With A Billion Stars All Around

I am back tonight in San Benito Texas.  My intention was to do the 2400 miles ride from San Antonio Texas, to my hometown of Virgil in Ontario Canada.  I have been plagued by an old back injury that I aggravated dropping my Harley in a gravel parking lot about 5 weeks ago.  You just don’t stop almost 1,000 lbs. from going where it wants to after it reaches the point of now return.  Especially with my Olive Oyl sized arms.  I started the ride back because I thought the trip was not over yet and would not be until I finished the geographic nicety of going back to where I started.  However, my back had other ideas and started bitching right away about every bump in the road.

So here I am and I will leave the Road Glide here in a safe place and I will fly home in the next couple of days.

Those of you who have followed my blog or who know me personally know that I have been on a journey or quest of self-discovery and, ultimately to meet a kindred female soul to ride with me and to enjoy life with me.  And, together we will reach that place way over yonder and enjoy the sweet tasting good times.  That quest is now over.  I have spent a lot of time with me and I have never been more happy or grounded.  I am very much in touch with myself.  And, at the wedding events this past weekend, I got to spend time with my friend and we connected in the most amazing way.  Yes, the ride is done.  There is no need for geographic niceties to make the ride complete.

How about the wedding some of you are asking.  I can hear it now.  The wedding was delightful.  The bride Deb is a courageous, graceful, and wonderfully grounded woman.  The groom, Kevin, is a wonderful big-hearted person and as a couple they are so happy and content.  Kevin’s smile could not have been bigger without oral surgery than it was on Saturday at the wedding.

The service was beautiful in the gorgeous hill country north of San Antonio.  It was a totally memorable event.  We celebrated their marriage with BON friends and the couple’s family and friends under the light of a near full moon and a blanket of stars filling the sky.  I will never forget the day, the event, and the people.  The BON folks there are like a family and they took me into their group.  The feeling of love and respect was wonderful!  Bikers rock!

As I rode back to San Benito, I went back over the weekend’s events in my mind.  The iPod was turned off.  It was just a day the Harley, the wind, the jukebox in my head and me.  As I played back the images of the bride and groom and their beautiful love for each other, the Eagles Peaceful, Easy Feeling played in my head.

As I played back the memories of my friend and our time together spent deepening our friendship and what I hope will be a lifelong relationship, a new song of my own came to mind.  I am no Don Henley or Glenn Frey but the words did come.

The highway runs before me

To the edges of the sky

My road has been long and lonely

A solo Harley ride

As the dusk begins to gather

At the close of this day

My hopes and dreams unanswered

Do I have the strength to stay

From some far distant mountain

Your voice called out to me

I see the soft light in your window

It guides me on my way

You speak to me in pictures

Fill my soul with peace

As we dance in the moonlight

In the Light of His grace

My quest for me is over

The story has been told

When I look into your sweet blue eyes

I know I have come home

Now some say I have not reached my goal

There are still miles to unfold

But my ride is done the story told

To ride on would be an ego thing

My quest for me is over

The story has been told

When I look into your sweet blue eyes

I know I have come home

My quest for you is over

The story has been told

When I look into your sweet blue eyes

I know I have come home

When I look into your sweet blue eyes

I know I have come home

When I look into your sweet blue eyes

I know I have come home

When I look into your sweet blue eyes

I know I am at home

Peaceful Easy Feeling - The Eagles

Cowgirl in the Sand - Neil Young

Let Creation Reveal Its Secrets By and By

It’s a hot and sunny day in mid April here in central Texas.  I’m ensconced in the air conditioned comfort of a Holiday Inn waiting to swing into action and get dressed for my new friend’ s Sweetbear and ElectroGlide 07’s (their BON handles) wedding.  I am really looking forward to this event.  They are salt-of-the-earth wonderful people and so much in love that it glows. 

I woke up this morning feeling conflicted.  I am in a strange place for me to be in and a place that is never really comfortable place for a person who has two speeds; asleep and full speed ahead.  I am in a place that demands patience.  What the heck is that?

