Travelin' Shoes

I am on my way to Utah tonight via Lake Tahoe. I'm in Truckee at the Truckee Hotel on main street. It's a very old place and has a good vibe. In my room there are photos of Charlie Chaplin, a wonderful old dresser with an oval mirror, tall ceilings and a sink in the corner. Bathroom is down the hall. It's clean and comfortable. The rate was really good and it feels like I'm the only one here. Haven't seen one other guest so far. There is a cool breeze blowing through the window but I'm afraid I'll have to close it because the train is about a half a block away and sounds like it's coming right through my room when it goes by. I hope there aren't many night trains....my room is right up there on the first floor with a great balcony and lots of comfy chairs....

I'm meeting with my friend Rosanna tomorrow to do some hiking and then will spend the night with her in Reno before the long drive to Orem. I haven't seen Rosanna since I met her in October last year in Kathmandu. We were two slightly scared girls traveling alone to places unknown and were about to have experiences that would change our, at least my, life. I'm pretty sure it changed hers too but I'll find out more tomorrow....we were both on a similar journey: Rosanna had also put everything in storage and was planning to travel for at least 4 months. She had no idea what she would do upon her return either and it sounds like she's still trying to figure it out like I am. She spent time in Nepal and India before returning to the US this spring. We had some profound experiences together in Nepal and I feel very connected to her. She is quite a bit younger than I and people thought we were mother and daughter.

It sure feels good to be back on the road. I can't quite seem to get it out of my veins. I just want to be active and moving. I have no desire to settle down anywhere at this point in time. I still don't know where I'm going in the big scheme of things but that's ok. I have everything I need in my car and I can go anywhere. And that's a grand feeling. Maybe I should buy a mini van or a mini Winnebago. I wonder if they make hybrid winnebagos. Or electric winnebagos. I could see myself traveling around the US to parts I've never seen before. Maybe I can work for the National Parks as a roving chef or a roving trail blazer.

I went on a day long yoga retreat over the weekend and it was wonderful. It was in a little tent/yurt overlooking the pacific ocean. We spent the day in meditation, doing some writing, some chanting and of course some deep yoga. I loved it and felt so very lucky to be there. We could hear the sounds of the ocean waves the whole time. There were chickens crowing, a fire burning and a beautiful feeling there. After the retreat we hiked along the coast for a couple of miles just as it was getting dark. The air was perfect and the sounds of the waves hitting the shore was below us. It was a perfect Saturday.

Music and more music

This summer is filled with incredible music so far. I saw Rickie Lee Jones on June 19th at the Uptown Theatre in Napa. I got the tickets in February, I think because I was so excited to see the show. RLJ is another person whos music shaped my teen years. Someone had a cassette tape of hers when I was in high school, and the first time I heard it, I was so connected with her. It was her first album, and had a hit single called Chuck E's in Love. That was in 1979. Thirty years and fifteen albums later, she is at her best. Her voice is rich and full and can hit almost every note in the scale, it seems like. She was intimate and open and gave us a great few hours with her. She said she likes to pray a lot, that some of her songs are actually prayers. She also made the comment that "my prayer place is right next to my sex place". I loved that statement. I also love the new album titled "Balm in Gilead" and can't stop listening to it. 

Last night I saw Ruthie Foster for the first time.  I had heard a little about her and then checked her out online. I got such a great feeling about her and her music and I knew this would be an incredible show. It was the small theatre in Mill Valley, the Throckmorton, where a lot of great entertainment happens. I haven't been there in a long time and forgot how much I like it there. 

Ruthie Foster is from Texas and started out singing in her gospel choir when she was small. She now writes and sings her own songs, plus she does some good old blues from the legends and even did a poem by Maya Angelo that she put to music. It was called Phenomenal Woman. It was amazing and almost made me cry. 

The whole show was full of great music that came from the heart and soul and came right through Ruthie. I could not believe that such beautiful sound came out of one human being. The kind that gives you goosebumps and makes you tingly all over. She sings about life and love and spirituality. I am in love with her and can't wait to get more of her music.

Grateful

A friend of mine said today "you have a great life, don't you?". I told her, that yes, I do and I am so, so grateful for it every day.

It's so interesting how life unfolds in such wonderful ways. It all depends on your point of view. Technically, I am homeless and jobless right now, I really don't know where I'm going or what I'm doing, but I have never been happier.

