Patches

So evidently I either forgot or gave up in terms of uploading all of my journal entries from the Yellowstone Trip back in March...so on to greater things.

This first year in Montezuma has been a rollercoaster to say the least. Moira was born in December and the whole year was spent for me trying to balance out a new career at an IB prep/boarding school, fatherly duties, tai chi classes, fly fishing classes, etc.

I'm older than I was before, but I don't really feel it. Watching Kelley become the wonderful mother she is has given me an incredible amount of energy. Her instincts are so keen and her power with that kid is remarkable at the very least. We've hit our breaking point a few times through this spring...like when that favorite pair of jeans starts to wear at the knees and the fray begins to accelerate with every bend.

We thought that coming out here would be good for us...forcing us to learn to raise this kid on our own, without the direct help of family when things got tough...and God is good at giving you what you ask for! It has been a lot tougher than we realized, but I think we met the challenge head on, and are now better because of it...really frayed at the knees, but that only shows character in my opinion.

Yesterday Kelley repaired those favorite jeans of mine with a mended belt loop and a big patch on the left knee with bright yellow stitches on the borders. They've aged with me throught this year and now are ready for another gauntlet. This summer break that is ahead of us will be much like the patches that fixed my worn threads.

Tomorrow afternoon marks the day that Kelley and I have been looking forward to since Christmas time. After an all-employee meeting here at the United World College in Montezuma, New Mexico, we're packing up the kid and the dogs in our pimp-daddy gold colored covered wagon and we're heading back east for a summer of family, friends, surf, and adventure.


Potential Stops along the way:
Boiling Springs State Park - Woodward, Oklahoma
Village Creek State Park - Wynne, Arkansas
Cheaha State Park - Alabama

We'll have a six hour drive ahead of us tomorrow evening that will put us in the pan-handle of Oklahoma and then it's drive drive drive until we feel like stopping. We'll most likely be home thursday evening or Friday morning.

I don't really have any plans for the summer other than a beach week with Kel's parents and an adventure with the old Spring Valley Outdoor Adventure club to our stomping grounds (Linville Gorge).

The freedom that the summer hopefully has in store for us is so appealing and it will be a much needed break...mending the fray from this year...so that we can all come back west in August refreshed and ready for another challenging and meaningful year.

3/8/2009

This morning we woke at 6am and were driving towards Lamar Valley by 7am. It was truly an amazing experience traveling into the heart of such a wild and harsh place. We saw bison in the valleys...and then in front of our bus on the road.


















We stopped several times on our way to Lamar Valley...watcing coyotes, elk, and big horn sheep.



















Once we got to Buffalo Ranch in Lamar Valley (one of the original sites of Buffalo re-introduction into the west), there was activity from 6 of the druid peak wolves on top of the ridge. They had evidently made a kill an dwere taking turns feeding on the carcass. We only saw them when they came up for air after feeding and walked higher up on the ridge. The snow was falling heavy though and visibility was poor. I only caught a glimpse of a gray wolf through my scope.






A magical moment did occur, though when a lone moose cow walked out into the valley right in front of us! (30 yards) She seemed a bit sad and lost (being that there was no appropriate habitat for her down in the valley at that time of year and that the wolves were so close). She looked thinned from the harsh winter but she was still so beautiful.




We skiid for a few hours after that up towards a place called Tower Falls. It was my first time on cross country skis, but it was so nice. The overlook at the top gave a nice view of the river below and some sulfur deposits where a thermal vent was exposed. There was also a nice view of a rock formation made of columnar basalt...formed when hot magma cooled fast...but not fast enough to form obsidian.







After the ski we returned to base camp and grabbed our swim suits...that's right...in sub-freezing winter at Yellowstone, we all took a dip...in the "boiling river"...the main public hotsprings at Mammoth Hot Springs. The water temperature was around 90 degrees Farenheit while the ambient air temp was around 0-10 degrees Farenheit.

