Desert Magic

I don't know how to put my finger on it, but there is an electrical magic to the area we have been traveling through.

We have been spending a lot of time on Navajo land, and perhaps it is a reflection of their spirit, but wow.......my spine hairs tingle a lot around here. We have been simply havinga wonderful time.

What have we been up to you ask?

Welll.. I am excited to tell you :)

Monday-

The Petrified Forest, and museum, and a crazy night in the historic Wigwam motel.

Tuesday

We set out for Gallup New Mexico.

We visited the Hubbel Trading post in Ganado. The air thick with the energy of the past, a trading post since the 1880s. The first of its kind in this entire area.

We also stopped at a variety of picture perfect places......the best up a dirt road ( we thought there were ruins called Wide Ruin, but it was simply the name of the area :) ...we travelled for quite a while. We like the road less travelled :)

Tuesday and Wednesday-

Finally we made it to Gallup, checked in to the Red Roof Motel and took in the old town on Route 66.

Ofcourse this involved a drive in diner, Richardson's Trading Post, El Rancho amongst others. We spent two nights here wandering the old streets appreciating the architecture and the echoes of those who came before, along route 66. All to the tune of the trains rolling by.

So good.

It is now Thursday.

We made it to Chinle to take in the Canyon de Chelly and thought that would be all before heading back to Flagstaff and our friends there.

Who new it is carnival, rodeo, pow wow week :)

We went to a carnival, country fair this eve ( before the mini tornado hit, thunder and lightning and a mad dash for the car ) and tomorrow brings more of the canyon by day, and the rodeo and pow wow in the evening.

Yayayayayayayyay..... I am beyond excited to be able to be present at a Navajo Pow wow. There will not be pics of this to share out of respect, but I will try to describe it well here.

Saturday returns us to the home of Rebecca and Paul and their furries for a few days of all Flag has to offer ( think dry thoughts everyone.......)

We just seem to sort of be in the right place at the right time ( touch wood ) at the moment...such a magical place to be.

How to Survive in the desert.....the girly girl guide.

Okay.....so the desert offers up some challenges to us girls.

The heat, the dry air, the beating sun and the dust....there is a lot of dust.

Here are some of the things I have learned to help you survive this seemingly inhospitable dustbath.

1-

do NOT leave your house, car, motel, what have you without your hat on.

Even if you think you are only stopping for 5 minutes. there is so much to see and it is easy to let 30 minutes go by in full sun and then........HOT HEAD is no fun.

"You can leave your hat on"

2-

leave the polyester at home....you want cotton, cotton and more cotton. nough said?

3-

the dust is your friend.

I know this may seem an odd thing to say but really, when staying for one or two nights in motels, baths and hot showers can be hard to come by ( or at least any with water pressure enough to remove the desert).

Embrace the dust on your body....spray a little bug spray and this will sort of shellac your dust onto your body and give you a really good tan without even trying :)

4- don't let them see you sweat

when the locals tell you TERRIBLE rattle snake/scorpion etc etc stories, keep a cool head

I know you will want to run screaming from the room, but just chill.

I have it on good authority those noisy snakes are more afraid of us than we are of them...at least that is what the girl who hung the dead rattle snake over the sign post after someone else killed it, told me.

Oh and if you hear a rattling noise....believe it and move away. They really are out there.

5-

WATER...HYDRATE....WATER.....MORE PLEASE.

Pack your water everywhere..just like your hat and drink it.

If you are really lucky you will have a good friend who cleans up a cooler for you to use so you can keep cold water handy in the back seat, and your peanut butter granola bars will not melt into putridness.

Thanks Rebecca :)

6- Moisturizer.

The moisturizer you use at home will not be enough.....get a heavy cream, and use it often...the air sucks the moisture right out of you. Especially your feet, and in reference to tip #3...just mix it in to the soup already happening with the dust and the bug spray...its the desert..it's all good.

and finally....

7-Cool ranch chips taste different in the desert. I don't know why..maybe all the dust in your mouth......but they are different.

In all seriousness though.....the desert is freakin' amazing and you really should tromp around in it to really understand just how great it is, However you need to give it respect and never leave for a road trip/day trip etc, without your hat, water and comfy shoes.

