Yesterday I was out bicycle riding and got caught in a severe summer storm that sneaked up on me and gave me a heightened awareness due to my exposure to the elements-it was very invigorating on a number of levels!!!

Last night my wife and I decided (ONCE AGAIN)  to cut off our TV cable service and go back to using the TV to watch "selected" DVD's. The cable came back into our life a few months ago through a special offer from the cable provider but last night "I hit the wall" and decided I just don't want the TV intrusion in my space. My wife is very indifferent to TV as she doesn't get drawn in the same way I do and she is very OK with the plug being pulled.....

I am a huge fan of big prairie skies-those panoramic vistas of light and color meeting the horizon, Good stuff...

Yesterday I was contemplating the concept of vitality. I got into this stream of consciousness based on some difficulties I was having  "motivating" myself to get a job done that I was putting off but had to be done...  I kind of cruised through the day in a lackluster state without a lot of enthusiasm.

I am going away for a few days to visit a good friend. This is a solo road trip-not my preference but a necessity based on everyone's schedule. It has been a few months since I have travelled so it is time to answer to the "call of the road" and get behind the wheel and head out of town.........

Today I unloaded my mountain bike from the back of my truck and noticed the mud caked onto the wheels and frame. The image brought a smile to my face as the memories flashed back around my trip to the lake and the back country riding I did with my friend. There had been recent thunderstorms and puddles every couple of hundred feet so there was some splashing through reddish brown water that kicked up on the bike-great fun....One memorable excursion was down an abandoned logging road. We had 4 X 4 up the road and I decided to ride back while my friend drove. The road was very narrow and there was a beautiful creek that flowed beside it. I set out really enjoying the peacefulness and the green beauty everywhere. I also felt "one" with my bicycle as the kilometers melted away. My friend said he was jealous seeing me ride in-front of him as he was forced to stay behind the wheel....I stayed a couple of hundred yards in front of the vehicle and as such I had concern that I may come upon a bear or cougar on the road. Being on a bike my arrival would be much quieter than a 4X 4. On a rest stop I shared my concern with my friend. He agreed-then laughed and said that he had a vehicle and would make sure he safely delivered my body out of the bush and to the appropriate authorities if the attack took place. Truly a good and loyal friend!! Luckily this was not a scenario that played out!!!! 

I have been thinking more about garbage lately. This awareness has come about based on my numerous trips to the city dump in the last year as I sort through our possessions and those of others (estates) and place things in their final resting places. I have been very careful to recycle where possible to minimize the impacts on the landfill even so the shear volume really mounts up and I am still not finished the process. 

A tiny spec of metal migrated from somewhere into my right eye yesterday morning. I had been working on my car the evening before drilling out a broken stud (from underneath the car) and the shaving probably lodged in my eyebrow  Potentially a one in a million odds of falling out (12 hours later) just right to get imbedded in the white of my eye with the result of sending me to the ER of our local hospital for an examination and extraction. 

My wife and I crashed on the couch last night and watched TV. A mindless pursuit at best but very appropriate given we were both running on empty and probably at best 2 out of 10 on the energy level scale. However the evening did provide me with some insights into how I could potentially live if I could get the clutter under control and the Feng Shui energy flowing better in our home. 

Yesterday I pulled my coveralls and spent some "zone time" as a shade tree mechanic. It was a pleasant experience resulting in some progress being made on my Toyota reassembly and a chance for me to be outside and working with my hands-all good.

Eyes: Yesterday I had to go back to the ER and have my injured eye re-examined. I had been requested to come back in 48 hours and that recommendation turned out to be a good one...the wait was long 2-1/4 hours but worth the wait. it seems there was an additional burr still imbedded so the emergency doctor did another procedure and I removed a very tiny spec of metal that was still causing some irritation. My eye feels better today for sure....

A recent topic of conversation touched on the aspect of obsession as it relates to creative expression. Does one need to be "obsessed" to achieve greatness and achieve one's goals and aspirations? ....A quick review of examples starts to illustrate the connection between obsession and achievement. Of course passion enters into the equation. To be passionate keeps the energy flowing and makes one open to possibility and exploration. Circumstance is the wild card? Sometimes circumstance provides opportunity and the freedoms to express oneself and other times circumstance gets in the way. Does the overcoming of the obstacles deepen the creative expression resulting in more depth and appreciation of the opportunity and the outcome (given the circumstances)?

Last week a decision was made to re-commission our camper van that hasn't been camped in for about 5 years or even started last year. The lure of the open road has called us and we will be heading out for a few weeks of "gypsy time" traveling down the west coast of Oregon camping along the way. My excitement about the trip and the reconditioning project is growing day to day

Yesterday my camper van repair provided some challenges that tested my patience. On the way to the transmission shop the fuel pump housing split causing fuel to escape. Luckily this happened a very short distance from the shop and I was able to get there and parked without incident. $80 later the new fuel pump was installed (I had already purchased it as I expected it needed to be replaced) But unfortunately now the van is not running properly? Not sure what the problem is put my "critical path" has been impacted as I try and figure out the "root cause"? Frustrating to say the least but I have to stay on task and maybe even take it to a repair shop if I get stumped....arghhhhh.....

This morning I prepared an omelet (ham,cheese and mushroom)for my wife and I. We sat on the back patio in the sun, ate our breakfast and watched a squirrel munching away on a pine cone. The perfectness of the moment was not lost on me as I gave gratitude for my blessings and the "peacefulness" of my surroundings. 

