Traveling With Judi . . . .

This is the peaceful back porch area, a lovely space to enjoy the beautiful view!!   I made it to France a couple days ago and oh my goodness - what a beautiful place I will be staying in for the next few months!! The back yard is like a park with beautiful trees providing privacy and birdsong throughout the day, and I can already feel my soul settling in for a good rest!! My cozy room with morning sun streaming through the windows Gotta watch out for the "concussion beams" on the way to the bathroom - especially at night!! I had a wonderful time getting to know the homeowner and her brood (one very sweet and sometimes rambunctious dog and two darling kittens who sleep together in a basket – so cute).  As she was showing me around the property, she showed me two darling guest cottages and said "because of course you may want to have guests come visit you, yes?" What a lovely, generous woman she is! One of two "guest cottages" for any...

The other day before leaving London, I decided to take the bus that leaves not far from where I was staying (just to see what sights I might be able to see along the way), then walk “a little bit” from where the bus ended to Buckingham Palace.  I saw a lot of beautiful architecture while riding on the bus and even passed St. Paul’s Cathedral and park – very beautiful and very old!!  After “alighting” from the bus (I love that British word they use on the bus recording – “please alight here for” ….whatever the station or stop is) – anyway after getting off the bus, I headed in the direction of Buckingham Palace and walked…and walked….and WALKED!!! St. James Castle Somehow in the maze that IS the center of London (amidst all the chaos of tourists milling about everywhere!!!), I wandered almost 4 miles – at first looking for Buckingham Palace, then searching for my return bus (which I finally found – next to a Starbucks – whew)!!  It probably would have been helpful...

I can’t believe it’s been over a week since I left Portland – seems like much longer than that (and yet time has passed so quickly), and I’ve hardly written anything other than a few “here’s what I’ve been doing” emails to a few people!  So I thought I’d post a quick update… I had a pretty eventful flight – RUNNING through the airport at JFK to catch my flight (the last one of the evening)!!  Missing it would have really messed up all my scheduled planning so I was feeling pretty stressed on my flight from Minneapolis to New York, but I did my best to just BREATHE and trust that all would happen as it was meant to (and maybe I’d meet someone unexpected or learn some lesson if I missed my flight)!!   Fortunately I made it onto the plane and arrived into London Heathrow in plenty of time to catch my transportation to Worthing, England (on the south coast not far from Brighton).  I had a wonderful week in Worthing –  enjoyed walking along the sea and visiting t...

Part of my "traveling journey" has been learning to share my innermost thoughts and feelings with others - trusting I have something to say that others might learn from - or at the very least enjoy vicariously!!   I'm excited to say that one of my short stories has been chosen as the "Editor's Choice" for the Northern Colorado Writers 2014 writing contest!   If you are interested in reading my story, I've posted an abbreviated version below: Where The Veil Is Thin… Jostling in my seat like a rag doll as the bus navigates gaping holes in the road almost large enough to swallow us whole, I question once again why I have chosen this journey.  I love traveling because it always opens up new horizons to worlds previously unimagined and brings out a sense of wonderment; but it sometimes brings out the worst in me when physical discomfort sets into my aging body. I grumble inside as I reflect on the long, torturous trip I agreed to when my friend su...

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 fin...

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...