Imagine the first sun streaked, snow melting, icicle dripping, warm without jackets, spring-like day, following a solid week of gloomy, cloudy, snowy, sleety, frigid weather.
In Corvallis, that day was today.
Today was the first day since the valley snow fall, four days ago, in which it was warm enough to turn the irrigation water back on. I happily spent half of my morning and a bit of the afternoon, quenching the very thirsty plants in all of the five greenhouses.
The water was again, flowing.
It was a perfect day for being outside. A perfect day for soaking up the sun in the few short hours it was to be available. A perfect day for riding a bike into town. That is, up until three minutes before I was ready to get on my bike and ride it into town.
* * *
So, in the last four months of traveling up and down the west coast on my bike, today is the *very first* time I've actually ridden in the rain. And the decision to ride was made at the last second, with full awareness of the consequences of the oncoming storm.
* * *
The dark, voluminous clouds rolled in, heavy and fast, and for a few mournful moments, deterred me from taking that perfect ride into town. Perhaps despite my better judgment, I finally decided, "fuck it, I'm gonna ride anyway". I tossed on my rain gear (worn for the first time, on my bike, on this trip) and headed towards town.
As the misty drizzle, which quickly turned into a moderate shower shortly after turning townwards from the driveway, beaded up and attempted to penetrate my outer shell, I slowly began to realize that this would be the most vividly tactile ride I'd ever experienced. I could detect every infinitesimal movement in my bike. I was able to perceive every individual muscle working in my body. Water droplets formed and dripped rapidly off my nose and chin. Cold, icy rain pelted my cheeks like hundreds of miniature icicles shot from a bow. I could hear the rhythmic rush of my breath, softly swirling in my ears. The plummeting air temperature, carried by the swift moving wind, rolled over my exposed fingertips, whispering numbness. The quality of the air; brisk, wet, fresh, saturated my lungs with an effervescent green. Cool. Clean. I glided along, testing the limits of near frictionless speed with fog filled, dropplet drenched glasses.
It was wonderful. It was a consciously chosen challenge.
A mere twenty minutes later, I was leaving my in town destination, and readied for the ride back. By this point, the storm was completely cleared. The only evidence it had been there at all was a distant gray cloud and a wet sidewalk. The storm had also left behind a solid fifteen degree drop. Frozen fingers, visible breath and a sunny, clear reprieve accompanied me home.
Feeling *so* fortunate to have had that moment to have been able to feel *so* much.
27 November 2010
24 November 2010
Gratitude...
I want to take a moment to acknowledge and appreciate all of the wonderful, selfless, thoughtful, caring, compassionate people in my life.
Thank you for sharing your love, offering your support and choosing to take some time in your life to be present with me. I have only love and gratitude to offer back.
Thank you to every person and every situation in my life that has taught me something.
I now know how to live, because of you.
I now know how to love, because of you.
I am who I am today, because of you.
Thank you.
Thank you for sharing your love, offering your support and choosing to take some time in your life to be present with me. I have only love and gratitude to offer back.
Thank you to every person and every situation in my life that has taught me something.
I now know how to live, because of you.
I now know how to love, because of you.
I am who I am today, because of you.
Thank you.
12 November 2010
Day 113: Stats Update
So...I've been on this journey now for 3 months and 3 weeks, or, 113 days.
Recently (within the last few weeks), I've been finding that two words have been coming up for me, fairly persistently: Building and Healing.
Perhaps it's venus in retrograde, perhaps it's the ever present rainy fog in the sky, perhaps it's the cold and dreary of winter coming on, begging me to settle in, cozy up and put another log on the fire. Whatever it is, I've been feeling a stronger and stronger urge to stop moving, start healing and begin building.
Let me back up a bit.
I've been on *this* journey for just under 4 months. However, upon further investigation as to why I've been feeling such a strong pull to stop so soon after I've begun, I realized that I've actually been in a transient mindset now for 3-1/2 years. I looked back at all of the traveling/moving I've done in this time, and what I found kind of shocked me. I knew I had a lot going on these last few years, but I didn't realize just how much...
As of 1 June 2007 (the last day at my last full time job in Chicago, before moving to Australia)
I have:
Been in transition/without a place of permanent residence for 3 years, 5 ½ months
Spent no more than 4 consecutive months in any one place
Moved 8 times
Lived on 3 different continents
Taken:
14 intercontinental flights
15 national flights
19 long distance train/bus rides
countless road trips
Traveled to:
72 different cities (at least – these are the one's I can remember...)
23 different states/provinces, (including 4 islands)
5 different countries
And...
Fallen in love exactly 8 times (three places, three people, one child and a cat)
Having now written this all out and absorbed it a little, it's no longer a surprise to me why I'm currently feeling the need to slow down and stabilize my life a bit. Additionally, one of the driving forces of this journey I'm currently undertaking was to discover the viability of more sustainable methods of travel, namely: bicycle and ground bound transit. I've taken an indulgent amount of airplane rides around the world and perhaps was looking for a way to (somehow) counteract the huge amount of guilt I harbor for, what I feel, is an excessively giant footprint I've stomped on the earth in the last 3-1/2 years. Not to mention the amount of personal energy and time spent in adjusting and recovering from the incredible amount of physical stress my body was put under to take them.
That will all probably take some more time for me to fully process...
* * *
...Getting back to *this* trip:
Start Date: Saturday, 24 July, 2010
On the road for: 3 months, 3 weeks
Places visited:
Towns/cities visited thus far: 27
Urban and rural farms/urban gardens visited: 12
Urban housing co-ops visited: 3
Urban food co-ops visited: 5 (all of them awesome)
Miles Traveled:
Approx. no. of total miles traveled thus far: 4985 mi (8023 km)
By Train/Bus: 2115 mi (3404 km)
By Car/Van: 1860 mi (2993 km)
By Ferry: ~85 mi (~137 km)
By Bike: 925 mi (1489 km) (current odo reading)
Bike Stuff:
Carrying weight: approx. 50 lbs gear + 34 lb bike = ~84 lbs total
Avg. speed: 10 mph
Max speed: 36 mph
Longest ride day: 70.8 mi
Days on bike: 11 main riding days (avg. 50 mi per day), approx. 40 small riding days (intercity/commute/errand/day trip - avg. 10 mi per day)
Flat tires: 0
Places/beds I've slept on thus far:
Private forest land - Hammock
Private forest land - Teepee
Hostel dorm room (upper bunk)
Hostel private room (shared)
Various farms (bike tour) - 6 person tent
Various farms (bike tour) - sleeping bag and mat only (outside, under stars)
Private home – bunk bed (lower bunk)
Private home – camping (hammock)
Private home – floor
Private home – big, comfy bed!
Couch surf/share house – couch/floor
Share house – bed/couch
Organic farm music festival – camping (hammock)
Housing co-op – futon mattress
Housing co-op – couch
Crown land (Vancouver Island, BC) - 2 person tent
Hotel (grrrr...only once)
Organic farm cob house – loft bed
* * *
To sum up: So far, along my way, I've met countless numbers of amazing people, eaten healthy, nourishing meals almost every day, laughed much, cried much, shared much, slept in many unique and unfamiliar beds, stayed safe, seen and experienced true beauty, ridden my bike until it hurts, connected, loved, cherished, moved, danced, learned and let go.
And now...it's time to build.
Recently (within the last few weeks), I've been finding that two words have been coming up for me, fairly persistently: Building and Healing.
Perhaps it's venus in retrograde, perhaps it's the ever present rainy fog in the sky, perhaps it's the cold and dreary of winter coming on, begging me to settle in, cozy up and put another log on the fire. Whatever it is, I've been feeling a stronger and stronger urge to stop moving, start healing and begin building.
Let me back up a bit.
