Storm

Stuck here an extra day at Mom and Dad's
4-6 inches of new snow!
Roads closed or not advised
Will try again tomorrow

Here's a pic of some snow to warm you up

So many things to write about

At work a few weeks ago
During a period of being depressed about where I live,
I was listening to this guy I'd never heard of
speak to the students and staff at work.
Sigmund Brower had everyone enthralled and engaged
for the hour he spoke.
His focus was on writing well,
but an aside had him commenting on small town life
and how he believes the internet will become the equalizer
in allowing people to do what they love
and live cheaply out here,
while maintaining contact with peers.
The example he gave was
of a potter in a small town who loves to make little pots
and can use the internet for promotion
Everyone turned around and looked at me .
Sigmund had no idea about me (till later)

Saturday got to hang out and learn from Cindy Morgan, Sigmund's wife,
Greatly enjoying hanging out and being creative with others for a day
We came up with a title for a song
"That's what matters"
and then went off in pairs to conjour up some lyrics
we brought them back and she took them to the keyboard
hearing the short clips of her interpretations
blew us away, a short perusal over the sheets we handed in
and then bang bang bang onto the keys
and out came a fabulous range of music
each set of lyrics matched both the words and the writers of the words.
What an amazing gifted woman.
Definately doing what she is supposed to!

Then that Saturday evening
Cindy and Sigmund performed at my church
only a sparse number of people showed up
the concert was fabulous
and Sigmund's talk again both entertaining and encouraging.
Afterward, I gave them a teapot as a thanks gift
and ended up having them over to my house.
Trading pottery and talking of a future creative workshop.

Such a cool couple of days.
God is good

Found This

Found this quote on a random Next Blog jump

"
That was the first thing I had to learn about her, and maybe the hardest I've ever learned about anything--that she is her own, and what she gives me is of her choosing, and the more precious because of it. Sometimes a butterfly will come to sit in your open palm, but if you close your hand, one way or the other, it--and its choice to be there--are gone.-Barbara Hambly (Dragonsbane)
"

Acting out

So these past couple of weeks I've been learning

what was essentially a monologue, which I

performed Thursday and Wednesday this week!

First real acting I've done in years. I forgot

how difficult memorizating is.

The performances went well, such a strange

feeling standing and walking around a crowd of

150 women having them all stare at you.

I played the part of the innkeeper in Bethlehem

speaking of the promised coming of the Messiah

while turning away knockers at the inn door.

Strange how the words became much more powerful

in front of the audience.

I guess life itself feels more full and right too,

when we like those words I memorized, are

out working where we were intended.

God's promise for purpose and fullfilling joy

in this life, can only come when we are

out working in His world. That's where we
are to be. Though the "words" he provides us to

memorize are different every time.

Order

Make this a place
future planted full of grace
in a wilderness wild
lush garden grow
the beauty of order
in the middle of overgrowth
a place of meditation
where thoughts fresh caught
are served on the table of banquet
and prayers dig the ore of God
wrought into monuments
lives lived loving
never a cage for spirit
beaten from the land abroad.

Backing into a corner of normal

Today felt like a switch was flipped
All the rumbling, other than good inner workings
just seemed to come to the point of...
"well either you have the "courage" to continue
a self destructive course,
or you head in the direction you are supposed to be eh..

So it's South from Depression's North then
and on to the sunlit lands of a creative mind
exploring new territory
just to see what I'll find.

First stop.
My basement
and the neglected stained glass studio
Going to smash out the wall around the furnace room
to make almost double the work space down there!
and then finish the large sculptures
which have been languishing
along with the rocket lights which are to hang
above the peninsula in the kitchen.

Christmas break will involve
a 16 foot high 21 panel ice chapel/hermitage.
sort of onion dome shaped
and lots of coloured patterns
and appropriate lighting

Come join the fun.

You are welcome anytime...
no matter who you are

Sale(ish) day.

