On the 4th of July weekend me and two buddies of mine here in Tucson made a very important synthesis of realizations: the facade of Independence day and fireworks do not appeal to us, we are tired of being in the desert and we get Monday off which means a long weekend. And so was born the brilliant idea to not only get out of Tucson, but out of society to a spectacular place called the San Juan National Forest in Southwest Colorado- yes, that's correct Colorado. When we decided to leave the desert we really meant it, I wanted to see the Rockies instead of cactus. The trip consisted of 5 days, Thursday through Monday and we tallied around 45 miles by foot and over 1,000 on tire. To say the least, we were busy, but all worth the time spent away and in true wilderness, every sore muscle a reminder that good things don't come easy and to move oneself by the purest form- feet, is truly freeing.
I will of course post pictures, since they show in one snap what would take me 10 pages to describe. Words truly could not do this wondrous place justice, nor do even the pictures. One has to hear the sounds of the singing birds, the distant roar of a river rushing, the sweet smell of wildflowers and rich pine, to feel the cool breeze rustle your hair- if I close my eyes I can still go back there in my mind but the image fades as separating time grows. As you will look or have looked already, the area brought so many different landscapes and settings. We hiked through deep, tall pine forests with nothing but the soft thud of our boots on the dirt, we cut through edges of rock near feet from a hundred foot drop to the roaring water below, we walked in wide open meadows with the tranquil sound of aspens whispering in the wind, we climbed up into high valleys, mountains on both sides- ancient gate keepers to the wilderness beyond, we bouldered up steep spines with packs digging ever deeper into our shoulders, we hiked over snow, we forded many streams and rivers, we even explored an old mine. It seemed around every bend, every switchback, every crest there was something new for my eyes to gaze upon in awe inspiring beauty. We all were sincerely giddy with excitement, reveling in the full reality of where we were. A deep joy one experiences when you truly decide to be- to live in nothing but the now, the present. No longer do our lives consist of being fully present but preparing for next day, week, month year. To release oneself from the worries of future, of tomorrow liberates you to fully be. And I believe that is what we all felt, that liberating joy in which we danced all weekend.
In order to keep myself from babbling for evermore, numbing your mind and ears I will instead re-write a little excerpt from my journal that I wrote on our second day after we had arrived at Hazel Lake to give a snap view into what my mind was writing while in the wilderness house of worship-
This place is magical, every fiber of my being delights from the sense of this wilderness. To be out in primitive land, to have a lake all to ourselves, to go sleep with Giants watching over me. It fills my mind with a euphoric state of belonging and true connectedness to the Earth. To be put in our place, small beings on the very surface of the world- representing just a sliver of its inhabitants. I feel inclined to leave the dirty, bustling society behind me, find refuge in the arms of Mother Nature. Why as a people are we so quick to believe we own this place called Earth- our home? That we have the authority to make the right decisions for something we don't fully understand? Would it not be better to live by Earth's rules instead of man's? To be in peaceful harmony instead of violent contrast? As Daniel Quinn says in Ishmael, when you ask yourself: who is the one who told us this is the "correct" way to live? The lifestyle we live, its framework, our current story- who is the author? What is your answer? Stare at that question hard and long, think deeply about the real answer, not the surface answer, not the first thing that comes to mind but fully immerse yourself in the question...
The trip to Colorado was truly spectacular and a refueling of mind, body and spirit. It will be right up there with the Grand Canyon and Borderlinks as the highlight of my time here spent in Tucson. I would like to thank the people who made it possible and allowed me to go. I wish I could say I will write in my blog more but the way time is going now, but I'd say I'll have a sort of ending write up before I leave here and head home. I can't wait to be home and look forward to heading back to Goshen, but for now my time in Tucson continues and will enjoy the few weeks I have left. Much love,
Daniel
"An unplanned plan is the best plan one can plan."
Monday, July 18, 2011
San Juan Photos
http://www.flickr.com/photos/53256261@N04/5948776302/in/set-72157627096570047/
Photos taken by Luke Rembold- short ginger hair. He is a YAV and is from Baker, OR so we're blood brothers. Excellent amateur photographer if I do say so myself.
Photos taken by Luke Rembold- short ginger hair. He is a YAV and is from Baker, OR so we're blood brothers. Excellent amateur photographer if I do say so myself.
Sunday, July 17, 2011
Don't Make Me Leave This Place
The birds singing
the breeze blowing-
Don't make me leave this place.
