Great story, Curtis, and extremely resonant. Surfing has been like that for me. The first time I backpacked alone in Death Valley was like that for me. Every time I venture across a downed tree that spans a river or a gorge is like that for me. I feel that we become far more potent as human beings as we expose ourselves to situations and circumstances outside our comfort zone; and, as a consequence, the comfort zone expands, too.
I'm planning on my foray into music making to be one of those busta- moves for me. So far I've been negligent in putting the energy in to practising as much as I should have, but this topic may have injected the extra boost needed. Are you still using an inflatable or something rigid? For a long time I've planned on building one of the Pygmy Boats kayaks, the Coho ( http://pygmyboats.com/mall/coho.asp ), and that's still my plan. The investigator in my office built one, the Osprey, and it's beautiful. He goes out all the time and once I arrange the time and the place, I'm planning on having a kayak be my "other car". Marek ** --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, "curtisdeltablues" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > Great topic and great stories Marek and Turq, > > I have used objects as anchors for states of mind. One that comes to > mind was a simple oyster shell that I picked up from the water off > Jane's Island on the Chesapeake Bay. It is not a collector's shell, > it is downright ugly. I keep in my car and run into it when I am > rummaging around looking for something else. > > It is tied to a decision I took a few years ago to stop telling people > who told me that they kayaked that " I would love to do that someday." > Living in an apartment, I didn't see how it could happen until I > found a fantastic inflatable kayak. I pumped it up and went out on > the Potomac like a leaf in the ocean and it changed my life! I > planned a solo trip to Jane's Island which is on one of the world's > biggest estuaries, a primal source of life. > > I hadn't camped since I was a kid so I bought a tent and headed out. > While paddling through the tall marsh grasses,I found myself looking > into the water where so much life begins, crabs, oysters, etc. I saw > a complete oyster shell, sun bleached out. My voyage around the > island was only impressive for me, because it was so far outside my > box at the time. I didn't wait for someone to do it with me. I just > rolled the dream with what I had, an inflatable boat and an idea. > > Seeing the shell immediately brings me back to a moment of dream > fulfillment and self re-creation. I became the kind of guy who > inflates a kayak and heads out to a new body of water just to look > around. It reminds me that such choice points are always available > even though I too rarely, take the plunge down the rabbit hole. My > shell reminds me of that self creative power. > > Thanks for the reminder of its meaning. I'll have to figure out what > other area of my life could use a little busta-move energy! > > > --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, TurquoiseB <no_reply@> wrote: > > > > --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, "Marek Reavis" <reavismarek@> > > wrote: > > > > > > Great topic, Turq, I'm interested to hear what people write about. > > > > > > An important object for me along these lines is natural rather than > > > manufactured, but the circumstances of finding it and it's resonance > > > with me and its link to my dearest friend has kept it in a place of > > > honor wherever I've lived for the last 25 years or so. > > > > > > It's a single, six-point antler from a Roosevelt Elk. It's about 15 > > > lbs., approximately 40-inches long, entirely intact but along three > > > of the tines shows the gnaw marks of the small animals who use > > > fallen antlers as a source of calcium in their diet. The marks of > > > their teeth on the tips of the antlers are like the chisel marks in > > > a stone sculpture. Over time they would have reduced the antler to > > > nothing. > > > > > > I had left Fairfield with my family in 1983, after living there for > > > 2 years. We had auctioned off everything we had, bought a trailer > > > and headed out west as gypsies. A few weeks later we found > > > ourselves in the Pacific Northwest on the Olympic peninsula of > > > Washington staying with a friend, an artist (see, tocfetch.com), who > > > had a little house on the cliffs overlooking the Straits of Juan de > > > Fuca. We parked our trailer in the yard and stayed for several > > > months. > > > > > > One day during that period my friend and I were bushwacking in the > > > interior of the Olympics, along a ridgeline not too far above the > > > Elwha River. Somewhere along the way we got separated from one > > > another. As I was walking through the forest by myself I found the > > > antler, all by itself, just pure and pristine. For some reason, I > > > had always wanted to find a full antler; it was just a long- standing > > > desire I had. I was elated and about an hour later, when I joined > > > up again with my friend I brandished it over my head in greeting and > > > in triumph. > > > > > > He had found pieces of antlers in the past, but never a full rack > > > and he couldn't believe that I had stumbled across such a specimen > > > in one of my first outings while he hadn't been as fortunate even in > > > a couple of years of looking. He demanded to know where I found it > > > because he wanted to go back and search for the twin. I told him I > > > had no idea where in the forest it was where I had found it and no > > > telling whether the elk had dropped the mate in the same area anyway. > > > > > > But he wouldn't take no for an answer, and as best I could I led us > > > to a place in the forest that "looked" like the place, but I really > > > had no idea. I sat around for over an hour as he systematically > > > pored over the forest floor, moving farther and farther away in his > > > search until he was gone from view. After a long time I heard > > > whooping and hollering and he came back to where I was with the mate > > > to mine. > > > > > > His antler has been prominent in his studio, wherever he has lived > > > since then, and mine similarly. A good, powerful bond. > > > > Cool. That's exactly what I had in mind. Such > > objects somehow become a way for us to "link" > > to moments of power in the past. > > >
