As I start to share more of my thoughts and memories or ideas, I start noticing that I find comfort in visting my blog just to spew out some things that I have wrapped up in my mind. If not expressed or shared here it will be lost to the winds of a changing and moving life. Even if we sit still we are still moving and changing, it is inevitable. This past weekend there were too many things to keep track of. When I think of the weekend now I cant help but feel it is another day to try and get things done. October 8th, there was a meeting of male friends that enjoy going out to hike and just hang. After that I decided to hang out for the afternoon instead of leaving for Las Cruces because it just felt too overwhelming to leave and be on the road for the rest of the day. We did however plan on going to the dragoon mountains to do a bit of camping near Cochise stronghold, which was actually planned and suggested by Geena and Rain. What a beautiful place. Not only did we get there when it was pretty empty, we did get to enjoy a gentle drizzle of rain that just added to the magic this place had. Once there I noticed myself wanting to eat anything we had. What is it about leaving home that makes one want to just eat? I’ll have to explore that question later on in more depth.

The evening was relaxing with Octavio and I taking a walk, then later Ximena and Mama joining us to go do some more exploring. There was non stop pushing of a tricycle by me and Ximena being the one to enjoy that. She figured out how to steer and be in control of where she was going so that was really nice to notice.

Our night came to a close really quick once the sun set and there was darkness all around us. However by then I had already had a glass or two of wine and a bit of smoke which made my mind and body relax a bit and forget the million tasks that awaited our return. Not to mention the build in tasks required of everyday life to survive such as cleaning, cooking, interacting with one another, and working. We all fell asleep quickly and snuggled up in our pop up camper letting the cold of the night keep us under our warm and heavy covers.

Next day was an early rise and i quickly get into making some breakfast. We started our day by taking a walk and exploring the area some more and of course riding the tricycle around a bit. Mama took the kiddos for a walk down the road while I started to tear down our camp, and soon I hear the whistles of the family to come see what they had found. Near the side of the road not far from our camp lay a copper color rattler no more then 2 or 3 years old. Basking in the sun and enjoying its morning just the same as us.

Our adventure ended by mid day and we were quickly back on the road headed for home and already on my mind were the things that we needed to do or what we fell behind on. Why do I say weekends dont really exist. Its because life doesnt stop. We may as a society agreed that the repeating days of Sat and Sunday are considered days of rest for some but in reality they are days where we stop doing for someone else (job) and do for ourselves. I’m one of very few that are lucky enough to be pursuing my and using my time for the things I want to do but I definitely do struggle in different ways then others. The grass is definitely not so green on the other side. It takes work. TBC

4/13/2023

Life takes work and sometimes more work then other times. However, if you’re feed and sheltered, you’re doing pretty damn good. Sometimes better then many, by most standards of living now a-days.

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What is turbulence? Nothing more then something being shaken up from time to time, I guess. Within a family it can be brother or sister taking something precious and dear away just to see the reaction it evokes. In relationships it can be the same thing but in a less tangible thing, maybe illusionary to some. I feel like I pinpoint what it is that makes us argue or irritable at one another and this thing my friends is TIME. The conversations are something like, ” I didn’t get to do this because you took more time and i had to watch the kids.” “I did this and this and this and this and now I want time for myself.” The reality of it is that time is always there for you but in what way you would like to spend that time is becomes very important to some of us. It certainly cant be just watching kids all day. Not in todays society. There is work that you have to go to to make money to pay bills and buy food and pay for things you need to live like house’s, pots and pans and cars and vans, busses and wagons and whistles and all that sh*%. The worst about it is that we have land to and access to water so we can grow it and yet none of us make the time for the most important thing, which is food. We expect someone else will provide it at a fair price and hopefully healthy enough to eat it and still live. Reality will show you that most of the food we eat is junk. The green living things we are putting into our bodies are they themselves full of fertilizers and pesticides and we don’t give ourselves any other choice because we don’t want to spend time on that. How crazy is this system. With todays technology being available to more people I would imagine there being a movement of veggie growing enthusiast that will make growing home veggies and healthy food the trend. If everyone did that according to their region I can only imagine how that would have an immense effect on our lives and many around us. I feel that for the better, no doubt in my mind. I could see people coming together to showcase their home grown amazing fruits and veggies so that they could inspire more people to do the same, and in the process maybe pick up exclusive contracts with restaurants that would want to buy their all organic amazing food at a reasonable price for someone seeking the freshest tastiest, healthiest food on earth. It would be a cycle of putting love into something that is alive and in turn it giving you that same love back 10 fold as you grew it, and ate it. I think cancer could be eliminated from many peoples lives. Especially in todays age where we consume in abundance. Consume things that are so dense in sugar and flour that it has created a global epidemic in health.

We will have to circle back to this though in future post. On with the show!

Its been a long time coming. Waiting for me has been this space like the stars in the universe waiting to collide or collapse, whichever comes first. (maybe a bit dramatic) However, I’ve been trying to find the energy and the capacity to write my thoughts, my experiences with life as of late. Not only for my own sanity and focus but also for the distant me that will not remember what, when, where and with whom i ran across in my life or did for that matter.