Everything is so green
no words can explain what i've seen-
Don't make me leave this place.
The trail slithers
oh how i'm in a dither-
Don't make me leave this place.
Mountains rise on every side
Earth's rules i must now abide-
Don't make me leave this place.
Each gurgling creek
kind of makes me have to take a leak-
Don't make me leave this place.
All the beauty make my eyes go hazy
though i know in my soul i'm far from crazy-
Don't make me leave this place.
My mind wanders back to society and it makes me bleed
Nature and companionship are all i need-
Don't make me leave this place.
Each vibrant wildflower scent the air so sweet
conquering every steep ridge is no small feat-
Don't make me leave this place.
With every repeated step my body grows sore
yet, with every repeated step my body craves more-
Don't make me leave this place.
My time to leave is coming near
to be in a car headed home- this i fear-
Don't make me leave this place, For this is my home.
the breeze blowing-
Don't make me leave this place.
Everything is so green
no words can explain what i've seen-
Don't make me leave this place.
The trail slithers
oh how i'm in a dither-
Don't make me leave this place.
Mountains rise on every side
Earth's rules i must now abide-
Don't make me leave this place.
Each gurgling creek
kind of makes me have to take a leak-
Don't make me leave this place.
All the beauty make my eyes go hazy
though i know in my soul i'm far from crazy-
Don't make me leave this place.
My mind wanders back to society and it makes me bleed
Nature and companionship are all i need-
Don't make me leave this place.
Each vibrant wildflower scent the air so sweet
conquering every steep ridge is no small feat-
Don't make me leave this place.
With every repeated step my body grows sore
yet, with every repeated step my body craves more-
Don't make me leave this place.
My time to leave is coming near
to be in a car headed home- this i fear-
Don't make me leave this place, For this is my home.
Saturday, May 14, 2011
Borderlinks Delegation
Hello everyone, big and small, tall and short-
Again it has been awhile, but what can I say? I've been busy, hot and turning 21. But hopefully I'll have some posts up quick to update with the few family members that still read this. Time has continued to fly like a dragonfly chasing the sun and it is already mid May and full fledged summer here in Tucson- at least in my mind. Mid 90's just about everyday, though we haven't hit triple digits yet so I guess technically it's not summer yet. Work has been going well, were down to a pretty small group so work is never short but I don't hate it yet so I count that to be a good thing.
So two weekends ago my house had an opportunity to go on a Borderlinks delegation- this is a really sweet organization that does week long sort of border/immigration crash course lessons and seminars, it's a very cool place and I recommend to anyone who ever has time in Tucson, AZ to check them out, it will change your life. Our friends over at the YAV house- Young Adult Volunteers, if you forgot- 2 of them work there and so got us a great discounted deal to go on a 4 day delegation over a weekend. Since we all work we couldn't afford to take a whole week off so we had to squeeze it in over a long weekend, Friday to Monday.
We got to hear many speakers on the issues of immigration and the border that included head of the Coalicion de Derechos Humanos- Coalition of Human Rights- which is a human rights group that does statistics on immigrant deaths etc. and legislative lobbying as best they can to bring awareness to the greater public about what is really going on at the border. We talked to an immigration activist that is a member of the Tohono O'oham nation whose reservation is on both the Mexican and U.S. and where the immigrants crossing illegally have been funneled by the wall and border patrol presence. We met with a public defender, John Fife who is the coolest guy ever and who started the Sanctuary movement, if you've never heard of it look it up, as well as started No Mas Muertes- No More Deaths- which is a volunteer program that goes out to aid immigrants crossing the desert since many underestimate the extremes of the desert and length of trip so many need emergency medical aid just to survive. We got to go Agua Prieta which is a border town, U.S. side is called Douglas, Mexican side Agua Prieta. Spent a day and a half there, heard some speakers, went to iglesia. We also got to go to an Operation Streamline hearing which is a new program that the government has instituted only at few places. It started in Texas, moved to Yuma and has been recently adopted by Tucson. It is a form of a criminal hearing that has shifted the handling of undocumented immigrants from immigration judges in the executive branch to the legislative branch and making it a federal issue of prosecution. Around 70 men and women are moved through a sentencing hearing that lasts anywhere from 30 mins to 3 hrs depending on the judge, everyday of the week. It would be nice to explain it more but I feel I might do a poor job and bore anyone trying to read this entire entry. So instead I'm going to just post one of journal entries that I wrote during the Streamline hearing. It is a representation of what I saw and an interpretation of what was going through in my mind- it should not be taken as fact or be interpreted as a verbatim representation of all immigrants or Operation Streamline hearings.