Two years ago I was living in a beautiful house with a view of the San Francisco Bay in one of the most expensive, upscale towns in the United States. I didn't have to work, I traveled a lot, I went out to fancy restaurants, I could buy new clothes anytime I wanted. I had it "all". But I was miserable. My spirit was suffocating. There is absolutely no blame here. I was just in the wrong situation for me.

It was a difficult journey through the middle of my separation and divorce but now that I'm on the other side, finally, everything is alright.

I am very grateful every day for the friends and family that I have, for the place that I get to live, for yoga and my health, for good food and clean water, for my car that runs well and gets me from place to place, for sunshine and blue sky, for rain, for hiking trails, the ocean, for the salad bar at Whole Foods, and for being able to live a very spontaneous and creative life.

I bought a bumper sticker last weekend at a festival that says "Something Wonderful is About to Happen". And I believe it.

Joe and Tom

I was lucky enough to attend a concert on Saturday night that included Joe Cocker and Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, two of my favorite performers for the last 30 years or so. Boy, does that make me feel rather "long in the tooth" as my mom would say.

I have always wanted to see Joe Cocker but never had gotten the chance until now. I first saw him on Saturday Night Live sometime in the 1970's and was fascinated. It's so great that I can dial it up on YouTube and watch it again. It's hilarious that John Belushi comes out on stage and does a perfect imitation of him. He sings beside him and is dressed exactly like him. Classic tv.

Joe put on an exceptional show. He had a talented, beautiful-to-look-at band with him and they sounded perfect. The saxophone player was especially good, and Joe is like a fine bottle of wine. He just keeps getting better.

I had forgotten that the Oakland Colossium is not really that big of a venue, which was nice. We had great seats and almost didn't need our binoculars. I was happy as a clam after seeing Joe perform, but there was much more to come.

There was about a 45 minute break in between bands and it was fun to be out in the crowd on the club level, where our seats where and talk with people who were all there for the same reason. The energy was fantastic.

Tom and the boys played for about 2 hours and did 2 encores. They did not disappoint and have definitely still got it goin' on. They keep getting better and better too. I loved hearing their new music and a lot of old stuff that shaped my teen years and all the years since. Every one of the songs they sing brings back a good time and good memories of where I was when I would listen to it. They have been rockin' out for over 30 years. Amazing.

When I put myself in a room with that kind of intense music for a few hours, it takes a few days to get myself feeling "normal" again. It seems to rearrange all the cells in my body for a little while, and of course the sound blasting through my brain and my ear drums messes me up for a while. But it's all worth it. I have such great respect for people who put their passion out there with such um.... passion :)

Organic yogurt safari

I had a lot of fun today on a yogurt adventure. I was invited by my good friend Susie who was invited by the good folks at Whole Foods to come and tour the new store in Mill Valley which is set to open in a few days. After the tour we were going to tour a yogurt making operation in West Marin.

It turned out that the workers and staff were working frantically to get the store ready to open so we couldn't get in their way, but we were loaded on to a nice big bus, given a delicious whole foods lunch, a nice cotton bag full of goodies such as olive oil, chocolate, pasta and other stuff and were driven about 45 minutes to Sonoma County to visit St. Benoit Yogurt. It was really interesting and was out in the middle of the beautiful farms and rolling hills where so much of our cheese, milk and beef comes from. St. Benoit is a very small operation and each container of yogurt is made by hand. It's unique because they use all local, organic ingredients, it comes in a cool pottery jar, which keeps it fresh and can be returned after use to the company and they will reuse it. And it tasted divine. I tried the strawberry, lemon and plum flavors. It was a quite a delicious little field trip.

Wine is the spice of life

I had a lovely couple of days in the Napa Valley. Susie and I were invited by a woman who was on the Tibet trip with us to come and tour her wineries and have dinner at her home. It was so incredible. When we walked in for our first tour, people were there to greet us, and our names were on the little sign in front. We went on a long tour of the winery, through the wine caves, learning about winemaking and the rich history of Far Niente and ended up in a great room where we were treated to a wine and cheese pairing. It was such fun and everything tasted so incredible.

Next, we drove a short distance to the second winery, Nickel and Nickel and had a great time touring and tasting about 6 different red wines with a nice group of people.

We went back and met up with our friend for dinner at her lovely home. We had delicious pasta, fresh salad and amazing wine outside on the veranda that overlooks the vines and laughed and talked well into the evening. It was such a amazing day and we felt very lucky indeed.

