OSA THE WIENER DOG

Okay, so let me just boast a little about our lil' pup Osa. We became proud parents on New Year's Day. "OSA" is short for MIMOSA, the classic New Year's Day beverage. She's also named after Osa Johnson the admirable Kansan who was a stylish young pioneer who explored the wilds of Africa and beyond in the early part of the 20th century with her wildlife filmmaker husband Martin. Other "Osa" references are the Osa Peninsula of Costa Rica which is one of the most biologically diverse places on the planet, and of course "Osa" in spanish means female bear.
Osa turns 3 months this week, so she's still growing and changing and learning a lot. She's getting longer and more hot dog like. We've got her potty trained. She rings a string of bells hanging from the doorknob when she needs to go out. Now we need to figure out how to determine whether or not she really needs to go out to do her thing or to just gnaw on branches, sniff around and explore outside. Not that she shouldn't do those things, but she needs all her shots before we can relax about that a little more.
We took her to the vet today for a shot and heartworm pill, the vet runs his office out of a biodiesel fueled bus next to a solar powered biodiesel refuel station. Only in California. So we've been bit by puppy love...it's crazy. Having a puppy is one of the most demanding yet rewarding things ever. Now I'm even more in awe of people with children. And parents with dogs? wow.

P.O. Box 504 Brookdale, CA 95007

Living in the Redwood forests of California changes one's sense of scale. You start to become used to living in the shadows of these giants. You even begin to get used to the amount of rainfall they require to exist. The dwarfing of all man(and woman) related things becomes common. Brookdale has a haunted lodge harboring irritable spirits thanks to a recent remodeling. There's a stream running through an old barroom. There's a mysterious neighborhood called Huckleberry Island that isn't really an island but rather a peninsula, and you can go to a little Italian restaurant down the way and the owner will work the dining crowd in platforms and the waitresses drop everything for song and dance. The mountain roads are windy and only the experienced and the brave ride their bikes along shoulders the width of a thigh bone. vegan terminal degrees who practice yoga and drink herbal teas mix with speed poppin' leather clad 4x4 drivin' freedom aint free chainsaw wieldin' types to create a sentiment that's pulled in two very different directions.
However, the overriding theme seems to be something along the lines of "Let me do my thing. whatever it is..."
Each morning we take a walk with osa around our fair village. We take pictures. We meet neighbors. Some of whom give us eggs from their chickens. There's a whole network of canine owners fraternizing around here that we have been given access to thanks to our wiener dog. Californians are given a bad rep, but everyone we've come into contact with has been generous and welcomed us with gusto to their state. Rain, rain go away. come again some other day...

wigwam warmth

"Have you stayed in a wigwam lately?" was what the sign read. My sorry answer to myself was "no" followed by a quick "and why not?" The most obvious reason being because I've never been to Holbrook, AZ. And to be honest had I not missed the first exit because of yapping to my brother on the phone, I would never have truly known a night's pleasure in a concrete teepee. This place was unbelievable. The fading neon signs and old lodge-like feel to the front lobby followed by the sweetest owner, Carol, reminiscing about robert redford staying across the way while a movie was being shot on the very grounds we were about to sleep on. Junked out '57 chevys , classic station wagons, and worn tow trucks were strategically placed around the gravel parking lot. The rooms were octagonal and still furnished(thankfully) with the same objects that were placed in them at their conception. All was well for the road ragged trio(don't forget our pup, osa) as we sipped from a bottle of belgium brew and watched the most psychedelic musical I've ever seen staring james cagney and a slew of dancers and synchronized swimmers all being choreographed to make us feel a bit beside ourselves. the little heater ticked away as the temperature outside dipped to near zero and a crew of photographers and models prepared for a german magazine shoot on the cold grounds the following day.