I've been on *this* journey for just under 4 months. However, upon further investigation as to why I've been feeling such a strong pull to stop so soon after I've begun, I realized that I've actually been in a transient mindset now for 3-1/2 years. I looked back at all of the traveling/moving I've done in this time, and what I found kind of shocked me. I knew I had a lot going on these last few years, but I didn't realize just how much...
As of 1 June 2007 (the last day at my last full time job in Chicago, before moving to Australia)
I have:
Been in transition/without a place of permanent residence for 3 years, 5 ½ months
Spent no more than 4 consecutive months in any one place
Moved 8 times
Lived on 3 different continents
Taken:
14 intercontinental flights
15 national flights
19 long distance train/bus rides
countless road trips
Traveled to:
72 different cities (at least – these are the one's I can remember...)
23 different states/provinces, (including 4 islands)
5 different countries
And...
Fallen in love exactly 8 times (three places, three people, one child and a cat)
Having now written this all out and absorbed it a little, it's no longer a surprise to me why I'm currently feeling the need to slow down and stabilize my life a bit. Additionally, one of the driving forces of this journey I'm currently undertaking was to discover the viability of more sustainable methods of travel, namely: bicycle and ground bound transit. I've taken an indulgent amount of airplane rides around the world and perhaps was looking for a way to (somehow) counteract the huge amount of guilt I harbor for, what I feel, is an excessively giant footprint I've stomped on the earth in the last 3-1/2 years. Not to mention the amount of personal energy and time spent in adjusting and recovering from the incredible amount of physical stress my body was put under to take them.
That will all probably take some more time for me to fully process...
* * *
...Getting back to *this* trip:
Start Date: Saturday, 24 July, 2010
On the road for: 3 months, 3 weeks
Places visited:
Towns/cities visited thus far: 27
Urban and rural farms/urban gardens visited: 12
Urban housing co-ops visited: 3
Urban food co-ops visited: 5 (all of them awesome)
Miles Traveled:
Approx. no. of total miles traveled thus far: 4985 mi (8023 km)
By Train/Bus: 2115 mi (3404 km)
By Car/Van: 1860 mi (2993 km)
By Ferry: ~85 mi (~137 km)
By Bike: 925 mi (1489 km) (current odo reading)
Bike Stuff:
Carrying weight: approx. 50 lbs gear + 34 lb bike = ~84 lbs total
Avg. speed: 10 mph
Max speed: 36 mph
Longest ride day: 70.8 mi
Days on bike: 11 main riding days (avg. 50 mi per day), approx. 40 small riding days (intercity/commute/errand/day trip - avg. 10 mi per day)
Flat tires: 0
Places/beds I've slept on thus far:
Private forest land - Hammock
Private forest land - Teepee
Hostel dorm room (upper bunk)
Hostel private room (shared)
Various farms (bike tour) - 6 person tent
Various farms (bike tour) - sleeping bag and mat only (outside, under stars)
Private home – bunk bed (lower bunk)
Private home – camping (hammock)
Private home – floor
Private home – big, comfy bed!
Couch surf/share house – couch/floor
Share house – bed/couch
Organic farm music festival – camping (hammock)
Housing co-op – futon mattress
Housing co-op – couch
Crown land (Vancouver Island, BC) - 2 person tent
Hotel (grrrr...only once)
Organic farm cob house – loft bed
Food:
* * *
To sum up: So far, along my way, I've met countless numbers of amazing people, eaten healthy, nourishing meals almost every day, laughed much, cried much, shared much, slept in many unique and unfamiliar beds, stayed safe, seen and experienced true beauty, ridden my bike until it hurts, connected, loved, cherished, moved, danced, learned and let go.
And now...it's time to build.
24 August 2010
Week 5: Somewhat overwhelmed...but still really enjoying myself
So, apparently this will be the blog post in which I talk about everything I've done in the last two weeks in obfuscated terms, and probably end up not communicating much at all!
Everything has been and is going *amazingly* well! My journey thus far has been less planned and more incredible than I ever could have imagined. However, it's all going so fast at this point, it's been SO difficult to find the time to consistently process, translate and relay all of the experiences I've been having. It's the never ending balance I'm trying to strike between being (experiencing, feeling, truly living in the moment) and doing (processing, thinking, writing, relaying). It's not that I don't want to share these things...I really really do. And I really would like to find a way to do it that is not so stressful...it's just that right now, life is moving so fast for me, I'm having a slightly imbalanced time with the relaying aspect.
All *that* said, I am having a really incredible time. I've joined up with a couple of amazing people, Adam and Sam, and we have been riding together ever since the Eugene tour ended 2 weeks ago. We've been through Eugene, up through Corvallis to Jefferson, Silverton and Portland. (more details on each of those wonderful places and our amazing hosts in a future post). We took the Cascades train (beautiful) from Portland to Olympia and stayed there for a few days, visiting a myriad of farms, farmers markets and attending the Helsing Junction Sleepover Music Fest. (also, amazing and magical!) We then took the bus up to Seattle from Olympia. (training and busing for timing reasons and because, apparently the roads from/to these cities are completely sucktastic for bicycle riding...)
So! I'm in Seattle now, meeting up with some old (and new) friends and having some pretty wild and bizarre experiences! (*obscurity warning* details to come soon...hopefully!) I was in Seattle about 6 years ago, and it's amazing how almost *nothing* of this place seems familiar to me at all! Seattle is much bigger than I originally thought...anyway, it's been awesome. I'm really enjoying myself.
On Thursday, we head up to Vancouver Island to attend an Herbalist Gathering for the weekend where I will be learning how to identify and use native, local medicinal plants! I'm *very* excited about this! I've been wanting to expand my plant knowledge for many months now, and this is the perfect starting point! From there, hopefully I will have the opportunity to explore the Island a bit more (there are SO many amazing things happening over there - eco communities, organic farming, permaculture and herbalist related...) I want to sink my teeth into it *all*...we'll see how many chunks I can bite off before heading up from there to Vancouver with Adam and Sam!
Whew! So, all that said (and unsaid)...I'm off to explore!
Wishing you all the brightest light and deepest joy you can find in your own lives!
- - - - -
***Practical Side Note: I have no idea if my phone will work on Vancouver Island, 1) it being an island with many tall peaks and low valleys and 2) it being an island in Canada. In fact, not sure what my connectivity will be like at all as of Thursday and beyond. So, if you don't hear from me for a week or so...don't panic. I'll update when I can!
Take care y'all!
Everything has been and is going *amazingly* well! My journey thus far has been less planned and more incredible than I ever could have imagined. However, it's all going so fast at this point, it's been SO difficult to find the time to consistently process, translate and relay all of the experiences I've been having. It's the never ending balance I'm trying to strike between being (experiencing, feeling, truly living in the moment) and doing (processing, thinking, writing, relaying). It's not that I don't want to share these things...I really really do. And I really would like to find a way to do it that is not so stressful...it's just that right now, life is moving so fast for me, I'm having a slightly imbalanced time with the relaying aspect.
All *that* said, I am having a really incredible time. I've joined up with a couple of amazing people, Adam and Sam, and we have been riding together ever since the Eugene tour ended 2 weeks ago. We've been through Eugene, up through Corvallis to Jefferson, Silverton and Portland. (more details on each of those wonderful places and our amazing hosts in a future post). We took the Cascades train (beautiful) from Portland to Olympia and stayed there for a few days, visiting a myriad of farms, farmers markets and attending the Helsing Junction Sleepover Music Fest. (also, amazing and magical!) We then took the bus up to Seattle from Olympia. (training and busing for timing reasons and because, apparently the roads from/to these cities are completely sucktastic for bicycle riding...)
So! I'm in Seattle now, meeting up with some old (and new) friends and having some pretty wild and bizarre experiences! (*obscurity warning* details to come soon...hopefully!) I was in Seattle about 6 years ago, and it's amazing how almost *nothing* of this place seems familiar to me at all! Seattle is much bigger than I originally thought...anyway, it's been awesome. I'm really enjoying myself.
