Lake Havasu City, AZ

I arrived in town two nights ago. I had the idea of surprising a friend of mine (who I used to dance with a lot) by showing up at the Elks Lodge. This idea was helped along by a mutual friend. Well, it was a surprise alright...seems that since the last time I saw her and this time, she has gotten into a relationship. I got the distinct impression that, as far as her new male friend was concerned at least, my presence was not welcomed. She and I had a couple dances and then I left. While I was in the parking lot, getting ready to go find a place to pop the camper, one of the Lodge's bigwigs stopped and talked with me about my "rig"...the bike/trailer combination. He wound up giving me permission to stay on the Elks property for the night.

Backing up a little in the story, when we hooked my trailer up to my daughter's car to haul it down here to the Southwest, I had to change the wiring harness to get the trailer to work with her car. After getting it to Vegas, I had to reinstall the old harness, but was unable to get the tail lights to work on the trailer. I got all the other lights to work, just not the tail lights. Back to the Elks: our mutual friend referred to above (Tony) volunteered to fix the tail lights. That was the reason I was given permission to use the private Elks RV lot. Tony did wind up fixing my tail lights; turned out to be a pretty time consuming job. I doubt I would've figured out the problem by myself.

Well, I've wondered about town for a couple days now. I have learned that the towns that I feel "welcomed" in are towns that my presence does some manner of good for someone. Havasu, this year, doesn't feel welcoming. Just as an example, I went to Wal-Mart's to pop the camper last night. After getting it all set up and being warmly ensconced in my sleeping bag, a security guard came by to tell me that I would not be allowed to camp in the parking lot and would have to move. Now, it is well known that if you are traveling in a camper, you can pull into any Wal-Mart and sleep for the night. This Wal-Mart didn't even have signs prohibiting camping. Well, it turns out that there is no public camping allowed in Havasu anywhere. One has to drive out of town into the Open Range to find free camping.

I drove out to the open range and found a spot to camp. As I was preparing the camper for the night--with a flashlight in my mouth--a cop pulled to a stop up on the road and shut off his lights. Sitting there, lights off, it seemed after my recent expulsion, that he was waiting to get backup to come talk to me. Well, after a few minutes I decided to just pack up and leave the area. As I drove in front of him (a sheriff) I got off the bike and approached him with my hands carefully away from my sides, and asked what was up. He said he was watching traffic and that it was fine for me to camp there.

Thus far, I've made $1 since I've been in town. I've spent pretty much everything I had...which wasn't much. I have had the opportunity to plant a few mind-seeds into a few young people. I love doing that, it makes me feel that my choice to live this way is valid. Yes, I have a few issues, usually centered around funds, but then, doesn't almost everyone? I've just traded my big issues for smaller ones.

I've noticed that though I often complain of not having a few dollars, other friends of mine are complaining about not having the thousands they need to pay their monthly bills. To someone who can't swim, water an inch above their nose presents a tremendous challenge. To someone who can swim, staying afloat in water above their heads sometimes becomes a life-threatening challenge. There is a street festival in town tomorrow. Last year I was paid $100 to come twist. I also was allowed to accept tips for my balloons. This year, I was given permission to busk, but no extra pay. I was told that it was a fundraiser and that is why I needed to volunteer my time and balloons...the people who are the recipients of the funds that are raised are often in a better position financially than I am. That isn't a complaint, but rather I find it to be an amusing little fact.

Okay, it's getting dark and I am exhausted. I have chiropractic and massage treatments scheduled for tomorrow so I guess it is time to go collect the camper and head out into the desert.

Christmas update

I'm now in Las Vegas. It was a tough drive down because of the injuries from the accident, but we made it. I put my bike in the back of my daughter's U-Haul while she pulled my trailer with her car. We got a later than desired start due to a blanket of snow. I didn't want Cly to drive on snow hauling  a trailer when she had never pulled a trailer before. Then it turned out that we had trouble getting the lights to the trailer to work with her car. Well, we finally got everything ready to go and hit the road.

I've got to say, there was a big comedy of errors getting everything ready! However, most parts aren't needed for the story to work. The biggest event of them all, though, happened just south of Seattle. I was following Cly at 60 MPH in busy traffic when suddenly sparks began to fly and the trailer started wobbling all over the place. Cly pulled to the emergency lane with me right behind her. We found that the ball had broken or unscrewed. In any case, it wasn't there. (I sure hope no one was hurt by the metal pieces!!!) The trailer was attached to her car only by the emergency chains. Luckily, I was able to take the ball from my motorcycle off and put it on her car. We had no more trouble with the trailer the rest of the way.

It felt odd, getting back on the road in this way. In fact, I find that I must trust the Universe even more than usual because I am not able to work much at all. Usually, I can trust that I can ride to where I need to to make a living and have the agility to do so once I get there. Right now, I don't have the agility and can barely ride.

So, I'll ask this, if you would like to help me make it through this time of healing in the form of financial Dana, it will reach me if you PayPal it to my email, twistofair (at) yahoo.com. Any help will be greatly appreciated and well used.

I am presently camping on my daughter's futon in Vegas. I don't gamble so being a block off the strip is interesting. I've walked through the Circus Circus casino looking for cheap food...seems they don't do that anymore. It used to be that the casino's would offer very cheap food, knowing that if people came into the casino, then it is likely that they would play. Seems that the big casinos don't need to offer such things anymore. All the food was at rich tourist prices.

My arms have been hurting a lot for the past few weeks and so twisting balloons (or even ripping toilet paper off the roll) is almost too much to do. Seeing all these tourists walking around while I need money and have a few balloons, yet not being able to twist is really challenging. Sigh...the Universe is giving me a present...I wonder what it might be.

Christmas came and went without much notice in my life this year. Well, I knew that it was Christmas, but there was hardly any sign that Christmas had happened. My friend, Francine, cooked a lovely dinner for me, Cly and Alexaray about a week ago; an early Christmas. I exchanged a couple Christmas wishes with a few folks and that was about it. I had an Ethiopian meal at one restaurant and desert at another and that was it. Cly and Serryn went to his family's celebrations and I just hung out. This was the most low-key Christmas holiday I've had yet in this lifetime. Not sure how I feel about that. :-/

All in all, even though I am having difficulties, I still feel very blessed and content. It is joyful to once again be talking with people about how awesome they are. It really is an amazing feeling to tell a stranger how wonderful they are and to see them tear up. Or when I ask a deep question and see that this was the first time they had ever thought about what might be deeper than who they were going to marry and what kind of job they might want to have. I am truly a blessed man!

May all beings feel as blessed as I do. Om Shanti and Happy Holidays.

Novermber and Most of December

A lot has happened since the last post. Most notably for my few readers would be the accident I was involved in on November 3rd. When I left Bandon, I had chosen to go North to Bellingham for three main reasons: 1. To see my young friend, Alexaray Taylor, settled and comfortable in her new home...my old RV. 2. To surprise my daughter for her 27th birthday. And 3. To visit friends who I had no idea when I might see again. After all, I was just around the corner from them, only 500 miles away.

So, Alexaray is a lovely young woman (20 years) with whom I had had a strong spiritual connection with from Florida. I had spoken to her a few times while I was visiting my family down there. I had offered her some advice that she liked and so we kept a very loose texting connection for a few months after I left there. Then we lost contact. Well, about three months ago, she contacted my sister with the idea of finding my number. After just a short time of talking on the phone, she decided to come visit me in Bandon. The visit was to talk place very close to my 50th birthday.

She did come out and we had a great time. It was her first visit to the Pacific Northwest and so, having received a camper trailer and hitch from my mother for my birthday, we just traveled about and I showed her as much of the area as I could over that week. We got along as though we have spent decades in each other's company, a truly blessed time. At the end of just a few days, she was questioning whether she even wanted to go back to Florida. I talked her into going so that she would be sure of her decision.

She did go back, but really wanted to move out to the PNW. So I arranged with my friend, Francine, for her to live in the RV that I had lived in for years. Then I arranged with another friend, Keith, to give her the car he had offered me on several occasions. Alexaray told me that she had enough money saved up to not have to immediately through herself into work and so it seemed a perfect fit.

Cut back to Bandon where my time to leave was fast approaching. I decided to head North for two weeks for the reasons outlined above. I arrived in Bellingham a couple days in advance and so was able to borrow a vehicle to pick her up at the airport. Oddly enough, it was so foggy all the way to Bellingham that, even though the freeway runs right through downtown, nothing could be seen of the city but a slight glow. In fact, all the way to Bellingham the fog obscured all vision more than just a few hundred feet away. It was the strangest weather I had seen in my 10 years in the PNW.

Well, the car Keith gave to Alexaray was a manual, and she wasn't very familiar with a manual, so I went about helping her to become comfortable driving one. Just as she was becoming comfortable, 3 days before my scheduled leave date of November 5th, we were on our way to church on almost empty roads. About .5 miles from church, a young man pulled his car out in front of us without warning. It wouldn't have mattered if I had been driving, there was nothing to be done; we hit.