The '79 camper project moves on. Yesterday I recoated the roof. A job that needed doing a few years ago but put off as other projects took priority. The "do it myself" approach was fit for purpose and probably saved us $400 or so. The longevity of the van was also improved by stabilizing the UV ray deterioration of the fiberglass roof. The van is starting to shape up as the excitement of our pending vacation builds .

The topic of being in nature (and the resulting regenerative benefits) came up yesterday during coffee time. The recharge aspect of getting away from the city and the city vibe and out to where the rhythms of nature can be appreciated is presently absent in my world and I am thinking "why don't we do more of the nature thing?" Like other beneficial practices  such as  yoga and meditation ,vigorous exercise three times a week, creative expression, recreational reading, long bicycle rides and a pile of other "regenerative" pursuits making the effort to be in nature has fallen to the wayside due to other "priorities"?

A decision is made or an action taken that leads to a series of events. A ripple so to speak. Sometimes the decisions are well thought out and executed in an assertive way-other times things just continue to roll along even if a decision has not been made and/or deliberate action taken. 

Yesterday I volunteered to take a load of discarded (cheap and nasty) kitchen cabinets to the dump for a friend. My friend is in the midst of a major kitchen renovation and the cabinets and ripped up flooring etc were in a huge pile beside his garage and I could see it had been sitting for a while. His eyes lit up as I made the gesture and I could immediately sense his appreciation. It took the two of us about 30 minutes to break apart the cabinets and stack them in the truck. 

Yesterday my son came over for dinner and brought his dog with him for a visit. Elias the dog loves to visit our home. My son says as soon as he recognizes the neighborhood his excitement starts to build and his tail starts wagging and he can't wait to get out of the car as soon as he sees our house. His pleasure is obvious and he pours out the dog love to us all during his visit. He seems to soak up the experience big time. My son is working long hours at the moment so Elias spends more time alone than normal so the visit was a good change of scenery for him.....I enjoyed having him come over...He and I spent some time together last summer while my son was on vacation so we have some history together...a good dog for sure....

My home is close to a creek. The city in it's wisdom designated a natural buffer of land that includes bicycle and walking trails that borders the creek. Included are some self guided sign posts that celebrate the local fauna and wildlife. One of the signs indicates that beavers are part of the natural order of things and that the city will not interfere unless there is undue ecological damage done? The beavers have been an ongoing source of amusement for visitors as they built their dam and toiled away at keeping the waters deep enough for their lodge. A bridge was very close and provided an excellent vantage point. This  "natural" adventure went on for a few years without interference from the city until a few weeks ago when we observed the dam had been "modified" with two overflow pipes about 10 ft long. Shortly afterwards we had about 3 inches of rain in a short period of time and the dam was breached by the swollen creek due to it's weakened state. The water dropped dramatically but we thought the beavers would go back to work. They never did. A week later we learned the city had trapped them so our beaver watching days are over. People are upset. I am not sure if the intervention was necessary but we can't go back....

Last spring I "sifted" the previous season's compost and placed the lumps into a pile by my compost bin figuring the lumps would break down during the summer. There was also some old soil that I combined into the mix. By coincidence I had some budding potatoes left over from winter storage that I decided to plant in the pile. They have taken off and now I am harvesting baby potatoes and adding nitrogen to the soil at the same time. Baby potatoes fresh out of the garden are a luxurious treat. Our pots are doing great-the flowers are the best we have seen in recent years even after having to survive a hail storm a few weeks ago. The potted tomatoes and cucumbers are also flourishing. In fact the whole garden with the exception of the tomato plants that are not in pots has really produced....very satisfying as the growing season got off to a bit of a late start and then we had to deal with about 3 weeks of no rain....our little spot of heaven is a blessing...

Yesterday I stumbled on the 'Couch Surfing" site where you can sign up, create a profile and search for someone to stay with "free" while vacationing. There are videos available that talk to people's experiences with this way of traveling. My understanding of the site is you are rated (recommended/praised) by those that stay with you so that other people can get a sense of their own experience if they turned up at your door and stayed for the night...One of the videos featured a fellow that travelled to Tokyo and stayed with a student for 2 nights. Given the cost of hotel rooms there he saved a substantial amount of money by doing so and also experienced some local sites and cuisine through his host. Another video features a women in India who keeps a booking calendar and has quests booked until after Christmas.

Yesterday I turned my automotive attention to my 1996 Ford Ranger named "Rosy". My trusty workhorse needed some TLC to finish fixing a rather large dent in the rear quarter panel. The dent was the result of a hit and run parking lot accident that occurred before I bought the truck which translated into a very reasonable purchase price. The first summer I had the truck a friend and I pushed out the dent but it was pretty rough still and the rear taillight didn't fit properly. The subsequent completion of the repair didn't happen last summer due to my renovation schedule so I figured yesterday was the day to get going. I am pleased with the results so far but much more work is required to get it to a "fit for purpose" completed state. 

Yesterday I caught a glimpse of a documentary on TV that was focusing in our impacts on the environment based on our buying habits. One segment talked about laundry and dishwasher detergents and some of the downstream impacts the chemicals make on fish habitat and reproduction. One of the points being made was consumers making the decision to move away from "main stream" detergents with phosphates etc to a more environmentally appropriate product and the difference it would make to our water quality if even only 10% of the population did so....

Over the past week or so I have been having extraordinary dreams and altered states of awareness while awake. I am letting all this flow and trying not to be too overly analytical as to the "root cause". My sense is that I need to let go a bit-understandable conceptually but hard to put into practice....