On Thursday, we head up to Vancouver Island to attend an Herbalist Gathering for the weekend where I will be learning how to identify and use native, local medicinal plants! I'm *very* excited about this! I've been wanting to expand my plant knowledge for many months now, and this is the perfect starting point! From there, hopefully I will have the opportunity to explore the Island a bit more (there are SO many amazing things happening over there - eco communities, organic farming, permaculture and herbalist related...) I want to sink my teeth into it *all*...we'll see how many chunks I can bite off before heading up from there to Vancouver with Adam and Sam!
Whew! So, all that said (and unsaid)...I'm off to explore!
Wishing you all the brightest light and deepest joy you can find in your own lives!
- - - - -
***Practical Side Note: I have no idea if my phone will work on Vancouver Island, 1) it being an island with many tall peaks and low valleys and 2) it being an island in Canada. In fact, not sure what my connectivity will be like at all as of Thursday and beyond. So, if you don't hear from me for a week or so...don't panic. I'll update when I can!
Take care y'all!
09 August 2010
Week 2-3: Sun 31 July - Thurs 12 Aug
Hello Again! After a couple weeks long hiatus from computer and internet, while on the bike tour, I returned back to Eugene for a few days to regroup and then (almost immediately) set out on the road again...
So, here's what I've been up to for the past 2 weeks:
Backtracking just a bit. I do have one more thing to say about Sacramento, CA. As quaint and boring as I found California's State Capitol to be, I did stumble across one cool thing happening in the Capitol State Park. This one is the "WEGarden" program in Sacramento, and seemed to me a pretty cool thing as it was valued enough to be planted in the most high profile park in the city. It's quite encouraging to see these community gardens popping up all over the place now...I'm seeing tons of them, everywhere, out here on the west coast.
Also, here's a nice bridge I came across while meandering through the town...
* * *
I arrived in Eugene, OR via train at around 1pm last Friday, 30 July. Although my bike *looks* super awesome all decked out and ready to ride, I did need to have a few things checked out and adjusted at the local REI after claiming it from the Amtrak baggage check. (While definitely way more gentle than the airlines with checked luggage, Amtrak still handled my bike box a bit rough for my taste. Lesson learned.)
The following day, Saturday, was an all day orientation for the bike tour I began riding with 32 other people on Sunday. This day was long and intense,filled with much information, and also included the starting point for meeting and interacting with 32 of the most amazing, inspiring and friendly people I've ever met!
Sunday, 1 August, was our first day of riding (and, literally, my first day riding any long distances since being in Chicago around mid July) and my odometer registered 62.2 miles (100.1 km)...the first half which was somewhat hellish for me, the second half, surprisingly and delightfully easy. (The path shown on the map is not exactly the route we took, but close enough to get the idea of how far and where we traveled).
Our end destination for the day was Sunbow Farm (www.sunbowfarm.org) in Corvallis, owned and operated by Harry MacCormack who was instrumental in creating, organizing and setting the standards for Oregon Tilth Certified Organic (OTCO), which, in 1990, became the foundation of the law for what we now know as USDA Organic Standards.
Having visited this farm and listening to Harry talk taught me *much* and opened my eyes to many aspects of the organic and chemical farming industries that I was previously unaware of. I'm still processing everything I learned during my two days there and am looking forward to the opportunity to go back one day soon and learn more. Many thanks to Harry for opening up his home, heart, farm and extensive knowledge base to us for the short time we were there.
Sidenote: The basic model for this tour was - one day riding to our destination farm, then staying overnight that night and the following night with a service project on the farm on the day in between.
While at Harry's farm, we harvested a relatively small patch of organic garlic, (so very yummy!) strung it up and hung it in the rafters to dry.
There was also this beautiful solar heated outdoor shower on the farm that I (sadly) did not have the chance to experience, but heard from others that it was absolutely delightful...which I definitely plan on checking out next time I'm there!
Tuesday, 3 August was our second day of riding and took us 36.5 miles (58.7 km) north east (again, not totally accurate on the map) where we ended up at MattCyn Farms in Albany. On the way out of Corvallis, we stopped at the First Alternative Food Co-op (which was awesome and amazing) and got to see the projects they had going on in other parts of the building (aside from the obvious grocery), such as the vertical garden, rainwater harvesting, solar patio and local food plant sales. Having visited MattCyn Farms, it is starting to become clear to me the variety of ways that organic farming is being approached and carried out. It was quite an interesting contrast to the day before at Sunbow Farm, but equally as educational. While on the farm, we harvested their barley field (which was an amazingly serene, beautiful and fun community effort) and then had the opportunity to eat some of it that Cyndi had cooked up for dinner later that night. Thank you, Matt and Cyndi for your welcoming us so warmly.
Thursday, 5 August we rode from MattCyn Farms to John Sundquist's Farm in Coburg. This ride took us another 62 miles (100 km) back down south. (...of which I only ended up riding about 34 miles that day due to a somewhat spontaneous leg injury my riding partner was experiencing that day due to a bum seat adjustment. (She got better with some rest and massage and was fine for the last day of riding.)
Arriving at John Sundquist's Farm was *amazing*. Horses, sunflowers, fruit *literally* falling off the trees and bushes. Edible plants absolutely *everywhere*...tons and tons and tons of space to do all sorts of things in (planting, harvesting, sitting, camping), a broken down old bus decked out for gathering in and equipped with solar power...This place was incredible and I cannot wait to go back! Thank you so much John for your warm, welcoming smile and very educational garden walks. I'm eager to learn more.
Also, I used a bulb of garlic I harvested from his farm in a soup made a few days later in Eugene and it was *delicious*! (If you've noticed a trend here, it's garlic harvesting season right now on the west coast...I *totally* lucked out on this trip!)
Saturday, 6 August was our last day of riding and brought us back into Eugene. And, even though we were only about 15 miles (24.1 km) outside of Eugene, our total riding distance for the day topped out at about 34 miles (54.7 km). This was due to all the stops we made along the way before closing up back at our starting point. We stopped and took a tour of Eugene's
Center for Appropriate Transport (CAT), Maitreya EcoVillage (or "intimate neighborhood"), and Jan's Permaculture House and Garden (Jan was on the tour with us and shared with us his extensive knowledge of the Eugene area and progressive things happening there for the last 20 or so years.)
All in all, the bike tour was a success. My odometer read 197 miles from the time I started the tour in Eugene to the morning I left town a week later. (whoohoo!) I have *much* more to relay about this unique experience, but it will have to wait until another time, as I am in desperate need of some good, solid hammock sleepin right now! (Arising at 6am tomorrow to get back on the road to Portland!)
More to come soon...
So, here's what I've been up to for the past 2 weeks:
Backtracking just a bit. I do have one more thing to say about Sacramento, CA. As quaint and boring as I found California's State Capitol to be, I did stumble across one cool thing happening in the Capitol State Park. This one is the "WEGarden" program in Sacramento, and seemed to me a pretty cool thing as it was valued enough to be planted in the most high profile park in the city. It's quite encouraging to see these community gardens popping up all over the place now...I'm seeing tons of them, everywhere, out here on the west coast.
Also, here's a nice bridge I came across while meandering through the town...
* * *
I arrived in Eugene, OR via train at around 1pm last Friday, 30 July. Although my bike *looks* super awesome all decked out and ready to ride, I did need to have a few things checked out and adjusted at the local REI after claiming it from the Amtrak baggage check. (While definitely way more gentle than the airlines with checked luggage, Amtrak still handled my bike box a bit rough for my taste. Lesson learned.)
The following day, Saturday, was an all day orientation for the bike tour I began riding with 32 other people on Sunday. This day was long and intense,filled with much information, and also included the starting point for meeting and interacting with 32 of the most amazing, inspiring and friendly people I've ever met!
