Skipper Sails: Oh be joyful!

Here I am lying in the sun in the stifling desert heat. Taking it all in. Sometimes the desire to pull over on the side of the highway and explore is undeniable. The air is thick with the smell of creosote and I am taken back to my elemental roots. The desert is a magic land of twisted plant bodies and glittering sand. There is no where I'd rather be in this moment. We are just outside of Valyermo (spell check) California on the "Big Pine" highway. Indeed the road was full of sprawling hills and pine trees as far as the eye could see. But we've dropped in elevation and now head north back to the land of the ancient giants, the Sequoias. Their name precedes them. I cannot wait to hug one of their big red trunks and get lost in their history. Only looking up at the stars at night can make you feel so small. I am feeling very inspired at the moment but I must digress, as we have not spoken in some time ;)

We had a wonderful time in Southern California. It was full of learning and growth. We got to hang with one of the kindest people we know, who showed us around in style. We went to a full moon drum circle, swam in the ocean, learned to surf, ate some delicious food, and met some beautiful people along the way.

Later, we went on to San Juan Capistrano, which I've told you a bit about in a previous post. It was very nice to see some family and feel the comfort of being around them. Keith taught us so much when it came to installing the solar panel on our trailer. We had no idea what a huge endeavor we were getting ourselves into! He literally stayed up all night helping us instal it with new batteries, wiring, inverters, the whole 9 yards. We are pumping in more energy than we can use right now and we are so happy to be truly off the grid! We cannot thank Keith enough for his determination, patience and general know-how!

We even got the delight to go to Disneyland while we were in Southern California. Sue works for the horticulture department there and was kind enough to sign us in for a day. It was a once in a lifetime experience and the people watching was top-notch ;) we rode lots of rides and had a blast.

Then we went to Santa Monica for the night where my friend Kristin happened to be visiting an art school she got into for grad school called Otis. She will be one of 12 students in her department. We're so proud of you and happy for you Kristin!! It was so nice seeing her and going back to our old sense of humor, taking pictures in a photobooth and laughing so hard that beer came out of my nose! Much love and luck to that sweet girl.

But here I am writing when I should be dancing in the desert. I hope you understand, and I'm sure we'll talk again soon :)

Kyle feeling small in a bugs world at Disney land!