  Hiking trails lead up above the oasis and where the view takes in Mt San Gorgonio, Mt San Jacinto and the Morongo Basin.

This 50 page coffee table book of mostly photos, but a little text here and there, is a gift to myself.  Something I can revisit whenever the peaceful core of my soul gets a little turbulent and I am craving the serenity of the oasis.  I showed the finished book to a couple of friends and the orders have started coming in.  I knew I wasn't the only one who loves the Preserve but, even so, I am startled and thrilled by the interest shown in my book.  I've had several more printed and am being encouraged to do a book signing at the Art Colony of Morongo Valley's 52nd Anniversary this weekend.  I am donating a portion of the proceeds back to the Preserve.

It can also be purchased at the Cactus Mart, in Morongo Valley.

The Passion and the Monkey

"Follow your passion", I've heard it said. "Do what you love and the money will come", is another.  Or perhaps my favorite: "If one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams, and endeavors to live the life which he has imagined, he will meet with a success unexpected in common hours", as claimed by Thoreau.  These are all motivators with a solid strain of wisdom in them and when followed I am sure they work.

But for me there is always the fear, or a least lack of confidence, that my work I'm passionate about wouldn't quite be 'good enough'  to hold its own.  It was deemed much 'safer' to put in a good solid, oh so mundane, day's work for someone else and receive a modest but regular stipend.  The dreams and passions could wait for the weekend warrior.

Then there is always the "jump before you are pushed" motivator for those who need a little more incentive.

Well, I am now mid jump.  My current job is phasing out forcing me to be more engaged in what my passions are and how I can create a new life for myself.  My passions have always been consistent: I love taking photos and I love writing. I have to ask myself just who are the 'they' who are judging my writing or photography as not quite good enough?  Could it simply be my own inner critic?  That annoying monkey mind determined to keep me firmly entrenched in it's perceived 'safety zone'?

I have reached the point where Thoreau's advice is becoming more attractive by the day. It is time to advance confidently in the direction of my dreams.  I am quite sure that being confident and committed to my decision is the key to success.  In view of these current insights I have completed several online refresher writing courses on Udemy, and I am writing the monthly newletter for a local business, the Cactus Mart, who is also gracious enough to display my photography.

It is time.

The Cutting Edge of History

The Desert Queen Ranch, aka Key's Ranch, Joshua Tree National Park

I've been doing quite a lot of research lately on the early history of my area. 

I love history. When Nicole, the owner of the Cactus Mart, our local plant nursery, cum art gallery, cum hardware store asked me if I wanted to write a couple of paragraphs on our local history for her shop newsletter each month I jumped at the chance.

As I was delving through any old literature I could find on the area it occurred to me that while I was fascinated with the past, with the struggles these early miners, prospectors and settlers dealt with,  they were actually on the cutting edge of progress!  They were on their game.  They had hopes and dreams of striking it rich with their mines and being able to create lives for themselves and their families far better than what they had left behind. 

In this area, close to Joshua Tree National Park, the heat is intense during the summers, flash floods occur without warning any time and natural water sources are few and far between.  It's a tough place to live without air conditioning, a good well, and trucks constantly delivering food to the local stores and restaurants.

The windmill and the well at the Desert Queen Ranch -very innovative for the time

As I glance around my comfortable home, my new lap top in front of me and a cup of freshly brewed coffee at hand there is no inner drive in me to conquer new horizons.  I very much doubt I will be mentioned in future history books as a pioneer in my field (though it could happen I suppose).

I am their future looking back into the past; they are the past with their eyes on the future. I think their lives may just be a little more exciting than mine.

It IS What You Look at that Counts

Recently I saw the beginnings of what could turn out to be a fabulous sunset. I scooped up my camera and bolted outside in anticipation.  I took a few shots as the intensity of the colors increased but this sunset was over fairly quickly so I retired back inside to look at my images.

Interesting. All these pictures were taken within minutes of each other, and they certainly aren't the greatest pictures I've ever taken, but the message is there just the same: I could put my attention on the fabulous sunset ...

Or I could be drawn in by the distractions, in this case very pretty distractions, and miss my sunset....

However, another option would be just to focus on the light beyond the distractions.

That was just the reminder I needed.  A great metaphor for life for me.  If I keep my eyes on the goal, and not look at the distractions I will have success in my endeavors.




Now this is the way I want to start my new year.