Happy trails.

Day 5.......

Saturday......

There is so much to take in here in this vast, vast...OMG...really freakin huge ( but in a good way) beautiful desert.

Our hosts have been amazing, a little like being guests in our own home, except for the whole desert thing, oh and much smaller dogs, and flashflood worries and well.... you get the idea. :) fonts of knowledge about all to see and do, as well as great company.

We hit the Grand Canyon on a weekend that offered all the national parks free access. To take advantage of this, we also had to prepare oursleves for the crowds...eeeekk the humanity.

It wasn't that bad and sooooo worth it. ( Okay it was pretty bad and the group of curiously attired, 60 yr. old umm something ladies that had to keep telling everyone "WE ARE HAVING THE MOST FUN EVER......REALLY THE MOST FUN, YOU JUST CAN'T IMAGINE...REALLY THE MOST FUN!!!!" I wanted to believe them, but cynical me think

s they were trying to convince themselves more )it was still worth it though.

We stopped at the Watchtower and took some pics, then had a really amazing lunch at the historical Mary Coulter designed, "El Torva", home to the

Harvey Girls in their day ( yes I thought about Judy Garland a lot ) Google Mary Coulter..what an incredible woman.

We scored a window seat looking out at the Grand canyon :) awesome.

The view came complete with the beautiful sunshine, a telescope and a cowboy sleeping under a tree in his chaps......sheer perfection.

.

We then hiked through the Tusayan ruins further down the canyon.

A very tucked away treasure deep in the forest of the Grand Canyon.

Daiv played flute to the ruins of homes (their Kivas) and there was no one else around at all.......bliss.

Our ride home took us to a series of

Navajo trading posts and Daiv and I spent a long time talking to a couple of really great Navajo artisans....so warm and talented - so excited to share their knowledge about all things Navajo.

Daiv has found the perfect turquoise bracelet and we heard about the rattle snake that visited the same spot on the Little Colorado River I was standing on that was killed and hung up over a fence post , just recently ( shudders ) I think she "Patricia" enjoyed telling me that one. She did share two huge glasses of sun tea while she told this story and it was freakin' delicious and we were thirsty.

I have also been ummmm shopping and have some truly spetacular jewelry, made on the Navajo Nation to bring home :)

The eve saw us all sitting out under the stars watching the meteor showers and talking over wine til the wee hours :).... really really realllllly good here! Look at this sunset...yup...every day!

We are finally in the desert, on route 66, singing and laughing and stopping at all sorts of points of interest on our way to Flagstaff. First ten minutes on 66.

-tumbleweeds roll in front of us...

-radio plays wicked old 50s tunes

- I sing everytime we see a route marker... soooooooo gooooood!

We stopped for lunch at a place called the Last Stop cafe, it looked like it too....wow......classic diner/bar with double swinging saloon doors and met a family taveling from Venice, shared lunch with them and then back to the road....

This is daiv at a place called the Hackberry General Store......seriously cool, snapshot of time of route 66 memorabilia.....

Yup, this is me....feeling super coollllll...even though it is super hot, but a good 'dry furnace blast of heat', kind of hot..I like!


Awwwwww the open road....finally...all to ourselves.

"get your kicks on route 66"

Seriously...how cool is this place? Hackberry General Store...exactly what route 66 should look like.

WE continued to Flagstaff and settled in to a friend's place where we can daytrip around from for then next 4 days or so....

Today saw us at the Navajo Nation's Cameron trading Post looking for the perfect Turquoise.

We found some....tee hee..... must sleep now...more to come.

Tomorrow is the Grand Canyon...whooot!

vegas part 2

The lights , the sounds, the water, the people...we felt a bit like hippy freaks in donald duck's brain.....but we did have some fun through the eve over fancy drinks and eavsdropping on long lamenting poker players nit doing very well.

The Bellagio glass ceiling

the strip at night..

We head out early in the morning as we want to get the Hoover dam.

Aaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhh

..finally open road and desert

...ummmmm open road????

ummmm???????