I just had time to see that the accident was going to happen before we hit. I remember saying, "Here it comes!" I put my left hand out to try to brace Alexaray and my right hand out in front of me and "boom", I left the seat and flew into the seatbelt (WEAR THEM!!!!) which caught me but my head, unfortunately, did not stop so quickly. Instant pain! I was very surprised my the words that came out of my mouth as I sat there holding my neck; normally I don't cuss but I heard, "Oh, f---." coming out over and over. Poor Alexaray, to just get a car and then have it taken away in such an abrupt manner...

From what I understood, the other two involved were okay. It seemed like no time and an eternity passed before the EMT arrived and were taking care of me. They transported me to the ER where after a bit of time, they finally gave me something that took away the pain. To make a long story shorter, I spent a week going to a chiropractor every day, then 3 times a week until I left Bellingham. I've also been getting massages 3 times a week, though I would gladly have missed all of that to have a pain-free body, but it is what it is. As I often say, "The Universe wraps Its gifts in the worst wrapping It can find. The worse the wrapping, the more valuable the gifts will be." I don't know the extent of the gifts the Universe intends to give me, but one lovely gift was to be blessed with the company of some wonderful friends, not the least of which has been my young friend, Alexaray.

While all this was going on, my daughter decided to move away from Bellingham to Las Vegas. She had developed an online relationship with a young man there and they decided to give living together a shot. Cly asked me to drive her U-Haul down and since there was no way to make money in Bellingham (being too cold and rainy, plus the fact that I can only wear my helmet for VERY short times, thus am unable to ride the bike) I decided to help her as it was also a way to get my bike close to a non-helmet law state. Although I don't enjoy riding without a helmet all that much, sometimes we must do what we must do. Hopefully, the Universe will be as kind to me on this next journey as It has been during my last journey.

I really want to thank all of my friends in Bellingham for their kindness and continuing generosity. May they receive the blessings of their kindness and may my action while embodied be worthy to receive it.

Mushroom picking...and other stuff.

I was invited to go mushroom picking with one of my young friends (and top dance student) on Friday. He is a chef/cook (don't know the exact title) at one of the restaurants at The Dunes Golf Resort. I've tasted his cooking on more than one occasion and I can honestly say that he is inspired! He collects the mushrooms for home consumption.

Maarten is also very tall with long legs and lots of energy...which means he can walk really fast! We walked about 6 miles, WAY faster than I have walked in years! And with me wearing boots that weigh in at 2.5 pounds apiece, there is no wonder at all why I have a deep blister on the bottom of one foot. It was an awesome experience though! I don't remember ever having walked through a wooded area with my eyes constantly on the ground before. There were thousands of mushrooms, some were very large, yet not many were edible.

We took two 5-gallon buckets and for the first half of the trip, we only found enough to half-fill one bucket. We harvested Porticini(s), Hedgehogs, Chantels , Coral, lobsters and I think there was another one that I can't remember right now. I know that we found a place where there was some Chicken-of-the-woods growing on the side of a dead log, but it had passed it's prime some days before and so was inedible. I had only heard of two of the mushrooms before.

The highlights of the trip for me were Maarten--he's an awesome young man--because I take such delight in who he presents himself to be, he triggers a lot of laughter in me. He is very quiet and usually serious, so when he smiles or opens up, it is a gift he grants. I found myself wanting to find some very big or rare mushrooms just to see him smile. He did find a very big porticini and he just beamed. It was fun to watch. :-)

Another highlight was the cliffs overlooking the ocean. I'll try to attach a couple pictures. He showed me a very beautiful area of a very beautiful coastline. I phrased it that way because all of the Oregon coast is beautiful, but this part stood out as being especially lovely. The was a tree that looked as though it was growing out of a bunch of leaves caught in the crook of a branch in another tree.

I had to keep calling him over to identify this or that mushroom. Finally, just 2 miles from the car, I found myself in an odd place in the woods with Maarten on the other side of the trail. I saw a bunch of mushrooms that looked like they might be edible so I called him over. I remember saying to him that I hoped they would be worth the walk for him. It turned out that that area of the woods had a HUGE amount of Chantels. We filled both buckets to overflowing. It was so fun to watch his enthusiasm! I was charged just because of the energy radiating off of him.

But then was the rest of the walk back to the car. WOW! I was very tired by the times we made it back to the car, but I still had a lesson to teach. He drove me home and, after changing, I raced over to teach a dance lesson. My legs were so tired I could barely walk. But, it was a fun lesson.

The Dharma lesson that stood out for me was the fact that we find what we look for. I don't remember having ever noticed all the thousands of mushrooms all over the forest. I have noticed many times that when I look for trouble, I find it. When I look for good, I find it. When I look for ways to make money, I find them. And when I look for how little I have, I find it.

It's getting close to the time for me to head south. The rainy season is starting here in the Northwest. My leave date is the 20th, but I have no real idea yet where I will go or for how long. With the camper/trailer, though, it is likely to be an easier trip in some ways. It will likely cost a but more as the trailer costs down on my mileage and I've been told the extra weight really eats up the back tire. I'm hoping some money will arrive from somewhere before I go. (IE, I find unexpected work, a donation comes in, a festival happens.) At present, it is looking like I may be leaving with less than $100 to my name. Still haven't figured out how to get the Universe to manifest dental work....

 That's it for now. I'm quite tired. I'll most likely update more often once I'm back on the road again.

Shit Happens...YAAAY!

Ah, the interesting experiences of Dharma gates. It is very interesting to me that most Dharma gates (ways in which the Universe teaches us lessons) are unpleasant in nature. I'm not going to go into discussing the latest lesson the Universe is teaching me, but I can say that the mantra, "Gate Gate Paragate Parasam gate Bodhi Svaha" is really coming in handy!

A couple interesting things came up while talking with my mother this morning. I often say about dance that, "Social dancing is a series of mistakes that is linked by the occasional correct movement." What this saying points to is that the creative aspect of Dance lies in recovering from that which was introduced unexpectedly. If no unexpected events happened in dancing, then one would only be a robot of the dance floor...there would be no reason to be creative.

The same is true of life, "Life is a series of mistakes (unexpected events) linked by the occasional correct action." The creative force of living happens in how we respond to the unexpected events in life. If it weren't for the unexpected, then we would be robots from birth to death, and what fun would that be?! I've found that those who approach life from the viewpoint that the unexpected is the "spice" of life are much more creative and interesting. Why even talk to those who view the unexpected as a impediment to the smooth flow of their lives? No knowledge can be gained such a one that couldn't be gained from reading a book.

So, Shit Happens...how can we most skillfully respond? I try to look at each event of Shit Happens as a lesson in creative response. I could react, but that just invokes old habit patterns of thought and action...there is no creative growth in that. Sometimes, I forget and do react, but I find creative response happening more and more often. This is very positive as the repetition of creative response ingrains a more skillful habit than feeding old habits. The new habits I choose to cultivate (with varying levels of success) are creative, open, and growth producing. I can always tell when I am responding rather than reacting: when I respond, I feel empowered. When I react, I feel diminished. Of course, I had to learn to pay attention inward to be able to distinguish the difference between the two at very subtle levels of awareness, but once that work had grown, the rest became much easier.

So, I guess the question is for the reader, and for myself, "Have I reacted to the latest event, or have I creatively responded?" For me, a future now will provide me with more information to decide the answer.

May your life be skillful and creative.

My 50th birthday anniversary.

Finally! I've gotten my computer back!! It cost more than I would've liked, but much less than a new computer. My hard drive totally crashed. That means I've lost 1000s of songs (for dance), the last several months of writing, a number of contacts, and quite a few programs. The hard drive now in my computer was taken from an external hard drive and has just the very basic of programs on it, just enough to allow me to be somewhat productive. One thing is sure, I am going to back up everything even somewhat important on a regular basis now. It seems quite a shame to have lost all that information. I was so used to having the computer sign me into sites that I've forgotten sign in names and passwords.

So, my 50th birthday anniversary was interesting and fun. I believe I already mentioned that my mother is getting me a camper trailer for the bike. Still haven't gotten the hitch. I upgraded my cell phone to a Samsung  Galaxy SIII, but today I had issues with it most of the day. While doing research on how to fix the problem, I found that it REALLY isn't as good a phone as the professional reviewers suggest. I think I may take it back and get a different one. My mom made two wonderful pineapple upside-down cakes and bought a 1/4 sheet cake and a couple gallons of ice cream. I got to teach a group class...and boy, was I ever rusty! Surprised me. One of the highlights of the evening was when a young teenager let me into her world a little bit. It is such a joy and honor to be invited deeper into the mind and experience of another. Sometimes, I can even help them move forward on their path. I got to dance with lots of wonderful people that I haven't seen in a long time. It was very pleasant to reconnect.

Upgrading the cell phone pretty much took all of my financial resources for the moment, well, that and the cost of the computer repair, which I still owe $40 for. It is in my mind that the Universe will provide me with more, soon. I have a farmer's market to work in Coos Bay tomorrow as well as a couple $25 dance lessons to teach and a festival this weekend. Perhaps the combination will help me rebuild my "reserve".

