Bottoms Up

Along with books, bags and traveling, I should add mugs to my list of passions. Although I gave away most of my collection a couple of years ago, new ones have found their way to me. My one mug cupboard is nearly full so it's likely time to downsize again. Like some of the other aspects I enjoy, I can't really explain what it is that makes me buy, collect or find these mugs, but they definitely make me happy. I enjoy a variety and here are my current favorites: 





Tenny Greeny, isn't she cute? I salvaged her from an old shed. She was caked and covered in years of neglect and dirt. I washed and disinfected her (multiple times) I have no idea where the rest of her kind are. I found her with a cool, mustard yellow cup but she's chipped and leaking so she's being used as a pencil holder. 






Jeannette N. makes these really cool mugs. I bought one last year and was so excited as it was going to be the one to travel with me everywhere. On the way to Parker's National Finals Rodeo in TN, it flew out of the back and landed on pavement. I actually cried over the mug. I loved it that much (silly, I know). I did get a replacement. I don't travel with it. Lesson learned. It's heavy, solid and feels so good in the fall when I am sipping cider.




One of my all times favorites, procured from my first excursion with Leah B. to our Ojo Caliente oasis. The trip was one for the memory books. One night we ventured along the road to Taos, seeing what we would find. We came up on a brewery, nothing short of looking like something straight out of Mad Max (I completely expected Mel Gibson to come strolling around the corner.) The place was one of the most unique locations I've ever been to. When I saw the raven on the mug, I HAD to bring it home with me. Best traveling wine cup I own. And it's still in one piece. Bonus.




I absolutely LOVE this jewel. Given to me by Soul Sister, Carrie B. I adore that she found one that is LEFT-HANDED, which of course makes every liquid taste even better! This is my go-to tea mug as it holds a good amount of water and I don't have to get up to refill me tea continually. I do love that. It's smooth and sleek and a joy to drink out of. I have thought about traveling with this but it usually stays at home, right on the kitchen counter. 





And confession: I just brought this home from Chaco. I ALWAYS look for and at mugs. I don't need another one, I know. However, I am always on the look for unique ones and I really dig this. I am currently into black and white designs and this one caught my eye. It is a Zuni design which I also really dig. It's a bit more rounded that some of the other mugs and coffee really hits the spot in this one! 


As I've spend a lot of time being gone from home this summer, I am noticing that I need to organize, pile and sort. I want to. It's feeling pretty cluttery and full right now, but....it's still summer and I am going to squeeze as much juice out of it as I possible can. I'll linger on the front porch just a little longer in the mornings and I'll sit out there just a little longer in the evenings. The self-imposed, "get it done" schedule is slacking a bit and I'm good with that. I am not nearly as productive as I used to be, but I am able to relax more than I have been able to in quite awhile. 

So, I'm off to enjoy a mug of something cool. I'm hardly a routine and scheduled kind of gal but it came to me that I could something like dedicating a mug of the day, for each week day. Or maybe not..ha! I joke that that the only thing I'm really consistent doing is showering, brushing my teeth and drinking coffee. Balancing my checkbook....not on the list. 

Cheers!

Friends Along the Trail

I didn't think about taking pictures and recording stories of the wonderful people I met on my journey, until the last day 🙄. I met up with Patricia and Staci in Crestone. Very cool ladies that I had the pleasure of sharing  about the Ki energy work that I do. Then there was Brian, the volunteer guide at Chaco. Brian has an amazing story that I will share in another post. The final leg of the journey was where I met this Soul Sister, Ranell Fox. 

I was driving out to Royal Gorge, I thought it looked like a cool stop. I was wrong. After spending so many days alone, in quiet solitude and virtually undisturbed from crowds and chaos, stopping here was an absolute assault on my system.... LORDY! 

Throwing the binoculars in the backpack I walked to the visitor's center and felt my entire being constricting. Too many people, too much noise, too much.......everything. My entire quest was to connect with my soul and the Earth energies. To remember why I am here, to recalibrate and rejuvenate. I fell deeply in love with the silence of the places I was in. I could hear my heart, I could hear my voice I could hear voices of the ancestors. The expansion of space helps me go deeper. The chaos and demands of daily living tend to turn that volume down. 

To help me find my center and navigate my way through rough, emotional terrain, I usually need time by myself. This is not always the case, there are people I trust and that I can process with.  That said, I sometimes need to go off by myself to think, to BE, to heal and release. This year has been so very difficult and demanding. I had to take a timeout, it was essential. Making soul pilgrimages is something I will start doing more of. 