I needed to see myself from the outside for a sec only to realize I was walking and have been walking in circles for some time now. Sometimes feeling like I’m getting a hold of my world around me then it crumbles on itself for a bit leaving me feeling lost or overwhelmed and with less energy then I would like.

I would love for this blog to turn into a place of thought, a place of reflection and most of all a place where I can share thoughts and ideas. A space dedicated to hold memories that I will one day need to look back on and say, “I remember that day or that place.” Otherwise I know that those moments will be seldom in the future.

For now a reflection on a wknd with the family and realizing that some things were just never in the realm of thought when it came to enjoying nature.

It is true that what you learn growing up is what you will practice most consistently throughout your life. There will be moments of deviation from that only to explore this curiosity that may creep up from time to time but depending on the circumstances at hand we tend to bounce back from that unfamiliar space back into our spiritual nest of comfort. It had been awhile since we’ve taken some time and for ourselves and left our calendars, emails, calls, and so many other things to only focus on what is really important now in our lives. Having kids has its way of letting a person at times reflect on simple things like what it used to be like to not have so many things on the mind and just do what you needed to and not have 10 other tasks on the mind. Our family took a trip over to Cave Creek Ranch in Portal AZ. A smooth ride down to the Ranch that is if you take the paved road out there unless you have a more rugged vehicle.

We decided to take the short route only to get about 7 miles away from our destination and have to turn back because of a fast moving stream that cut us off in a wash. Now, the younger kid-less version of myself would have gone through bitch but taking into account all the passengers we had and the vehicle we were in (mini van), definitely evoked the more responsible side to come forth and convince us to back track and have a better chance of making it to our destination without having to much of an adventure.

We finally made it over into the ranch a few hours late, just as the sun had gone down and a drizzle descended upon us. We found our key pinned to a cork board outside the office and a skunk just 10ft away greeting up with his tail on alert just incase anyone was thinking of making any sudden movements. We opened up our casita and guest house and immediately unloaded our bags into the house and prepped Tati (Octavio) and Mena (Ximena), for sleep.

Everyone slept alright except for Mena which has been waking up throughout the night either screaming or calling for either Mama or Papa. Bad dreams we figure. Next day up at the crack of dawn and Kate fixes us up some breakfast while I chase the littles around and keep them entertained in the new space. Outside we see deer eating freshly fallen acorns from a tall oak just a stone throw away. You can hear the many different types of birds in the trees and water flowing in the creek near by. The mountains rising up high to either side making you feel like your on another planet. We make our plans for a short walk up a hill after breakfast and head out toward the trail. The trail is just a short drive up the mountain and an even shorter walk up the hill to a site that overlooks the road but has an amazing view of the canyon we are now standing in. Its only morning and my back is already tired from bouncing these littles up and down the trail. I need to change that habit or they are going to break me. Mid day comes and we are back in our cozy place eating some delicious sandwiches. We gobble them up and head over to the creek knowing that the littles will be the first to jump in, and sure enough they walk right in. Temperature is certainly not something they think about at this age. Makes me wonder if I was the same at one point or did my concept of refreshing on a hot day was just drinking a glass of room temp water. Even warm water in the summer doesn’t appeal to me. I did end up walking in but that was about as much as i did. Both Tati and Mena were stripped down to nothing and after a few splashes they didn’t seem to even care about how cold the water was.

The day came to a close with a birthday supper for Beth Morgan (Kates mom), celebrating her 73rd year on earth. Evening was full of entertainment from the kids including some singing, dancing, and a game of charades where the littles acted out or imitated different animals they could remember. This sat evening we went to bed as usual with the screaming for some milk or fighting over the same book, or wanting to change books completely even before the story began. Its so hard to reason with tired children or even even want to reason for that matter. When both kids were finally asleep I closed my eyes and started to drift away, however what felt like minutes later Octavio slides off the bed and I hear him thud the ground. I run over immediately with a flashlight and find him still stunned between the bed and the wall which by the way was an exposed rock wall. I pick him up and he just looses his shit and starts crying, screaming for his mom. Mom picks him up and takes him then I look over and sister is now sitting straight up looking at me like “what just happened and lets go see what we can find in the fridge.”this goes on for about two hrs until we are able to get them back to sleep and before I knew it, the light was shinning throught the window greeting us to another day.

Hope this is a start to something regular and I hope it brings clarity to my mind from time to time. I hope to look back one day and remember all these wonderful moments. Not just the ones that pushed me to a breaking point. Tchau.

Its been 6 months since having come back from Europe for the first time. The first trip that I took with Maggie taught me a lot about my self and what my traveling capabilities are. The trip definitely taught me about myself, but more than self discovery I came to some realizations about my relationship with Maggie. To date Maggie and I are no longer a couple but my heart aches in not having her company on a day to day basis. I hope that in the future her and I can come together in a better space and become at the very least good friends that can still help each other grow in this life of so many unknowns. I look forward to the day we can once again come together as friends and share our stories with each other without judgement or anger toward one another. With every passing day I miss you more and more.