Apparently the security checks at the dam and road construction equalled lining up again...this time in a hot car...bumper to bumper.....I coasted, never touching the gas, only the break pedal, for an hour and a half through this new insanity. UNfreakinbelievable!!!!!!!!!!!

The dam was cool..but we did not stop. Route 66 here we come...

to be cont....

Vegas to Flagstaff

We are here in Flagstaff enjoying the tremendous hospitality of our friends who lie in paradise on the outskirts of Flagstaff against the San Francisco Peaks.

The trip started out ineventfully...planes, all on time....line ups......Victoria was fine, Seattle kinda a nightmare, 90 minutes to get through.

We met a great guy on the plane who lives outside Vegas and we chatted the 2 hours away easilly.

We get to Vegas........

we go to rent the car......

we are lined up at hertz ( yet another lonnnnnnng line up ) and finally get to counter....nope...we reserved with advantage..doh!

Skedaddle to their desk and are totally icky smarmy man icked out in 30 seconds. He tries to upsell everything, gets pissed when we say no, too bad.

Finally get our xterra and hit the vegas strip to the Flamingo.

We walk into the classic Flamingo after much open jawed, holy shit, reaction to this crazy town and end up in a line up for 40 mintues before we finally get to our check in. OI!!!!!!

We were dingy dingied, beep beepit beeped out, so chilled in room and then went to Penn and teller.......OMG so great.

We did the strip at midnight, walking along taking it all in, including the water show at the Bellagio and all that jazz... the glass display there was also pretty fab... More to come on next blog...

On the road again....

David and I are preparing to take off to parts unknown in Northern Arizona and New Mexico.

I will blog our Route 66 adventures here :)

Anyone have any good spots to check out in Northern Arizona they can recommend?

Hello blogworld

I can't believe how long it has been.

Much has happened and I have been busier than I ever imagined.

Peter Pan took up the bulk of my life and I was so proud of everyone involved. It was fantastic.

I will catch my breath and come back and write a proper posty newsy thing.

Now perhpas you would like to tell me how you are spending your summer?

Hi!

Just popping through to send out warm fuzzies to all.

It is a leetle bit crazy at the moment, but a happy crazy.

How are you?

Sun, baby ducks and all things springy.

I love spring.

The sound of bees ( just the sound, please stay away from me ) buzzing in lavender, the sparkle of the rays on moving water, the colours blooming after winter-that hit of amazing green as buds newly open.

Beacon Hill Park is a beautiful old park on our waterfront and offers all this and more in abundance. A delicious way to pass an afternoon - add baby ducks, lazy turtles and herons and you have a perfect day.

I am back.......

Hello agin.

Sadly it seems my 365 days of gratitude chalenge has been lost in Peter Pan show crazy but let me just say, I am extremely grateful for a few things with a common theme these days.

1- my friends...I am so lucky to be surrounded with bright, creative, inspiring people everyday. You all know who you are and you are all fabulous to the millionth degree.

2-My Daiv....for all the reasons that make me crazy and want to strangle him and those that make me love him...

3-my family...they are a pretty eclectic bunch of lively, supportive and caring people.

Mumzie tops the list however as my greatest cheerleader :)

Without the people on this list, life as I know it would be in shades of grey.

Instead I live a rainbow. What a wonderful thing.

To Europe or not to Europe

This is my question.

Coming off my 2 months in Europe, I knew I would return one day to continue to soak up all the world has to offer.

I now have been planning a trip with Daiv to spend 3 weeks this summer ( short I know, but what can ya do when trying to get time off together) see Amsterdam and Spain with a stop in London and Norwich.

However, there is the big airline issue over a frothy ash.

I see airlines starting to take off once more, but am wondering if the travel goddess may be pointing us towards a road trip closer to home this summer.... Daiv says Arizona and the painted desert and turquoise/silver artistry?

Hmmm ponder ponder..........what think you all?

day 45 give or take a few in between...

I would just like to take a moment and thank John Fluevog for continuing to make such artful and fabulous footware so I could finally have a pair of my own.

In honor of the furries, a little night music...

It occurs to me that animals should have their own theme songs.

Looking at my gang, I have come up with the following for your listening pleasure...

What would your furries' be?

click on their names for youtube links....