Within about five minutes of realizing that it costs $26 dollars to walk across the bridge and finding the view to be "good enough" through the binoculars, I trekked back to the Jeep. My thought, "I need to get out of here..." 

I headed back down the mountain and zipped right by a trading post I noticed on the way up. I had made a mental note to stop and it flashed in my head as I drove by. I got the strong "hit" to go back. So I did. I walked into a cool shop, smelling of leather. I hadn't done any shopping and wanted to grab a few gifts for my people. The shopkeeper asked if I was looking for something specific and I shared with her that I was. She made recommendations and we began chatting. Very quickly we realized we had a lot in common, specifically our oldest and middle sons. They were so much alike! We shared and compared stories. I bet her husband, Russ and he suggested that we go have a beer and grab lunch! We did!

We feasted on a delicious brisket sandwich, beans and Blue Moon. We chatted and laughed. It was like I'd known her for years. I shared that she needed to come visit in her off season and I assured her that I would be picking her up one of these days on a return trip to Ojo Caliente. We talked of our life journeys, family, marriage, children, future plans, Marco Polo and Google Drive. Ranell has an amazing story, I'm hoping she will write a book one of these days! 




I finally remembered to take a picture  new friend, Ranell. She was sweet enough to jump right in and join me for a selfie! 




This is their shop! Her parents came to the area in 1976 and started the business out of a teepee (how cool is that?!) They lived at the KOA campground across the road. They migrated from Minnesota to start the shop and today it is a thriving, busy business. 

Ranell, Russ and their sons spend their days here in the summer, working 9 hour days. This is their busy season. They travel in the winter time. 

If you are near Canon City, please stop in and visit. The Fox Family (and their cool dogs!) are great people. You'll feel welcomed as soon as you walk in. The selection is great too! I especially love the Navajo beaded bracelets (Thank you, Ranell for the ankle bracelet, I adore it!) 

I am honored to have met such very kind, wonderful people. There were so many awarenesses and blessings that arose through this journey. I do hope to share them and, now that I am back in my familiar space with more to-do's than hours in the day, I'm not sure I'll get that done. 

If you have a chance to get "out there" I encourage you to take it. Life from the road definitely expands our perspectives and helps us see the blessings that are always around us. 

Chaco

I have this ideal image that after a day of exploration, I'll come back to wifi and share the events and insights of the day. NOPE! That hasn't been the case at all, I've gotten up early and crawled to bed pretty late. I always bring books to read and haven't even gotten to those. I'm sharing now, instead of being out and about, because I looked down and noticed that the Jeep needs an oil change. I'm at Jiffy Lube plotting out my day's schedule (or avoiding a schedule completely, would be more accurate.) I have squeezed the most out of every hour that I could. I have taken a ton of pictures, done a ton of driving, thinking, processing and releasing.  This is the therapy I've been needing. While I'm waiting for an oil change, here are a few images of what I've seen/experienced.







View of Chaco from the mesa




Proof that I made it to the top, my legs still feel like jell-o




Stunning view to the east at New Alto

A big part of Chaco is seeing the hidden meanings, often in plain sight.

The original entrance of Pueblo Bonito. The wall runs north/south and east/west. 

I hit the highway...

"My friends from high school
Married their high school boyfriends
Moved into houses in the same ZIP codes
Where their parents live

But I, I could never follow
No, I, I could never follow

I hit the highway in a pink RV with stars on the ceiling
Lived like a gypsy
Six strong hands on the steering wheel

I've been a long time gone now
Maybe someday, someday I'm gonna settle down
But I've always found my way somehow"

The Long Way Around~Dixie Chicks

My theme song. From the first time I heard it, I knew it was ME. I've never been known to follow a traditional path. I usually start coloring the page and then I veer off and ignore the lines. 

Today I'm doing something I've always wanted to do. I'm hitting the highway in a little gray jeep. No stars on the ceiling, but definitely tunes blaring from the speakers. Destination: unknown, I'll know when I get there. 

I'm taking a spontaneous, solo road trip. The time is right and although I have a lot that I need to/should do, I'm taking the opportunity to do something I've always wanted to do. 

I don't know if I'll have internet, I don't even know where I am staying, but the call to hit the road feels really therapeutic right now. This year has been devastating. There's been some wonderful high points but the emotional sledge has been intense to walk though. I'm a fighter though. Bad days arrive and I get through them. I know good ones are on the horizon. 

I've been in a state of deep transformation and change for awhile now. Every time I think I know something or I'm close to my goal, things implode and go south. So I pick up the pieces and I start again. I'm working with some new and different priorities. I have some clarity but I seek more. For now, heading west.