“Never judge a Book by it’s cover…”. Old saying! Just a reminder.

We had some company a couple nights ago, for dinner. There is always plenty when I cook outdoors, using this time all 3 fire pits. A Beef stew of some sort, one of those I could never duplicate again, the grill for some hot tortillas “pecan wood” flavored, and an apricot~peach cobbler in the Dutch Oven using some ready made puff pastry sheets. Nothing to show of it’s beauty or it’s appeal, the stew was the stew, the cobbler, as only being the second time using a Dutch Oven, was burned at the bottom. Strange enough there was not a crumb left, my Friends Paul and Voni and a visitor of them “Phil’ must have been really hungry! It is a learning curve, always too many coals, too hot mostly at the bottom, learning as the next step will be some breads.

They are gone now, once in a while I hear the distant sound of an engine going by a couple miles away down the road when the wind supports it. All is otherwise quiet here, the hum of the laptop is present, Spirit into his own Dreams vocalized. Music? silence are the notes always in a melody I hear. “Taj Mahal”, the monstrous tent, keeps flapping with the wind as a giant set of sails trying to move “The Oasis” in any given direction of the moment, time keeps escaping me. This Journal as I look at it’s dates is the only notion that has the significance of the day with a number next to it. I do know what year it is. Sometimes. Does it really matter? I often ask myself in such times when all comes to a halt “and now what?”… “is that all there is?”. Born, live, vanish? Is this the last step I am on? What is next? Where is next? Must there be one? or can I just plant myself and grow some roots, deep enough to not sway back and forth and yet hungry for more destinations.

This land has a hold on me. It is my Island throughout my present Life, it is my safe heaven from it all, and even as I have always felt secure in and on any Space, this here I feel as being the ultimate pinnacle and destination. Today again the grays are back, the wind is howling as a reminder to pay attention and not set in too comfortably at ease throughout the nights and days. I can only wish everyone would have such a Space as it soothes the mind with no effort as gentle waves caressing the Soul incessantly. Today is a good day to stay in, it is a good day to be nurtured. Yesterday was a different channel. Blue skies, barely a breeze, it was time for a long ride and Marathon being part into my favorite loop was a destination to see again, the papercrete homes and my Friend Eric, in charge of it all.

Old Marathon Rd is unpaved and cuts through Big Bend National Park. It always has been a fun way to go “to the other side” as we ride it once or twice a year when here. A road with an ongoing changing personality in consequences due to the summer months endured. This time was no exception, parts of it where better, sand washed away, rocks protruding, in parts the segments where worse, mainly deeper sand. A lot of washouts this year, no rest as for every time thinking the toughest part had been ridden a new challenge would make itself present. Not the worse road we have experienced, I see it as a fun aspect of riding with never in our case meeting a single other Soul on their own adventure. Not the most popular around.

The little papercrete Village in Marathon has grown. There is now a new sweat lodge, structures have been painted, a new garden, lines running here and there. Eric intensely has an extreme knowledge of building with unconventional materials. He lives in Mexico with his Wife and 2 year old Daughter, here long enough to himself make some money to build his own structures south of the border. He is being helped by a “Woofer”, a new term for me. It is a traveler that exchanges his skills for food and shelter. Norbert is an “Australian Woofer”, not a bad way to see the World and meet interesting people through a Network I was not aware even existed.

Eric, above, is a kind man, his deep knowledge within so many subjects and his experiences past and present with much awareness on how this World turns makes any conversation more than interesting ones. His Wife has also much knowledge of the past Mayan and Aztec Culture, they obviously share such comprehension, she produces Mayan Calendars as he explained me their own months, years and meanings of their symbols.

This is all part of the Ride as I always think. Being within a Space unlike others, meeting another as an accomplice on the path of Life one is on. The finish line might be of a different font and meaning, but the consciousness of the passage we all want to proceed on is really powered by the same key fitting and turning in it’s peaceful manner. The afternoon was of a pleasant one, there is a great Aura amongst those structures as each corner, each landing of the eyes has an attraction only described by one’s thoughts when by hand and Soul erected presently.

Everyone is “Welcome” here. The first structure is set up as a “Hostel” for Travelers passing by, the experience itself is a worth unlike other many, one arrives as they are, leave richer and the memories linger with feelings so much enhanced by it all. We shall ourselves return often. We were invited to stay but the Ride called me to go on just a bit before Sunset as the clouds forming were setting another Masterpiece I was sure of witnessing.

The ride back through Alpine this time to close the loop was of a great one. As usual the deer evaded us as night time fell upon the skies. Everywhere it seems their shadows were frozen as we went by paying this time a bit more attention at the road illuminated as almost daylight by the many headlights. They are out there and it seems as their numbers are increasing.

I did not want to stop this time around. Sometimes the camera gets in the way of the experience such as this beautiful Sunset just ahead of us, a nice tail wind pushing us down the road, the temperature just perfect, but… I did pull over. I figured my own memory of this day would not be complete without being able to see it all again.

Till next time, you be well.
Always.

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Ara & Spirit

This entry was posted on Monday, October 26th, 2009 at 3:29 pm and is filed under travel, spirituality, pit bull, sidecar, motorcycle, cooking, photography, riding, homeless. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.