Sunday, 1 August, was our first day of riding (and, literally, my first day riding any long distances since being in Chicago around mid July) and my odometer registered 62.2 miles (100.1 km)...the first half which was somewhat hellish for me, the second half, surprisingly and delightfully easy. (The path shown on the map is not exactly the route we took, but close enough to get the idea of how far and where we traveled).
Our end destination for the day was Sunbow Farm (www.sunbowfarm.org) in Corvallis, owned and operated by Harry MacCormack who was instrumental in creating, organizing and setting the standards for Oregon Tilth Certified Organic (OTCO), which, in 1990, became the foundation of the law for what we now know as USDA Organic Standards.
Having visited this farm and listening to Harry talk taught me *much* and opened my eyes to many aspects of the organic and chemical farming industries that I was previously unaware of. I'm still processing everything I learned during my two days there and am looking forward to the opportunity to go back one day soon and learn more. Many thanks to Harry for opening up his home, heart, farm and extensive knowledge base to us for the short time we were there.
Sidenote: The basic model for this tour was - one day riding to our destination farm, then staying overnight that night and the following night with a service project on the farm on the day in between.
While at Harry's farm, we harvested a relatively small patch of organic garlic, (so very yummy!) strung it up and hung it in the rafters to dry.
There was also this beautiful solar heated outdoor shower on the farm that I (sadly) did not have the chance to experience, but heard from others that it was absolutely delightful...which I definitely plan on checking out next time I'm there!
Tuesday, 3 August was our second day of riding and took us 36.5 miles (58.7 km) north east (again, not totally accurate on the map) where we ended up at MattCyn Farms in Albany. On the way out of Corvallis, we stopped at the First Alternative Food Co-op (which was awesome and amazing) and got to see the projects they had going on in other parts of the building (aside from the obvious grocery), such as the vertical garden, rainwater harvesting, solar patio and local food plant sales. Having visited MattCyn Farms, it is starting to become clear to me the variety of ways that organic farming is being approached and carried out. It was quite an interesting contrast to the day before at Sunbow Farm, but equally as educational. While on the farm, we harvested their barley field (which was an amazingly serene, beautiful and fun community effort) and then had the opportunity to eat some of it that Cyndi had cooked up for dinner later that night. Thank you, Matt and Cyndi for your welcoming us so warmly.
Thursday, 5 August we rode from MattCyn Farms to John Sundquist's Farm in Coburg. This ride took us another 62 miles (100 km) back down south. (...of which I only ended up riding about 34 miles that day due to a somewhat spontaneous leg injury my riding partner was experiencing that day due to a bum seat adjustment. (She got better with some rest and massage and was fine for the last day of riding.)
Arriving at John Sundquist's Farm was *amazing*. Horses, sunflowers, fruit *literally* falling off the trees and bushes. Edible plants absolutely *everywhere*...tons and tons and tons of space to do all sorts of things in (planting, harvesting, sitting, camping), a broken down old bus decked out for gathering in and equipped with solar power...This place was incredible and I cannot wait to go back! Thank you so much John for your warm, welcoming smile and very educational garden walks. I'm eager to learn more.
Also, I used a bulb of garlic I harvested from his farm in a soup made a few days later in Eugene and it was *delicious*! (If you've noticed a trend here, it's garlic harvesting season right now on the west coast...I *totally* lucked out on this trip!)
Saturday, 6 August was our last day of riding and brought us back into Eugene. And, even though we were only about 15 miles (24.1 km) outside of Eugene, our total riding distance for the day topped out at about 34 miles (54.7 km). This was due to all the stops we made along the way before closing up back at our starting point. We stopped and took a tour of Eugene's
Center for Appropriate Transport (CAT), Maitreya EcoVillage (or "intimate neighborhood"), and Jan's Permaculture House and Garden (Jan was on the tour with us and shared with us his extensive knowledge of the Eugene area and progressive things happening there for the last 20 or so years.)
All in all, the bike tour was a success. My odometer read 197 miles from the time I started the tour in Eugene to the morning I left town a week later. (whoohoo!) I have *much* more to relay about this unique experience, but it will have to wait until another time, as I am in desperate need of some good, solid hammock sleepin right now! (Arising at 6am tomorrow to get back on the road to Portland!)
More to come soon...
29 July 2010
28-29 July, Weds-Thurs: Day 5-6
Colorado, you've done it. I'm in love with America again.
* * *
Departed Denver, CO (via train) - approx. 9:30am (MST), Weds, 28 July.
Arrived Sacramento, CA - approx. 3:30pm (PST), Thurs, 29 July.
About two hours into my train ride from Denver, I entered and then emerged from the longest tunnel I've ever been in. It was 22 miles long, took about 10 minutes to pass through, at the highest point climbed to an elevation of 9302 ft. and passed underneath the continental divide.
This means that, within *two* days, I have now crossed *over* AND *under* the Great Divide!
* * *
Not much to say about Sacramento, except that it contains the absolute friendliest HI hostel I have ever set foot in, and possibly the most delicious thai food restaurant in all of California. Thank you, guy behind the hostel counter, for your incredibly awesome hospitality, genuine friendliness and relevant advice.
Sitting here now the hostel lounge room, writing this post, getting ready to get on my train to Eugene(!) which departs at midnight tonight.
Onwards!
* * *
Departed Denver, CO (via train) - approx. 9:30am (MST), Weds, 28 July.
Arrived Sacramento, CA - approx. 3:30pm (PST), Thurs, 29 July.
About two hours into my train ride from Denver, I entered and then emerged from the longest tunnel I've ever been in. It was 22 miles long, took about 10 minutes to pass through, at the highest point climbed to an elevation of 9302 ft. and passed underneath the continental divide.
This means that, within *two* days, I have now crossed *over* AND *under* the Great Divide!
* * *
Not much to say about Sacramento, except that it contains the absolute friendliest HI hostel I have ever set foot in, and possibly the most delicious thai food restaurant in all of California. Thank you, guy behind the hostel counter, for your incredibly awesome hospitality, genuine friendliness and relevant advice.
Sitting here now the hostel lounge room, writing this post, getting ready to get on my train to Eugene(!) which departs at midnight tonight.
Onwards!
26 July, Mon: Day 3...
...of my cross country journey and I have climbed to a peak where a 100 year old mining cabin sits, traversed over 1000 miles, slept in a hammock suspended over a river at over 10,000 feet (elev.), seen some of the most beautiful land formations on the earth, saw some of the devastating effects of the mountain pine beetle, picked and eaten wild strawberries, cooked and eaten in a communal outdoor kitchen, slept in a teepee, peed in a teepee, (different teepees) washed my clothes in a river, thought I spotted a bear in the woods at night (but, it wasn't really a bear after all...more likely a moose or deer...c'mon, it was dark...), cheered on a couple of crazy guys skateboarding down the side of a mountain, visited the ridge of the continental divide, made some wonderful new friends, created more memories with some wonderful old ones, staged a super overdramatic photoshoot by campfire and consumed the most giant roasted marshmallow my jaw has ever seen. And that was just two days in Colorado...Whew!
16 July 2010
Where I'm headed...
As you may, or may not, already know, this has been a year full of extreme change for me. Within the last year, I spent 5 amazing months in Thailand, (the majority of that time spent volunteering with the Panya Project in rural northern Thailand) and the remainder of that time in Australia meeting and working with some very inspiring people involved with these organizations: Friends of the Earth and CERES, to name just a couple.
I returned to Melbourne from Thailand at the end of March for about a month, primarily to pack up and move out; a bittersweet ending to an extraordinary 2.5 year journey there. At the end of April, I began a slow re-integration back to the states, starting with the southern coast of California and a beautiful road trip through California, Arizona, and New Mexico. After taking a train trip from Santa Fe, New Mexico back to Chicago in early May I now find myself here, deliberating on what's next...