The "New" Historic Warren Homestead of Morongo Valley

As our group arrived for our Monday morning hike through Covington Park and the Big Morongo Canyon Preserve we stood for a moment, stunned.  A new road had been blazed through the dense brush of what we had thought was a protected wildlife area, an internationally recognized birding site, for heaven's sake, toward a stand of cottonwood trees on the far side of the park!

Hikers winding down the trail into Covington Park, Morongo Valley.

I am very protective of our wild areas and was feeling quite jittery.  I can only imagine how the bird watchers were feeling. However, before I lost my composure I wanted to know what was going on.  I knew the area had a rich history and rightly so, as this is one of the few areas of permanent water in the Mojave and Sonoran Deserts.

History is a peculiar beast at times.  Getting a definitive fact seems to be only authoritative until I find someone who disagrees.  This is a fairly accurate, if brief, time line of history of Covington Park and the Big Morongo Canyon Preserve.

The Morongo Clan of the Serrano Indians were the first settlers I know of, however, they succumbed to small pox when the  white settlers arrived. The survivors moved to Banning in the 1860's.

About 10 years after the arrival of the white settlers the Warren Family arrived and set up a cattle ranch and also provided supplies for travelers passing through.  They built a fairly big home for the time and lived at the oasis for around 35 years before selling to the Covington family in 1912.  In 1968 the Covingtons sold 80 acres to the Nature Conservancy, and soon after the County of San Bernardino purchased a further 160 acres which became a wild life preserve. It is now managed by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM).

Barbed wire from the ranching days.

So why had a trail been ploughed though this protected and very beautiful wilderness area? The answer was much more benign than I'd feared.

Descendants of the Warren family had needed the access to excavate the family homestead.  They wanted to create a lasting monument to their pioneering forebears and set the archaeological remains up as permanent Historical Site, further protecting the area for the enjoyment of future generations.

Park visitors taking in a history lesson.

The area where the cabin stood in the foreground.

Big Morongo Canyon Preserve and adjacent Covington Park are only a 25 minute drive from Palm Springs in the town of Morongo Valley, on Highway 62, the main drag to Joshua Tree National Park. Highway 62. Green, scenic, cool with many hiking trails and now an Historic Site, it is well worth stopping by for a relaxing hour or two.

When is a Blog not a Blog

Big Morongo Canyon Preserve, Morongo Valley

I've been sitting in limbo with blogging for quite a while now.  I thought perhaps my blogging days were over but it kept niggling in the back of my mind.  I love to write, I love to take pictures and yet I have stepped away from it, so I am back.

I may spend some time upgrading and reformatting, giving it a fresh new look and I will be posting my thoughts and photos again so.  We have a beautiful planet about us and I love to share my view of what is right in my world.

The Subtle Benefits of Perseverance

Back in November of 2012 an assortment of middle aged to older girls in our tiny town started a hiking group.  We all had differing reasons for getting active:  One of us had recently retired and the celebrations that followed had her girth expanding faster than a starving dog can inhale a hotdog; another had lost her daughter in a tragic car accident a couple of years previously, and in the fall out from dealing with that had  lost her job, gained too much weight, gone into depression etc but was now ready to start living again.  I was struggling to find enough work and had way too much time on my hands, also out of shape and losing hope for a bright future.

Looking across at our shadows in the early morning light.

On our first hike there were three of us and we sweated and huffed our way around an approximate 2.5 mile loop with 2 good aerobic climbs included.  We were jubilant! By the end of the second week there were five pairs of dusty boots pounding the trail which had now included one more steep climb and another mile. 

Taking a quick breather at the top of the ridge.

Looking back over the 18 months we have come a long way.  Our mission has always been to uplift each other and support each other in what ever way was a appropriate for the situation.  We have prayed over illnesses, we have pitched in when someone needed help, we made food and delivered to another's  home, we have laughed - a lot!,  told off colored jokes, celebrated each others lives,  and we have cried. 

Two of our girls have passed on over the year in unexpected circumstances.  Two little crosses are now high up on the hill above the trail.  Those girls are with us still.

Me with Simone & Sarah

The benefits we have gained through a year and half of 3 day a week hiking are quite profound, but quite subtle, too.  Aches and pains not longer bother us, and the ability just to be able to get up and do the next task at hand is a matter of ease.  However, those are not the only benefits.  The wisdom and insights I've gained from the others have helped in many situations.  The oldest of us is 74 and she is very knowledgeable about wildlife, especially the reptiles. Another is very knowledgeable about the plants.  I pick their brains often as I'm always looking to identify some bush or creature I have photographed.