Next week, I have a 20 year old woman flying up from Florida to study with me next week. She used to work for my sister and brother at Firehouse Subs. I met her a couple years ago and thought she had a great deal of promise to Awaken in this lifetime. We had lost touch a while back and a few weeks ago, she contacted my sister to get my number. It has been delightful teaching her! I am even more confident that she is a blessing to the world and will continue to grow into even more of a blessing as she gains skill in living. There is even the possibility that she might want to help me to start a larger teaching program that may launch me into the teaching circuit. Whether that happens or not, I am honored to work with her.

Okay, perhaps I will post another update soon. They were difficult to do on the tablet, as nice as the little machine is; MUCH easier on an actual computer!

Long catchup post. I have a new rolling home!

I was reminded recently by a couple folks that I haven't made an entry in a while. So I guess is time for me to make one. I have got a new home! For my 50th birthday, which is on Saturday, my mother is buying me a camping trailer for my motorcycle. It has come to me in the way the gifts from the universe often do, with coincidences that are just too obvious to ignore. I placed on one of the motorcycle forums a request for any information leading to my getting a camping trailer at a reasonable cost. 3 people replied with Craigslist ads from around the country. One of the campers is located in Olympia, Washington.

While on the site, I noticed that I had gotten a private message from a user named, Chromo. He said that he has been following my blog and that he used to be a clown and a magician and was thinking about pulling his stuff out and trying what I do. So I replied to him. Then I signed off and called on the trailer in Olympia. Jim, the owner, didn't answer so I left him a message, and sent him an email. I was answering a friends email to me, and had just written, " I found a trailer in Seattle" when the phone rang and it was Jim, about the trailer. He told me that there was a guy in Michigan, I think, that was interested in buying the trailer but he didn't know for sure if the guy was going to  buy it so he was going to call the guy and give him the first dibs. He hung up with me and called the guy and then called me back. It turns out that the guy that was interested in buying the trailer, was none other than Chromo the guy from the forum.

Jim told me that chromo had said to sell me the trailer as I could make better use of it than him. He said that chromo had said that he knew me and told him about the blog. So I now have a trailer, well, not quite yet. I ordered a trailer hitch which should be here sometime next week, then I will put it on, and I will drive up to Olympia on the 18th to pick it up. I'll stay in it that night, and then go pick up my friend from the airport in Eugene. The trailer will give me room for suitcases.

Backing up in time, I left Bellingham for the Buddhist monastery in Oregon a few weeks ago. I had planned to stay throughout the end of August into September 2nd, however, I have hurt my back while still Washington. It became too hard to stay at the monastery and so I left a few days early. While at the monastery though, I was able to give several people rides on the bike who had never been on motorcycles before. I even gave the abbot of the monastery a ride. That was fun. Actually giving all of them rides was fun.

The first thing I did when I left the monastery was to stop and get gas. While at the gas pump, I was accosted and abused by a  Christian preacher. I had never been through such an aggressive verbal assault. I was literally afraid for my life. If he had got next to me on the road with his vehicles, I have very little doubt that he would have tried to run me off the road. He was very ignorant about Buddhist practices and acted like I was worshipping the devil. He was actually yelling, I knew that there was nothing I could do to sway his opinion so I just bowed and politely said,"May you have a beautiful life and find peace." I actually had to talk over him in order to be able to say those things. He yelled, "Don't you go acting pious with me! I am giving you the truth!"

"Giving?!" I wonder if he actually thought that he could convert me with that behavior. I had told him that I had just come out of a Buddhist monastery  that should have indicated that I was somewhat serious about my Buddhist faith. His tirade raised my defenses and made it much more difficult to hear his message. Since his message was delivered in such an abusive way, even if I hadn't come out of a Buddhist monastery there is no way that I could have taken him seriously. He was obviously  in such fear of what might come next after death that he could not stand the possibility that someone would say something that could make him question his faith. He actually told me that he did not have any reason to study any other religious  tradition as he already knew the truth.

Bellingham, computer, and car.

I have another post in the process of being written that covers events up till I arrived in bellingham but I want to write about events in Bellingham before they get so distant that I forget it all. First thing of note is that my very good friend, Keith, has offered me a car. It is quite doubtful that I will keep it because of having the bike and not wishing to support both right now; besides, I can only drive one at a time. Cars are very cost prohibitive. Of course, motorcycles aren't the cheapest things either. (The price was right in getting this one...and in getting it repaired.) I am so grateful for the generousity of the Universe and my friends. Which leads me to my next bit of news....

My computer has completely died. When attempting to use the self-diagnostic tool, it tells me in red letter, "Replace hard drive." No portion of the computer works beyond the start up screen before windows kicks in. Not even the appearance mouse pointer. So, I'm asking the Universe to provide me with a small Apple laptop to use. It has to be small so that it doesn't take up much room on the bike. I lost quite a bit of information with the death of the hard drive, and some of that info was contact information. So, if you don't hear from me, it may be due to the fact that I've lost your contact information. The death of the hard drive took with it the lastest work on my book. The backups I have are very old now. As a friend pointed out, this may be a good time for a rewrite... That's perfectly fine with me, but doing it on this tablet is NOT going to work, I don't think. So, if anyone has an intense feeling of compassion and generousity (and the resources to back it up) let me know and I'll be happy to provide you with an address. Additionally, I'll overjoyed to share with you one of the first copies of any book I happen to write while using your gift.

I have often said that doing balloons could be a 6 figure income if worked as a business. I've never been much of  businessman, but I'm getting to watch the process in action here in the Bellingham area.  I'm not going to write down here the method by which it's being done, but I'm feeling the effects of the process. I now have lots more compassion for small business owners when a Wal-Mart moves into the neighborhood. I've basically found myself pushed out of twisting at every fair, festival and farmer's market in the area. The result being that income is hard to come by, in the traditional ways I've done it in the past, at least.

I've gotten to visit my daughter a few days so far and visit with a few friends. The bike is running...ok. I killed the battery twice yesterday.  I'm wondering how many times I can jumpstart a new battery from a car before it causes significant damage to either the battery or the bike. The bike isn't pulling smoothly in the lower gears. I'm wondering if it might be the start of the fuel pump needing some TLC.

Montana 'biking.

I get my days and posts mixed up sometimes. I suspect I ought to read what I've written before. Ah, well. Yesterday was a tough ride. The sun was so strong that I got a burn through my clothes. Didn't know that was possible. It was so hot that it made the heat melt. At least, that's what it felt like to me. I made it into Montana, a very interesting state! Lots of unusual landscapes and rock formations. Very beautiful...and any place humans reside in numbers is many, many miles apart. But it isn't empty space, plenty of bugs to coat the front of the bike while riding or every square inch of skin when coming to a stop. I feel for the bugs. It must be a hard life with so many competitors for food. Must be what it's like to live in China or India.

The bike ran well, very strong. I even got it up to (don't read this, Mom!) 105 mph for a second. I wanted to see if it could break 100. I might've been able to get a couple more MPHs out of it, but I learned what I needed to and I want to continue to exist in physical form for a while. It apparently sucked a lot of gas because that tank only gave me 29mpg. The next tank, I kept it between 70-75 and was able to coax 39 mpg out of it.I stopped for the night in Miles City, Montana. A waitress suggested that I go to this particular boat dock to camp. It was right on the Yellowstone River. Beautiful...as I discovered this morning. I didn't sleep long and was up before the sun was in the sky.

I rode on to Billings and stopped for breakfast at a Perkins. As I got off the bike, I realized that I was running quite low on funds so I said, "Ok, Universe. We're getting low on funds. Let's make this a money-making restaurant, ok?" And then I went in. The balloons were well received. One couple, celebrating their 4th year anniversary, tipped me $40. I had a line of kids and adults coming to the table to get balloons. The manager bought my breakfast. And a guy gifted me $10 while I was standing by the bike..., "...because I'm jealous." (Of the fact of my riding the bike as much as I am--he's traveling on business so couldn't bring one of his two bikes.)

I have to say, I SO love the faces of the people who get the balloons. And when I can say something that obviously makes a difference to someone, it is the most fulfilling experience I can have as a "me." So, tonight, I'm thinking I will head out to the next bigger town, Bozeman. Not sure if I'll be camping (if so, it'll be where there's a shower!) or staying in a hotel. The hotels are pretty pricy along through here.

Much more to write, but getting tired and I don't think Billings is where I due to sleep tonight. I'm being pulled to continue the ride. Om shanti, my friends.

Back on the road, again...again...again...

I don't remember here the last (draft) post ended so I will take up the story from Sunday morning. I loaded my bike to get ready for the road, took leave of Carol and Hans and got on the freeway. The repairs hadn't really been tested so I wanted to stay close to town until I was sure everything was working according to plan. Good thing, too, as it turned out that the carbs needed work. The bike was not running quite right and  since I was about to go across some pretty desolate country, having a reliable ride was crucial. So, I called Jason, hoping it was a fix that I could do...no such luck. Jason said to bring it to his shop.