Relationships are tricky things (Duh!!! What else is new???).  Here I am wanting to get to know someone better but the social situation and the requirements of propriety, make that “want” something that isn’t going to happen.  Right now at least.  So the bull in the china shop needs to find patience.  I spent time this morning meditating on patience and man, I think I have to learn how to be patient when every part of me is screaming “Warp 10 Mr. Sulu”.  I guess I can look at it as building character.

When I am in these spots, as many of you know who read my blogs, I listen to music.  And often, when it comes to matters of heart, I turn to Jackson Browne.  So here I am in the hotel listening to his Late for the Sky record and Before the Deluge is cued up and playing.  “Let Creation Revel Its Secrets By and By”.  How appropriate!  What will be will be and it will happen in its own time when it is right.  Reaching for the brass ring right now may lead me to be swept away before the deluge. 

Some of them were dreamers

And some of them were fools

Who were making plans and thinking of the future

With the energy of the innocent

They were gathering the tools

They would need to make their journey back to nature

While the sand slipped through the opening

And their hands reached for the golden ring

With their hearts they turned to each other's heart for refuge

In the troubled years that came before the deluge

Some of them knew pleasure

And some of them knew pain

And for some of them it was only the moment that mattered

And on the brave and crazy wings of youth

They went flying around in the rain

And their feathers, once so fine, grew torn and tattered

And in the end they traded their tired wings

For the resignation that living brings

And exchanged love's bright and fragile glow

For the glitter and the rouge

And in the moment they were swept before the deluge

Now let the music keep our spirits high

And let the buildings keep our children dry

Let creation reveal its secrets by and by

By and by--

When the light that's lost within us reaches the sky

Some of them were angry

At the way the earth was abused

By the men who learned how to forge her beauty into power

And they struggled to protect her from them

Only to be confused

By the magnitude of her fury in the final hour

And when the sand was gone and the time arrived

In the naked dawn only a few survived

And in attempts to understand a thing so simple and so huge

Believed that they were meant to live after the deluge

Now let the music keep our spirits high

And let the buildings keep our children dry

Let creation reveal its secrets by and by

By and by

I am drawn to the lines

And exchanged love's bright and fragile glow

For the glitter and the rouge

And in the moment they were swept before the deluge

Pushing for the instant gratification of something that only time can present in its maturity risk breaking the fragility of the beginning.  So patience, Dear Kim.  Don’t repeat old mistakes

Before the Deluge - Jackson Browne

Way Over Yonder - Carole King

Time After Time - Eva Cassidy

From the yet to be titled book:

I hear the echoes

Of my heart beating

In the cavity

That is my life

Filling the silence

A rhythmic reminder

In the darkness

Parted curtain light

Steaks your body with yellow

Highlights

In the darkness

You're breathing softly

Caressing my shoulder rhythmically

Passion

In the darkness

Soft cries of promises

Just moments before our loving

Intense

In the darkness

Your tender touch

Eases my heart raises my spirit

Memories

In the darkness

And my silent prayer

That this happiness will never end

Eternity

We’ll Put Our Dark Glasses On

I am sitting in the Holiday Inn on the north side of San Antonio.  I am here for the wedding of two people I have never met.  No. I’m not a gatecrasher.  In the wonderful world of Bikers and our online social networks it seems a perfectly normal thing for me to be doing.  Kev and Deb seem like delightful folks from their profiles, my chats with Deb, and from their blogs.  I know a few people as online acquaintances who will be there too.  Since the invite was “open”, I said yes and here I am, the night before the warm up party, resting my sore back after the ride up from San Benito.

The ride up took about 5 hours with rest breaks.  My back has been bothering me for a while now.  A dirt bike accident many years ago shortened one of my legs by almost an inch.  Being young and invincible I did nothing about it until I was 60.  Now the old S1 vertebra is well out of alignment and can cause me fits if I am rude to it.  I am thinking loving thoughts about my acupuncturist in Toronto who can make it all go away by sticking a pin in my forehead.

The ride was a good one.  No traffic except in the urban cores.  I made good time and I had a great playlist for the ride loaded onto the trusty iPod.  Today’s artists included Bruce Springsteen, Carlos Santana, Cream, Van Morrison, Jackson Browne, and many more.  I had lots to process in terms of feelings and thoughts about my journey.

