I went to Georgia last January. I had read a book and become inspired and flown away to a land of history and richness and cultural pride. My God it was a beautiful place to be. Before leaving Atlanta for Savannah, I went to the MLK museum. I saw the sad little row of houses …
Continue reading Idolatrizing the Confederacy
So I just finished watching a movie instead of studying for my state EMT exam, because of course I did. Anyway, the closing line was, "We don't need you to make us feel safe, because you made us feel brave." And I was talking to my boyfriend, and he said that we don't have a …
Continue reading A Note on Fear
I’m sitting at a picnic bench, boiling quinoa, because that’s the hipster thing to do. Also, I’m a millennial, so I might as well act the part. A patch nosed snake slithers by and, despite the lack of venom, I get a funny feeling running up the back of my spine. It doesn’t help that …
Continue reading The things we seek…
There’s a lot of beauty in the world. I forget that. A lot. As in pretty much every damned day. And there’s a lot of love in the kindness of strangers. I think that’s something worth celebrating. Everywhere I’ve travelled, I’ve met people with whom I’ve exchanged a piece of myself. It’s a little tradeoff, …
Carrizo plains saw a lot of tourists this season, thanks to California storms that quenched our thirsty soils and watered the lands. And in the last couple of weeks, it's seen a lot of trampled flower heads, which is a little frustrating. Not that I didn't trample a few myself from the overwhelming excitement of …
Continue reading My Greatest Loves, and Greatest Losses
McFarland, California. A small town of about 13,010, located in Kern County, straddling the 99. McFarland is known for a Cancer Cluster in the mid 80’s, which took the lives of over a dozen children, and its Cross Country Team, which ought to tell you something. When the best sport is running, you can’t help …
Continue reading One Rose in a One-Stop Town
I'm coming home from my wanderings. Briefly. I'm sure I'll head back out soon. I'm too restless not to. But what a week for it. Aside from Earth Day (if you haven't planted something yet, get on it), Friday was the birthday of my main man of the mountains, John Muir, a major advocate for …
Continue reading Chasing Waterfalls
Last October, seismologists discovered a second fault line running parallel to the San Andreas, cutting right through the Salton Sea. Which means things may get a lot shakier than they already are. And so, at the risk of having California's next great natural disaster placed on my shoulders, and at the plea of a couple …
Continue reading Post-Apocalyptic Poster Child: The Salton Sea Chronicles, Part 3
The Wild Heart of Life 