April 29, OPERATION STREAMLINE- Tucson Federal Court
"Immigrants sitting side by side on wooden pews far to the left, handcuffed, chained to their waist, feet shackled. Public defenders in and out, squeezed between seats going over the last few points, last clarifications. Some speak to one another, most are silent- thoughts swirling in a dream of uncertainty, fear, helplessness. Headphones held in the chained hands, quiet before its imminent sentence is translated to their native language. Six looming metal heads line the front, like X's marking the spot- not for hidden treasure but for the streamline of injustice and broken legislation that has created this juxtaposition. Middle benches are speckled with a few public defenders, waiting to take their place on the main floor- more have taken individual desks further towards the room, in front of the almighty judge, with more room to spread out briefs, notes, schedules- busy with paper flipping, pen scribbling, head rubbing revealing the tired, beaten minds fighting a battle that will never be won. Not as long as the suits, sitting fat on Capitol Hill far from the states, the communities, the families, the men, women and children, continue to pass legislation- founded upon racism, fear and injustice- that tear these groups to pieces, antagonizing them to fight against one another instead the system that put them there."
"You see it in the men's faces- a quiet solitude, a weathered and tired solace, fighting to climb a hill that continually grows higher. Border Patrol and U.S. Marshall sit by the exit doors, silent but powerful watchmen that imprint their dominion over the court and even the air with their swagger and smirk. You feel the depressive mood in the room, like dark clouds blotting out the sun on a spring morning- the tension prickles your skin as before lightning strikes close by during a storm. Never knowing how to survive the storm, how to escape the lightening- how long you will be in jail, how your wife will survive, how your children will eat."
"The Border Patrol Agent instructs all the immigrants to put their headphones on in preparation of the judge entering the courtroom. Interpreter up front, to the right hand of the judge, ready, poised to be bridge between fairytale and reality, dream and nightmare- a true bearer of bad news. Each man and woman, named, stands, "presente", acknowledged and checked off the long list by the clerk and represented by a number code labeling each individual. Like items on a grocery list crossed off, not to be forgotten or get lost in the numbers. Full reality sinks in as each speaks his/her single word of attendance breaks the thin layer of membrane separating the minds from the last hope of this all just being a bad dream- the realization that life will no longer be as it used to be. Each defender rises to claim their defendants that they represent, all handled orderly, brief, routinely, no point unnecessary- time here is not a commodity willing to be wasted on such small trivialities as a human beings life and livelihood. Each checker placed in a pre-meditated spot by the grandmaster named government- shielded by the word called "Democracy"- so as to control the game from the start, never allowing a misplaced checker to go unnoticed, a wrong move corrected. Government always wins."
"A woman stands tall, knowing what she believes is true, that she has done nothing wrong. A naive idea to all who have not stood in the same shoes as her- sent back to sit down so as to longer distract the order and routine of the courts proceedings and delay others from shouldering their sentences through the only exit there is for them, the one that leads to a jail cell. Like a child misbehaving during class she is sent back to her seat, as if in timeout to receive further "guidance" by her defender so as to fully understand the impossible situation she is in and to be told she cannot move her checker piece there, that is not allowed by the grandmaster, you must move it here, nod your head there, say "si" here, say "no" then, say "culpable" now and you will be on your way."
"The idea is astonishing, the difference between the two lines of men, one line in a suit and papers in hand the others in jeans and hands chained, what could be more ambiguous of a reason that separates these two lines of men then where they were born? What makes these men a greater being- of great importance then those men standing in front, answering in a unison chorus to the magistrates questions? Laws and legislation put in place by the rich, short-sighted bureaucrats to those poor and them wealthy. To keep you out and them comfortable- turning community after community against their very own brothers and sisters. How long will this hate go on? How long ago did this land, the land this very building is built upon, belong to the ancestors of those we are sending to prison? What kind of sick irony are we writing?
"An assembly line of injustice, boxing human beings like high demand products ready to export. One by one inspected, questioned, packed and boxed- stamped with "Wrong address, please return to sender". While our tax dollars are pouring into the prison system that houses and feeds these people, millions of dollars wasted on innocent people, vertebrae of the American economy, the true heroes- yet they are treated with contempt and racism because the media tell us that they are dangerous, they steal jobs, a burden on the economy."
To end this blog entry, here are just a few of my lingering thoughts that I have come away with, not only from Borderlinks but from literature I've been reading and experiences and time here in Tucson.