Leaving San Benito was hard because I made a really good friend there.  Ed is a retired educator.  He rides a BMW and a Harley.  We have a lot in common in the way we live.  Ed lives in the moment and savors the Blessings that come his way.  Before I left today he gave me a blessing, asking Papa (his term of endearment for the Lord) to keep me safe on the road and to watch over my heart as I continue my quest.  We were both in tears (yeah tough biker types for sure) as we shook hands and embraced before I saddled up to continue my journey.  We shared many thoughts together on life, love and our purpose in this world.  Deep friendships are like the most rare jewels.

Tomorrow will be another landmark on my journey.  Tomorrow I will meet a woman who has been a loyal reader of my blogs and has encouraged my creative interests.  We have been messaging and discussing my blogs, life, and our spiritual journeys by chat, text, and phone now for a while.  She has also expressed a strong desire to help me with my book project.  I am used to working alone but I truly welcome someone being interested in my work and helping me successfully put myself out there.

We have shared a great deal in the time we have talked and, it turns out, we are both attracted to each other so tomorrow is the scary moment of meeting and finding out if it is real or is it Memorex!  She is here in San Antone for the same wedding I am attending. 

We both share a love for the lyrics and music of Jackson Browne.  One her favorites is The Pretender and she often tells me it's time to put our dark glasses on so when I heard the Pretender today on the ride, it was like she was in the backseat behind me.

I'm going to find myself a girl

Who can show me what laughter means

And we'll fill in the missing colors

In each other's paint-by-number dreams

And then we'll put our dark glasses on

And we'll make love until our strength is gone

And when the morning light comes streaming in

We'll get up and do it again

Get it up again

There won’t be any love making but there will be lots of friend making this weekend as we deepen our friendship and spiritual connection.  She is a very chaste and  a Christian woman of integrity and strength .  But, we will definitely have our dark glasses on as we ride the roads in the area and take part in the celebration of Kev and Deb’s joining together in marriage.  What a wonderful occasion!!!  Here are two folks who don’t qualify as young anymore finding love and a connection that is so strong that they wish to affirm before God and their friends, their love for each other.  I look forward to the wedding and wish Kev and Deb much love, peace, and prosperity in their union together!

I was a little apprehensive about meeting my friend Little Wing, as she is known, tomorrow.  My track record in affairs of the heart has sucked.  However, if you read my blogs regularly you know that I do live in the moment as much as I can and I don’t navigate life through my rear view mirror.   I live with my heart wide open and receptive to the call of love and the call of spiritual connection.  At the least, we will have a great friendship and perhaps more.

Another song on the playlist fits here.  A song by my Mohawk brother Robbie Robertson:

There's gonna be a change of season

Indian Summer look around

And it's gone

Why you wanna save the best for last

We grow up so slowly

And grow old so fast

We don't talk about forever

We just catch it while we can

And if I grab on

To the moment

Don't let it slip away

Out of my hand

What about now

What about now

Forget about tomorrow

It's too far away

What about now

What about now

Close your eyes

Don't talk of yesterday

It's too far away

Too far away

It's too far away

What about now

I'm coming out of the shadows

I'm getting of of this one way street

Blue memories

They just gather dust

Leave them in the rain

They turn into rust

Did you see the march to freedom

Did you ever see Savannah moon

In the middle of the night

All the other people

Walking in a line

Said to the man

Is it my time

What about now

What about now

Forget about tomorrow

It's too far away

What about now

What about now

Just close your eyes

Don't talk of yesterday

It's too far away

Too far away

It's too far away

What about now

In the walk of a lifetime

When you know it's the right time

Bring it to me darlin'

I can't wait

I can't wait

Until the ship comes in

I can't wait

I can't wait

Starting up all over again

The errors of a wise man

Make the rules for a fool

What about now

Forget about tomorrow

It's too far away

It's too far away

What about now

Don't talk of yesterday

It's too far away

It's too far away

What about now

What about now

Forget about tomorrow

It's too far

It's too far away

It's too far away

What about now

Close your eyes

Don't talk of yesterday

It's too far away

Too far away

It's too far away

Too far away

It's too far

What about now

It's all about now right now

Don't break the spell

Don't break the spell

Don't break the spell

Don't break the spell

It's all about now right now

Now right now

Here right now

It's all about now

All over by tomorrow

Don't break the spell

So tomorrow is but a few hours away and soon it will be now; the present.  I go forward with hope and trusting in myself and in the bountiful nature of the Creator.