For now I return to the very same place where I started my adventure more than a year ago when I left for the first time. This time I am joined by my mom and sister who is already out there exploring the world. The plan is to spend a month within the Shangan area with a final destination set for Rome. One week will be spent in the surrounding Barcelona area, second week in the Southern part of France, third week is unknown, fourth week split between Florence, Rome and and possibly one more city. If anyone who sees this has any suggestions on places to go see I would like to hear from you.

Our flight leaves from Los Angeles at 8pm so in the mean time we are visiting with our family in Los Angeles who graciously hosted us for the night. They are so generous in so many ways that I hope one day I may be able to return the favor in some way shape or form. Gracias a la familia Galvan de Los Angeles por toda su generosidad.

Stay tuned for more updates.

After being on the road for just over 4 months I return to my familiar territory. I realize that for my first trip overseas I need to take my time in acclimating to a new place. Being gone for that much time with no real idea of where to establish some roots can weigh down on my personal character. However, I now see the world though a new lens and I am ready for the next trip. When it will be only time will tell but I am eagerly looking forward to it. Until then a new focus in life has been brought to light and the thirst for knowledge in sustainability is strong. Through this website I hope to share with everyone my findings and interest in the realm of gardening and growing herbs. Until then stay tuned for what is to come.

After spending 3 nights in Marrakesh and being hit up by every local asking me to buy their beautiful merchandise or delicious food we travel to Ouarzazate which is 4.5 hour bus ride east through the Atlas mountain range. Marrakesh was an interesting town but has the intensity of a large city when walking through the streets which are croweded with locals, travelers and people on motorcycles trying to maneuver through narrow streets. If your not paying attention you may get pushed, feet stepped, stumble in a hole, or hit by a motorbike traveling by. The people are a bit intense and try using whatever tactics to get you to walk away with their merchandise, but dont be fooled by because even though we didn’t buy anything they try and swindle you by starting with a high price before lowering it if you are willing to negotiate. Although every local asked if I was Moroccan it didn’t help in them giving me the family discount. “For you my friend 250 MAD” translated in my head, “Give me $25 USD for wrapping this cloth on your head.” No thanks.Needless to say I’ll wait on that this time.

Ouarzazate is a town near the desert and has a smaller town feel which makes it a bit easier to walk around without feeling like your constantly being shoved into a market or in a debate about why you dont want to buy some random item. The town is closer to the desert which brings me back home because of the smells and the dirt storms that blow in your face during Spring. We stayed in this town for two nights before coming over to Ouzoud. We will be hiking a trail in the mountains up to a waterfall that is fed from the melting mountain snow. Time for a cold plunge! For now it is time for some rest, 6 hours drive through the mountain was nice but a bit too tiring.

Today we say goodbye to Casa Blanca and make our way to Marrakesh. We leave Hotel Majestic which has been anything but what the name implies. The only majestic thing here has been the amount of work that has gone into decorating the walls inside and the two tigers that guard the entrance of the hotel.  With the exception of 1 person the rest of the hotel staff has been somewhat rude and standoff-ish. Maybe it is the language barrier or the way people speak to familiar faces but the energy is very direct and loud which does not encourage communication. At this point I have to not give a shit about how I approach people and go against my values of being respectful and curtious and just jump into converstations between staff members so that I can ask for what I want using my own version of sign language, broken english mixed with Spanish Portuguese Portoñol, and the few words I have learned in French. It seems to me that this is the only way to get attended because otherwise if you wait they think your are just standing there waiting for anything but service to the establishment. One by one someone  jumps in front of you as if you were invisible and gets attended or snatches bread from you as you are clearly reaching to get it to put it on your plate during breakfast. Just another reason to learn how to speak French or Arabic. The culture is different which makes it a great place to come visit just so you can say you experienced it and have some great stories.. 

Decoration on Mosque walls.

Casa Blanca public transportation. Kids jumping on bus to get a free ride through broken side windows of bus.

Maggie and I smashed on a bus with a million people headed back to the Airbnb in Casa Blanca.

Buenas Gentle Folks,

Since leaving the islands we have now traveled out of the Shangan Area to Morocco. Because we can only legally be in spain for 3 months at a time with our issued travel visas we have come across the islands to Casa Blanca (CB) to see a bit of Africa. I will be in the area of Morocco for about a month before heading back to the states to visit family and friends before heading back to the UK to continue the trip. So far people have told us that the city of CB has nothing great to see so we will only spend four days here before heading to Marrakesh. However, the best thing to see so far has been the public transportation. From what we have seen the teenage population usually sneaks onto the bus by jumping in through a broken window or helping each other pry the back doors open while the bus is moving and letting others on while the bus is still moving. When the driver becomes aware of what is going on he starts his evasion maneuvers through the side streets so he can avoid to many stowaways from hitching a ride. After he looses them he finds the main street again and continues as if nothing ever happened. Quite entertaining I must say.

This is the first place where both of us dont understand the languages because the population either speaks French or Arabic. I think its time to learn a new language. Here are some picks of the places we have visited so far there are not too many but hopefully Marrakesh has more to see.