Who should we really be blaming for this disastrous situation we like to call "Secure the Border" the immigrants crossing the hellish desert for 4 to 7 days to live under constant fear and prejudice all for the sake of feeding their families since work in Mexico is scarce and supporting yourself by the earth is no longer economically feasible? Or the greedy, truly law breaking employers who hire undocumented workers and pay them under the counter so as to cut their taxes and make double, triple profits on the backs of cheap, non-benefits labor? The immigrants and the unemployed of America, whose relationship has bred the most contempt are the ones are the closest of brothers there is. We must erase the shroud that hides the roots of the problem, stop hating each other, and start working together to fight the system that we call a democratic government. Once united, the poor, immigrant, unemployed, oppressed, trampled, uncared for veterans, disadvantaged, discriminated against it will be a force no longer suppressed but a movement that sweeps the nation and the world. Things are bad now- and if you question this take some time to read the news- but if we don't start acting now things will only get worse. Derechos Humanos said "If we don't start thinking differently everything will stay the same." Unity, peace and love will be the new words of freedom. We have to change our way of thinking, our ideologies, change what money means, what success means- we have forgotten what happiness is, what harmony with the earth is, what it feels like to be healthy. The system is broken, but it can fixed- it needs to be fixed.
Shift the power.
EL MUNDO NECESITA MAS AMOR
Again it has been awhile, but what can I say? I've been busy, hot and turning 21. But hopefully I'll have some posts up quick to update with the few family members that still read this. Time has continued to fly like a dragonfly chasing the sun and it is already mid May and full fledged summer here in Tucson- at least in my mind. Mid 90's just about everyday, though we haven't hit triple digits yet so I guess technically it's not summer yet. Work has been going well, were down to a pretty small group so work is never short but I don't hate it yet so I count that to be a good thing.
So two weekends ago my house had an opportunity to go on a Borderlinks delegation- this is a really sweet organization that does week long sort of border/immigration crash course lessons and seminars, it's a very cool place and I recommend to anyone who ever has time in Tucson, AZ to check them out, it will change your life. Our friends over at the YAV house- Young Adult Volunteers, if you forgot- 2 of them work there and so got us a great discounted deal to go on a 4 day delegation over a weekend. Since we all work we couldn't afford to take a whole week off so we had to squeeze it in over a long weekend, Friday to Monday.
We got to hear many speakers on the issues of immigration and the border that included head of the Coalicion de Derechos Humanos- Coalition of Human Rights- which is a human rights group that does statistics on immigrant deaths etc. and legislative lobbying as best they can to bring awareness to the greater public about what is really going on at the border. We talked to an immigration activist that is a member of the Tohono O'oham nation whose reservation is on both the Mexican and U.S. and where the immigrants crossing illegally have been funneled by the wall and border patrol presence. We met with a public defender, John Fife who is the coolest guy ever and who started the Sanctuary movement, if you've never heard of it look it up, as well as started No Mas Muertes- No More Deaths- which is a volunteer program that goes out to aid immigrants crossing the desert since many underestimate the extremes of the desert and length of trip so many need emergency medical aid just to survive. We got to go Agua Prieta which is a border town, U.S. side is called Douglas, Mexican side Agua Prieta. Spent a day and a half there, heard some speakers, went to iglesia. We also got to go to an Operation Streamline hearing which is a new program that the government has instituted only at few places. It started in Texas, moved to Yuma and has been recently adopted by Tucson. It is a form of a criminal hearing that has shifted the handling of undocumented immigrants from immigration judges in the executive branch to the legislative branch and making it a federal issue of prosecution. Around 70 men and women are moved through a sentencing hearing that lasts anywhere from 30 mins to 3 hrs depending on the judge, everyday of the week. It would be nice to explain it more but I feel I might do a poor job and bore anyone trying to read this entire entry. So instead I'm going to just post one of journal entries that I wrote during the Streamline hearing. It is a representation of what I saw and an interpretation of what was going through in my mind- it should not be taken as fact or be interpreted as a verbatim representation of all immigrants or Operation Streamline hearings.