The Pretender - Jackson Browne

What About Now - Robbie Robertson

From the untitled book:

Anticipation

It fills the air about me electric

I look to the north to skies clear blue

My boot tracks clear in the trail

The steps of my journey made with purpose

How quickly I have come to this point

But my steps have been sure and unwavering

Anticipation

Not ominous but with a sense of leaving

I look to the east and the fading late sky

Perhaps salted with the tang of regret

For loves lost and memories of old lives

Memories to be treasured and stored lovingly

Lesson learned about life’s uncertainties

Anticipation

It is orange and yellow dramatic light

I look to the west sun setting intensely

Bright with promise of the future

Of life to be lived and lessons to be learned

Of future joys unknown and momentary treasures

Of great joy to greet meat journey’s end

Anticipation

Hot wind of a dog’s breath on my arm

I look to the south warmly beckoning

My trail continues this way

Leading me to my destiny my dreams

Where I will find shelter from the storms

Where I will find great purpose and peace

Anticipation

 

Hymns to the Silence

It has been quite a while since I have written a blog post.  Life has been full of living and doing, all in a joyful spirit.  My days have been full of riding, seeing new chunks of the world and in getting to know new people who I have met on this ride to Texas.

I am sitting in the living room of my new friend Ed’s house in San Benito, Tx.  He is a wonderful Christian man who shares many interests and spiritual beliefs with me.  Our time on the ride has been delightful and now, before I begin the long solo trek to Canada next Sunday, we are spending time together deepening our friendship and living life as two retired, single bikers enjoying everyday as the gift it is.

A lot of transformational stuff has occurred during our ride to Carlsbad Caverns in New Mexico and down to Big Bend National Park in southwest Texas.  Riding for long stints on my Harley with only the wind and the iPod playlist in my ears, there is almost nothing but time to think and reflect on life, my continuing journey, my relationship with myself, and my relationships with others.  And, standing beside a deep canyon, I hear the sounds of the desert; the soft wind, the sand moving, the birdcalls, and above them all the silence.

Standing in the midst of the awesome, expansive space of the southwest Texas desert, I thought about where I am.  A taking of stock, as it were.  The journey has brought me many joys, some sad moments and moments of self-doubt.  I know now that I am ready to settle.  I know where I want to settle and have started the process to be there.  I have met and made many friends along the way and I will be near them.  I am not in a relationship.  I have met and spent time with women with whom, I felt a strong connection but alas, it was not mutual and reciprocal in a way that would endure.  I have learned from these experiences.

I will continue to ride this summer while in Canada fulfilling my government-mandated time to retain my health benefits.  During the summer I will visit friends and favorite place.  I will revisit a favorite spot at McInnes Lake in the Petroglyphs Provincial Park where the silence is deep and profound in the sacred Ojibway lands.   I loved to spend time hiking there and playing my native flutes standing on the rocky bluff above the lake.  I will do this again.

In the late summer I will ride to areas of the USA that I have wanted to visit to meet FaceBook and BON friends before returning to Florida and the small town of Sebastian where I will drop my anchor and settle.

The ride home begins this weekend.  I have a wedding to attend in San Antonio this weekend.  I am looking forward to witnessing Sweetbear and EG’s (their BON names) marriage.  I will also be meeting other friends that I have met virtually through BON but now, in person.  There is one person I am really excited about meeting.  We have corresponded for some time about my blogs, about life, about our individual dreams and hopes.    The dialogue has been heartfelt and real.  It has been so refreshing.  And now, the opportunity to meet in person is at hand.  How wonderful!!!

The recent ride was good for me.  I am now m0re at peace with myself and I understand more than ever what I am looking for in a relationship and in my future life.  I am also finding myself more connected to the Creator after listening to the wonderful silence of the desert.  This is new after many years of neglect after a series of bad experiences with the rules of churches and religion that so occupied me that the value of the Word was overlooked,  I have my new friend who I will be meeting and my friend Ed to thank for this re-awakening of this connection to my spiritual self.

