Traveling With Judi . . . .

Ahhhh….a couple days off again – after a busy week with guests, lots of GLORIOUS RAIN, a new baby in our family, and a bear in the tree outside the front door of the Lodge!! So the "bear incident" happened on my day off a couple weeks ago, so I missed all the excitement!! Apparently there was a bear who had been “exploring” around the neighborhood (i.e. some of the employee housing not far away from here), then decided to head straight for the smell of the food in the kitchen! From what I hear through the grapevine, it wandered around the Lodge a few times checking things out – and instead of leaving (duh!!) when people tried to chase him off, he climbed a tree just outside the front door of the Lodge (very near the Front Desk)!! Well sadly, the bear chose the wrong tree to hang out in because the “wildlife management team” on the Ranch had no choice but to shoot him out of the tree! Now on the one hand, I feel kinda sad for the bear; but on the other hand, I didn’t REALL

I’m always intrigued when the outside world seems to reflect my inside world (or at least I’m able to draw similarities between the two!!) – and the last few weeks have been all about dryness and rain!! The thing that has bothered me the most (externally) since my arrival here are the dry, dusty, drought conditions on the Ranch (and in New Mexico in general). It was like every time I looked outside and saw those dry, yellow, dusty fields outside my window, it reminded me of how I felt inside – dry, dusty and not nourished in the same way I have been in the past!   Since my trip to Taos with Sheryl a couple weeks ago, we have FINALLY been getting rain just about every afternoon   –  and it is a beautiful sight to see   –  incredible (and LOUD) thunder and buckets of rain swooping in and leaving us with a breath of fresh, cool air !! The fields are now a lush green which makes me smile, and I have been feeling that same nourishing rain inside of me as I have finally come to terms with

I realize it’s been awhile since I’ve posted anything and that’s mostly because I’ve been busy – and slightly overwhelmed!! I’ve been pushing and plodding along the last six weeks or so since fishing season opened – feeling slightly overwhelmed with all the busyness and “extroverted energy” required (chatting with guests, rearranging reservations, phone calls, emails, making sure all the details are covered, etc.)!! Now granted, it’s not like I haven’t thrived with this kind of work before – it’s just that with all the energy being expended at work AND living with people all around me, I haven’t been getting the “alone time” I need to regroup and get grounded/centered. Fortunately, I have wonderful friends and family that keep me going – one of whom (my sister, Sheryl) came to spend time with me last week!! (And, I’m excited to say, my friend Becca is coming in six weeks – mid August when I’ll probably be ready for another BREAK and get-away from life here on the Ranch!!) Sheryl made

First, let me say Happy Mother’s Day to my VERY special mom – someone who has loved me, comforted me, and supported me throughout my whole life!!  She’s a very special person, and I feel honored to have her as my special mom!!  I wish I could be there in person to tell you how much I love and appreciate you, but being the good mom that you are…. you’ve encouraged me to live the life I feel called to live – and that means being away from you on this very special day!!  And for all the “surrogate moms” (and dear friends) I’ve had over the years (those who have created warm, loving environments – places of the heart – for me to stay as I’ve done my meandering)… and those who have loved me for who I am for many, many years… you have changed my life with your unconditional love and support!!    In fact, I had an epiphany the other day while watching House Hunters International (one of my favorite TV shows because it shows examples of people who have listened to the “call” in their lives t

So in my last post I mentioned the scorpions in Guatemala, and I’ve had a couple requests to hear more about that experience!  Those of you who received my emails while I was there a few years ago might remember this, but I thought I’d share it again since it was a “pivotal point” in learning to travel by myself – and taught me that I can survive ANYTHING I encounter in my travels – because I survived THIS!! Well, it was quite an interesting ride from Antigua to Lake Atitlan. What in the past would have taken about 3.5 hours took us almost 5 because of the mudslides and damage done to the roads!! They actually have a highway that runs between Antigua and Lake Atitlan that normally has four lanes, but we had to detour into two-lane roads along the way because the mud, tree trunks, etc. covered miles and miles of highway (due to all the rain they had been getting that fall).  At one point, we drove past a part of the road that had LITERALLY fallen away!! The story was that a truck (a

I was feeling especially vulnerable earlier this week and have been vacillating about whether or not I wanted to write about this on my blog.  I thought about sharing something more upbeat and light, but then I remembered that part of the reason I’m writing this blog is so I can share ALL of my journey with those who are interested in reading about it – the “external” aspects of my life here on the Ranch as well as the internal process of what it’s like to adjust to a whole new sub-culture and this life that is so different from what I’m used to!! I remember the first time I was in Guatemala and started feeling a bit sad, lonely and “funky” at about 5 or 6 weeks.  A friend of mine who had lived overseas for long periods of time emailed me and said something to the effect of “…don’t worry – you’ve just reached a transition point in your travels….it happens to everyone who travels at length or moves to a foreign country!!”  And she was right! Every move I’ve made and every extended jou

