The sands of time have been swirling around me like a twister out of control. I feel the relief of serenity daily yet it is a false sense of serene existence as the eye of the storm briefly passes over me then I'm sucked into the wash of the twister once more to be abrasively sandblasted clean. Seems God wants me to start completely fresh and new now that I've dumped out those truckloads of issues. I had mentioned in my last post.
I've been literally swept clean by pristine white quartz sand at the St. Anthony Sand Dunes in Idaho. I'm not complaining at all, quite the contrary. There's something SensUaL about fluid movement afforded through dance, water and RAIN. The sand in all its solidity is no less fluid than an ocean with its white caped ridges, gentle ripples, and rolling waves. It beckons you to dive in and swim yet there is no refreshing water save for the sweat that beads upon your skin. The hot sun kissed hills of these white sand dunes are no less SensUaL or cleansing than a bath in the salty ocean.
Don't know what I mean?
The next time you fill a tub to take a bath, stand under a rain shower, or go swimming note the way the water plays upon you, its fluid movement like fire is mesmerizing in that it has a life of its own. It is pleasing to the soul and inviting to the dreamer in all of us.
I liken these dunes to a playground made of sand. There are no concrete surfaces, woodchips, jungle gyms or other customary items at this playground. You must use your imagination when playing in this sandbox, I longed to roll across, slide down, surf the waves and skim the ridges of my newfound sandbox.
I wanted so badly to strip to my bikini and lay in the sun but I was with my son, my Ty, Ty's brother Brian and Marco from Holland. I didn't think it would be appropriate given the male to female ratio. Had there been a Big Blue Ocean on the other side of one of those ridges though there'd of been no stopping me!
As it was there was a small pond, some would call it a lake, that we stopped at where I got to go barefoot in the sand and wade out in the shallow waters. It was a tease in the heat of the day to not have a suit to go swimming. Again it would have been inappropriate to strip down to my skivvies given the company I was with and my son and Ty both would have been disappointed in me to say the least had I indulged my desire to dive in. It was so hot I actually thought about diving in fully clothed.
Because we were on ATV's with hot exhausts it was necessary to wear long pants. This added to the already hot desert heat of the midday sun. We rode until we became bored or found a great curl then stopped to take video footage. This became a routine and most of it is of Tyler and Spencer mobbing the sand dunes and jumping the ridges on their Motorcycles which were much more maneuverable than the bulky ATV's. I have one of me doing a baby wheelie as I gave the last bit of throttle to the DS650 making it rear up as I crested the top of a long steep tsunami. That was nothing compared to the 12 feet of air Spence and Ty would get as they sailed across the dunes. With the bikes, they could surf those big ones sideways so long as they kept their speed up; they looked like surfers on those 50-foot swells in Hawaii. The blue skys above felt like the ocean turned upside down and gave plenty of photo ops.
The winds of change were prevalent the entire time we were there and our first night 8/8/08 a magnificent Thunder and Lightening show danced across the terrain. There was sheet lightening and violent slashes of narrow neon streaks that cut through the blackened darkness of night. It was AWESOME!
We met a few colorful characters along our trek to the dunes.
A man named Wal-E...well his name was Wallie but we all remembered it because of the recent movie by the same name about the robot. You would have to see it to understand. Anyway, Wal-E looked like a character you would find in the older movies Mad Max or Thunder Dome, come to think of it, maybe even out of Water World.
Wal-E was definitely a nice Guy! He was slight of stature and obviously a man who had seen most of his life in the sun. He had white hair, a dune buggy/sand rail he had made himself that was quite colorful in its own right, an old sage green sock around his water bottle for insulation and that ever-versitle silver duck tape wrapped around the sides of his glasses to form his very own home made set of goggles. We met up with him somewhere out on the sand dunes during one of our stop and fix the Raptor (atv) rests. He was helpful and alone so it was a win win situation when he asked if he could travel along with us incase anything happened to his ride so that we could assist him.
Wal-E was no less at home in the dunes than an experienced surfer is on their board when the "surfs up." During one stop for a water break from our camel packs, I got a bit of footage of this interesting man but the camera didn't function right so I didn't get the one I really wanted which was of Wal-E taking off his cap to reveal a closer inspection of his "goggles." Not only did he have tape on the sides but also across the top just like any pair of "Good" goggles his were suctioned to his head or should I say TAPED.
gOTTa smile at that one!
That's the same stop I noticed his sock insulated water bottle, HonestLY who wouldn't love a man in his 60's, 70's with that kind of ingenuity? Couldn't help but be proud to have met him. Our only regret was when we went back to find him at his campsite he'd already left so getting his contact info to invite him along the next time we find ourselves headed to the dunes isn't gonna happen. We'll keep our eyes and ears open to his where abouts though and if we do cross paths again you can bet we'll get that info first thing.
The second night there Tyler and I went out for a midnight ride on the dunes. I manifested my fantasy and felt that cooling sand like the soothing sea against my skin while bathing under a school of stars that swam above me in the vast ocean of the universe.
Sexual, Sensual, Sweet...a moment in the eye of the storm.
On our return home we stopped at the Rexburg Outdoor Sports Center where Spencer dreamed of a new ride and Tyler actually tried to attain a new Hybusa rocket.
I guess the dunes did bring out the dreamer in all of us.