Before I called him, I had stopped by IHOP for breakfest. I made balloons for lots of folks and the manager snagged my bill to pay for my meal. I don't talk much about why people choose to gift me money, food and other stuff, but they must being seeing some good in what I do...

He was hard at work on another bike but said that he would get to it as soon as he could. I called Hans who came by to hang out a bit. We took a little ride and Hans bought Jason a bag of floor cleaner, which Jason mentioned he was going to go buy. After we got back to the shop, while looking for the number of the local newspaper, I noticed that there was a street fair going on downtown for a few hours. Another Universal blessing as I was getting very low on funds. I asked Hans to gvie me a ride and we zipped to the fair. I was so concentrated on getting to work that I didn't immediately realize that I wouldn't be seeing Hans again before I left, otherwise I would've thanked him more graciously. There's a lesson about staying in the present...

I made about $70, which has been coming in very handy. After the fair ended  (5:00) I met aann older man who offered me a ride back to Jason's: thanks Lavern. The bike wasn't ready yet so I sat down on a tarp to restock the balloon bags. Jason got the bike ready -- cleaned and sync'd the carbs, checked the spark plugs and a few other things. I started putting the plastic back on the bike after he was finished with the mechanical stuff. Talk about feeling inapt! I felt like a first time student in a Master dance class. Jason even found a way to fix the switch to my brake light; the hand brake hadn't operated the brake light since I got it.

After I got the bike all ready for the road, again, I took leave of Jason ad goot on the freeway. I road about 125 miles or so and the bike ran perfectly. Thank you SO much, Jason! The weather was so nice for riding (cool and cloudy) that I wanted to just keep on but got way tired. I stopped in Jamestown, the hometown of my good friend, Keith) and drove around town. I  didn't feel like spending the money on a hotel for just a few hours nor go through the trouble of putting up the tent, so I found  dark corner of the Walmart parking lot and wrapped myself in sleeping bag and tarp.

This morning, I found that I had forgotten to turn off the battery so needed a jump. Thank you, Amy. Back on the road and now in a restaurant in Bismark, ND. Time to get back on the road before the sun comes out and makes it too hot to comfortably ride.

I am in the company of Angels. Or, the story of the bike...thus far.

Earth angels are surrounding me now! This is the most amazing humbling time. I am truly, truly blessed. Jason, a young man who didn't know I existed before yesterday, has offered to fix my bike for free. This is a $2000 job! All I have to pay for is the parts. While sitting in an Applebee's restaurant, making balloons for the kids around me and trying to figure out how to get the money for the parts and where I was going to sleep while the bike was being repaired, I was being watched by another pair of angels, Hans Kresny and his SO, Carol. They wound up offering me a place to stay, food to eat while I've been staying with them, and Hans even wound up volunteering to buy the parts. The bike will be ready to roll by tonight, tomorrow morning at the latest! (Tears in my eyes from gratitude!)

That's the headline version. Many, many more blessings have come over the last few days. I am going to write a book about this journey! What amazing blessings! It makes all the hell I've been through in my life worthwhile...

After I left Barnesville for the "big city" of Fargo, ND, I thought the bike was fixed. As I got to town, I had planned to rent a room for a night to rest (out of the bugs) and to safely leave my stuff as I searched for a place to twist. The cheapest quote I could find would've cost over $60. So I figured I could put up with another night of bugs. I found a local campground and was told that they had only one spot left and that it would cost $28. While standing there thinking about whether I should take it, two couples pulled up on fancy Goldwing/trailer combinations. I figured that was a sign. The guys came in and asked for a spot, since I was already there, I got first dibs and so I took the spot but told the guys they were welcome to share it with me. They each paid $10 and I paid $8.

We all rode back to the site and found a slab with tiny patch of grass just big enough for my tent. They set up their trailers while I put up the tent. I went to see about the local big fair and they went out to eat. The fair was too big to work--big fairs work through committees and getting permission to work them is VERY difficult. I've never been able to do it while the fair is active. So, the Universe will present the next place for me to twist when I get there, though perhaps I will get a hint before I get there; that'd be nice. :-)

They were asleep by the time I got back to the site. In the morning, we passed each other a few times, exchanging pleasantries and briefly visiting. I made the ladies a couple little balloons and one gent tucked a tip into my pocket, $20. I gathered my dirty clothes and headed off to the laundromat. When I got back to the site, they were gone. I broke camp and loaded up and as I picked up the last thing, a bottle of oil, I found a $5 bill under it. Joy! Then, fully loaded, I hopped on the bike and started 'er up....well, pressed the right buttons at least. Got nothing but a click for my efforts. The brand new, $100 battery had died. Oh, Boy...

Well, there was an older couple in the RV next to me and they came out to see what was the matter. I was starting to unpack everything so that I could get to the charger. I plugged it in and told them the story of the last few days. They were retired teachers. He had an multimeter with which we were able to determine that the battery wasn't getting the charge it needed to continue to run. (By this time, it was after checkout time. The manager of the park said I could stay till I got it started. "The people who have the space reserved are arriving in a big RV, they can wait if needed." Very nice woman!) We finally got the bike started by jumping it. It ran for a minute and then died. So, now knowing that the bike could start, I got ready to leave and planned where I would go -- a bike shop 2 miles away called Lone Wolf. It had several other shops fairly close by in case I wasn't able to find help there. I made the woman a balloon and she tipped me a few  dollars. The man gave my bike a jump and shook my hand with a $20 in it and blessed my journey. (Second time in 3 days! My new mantra seems to be working."The Universe LOVES to give me money.")

I tried to make it to the bike shop, but the bike stalled 200 yards from the shop at a stop sign. I pushed it the rest of the way. Whew! Pushing a fully loaded, 1000 pound motorcycle such a distance is a chore! When I got there, the shop was closed while they did some errands. While I waited, I looked around the area to see if I could find where I could unroll the sleeping bag when dark came. I had a sense that it was the stator that had gone out. Not good!.Along came the father of the fellow who owned the shop. They didn't work on Goldwings, especially older models. He was extremely nice and called around, looking for someone who did. After an hour or two, he tracked down a young man named Jason who agreed to come over to check out the situation.

Jason is amazing! He is a virtuoso with older engines. A true artist. He swept in (with his lady friend) and immediately got to the job of diagnosing the bike. He worked with the bike with the familiarity of a consummate professional who loves his work.  He quickly got to the root of the problem, but then realized he needed a part with which to test some mysterious (to me) thing. He took off back to his shop to get it. Meanwhile, a family with 3 little girls showed up next door. Heaven for me! Here is where I get to do my thing. I grabbed my balloons and headed over. While twisting for them, I was told the youngest (4) was "shy". I knelt down and twisted a kitty for her, got a smile in return! Then, when I started drawing the face on the balloon I'd made for the middle sister (6), I suddenly felt a warm little weight on my back: it was the tiny one hugging my neck and looking over my shoulder to see what I was doing. I choked up! That, right there, was reason enough for the breakdown. By the time I had made the oldest sister (9) a balloon, these 3 had adopted me, and Jason had gotten back. He continued his testing only to find that it was the stator.

Even though I had suspected it, the fact of it let the wind out of my sails. I was thrown for a loop, not having a clue what to do next. I thought that I would have to let it all go and just walk away, but the Universe had other plans. Jason wouldn't take my money for the diagnosis and even offered to do the labor of fixing the bike for free. Talk about being floored! The forums say that replacing the stator is a $1500 jobs, at least! He got the bike started and I followed him to his garage. He rents two old one-car garages to work out of. I want to point out that this is not a man who is rolling in the dough. His story is pretty bleak which makes the fact of his generosity so much more powerful.We dropped of the bike and he gave me a ride about a mile down the road to Applebee's. (I hadn't eaten yet.)

I went in and was seated close to the door. I had told the young host that I was a traveling balloon entertainer and so he told one little boy to come get a balloon. I was very happy to be twisting, not just because it kept my mind occupied with joy instead of worry. He sat a number of families close to me and at one point, I had 5 of the employees gathered around the table, including the manager. I had noticed a table of two ladies and a gentleman a few tables away and wondered if my twisting was bothering them, but they looked amused and interested. I didn't make any money while at the restaurant, but the host wound up paying for my meal and then vanishing so I couldn't thank him. :-)

Well, remember the table with the two women and the gentleman? They turned out to be Earth Angels. They stopped by and wished me well on the way out. I appreciated it and went on with what I was doing.A few minutes later, he came back in, looking for his wallet. I have a flashlight on my cell phone so got up to help him look under the table. We couldn't find it so he gave the manager his info and left. A moment later, he came back to say that if I needed a place to stay and was ready to go, I was welcome at his house. Wow. That's when I learned about my meal having been paid for by the host.