Hiking up one of the steepest parts of the trail

Two of the original three are still hiking and the third one has found a great job, which is what she wanted.  Others have joined us for a while and then they lives moved on - or ceased.  I have learned from them all and will be grateful to our little group for the rest of my life.  I may move on, too, but I will carry very special memories with me.  That kind of baggage I will enjoy hauling.        

Looking down from above as the trail winds back through the cool marshy area.

       I'm linking this to Friday My Town Shoot Out!
The topic this week is looking up, looking down and looking across.  I hope this qualifies.  Click the link to see more entries from across the world.                                                                      

2014 - Ready or Not Here I Come

For the first time in as long as I can remember I think I am ready for the new year.  No new year resolutions for me, or at least, not in the usual sense.  The whole year of 2013 was a constant challenge.  One thing after another - close friends dying unexpectedly, other friends moving, me having to move three times, and my much loved dog dying - and yet somehow I managed not to fall into the doldrums too much.  It seems as though the more that hit me the more vulnerable and yet more trusting I became - trusting that I would be ok no matter what.  Events were happening so fast there for a while I just didn't have time to dwell on anything too much.

Looking back over this last year I know I'm a very different person to who I was twelve months ago.  I have slowed down a lot.  No more hectic chasing after things that just don't matter.  No more giving energy to people or projects that are dead ends.  I don't mean that unkindly.  I just don't have the energy to pour into those who don't want to help themselves.  Most importantly I've given up trying to make things happen.  Now that was a major energy waster!  Things worked out just fine in ways I never thought possible when I finally was too exhausted to plan anything.

This year I have a few intentions - a few ideas of what I would like to have happen - but I am not making any plans as to how to make them happen.  I am going to keep things as simple as possible.  I will as best I can stay focused on one thing at a time, not get into a flap over what I think I should be doing, and allow life to unfold as it will.

These horses are enjoying sharing - competing for the goodies isn't necessary.

This old windmill reminds me of simpler times.

This year I will take time to enjoy nature.

I shall use these two beauties to inspire me to just take it easy.

Linking to Friday My Town Shoot Out!  Please hop on over and see how others around the world are going to approach the new year.

Neighborhood Watch

When I first moved to this mostly rural neighborhood nearly two years ago I was impressed with the local dogs.  I called them the Neighborhood Watch as I couldn't walk around the block without my presence being noted and barked on every step of the way.  Some of those dogs, in fact most of them, looked like they meant business, too.

As I got to know my neighbors I learned the history of these watchful canines.  It turns out that nearly every dog arrived on their respective properties as a stray, refugee or, in one case, from death row at the local animal shelter. The property owners just accommodated them.  One neighbor told me they put up a boundary fence to stop more strays arriving as they'd reached capacity!

In so many ways, without any fanfare, people of this world are following their hearts to do the right thing and in return these dogs are determined to keep their new families safe.


I'm linking this to Friday My Town Shoot Out!!  This week's topic is 'Through the Fence'.

Balance aka The Yin and the Yang

Three or four times a week I meet with a group of women and we power walk - although sometimes its a  dawdle and chat - over, above and through the exquisite Big Morongo Canyon Preserve near my home.  For about an hour and a half we climb up steep hills, scale rocky ridges, jog down the hills and finish off with a lovely half mile or so of flat through the lush shady canopy finishing back where we started.

We have great camaraderie.  We laugh, we tease, we tell off-colour jokes, we support and encourage each other, and we even have prayer circles occasionally when someone needs an extra boost, and all the while we are getting fitter and stronger.

Occasionally I'm especially lucky:  I get to go home, grab breakfast, then load up my camera and come back to the same park.  This time I am alone and can tune in to the beauty around me and here the whisperings of the trees and flowers.  I can get down on my belly and really visit with the tiny but beautiful little flowers that line the trail.

I am so fortunate to have the balance to the vibrant energy of my hiking girls and the introspective energy of  my camera, myself and nature.

Stream Orchid (Epipactus Gigantea)

Stream Orchid

Mallow

Yerba Mansa

Yerba Mansa

lichen on quartz rock

Hedgehog Cactus

Today my message from the World, through my lens, to me was all about balance.  The Yin and the Yang.  I also got to appreciate once again just how fortunate I am.

Linking to Nature Notes at Rambling Woods

Handling the No

I think we've all had times when it seems every door I see cracked open gets firmly closed in my face as I approach it.  Very frustrating.  Some of us hardier souls just seem to thrive on a challenge and are determined to either go around that closed door or crash right on through it, but I find it off putting.