April 29, OPERATION STREAMLINE- Tucson Federal Court
"Immigrants sitting side by side on wooden pews far to the left, handcuffed, chained to their waist, feet shackled. Public defenders in and out, squeezed between seats going over the last few points, last clarifications. Some speak to one another, most are silent- thoughts swirling in a dream of uncertainty, fear, helplessness. Headphones held in the chained hands, quiet before its imminent sentence is translated to their native language. Six looming metal heads line the front, like X's marking the spot- not for hidden treasure but for the streamline of injustice and broken legislation that has created this juxtaposition. Middle benches are speckled with a few public defenders, waiting to take their place on the main floor- more have taken individual desks further towards the room, in front of the almighty judge, with more room to spread out briefs, notes, schedules- busy with paper flipping, pen scribbling, head rubbing revealing the tired, beaten minds fighting a battle that will never be won. Not as long as the suits, sitting fat on Capitol Hill far from the states, the communities, the families, the men, women and children, continue to pass legislation- founded upon racism, fear and injustice- that tear these groups to pieces, antagonizing them to fight against one another instead the system that put them there."
"You see it in the men's faces- a quiet solitude, a weathered and tired solace, fighting to climb a hill that continually grows higher. Border Patrol and U.S. Marshall sit by the exit doors, silent but powerful watchmen that imprint their dominion over the court and even the air with their swagger and smirk. You feel the depressive mood in the room, like dark clouds blotting out the sun on a spring morning- the tension prickles your skin as before lightning strikes close by during a storm. Never knowing how to survive the storm, how to escape the lightening- how long you will be in jail, how your wife will survive, how your children will eat."
"The Border Patrol Agent instructs all the immigrants to put their headphones on in preparation of the judge entering the courtroom. Interpreter up front, to the right hand of the judge, ready, poised to be bridge between fairytale and reality, dream and nightmare- a true bearer of bad news. Each man and woman, named, stands, "presente", acknowledged and checked off the long list by the clerk and represented by a number code labeling each individual. Like items on a grocery list crossed off, not to be forgotten or get lost in the numbers. Full reality sinks in as each speaks his/her single word of attendance breaks the thin layer of membrane separating the minds from the last hope of this all just being a bad dream- the realization that life will no longer be as it used to be. Each defender rises to claim their defendants that they represent, all handled orderly, brief, routinely, no point unnecessary- time here is not a commodity willing to be wasted on such small trivialities as a human beings life and livelihood. Each checker placed in a pre-meditated spot by the grandmaster named government- shielded by the word called "Democracy"- so as to control the game from the start, never allowing a misplaced checker to go unnoticed, a wrong move corrected. Government always wins."
"A woman stands tall, knowing what she believes is true, that she has done nothing wrong. A naive idea to all who have not stood in the same shoes as her- sent back to sit down so as to longer distract the order and routine of the courts proceedings and delay others from shouldering their sentences through the only exit there is for them, the one that leads to a jail cell. Like a child misbehaving during class she is sent back to her seat, as if in timeout to receive further "guidance" by her defender so as to fully understand the impossible situation she is in and to be told she cannot move her checker piece there, that is not allowed by the grandmaster, you must move it here, nod your head there, say "si" here, say "no" then, say "culpable" now and you will be on your way."
"The idea is astonishing, the difference between the two lines of men, one line in a suit and papers in hand the others in jeans and hands chained, what could be more ambiguous of a reason that separates these two lines of men then where they were born? What makes these men a greater being- of great importance then those men standing in front, answering in a unison chorus to the magistrates questions? Laws and legislation put in place by the rich, short-sighted bureaucrats to those poor and them wealthy. To keep you out and them comfortable- turning community after community against their very own brothers and sisters. How long will this hate go on? How long ago did this land, the land this very building is built upon, belong to the ancestors of those we are sending to prison? What kind of sick irony are we writing?
"An assembly line of injustice, boxing human beings like high demand products ready to export. One by one inspected, questioned, packed and boxed- stamped with "Wrong address, please return to sender". While our tax dollars are pouring into the prison system that houses and feeds these people, millions of dollars wasted on innocent people, vertebrae of the American economy, the true heroes- yet they are treated with contempt and racism because the media tell us that they are dangerous, they steal jobs, a burden on the economy."
To end this blog entry, here are just a few of my lingering thoughts that I have come away with, not only from Borderlinks but from literature I've been reading and experiences and time here in Tucson.