I was introduced around as I got into the car, Cathy, Carol and Hans. It was Carol's idea to offer to host me, so I was later informed. I was taken to a very beautiful home with genteel decor and given a room and an invitation to whatever food I found. Hans an Carol are not only wonderful hosts, but they have very interesting stories. Both had lost their previous spouses and had met when a mutual friend suggested they email each other. Turns out that they had gotten married on the same day of the same year. Hans, a retired nuclear engineer and published author, has figured out the secret to remaining peaceful through life so we've been having great conversations.

Yesterday, Jason had to get the parts. He decided to do what's known as a "poorboy auto conversion"
on the bike, which means adding an automobile alternator to the bike, thus making the unreliable stator obsolete. I won't have problems with that again for the life of the bike. Plus, this will enable me to add as many lights to the bike as I wish. Jason also surprised me with the knowledge that he was going to tune up the bike before giving it back to me, so it seems the bike will be in much better shape when I get it back. Wow. Just...wow. We went on the "parts run" and Hans decided to buy the parts for me. Gassho, my friend. I had already given Jason my last $90 and they gave it back to me.

After getting the parts, Hans and I hung out watching the Master at work. What a joy to see. Jason REALLY knows what he is doing! I sure hope he gets a shop that is worthy of his skills. One with a bike jack, at the very least. The man is working on the floor with a messed up back and neck. Jason said that he had enlisted a friend who is an expert welder to help with the work and that the bike would likely be done by the end of the night. He stopped all work on other bikes to get mine back on the road as soon as possible. He did say that there was the possibility that it might not be ready until morning, which is what happened. We are now waiting to hear from him.

Truly, I have been blessed with angels. So, if anyone reading this would like to help out someone who really deserves it with either a job as shop-head (in Southern California where his ex-wife ran off to with his daughter) or with funds and/or business, I will post his information in another post. I can attest to his skill and professionalism.

May you feel as blessed as I do. Om Shanti

Earth Angels

What an interesting 24 hours.  First, my bike died while on the on the way to a campground last night. Luckily there was a gas station within bike pushing distance. It was closed for the night. So, I camped in a field next to the store. In the morning, I had to wait until the store opened, only to find that there wasn't anything in it that I could use to fix the bike. So, after trying several things, I got a gentleman who owned a store nearby to give the bike a jump. The bike started but before I could get loaded and ready to roll, it died.  The owner of the gas station offered to fill my tank for me and  when I asked the store owner to jump the bike again, he was agreeable. After he had done so, he shook my haand with $20 in it. ("The Universe loves to give me money.")

I rode the bike to Walmart and bought a small charger. I asked the manager of a Valvoline Oil Change station if I could use his outlet and was given permission. While I was taking the battery off the bike, a guy in an SUV offered to take the battery and charge it at his house and then bring it back. I hung out for 4 or 5 hours waiting for it to charge. When he brought it back, I put it on the bike and...nothing. So I took the battery inside and a sweet woman at customer service told me that the battery was under warranty and I could just go get another one. I did, made the exchange and went out to get it ready.

It was 9:20 by the time I had filled it with acid and the directions said to wait an hour before putting it on a charger. Then it would be about 10 hours before I could use it. I rented a couple movies and sat on a curb while the battery charged. About 2:30 or so, I walked a couple hundred yards to a White  Castle. I found out that they had an outside plug and that I could use it so I made the switch and sat in the restaurant until about 7am. I put the newly charged battery on the bike and it ran fine. I immediately went to a campground and pitched my tent and went to sleep.

A number of blessings happened while I was there, but I'm going to jump to the next day. I woke up to a gray and cloudy day. I checked the radar and saw that there was a major thunder storm barreling down on me. I quickly packed up, knowing I was racing the weather, and made it to a Denny's restaurant just as it began to rain. I half-covered the bike and made it inside just as the skies opened up. I made a balloon for a little girl and found out when I finished eating that the dad had bought my breakfast as he was leaving. Blessings!

I got back on the road and was doing great...for about 115 miles. Then the bike started acting up again. It was so bad that I could barely keep it going at 60 mph. At one point, when I would aactivate the ER flashers, the bike would die in time with the lights activating! I finally found a place to pull off the freeway in a little town called Barnesville. The bike totally did as I pulled into  a DQ parking lot. I was able to plug the battery in and I waited a while. Later, I saw a fellow playing some boys in the driveway of a farm across the street. This man turned out to be another Earth Angel. I went over to ask him if he had a certain tool I could borrow and he took on the bike issue as if it were his own.

Dave  has gone out of his way to be of service. He's let me camp on his property, he's taken me around to find another battery and when we finally did find one, told me that he was going to buy it for me. He called one of his friends, Jerry, who also turned out to be one of the Universe's agents. Jerry came over and has helped me figure out what to do with the battery situation and even surpirsed me by giving me a set of highway platforms, about $60 new. He's had several 'Wings and even let me take his '85 Interstate (a 'Wing almost exactly like mine) for a short ride. Now I know what the bike will feel like when it has full power and what it would sound like if it didn't have an exhaust leak.

Okay, other stuff will have to wait. It is almost 11 and that is when the new battery is due to arrive. I think I have the tools and knowledge to figure out if something other than the battery is the trouble, though if it turns out that it is more than the battery, I don't know what it would be or how to fix it. More later.

My website, insightsoftheheart.com

For those interested,  my site has been canceled. The cost of maintaining it was too great and I have very little evidence that it was doing anyone any good. At some point in the not too far distant future, I'll find a cheap alternative.  In the meantime, if anyone wishes to donate funds, it can be easily done by emailing me via PayPal.  My book, 'Yes, You Can Dance', will be sent to you by request.

May you be blessed.

July 4th...

The big news today (the 5th) is an email from Sharon basically saying goodbye. Not sure if it is a forever goodbye or perhaps just until I can make up my mind. I'm, of course, not happy about her decision, but I can easily understand it. Love for each other has never been our problem.

I had been planning to stay in La Cross, Wi the night before last but couldn't ride that far. It concurred to me that where I worked the 4th didn't matter since no one was expecting me in La Cross,  so I stopped in Milton, Wi. I camped in one of the busiest campgrounds I've ever been in. They wanted $44 for one night of tent camping. I didn't know what the price was and I would have easily been able to leave without paying, but my inner peace is worth a lot more than a few dollars. When I went to pay, they gave me the space for being honest in coming to pay when they didn't even know that I was there.

I twisted at Milton's 4th celebration. Sat down on my little stool at 11am and didn't stand up again until 5, took a 20 minute break and then twisted until 10. Brian, the park manager, gave me permission to set up my tent on-site. I life such an awesome life! This morning, I packed up and went for breakfest. I made a balloon for an incredible little 5 year old who came and hugged me and wanted to stay with me. It was the best gift any child could give to me. I am so happy than I know how to twist balloons....

I made enough money yesterday that I don't feel pressured to work today. I think that I will mosey on down the road and maybe find a park to spend a few hours in. This restaurant,  Ray's, is quite nice.. if you happen to pass through Edgerton,  stop in.

Leaving Ohio, and Sharon

It felt very odd, saying goodbye to Sharon. If she and I don'twind up together, then the Universe had better have an amazing plan for me to make up for the loss; it's hard to imagine anyone could love me more. What an amazing woman... She left the condo first and I tried to be gone before she came back, figuring that it'd be easier all around.  I almost made it, we passed each other on my way to the freeway.

I was planning to go to a new friend's house for a healing session before I left Cincinnati but got caught in a major traffic jam. Since it was much later than I wished and it looked like I would hit rain, I gave up and just headed on to Marion to see my brother. Flirted with rain most of the way. I stopped at the Iron Pony motorcycle accessory store in Columbus and bought something I've wanted for a long time: a phone holder for the handlebars. Usually they are way too expensive, but I got an amazing deal.

I rented a room at a hotel and got a later-than wanted start to go see my brother. I missed getting to see him before count (they count all the inmates several times a day) so had to wait for an hour before he came out. We had a great visit. I'm very happy for my brother; he has found the secret of being free while his body is imprisoned. What a lovely gift!

The ride to Plymouth, In, was uneventful but beautiful. I took Hwy 30 into Indiana and it is a lovely road. I highly recommend it as an alternative if one is traveling from\to Cincinnati or Columbus to\from points northwest. Once arriving to my couchsurfing host's house, I was greeted by Paul in the driveway. A very pleasant man and as we got to the door of the house, I was very enthusiastically greeted by 5 dogs of differing sizes and one loving cat who somehow managed to not get stepped on.Lara, a dog groomer, welcomed me and made a wonderful vegitarian pizza and tasty salad. Had a comfortable rest on the couch and had the joy of watching happy, well-rested dogs greet the morning.

On the road again around 9:30, I think...

Humble...

Weds: Another day. It is what it is. This one resulted in previously unknown knowledge that I still owe too much in back child support ($3600) to obtain a passport. If I had the passport, then I would be able to get a job on a cruise ship which would pay off the child support in a very short time. Ah, well, it is what it is. Funny how life works out.