Here I am early morning.
last touches on the spot job cleaning ahead.
not desiring to have this sale,
but impressed by the amount of pottery
I have on the sale tables.
So much produced over the years
bits and pieces left from complete sets made,
I just want to be rid of them
so that I can move on
to the new work,
the new look,
the new feel.

It's sale day,
and I'm not ready.
again.

Stuttering against the pane

It is a custom among flies
When sunrise comes so very seldom
To rush forward
kilter over wing
closer to eyes love
for some sort of song
the light does sing
beconing as a siren
who knows in her hollow call
their hopes will be wasted
stuttering against the pane
as if they have no will
but hers to be dashed
dead upon sunset

Hope tied up in knots

Some days areSome days are not.
So I've pretty much abandoned getting ready for my upcoming pottery sale
today was a write off,
with too much thought on the recent collapse of a relationship
and wondering how I became such a repulsive person.
to have bound up so much of myself in the hope i've had for so many years now.
that it might be possible to remarry
To have my excitement and enthusiasm
turn into the very thing which is hated about me
"most overzealous person I've ever met"was the comment.

wow.

I was just excited about finding a believer
to share the deep parts of my heart with.
i guess she didn't want that.
nor allow me a chance to adjust for her.
guess i won't do that again
...
just a rant
will see how the sale prep proceeds tomorrow

Wow how a month flies by
Getting back into the swing of normal life after holiday
Some things that have started this month
Work at school
bus driving
Mountain biking 5-6 hours a week
painting every other thursday
Pottery 2-4 hours every day
editing the video from the summer
and assorted other important stuff

Really excited about pottery this fall
am going into a new store in Prince Albert
which my friend Wes and his Marie own
Pretty cool
so I'm producing lots of big special pieces for the space

Home at last

Arrived back in Duval Sunday night
and basically collapsed for the three days
with fits of cleaning/organizing thrown in 

Bought around 15 containers to hold all my art supplies in the library and reign in the monster which has been residing there for an number of years.

Good to be home. 

Home again - sort of...

Here in Weyburn, 
My Uncle Darrell and Aunt Joyce's 40th anniversary.
Nice end to a long trip 
meeting with lots of family and friends
Home tomorrow afternoon.

Sweet home...

Vancouver

Finally arrived back in Canada last night,
the border guard didn't even ask for any id!
Just 
Where are you from
where have you been , how long
is that a Saskatchewan License plate
Ok thank you...
Hmmm
Good to be home(ish)

Boulder City

Going back a week or so....

left Zion to meet up with Paul Romero and Karen Lundgren in Boulder City Nevada
Tom and Lori had a shoe show in Vegas to attend, so i looked after the kids for a few days
Lake mead (where we camped) was formed by the building of Hoover Dam
and is currently about 20 feet lower than peak levels.

the place is desert and feels barren and so very foreign
hot and dry
The air conditioner actually worked so hard it froze up
and had to be defrosted
Took the kids to the pool,
Went to Bonnie Springs
a re-enactment of an old western town
complete with hangings and gunfights.
Mackenzie was in fine form
taunting the gunslingers to shoot him and then running
behind either myself or his siblings
I took some footage of the gunfight.
Also there was a petting zoo
where we were able to feed birds and turtles

Hoover dam was amazing
the amount of work required to create it
the massive scale
and amount of water it holds back
I crossed several of the aqueducts which stem from it
while heading North through the Californian deserts
water so important
and our next political test
they will be coming for our water
for this dry and thirsty land

every day we would go swimming
either in the pool at Boulder City or in Lake mead
the water levels are so much lower
that the sand dumped in to form a beach
is now 1/2 mile up from the waterline
the bottom is mud and rock