Who should we really be blaming for this disastrous situation we like to call "Secure the Border" the immigrants crossing the hellish desert for 4 to 7 days to live under constant fear and prejudice all for the sake of feeding their families since work in Mexico is scarce and supporting yourself by the earth is no longer economically feasible? Or the greedy, truly law breaking employers who hire undocumented workers and pay them under the counter so as to cut their taxes and make double, triple profits on the backs of cheap, non-benefits labor? The immigrants and the unemployed of America, whose relationship has bred the most contempt are the ones are the closest of brothers there is. We must erase the shroud that hides the roots of the problem, stop hating each other, and start working together to fight the system that we call a democratic government. Once united, the poor, immigrant, unemployed, oppressed, trampled, uncared for veterans, disadvantaged, discriminated against it will be a force no longer suppressed but a movement that sweeps the nation and the world. Things are bad now- and if you question this take some time to read the news- but if we don't start acting now things will only get worse. Derechos Humanos said "If we don't start thinking differently everything will stay the same." Unity, peace and love will be the new words of freedom. We have to change our way of thinking, our ideologies, change what money means, what success means- we have forgotten what happiness is, what harmony with the earth is, what it feels like to be healthy. The system is broken, but it can fixed- it needs to be fixed.
Shift the power.
EL MUNDO NECESITA MAS AMOR
Sunday, March 20, 2011
Spring Break!!
Hi everyone,
This is Jalisa (Daniel's cousin- for anyone who was wondering) and I am going to share a little about my time in Tucson about 3 weeks ago.
I spent about half a week in Tucson, seeing Daniel's daily life and also taking some day trips to see surrounding desert beauty. I go to school in Goshen IN and was in snow for the past 4 months, so being in warm weather made the trip worth while -as did finally seeing Daniel! Wednesday, during the day, I lounged around at the MVS house, while the members were working hard. That night Daniel and I went out to eat at an Indian restaurant (very hard to find in Tucson) and viewed the sunset over the desert at a look out place (that I can't remember the name of and also can't successfully find on the web). It was beautiful to walk a little in the desert and watch the sun go down. Daniel and I tried to be knowledgeable about what plants we were looking at, but in the end Tour Guide Daniel, just dubbed everything "prickly bush."
I got to experience CHRPA on Thursday morning by accompanying Daniel on a few house calls. Our morning consisted of; a hands on lesson about drywall, us (mostly Daniel) unclogging a woman's garbage disposal, and climbing on a woman's roof to assess a leak. It was a very entertaining morning and I even learned a little about home improvement techniques. I'm a little foggy on what we did in the evening, but I'm sure it consisted of watching Freaks and Geeks (a new favorite) and eating an amazing supper at the MVS house. Everyone in that house is a great cook, seriously I've never eaten so good.
The next two days consisted of hiking. Friday we hiked 7 falls trail, it was fairly long, but didn't rise terribly so we walked at a pleasant pace. The end was incredibly worth it though because we actually saw natural water in Tucson! We also got a little red from being out in that desert heat for about 4-5 hours without any sunscreen, but like Daniel said, that's just my take away from Tucson.
On Saturday the MVS house and another volunteer house hiked up a semi-mountain about 40 mins outside of Tucson toward Phoenix, this one was more challenging but well worth it. At some points we were climbing rocks almost on all fours, it was amazing. The view at the top seemed to go on forever, there is nothing to block your line of vision. We were all pretty exhausted after the hike so when we got back to the house everyone crashed- and watched more Freaks and Geeks. That evening people perked up again and we had strawberry shortcake with homemade ice-cream and a small gathering for people in the other volunteer houses. That was my last night in Tucson and I made my way back to school early the next morning. I had an awful time leaving that beautiful 70-80 degree weather!
I had such a great time seeing what Daniel has been up to, its always better to actually see and experience it than just read about it. I also came to appreciate the desert a little more, with all its shades of brown and prickly bushes. I would encourage all of you to visit and see Tucson yourself, as that's all I have to share right now!
Jalisa
Saturday, March 12, 2011
Do People Still Check This?
Well there has been a bit of a lull in my blog writing but with a relaxing Saturday I've found time to write a piece to help people catch up with things that have happened these past few months.
They have been busy months indeed with work feeling more and more intense and energy draining as the weather heats up and jobs get bigger. But I guess I'll start with Christmas as that was a highlight and the turn of the new year. I was able to go home to Oregon for about 9 days and it was so nice to be back in the green Willamette Valley, I didn't mind the overcast skies and rainy days, though it did rain almost everyday I was home. It felt good to be back home and see not only water but water falling from the sky. I think we all felt blessed and lucky that it worked out to have the entire family home for a few overlapping days- Lindsay & Matt, Jenna & Eric, me and the parents all enjoyed time together, good food, presents and most of all Battlestar Galactica the board game, haha.