Nessa and she would wear ear wing dread locks

Harlo and she would wear a man's tuxedo jacket, and nothing else.

Flame and she would wear flak jacket and helmut, in red however...

Sage and she would wear.."

ummm nothing thanks....no collars, no leashes..don't fence me in man!"

Niko and he would wear a bandana and a English cap

Snickers has a home...

Thank you to all for networking and helping to find this fantastic kitty a loving home.

Snickers, needs a home....yours?

***Please help 'Snickers' find his home. Currently being fostered with friends who found him on their new doorstep, abandoned by previous homeowners.

Short hair male kitty white with orange splotches......adorable. We are not sure if he has been neutered.

He is fully litterbox faithful.

Young, about 7-9 months or so, great age to bond with people.

Ridiculously, friendly, gentle and playful, a real joy. He has an untraceable tattoo in one ear. Healthy no obvious sign of fleas.

He is not scared of dogs in the

neighborhood, curious about other cats, extremely social, not fussy about food, eats well.

Would love to be indoor/outdoor I believe, but could adapt to anything.

He says..

" Hi, I am Snickers....

I am really adorable and

would love a warm home and a lap to call my own. I started with a family but it seems they moved out of my house and left me behind.

I don't know why, but I am looking forward to meeting you and starting fresh.

I have a really cute and inquisitve pink nose and wide happy golden eyes

I have never been caught spraying and love to chase all manner of things and get rubs and love.

I like being scooped and cuddled and am also happy to just hang.

I will entertain you and

make you giggle and smile. Would you consider bringing me home and helping get over the feelings of abandonment with your love?

I don't have much baggage"

Contact me through the comments section to meet and adopt Snickers:

Hi, day ??????

I can not believe we are looking April in the face all of a sudden. I mean wasn't it just Christmas a blink ago?

I am truly enjoying the early blooming season however. Yay for happy daffodils, pussywillows and magnolia blossoms.

My grateful thought for the day is the happiness felt when sharing it with friends. Share the laughter, the smiles, it simply feels good :)....now pass it on :)

day 44 Daiv and Harlo

Hard to believe this little pussycat only found us a year ago.

She and Daiv have become very tight as you can see, and she continues to show us her goofy, silly and wonderful self, while hanging with her BFF, Nessa.

I am very thankful Harlo came into our world and lightened the mood in our house even further with her hunour.

Day 43 ( a little late ..lol )

It truly appears that my 365 days of Gratitude can not possibly be consecutive days.

However, even though time may pass between posts, I think about this everyday..that counts right?

Today after a busy couple of weeks of show prep, audition prep and performance,

I am grateful that fairies and dragons can co exist in my garden, spreading a little magic through the hollows.

day 42-comments

Thank you everyone for dropping by and leaving comments. It is thrilling to see that someone has read and taken the time to offer their thoughts.

Today......whoot....grateful to you!

Day 41- the Ocean

Really, it is hard to feel anything but happy and grateful to live on Vancouver Island on a day like this.

Pictures say it all..glorious.

Day 40-Sunshine and Daffodils

Sun beaming bold,

yellow

daffodil bright.

I say a quiet thank you to the sky.

day39- Hair-Vagina Monologues

I have been directing theatre for a long time.

I always knew that directing was what I wanted to do, what I longed to do- but I also really love acting.

For me, the hardest part of acting is not being a part of the whole creative vision within the process.

It is like being one piece of a puzzle when you don't have all the puzzle pieces in front of you and trying to find out how you fit.

Directing gives you the whole box of puzzle pieces to play with.

The result of this is I do very little acting these days unless something really calls to me.

A show " The Vagina Monologues" is one that called loudly.

I started by simply auditioning, not knowing anyone involved and soon found myself not only performing, but ass't directing and participating as an acting coach.

All those beautiful pieces of the puzzle shared amongst us.

It was a life changing experience. The people involved, the words, the stories shared with such honesty....

I could go on and on, it was magic.

But that was two years ago...why am I writing this as part of my gratitude series today?

Recently it was brought to my attention that the youtube clip of my performance has been seen by over 22,000 people in the last year.

HOLY CRAP.

