When Summer Lingers

When summer lingers I feel an irresistible sense of joy. May the next two weeks continue to bring gladness and a feeling of satisfaction amid summer days well spent.

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What I Live For

What I live For

by G. Linnaeus Banks

Printed in The National Fifth Reader
Copyright 1884, by A.S. Barnes & CO.

... starting at the forth paragraph...

I live to hail the season
     By gifted minds fortold,
When men shall live by reason,
     And not alone by gold;
When man to man united,
And every wrong thing righted,
The whole world shall be lighted
    As Eden was of old.

I live for those who love me,
    For those who know me true;
For the heaven that smiles above me,
    And awaits my spirit, too;
For the cause that lacks assistance,
For the wrong that needs resistance,
For the future in the distance,
    And the good that I can do.

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Beliefs

Questioning our beliefs, quite probably, is the single most effective practice to bring about positive change in our lives.

It can be an amazing revelation to discover that many of the things we have believed all our lives simply may not be true.

"I believe I missed my chance." Are you sure this is true?

"I could never leave home, move across the country to attend school or start a new job." I think you are underestimating your true courage.

"I could never leave a job working for a steady paycheck and try something new." I ask you, is this really true?

The past few weeks I have been given the opportunity to ask myself what beliefs I thought I held true and which ones are worthy of change.

Worry and fear can a be a guiding force for our personal beliefs, and I am making an earnest effort to change away from fear and turn towards bravery, with a healthy dose of faith. 

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Mid-July

It is mid-July, and I find myself indulging in the imagery created under foot as the sun filters its way to the ground through the dancing leaves. Accompanied by a soothing breeze smelling of wild roses, I linger.

That part of me that is Grasshopper should not dally too long, for the clock strikes sunset earlier with each passing evening.

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Key Holder

There will always be one among us that holds a key to the future.  

Which one of us will it be?

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Trip to Town

When a trip to town includes the entire family!

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Happy 4th of July

Happy 4th of July my friends. 

Treasure each family gathering, each moment building memories. 

Have a safe and happy holiday.

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Orca Island Weekend

Orca Island Cabins located in Humpy Cove in Resurrection Bay Seward Alaska, a fabulous place to spend a summer solstice weekend.

We spent an afternoon hiking what we have named the Bunker Boulder Scramble. Can you see the trail?  Neither could we!

We are standing on top of the WWII bunker/pillbox that is overgrown with vegetation, looking southeast at Hat Island and Resurrection Bay.

Another treasured memory of exploring Alaska, with excellent company, and wonderful accommodations.

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Becoming Comfortable

I am learning to be comfortable with empty spaces, and am practicing not filling the void.

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Winks Woods

Summer at Winks Woods, life is sweet!

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Road Trip

Sometimes life requires a road trip. Happy summer solstice my friends. 

Where does the road take you this weekend?

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Unlikely

They were unlikely companions, in fact they were not even friends. He was in charge of watching over her and she resented him for his position. They were locked up together in a tiny one-room flat high above the city streets where only the occasional sound of a honking horn or the smell of the restaurants below reach them.

"When do you think my father will let me leave this place and get back to my life?" Julia asked him.

"That's a silly question," Ken replied.

"Not really given my position, held here with barely the sound of the neighbors radio and no news of the outside, and you are never forthcoming with any grand information."

She got up from the couch where she had been lounging absently playing with her hair, crossing the short distance to the table where Ken was pouring over a stack of papers. Plopping in the empty chair at the table, she stares at him until her gaze broke his concentration.

"What would you have me do?" Ken asks, lifting his eyes hoping not to meet hers.

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The Best of Lives

May the best of your nine lives be spent relaxing in the grass without a care in the world.

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Zion National Park ~ Mukuntuweap

The Southern Paiute who used to live in and round this canyon called it Mukuntuweap: Moo-KOON-too-weap.  In the pronunciation the u's are long and the emphasis is on the 'kun'.

In 1860 when Isaac Behunin, an early Euro-American settler, lived in this area he was recalled as calling this place Zion.

In 1909 the area was dedicated Mukuntuweap National Monument, by October 1919 Congress passed Senator Smoot's bill making the area Little Zion National Park.

Today it receives 4.5 million visitors a year.

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Grand Canyon North Rim

Vast, beautiful, amazing!
Everything they say about it is true!

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Navajo Bridge & Colorado River

The Colorado River, Marble Canyon, and the Vermilion Cliffs!

The landscape looking south from Highway 89A in Arizona between the Navajo Bridge and the plateau that leads to the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. It was a beautiful day for a drive.

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Desert Storms

Natural Bridges National Monument

Can you see the natural bridge?  The photo below has the name of the bridge just above the opening.

It was a bit rainy with a few moments of hail, and some sunshine. We drove the scenic loop twice to find breaks in the weather to get out of the vehicle and walk to see all three bridges.

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Valley of the Gods & Moki Dugway

The sign at the beginning of this dirt road states that the road is not traversable when it has been raining, and that sign does not tell lies. We drove six miles into the Valley of the Gods when a swollen impassable creek was cause for us to turn around.

Route 261 from Mexican Hat leads to the Moki Dugway, a road with switchbacks galore, and a gain of about 1,700 feet in elevation in three short miles. Plus did I mention the dirt mound guardrails, yup totally scary and cool in the same breath.

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Newspaper Rock & Drive to Canyonlands The Needles

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