Sat: This weekend seems like it may be a bust for making money. The weather forecast calls for rain and storms. Not only can I not twist in the rain (the balloons can't adhere to themselves when wet, nor can I draw on them, and who would I twist for?) but getting to where I might be able to twist becomes problematic because of the need to get there via motorcycle. Oh, well..."the Universe loves to give me money." This has been my new mantra for the past few weeks. So far, it hasn't been sending me gobs of money, but it takes a while (sometimes) for the Universe to get the message...actually, for my own id to get it; the Universe is always ready to give. Looks like I may just be heading out with very few bucks in my pocket...as if that is a new thing. :-) (Just checked the radar; rain will be arriving in about an hour. There is very little food in the house so I think I may have to run out for some. Maybe I'll spend the day making some more YouTube videos...)

My friend, Fred Smith, welded the portions of the crash bars of my bike for me Thursday. He gifted the work to me. Fred is an incredibly nice man. He came to me years ago to learn to dance. He got to be a very good dancer, though at first, he didn't believe he'd be able to. I'll tell you what, I hope I have the energy he has at 75 when I'm 50; the man is amazing to watch! It is almost impossible to believe he is 75. I also had another young man, a tenet here in this condo complex, offer to take the crash bars into where he works and fix them. The Universe blesses me!

It seems that I'll be leaving town, Monday, in rain. I intend to go visit my brother before I head out of the state and then make something of a straight ride all the way through to the Bellingham area. Perhaps I will be able to make it out there in time for my friend's (Laurie) Birthday/Solstice/Summer party, if it happens. In any case, I'll get to visit my daughter and my friends for a little while. How long I stay may depend on whether there are places to twist. The last time I was there, coming up with funds was a little difficult due to competing balloon twisters. If things work out, I'm hoping to spend the month of August in the Monastery again. This time, perhaps I will be in a position to absorb more of the "being there" instead of trying to figure out what my outside (the monastery) life was going to be like. While I'll still have some of that going on, I likely won't be going through a grieving process like I did the last time.

I don't expect it is going to be easy to leave Sharon. Out of respect for her, I'm not going to write much about our time together, I don't think, but to say that she is a very sweet and loving individual expression of the Universe. 

What does the word, "Humble", actually mean? A quick Google search gave me this:

Adjective Having or showing a modest or low estimate of one's own importance.

Verb Lower (someone) in dignity or importance: "I knew he had humbled himself to ask for my help".

Synonyms adjective.   modest - lowly - meek - submissive - unassuming - low verb.   humiliate - abase - mortify - lower - degrade - demean

I think I have a different definition: Raising everyone in one's estimation to the level of God -- including oneself. Seeing no one as being better or worse, higher or lower in importance than oneself. Recognizing and fully acknowledging that each person we meet is living their own lives with their own experiences, all of which are important to them as ours are to us. It doesn't make sense to me to lower myself to the lowest common denominator rather than raise everyone to the highest. 

Our Greatest Fear —Marianne Williamson

it is our light not our darkness that most frightens us

Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.
It is our light not our darkness that most frightens us.
We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous,
talented and fabulous?

Actually, who are you not to be?
You are a child of God.
Your playing small does not serve the world.
There's nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other
people won't feel insecure around you.

We were born to make manifest the glory of
God that is within us.

It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone.
And as we let our own light shine,
we unconsciously give other people
permission to do the same.

As we are liberated from our own fear,
Our presence automatically liberates others.

Does this mean to brag? Of course not! But it does mean to recognize that we are all equal, there is no "Higher or lower" in status. We all have the minutes of our lives to sell. What we choose to sell them for doesn't say a word about who we are, it only says something  about what others are thinking. But when we come right down to it, no one's minutes are any more or less valuable than anyone else's. To me, being humble in the traditional definition is the opposite form of being a showoff and is equally a show of pride. Both are extremes and neither are honest. What I do well, I do well because I enjoy doing it and have put forth the effort to be able to do it well. What you do well, you do well for the same reasons. To belittle what we do well is to hide the God-essence within us for the sake of the ego of another bit of God-essence. We all have our aptitudes. Playing small doesn't allow others to shine, it only dims the world. Being real in all areas of one's life allows other to be real, too. I could go on, but this is enough for now, I think. Besides, I'm getting hungry. :-)

The completely incomplete post. Posted in it's entirety.

I am trying something different with this post. I often will create the title before I write the post, but often I don't have clue what I am going to write, so it occurred to me to write first and then let the post tell me the title.

Still in Ohio. Each time I attempt to continue on with my journey, something occurs to keep me here. I must admit that my time with Sharon is extremely pleasant, so I am lax about throwing myself back into the fray. It occurred to me that this time is rest. It is a vacation. Many who do not walk this particular Path that I find myself on cannot understand what I would need rest from; after all, it may seem from an external viewpoint that I am perpetually on vacation. This is not true for me. I work extremely hard on spiritual understandings. To see through the illusions that there is a world of separate anything is so easy that the mind makes it very difficult to do. It is often exhausting, at this point in my growth, to maintain. So, I find myself relaxing and allowing the flow of emotional love for an individual to travel through my system. (Yes, I know that there is a great deal of argument that could be brought to bare on my writing here, but like I said, I am on vacation for a bit.)

I must apologize if my writing seems more philosophical than usual. I just read several entries of a friend of mine, a highly intelligent Theravada Buddhist (Monk. <-- click here to read his blog)This has sparked my own philosophical bent. Add to that my reading 'Zen and the art of Motorcycle Maintaince' along with 'The Course in Miracles' and we come up with the perfect storm for a weird post.

I guess I'll get the mundane out of the way and see if I have any energy left to write the post suggested by my previous paragraph. As mentioned, I'm still here with Sharon. We get along very well, though I admit that a great deal of that is her willingness to put up with me than with I, her. She is easy to put up with. I, on the other hand, can be something of a challenge, I admit. In any case, I have been learning to read tarot cards and have even made a bit of money from doing so. I look at them as just another tool to help others see outside their self-made boxes. Time will tell if I am any good at it or if I will grow confidence in their ability to tell the future. Personally, I hold the hypothesis that what the questioner believes will tend to change their behavior in such a way as to bring about the prediction, should a prediction arise from a reading. I am using a deck called the "Cat People" deck, which while not being especially rich in symbolism, does have lots of cats and since I have always had an affinity for cats, the deck "speaks" to me. At my first metaphysical fair, I actually made more than she did, though I fully put it down to beginner's luck. The study is interesting, in any case and I do get to suggest different ways of thinking to people that they may find useful.

My bike is running well, I think. I haven't started it since Thursday, so I'm not entirely sure. A friend of mine has generously offered to weld the parts of the bike that need it. I hope to get it to him sometime today. I heard that my bike insurance had been canceled, but upon investigation, I found that this wasn't so. However, in that investigation I found that to move my insurance to Arizona would cost me WAY more than just transferring my registration to Oregon. So, when I make it back to Oregon, I will transfer my title and registration.

Well, the title of this post just came to me because I am very tired. The heat today has drained me. How does anyone get anything done in weather like this?! So, though this started off with a promise of depth, it seems I must stop while on the level of the mundane. (As though there is a difference!)

Bedtime. Good night, all. Perhaps more soon. (No promises.) :-)

Finally...an update!

Hello everyone. I apologize for the silence. I'll lay it on the line for you. No secrets means an open life.

I owe $3,678.65 in back child support for my son, who is now in his mid-20's. He and his mother live in Ohio. His mother has proven herself to be...unpredictable...in her interactions with me. Although I am not wanted by the legal system in any state, I cannot pay the monthly court-ordered arrears as ordered (though I do pay what I can) and so she would've likely had been able to cause a bit of trouble had she known of my Ohio visit at the time. Now, her possible reactions are much less likely to cause issue.

 I left the reader with the knowledge that I was headed to Ohio and that I had hoped to reconnect with my tiny friend, Sharon. Well, we did reconnect. She is, once again, my very close friend. :-) I met her at a dance and the connection was as though the time in between was but a minute. I'll not get much into the details of our friendship but will say that we are both enjoying the reconnect.

As it may be known, I changed the back tire of my bike while in Virginia. It has been very pleasant to ride on a new tire. Well, after riding here, I discovered that I needed a new front tire, too. Seems something sharp had made a cut in the rubber so it was just a matter of time before it blew. My friend, Wendy Shupe, near San Francisco, donated $200 via PayPal toward the purchase of a new front tire (Thank you!) and when the money arrived in my account, it had shrunk to $193.90. The purchase of the tire and it's installation came to $193.47. The Universe does provide!!

Speaking of providing, I was in need of about $200 to help a friend with rent (after she was left in a bind)...today, a stranger gave me a tip for three balloons of $250. It is the largest single cash tip I have ever received for my balloons in 36 years of twisting. Her rent was made and my tank was filled. :-) What joy! It is not so uncommon that I get a $100 tip; that happens about 2-3 times a year. Twenties are much more common, but $250 from one person? That is rare indeed! Such kindness. I have been given more from friends who support my teachings and lifestyle, but from a stranger for a balloon? Awesome!

