Riding the wave… Tx

Friday, January 8th, 2010

Trough
There is a trough in waves, a low spot where horizon disappears and only sky and water are our company.
And there we lose our way unless we rest, knowing the wave will bring us to its crest again.
There we may drown if we let fear hold us within its grip and shake us side to side, and leave us flailing, torn, disoriented.
But if we rest there in the trough, are silent, being with the low part of the wave, keeping our energy and noticing the shape of things, the flow, then time alone will bring us to another place where we can see horizon, see the land again, regain our sense of where we are, and where we need to swim.

~ Judy Brown ~

The Porch view  

Sometimes there is just nothing to say, or is there? It is the “trough”. I am in it right now, wet and soaked I am waiting, I am patient, I am trying to let go of the future not yet here, senseless desire. None is blank, but the desire to roam freely is curtailed. Winter has it’s way at times to penetrate deep into one’s core and squeak the brakes, maybe not to a halt but for sure with a change in the momentum. I am not going to complain about the cold, but it is “glacial” as I call it, it is 12 degrees outside right now, as I feel it is all part of this “global warming” I myself hear so much about. So right before the “bad forecast”, a trip to Terlingua is always good. I had picked a day when the propane was not available till 2pm, not purposely. Maybe it meant also no one would be out as the town was truly a Ghost Town, deserted or maybe out to chop and stack that non existent wood. Even the hours posted for Kosmic Kafe were a lie that day, again we just have not been able to catch a good pulled pork burrito for a long time now. I think the doors are only open in accordance to the influx of tourists lately and the ambient temperatures. I’ll be back for sure.

Terlingua Trading Company  
Terlingua Trading Company Terlingua Trading Company

We stopped from one place to another, every door had the same locking mechanism in effect, no food then but munch from within the grocery store purchases. Then it was the bad news. No phone service. AT&T has totally cut me off from roaming! Two consecutive months when roaming is over 40% within the total calls and when data, roaming again, is over 24Mb. No warning… Three phone calls later from a phone booth did not have a better result. They even had the kindness to tell me to look for another carrier, there would not be any penalties because of early termination, adding I should consider myself lucky I was not totally disconnected even within AT&T towers. That is because I am labeled “a good customer”. Great service! She was very adamant even raising her voice expressing that they do not want anyone to roam, they are loosing money.  But… but… I see “free roaming…”. No use. Being shocked was an understatement as never having any problem for all my years with Alltel. When asked why there was no roaming “icon”, I was told that a previous icon had created too many problems with customers. Anyone needs a slightly used I Phone?

Terlingua Trading Company Terlingua Trading Company
Terlingua Trading Company Terlingua Trading Company
Terlingua Trading Company  

I do want to take the opportunity now to also ask to please, please do not e mail me attachments as so many do. Huge photos are and have constantly been on the incoming path, photo galleries and links are designed for those. I have had that problem last summer also as again being shut down with another Internet carrier. It cost me dearly to get back on their plan and had to choose a pricier one. I probably will include this request on every Blog, the cost has become too prohibitive for me at this point to even change carrier and purchase another phone or most likely even stay connected throughout this coming summer wherever we camp. So I am left with no cell phone connection and Internet is so much also now up in the air. This might shock many, but, we are so much in roaming areas I don’t think most do realize the prohibitive expenses to stay connected. This is not the “City Life”.

Terlingua Trading Company  
Terlingua Trading Company Terlingua Trading Company

We end up after those eventful phone calls to “The Porch” having nothing else to do but wait. No one again in sight, even Dr Doug was hurrying somewhere camouflaged in at least 3 coats. I had entered the “Terlingua Trading Company” many times but never with a camera to search for what I thought would make a nice video highlighting the store, after asking for permission of course. I never realized they carried so much “stuff”, huge inventory including good free coffee, the best thing that had happened yet that day besides a couple earlier shots of this Lady and her cat and bumping into our local great guitar player “Doug”. Doug I think was busy giving a lesson and the Lady with her Cat, well, of course I forgot her name. Memory is so much failing lately. My attempt to black and white Photography.

The Cat woman  
Doug  
Doug  

I laid down last night on the ground for a while in my sleeping bag, there was no moon out, total darkness with no lights except for the intense Stars reflecting back at me. I felt as this grain of sand being myself had even diminished a bit that day as in the big scheme of things, how truly important was all this “phone affair”. I was upset at myself for being disturbed about it all, as maybe even if it is an important aspect of this Journey, well, I had stopped living the moment as if under this Universe blanketing me, there would be anything I could change. Somehow, some way, sometimes all falls in place and often not taking a decision is truly the best decision. Will ride the wave some more.