From the last verse of the Van Morrison classic:

I wanna go out in the countryside

Oh sit by the clear, cool, crystal water

Get my spirit, way back to the feeling

Deep in my soul, I wanna feel

Oh so close to the One, close to the One

Close to the One, close to the One

And that's why, I keep on singing baby

My hymns to the silence, hymns to the silence

Oh my hymns to the silence, hymns to the silence

Oh hymns to the silence, oh hymns to the silence

Oh hymns to the silence, hymns to the silence

Oh my dear, my dear sweet love

Can you feel the silence? can you feel the silence?

Can you feel the silence? can you feel the silence?

Hymns to the silence, hymns to the silence

Hymns to the silence, hymns to the silence

Hymns to the silence, hymns to the silence

Hymns to the silence, hymns to the silence

From the playlist from the ride:

Hymns to the Silence - Van Morrison

The Master's Eyes - Van Morrison

China Grove - The Doobie Brothers

From the untitled book:

First light

Breaks softly pink

Across a clouded sky

Gentle breezes

Stir the palm trees

And fill my senses with promise

Tender thoughts

Fly the distance to your door

As love and hope quietly blossom in my heart

Long May You Run

The day has moved from sunny to overcast and the heat is like a blanket.  But, it is a pleasant, comfortable blanket.  My thoughts are on our group ride to New Mexico tomorrow.

It is now evening and the temperature has dropped to a comfortable 70.  The Harley is packed and just my bag to throw on the TourPak rack in the morning with the trusty MACbook inside.

My thoughts are still on the ride tonight.  I was playing a few tunes today, as is my wont.  On the playlist was a song Neil Young wrote for the old car they used as their band transportation when he was playing town to town in Ontario in the early days.  The lyrics could apply to our two wheeled road companions. 

We've been through

some things together

With trunks of memories

still to come

We found things to do

in stormy weather

Long may you run.

Long may you run.

Long may you run.

Although these changes

have come

With your chrome heart shining

in the sun

Long may you run.

Well, it was

back in Blind River in 1962

When I last saw you alive

But we missed that shift

on the long decline

Long may you run.

Long may you run.

Long may you run.

Although these changes

have come

With your chrome heart shining

in the sun

Long may you run.

Maybe The Beach Boys

have got you now

With those waves

singing "Caroline No"

Rollin' down

that empty ocean road

Gettin' to the surf on time.

Long may you run.

Long may you run.

Although these changes

have come

With your chrome heart shining

in the sun

Long may you run.

Our relationships with the motorcycles we ride is special.  I know mine is.  I have two Harley Road Glides.  I totally stripped down my ’06  to clean paint and chrome it up the winter after I bought it.  I know every not, bolt and tolerance on that bike and I know every sound she makes when I am riding.  The relationship is like being one with the bike.  I know when something sounds “off” and I am quick to stop and figure out what the issue is.

I have a new 2011 Road Glide Ultra and I am getting to know it very well too.  I bought it Feb. 14 this year and by April 30^th I will have over 12,000 miles on it.  I love to be in the saddle with the wind in my face feeling the bike respond as I get into the throttle or into a curve.

Listening to this song I could only think “Long May You Run” about my two wonderful Harleys.  For me and all of my friends who own motorcycles and love to be riding, I also think the same.  Long May You Run!

Tomorrow we set out from San Benito on a 2,000 ride to Carlsbad, New Mexico using minimal Interstate travel.  Most of our time will be on secondary highways and county roads.  It won’t be a large group but it will be about 18 people who love to ride and who choose this way to experience the countryside and the wonders of Mother Earth that we will see along the way including the Carlsbad Caverns.  My cameras will be busy.

The lifestyle is not for everyone but it works for me.  I will get lots of quality time with my thoughts and time to work through issues that may be troubling me or, at least, are in my awareness.  I will likely experience other less pleasant things like monkey butt or a sore back from some of the longer stretches we will cover.

I’m not sure how much writing I will get done on this trip but I will post when I can.  To all my brothers and sisters out there who live the two-wheeled lifestyle, Long May You Run and may you be safe and not outrun your guardian angels.