Susie and I spent the night at a sweet little guesthouse in the middle of a vineyard and woke up to the smell of hyacinth and grape leaves. We had a yummy meal at Mustard's and then slowly made our way back to Marin, stopping off at a few interesting stores and wineries along the way.

Good wine is a gorgeous thing and I really appreciate the dedication, skill and hard work it takes to make it.

Loving Life

Things are going great since I've been back in California. I feel alive, energized, renewed and happy.

I have been housesitting since I returned and it's working out very well. Things keep opening up for me and looks like I may have housesitting jobs through August and perhaps beyond. I love the fact that I am saving so much money, especially since I have no income right now. I feel comfortable living out of a suitcase and keeping my life fluid and open to whatever may come. I have been doing it now for 8 months and it feels just fine.

Each day brings new adventures, new people and new experiences into my life. I thank the universe daily. And I thank my dear friends who let me stay in their guest rooms and on their couches when I need to.

I have been busy volunteering for various organizations, attending fundraising events, doing lots of yoga, getting in touch with past business contacts and taking advantage of all the great things that the Bay area has to offer. There is so much art, classes, festivals, new places to explore and live music, that it's impossible to take it all in. I love it. I look forward to each and every day.

Bookclub

I have been part of a wonderful bookclub for the last three years. My friend Christy came up with the idea and it has been a great thing in both of our lives. Women have come and gone but a core group has been there for quite a while.

This is no ordinary bookclub. We are a group of interesting, funny, smart women who care so much about each other. We are always watching out for each other and we have each others backs.

We met last night and it was so great to see everyone again after two months away. We just finished reading City of Joy which of course meant so much to me after spending time in india and with the author, Domenique Lapierre. Everyone was very moved and touched by this book, me included. I had seen the movie a few times but the book is so much richer and such a great story of people's love and strength in times of such intense adversity. It blows mind when I think of what people in india go through on a daily basis just to survive. Domenique is a very gifted writer and I'm so glad that this book came into our lives.

We haven't chosen our next book but will in the next few days. Whoever hosts the meeting usually gives some suggestions and we all decide what we're in the mood for next. It's always a good, lively discussion no matter what we read and we always have a very fun time together. But we are out of control on the food we bring. There is always WAY too much of it. Always delicious but always lots of leftovers. I was wishing last night that we could send it all to the people in India who have none...

Road trippin'

Wow, it's been a while since I've posted. It's been a bit of a whirlwind.

My parents got home from Arizona on the 6th, Susie arrived on the 8th, and it was a revolving door at the house until Susie and I left on the 14th. Julian had been sick with some kind of flu bug and seemed to have brought it with him when they visited and soon, Susie, Mom and Teresa were down for count. Really sick for a few days. It was pretty awful. I felt so bad for them. They all recovered after a few days thankfully.

I was able to spend some good time with my family and friends. Teresa and I got tattoos at a great little place in Provo called The Painted Temple. Teresa got the Hindi word for "Faith" on her forearm. It's beautiful. She was a little nervous about her first tattoo but it was a great experience for her. I got a wonderful Kanji symbol that means "grandson" along with Julian's birth date tattooed on my right shoulder. I am so happy with it and am glad I got it. He means the world to me.

On Wednesday, the 14th, Susie and I set out in the direction of California. We spent the first night in Las Vegas and the next day headed into Death Valley. Neither of us had been there before and didn't really know what to expect. It was gorgeous. We found a sweet little room at the Longstreet Hotel and Casino outside the park and then spend a very hot day exploring Badwater Basin and Furnace Creek. We got back to the motel just before sunset, got our rum drinks in hand and sat out by the pond with ducks, geese and fake deer and watched glorious nature do her thing. It was fantastic.

The next day we explored the ghost town of Rhyolite which was fascinating. There are a lot of remains of old buildings of the town of 10,000 during the gold rush and an exquisite open air museum with amazing sculptures and a labyrinth. I loved it there. So much beauty among the rocks and dust.

We went to Scotty's castle and did a tour, then drove through the sand dunes, and Panamint Springs and ended up in Lone Pine, California for the night. We ate sesame snacks and cheese for dinner along with rum and juice and had an ok night's sleep.