Coming back to Tucson it was a bit depressing getting back into the swing of work as Christmas was my first real break from work since getting here in August. It was SOOP season so CHRPA was full with snowbirds here for the winter months and most of the men volunteering at CHRPA. Usually our full time crew ranges from 7 to 9 but during SOOP season it can be anywhere from 17-21, so CHRPA is running on all cylinders and it is fun to meet older folks and get to work with them as they always have the most interesting stories and lives to tell you about. January flew by as work was a blur and I went back to Goshen, IN to visit friends and get a minor follow up surgery on my leg- I got a pin removed from my right hip, things are all back to normal and the leg feels great. It was nice to see familiar faces and get to see what all my friends are up to stuck in the monotonous grind of college education. Back in Tucson we had to survive 3 days of winter as we had 2 of the coldest days ever recorded since the 70's, water and gas pipes were out all over the city and we had to wake up to no running water one of those days.
February was busy with work, projects and weekend activities as well as spring already picking up momentum. For the past month or so I have been working on building a new back porch for the VS house- we have a concrete patio that's about 8 ft out from the house and 15 ft along the side and what we had before was a poorly built structure that just had mesh for roofing so it didn't keep rain or the sun out, so I tore it down and put all new wood beams and rafters and put corrugated metal for the roofing down and I actually just finished it today, so it's nice to have that done as it took up much of my weekend hours. It will be great in the summer as it faces south and gives shelter to the kitchen and dining room that would otherwise get baked from the hot sun. Two weekends in February we got to travel and get out of Tucson which was refreshing and fun to all be together as a house. The first trip was to southeast Arizona, near Portal to Peter & Francis Grill's awesome ranch house to just hang out, relax, take a tour of the place covering hundreds of acres and learning about immigration issues as well as just enjoying each others company. They have horses, dogs, cats, llamas, and even a camel not to mention the many other animals that live in the ranch and surrounding mountains that they don't necessarily call "pets".
The other trip we got to take was pure vacation as we drove 5 hours to the southwest this time to Puerto Penasco, or Rocky Point which is on the east side of the Sea of Cortez in Mexico. One of the families at Shalom Mennonite own a house there on the beach and we very much enjoyed the 4 days of sun and ocean. We had fresh shrimp and fish from the vendors in town, good Mexican beer, delicious salads, sun, sand and of course the calming lap of each wave as it collapses along the beach- what else could you want? Just writing about it makes me want to go back. We all had a great time and were sad to leave and travel north back to the reality of work and processed food.
We move into March where sun continues to burn longer and hotter, today it is 85 and looks like it will be in the mid 80s for the foreseeable future. I got a lovely visit from my cousin Jalisa on spring break at Goshen the first week in March and we had a great time hiking, biking, touring Tucson and many other things. Hopefully I'll get her to write a little blip in here telling what all we did in maybe more detail. But it was great to not only see her but also to have someone I know so well get to see what I'm doing, where I live, the house and get a better feel for what I'm actually experiencing here instead of just conversations over the phone. We had great weather, and I think she went back to Goshen with a good sunburn to help her remember how much fun she had here. SOOPer population has dwindled and so now CHRPA seems almost empty as only a few remain, and as it heats up all of us have this growing dread of how were going to survive summer, for me a it's my first and I will continue to revel in my sweet naive ignorance until it catches up with me, but for others it is a many year memory of hot, sweaty, eye burning, summer that sucks water from body like vacuum tube at the post office.
Things for the future will hopefully be filled with more adventures, travels and good experiences. Tomorrow I'm going snowboarding for the first time up in Flagstaff so I'm pretty stoked for that, just hoping I don't break anything ha. Looking forward to more hikes, biking trips and tours, rock climbing, swimming, mountain biking, backpacking, fishing and anything else I can get myself into before my time here runs out and I move onto the next stage of the unknown. We'll have to see if I can keep this blog more updated or if I get lazy again, but thanks for staying tuned in if you have and I apologize this post is so long. Keep the heart a beatin' and the soul a searchin'
Cheers, Daniel
They have been busy months indeed with work feeling more and more intense and energy draining as the weather heats up and jobs get bigger. But I guess I'll start with Christmas as that was a highlight and the turn of the new year. I was able to go home to Oregon for about 9 days and it was so nice to be back in the green Willamette Valley, I didn't mind the overcast skies and rainy days, though it did rain almost everyday I was home. It felt good to be back home and see not only water but water falling from the sky. I think we all felt blessed and lucky that it worked out to have the entire family home for a few overlapping days- Lindsay & Matt, Jenna & Eric, me and the parents all enjoyed time together, good food, presents and most of all Battlestar Galactica the board game, haha.