We made another stop in Ledor at our friends home who are considered like family where another colorful character (Darvey) was introduced to me. I captured him on video as well while he recited a famous poem by heart...to sleep per chance to dream. There's the dreamer again.
He ought to be in movies with his voice, stature, and candid character. Interesting man and a warm comforting smile.
We didn't make it out of there without three boxes of food (rations) as only family/friends that close and caring will do. Their only qualm was that we hadn't stopped by on our way to the dunes.
Our hour visit nearly turned into an all nighter. Janet showed us her garden and green house full of healthy looking plants and Steve gave us a jar each of plum and nectarine jam. My response when I tasted them was, "oh my God" they tasted like fresh fruit complete with chunks...yum!
While we were there Tyler got to shoot Darvey's old pirates single shot twice which I also got on video, I didn't know they actually throw a flash of flame as the powder ignites and leaves the barrel. It was kinda kool.
I haven't had much time to write since I got back, life in the real world took hold of me, grabbed me by the ankles and spun me around.
I had one moment of escape when Ty and I stopped by Napolitani's in Hamilton for lunch and to visit Erica my friend and owner of the restaurant. She wasn't open yet but we talked and decided to go back for an early dinner; Erica's home made garlic bread in a an herb dipping sauce, calamari, dinner salad, crab ravioli in a creamy roasted red pepper sauce and a good bottle of red wine. Escape from reality accomplished again in the "eye of the storm."
I type this at 2:21AM to the sound of what appears to be the Pacific Ocean waves laping at the shore but it is only the wind blowing through the mountain treetops outside my home. The wind half whistles and half howls as it whisks through the windows I've left cracked open in a feeble effort to cool down my "tree house" aka guesthouse. The storm rages on around me but I've managed the last few days to pace myself so that I'm able to reside at peace and with serenity in the eye for a time.
I miss my oldest son he is in a storm of his own or perhaps he is the storm. He is bold and beautiful. He's traveling in an attempt to find himself with a new love and a new life. My concern is where he lye's, not only his precious head but also his subtle and emotional bodies. I pray the eye of this storm finds him at peace and landed on solid ground.
My other two boys are well, I take solice in that. Time spent laughing, playing, talking, and hugging them is time well spent away from work. It is the Reality I Enjoy the most...like the other day when it was still 94 degrees at 6:00PM so I, they and a group of others went down to a favorite spot to swim in the Bitterroot River.
Tucker and Toby floated down the current on a log they used for a raft then Spencer joined them.
Tyler and Ryan climbed up the partially dismantled historic old "Silver Bridge" and walked across the top to the other side. I got that on video too, something that wont be able to happen again now that its been replaced with the new cement monolithic bridge necessary for the four lane highway. In some ways its sad to see the old go but the new is already lined with swallows nests and provides an expanse of shade that is welcome on these "dog days of summer"....another "eye of the storm" momment.
I've chosen to leave out the damage that the storm has left in its wake, it's nothing I cannot repair but there is damage none-the-less. I've knocked a few people out with my flailing arms and legs as the storm spun me around and I'll have to repair those relationships over time. I've neglected a few priorities due to the dizzying affect it has had on my psyche but I'll manage to catch up, again, over time. If you're someone I neglected or knocked out I appologize publicly but for now, I will live my life according to one of my mottos:
"Life is what you make of it, make it GOOD!"
I'm going to sleep now
per chance to dream
of good things
to come.
;-) Rain
August 8th - 11th was spent at St. Anthony Sand Dunes riding ATV's and Motorcycles across endless seas of white quartz sand. Being born and raised three blocks from the ocean, I kept expecting to see the vast Pacific just over the crest of each hill but alas, there are no oceans in Idaho. This big kids "sandbox" has plenty of room for all your friends and their friends too. It boasts 35 miles x 5 miles of beautiful pristine sand that are swept clean of all tracks on pretty close to an hourly basis. Hot, you bet! Not just in temperature, I'm talking about hot as in there's something sensual about white sand dunes that only can be beat by white sand dunes with barely clad people bathing in the beautiful waters that usually are near by. Blue-sky lines meet white sands and all I can say is I can't wait to go back.
August 12th - was spent recuperating from the heat of the dunes and cleaning off all the sand that came home on us.
August 13th - kept me busy trying to get food for the house and having a romantic diner at Napolitani's with Mi Tai (My Ty) accompanied by a nice bottle of red. Their crab raviolis are to die for.
August 14th - Was intended for a back to the "grind stone" workday but life got in the way and I won't offer my services to clients when I'm ShOvEd into a funk.
August 15th - Once again the intention of work but the funk from the previous day's interactions had me deeply imbedded into sadness and loss. Kind of a twister affect that left me concerned for my immediate family and me. I attempted to log on for my clients later in the evening but as God would have it no calls came. I've learned that unless I'm able and ready to hear/see/touch/taste/smell and feel the messages that I'm given to relay to my clients God will not allow the clients to come forward.
August 16th - was much better and I actually reconnected with some of my clients that had been missing me. Still it was only a handful that were in immediate need of speaking with me that were allowed through the looking glass for me to read the sands of time.
August 17th - I started to work on a video of how-to things that I'm going to be posting on a pay-per-view basis to several of my web addresses. It's something I've wanted to delve into for about 5 years now and never had the time. The heat of the day sent my boys, my friends and me down to a favorite swimming hole at the river.
August 18th - finds me working.