The next day we explored the town of Bishop, went to an art gallery and a yummy bakery for lunch and then headed toward the town of Jackson, California in the gold country. We got a wonderful little room at the Country Squire motel, had drinks at Teresa's restaurant and slept well. The man at the motel was so nice and happened to be from Tiburon, where Susie lives. We had a nice visit with him, a great walk through the town and delicious breakfast at a local diner before hitting the road again. We drove down highway 49 and took a detour to Murphy's where we did a little shopping and walking before the drive back to the bay area. It was such a wonderful road trip with Susie. We drove 1600 miles together and we both loved it.

Now back in Marin and I feel very happy and excited (and a little nervous) about what's next. I have a couple of housesitting gigs while looking for a place of my own. I'm sure it will all work out exactly the way it's supposed to....

Salt Lake, Las Vegas, Park City, Orem

I've had a lot of fun travel this week. Went to Las Vegas with my friend Amber, who was going on a business trip and she let me tag along. It was really nice to spend some good, low-key time with her. We were laughing about how we used to go to Vegas and party non stop for 4 days and now we'd rather be in comfy clothes and order room service. Times change, and that is definitely ok. We have known each other for 20 years now and have had some amazing adventures together. Amber had a nice room, car and other perks from her company so it was really great for me. We had some wonderful meals, did a little gambling and went to a spa for the most amazing facials ever. Very relaxing, and very healing.

When we got back to Salt Lake, we drove to Park City to go to dinner and celebrate Amber's daughter Devan's birthday. It was fun to see old friends and we had the most amazing meal at the St. Regis, where Devan works as a pastry chef. The hotel is one of the most beautiful I've ever seen. It was snowing pretty hard and we all felt cozy and happy inside with nice wine and delicious food. I am very blessed and very lucky. It's hard not to feel guilty when I am in a place like that, knowing how my friends in other parts of the world live. It is beyond extravagant.

After dinner we went to a bar on Main Street in Park City and had some birthday drinks. The same one where I met my first husband in 1990. Weird.

We spent the night at Devan's cute little apartment and talked and laughed and watched movies until the wee hours. Devan had accidentally locked us out and had to crawl through the window in her beautiful birthday dress. It was pretty darn funny.

Back to Orem now and getting things ready for Mom and Dad's return from Arizona. Can't wait to see them in a few days!

Had planned to have Easter brunch with Taylor, Julian and Dylan but Julian is really sick today so they had to cancel. Poor Taylor is so worried about him. I sure hope he gets feeling better soon.

Racy Brain

I couldn't sleep last night. My brain was all racy with all kinds of thoughts bouncing around. When I finally got to sleep around 3 am I woke up two hours later, this time with my heart racing. I had a nightmare about my previous landlord, Tiffany O'Hara. It scared the shit out of me. She was very real, very menacing and very scary. (as she is in real life)

She has been in my thoughts lately because when I get back to California I need to put the wheels in motion to get the money back that she stole from me by keeping my rental deposit. Not looking forward to it or to being in the same room with her. But it's always good to face our demons head on, isn't it?

The circle of life

Majestic snow capped mountains stand guard
Their reflection looks back at me in the cool, clear water
My shadow looking over the edge
a bubble is forced to the surface by an unknown breather
bursting as air meets air
a perfect circle begins
It gets larger and larger
never ending
never breaking
another forms and joins it
overlapping
dancing
swaying
on top of the water
We are all part of this circle
We are all one
Haiti
Africa
India
Tibet
Afghanistan
Nepal
America
We are part of the same family

What happened to March?

Boy, this month has flown by. It seems like we were just celebrating Taylor's birthday on the 2nd and now here it is, almost the end of the month.

I'm winding down my time here and it's good and strange too. I have loved being in Utah but feel like I must get a move-on with whatever I'm doing next. I need to get back to California and get back into my business networks and back with my friends there. I am missing my girlfriends very much. I miss the weather and the food there too. And I miss the ocean. And the cable car. And the wine country. And the live music. And the festivals.

I'm going on a little overnight trip to Wendover (we used to call it "Bend-over") with my friend Sandra and her boyfriend and about 40 of his friends and family. Should be lots of fun. Then when I get back, I'll jet off to Vegas for a few days with my friend Amber. It will be nice. Then, mom and dad will be back from their winter in Arizona and I can't wait to see them. Susie will come out a few days later and we'll head back to California in my car. We plan to take several days and hit some of the beautiful places along the way. I'm looking forward to that.