Lately I seem to be coming up against those closed doors too often and am finding it depressing, however yesterday the Universe offered me another way of looking at it.  I was walking in my favorite park appreciating a rare cool overcast day when the sun broke through the cloud and flooded the park with golden light.  I quickly returned to my car for my camera then made myself comfortable at a picnic table to enjoy this spectacular lighting.

My reverie was abruptly interrupted by a Red-tailed Hawk making a dive for a bird in the grass right in front of me!!  I was shocked and thrilled!  The bird made its escape leaving only a few feathers behind and the hawk retreated to a low branch of a nearby tree.  I was able to study this hawk for a minute or two and it clearly wasn't showing frustration or depression at its recent disappointment.  It simply regrouped and carried on with the task at hand - finding dinner for the family.

Here was my message of the day:  don't dwell in the past, all my energy must be directed towards moving forward in a calm and detached manner.   Thank you Hawk, the Messenger.

I'm linking this to Nature Notes and Wild Bird Wednesday.   Please follow the links to more nature activities from around the world.

A Clean Slate

"You have to begin to tell the story of your life

 as you now want it to be 

and discontinue the tales of how it been

or how it is now"

                                                                      - Abraham Hicks

Someone posted this quote on Face Book the other day.  Of all the many little quotes that scroll endlessly past each day, this one stood out.  Isn't it funny how you can hear the same message in dozens of different forms but somehow it doesn't 'fizz' until the mind is open to receive it?  At least, this is the way it is with me.

This morning I woke up to an exquisitely beautiful feather down blanket of snow all around.  Even before the sun came up my dog and I were out frolicking like a pair of kids in fairy dust.  I'm sure it's now apparent that I don't get much snow where I live.

With the Abraham Hicks quote still simmering in the back of my mind  I gradually came to the realisation that this snow was a perfect metaphor for a clean slate.  Yesterday is buried and I can begin to tell my story as I now want it to be.  Everyday I have this choice, but so often I get entwined in yesterday's dramas that story of my 'life as I now want it to be' is left to default.  I can clearly see this is not how I want to continue operating my life.

But I have a choice.

Linking to:   Walk and Click Wednesdays.
                     Cool Clicks Thursday
                     

Click for yourself and follow the link on over to see more creative entries.

Being Open to Opportunity Is One Thing

Being ready to act on it is quite another.

That is the message I received today as I strolled through my much loved local park.  As is usual for me I had my camera and my dog, and, as is also usual for me, I get my best insights when I have the camera to my eye.  This park I frequent, Covington Park, is adjoining the Big Morongo Canyon Preserve, a world renown birding site, so there's always a great chance rare birds can be seen in this dog friendly park next door.  I was inviting whoever wanted to show up to pose for me as I walked along.  I saw a Red Tail Hawk in the distance, too far away to photograph, but so thrilling to watch as it soared, dived and circled.

My dog and I slowly wended our way back to the parking lot enjoying the shade of the bare cottonwoods when I was urged to glance up.  A beautiful Red Tail Hawk was gliding in to land right above me!  It's glorious red tail was glowing like embers in the setting sun as it braced itself for landing.  I had inadvertently wandered under the very tree in which it was building its nest. By the time I saw the hawk and snapped a couple of pictures it was too close to me for the lens I was using.

Red Tail Hawk bringing in nesting material.

Mmmm...there's one stick poking me in the you-know-what....

There was my message: when I send an invitation to the Universe stay awake for the the answer!
Getting the camera up and getting the picture would help, too.  Of course, it wasn't lost on me that this is a good philosophy for most aspects of my life, too.

I'm linking this to Nature Notes at Michelle's Rambling Woods Blog.

The Circle of Life

"Bringing to light what is right in the world" has been my motto for a while now, however, more and more often lately I've been allowing myself to get sucked into the turmoil that is going on in the world around us.  Every day it seems there is more to be concerned about, and it has begun to take a toll on my sense of well being.

I choose not to allow that to continue.

Once again I turned to my camera.  When I am open the Universe really can offer messages of well being through my lens.  If I can pull my focus in to just what is in front of me, which is all anyone can deal with at one time, then I do get to see the beauty and the balance.  Just like the four seasons except on a much larger scale, there is a period of new growth, maturity, gradual decline, then decay.  Some might say our society is in decay, but that isn't necessarily good or bad, it is just balance.  The decay then nourishes the new growth; that is the circle of life.

