LIFE'S STAGE

Life in the desert is amazing. I am still in the Texas "mind set" so my time frame is different. Here people are up and going early in the morning. Work outside is done as early as possible. The Camp is a bussle of activity as they prepare for opening weekend (Nov. 3rd). They are building, cleaning, and raking the grounds...

 

Puts a different look to the image of a "Lightworker".  I wonder how many of the people that will come out to the camp will never see the work that went into this place? It reminds me of a play ... the people see the actors in a room and never see the people that move the "set" from one scene to another. The person out cleaning the land is just as important as the one standing on center stage. But sadly most that come won't even notice the hard effort that others put in for their benefit. At the rate things are going this Camp will shine come opening day. I even did my bit and repainted the clothes line poles. They went from a rusting painted pole  to a shining silver one that sparkles with the sunlight. Bob is in charge of the RV Park and men don't seem to notice little things like rusting clothes line poles. lol

Everything is coming together on the lighted sign that Phil is building. He is working on the lighting system today. He has designed a new mailbox holder that he is thinking of donating to the Camp.  It will dress up the front entrance. But before he can start work on the mailbox holder he has to present it to the Board of Directors for approval. Once they see the design he has in mind I know they will approve of it.

Parts are starting to arrive for the trailer. Phil has to replace the o-rings in the slideout and the gears in the landing gear. They are starting to go causing problems... the joy of buying used. Most people don't do maintenance on trailers, they only worry about leaks. Being that we don't want the payments on another trailer we will fix this one back up. I would rather use the money on traveling and seeing new places and faces.  Phil loves this lifestyle as much as I. When we were driving through the Valley of Fire in Nevada he spoke of how he loved the traveling. We have discovered it isn't an easy way of living but it is a wonderful way. I guess that I was born with a gypsy soul. Even as a child I loved traveling.

I am looking forward to seeing how winter in the desert really is.  Right now I am amazed at the difference between the day and night temperatures. Nights can get cold enough for heavy blankets and the days hot enough for light clothing. Bob is giving us the gas heater-fireplace he had in his RV. That is a big help as I am using the heater that I used in the barn for the new born calves. I have to close off the living room to keep it warm. We have an air conditioner heater combination but that thing is like central air it takes a lot of electricity to run it. The gas fireplace type heaters are really nice. I saw one in Oklahoma and wished I could get one. But this was not high on the priority list. I am truly grateful to Bob for this gift. My good friend, Hannelore, offered us blankets to keep us warm at night. It is friends like this that makes my heart swell with love. They are my angels in life... my friends. My life is filled with friends and family and I know I am blessed... I truly do dance with the angels.

Yesterday I went out for a photo shoot. The first thing I saw were the doves ...

 

 

By the way... that cage is empty, there are two doves landing. Heading over to the palo verde trees I watched a hawk fly over and land in a tree not far away...

 

 

When the hawk saw me he swerved away from the flock of doves that he was following. Such a beautiful bird but not what I wished to see after the doves. So when he flew out over the desert leaving the doves in peace I was thankful. This simple act of his helped me hold onto the image that  I  had created of peace here at Sun Camp...

 

 

I am going to close this and get back to dancing with angels... Let yourself feel the joy of life... only you can do that.  Dance with the angels on your  stage of life... Keep the dance simple and sweet... be the "angel" that you are and KEEP ON DANCING...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sunday At Sun Camp

Here it is Sunday already. I wonder where the time has gone. My mind has been in a whirl putting into place my new lifestyle and meeting new people. Being a Libra I tend to want to balance all of my thoughts, ideas, and emotions. Much like a computer I get glitches if not running properly. Until I get back in balance I cannot write... meaning no blog. Once I am "centered" then words and ideas flow and I can listen to my Angels speaking. That said... I apologize for not getting the blog out and hope this one makes up for that.

Phil has taken on the job of producing the sign for the entrance here at Sun Camp. I am so proud of the job he is doing. I laid out the words on paper as to how it should look but he has done everything else. Looks like he will have it up with plenty of time to spare for the Grand Opening in November. Here he is working on it...