I can’t believe it’s been a week since I’ve posted!  My apologies to those who were waiting for word from the Ranch!!  I had last Saturday and Sunday off (whew!!), but I spent most of that time doing laundry, reading, SLEEPING and relaxing to catch up from my long and exhausting trip here – followed by working 10 days straight!  And then this week, I spent most of my energy coping with those EARLY mornings!!  Waking up at 5:00 a.m. and working until 2:00 p.m. – followed by either a ghastly 3-hour nap (you know the kind where you wake up feeling exhausted, nauseous, confused and tired…and then you can’t go back to sleep when it IS time so you just lay there staring at the clock wishing you hadn’t taken that nap!!).  Or the alternative – trying to keep my eyes open until after dinner (at least) so I could make sure I fell asleep early enough to wake up again the next morning at 5:00 a.m.!! For those of you early birds who have been doing this for years – my hat’s off to you because i

So one of the things I had hoped to do more of while I’m here is get out in nature more – try and become more “hearty” when it comes to all the animals and bugs in nature and become more comfortable outside!  So far, between the crazy “dust bowl” and drought conditions (blowing dirt around so I can’t breathe), the spring allergens (again – can’t breathe very well when my nose is running), and now the cold temperatures and SNOW (which although cold, took care of the first two problems!!)….needless to say, I haven’t started exploring the outdoors (yet)!! In addition, I’ve heard some very interesting stories about the wildlife that comes close to the lodge!  Rattlesnakes for one….they like to hide in the “cattle grate” in the driveway between the lodge and the administration building (which I have to go across each day when I work the morning shift to get the mail….yikes!!). Fortunately, there’s a “walking gate” to go through so I don’t have to cross the cattle grate – and my supervisor

I saw the most gorgeous sight today – HUGE, beautiful snowflakes falling on the dusty ground that’s been making my nose run for the past few days!! It was one of those peaceful sights where as far as the eye could see, snow was covering everything  – t he trees, the land, the bison who were grazing on the dry grass, and the mountains in the background. For awhile I could have sworn in was winter, but then remembered it is SPRING!! They’ve been dealing with drought conditions here for the last few years, so any sign of water (rain, snow, etc.) is a VERY welcome sight!!  It’s the only place I know of where people are HAPPY to see snow in April!! The first group of Turkey hunters is just about done and will be leaving in the next couple days, but there are still a few of them who have not shot their turkeys – and they’ll be heading out in the snow in the wee hours of the morning (Brrrrr…..!!!). Oh, and did I mention that it’s supposed to get down into the teens (and probably below WITH

I’ve now been here 5 days, but it feels like much longer (but in a good way)! Working in a remote “hospitality setting” means shift work – and my options are either 5:30 am until 2:00 pm (ugh!!) or 2:00 pm until 10:00 pm (better!!).  So this week I get the late shift (woohoo!!) but next week is the early shift (ugh!!).  Our supervisor wants to make sure we are all cross-trained in opening and closing, so we have to work both shifts – but I’m hoping after next week, those REALLY early mornings are not in my future! The elevation, dry winds, and early mornings have thus far wreaked havoc on my body (alternating dry and runny nose due to dry winds blowing around lots of allergens), but I’m trusting I’ll adjust pretty soon and be able to enjoy the ranch more fully on my days off (which won’t be for another 6 days)! There are lots of places to walk and hike, but you have to watch out for all the wildlife – bison, bear, elk, deer, snakes, and even a few mountain lions thrown in occasionall

Most of my friends and family who may read this blog already know that my new adventure began about a week ago, traveling by plane, then bus to New Mexico to work as a seasonal Front Desk Associate at a remote hunting and fishing ranch!  The flight was uneventful until the last 45 minutes when we hit 40-mile-an-hour winds and bumped around like we were on a roller-coaster ride until we landed in the Denver airport!  Whew….made it off the plane and down to baggage claim where I found one of my suitcases had lost a wheel! Now this wouldn’t be a big deal except that I had a 50-pound suitcase, another smaller suitcase, and a backpack to bring everything I might need for the next 8 months (including sheets, a warm/heavy blanket for the cold nights in the mountains, and everything else I could think of for this journey)! A friend of mine who lives in Denver was going to pick me up so we could enjoy dinner together before she dropped me off at Greyhound (which didn’t leave until seven hou