From the untitled book:

Time is but a worldly metronome

Ticking through our lives

An even cadence of sound and rhythm

Marking our passage through life

Long May You Run

Rockin' Down The Highway - The Doobie Brothers

Me and the 2011 Road Glide Ultra

Clyde on his 2009 Street Gide

Men's Ride to South Padre Island

Love Needs a Heart

It’s an overcast, cool day in south Texas as I sit in the carport at my friend Clyde and Sandra’s winter home in San Benito.  We are just back in from a ride with the motorcycle club here called the Crabs (Conservative Retired Adult BikerS). It was a short ride out for breakfast then down to the bay north of Port Isabel.  It is a wonderful group of people who are spending their retirement years doing what they want to do most; ride their motorcycles and enjoy the company of other like-minded souls.  It is a change for me from my solo rides and I am enjoying the company.

I was listening to Jackson Browne’s Running on Empty CD during the ride and my mind that was not absorbed with the details of holding formation with the group and riding safely was working over the issues of my heart and my desire to find another heart looking for one like mine.  The beautiful song co-written by Lowell George, Valerie Carter, and Jackson triggered it: Love Needs a Heart.

Maybe the hardest thing I've ever done

Was to walk away from you

Leaving behind the life that we'd begun

I split myself in two

Proud and alone, cold as a stone

Rolling down that hill into the night

I could see the surprise and the hurt in your eyes

From behind each flashing city light

Love needs a heart and I need to find

If loves needs a heart like mine

Love won't come near me, she don't even hear me

She walks by my vacancy sign

Love needs a heart, trusting and blind

I wish that heart was mine

Proud and alone, cold as a stone

I'm afraid to believe the things I feel

I can cry with the best I can laugh with the rest

But I'm never sure when it's real

And it may be the hardest thing I've ever done

But apart from all that I hope to find

Where's the heart that's been looking for mine?

I hope it finds me in time

Love needs a heart and I need to find

If love needs a heart like mine

This song just fit the moment.  I have met people and felt love in my heart for them on this long ride since leaving Canada last November.  It has been that happy, achy, want-to-be-with-you feeling a couple of times but, as fate would have it, the feelings were not mutual or for the object of my affections, feeling love itself was a distant memory locked away under layers of life’s lessons and time.  My introspective nature led me down the road of doubting the validity of my feelings and raised the worrisome question of whether I would find another heart in this big world that would be looking for one like mine.

As I continue my journey and explore the me that is me, I found the lines in the song poignantly close to my thoughts.

And it may be the hardest thing I've ever done

But apart from all that I hope to find

Where's the heart that's been looking for mine?

I hope it finds me in time

The knowledge that time is fleeting and life’s road is becoming much shorter as I move towards being a legal senior citizen, sometimes sits heavy in my soul. I still carry the hope of finding that heart.  I know that by being open to love’s call and putting aside all those fears of past loves gone bad or unrequited, there is hope that this old heart of mine will meet another ready to love and be loved in an enduring and profound way.

Recently my thoughts have been about settling down at the end of this journey.  I know where geographically I have felt good about my surroundings and my state of mind.  I don’t know where the end point of this journey is.  I will know it when I get there.  My hope remains that it will be with someone who accepts me for who I am and for all my quirks and idiosyncrasies and (an absolute must) loves the motorcycling lifestyle.

Another song on the current playlist is by another personal favorite, Van Morrison.  Although Hymns to the Silence has Van’s personal spiritual association, the lyrics also strike a chord for me, as does the soulful tune as my mind and heart go back to Florida and a riding partner who touched my heart and who, I left behind. I miss the laughter, the quiet company she gave me on our rides.  Both of us were quite content to enjoy the ride in silence just absorbing the beauty about us then the pleasure of a dinner by the ocean talking about ourselves, life, and our personal journeys.

Oh my dear, oh my dear sweet love

Oh my dear, oh my dear sweet love

When I'm away from you, when I'm away from you

Well I feel, yeah, well I feel so sad and blue

Well I feel, well I feel so sad and blue

Oh my dear, oh my dear, oh my dear sweet love

When I'm away from you, I just have to sing, my hymns

Hymns to the silence, hymns to the silence

Hymns to the silence, hymns to the silence

My memories of that time come back as bittersweet and Van’s performance is a perfect painting.  Each experience is an opportunity to grow and to learn more of life’s lessons.  Each memory is a jewel in the bracelet of my life.