Where the sign is concerned about all I am doing is making sure that Phil gets plenty to drink and fix his lunch. The other day when I brought his lunch I noticed a pecan tree in Bob's back yard. I walked back to make sure I was seeing correctly and Bob came outside to say hello. In talking with him I noticed that under the pecan tree grew some young palm tree seedlings. I mentioned this to him and he said they were weeds. He didn't like palm trees as they don't provide shade and take too much water. That maybe so but I love them. The seeds provide food for both man, birds, and animals.  Palms don't grow unless there is water... hence the tended to grown only in the Oasis area not the desert area. They are a symbol of life and water. Sun Camp needs it's palms as they symbolize a Spiritual Oasis... that said I rescued the one Bob pulled up and brought it home. The next day Phil mentioned to Jim about the palms growing in the yard and Jim said the camp could use them. So I rescued eighteen more and took them over to Jim's house. After giving it some thought I know why they are growing in Bob's yard. Bob waters his grass daily and the bird rest in his tree where it is is cool and shady. They bring the date seeds from the palm trees to eat and they also drop some. These then take root and grow. Here is a photo of the adult palms that I took...

 

To me a palm tree is symbol of life in the desert but what happens when the palm tree doesn't get water? No life can exist without water ...

 

 

This fallen palm is beside a water faucet but it still died. To be honest I cannot say rather it died of old age or from lack of water. It sits near the entrance way and I have passed it many times. I see a frosty the sandman in the winter of it's life praying for water but no one turns the faucet on... poor fella...

 

 

Being an artist I sometimes tend to see images of things that others do not so to help you see what I am seeing I photoshopped the photo and drew what I see when I look at that poor palm tree. Where I see a sand "Frosty" Phil sees a "Smurf" lol. But with a bit of imagination it could be a tree "elemental" with a rope around it's neck also. Sometimes I have to hold my imagination in check lol.

 

Life is good and I am having a ball "dancing" through it.  We have chosen to sit out the winter here at Sun Camp Arizona so I am looking forward to learning how desert life is. There is so much to learn. What I know about deserts has been gained through film, pictures, and books. I loved the documentary film "The Living Desert" and now I am experiencing it. Everyday we are given the choice to make life an adventure and we all do .... be it a joyful one, depressed, or just existing day by day... so always remember it is our choice on how we chose to experience life... I chose to dance with the angels and I hope you do to... KEEP ON DANCING...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

BACK AT SUN CAMP

My new camera finally came in so we packed up and said goodbye to the Pahranagat Refuge Wednesday.  We were camped at the Upper Lake. As we were leaving I noticed the middle lake was almost a dry lake bed. When we got to the lower lake the methane gas was really nasty. Even the girls started sneezing. The lower lake was extremely dry and the mosses were rotting causing the smell. But as we were leaving we noticed the park crew down at the main water drain so maybe they are going to open the valves and let the water back in. We were told that the lakes are fed by warm springs but that the farmers used the water for their hay fields. Hay season is over so hopefully the lakes will fill for the thousands of waterfowl and animals that depend on it. We left on Hwy 93 and started our cross country trip when we reached Hwy 168. Stayed on that road headed toward Las Vegas until we reached the Valley of Fire Hwy.... what a trip...

 

The highway started out bad. It needed paving and was like riding on waves, up and down. There were places that the sand was coming across the road.  Once we reached the National Park the road was great as you can see in the upper photo. In looking at the area I wondered if it was a strip of red terra cotta clay that ran all the way through to Sedona and on up into the Garden of the Gods in Colorado. The formations are similar.

Here are some photos I took as we passed through this wonderous valley. The first photo is Phil's bunny rabbit lol...

 

It is part of the "beehive" formations... Here are more formations as we past through...

 

 

 

 

 

 

We saw miles and miles of red rock formations ...

 

 

Even after we left the National Park there were spots of the same terra cotta clay as shown in the photo below... which I have titled "Gods Painting"...

 

 

The photo cannot compare to what the eye sees when you look out over this creation of nature. It is magnificent.