Mackenzie had found an aerobie frisbee on the bottom of the lake
and was quite proud of himself
only to loose his grip on it while swimming and had it disappear again
Some time after that Mackenzie and Jackson
in usual form were alternately fighting/playing and confusing the two
When Max starts screaming
"I lost my shorts, I lost my shorts"
seems Jackson had pulled them off of him
and now they too like the aerobie were gone.
Max was alternately laughing/distressing over this situation
though several butt revealing surface dives documented the level of his concern
we wrapped him in a towel and made it back to the van without incident
Quite a funny time

The next day after a long tour of Hoover
we rolled back in for another swimming session
Emma, having become quite fond of collecting clamshells
was divng again and again for them
the boys were some distance off doing their own diving,
though not for shells, but
for mud with which to assault each other
After many dives
Emma surfaces with a big grin on her face
"I found Mackenzie's shorts" she exclaims
Stunned i stare at the red and white trunks in her hand
and break out laughing
Max hears this and comes to see
before he can get there
we stuff the pockets full of clamshells
and when he arrives tell him that while the shorts were underwater
the clams moved into them
His mouth gapes in astonished wonder at this news
His siblings help him figure it out.

God is so amazing at helping us find things we've lost
Like our childhoods and innocence again

After giving over the shorts Emma dove again
and came up with a dollar bill from the bottom
Truely amazing!

The rewards of persistence

Here in Washington

I'm always astounded at the beautiful places God provides
This home on the banks of the Columbia river
So lush and beautiful
a place being renewed
the old house being renovated and done right
the yard full of berries and the old trees from a historic orchard
now grown over.
fresh blackberries and plums baked in a tart
A place of refreshing and calm
to rest and catch up with myself
assess and breathe

Monday off to Vancouver BC.
One week left

I guess I'm getting tired

Written on the 9th August 2006

Into what do I go>?

Another long drive,
for what I ask
This all seems so selfish
this trip
this journey
all about me
have I helped any
Have I led any closer to you Lord?
I fear not

Cable cars in San Fransisco
glimpsed from behind the glass of my van
It's been a long day
driving to get to another campsite after dark,
another place arrived unseen
to be discovered in the morning.

I've felt like you brought me to the desert Lord,
but here I've lost contact with you
lost even the thought of you
just drive
drive on
and drive more
No more lonely drives Lord,
You said I was not built this way
"It is not good for man to be alone"

Yet in so many marriages I see no good in being together
Why is it that way lord?

I'm in Northern California
Near Westwood on the coast
I'm expecting dawn to be incredible
Yet I'm heartbroken at being on this trip alone.

This leg of the trip has turned into rushing to get to where I know there are
friends waiting for me.
I don't care about the stuff inbetween

I skipped almost the entire coast of California up til this point
No one there to meet me
No one to share it with except vicariously online
and that is not enough
No hand to hold at the beauty
no shared words at the marvels
Nothing but the same internal monologue
trying to describe new experiences

How to be alone?

when the world demands you hook up
enveloping yourself in another
even if it only lasts a day, a week, a moment
you can throw them off like an old coat
and pick up a new one at the outlet mall

I hear the waves crashing
past the edge of the bluff I am camped on
Like hopes I have for the future
I wonder what they will look like
and what the shore has become because of them
Find out tomorrow i guess.

Time for sleep

Lots to catch up on from the days past.
So very much
Mexico
Las Vegas
Boulder City, Lake mead

1-Aug-06 Angels Landing

Sunday July 30

got up early this morning
and heading up for a last hike in Zion

To climb 1500 feet up to the top of
Angels Landing
The peak on the right in the picture
One of the most strenuous paths in the park
Pretty much the exact opposite of the canyon hike
long steep trails up the side of a mountain
with a view of the larger Zion canyon

most of the trail was in shade
and starting at 7:30am was a good idea
parts of the trail were less than three feet across
with a straight drop of around 1000 feet

The weather was wonderful
light clouds and cool morning air

1-Aug-06 Still more Zion

Still more Zion

Saturday July 29
Today went canyoneering for the first time ever
This feels like the best day of my life