The other evening, Sharon and I rode the bike down to Fountain Square in downtown Cincinnati. after the evening was over (I was trying to make money while we danced to a live band on the square) we headed back to the bike where I found that there was a short in the electrical system. Sharon was cold and it was late and she was tired and I couldn't get the bike fixed. I forgot that it doesn't matter in the long run. I forgot that the Universe does what it does for Its own reasons and I got very angry at my thoughts regarding the circumstances. It was quite a sight to see, I'm sure. (Sharon is keeping mum.)  I had forgotten that I could cuss like that. In any case, at one point I while trying to fix the bike, I had my hand in a precarious position and when I got shocked, I yanked my hand back and got a cut on my wrist that likely could've benefited from a couple stitches. I'm not concerned about a scar on my hand so I just found a bandaid and continued to work. I discovered that the bike didn't short out at high RPMs so I decided to chance riding it back to Sharon's. After a long cold ride, we made it to her place. I have since bought some tools I needed to work on the bike and I THINK I have fixed the problem. Let's hope so as I don't want to do major damage to the electrical system.

My wrist in healing okay, though it looks like crap and makes wearing the bike gloves painful.

I will strive to add to the updates quickly, but it is late now and I am very tired. Good night, all.

Pictures of Maryland.

At a rest area.

My very dear friend, Sharon.

I have been incredibly lucky in my life to know some amazing people. I just visited one of them, a friend I've not seen in about 10 years, maybe more. It has been a joy to reconnect in person.

And this morning, I found a treasure in my email inbox. It was a blog update of someone who holds a very warm and loving space in my heart. She was my closest friend for a very long time, but felt she had to stop contact so she could move on, emotionally. The rest of that story is hers to tell. In any case, I enjoy keeping in touch with those I care about, but I do it in ways that are perhaps not common; I am satisfied, usually, with just knowing something about their lives and if they are okay, Sharon was the exception, we actually did talk on the phone. I can usually satisfy this basic desire to keep in touch by use of the Internet, including Facebook. Some people, though, tend to keep a low profile and it is very hard to get information.

I have looked for news of my little friend many times over the past few years but have only found very small bits here and there: mainly that she had moved from the West Coast back to the town she had come from. And that she was continuing to teach yoga and do angel card readings. Well, I had subscribed to a blog that she used to keep and have gone back to it from time to time to seek updates, in vain. Today, I found her name in my inbox and so was able to get a little update. She had asked me not to contact her, and I have honored that wish. I plan to continue to do so, but I'm hoping that she is reading this blog and has done what she's needed to do because I truly miss my little friend.

So, Sharon Denny, if you read this, know that I still think of you often and would love to reconnect with you. I have often prayed that you would find what you seek and that every good thing the Universe has would be yours. If you are ready to reconnect, or to see if the friendship is still viable, please let me know. I'll be in town for a short time and seeing you would be a great joy for me.

I hope she reads this. We used to be so connected, spiritually/emotionally that if I thought she needed to do something, she'd get the message. Hope that is still in place. But... it will happen if it is the will of the Universe.

On the road again.

Left my friend, Yvonne's home a while ago. It was pleasant to reconnect with her again. The visit was interesting in many ways, not the least of which was the fact that she has just been offered a job at Walter Reed Hospital and so the decision of whether to take the job was a primary focus. I have no idea what her decision will be, but I wish her well and I'm sure we will stay in touch. There is more I could write, but she's a private woman so I don't feel comfortable writing about my time with her without discussion first.

The road is treating me well, thus far. The bike is moving along beautifully and it gave me 41mpg on the last fill up. The temperature is nice for riding with my heavy coat and there is only a small chance of rain.

A friend asked for pictures of this area but there isn't much to distinguish what I've seen from any other wooded state. The things that stand out here is buildings, which I'm not interested in, and war history. Again, something I'm not interested in. So, if something stands out, I'll take a picture.

Okay, more later. I need to put more miles behind me today.

Virginia and DC

Hello all from the far East...US. It is beautiful here! Everything is in bloom, the trees have that new-Spring green and there are bushes literally covered with flowers. I'd tell you what they are, but I really don't care what they are.

The traffic here in Virginia is a trip! Speed limit says 55, but I think that that is the minimum speed. I might be doing 75 and have people passing me right and left and a line of cars on my tail...and that in on the side roads. When I get on the freeways, that's when things speed up! I have no idea what the buildings around me look like because I go by them so fast just trying to keep from being run over by the cars. The traffic in West Texas is slower and the speed limit there was 80 mph. And it may be illegal to text while driving, but every third car has a driver who is texting...especially when the traffic gets heaviest. Seems that the heavier the traffic, the more texting people need to get done. So let's just say that it is thrilling to drive in this area of the country.

The dancing is at a much higher level than I've grown used to. I can see where my own dancing suffers from disuse. I used to know a lot more than I remember. But before any of my past partners think too harshly of me or your own dancing, in my opinion, dancing at a high level is no more fun than dancing at an intermediate level. In fact, I think there is more time for spirit to spirit connection. It is fun, though, to brush up on my skills so that I can carry it on to those I teach.

I now have a new rear tire on my motorcycle. I had no idea how much tread the tire was supposed to have on it...but there is much more tread on this tire than what was on the old one. I needed one, even though there was still tread on the old one, because there was a nail embedded in it. For those who don't know this, motorcycle tires my bike uses are tubeless and with very stiff side walls so they don't tend to blow out. If they get a hole in them, they slowly deflate and the sidewalls are designed to hold the bike up. Now, it is still dangerous to get a flat on a bike, but abrupt flats are very rare. The front tire still has some tread left so I'm thinking that I'll wait a little longer before I replace it.

While I have been hanging around bike shops these last few days, I've had three different mechanics tell me that the knocking/ticking noise that I've been hearing from the engine area of the bike is just an exhaust leak. This confirms what three other people have told me in the past so I think I will stop being concerned about it. Sure, the bike is totally silent, but it is pretty darn quiet, and it runs strong. A beautiful machine! Again, Thank you so much for your gift, Guy Baker of Fontana, Ca. By the way, if you happen to be in the DC area and need motorcycle repair done, I think that I have found the best bike shop in the country: Brooks Motorcycle Repair in Chantilly, Va. Jason, the owner, is very friendly and professional. In fact, everyone there was friendly and professional. The one guy who changed my tire had to work about 75 minutes on my bike and they charged me $83 for the work. I don't know if that price was high or low, but the work, combined with watching such a well-run shop work, was worth the money. I don't feel slightest in the least. Quite the contrary, I am pleased to know that such service still exists!

I had to go to a town about 35 miles away to buy the tire. In the traffic around here, who needs to go to an amusement park?!  I saw the tire online for $150 or so, the Motorcycle Factory wanted to sell it to me for $202, (down from $262) and when I asked them if that was the best price they could give me, they dropped it to $187. I was going to have them replace my old tire, but I would've had to wait and they were super-busy. I'm happy I went to Brooks, though.

My visit with my friend is going well. I think my presence might have become a bit stale to her, but then, that might just be my imagination. She has great decorating taste, in my opinion. Lots of reddish hues...and her Christmas tree is still up! Cool! Her kitty, Samantha, is finally starting to warm up to me. She apparently doesn't remember that we were once good friends a long time ago. However, my playing with her via laser dot and string is starting to win her over, I think. She has given me air-rubs twice in two days and is started to look pleased to see me...just before I leave.

I found an unexpected dance student here. I first met her last Saturday at a dance. I had noticed her before and thought she was very pretty so I was very pleased when she jumped in front of me with her beautiful, full smile and asked me to dance. Though she is new to dancing, she is a lot of fun to dance with. Since Iw as interested in seeing her again, I offered her a free dance lesson, but it turned out that she wanted the lessons, but my flirting techniques need work--I'm out of practice. So, she decided that she would rather pay me for my lessons than be the recipient of my romantic interest. That's fine...I'm not here for long anyway, but it was fun having that connection. AND, it is the first time I have ever been seriously attracted to a woman taller than I am: she's 6'1". The logistics of interacting with a woman several inches taller than me is very interesting on many levels. I've dated a couple women the same height as me before, but this stretched my experience. What joy! :-) It would've been fun to explore more with her. But, it is what it is, isn't it?

The plan, at the moment, is to leave Monday for the West Coast with a short stop in Ohio. Truth is, I'm not real sure why I need to stop in Ohio. My family is not a tight-knit family at all. At present, I don't have anyone there to stay with, though to be fair, I haven't actually asked anyone but one niece. I haven't heard back from her yet. Truth is, without my friends Judy (deceased) or Sharon (has chosen to let go of our active friendship so that she could move on), there isn't much reason to stop in Ohio. My son has no interest in seeing me and my dance friends have not shown any real interest in me over the years, but then, I haven't shown much interest in them, either, so I guess we get what we sow.