I choose to look for the signs of spring.

Spring bulbs.  So welcome!

The full flush of summer.  Butterflies and bees on wildflowers.

The glorious saturated colours of the late fall.

A dusting of snow heralds a winter's morning.

I'm  linking this to ABC Wednesday.  Please follow the link to more fun explorations of the letter 'C'.

Magic in the Air

When I was little I believed in magic.  I believed in guardian angels and I believed in miracles, too.  By the time I was 8 or 9 the cynical world I lived in had knocked such enlivening thoughts out of me and for many years my life was quite flat.  Not bad, just mundane and I was always vaguely resentful that magic had been explained away.  It wasn't until I reached my middle years that I began to challenge those cynical voices from my past, and to cautiously entertain the possibility that magic and miracles were still around just waiting for me to believe in them again.

When I have my camera in my hand it seems the whole Universe endeavors to dance in front of my lens, like the fairies of my childhood, reminding me magic is still in the air. Now I find it easy to believe in magic and see evidence of it everywhere. Below are frozen patterns of ice on the windshield of my car. How magical is that?

Frost patterns on my car window

 Linking to Friday My Town Shoot Out  who's theme this week is 'Frozen in Time'.  Hop on over and check out the creative takes on this theme.

Staying Present

In days past I've often been quite reactive.  Not necessarily in hurtful ways, at least not to others, but my tendency when things don't go my way is to get anxious and start projecting where this current irritation will lead.  My projections never lead to a good outcome.  Fortunately I am not a worrier by nature and I usually put a stop to this negative projecting fairly quickly before any harm is done.

I was driving down my little country road the other day, running barely on time for an appointment when my wheel began knocking ominously.  I got out and walked around the car and couldn't find a problem.   Perhaps it was because the world didn't end on 12-21-12, or maybe it was simply because the stresses of the Christmas and New Year were over, I was able to stay calm, hoping for the best.  It was when I was at the gas station filling up that I noticed one tire was indeed three quarters flat.  Once again I put my flappable self on the back burner and dealt only with the facts presented:  i) the tire wasn't completely flat and therefore could be driven (carefully!) a short distance, ii) there is a tire shop within 50yards of the gas station.  So far so good.

My next moment to get myself in a flap immediately presented itself - the tire was punctured through the sidewall and not repairable.  I needed a new tire!  The tire was only a few months old and I wasn't in the mood to buy yet another tire!  Breathe...  I took a moment to regroup then asked the mechanic to put on my spare.  I loaded up the ruined tire, took it to the shop where I purchased it, where I was informed they have a road hazard warranty and my tire would be replaced with new one for the price of another road hazard warranty - $16 only!!

Here I will make a shameless plug for America's Tire.  You guys rock.

At the end of the day I realized that even in the middle of the storm you never know just when, against all odds, a ray of sun is going to break through.  For me it isn't easy to always be positive but neutral works very well, too, I just need to stay in the moment and keep my eyes open.

Add caption

I'm linking this to http://sundaystills.wordpress.com at the challenge this week is one tree and this just seems to fit.  Click on the link to see more interpretations of one tree.

Home

I've been thinking a lot lately on what home actually means to me.  My town?  My country of birth?  My family?  Nostalgic memories of the past?  My current address?  Where my heart is (and just where might that be?)  Yes, all of that, but more than that.

I remember studying a poem in school years go, maybe when I was 11 or 12 years old, or perhaps just 10.  More accurately I remember just two lines of it:
    "home is the sailor home from the sea
      and the hunter home from the hill"
Those lines struck a cord with me years ago, and still do.  I googled them this morning and came up with two poets who included these lines in their poems.  A.E Housman, an English Classical scholar born is 1859, wrote 'Home is the Sailor', and Robert Louis Stevenson, the Scottish poet, wrote 'Requiem'.  I think it was the Stevenson version we studied, but its not really relevant.

I have traveled quite extensively and I'm not currently living in the country of my birth.  Each time I step on 'foreign' land I quickly begin noticing plants, rocks, trees etc which I believed indigenous to my birth country existing comfortably thousands of ocean miles away.  It was then I started realising that people are more similar than I'd imagined them to be also, and I could comfortably live is any one of these countries.  The boundaries in my mind began breaking down.

Now I feel 'home' is more of a concept than a place.  Home is where I find my nourishment, its more of a feeling than a place. 

I am very happy to call this Earth my home.

 

I'm linking this to Friday My Town Shoot Out!