Spry Canyon

Met with Rob, Tom's teammate for the upcoming race in Baja
who took us early this morning on a most phenomenal trip
I had no idea what to expect
Tom told me that we were going to rappell into a canyon and then hike out
what a rappell and what a hike

We entered a wide canyon and hiked up and across some dry slippery slickrock
up over a crest and then dropped down into a slot canyon
a deep narrow cleft in the mountain
carved by years of water rushing through in the short heavy monsoon season rains

Incredible beauty around every turn
Rob told us that there were 13 rappels on this route
WOW
Some of them would be over 100 feet

The first rappel was a steep slope,
with a pool half way down
and another pool at the bottom
I thought to myself,
this is pretty easy
and took the first trip down
It had been a couple years since climbing
and then only on the wall at Arlington

The next series however,
Narrow cracks,
Anchors attached to logs which had jammed in those narrow cracks
Deep unavoidable pools at the bottoms
one of which we had to swim with our packs and harnesses on
And drops down past overhangs where all you had was the rope and your trust in it.
no wall to place your feet on
dangling 75+ feet in the air
What a scary, exciting feeling

At the bottom of one rappel
Tom went first and managed to miss entirely the pool at the bottom
I came down next and went in up to my thighs
Linda was third and asked us how deep it was
we both related our experiences
and she attempted to swing over closer to the exit
stepped down and fell backwards
onto we thought her butt in shallow water
because she was in up to her shoulders
We laughed hard
until she said she couldn't touch the bottom
She was Standing up!
at this point our laughter was almost disabling
as she clambered out onto the sand
Rob finished coming down
and was scouting the next drop
while Tom started pulling the rope down
part way into the task
Rob stopped him and said we might need the rope attached to the upper anchor
to continue down
one end of the rope was already out of reach
in the attempt to retrieve it Tom fell into the same hole
only his was total submersion
in some pretty stagnant water
Linda had the last laugh

I never thought I would have such an amazing opportunity
The entire hike took around 7 hours
I'd do it again in a heartbeat

More Zion

I'm a bit behind but I'll try to sum up the past few days
Thursday I hiked up the Narrows
which is the beautiful narrow canyon from which the Virgin river descends
It's hard to describe the beauty
but the pictures on the website will help a bit.

Coming from the prairie it was hard to believe that sandstone could come in such shapes
and that water could make such an amazing landscape
Sculpted, the only word to describe the walls.
Incredibly in this desert environment,
water fills the porous sandstone,
seeping deep down into the rock
and then dripping out when it meets a harder layer of sedimentary rock
this creates the lush environment at the bottom of the deep narrow canyons
with ferns, moss and other water lovign plants thriving while 1000 feet above the
landscape is scrub brush and cactus

I hiked for four hours up the Narrows,
Meeting Doug and Eric from Michigan
with whom I hiked intermittently the entire time

More next post on Emerald pools and Life in the Taylor (Tom and Lori's) Trailer

Zion

Zion!

A shaky van and tired me,
20+ hours on the road
two campsites

dead:
one bird
one rabbit

One triple egg omelete with potatoes
several granola bars
one taco salad
one burrito
two litres of Bolthouse farms juice
one iced chai
lots of water (tasting good and bad)

Finding out that my van stops vibrating at around 120km/ph

Arriving at Zion National Park
An amazing place of God's creation
The Mormons got that right
Parts look like someone melted red bricks over the hills
deep carved channels

WOW

TRAVEL PICTURES UP

Click on the link to the right for my new travel pics and the Pottery website

Utah Day one and Two

So here I am on this trip

The last stop I made in Regina was Starbucks for an iced chai tea
Picked up my order and turned around to see Aunt Sherry!
Great to have someone to chat with before the long road
And she paid for some pottery picked up earlier
Enough for a tank of gas :)

Don't know what is in store for me this trip but here are a few things to look forward to
Virgin Utah
Mountain biking and rock climbing in Zion National Park
Boulder City, Nevada and kayaking in Lake Mead
Baja Californina, Mexico
Columbia River, Washington

Right now I am in Livingstone Montana
The general area where most of one of my favorite movies
"A River Runs Through It" was filmed.
Stopped in to put some tires on the van,
and have an alignment done
Slept somewhere between Sidney and Billings pulling in after dark and finding the campsite totally empty.
Woke up to an incredible orange sunrise
Deer coming out of the woods to drink at the river
Hit the road at 6am
SO early compared to my schedule of the past few weeks.