Coming back to Tucson it was a bit depressing getting back into the swing of work as Christmas was my first real break from work since getting here in August. It was SOOP season so CHRPA was full with snowbirds here for the winter months and most of the men volunteering at CHRPA. Usually our full time crew ranges from 7 to 9 but during SOOP season it can be anywhere from 17-21, so CHRPA is running on all cylinders and it is fun to meet older folks and get to work with them as they always have the most interesting stories and lives to tell you about. January flew by as work was a blur and I went back to Goshen, IN to visit friends and get a minor follow up surgery on my leg- I got a pin removed from my right hip, things are all back to normal and the leg feels great. It was nice to see familiar faces and get to see what all my friends are up to stuck in the monotonous grind of college education. Back in Tucson we had to survive 3 days of winter as we had 2 of the coldest days ever recorded since the 70's, water and gas pipes were out all over the city and we had to wake up to no running water one of those days.
February was busy with work, projects and weekend activities as well as spring already picking up momentum. For the past month or so I have been working on building a new back porch for the VS house- we have a concrete patio that's about 8 ft out from the house and 15 ft along the side and what we had before was a poorly built structure that just had mesh for roofing so it didn't keep rain or the sun out, so I tore it down and put all new wood beams and rafters and put corrugated metal for the roofing down and I actually just finished it today, so it's nice to have that done as it took up much of my weekend hours. It will be great in the summer as it faces south and gives shelter to the kitchen and dining room that would otherwise get baked from the hot sun. Two weekends in February we got to travel and get out of Tucson which was refreshing and fun to all be together as a house. The first trip was to southeast Arizona, near Portal to Peter & Francis Grill's awesome ranch house to just hang out, relax, take a tour of the place covering hundreds of acres and learning about immigration issues as well as just enjoying each others company. They have horses, dogs, cats, llamas, and even a camel not to mention the many other animals that live in the ranch and surrounding mountains that they don't necessarily call "pets".
The other trip we got to take was pure vacation as we drove 5 hours to the southwest this time to Puerto Penasco, or Rocky Point which is on the east side of the Sea of Cortez in Mexico. One of the families at Shalom Mennonite own a house there on the beach and we very much enjoyed the 4 days of sun and ocean. We had fresh shrimp and fish from the vendors in town, good Mexican beer, delicious salads, sun, sand and of course the calming lap of each wave as it collapses along the beach- what else could you want? Just writing about it makes me want to go back. We all had a great time and were sad to leave and travel north back to the reality of work and processed food.
We move into March where sun continues to burn longer and hotter, today it is 85 and looks like it will be in the mid 80s for the foreseeable future. I got a lovely visit from my cousin Jalisa on spring break at Goshen the first week in March and we had a great time hiking, biking, touring Tucson and many other things. Hopefully I'll get her to write a little blip in here telling what all we did in maybe more detail. But it was great to not only see her but also to have someone I know so well get to see what I'm doing, where I live, the house and get a better feel for what I'm actually experiencing here instead of just conversations over the phone. We had great weather, and I think she went back to Goshen with a good sunburn to help her remember how much fun she had here. SOOPer population has dwindled and so now CHRPA seems almost empty as only a few remain, and as it heats up all of us have this growing dread of how were going to survive summer, for me a it's my first and I will continue to revel in my sweet naive ignorance until it catches up with me, but for others it is a many year memory of hot, sweaty, eye burning, summer that sucks water from body like vacuum tube at the post office.
Things for the future will hopefully be filled with more adventures, travels and good experiences. Tomorrow I'm going snowboarding for the first time up in Flagstaff so I'm pretty stoked for that, just hoping I don't break anything ha. Looking forward to more hikes, biking trips and tours, rock climbing, swimming, mountain biking, backpacking, fishing and anything else I can get myself into before my time here runs out and I move onto the next stage of the unknown. We'll have to see if I can keep this blog more updated or if I get lazy again, but thanks for staying tuned in if you have and I apologize this post is so long. Keep the heart a beatin' and the soul a searchin'
Cheers, Daniel
Thursday, November 11, 2010
Long over due
Grand Canyon Pictures! Yes, I finally put them up on Flickr for the people who haven't seen them on facebook or don't have facebook.
Enter into the Abyss
Enter into the Abyss
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