The plane touched down at Phoenix-Mesa Airport right on schedule and we headed to the rental car counter to pick up our chariot that would take us on our planned scenic adventure through the Arizona desert to our destination in Sedona. My new friend and I were headed to a yoga retreat. Our friendship born …
Tag Archives: outdoors
Living and Learning
“You can’t step into the same river twice.”* Each breath is new. Isn’t that nice? This is your moment to seize and explore. When it fades, it returns no more. The past is over; the future lies ahead. But, grounded in this moment, find your peace instead. Inhale. Exhale. Feel and let go. In the …
I am Santosa (contentment)
I am Santosa. I am that beautiful, wonderful self that resides in my very being. I am not my body. I am not my mind. I am not my abilities. I am not my mistakes. I am not my accomplishments. I am not my roles. I nurture my self with kindness, using words of ahimsa …
Dreams of travel in the time of the pandemic…
These are strange times. I’m interrupting my series of stories from my beloved Maui to write about our current reality. I’ll try not to use words like “unprecedented,” “pandemic,” or “COVID-19,” but it’s almost impossible while writing about the today’s state of affairs. As you read this, most states have some form of “stay-at-home” order, …
Continue reading “Dreams of travel in the time of the pandemic…”
It’s easy being Green(sboro)
I flew to the state that was “First in Flight” for a long weekend. The primary purpose for the visit was cheering on my “Ninja Nephew” at the #nnlworlds2020 held in Greensboro. But, we found some time to take in some of the local flavor starting with Dame’s Chicken and Waffles. Dame’s did not disappoint. …
Lovely Lavender Farm in Carmel Valley
A few blog posts ago, you learned that the entire reason for the stay in the Monterey Peninsula was about a quest to see the purple sand beach. The beach was not the only great “purple” destination. After I had determined I was headed to the purple sand beach, I had a few details to …
I am a Tree
I am a tree. I am strong. I am grounded. I am flexible with branches waving. I extend from all directions accepting what I need from the universe. I am a shelter. I am a protector. I am beauty. I am dormant and resting. A shadowy figure on a backdrop of grays. Learning to appreciate …
Bearly made it through the Grand Tetons
The Grand Tetons National Park is small when compared to the other parks we visited, but it was tall on beauty. The mountain range towered over the grasslands, meadows, river, and forested areas below. The mountains guarded the horses grazing in the fields and provided a gorgeous backdrop to the colorful wildflowers. This view was …
Yowser! Yellowstone!
Yellowstone may not have won the beauty pageant of national parks I visited, but it certainly won the “oh, wow!” award! It is a thermal wonderland that covers three states. The most famous geyser, Old Faithful, is a must see event. She erupts every hour to hour and half or so give or take ten …
We’d rather be roadtrippin’
My dad and I had been planning a road trip out west for several months after I chose retirement at the end of the previous school year. I had never visited any of the national parks this direction, nor several of the states we would traverse. He had, but was looking forward to seeing them …
Dawn
The dark fingers of night with her sparkling jewels loses her grip on time in a fiery sunrise battle that results in a victory for the clouds of gray. Tiny spots of blue peek through with the promise, they will have their time too.
Goodbye, Summer
I’m holding the hand of Summer as it slips into the starless darkness serenaded by frogs, crickets and cicadas. It has left us for a while. I resist the urge to cling and scream, “Noooooo!” because it is futile. I must let Summer go. It is the natural order of things. The water in my …
Dolphin!
In a previous post, I mentioned that no matter how many times I saw a dolphin in the wild during our trip, I felt an adrenaline rush as I pointed and hollered, “Dolphin!” It was the new “squirrel” as this word and gesture involuntarily interrupted conversations unrelated to dolphins. I can blame this new behavior …
Don’t Worry, Beach Happy…
If you’re looking for the compromise between a deserted beach and retail tourist attractions on the Florida Gulf Coast, try Madeira Beach. We stayed at Madeira Bay Resort, which just across the road, with a sunrise view of Madeira Bay. The condo was clean and seemed recently remodeled. The less than five minute walk to …
…The Other is Gold
This post is somewhat of a continuation of the “Heart Prints and Wings” post, but the venue and the focus has changed. I’ve moved on to the part of the song that goes: “…keep the old. One is silver and the other is gold.” While I would prefer to change the word “old” to another …
Dreams with Wings…
Monarch Travels Application Video Today would have been our 35th wedding anniversary. I celebrated by applying for a scholarship for educators to research Monarch butterflies at their winter roosting site in the forested highlands of Mexico. I figured that submitting the application today would somehow be lucky. In the application materials, I included a link …
Heart Prints and Wings…
It was my first trip out of the USA and I was traveling solo. There were many firsts on the trip… Costa Rica… the smallest airplane I’d ever been on… living in the Casita with three ladies I had never met… and more. I should have referred to “the three ladies I’ve never met” as …
Life’s a beach…
Sunset at the beach. What could be more perfect? While I had already throughly enjoyed many aspects of my trip to Costa Rica, sunset at the beach seemed to be promising as a highlight. Following a very rough, but scenic ride on dirt paths that serve as roads in the Costa Rican jungle and bisecting …
Storm Before the Calm
The occasional voice of thunder was deep and faint. The scent of rain was on the breeze as it gently accelerated and alternately slowed. The gray clouds tumbled into a roll and marched closer to the yoga deck from which I observed. Because of the vastness of the ocean and sky, storms could be seen …
Butterflies and Blue…
It’s so hard to pick a favorite spot in Costa Rica, but the edge of the infinity saltwater pool is definitely a contender. The edge overlooked a valley full of flowering plants and colorful butterflies that reached out into the distance to the ocean hues of turquoise, azure and blue. From this vantage point I …
Beautiful Voices
Every yoga practice has been beautiful in its own way. Thursday was about opening the throat chakra. Breathing in the ocean air and gazing across the turquoise and azure waves is the ultimate blue experience. Communication originates here, listening and speaking. The reflective properties of water, particularly when still, mimic listening and water in motion …
Happy Birthday, Dragonflies!
New dragonflies were born this morning, emerging from an unseen water source like a tornado swirling higher and higher, rising away from the rain forest floor reaching above the canopy, dancing in the sky and seeing the ocean that extends forever, unimaginable from the vantage point of their birth, for the first time. Their lives …
Beautiful
I arrived at Anamaya Resort yesterday and I have never heard, uttered or thought the word “beautiful” more in my life than in my time here. While the surroundings are visibly beautiful, so are the people, the experience, the food… basically, everything. It’s the rainy season here and thunder has rumbled in the distance on …
First run of my (new) life
“Hey look Ma, I made it!” The first run of my “new life” was hot and hilly. It was the kind of run where patches of shade served as motivation to keep moving #OnTheRoadAgain I hadn’t run for a couple of weeks. Life was in the way. But this run felt good. Today I was …
Goats and Yoga
I went to a small educational farm in Rogersville, Mo. that holds fun animal interactions including goat yoga and bunny meditation. Their tag line is accurate: where joy and zen meet. Goats and Yoga is a wonderful experience with simple yoga poses and goats frolicking about. They naturally want to jump on flat surfaces, so …
Retired Girl in a Beautiful World 