22,000 PEOPLE! tuning into to me, acting.......unbelievable.

Thank you to Sarah Kramer for posting it a year ago and wow, thank you to all the people who have watched this and beenopen to this amazing work by Eve Ensler.

For someone who considers herself a director first and an actress only something I visit, the validation you all have given me as an actress is amazing, and so graciously recieved.

I am so heartfully proud to have been able to be a part of this, to have the work carry forward through the likes of Youtube and to be involved in a global movement fighting to end all violence against women and children, forever.

Click on this sentence to view video if you wish...

day 38- Sun and Flowers

It is warm, really lovely.

I ventured outside today and noticed little crocus, snowdrops and even daffodils, starting their journey to springtime bloom.

This while the east is under record setting snow falls.

I even heard a few lawnmowers *laughs*.

We are a little more laid back about the growing grass, the lawnmower is still under winter wrappings.

I do like snow, but I am pretty happy about the sun.

Thank you Sun, for, shining down so warmly.

( My snow dance continues however, I can't help it, one good fall before the sun is here to stay )

Flowers and sunshine....a good day.

day 37- VDay

Thank you Daiv :)

The Olympic perspective from the east side...

This is not mine, but it is so eloquently photographed and narrated that I wanted to share.

Please click on the this sentence and read through the 7 pictures.

day 36- hedgehogs

While wallowing in my noisy frustration about Canada's overspending on this months Olympics, ( this involves status updates on FB of disgust, protests on the legislature lawn and yelling at the TV frequently ) I am grateful that something as creamy, hazelnutty-fabulous as a hedgehog exists to help wash away my angst.

Mmmmmmmm.......thanks for the Vday prezzie Mumzie.

day 35- Water

I am reminded today, after a conversation with friends about their bevvies of choice, that water is something not everyone can appreciate direct from their tap.

Indeed many walk miles upon miles to a watering hole, less than sanitary and fill up a bucket of this life giving fluid for the day.

We are lucky. This does not get said enough.

I love water and drink a good 3-4 large glasses a day. I pour it straight from my tap into my glass. The taste... clean, full and crisp. I do not drink pop, or most preprocessed juices.

Don't know why, never have really.

Water and fresh juice made with that same water.

Simply nothing else compares.

I am grateful to the water that I reach for in my own kitchen.

( I am also grateful to a fellow photographer who gave me the inspiratation for this photo )

day 34, Micha

Thank you Micha.

This post of yours made me smile the smile that was most needed.

Mary Tyler Moore Theme song...

day 33- Frnge

I am sci-fi geek sometimes and tonight is no exception.

This little show "Fringe" is what makes my Thursday complete.

Is it the alternate universe, the science of improbability or simply the dark and creepy locales?

I think perhaps a culmination of all, but I love this show and am grateful I was home in time, (with a warm fire burning and timbits) to take in yet another parallel Universe extravaganza.

:)

day 228, 29, 30 and 31- no guilt gratitude

It has been some days since my last post and I realized I was feeling guilty that I hadn't found the time to make it here and post. That won't do, it seriously hampers the ability to be in the moment and to be acknowledging what is in front of you.

I have now shaken my head, given myself a little talking to and remembered that finding something to be thankful for is not necessarily a spectator sport. *smile* and the reason these last few days will remain quiet-without guilt.

For today however, I turn my thoughts to the female artists that have come before, and to whom I am full of gratitude.

Just take a moment and think about what it must have been like for the women in theatre before the the early 1900s. What they must have struggled with to free their art.

Isadora Duncan, Sarah Bernhardt, and even back further with female writers, Jane Austen, the Bronte sisters, George Sands et al.

Without those passionate and determined women, blasting through stereotypes and obstacles, life as we know it in the arts would look much more grim.

One of these women truly speaks to me and has for years. Sarah Bernhardt, one of the leading ladies of theatre, and whom Mucha used as his muse to paint allowing greater exposure for Sarah and her art.

I was lucky enough to wander through a museum of Mucha's works in Prague and brought home a beautiful silk of a painting of Sarah Bernhardt as she appeared for Tosca.

It hangs beside my bed, shining on as a reminder to how far women in the arts have come.