Terlingua Trading Company  
Terlingua Trading Company Terlingua Trading Company
Terlingua Trading Company Terlingua Trading Company

“Being here scares me a bit, it is the most unencumbered space I have ever been in these past two years. It is a space where I already feel my mind expanding allowing my thoughts and my feelings float freely with no hold or boundaries, only myself trying to set parameters as to not sink in within this multicolor path. I want to remain within a healthy mind and not let the obscure thoughts and feelings take over the nights and days filled with such beauty, such generous landscape Mother Nature is providing me with.”

Terlingua Trading Company Terlingua Trading Company
Terlingua Trading Company  

I often go back to my own writing. It is so easy to get off the path I so much cherish, I so much feel as maybe I did that day. The “Balance Point” tilted those moments only because I let it. I forgot within my present moments the Gift that I have been surrounded with. They are those close calls that only prove so much how “much” Human we are, as it is a beautiful thing for the time we are allowed being here to experience this allowance.

Terlingua Trading Company  

Till next time, you all be well, always, it is our best choice.

Ara & Spirit

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Terlingua Trading Company  
Terlingua Trading Company  
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6 Responses to “Riding the wave… Tx”

  1. D. Brent Miller Says:

    Ara, It is sad to hear of your phone and Internet issues. I guess that AT&T map that Verizon shows in their commercials is true! You’ll get it figured out. –Brent

  2. Bill Says:

    Hi Ara,

    Sorry to hear about your problem with AT&T. You might try Verizon, they cover a much wider area than AT&T and offer better service from nicer personnel. Caveat….my son works for Verizon.

    That video is the best you’ve done so far……thanks!

    Bill

  3. Brian Says:

    Evening Ara

    As always your post stirs the heart, strikes close to home… and informs my tired Ol’ brain… Many Thanks

    Having been through a terrific bad year this past year… your quiet words give strength to a person at a difficult time… in a difficult world. So… know that your words spread across the west… and do good things, for folks you’ll never meet…

    … and… hmmmm…. my wife has been pushing hard for an I-phone… available ONLY through AT&T… maybe she just might want to rethink her desires! 🙂

    Just to throw it out there… I’ve been using Verizon for a couple years… sometimes the reception is poor… sometimes blazing… but the time or two I had equipment difficulty… they took care of it… I use a Verizon air card for my internet connection… and generally have DSL speeds… NONE of the companies are spectacular… but from what I’ve found… across the west… especially for those needful of using an AIR CARD of some sort for their internet… VERIZON has been the best for me… from Arizona to the Black Hills… and Colorado to The Olympic…

    I’ve never… anywhere… had an issue with ‘roaming’… and on my internet card, I have ‘unlimited’…

    and nobody I know… works for ’em! 🙂 … just thought I’d throw it all out there… I know that being ‘disconnected’ can sometimes get to makin’ being alone… Lonely…

    Keep on Keepin’ on … folks are listening to you

  4. Jeff & Sandra Says:

    It appears you too have reached the point in your learning/seeing/spritual process that you recognize when you’re being sucked back into areas of thought that you already have figured out don’t make a hill of beans worth of difference when looking at the big picture. Take good care, Jeff

  5. Elzi Says:

    It’s cold everywhere, Ara. It was 7 degrees F at my place the other morning.
    Sprint and AT&T are the least desirable phone providers. Verizon has better coverage and customer service. But, as you mentioned, Big Bend is not an urban area. Many of us go there to put distance between ourselves and the ever-growing ‘connected’ environment. It is one of many reasons we like the remoteness. Where people can actually interact with each other face-to-face and in conversation (like the ‘old days’ 😉 rather than mostly in bits and bytes through cyberspace with cell phones attached to ears and fingers. Where people are still people instead of digital androids.
    There are several free wifi options down there. You might consider picking up a small netbook to replace the iPhone.

    Stay warm.

  6. Bear Says:

    Good day my Friend !, Sorry to hear about the phone hassle, Just wanted to say ” great pics and I like your venture into B&W. Very Cool !…
    Pet Spirit, Stay warm… Take Care Bear

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