Rain and Redwoods

Aaaaaah. We've finally landed. 2,200 miles later, we are unpacking and settling into our new little nest in the redwoods of the Santa Cruz mountains. We totally lucked out. I was at a coffeeshop poring over Craigslist rentals while Aaron and Osa went to get stamps. Our puppy Osa is a magnet and she attracted the attention of a woman in the post office whom coincidentally happened to have a place she wanted to rent. Long story short, we seriously scored an amazing place. Its a one bedroom cottage in the redwoods, tons of trees as well as gardens, patio and landscaping. A separate art studio just 15 steps out the front door with an orange tree in front of it. We are sinking our teeth into art making and its so exciting to feel the new inspiration of this place. The town we live in, Brookdale is tiny. Its 10 miles north of Santa Cruz and about 70 miles south of San Francisco. There are lots of quirky things to explore as well as the NATURAL BEAUTY....it is overwhelming how these trees make me feel. The air is so fresh and wet and it is just GREEN everywhere you turn. We went to the beach the other day and had a terrific little picnic on the sand. It was cold and windy but we had to celebrate our arrival to the western edge of the continent.

Monarch Mountain

Well we are heading WEST! We left Lawrence on Saturday and got to Aaron's brother Levi's place in Salida, Colorado 14 hours later. The 1979 Toyota Chinook is loaded down as is the "Bruiser" so we averaged about 50 miles an hour. Plus, we've got a new family member.....an awesome new puppy "OSA". Our friends gave her to us on New Year's Day, pretty unexpected tho we had "put in our order" for one of Lucy's puppies when we left for Costa Rica....never expecting we would be so lucky. She is truly a great traveller, and tho we need to stop more often to stretch our legs and take bathroom breaks we are having a wonderful trip! We all went snow shoeing with Levi on Monarch Mountain which was such a stunning experience. Aaron carried Osa along in a pack and we all had a blast. We've been having such a good time with Levi and tho we are tempted to just move in with him we're sharing a cup of coffee right now and about to say adios. We'll try to keep you all posted but may not check in again until we get to California.

HAPPY 2008

Greetings from Minnesota. We've been visiting Kendra's family up here after a week spent in Hiawatha Kansas with Aaron's family. It has been really nice to be home with our family and friends spending some quality time with them all. Had sleepovers with all the nieces and an awesome time sledding with relatives on Sunday after a big dinner. Our tans are fading away, our skin is so dry after months of being in humidity, and we feel our Spanish going out the window too. We are heading back to Lawrence today to go through our stuff (its all stored in our friend Mel's basement)...we're packing up our two vehicles and moving west. We are heading towards the Santa Cruz area to begin a new chapter of art making and cooking. The ocean and the redwoods are calling us. Once we get settled we'll fill you all in on the details but wanted to shout out and say HAPPY NEW YEAR. We wish you all a very happy, healthy, inspired year of growth and prosperity.

sun enough to melt the ice

Surfing. The word conjures up glorious rides on long, gently breaking waves sparkling and curling over the head of any surfer gutsy enough to hang out in the tube. They carve languid lines along the wave and tear up the curl with the greatest of ease. When they are done they make their triumphant exit from the water, beautiful beach babes scented with coconut and ylang-ylang greet them with back rubs and pina coladas. the reality of this kansas boy varies a bit from this version. My surfing (although improving each time) consists of burning up the shoulder muscles attempting to get through the primary breakers near the beach. Simply getting to the calm of the swell just beyond the break for a chance to relax and feel the ocean roll beneath me (not to mention the pelicans gliding by) feels like a victory. From here, it's a matter of seeing a wave I might have a chance with. Then paddling like mad. If the timing is good, the wave picks up the board up and for that moment I'm moving as quickly as a bootlegger and as lightly as the air around me. Next, stand up quick and for the next few moments yours truly feels like the golden god of surfing. This feeling is soon followed by a fall from heaven into the massive water that is crashing over my head and salt water cleaning out the sinuses and an underwater disorientation that can only be solved by following the leash up to the (thankfully) bouyant surfboard while another wave crashes on my nearly drowned cabeza. Although there is no gaggle of senoritas waiting ashore, there is one senora bonita who squeezes my hand and tells me how proud she is proud of my attempts-no matter how feeble. Tuanis, mai!
Laying on the beach or floating in the pool overlooking the ocean with the sun on her skin and a book in her hand is Kendra's speed. The surfing is to be tolerated not attempted. We are soaking up these last few days of sunshine before we depart for the cold Midwest. Just wanted to prove it, so here we are, truly enjoying pura vida. Ken finished her pina colada before the picture was snapped.