Have traveled around 1050 km so far Just over half way to Virgin Utah

Asking God for a vision
an idea of where I am to go with the filmmaking urges
what to shoot and how to do it
what kind of viewpoint

Realized this morning how greatly I love clouds
Driving through the landscape with only blue sky
I found it boring,
but when I journeyed further into clouded skies my spirits were lifted.

Am looking forward to shooting Tom and Rob biking and climbing
and the teams and support crews in Baja.
And shooting some underwater in the ocean
I think I may need to pick up a wide angle and zoom lens at the Sony Store in Vegas.



Observations:

the number of towns with crystal meth billboards,
Meth = Death
Once is too much

Not something we have a problem with yet in Duval
(that I know of)

Manhunt at home

Up here in Spiritwood at Mom and Dad's place
this old convent has been filled up with RCMP officers involved in the search for the fugitive
Strange having to come through a checkpoint to visit.
Also staying here is a family who's farm is next to the criminal's.

Needless to say it's a busy place.

Tomorrow off further North.

Macbook : iTRAVELER

It arrived two days ago, 
THis plain brown box
could not possibly be heavy enough
Smaller white box inside
smaller white computer 
like a Russian nesting doll

Here's the plan...

I'm heading canoeing tomorrow
No computers allowed,

Then home for a week
Pottery sale and dinner set delivery
and then off to the States and Mexico
where I will utilize hotel and other free wireless
to keep everyone updated on my travels.

See you on the road!

This is my first test of the blogger widget on my new Macbook!

Under the cover of darkness.

It's been said,
and perhaps proven by scripture,
that God has done his most important work
Out of the cover of darkness.

Creation,
The cross.

On Monday evening this week
I had just settled in to watch "Robots"
With my friend Nathan
The phone rang, and another friend began to tell me of
a marriage disaster, and the intense pain of betrayal.
While in this conversation, call waiting was beeping insistantly
Not wanting to answer I let it go
THen my cell rang,
and I had Nate answer and take the message.
I knew it must be something important
When I called back, I found out that one of my students had committed suicide by hanging himself.

I'm reeling from that
as are the school and community

God do your best work here,
It feels so very dark.

Must becoming famous

Sometimes things happen which you don't expect.

Times in my life like seeing the seagull with one leg of a starfish stuffed as far as it could down it's throat, no way the rest were going to fit.

Or driving home from Grandpa's funeral and God gives me this incredible sky, which I filmed, with a rainbow, pink clouds and lightning all at the same time!

Today watching a fledgling robin being fed and it got the worm wrapped over it's beak. It just sat there oblivious to it being there.

Or going to garage sales and finding people are starting to put my pottery in them, two so far have had pieces up for resale.
One might find the presence of his art at a garage sale upsetting. I am however quite proud. It makes me feel almost famous. Knowing that my work is in so many homes in this area that it has started to become common (grin)

And people are making room for the new work which has changed so much from the items which are appearing in the sales. Life just keeps moving on. Pots just keep getting better.

Legacy

What a legacy you've left

my dear elder friend,
such love and joy
to which I have borne
proud witness.

Early Friday morning,
My Grandfather
passed away.

I'm up at my parent's in
Spiritwood SK,
putting together
all the video I've shot of Grandpa,
and sitting in the midst
of my relative's reflections
on this great man.
Well beloved
in his community,
a man of many talents,
and the genetic source
I am sure of my creative impulses!.