 

Leaving the Valley of Fire we turned right onto Hwy 169 which is also known as North Shore Drive. It begins our trip around Lake Mead and by passing Las Vegas. Everyone we talked to said there was no way to get to Phoenix without going through Las Vegas. But the map told us differently. We are glad that we chose our own route because the landscape was fan-n-n-tastic.

 

 

As we went around Lake Mead leaving Nevada and going into Arizona we couldn't help but see that the lake level was really down...

 

 

We made it all the way to a little town called Wikieup below Kingman on Arizona highway 93. There we pulled into a little deli/cafe to get something to eat. Before we could make up our mind to go in the owner came out to greet us and ask if we were looking to stay the night. That was a surprise so we looked at each other and agreed, "why not"? So we followed his lead going past the "big snake" into the rv park behind the cafe to spend the night...

 

 

The next morning we finished out journey back to Sun Camp in Tonapah, Arizona. Pulling into the campground late in the afternoon. This morning we finished setting up and after resting we are set to go again. The last couple of months have shown to both of us that we made the right choice in our life... we are truly dancing with the Angels... and we love it!

 

It doesn't matter what you are doing in life... Become an active participant rather than a contented spectator.... get up and dance!...

 

 

 

 

 

 



A DESERT OASIS

Looks like our dance has turned into a slow waltz. We are staying at this campgrounds until the new camera that Phil ordered come in. Looks like it may be another week before that happens. While waiting and killing time I decided to see what was on the internet about this area. The pictures of this lake have been enlightening. Makes me realize just how much the climate change has changed the lake. The water level is down many feet. Leaving the large cottonwood trees dying from lack of water. What I find sad is that this is happening all over the areas that we have traveled. I am aware that old trees die but this isn't just here and there... it is everywhere. It is the same thing that I saw happening on our land in central Texas. The trees are dying from lack of water and the bark start falling off, along with large limbs. The drought is hurting all of America and it is time the debating to stop and action to be taken before it is too late. It is time for Climate Change to take place in the mind's of man and let's get the climate back to being healthy for man, animals, and plants. We have the power within us to do this... Mind is the creative force with us. Meanwhile, the climate is changing nature. Food for thought.

This is such a beautiful desert oasis for both man and nature. There are so many ducks, geese and birds already here on the lake that the visitors spend the night and fly away in the morning. We have seen this in the sandhill cranes and ducks that come in large groups. I worry that if this drought continues will this be gone in the future? I pray not.

I've borrowed Phil's pocket camera to get a few photos to post. The fall is beginning to show and the area is georgous...

 

 

 

It is hard to believe when looking at these pictures that just outside this refugue there is desert...

 

 

And if I look into the other direction just across the road (Hwy 93) there is Area 51. Groom lake is located just about where the moon is in the below photo..

 

I discovered this fact when I was researching the area on the internet. Here is a map that shows the area... 

 

Maybe this explains the sonic booms that shake the ground. At first I thought a earthquake had taken place as the trailer was shaken but Phil clued me in on what was taken place. The ducks and geese seem used to it as it doesn't seem to effect them. I read on the internet where the air space above that area is restricted all the way into space. If so, then that leads me to believe the sonic booms are coming from there. Interesting...

 

This is such a beautiful place with all the birds. The geese have begun to get used to us and are coming in closer now. They are magnificent birds. Phil has been sitting out at the picnic table working on his wood working and enjoying the wildlife. I found a pocket knife with a broken handle at the Cove Campgrounds in Idaho and he fixed it. He took a piece of Russian Olive branch and created a new handle. It is georgous and well balanced. He really impressed me with his work on that knife. Here he is working on the project...

 

 

I found that we are boondocking in style. While in Las Vegas he bought a rubber water bag that holds 45 gallons. Then he discovered that the generator will run the washing machine. I didn't try the dryer. I was able to do most of the wash and get it dried in the sunshine.  I have the clothes rack that hooks onto the ladder on the rear of the trailer so didn't need to run a clothes line to dry the wash. Out here in the middle of no where there is no laundrymat. Sometimes it is the little things in life that really matter and clean clothes is one of them... lol .

 

So even though we have slowed down to a slow waltz we are still dancing with angels ... don't forget whatever the beat ... keep on dancing...