Temporal Gulch

"Life's journey is not about arriving at the gate well preserved, it's about skidding in sideways, all used up and worn out and yelling, 'Damn! What a ride!!!!"

I have to admit to feeling some remorseful longing lately for the good old days when I had two, if not pretty, at least un-scarred knees. And, truth be told, no stretch marks. And no c-section scar. I've sort of had this general sense that I'm only 31 and already my body's looking rather worse for the wear. So, when I saw this quote a little earlier this week, it sort of screamed out at me. As in, yes I have a nice set of nasty scars on my knees, that look awful with skirts, but at least I got them doing something I love--riding my bike to work. And yes my stretch marks and c-section scar are not lovely either, but my son definitely is and he is totally worth every mark his existence has left. And also, the lines around my eyes and mouth are from laughing hard and often, so who am I to complain? Honestly, what's the alternative 50 years down the road? The cosmetic-surgery nightmare that is Joan Rivers or a dried up old hag who has no stories to tell because she never had any fun, or adventures, or pain. Yikes! I think I'll take my beat-up self, use it up, wear it out, and be happy......
In pursuit of wearing ourselves and our truck out, today when we went on an adventure on an off road trail near Patagonia. The area was called Temporal Gulch (photos here). Neither Moses nor I, nor Garion for that matter, had ever been to the Patagonia area before, despite have lived in Tucson for over a decade (4.5 years for Garion). It was amazingly beautiful. The area is full of gorgeous old oak and juniper trees, with a few pines at higher elevations, and our trail took us back and forth several times over a shallow creek (I think Sonoita Creek). We had a great time exploring and we definitely plan to head back for camping and more extended adventuring.

Favorite Green Blogs

I do a bit more Internet surfing that is probably healthy for someone whose supposed to be working, and, ah-hem, not surfing....but whatever. I've really been enjoying some excellent "green" blogs lately and am finding all sorts of sources for inspiration. Here are my top five favorites (some day I'll create a blog roll, but for now this will have to do) :

No Impact Man--An author and his family, living in New York City, attempt to re-arrange their lives to have zero environmental impact. About a month ago, they turned off their electricity--such courage!
Green as a Thistle--Everyday the author makes one green change, the challenge is to keep it up for a year. Everyday I read it I think, what in the world is left? Quite the cliff hanger.
Crunchy Chicken--Good blog, great name!
Little Blog in the Big Woods--This man has lived off the grid for 30 years. He also makes giving up your refrigerator sound like a good idea (but I'm too chicken to do it). He reminds me of Moses's dad in some ways.
Causabon's Book--This woman is one tough, smart cookie. I find her to be constantly intellectually and morally challenging.
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And just for good measure, some of my favorite bicycle blogs:
Kent's Bike Blog--This man just finished up touring Washington state and Portland. He's got great comments about bicycle commuting, touring, and communities.
Zero Per Gallon--I totally understand how he feels about goats.
Rocbike.com-- This blog offers up a daily digest of bicycle related links among another things.
The Practical Pedal--This is a new magazine and blog about, you guessed it, practical cycling. They had some great articles in the first issue. Check out the dutch cargo bikes!

Remember Me?

Last week we traveled to California, and by traveled I mean we slogged through the whole freakin' state... nearly. Moses's brother, Cedar, got married on Aug. 4th and we decided that as long as we were traveling to California, we might as well visit everyone there that we're related to. The wedding was at Pebble Beach in a beautiful house overlooking the ocean. After that, we headed up to Redding to visit my dad and check out his new digs. He has a pool and Garion made good use of it. After that, we headed to Shasta Lake where Moses's oldest brother, Eddie, and Eddie's wife Cyndie have a gorgeous home on 5 acres about 2 miles from the lake. We toured Shasta caverns one day and then spend the next on Eddie and Cyndie's boat. Garion got to drive the boat and remarked to be later, "Mom! I didn't even have a boat driving license!" Don't tell the authorities, please. Next we mosied our way down I-5 to the LA area, where we visited Moses' Aunt Sharon and Uncle Joe. They took us to the LA Zoo. Garion declined the offer of living in his very own zoo exhibit, but did except the free t-shirt that comes with Aunt Sharon and Uncle Joe's membership. We had a great time but are ready to be homebodies for awhile. You can view the photos of our trip here.