***
My recent time spent working with various volunteer organizations in Australia and Thailand have had a huge impact on me, and I find myself thinking about the world a little differently now than I used to. My perspective on what I want to do with my life, and how I want to live it, has shifted.
Over the last few years I have become aware of some profoundly transformational things going on in the regional areas where I was living and visiting. I feel very fortunate to have had the opportunity to meet and be involved with such incredibly inspiring individuals and networks of people who are taking action by thinking far outside of the box, and doing thoughtful, healing things for this planet.
I've seen and experienced examples of successful, functioning, eco-concious communities in rural and urban settings. I've participated in planting, harvesting and being sustained by home grown, organic food in a city of over 4 million people. I've lived (happily) for over the last 3 years, basically car free, getting from place to place by biking, walking or public transiting. I've discovered the immense value of a regular meditation practice for myself...(to name a few).
As a result of these shifts in my life, my experience of living is much less stressful, and way more aware. I found this type of lifestyle to be relatively easy to maintain in Melbourne. However, now that I'm back in the states, I am eager to find the places in *this* country where this similar kind of lifestyle exists.
So, I've decided to go on a self organized, self titled: "Beyond Sustainability Bicycle Tour of North America"...
* * *
Here are some questions I've received about this journey thus far:
I know that you made this term up, but what is a "Beyond Sustainability Bicycle Tour"? What does that mean?
As stated above, in the last three years, I've watched and interacted with people who have made the choice to and are living healthy, fulfilled, enriched lives, consuming few resources and who have come up with with creative ways to live outside the box. I've been greatly inspired by these people and want to challenge myself to live outside of my own comfortable box and test my limits. So, I will be traveling as much as possible by sustainable means (ie. absolutely no air travel) and living primarily off of what I bring with me on my bicycle. I anticipate this journey will also push me to many of my own physical, mental and emotional limits, and nudge me to go even a bit further. Through this process, I hope to discover how to live healthily within these limits, and then go beyond them, without depleting my own resources. I'm looking for new ways to live in all senses, not just sustainably, but regeneratively.
Where are you starting, and when? And then where are you headed from there?
I'll be leaving Chicago on Saturday, 24 July, with all of my gear, and heading out to Colorado with a couple of good friends for a few days. From there, my actual bike journey will begin with an organized ride facilitated by Common Circle Education, starting on 31 July.
At the moment (and this is subject to change, at *any* moment) my rough (very rough) plan is to head north, following the tour in Eugene, and travel up through Washington and perhaps a bit into Canada. Then, as the seasons get chillier, head south, to southern California, and possibly even Mexico! I plan to visit many friends, family, farms, eco-villages and communities along the way. (If you have any ideas of places I can't miss, or people I should definitely meet, please let me know! I'm *very* open to suggestions!)
How long will you stay in any one area?
I have no idea. Maybe I'll find some place along the way, just two months in that really fits and decide my mobile journey has come to an end for the time being. Maybe I'll be on the road for an entire year. Who knows what will happen? That's what the discovery is about! I *do* very much intend to post details about when and where I'm at and when and where I'm moving to, when I do.
How are you getting from place to place?
By way of a combination of biking, hiking, train, bus and car travel. (And maybe a ferry or two here or there if I need to get to any islands, such as: Orcas Island or Vancouver Island) This is not intended as a "strictly bike only" journey, but more to raise awareness for the different modes of transportation we have available to us and the viability of each. And, of course, as a personal challenge for myself.
Have you trained for this ride?
Yes and no. I *love* biking. I did a lot of it when I was living in Melbourne (I chose not to have a car there), and have found that, even being back in a big city that is not quite as bike friendly, it is hands down my preferred method of travel. I have been bike, foot and public transit bound for the last few years, but certainly not *every single day* on a bike during those years.
So. Will I be able to keep up with someone who is a seasoned long haul rider who trains for months and months before every ride? Most definitely not. But I don't need to. I've designed this trip to be for me to discover my own limits at my own pace.
The encouraging thing I've learned and heard from talking with many people who have done rides like these in the past (or who are currently *on* one of these rides right now) is that training happens along the way. Starting out slow, respecting my limits and really paying attention to when my body needs a break builds up strength and endurance very quickly.
However, what I *do* plan to do is get my bike loaded up with all of my gear (as soon as I have it all!) and go on as many practice rides as I can before heading out on the 24th of this month. Mostly to get used to how the extra weight balance feels, how fast I can go, what it feels like to turn and stop with 30 - 50lbs of extra weight attached to me...etc.
I'm very excited about this challenge I've laid out for myself, and am sure there will be *many* things to learn along the way.
To me, biking *is* my way of getting around. I'll take a car if I absolutely must, but I really don't enjoy it all that much, and end up feeling regretful most of the time when I'm in one.
How long will you be on the move?
As stated above, maybe only 2 months...most likely around a year. It all depends on what I discover and where I am drawn to eventually settle. Aaaand, how quickly my wanderlust and curiosity subsides...which I've found in the past, is pretty much insatiable. So! We'll see!
How are you going to fund this?
From personal savings I've built up over the last few years, a generous donation from my former partner, close friend and remarkable person, Zach, (thank you, Zach. I literally could not have done this without you), AND the positive, grounded encouragement from all of you. (Optimistic, supportive currency goes a LONG way...trust me!)
What are you going to DO with all of the new found skills, education and information you've gathered in the last few years?
Honestly, at this point, I'm not quite sure. And I'm very much ok with that. I feel like I'm at a point in my life where I've come to a fork in the road and the fork has *many* tines. I've been reveling in and enjoying this place where I can take the time I need to explore all the options, continue my education, build on my new found skills and let it all fall into place when it does. I have *ideas* of what I might like to do in the future (ie. permaculture design consulting and teaching), but I'm not yet at a place where I feel like that can or needs to be decided.
Are you going alone?
I am heading out on my own and do hope to get some serious processing time and solace during my rides, but that doesn't mean I don't want company along the way! If I'm riding through your area, or if you'd simply like to join me at any point during this journey, please let me know! I would love it!
Do you plan to record this journey in any way?
Yes. I'll definitely be blogging, twittering and GPSmapping as I go. At the very least, I aim to relay my daily travel distances, money spent and inspiring things experienced along the way.
Can I contact you while you're on the road?
Yes. I will have my mobile phone with me, and it will work wherever there is cell phone reception. However, in order to conserve battery life and minutes (as I'll likely switch to a "per usage" plan) my phone may be off for many hours at a time during my rides. I will be using it much less for texting and phone calls and more for emergency use and GPS locating. I will, however, have internet service pretty much the entire time I'll be traveling. So, feel free to email me at this address as often as you'd like!
Where are you going to sleep?
Here's where *you* lovely people come in! I plan and hope to stay with friends and family along the way. In places where I don't already know people, I will be camping (with my awesome Hennessy Hammock!) or hostelling. Also! I am a brand new member of couchsurfing.org! If you are a member too, and want to become my couch surfin friend and/or "vouch" for me, that would be super fantastic!
(So, all that said, uh...do you mind if I crash on your couch/in your bathtub/out in your backyard when I'm passing through your town?)
Why are you doing this?
My experiences in the last few years have unfolded into a significant internal discovery and change process which has lead me to this point. At the risk of sounding a bit cliche, I've truly been inspired to *be* the change I want to see in this world. I feel empowered, grateful, humbled and without fear.
I am doing this to challenge myself, physically, mentally, emotionally and financially. To find new ways of accepting myself and others. To seek out more ways to live with an ever smaller footprint. To educate myself. To discover if there is a physical "place" along the way that calls for me to settle (either temporarily or permanently). To get the space and distance I feel I need to expand and grow. To rediscover and fall in love with America again.