Always quick with a joke,
and a huge smile.
Generous, fun loving,
gentle and eloquent.
But most of all faithful in prayer,
for his wife, family and friends.
Loving God with his whole heart.

Farewell.
And see you in Heaven someday
I love you Grandpa.

Loneliness

Today at work, I was helping a student with english,
the section we were in was exploring lonliness
and gave instructions to write a paragraph or poem on the subject.

Here's what I came up with


Alone

A shy house empty of voices
full, of empty chairs
full cupboards
but empty places and plates
No one arrives
No one is ever late
Dust settles undisturbed
only one chair
with a polished seat

Slam, slam, slam slam, wonderful slam, glorious slam!

Tuesaday May 23, 2006

A night to remember,

Met my friend Laura for the first time

Took her around Regina
to a few art spots
and to see my pots
at Traditions
Hung out at the library
and then went to our first Poetry Slam
She convinced me to ante up the $2
and enter the contest.
entering late, instead of the
30 minutes maximum allowed,
I had 20

So... on an empty stomach
and a pint of Guinness
off I went scribbling away.
Nervous as a mouse in a trap shoot
I finished my work before the alotted
time was up and handed it in.
Then we waited for the fun to begin
Names were drawn out of a hat,
and the anticipation of where I would be placed
grew and grew, and grew with our guesses
until it was clear I was to go last
which was fantastic!

My dictionary page included many syn- words and a few T's
Here is the poem I came up with
(thanks for the answered prayer God)



Syn - the same, alike
(an ode to the brave poets in the slam)

Pen.
Slow to lift to paper
late entry in this,
this swot of syntax
this paper filled scribble of pen black
scribble
charge
attack
swing fingers and never
look back
You, You've got to
take delight in the wordsmiths
the synod of write
Bubble breathed battlers
Upper tounged rattlers
All welcome in this synagogue

Pour words like liquor
into the void

Tonight we all stand
before our God
hoping that the wieght of our words
will fall on sympathetic ears
Stand now up here
fighting down the fear
As upward fly
voice raised high
to the true Tabernacle
And I Zacheus
in his sycamore
long for a glimpse of God.



Made it to the finals
and ended up in the top five
with several people
coming by with compliments afterward
Was fantastic and a bit of a healing time too!

Thanks Laura for being a part of
one of the best evenings I've had in a very long time
and for pushing me to be a slammer

Now taking requests.

Last school year I became acquainted with Frankenstein.

The first was the student play at the high school I work for.
The second, was my guitar.

I work in special education, having the wonderful job of caring for and teaching a young man with Cerebral Palsy.
Music plays a pivotal role in his life and we will often travel to various shops and businesses to play songs for the staff there.
One day when visiting the post office,
playing music on what is probably the worst ukulele in the world,
the postal clerk asked us if we wanted a guitar.

Um, no thanks,
can't you see that we already have this wonderful precision instrument
that reminds us of the Hawaiian islands...

Of course I accepted and for about a year made wonderful music on our free gift.

Just prior to Christmas this year the unexpected (unexpected but wholly avoidable) happened,
I took the guitar from low humidity and extreme cold, into a very high humidity,
high temerature environment...
THe neck snapped at the end of the fretboard.
Working away in the school's shop
we drilled holes,
cut wooden pins,
and reassembled the severed head to the neck
after stringing and tuning ,
the gift guitar sounds better than it did before
I Think it's a bit of miracle.

Kind of like this life
Old schoolhouse reborn into art studio
life rising out of the ashes piles of divorce
and second chances just maybe
being better chances than the first.

It's hard to get my mind around that
how God makes good from all sorts of bad happenings
and our ability to take what He has given and smash it up a bit.
I don't know what kind of tunes I'll be playing
on this Frankenstien life,
But I know the things my God puts back together
are not monsters.