It seems that I am only interested in people once they let me into their "weird little world" and am not much for the superficial. If we aren't going to go deep, I don't see much sense in the conversation in part because, where is the heart-to-heart connection? Another aspect reason I tend to seek the depth of a person...and am so quick to share my depth, is due to my wandering nature. (My middle initial, combined with my last name, spells Wanders.) I'm not assured of being here very long, nor can I even fool myself into thinking that I'm going to be here long, so why waste time on the superficial? I can see the other side of that, though. Why even go deep? I can answer that one, though: I would like some intimacy. There isn't much intimacy in exchanging, "Hello. Nice day for a ride, isn't it?" or it's like.

I may have put this elsewhere in my blog, but I haven't even kissed a woman since July of last year. Well, not in a romantic way. Friendly pecks don't count as far as this is concerned.

Well, time to get ready to go dance.

The Universe does provide... (This post was written some time ago, I just forgot to publish it.)

...as I have known it to do consistantly. My good friend, Keith, once said, "You can have anything you want, as long as what you want is what God wants." Another friend, a Therava Buddhist monk, will sometimes end a letter with, "May you receive what you need and may it bare a striking resembance to what you want." This stop in Colorado City with enable me to make it into Tennesse. Now, may the Universe provide me with a way to get my teeth fixed!

My present host is a wonderful young woman, 33, who is an EMT and massage therapist. She has two beautiful big Malamute dogs, one of which has burrowed under the house. It is SO funny and unexpected to see this fairly small hole in the ground and then see this big dog scramble out of it! I hope Ava will get a video of it and put it online. It will go viral, I'm sure.

If you find yourself in Coloado City Wednesday through Saturday, there is a lovely restaurant called Mi Rancho. It's a mile or two off the interstate, but well worth the drive. It is family run and has a large, friendly and attentive staff. Only open Wed-Sat. Live music in the evening by an accomplished musician.

Well, perhaps I will add more later, but it is time to prepare to get on the road. Hope to make it to DC by Friday.

The Plan...

At the moment will see me traveling by motorcycle, not counting side trips of several hundred miles, over 7,400 miles by November. I presently have $56 to my name and no expected income, ie, I know of no money scheduled to come to me. I take that back; I am scheduled to teach a coaching lesson on Monday for $50. Talk about trusting the Universe (God) to provide! Well, I figure that It put me in this bio-atmospheric survival suit that I need to have to walk on the surface of the the planet so it must be willing to offer support so that I can get the proper use of the equipment It has loaned me. It's done a pretty good job thus far, despite many adverse situations.

So, here I will give the Universe a list of what is required, as I see it, to make this trip possible. It can choose how it wishes to supply for the trip, though I am always open to unexpected and unplanned ways of making such things happen:

* Restocking of balloons.
* $71 for my phone bill before it gets shut off.
* Oil and filter change on the motorcycle, soon... and then twice more before the end of the trip.
* A trailer hitch and small trailer to pull behind the bike so that my beloved sister and I can travel across the country from Ohio to the coast of Oregon more readily without killing the bike.
* Gas for the trip.
* Food.
* Lodging/camping during the trip.
* A visit to the dentist to have a cavity in the tooth of my non-broken bridge anchor repaired before it gets too bad.
* Two new tires in May would be nice.

______________________________
Well, it is now the next day and I've earned enough for the pil change and a tank or two of gas. I have one more day to earn enough for a balloon restock.

Oh, and my sister would like for me to go pick her up in Florida. So far, no where near enough conversation about that to change my travel plans. But if that is what happens, life will get very interesting fairly quickly. The logistics of this trip is just...mind boggling! Ah....but that is what adventures are made of!! :-)

Just another post about...whatever.

Just came from a Unity church service in a bigger church. I know that I only got a snapshot of how it is, but I felt no connection whatsoever. It was the most formal church that I've been in in a very long time. It felt almost like a Catholic church to me. The tried to connect, perhaps, but it ddn't feel heartfelt to me. Actually, it seemed like the whole service was filler to collect money. This is an exception to the rule for Unity churches, I've found. In most Unity churches, the offering collected because the money is needed to run the church and that is the feeling that one gets.

Two positive occurences of note. I met an old German woman who went through WW2 in Berlin. She told me the story of how she became anAmerican citizen--by marrying the man who bombed her house in Berlin! How's that for an interesting story?! The second thing of note was the labyrinth they've created on the property. Walking it in the merciless sun of the desert was an interesting experience. It put me in mind of a man I think of as a close brother, Keith Marteny. Remembering walking the labyrinth in Fairhaven with him brought joy to my heart.

Yesterday, I went to 4th and Broadway here in Tucson. Had heard that it was the street performing location in town. Perhaps it is, late at night...for musicians. Not so much for this balloon twister. I wore myself out, walking up and down the road all day, trying the find a profitable place. One thing that I like about small towns is when something happens, everyone in town gathers and twisting is easy. Not so in big cities. There are so many things to do that finding a place to work (where it is allowed and there are enough kids and people) is a work of Spirit. I did, however, briefly make the aqaintance of a VERY skilled twister with the last name of Fudd. I hope it turns out that we get an opportunity to exchange ideas. Yesterday, financially, just paid for itself, which is much more pleasant than going into nee, but doen't do much for paying bills or maintainance on the bike. Not concerned, though, as it has been my experience that the Universe always provides.

From one host to another.

I think I need to take a writing class to make my posts more entertaining. Lots of stuff happens, but it seems that my writing skills are just okay. That's fine for this fellow with only a 9th grade formal education. (Yes, I earned my GED in '92.) However, I can read my own writing and know that it is somewhat dry. *shrug* It is what it is and this blog is doing what I intended, hich was to keep those who wished to know what's going on.

Speaking of which, there are several people I have known who I wish kept a blog: my son, Tyler. My tiny friend, Sharon Denny. A couple friends from long, long ago: Debbie Bushnell and Evelyn "Evie" Carr. My most recent ex-girlfriend/estranged friend, Kristina. My good friend/brother, Keith Marteny. I'd love to know what is happening in the lives of these people (and a few others not mentioned here) but circumstances have not offered themselves for communication. I know that I am fairly easy to find online: news articles, my website, this blog, contests that I enter; in other words, I don't live a secret or confidential life. Unfortunately, I can't say the same for these friends and loved ones that I would like to stay connected to, even in such a tenuious way.

Ah, well. *sigh* So, today was moving day from one host to another in the same city. Rebecca was an awesome hostess, and I get the feeling that Diane will be jut as awesome, though perhaps in other ways. I've not yet met her, but I'm moved into the little apartment that she is offring for my use. From what I've been able to glean from our few communications, she is caring, busy, just a tad overwhelmed by responsibilities, but joyful and fun-loving. It'll be interesting to see if my initial impressions have any validity. :-)

The ride over was exciting: LOTS of wind gusts and blowing sand. It felt like what I imagine surfing a big wave would feel like. A couple times when I stopped to check GPS, I had to put the bike on its centerstand to keep from getting blown down.  It's looking like the wind is calming down a tiny bit, so perhaps I will go get a few supplies and head back to the apartment. I sure hope the Universe provides a venue for making some money, it's getting mighty slim!    

I'm a CEO!

And so are you! So what it that was are CEOs of? The minutes of our lives. Assuming 80 years of life, we are given 42,048,000 minutes to sell or use however we wish. Figuring 8hours sleep per night (sometimes more, sometimes less) that cuts down on our available useful minutes to sell or use by 14,016,000 minutes leaving us with 28,032,000 left. Now, these numbers apply to every living being on the planet who lives 80 years and sleeps 8 hours a night, averaged.

Some people sell their product (minutes) dearly, yet squander those they saved for personal use on anger, depression, boredom, or some other such emotion. But it really doesn't matter how they use them, they have no more minutes than anyone else. Death levels the playing field, always. Because you are the CEO of your own life, you can choose to loan someone else the power of how you spend your minutes, or you can choose to spend them how you wish to.

In the dance business, young teacher-trainees are often in awe of those with lots of experience on the floor. Or are in thrall of a confident boss to the point of allowing that boss to choose where they get their dance training from. (This topic was inspired by a certain interaction, but is appropriate to many others.)  The fact is, though, that the boss, while being kind or whatnot, is likely more concerned with how the new teacher's dancing will effect the boss' bottom line rather than the longterm joy of the new trainee. I know well how how the trainee feels, having been there myself.I also know from experience that the same is true in pretty much any profession. However, freedom comes when one realizes that one must be the master of one's own company and choose never to work FOR someone else, but rather work WITH. This change in perception leads to a more mutually respectful and fulfilling life experience.

I might choose to sell my minutes to another for $0.166 a minute (roughly $10 per hour) or I may choose to give it away helping an injured person to  hospital; in either case, that minute is gone, never to be seen again. Your boss has to decide for his or her self how they may choose to spend their minutes.

How to use this information? One way is to decide if the actions of anothe are worth the expenditure of your precious minutes in anger or hatred. They are your inutes, what will you choose to sell your peace and happiness for? Additionally, look at the motivations of those you have sold some of your time to (employers) and ask yourself, "Do they REALLY haave my long-term best interestsat heart? Or would I be better served assuming responsibility for my own long-term joy and well-being?" The choice, my friends, is completely up to you.

May these words be of benefit.