Simply, I LOVE being outside. I feel happy, fresh, creative, connected, joyous, calm, centered and peaceful when I am outside. For much of the time I was in Thailand, there was little visual or actual separation between "inside" and "outside". This is *definitely* my preferred method of living. The less separation there is with our daily lives and the "outside" world, the more we realize we are actually *part* of the natural world, not something other from it.
Additionally, this trip has been partially inspired by these two amazing people who I met while on the farm at Panya: Chris Roach and Hannah Perkins. Thank you both for your inspiring stories and reassuring words!
Do you have insurance?
Yes. Yes I do. My bodily self will be well covered in the event of emergency or injury.
Does your Mother know about this?
Yes. Mom knows. And, while she has expressed some *completely valid and understandable* motherly concerns about this trip, she has also been incredibly supportive. Thank you, Mom. I love you.
And, wherever you are in the world, I wish you well and hope to cross paths with you again soon...or for the very first time!
* * *
Keep up with my movements and progress here:
Visuals: http://www.flickr.com/photos/meggyn/
Words: http://meggyn.livejournal.com/
Snippets: http://twitter.com/meagenma
Networks: http://www.facebook.com/meagenma
I returned to Melbourne from Thailand at the end of March for about a month, primarily to pack up and move out; a bittersweet ending to an extraordinary 2.5 year journey there. At the end of April, I began a slow re-integration back to the states, starting with the southern coast of California and a beautiful road trip through California, Arizona, and New Mexico. After taking a train trip from Santa Fe, New Mexico back to Chicago in early May I now find myself here, deliberating on what's next...
***
My recent time spent working with various volunteer organizations in Australia and Thailand have had a huge impact on me, and I find myself thinking about the world a little differently now than I used to. My perspective on what I want to do with my life, and how I want to live it, has shifted.
Over the last few years I have become aware of some profoundly transformational things going on in the regional areas where I was living and visiting. I feel very fortunate to have had the opportunity to meet and be involved with such incredibly inspiring individuals and networks of people who are taking action by thinking far outside of the box, and doing thoughtful, healing things for this planet.
I've seen and experienced examples of successful, functioning, eco-concious communities in rural and urban settings. I've participated in planting, harvesting and being sustained by home grown, organic food in a city of over 4 million people. I've lived (happily) for over the last 3 years, basically car free, getting from place to place by biking, walking or public transiting. I've discovered the immense value of a regular meditation practice for myself...(to name a few).
As a result of these shifts in my life, my experience of living is much less stressful, and way more aware. I found this type of lifestyle to be relatively easy to maintain in Melbourne. However, now that I'm back in the states, I am eager to find the places in *this* country where this similar kind of lifestyle exists.
So, I've decided to go on a self organized, self titled: "Beyond Sustainability Bicycle Tour of North America"...
* * *
Here are some questions I've received about this journey thus far:
I know that you made this term up, but what is a "Beyond Sustainability Bicycle Tour"? What does that mean?
As stated above, in the last three years, I've watched and interacted with people who have made the choice to and are living healthy, fulfilled, enriched lives, consuming few resources and who have come up with with creative ways to live outside the box. I've been greatly inspired by these people and want to challenge myself to live outside of my own comfortable box and test my limits. So, I will be traveling as much as possible by sustainable means (ie. absolutely no air travel) and living primarily off of what I bring with me on my bicycle. I anticipate this journey will also push me to many of my own physical, mental and emotional limits, and nudge me to go even a bit further. Through this process, I hope to discover how to live healthily within these limits, and then go beyond them, without depleting my own resources. I'm looking for new ways to live in all senses, not just sustainably, but regeneratively.
Where are you starting, and when? And then where are you headed from there?
I'll be leaving Chicago on Saturday, 24 July, with all of my gear, and heading out to Colorado with a couple of good friends for a few days. From there, my actual bike journey will begin with an organized ride facilitated by Common Circle Education, starting on 31 July.
At the moment (and this is subject to change, at *any* moment) my rough (very rough) plan is to head north, following the tour in Eugene, and travel up through Washington and perhaps a bit into Canada. Then, as the seasons get chillier, head south, to southern California, and possibly even Mexico! I plan to visit many friends, family, farms, eco-villages and communities along the way. (If you have any ideas of places I can't miss, or people I should definitely meet, please let me know! I'm *very* open to suggestions!)
How long will you stay in any one area?
I have no idea. Maybe I'll find some place along the way, just two months in that really fits and decide my mobile journey has come to an end for the time being. Maybe I'll be on the road for an entire year. Who knows what will happen? That's what the discovery is about! I *do* very much intend to post details about when and where I'm at and when and where I'm moving to, when I do.
How are you getting from place to place?
By way of a combination of biking, hiking, train, bus and car travel. (And maybe a ferry or two here or there if I need to get to any islands, such as: Orcas Island or Vancouver Island) This is not intended as a "strictly bike only" journey, but more to raise awareness for the different modes of transportation we have available to us and the viability of each. And, of course, as a personal challenge for myself.
Have you trained for this ride?
Yes and no. I *love* biking. I did a lot of it when I was living in Melbourne (I chose not to have a car there), and have found that, even being back in a big city that is not quite as bike friendly, it is hands down my preferred method of travel. I have been bike, foot and public transit bound for the last few years, but certainly not *every single day* on a bike during those years.
So. Will I be able to keep up with someone who is a seasoned long haul rider who trains for months and months before every ride? Most definitely not. But I don't need to. I've designed this trip to be for me to discover my own limits at my own pace.
The encouraging thing I've learned and heard from talking with many people who have done rides like these in the past (or who are currently *on* one of these rides right now) is that training happens along the way. Starting out slow, respecting my limits and really paying attention to when my body needs a break builds up strength and endurance very quickly.
However, what I *do* plan to do is get my bike loaded up with all of my gear (as soon as I have it all!) and go on as many practice rides as I can before heading out on the 24th of this month. Mostly to get used to how the extra weight balance feels, how fast I can go, what it feels like to turn and stop with 30 - 50lbs of extra weight attached to me...etc.
I'm very excited about this challenge I've laid out for myself, and am sure there will be *many* things to learn along the way.
To me, biking *is* my way of getting around. I'll take a car if I absolutely must, but I really don't enjoy it all that much, and end up feeling regretful most of the time when I'm in one.
How long will you be on the move?
As stated above, maybe only 2 months...most likely around a year. It all depends on what I discover and where I am drawn to eventually settle. Aaaand, how quickly my wanderlust and curiosity subsides...which I've found in the past, is pretty much insatiable. So! We'll see!
How are you going to fund this?
From personal savings I've built up over the last few years, a generous donation from my former partner, close friend and remarkable person, Zach, (thank you, Zach. I literally could not have done this without you), AND the positive, grounded encouragement from all of you. (Optimistic, supportive currency goes a LONG way...trust me!)
What are you going to DO with all of the new found skills, education and information you've gathered in the last few years?
Honestly, at this point, I'm not quite sure. And I'm very much ok with that. I feel like I'm at a point in my life where I've come to a fork in the road and the fork has *many* tines. I've been reveling in and enjoying this place where I can take the time I need to explore all the options, continue my education, build on my new found skills and let it all fall into place when it does. I have *ideas* of what I might like to do in the future (ie. permaculture design consulting and teaching), but I'm not yet at a place where I feel like that can or needs to be decided.
Are you going alone?
I am heading out on my own and do hope to get some serious processing time and solace during my rides, but that doesn't mean I don't want company along the way! If I'm riding through your area, or if you'd simply like to join me at any point during this journey, please let me know! I would love it!
Do you plan to record this journey in any way?
Yes. I'll definitely be blogging, twittering and GPSmapping as I go. At the very least, I aim to relay my daily travel distances, money spent and inspiring things experienced along the way.