Yellowstone Journal - 3/7/2009

Traveling through Wyoming after leaving Denver at 5:45am. A dusting of snow covered southern Wyoming up until Douglas.
















We have to continue into Montana and enter Yellowstone from the northern entrance because the southern routes are closed for the winter. The total trip is ~1200 miles and we've currently gone 573 of them. We hope to make our Mammoth Springs base camp by 6pm.

- - - We actually arrived at 5:15pm, set camp and met with Merideth and Tory (our guides) who, with the help of their friends, had a wonderful dinner of beef stew prepared for us.



















After some camp games and briefing time, we all bedded down. Tomorrow is the change to Daylight Savings and we leave base camp at 7am to travel to Lamar Valley to start our wolf observation. We are scheduled to ski after that.


















- - -I can now feel myself slowing down a bit mentally...in a good way...preparing myself to listen to what this amazing place has to offer. The wind rattles my tent as the waxing moon shines down from the star-scattered sky. The earth groans all around me with life...but also with a sense of urgency and possibly even resentment. Even this place that Teddy Roosevelt tried so hard to preserve is endangered by human impact, both near & far...physically, spiritually, politically.

This week I will listen. I will give ear to what this land wants to say, and I will carry its words back to others who will listen.

I've been accused of it a time or two...

...being a 6-year-old that is.


I can't help it man. For some reason I still have that natural desire to plunder around for shiny stuff when I go into people's houses. I'd rather be out in the woods building a tree house than sitting inside doing "grown-up" stuff. I'd just assume not eating brussel sprouts and if you want to go on a bike ride with me, we better be heading to somewhere with a big dirt mound we can use as a ramp or a hill to ride down. I don't mind working at all, but you better spell work "P-L-A-Y", or at least make it seem like it's fun to do.

And so, in appropriate kid spirits, Kelley let me drive us all up to Agua Piedra 2 weeks ago to do some sledding on a school day (after work of course). I used my brand-new birthday/christmas gift...my Mountain Boy Ultimate Flyer and zipped down the hill like a monkey on a banana peel surfboard. I have to admit...being from the east coast, I've never been on snow like this, or a hill quite that steep...it was AWESOME (and I screamed like a little girl).

So here's to harnessing your inner 6-year-old!

cheers,
jeff

Muse

I've been busy in the past 2 weeks getting some new song-writing done. I don't know where my muse was hiding, but I've found her again and she's back in full force. I'm not suggesting that my new music is good or anything, but it makes me happy at least.

Here at UWC we have a really nice recording studio that I have free access to, and I've been taking advantage of it. One of our first year students, Tyler, is a very accomplished studio engineer and has been helping me put together the rough cuts for what might turn into a full album at some point.

Most of the tunes are typical for me, but at least 2 of them are more rock-influenced, and one of them is a reggae tune...definitely different for me.

So over the next month or so, if you're interested in hearing some of the stuff, please let me know and I'll get you some music files.

take care!
jeff

Eyes on the horizon...

I dream of it at night. My thoughts sit on it during the day.

It has become an idol that has taken over every fiber of my being. (well, not really, but that just sounds cooler)

As Kelley and I have spent over 6 months in New Mexico now, we have come to love so many things about it. The weather, the stark landscapes and beautiful vistas have pleased us so much and renewed our love for the west. The kind people and completely different perspective on life has both satisfied us as well as made us so very appreciative of our home in South Carolina.
Then with the "onlslaught" of Moira, our connection to South Carolina has been growing even stronger as we are missing parents and our siblings (Kelley's sister, her husband, and our little nephew).

So with all of the thoughts being thrown back to the east coast, my mind has drifted to surfing again and I so long for this coming summer's vacation in South Carolina. We have plans for beaches and I have plans for waves...good ole dirty, salty, short SC waves. And so I will get a longboard...

...this longboard, in fact. I'm hoping that it will bring Kelley and me some great times at Hunting Island and Folly Beach during the summer months.

My two girls

I don't need to say anymore.