Moonshine Junkyard

"The desert is time, exposed time, geologic time. One needs time in the desert to see." "The Coyote Clan is a raucous  bunch: they have drunk from desert potholes and belched forth toads. They tell stories with such virtuosity that you'll swear you have been in the presence of preachers. The Coyote Clan is also serene. They can float on their backs down the length of any river or lose entire afternoons in contemplation of stone. Members of the Clan court risk and will dance on slickrock as flash floods erode the ground beneath their feet. It doesn't matter. They understand the earth re-creates itself day after day." well friends, we are home from the sojourn to the desert intricacies, spires and hoodoos: nature's surprises and explosions and cathedrals in southwestern utah. my eyes and skin and heart are so full that i hardly know where to begin. today i will use quotes from the ever-inspiring Terry...

we leave at 4 a.m. for our annual huge Beatty family trip! this year we are going to the wilds of southern utah...from snow canyon to bryce to zion to grand escalante, for red rock and hoodoos, the narrows and petroglyphs, sand dunes and waterfalls and swimming holes.  with a few photo shoots and film shots tucked in there as well, and hopefully some family games of trivia (i've created a wild west themed trivia game), songs and stories. i have been packed for a few days! what a nerd! i chose my "color scheme" over a week ago, deciding on cool blues and greens with hints of earth tones to compliment the desert landscapes. everyone makes so much fun of me but i have been like this since i was little. not only do i love to pack, i love every aspect of planning trips and my journal is full of lists. i asked darin what kinds of clothes he is bringing (thinking photos and such) and he was like, i am not talking about this.  some books i was considering...

oh water water WATER! i cannot imagine a life or a summer without perfect swimming holes. i crave them daily, and sometimes hourly in these hottest months of summer; i'm sure you do too! not only does water hydrate, refresh and heal, i think that it gives our inner workings a little cleansing too. as i've mentioned before , you cannot go to the river, dive in and swim through those currents without perking up your skin, your laughter, your spirit. if you are hungover or grumpy, it washes all that away; if you are anxious, it soothes. i've had the joy of being to a few different swimming holes in the last week or so. first: the Russian River in healdsburg, lazily swirling around a little hill called Fitch Mountain , where the residents have private beach access year long down a pretty little dusty trail that overlooks rolling vineyard strewn hillsides. the Russian River is a huge gentle river, over 100 miles long, that flows southward to the ocean through the wine co...