Can I contact you while you're on the road?
Yes. I will have my mobile phone with me, and it will work wherever there is cell phone reception. However, in order to conserve battery life and minutes (as I'll likely switch to a "per usage" plan) my phone may be off for many hours at a time during my rides. I will be using it much less for texting and phone calls and more for emergency use and GPS locating. I will, however, have internet service pretty much the entire time I'll be traveling. So, feel free to email me at this address as often as you'd like!
Where are you going to sleep?
Here's where *you* lovely people come in! I plan and hope to stay with friends and family along the way. In places where I don't already know people, I will be camping (with my awesome Hennessy Hammock!) or hostelling. Also! I am a brand new member of couchsurfing.org! If you are a member too, and want to become my couch surfin friend and/or "vouch" for me, that would be super fantastic!
(So, all that said, uh...do you mind if I crash on your couch/in your bathtub/out in your backyard when I'm passing through your town?)
Why are you doing this?
My experiences in the last few years have unfolded into a significant internal discovery and change process which has lead me to this point. At the risk of sounding a bit cliche, I've truly been inspired to *be* the change I want to see in this world. I feel empowered, grateful, humbled and without fear.
I am doing this to challenge myself, physically, mentally, emotionally and financially. To find new ways of accepting myself and others. To seek out more ways to live with an ever smaller footprint. To educate myself. To discover if there is a physical "place" along the way that calls for me to settle (either temporarily or permanently). To get the space and distance I feel I need to expand and grow. To rediscover and fall in love with America again.
Simply, I LOVE being outside. I feel happy, fresh, creative, connected, joyous, calm, centered and peaceful when I am outside. For much of the time I was in Thailand, there was little visual or actual separation between "inside" and "outside". This is *definitely* my preferred method of living. The less separation there is with our daily lives and the "outside" world, the more we realize we are actually *part* of the natural world, not something other from it.
Additionally, this trip has been partially inspired by these two amazing people who I met while on the farm at Panya: Chris Roach and Hannah Perkins. Thank you both for your inspiring stories and reassuring words!
Do you have insurance?
Yes. Yes I do. My bodily self will be well covered in the event of emergency or injury.
Does your Mother know about this?
Yes. Mom knows. And, while she has expressed some *completely valid and understandable* motherly concerns about this trip, she has also been incredibly supportive. Thank you, Mom. I love you.
And, wherever you are in the world, I wish you well and hope to cross paths with you again soon...or for the very first time!
* * *
Keep up with my movements and progress here:
Visuals: http://www.flickr.com/photos/
Words: http://meggyn.livejournal.com/
Snippets: http://twitter.com/meagenma
Networks: http://www.facebook.com/
27 January 2010
predatory arthropods and hot hot heat
Yesterday: Stung by a scorpion. (non-lethal. obviously.)
Today: Cured bamboo with a blow torch all afternoon.
- - -
Life is never boring around here.
Today: Cured bamboo with a blow torch all afternoon.
- - -
Life is never boring around here.
18 January 2010
The past 4 1/2 weeks...
...have been completely and utterly non-stop. Which, on one level is fantastic! I'm in a space of constant learning and processing about life, love, relationships, permaculture, people, community, the world, compost, building, gardening, teaching, etc...and am eager to keep learning more.
While on one hand, the last two and a half months have been filled with a plethora of *amazing* experiences and it has felt SO good to have my brain be once again in sponge mode, I've also been finding it really difficult to keep balanced with the varied and numerous contradictions embedded in the lifestyle here.
For example:
-living and experiencing vs. recording and relaying (note my inability to keep up with this blog as often as I'd hoped!)
-community contribution/responsibility vs. personal/healing time
-working on community projects vs. personal projects/goals
-physical/mental exertion vs. getting enough rest
-craving more hands on experience vs. my actual energy levels and role at panya
-desire for stability and consistency vs. the ever transient nature of life on the farm
-desire for daily routine vs. strong desire for flexibility
thinking about what's next vs. truly living and cherishing every moment as it happens (future vs. now)
-planning vs. doing
...to name just a few.
* * *
So! I've been chillin in Chiang Mai for the past 9 days, primarily to take a break from all of the goings on, and hopefully to gain some clarity and peace on some of these issues that I feel have recently limited my ability to truly just enjoy where I'm at and what I'm doing.
I keep forgetting that probably the reason I'm feeling overwhelmed right now is because there *is* so much stuff that's been happening, and happening so fast that I'm having a really difficult time processing it all. I also seem to need a lot more time to myself than any of the other long term volunteers in the community. Although they have all been incredibly supportive and patient with me about it, I still find it to be a tremendous personal challenge in regards to living successfully in community.
So, anyway...About "all this stuff that's been happening..." Here's some of the highlights (starting with the most recent events first):
Motu Proprio: Watch this (amazing) 10 minute teaser for the full length film by Ahooha below. The Thai man you hear talking in the beginning is Jon Jandai, the founder of Pun Pun, one of the closely linked, neighboring communities to Panya and organizer of the Living Seeds Festival (which I'll talk a little bit more about later). Christian Shearer, the founder of Panya, also speaks many words of beauty and wisdom in the film.
I think it is so exciting and encouraging that this film is being made. Not only has it been masterfully created, it expresses in such an honest, empowering and graceful way how this type of alternative living can be possible and successful.
If any of you have been curious about the philosophy behind why I've chosen to come out here and live on this farm for months with this community and learn how to live a fully engaged permaculture lifestyle, this teaser does a pretty darn good job of explaining it:
Other films I've been watching and highly recommend:
The Age of Stupid (with Pete Postlethwaite)
Food, Inc. (with Michael Pollan and Joel Salatin of Polyface, Inc.)
The Coconut Revolution (amazing, amazing film about community and self reliance)
Garbage Warrior
Haven't seen yet, but plan to very soon:
The Future of Food
The Story of Stuff
The Power of Community: How Cuba Survived Peak Oil
The Real Dirt on Farmer John(true story of a farmer in Illinois!)
What the Bleep Do We Know?
Other Visuals: Here's some photos of recent happenings at Panya and nearby:
Panya Holiday Celebration
Living Seeds Festival (mentioned above, organized by Pun Pun. Here is a short article on the Permaculture Research Institute website about it! I had a really great time at the festival. It was the first time it had ever been put on, and was a total success!)
December Permaculture Course
Border Run to Burma (for my 90 day visa renewal)
Life at Panya (updated photos in here too, showing progress on new, natural buildings going up on site, peanut harvesting, thanksgiving...among other fun stuffs...)
Some Random Videos! (don't forget to read the captions!)
Other Stuff: Another thrilling thing for me over the last 2 months is that I've kindly been given the repeated opportunity (by the instructors of the building courses - Geoffroy and Greg - and Permaculture Course - Christian and Richard) to teach a session in each course on drafting and design. This has been such an amazing learning experience for me, and also extremely challenging. I aim to one day (in the not too distant future!) teach full permaculture courses, and it's so wonderful to have been able to start here. To all of you who are, or ever have been a teacher, thank you. I now have a slightly deeper understanding of the complexities involved with this job. You inspire me so!
My Role at Panya: Yet another thing that's been keeping me busy at Panya is the role I've taken on as visitor/volunteer coordinator. What this entails is greeting, essentially, *everyone* who comes to visit, whether it be for a day, a course or short/long term volunteering...get them settled in and feeling comfortable and giving a tour of the property. The property tours have been a great learning experience for me as it allows me to get to know the land better and better each time and teaches me what I don't know and still have to learn about the various aspects of the farm. Another responsibility I have in this role is checking/responding to emails from people wanting to visit and come for courses. This is pretty cool because I get to see every day more and more people learning about and eager to come visit Panya (which is awesome!)...however, it does tend to conflict with my personal desire to be on the computer/internet less and less. Like I said before, it's all about balance. I just haven't quite found it yet.