But, the road goes ever on and the memories will be with me as I continue my journey.  I look forward to the journey and the great question mark of what the future will bring.

Love Needs a Heart - Jackson Browne

Hymns to the Silence - Van Morrison

From the untitled book:

I looked for the dawn

And there was no discernible change

From the night

Subtle grays breaking

And the distance becoming more visible

Warmer, yes I do feel the chill fading

But what I would give for a glimpse

Of that bright smile

A Tale of Two Towers

Some days are spent idly when there is a pause in the journey.  I have been in Palm Coast over a week spending time with my riding companion and treating a sore back that has made the prospect of a 500 mile run in the saddle a daunting prospect.  There is no rush to get anywhere so it is better to let my aging body heal so I can function 100% without pain on the ride.

It has been a break full of reflection and introspection for me.  I have not been completely idle.  Some time has been spent on my affairs back in Canada and making arrangements for my return and for my summer of riding up there in the land of Molson’s Golden.  I have also tended to the needs of the Harley and to the needs of my body.

I have done some writing on poetic material for the new book and corresponding with friends.  I have been examining my goals and thinking about those things I wish to manifest into my life.  I am drawn to paint again.  There are so many ideas still locked in my mind for paintings.  The desire is still there to paint.  The trick is to find a place where I wish to settle so I can explore and re-connect with my art.  I have several ideas for the type of book I would like to produce and they will likely gel when I stop moving and settle for a spell in some place of beauty and quiet so the ideas can flow and the concepts take shape.

There is still the longing to be with a love that will spend time on the road with me and share the adventures of my creative journey.  Again, I am positive that my journey will bring me to a meeting that will be magical.

My thoughts also have drifted back to my youth and one of the most magical periods when I read JRR Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings.  Some recent conversations with a friend on one of the social sites, has triggered many memories of the joy I felt in reading and immersing myself in the depth and magic of his trilogy.

One memory leads to another. Today, I recalled a painting I did back in 2001 that was based on real life locations but was heavily influenced in its creation by the Lord of the Rings.

Dawn on Celtic Ruins

The painting is done in the encaustic style I developed and combine elements from tree locations.  The ruin on the left is a segment of the walls of Tintagel Castle (reputed home of King Arthur) as they stand today above the Irish Sea in Cornwall, England.  The tower on the right is the Keep at Aberystwyth, Wales again, on the Irish Sea.  The sky was taken from a photograph I took from my balcony when I was living near Lake Ontario in the town of Ajax, Ontario, after a storm had swept in from the lake then as the setting sun pierced the clouds.

The painting is a story of two towers opposed to each other across the valley in between.  It is a loose reference to Minas Tirith and Minas Ithil facing each other over the valley of the river Anduin.  The sky is a very close representation of what I photographed includes the shape of a dragon flying over the valley.  The river is not included by intent to focus on the sky and to show the lushness of the land that has endured long past the time of the man made structures.  The metaphor is about the transient nature of man and his wars and the enduring nature of Mother Earth.

The Keep at Aberystwyth

Tintagel Castle, Cornwall

Lately, I have been experiencing a desire to establish roots again.  Where, is another question?  I think the answer will unfold as I continue this ride and fulfill my Spirit Quest.

Night has fallen on Palm Coast.  It is time now to correspond with friends and to rest up for the trip ahead.  Once on the road, I hope to write more on the journey and on matters of the heart.

Writing this blog post has been good for me.  It has taken me back to memories of a magical time for me and has taken me back to my love of telling a story not just in words but also in visual art.  It is a time as I said, of reflection and retrospection.

From the untitled book:

I met you in the quiet darkness

Of the field close by the river

The trees where whispering news

Of our arrival

I held you close your scent softly

Filling my senses with anticipation

Your touch on my arm so warm

And intoxicating

Your eyes sparkle brightly finding

My face above yours and smiling

As I hold you and think of the loving

Yet to come

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Winter blue

The sunlight brittle on frozen lawns

Sienna trees against the white

Soft cirrus above the stratus haze

Fresh blue

Taste the smells of winter

Invigorating

*****************************************

I looked into your light blue eyes

And I saw your caring heart

I looked into your light blue eyes

And I saw sweet love