Learning Thai!: Something I've been very excited about in having so much time here on this trip is the opportunity to learn to speak, read and write better Thai. It's *such* an interesting language and I'm loving every minute of learning it. Within the last few weeks, one of the members of Pun Pun and I set up an informal language exchange, and have met once already to try to teach each other our respective languages. It's really cool on so many levels, especially because it's given me the opportunity to interact with and get to know their community a little bit more. And, it's super fun.
Wow! I feel as though I've only scratched the surface of the massive multitude of things that have been going on here in the last couple of months! I haven't even touched on the kombucha making (Maggs, that book you gave me has *definitely* been cherished and used lots around here! Thank you so much!), my furniture design/building project, vermicomposting, things learned for effective other methods of composting, my experience volunteering with Makhampom (back in November...), the incredible experience and sobering stories told by the people who came to visit from the NGO-NEED Burma, my bike ride though the village where I briefly witnessed a live cock fight in progress (weird and sad), building a traditional thai style haystack with Kae, Shelly and Will, the incredibly powerful and transformative 5 Rhythms dance night experience, the even more powerful and transformative EFT experiences I had during the PDC, the deeply moving and mind expanding conversations had during the World Cafe scenario night...But! I feel as though I should stop here for now (for your sake, and mine!) and try my best to *really* send smaller updates, more often.
I'm starting to sound like a broken record, aren't I?
Anyway, in a nutshell: things are amazing and intense and hard and fun and more full-on than I ever could have imagined...
Wishing much love to you and hoping all is wonderful in your worlds!
Thanks for taking the time to read this..!
While on one hand, the last two and a half months have been filled with a plethora of *amazing* experiences and it has felt SO good to have my brain be once again in sponge mode, I've also been finding it really difficult to keep balanced with the varied and numerous contradictions embedded in the lifestyle here.
For example:
-living and experiencing vs. recording and relaying (note my inability to keep up with this blog as often as I'd hoped!)
-community contribution/responsibility vs. personal/healing time
-working on community projects vs. personal projects/goals
-physical/mental exertion vs. getting enough rest
-craving more hands on experience vs. my actual energy levels and role at panya
-desire for stability and consistency vs. the ever transient nature of life on the farm
-desire for daily routine vs. strong desire for flexibility
thinking about what's next vs. truly living and cherishing every moment as it happens (future vs. now)
-planning vs. doing
...to name just a few.
* * *
So! I've been chillin in Chiang Mai for the past 9 days, primarily to take a break from all of the goings on, and hopefully to gain some clarity and peace on some of these issues that I feel have recently limited my ability to truly just enjoy where I'm at and what I'm doing.
I keep forgetting that probably the reason I'm feeling overwhelmed right now is because there *is* so much stuff that's been happening, and happening so fast that I'm having a really difficult time processing it all. I also seem to need a lot more time to myself than any of the other long term volunteers in the community. Although they have all been incredibly supportive and patient with me about it, I still find it to be a tremendous personal challenge in regards to living successfully in community.
So, anyway...About "all this stuff that's been happening..." Here's some of the highlights (starting with the most recent events first):
Motu Proprio: Watch this (amazing) 10 minute teaser for the full length film by Ahooha below. The Thai man you hear talking in the beginning is Jon Jandai, the founder of Pun Pun, one of the closely linked, neighboring communities to Panya and organizer of the Living Seeds Festival (which I'll talk a little bit more about later). Christian Shearer, the founder of Panya, also speaks many words of beauty and wisdom in the film.
I think it is so exciting and encouraging that this film is being made. Not only has it been masterfully created, it expresses in such an honest, empowering and graceful way how this type of alternative living can be possible and successful.
If any of you have been curious about the philosophy behind why I've chosen to come out here and live on this farm for months with this community and learn how to live a fully engaged permaculture lifestyle, this teaser does a pretty darn good job of explaining it:
Other films I've been watching and highly recommend:
The Age of Stupid (with Pete Postlethwaite)
Food, Inc. (with Michael Pollan and Joel Salatin of Polyface, Inc.)
The Coconut Revolution (amazing, amazing film about community and self reliance)
Garbage Warrior
Haven't seen yet, but plan to very soon:
The Future of Food
The Story of Stuff
The Power of Community: How Cuba Survived Peak Oil
The Real Dirt on Farmer John(true story of a farmer in Illinois!)
What the Bleep Do We Know?
Other Visuals: Here's some photos of recent happenings at Panya and nearby:
Panya Holiday Celebration
Living Seeds Festival (mentioned above, organized by Pun Pun. Here is a short article on the Permaculture Research Institute website about it! I had a really great time at the festival. It was the first time it had ever been put on, and was a total success!)
December Permaculture Course
Border Run to Burma (for my 90 day visa renewal)
Life at Panya (updated photos in here too, showing progress on new, natural buildings going up on site, peanut harvesting, thanksgiving...among other fun stuffs...)
Some Random Videos! (don't forget to read the captions!)
Other Stuff: Another thrilling thing for me over the last 2 months is that I've kindly been given the repeated opportunity (by the instructors of the building courses - Geoffroy and Greg - and Permaculture Course - Christian and Richard) to teach a session in each course on drafting and design. This has been such an amazing learning experience for me, and also extremely challenging. I aim to one day (in the not too distant future!) teach full permaculture courses, and it's so wonderful to have been able to start here. To all of you who are, or ever have been a teacher, thank you. I now have a slightly deeper understanding of the complexities involved with this job. You inspire me so!
My Role at Panya: Yet another thing that's been keeping me busy at Panya is the role I've taken on as visitor/volunteer coordinator. What this entails is greeting, essentially, *everyone* who comes to visit, whether it be for a day, a course or short/long term volunteering...get them settled in and feeling comfortable and giving a tour of the property. The property tours have been a great learning experience for me as it allows me to get to know the land better and better each time and teaches me what I don't know and still have to learn about the various aspects of the farm. Another responsibility I have in this role is checking/responding to emails from people wanting to visit and come for courses. This is pretty cool because I get to see every day more and more people learning about and eager to come visit Panya (which is awesome!)...however, it does tend to conflict with my personal desire to be on the computer/internet less and less. Like I said before, it's all about balance. I just haven't quite found it yet.
Learning Thai!: Something I've been very excited about in having so much time here on this trip is the opportunity to learn to speak, read and write better Thai. It's *such* an interesting language and I'm loving every minute of learning it. Within the last few weeks, one of the members of Pun Pun and I set up an informal language exchange, and have met once already to try to teach each other our respective languages. It's really cool on so many levels, especially because it's given me the opportunity to interact with and get to know their community a little bit more. And, it's super fun.
Wow! I feel as though I've only scratched the surface of the massive multitude of things that have been going on here in the last couple of months! I haven't even touched on the kombucha making (Maggs, that book you gave me has *definitely* been cherished and used lots around here! Thank you so much!), my furniture design/building project, vermicomposting, things learned for effective other methods of composting, my experience volunteering with Makhampom (back in November...), the incredible experience and sobering stories told by the people who came to visit from the NGO-NEED Burma, my bike ride though the village where I briefly witnessed a live cock fight in progress (weird and sad), building a traditional thai style haystack with Kae, Shelly and Will, the incredibly powerful and transformative 5 Rhythms dance night experience, the even more powerful and transformative EFT experiences I had during the PDC, the deeply moving and mind expanding conversations had during the World Cafe scenario night...But! I feel as though I should stop here for now (for your sake, and mine!) and try my best to *really* send smaller updates, more often.
I'm starting to sound like a broken record, aren't I?
Anyway, in a nutshell: things are amazing and intense and hard and fun and more full-on than I ever could have imagined...
Wishing much love to you and hoping all is wonderful in your worlds!
Thanks for taking the time to read this..!
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