Deadman Creek Waterfall, near Kamloops BC… Peace on earth, Center of the Universe

Life is good. Photo by Sherry Robinson

Peaceful at the top of 200 foot falls. Photo by Sherry Robinson

To sit on top of a 200 foot waterfall, and feel like it is the most peaceful place in the universe is quite an extraordinary adventure.  So much so,  that it seems I don’t have the words for the post. Alas, it’s been well over a month and I still don’t have the words.  It’s  okay, though,  because my co-hort in adventure, Sherry Robinson, wrote a beautiful inspiring post.

When you get there, do peruse her blog “Notice quiet nature.”  It is profoundly peaceful, yet wisely informative on the secrets of ecology, environment, spirit.

http://noticequietnature.blogspot.com/2009/06/transforming-energy-of-deadman-falls.html

Deadman Falls is near Vidette Lake, near Kamloops BC Canada. It is also within walking distance of the  location deemed by  Buddhist Monks to be the Center of the Universe.

Pretty sure I wrote a post about THAT spot a little while ago…

Packing for Travelling… written on the sixth week of a travel adventure; when one really knows what is necessary and what is not!

These packing tips were written on the sixth week of a travel adventure; when one really knows what is necessary and what is not!   I’ve just typed this up for a friend about to go travelling and decided to share it here.  If you wonder what kind of trip this list was for, please see blog posts under category: “Adventures – Turkey, Greece, and Wedding”

Luggage:
• Small backpack  or small rolling suitcase.  Ideal for me would be backpack style that has ability to roll with extended handle.  I believe they do exist.

• Purse of sorts.   Comfortable to carry, closes securely.  Large enough for  what you need for day excursions.   Alternately, a hands-free waist style, and pack a lightweight compact bag that can be opened up and used if required.

• Waist style ‘hidden’ passport and money belt.

Important Things:
• Passport
They say keep a copy of passport and cards in separate piece of luggage.  You can also have the number recorded (or scanned) and leave it with a friend who can email info to you if required.  DO leave a copy of important documents with someone at home.
• Airline tickets/ info/ itinerary of pre-booked flights
• Bank Debit Card – make sure in advance it will work in the country you are going to.  Important to have 4 digit pin number
• Charge card.   Take the one you charged your flights to, as they use this for easier check-in at airports.  An alternate card or debit card might also be reassuring just in case one gets cancelled because the charge card company thinks it’s been stolen.  It happens. Honest.
o Important: Contact both your bank and your charge card company and tell them where you are going and for how long or they will likely cancel your card if they can’t reach you to ask if unusual charges are yours.
o Also important, when accessing funds with your debit, use a machine at a bank. .. not a random independent machine.  This way if your card gets ‘eaten’ (ie: not returned) the bank can return it to you.  This happens too.  It happened to me.
• Take cash in local currency. Really nice to have in advance if you arrive late in an airport and cash exchange booths are not open.
NOTE: What I didn’t need was traveller’s cheques. In Turkey and
Greece they were not accepted in stores, not wanted at
accomodations, and fees were high to cash in at banks.
• Medical Insurance Card
• International Driver’s License and Driver’s License if you plan to drive there.
• Accessible email account.
• Prepay and schedule your bill payments if you have that ability so you don’t need to worry about that while travelling.

Clothing:
• 2 pairs easy wash/dry capris.
• 1 pair warmer pants – yoga pants good.
• 1 skirt or dress
• 3 easy wash shirts
• 1 light sweater
• 1 warmer raincoat
• 1 pretty scarf that makes everything look lovely and is surprisingly handy for warmth if required. Also works when you strain your wrist as a tensor bandage.  (Ya, I’m living proof that works)
• 2 pairs shoes – both good for climbing .. or at least 1 is.  I recommend Chaco sandals… great for everything and even look okay with a dress.
• Socks 1 pair
• Mitts 1 – if travelling during cool weather season.
• Bathing Suit
• Small towel.
• 3 prs panties, 1 bra – althought I think they should be banned. Boys, you don’t need this.

Comfy:
• Blanket.   Something that compacts small can be very handy if you don’t like the bedding where you are, or if you are on a very cold ferry or bus.
• Small travel Pillow can be handy and comforting in buses and in some places you stay.

Clean:
• Shampoo, Conditioner.
• Body wash.   I highly recommend Sense body wash from Usana.  Only a drop goes a long way, and I used this for washing clothes too.   If it works for your hair, it could be the only item you’d need – my hair is too fussy though.  Otherwise, include a product to wash clothes.
• Whatever is easiest to ‘do hair’:  For me, a hair pic and mousse, elastics, and one pretty hair clasp.
o Do not take hairdryer or curling irons unless you also take the proper converter to allow them to function there.
• Make up – keep it simple. If you are a guy, you might not need this.
• Toothbrush, toothpaste, Dental Floss.
• Sewing needle that fits dental floss through eye of needle. Dental floss is great for repairs.
• Deodorant
• Tweezers
• Small scissors

Healthy:
• Sunscreen
• Cortisone cream
• Antibiotic cream
• bandaids
• Gravol
• immodium
• antihistamine
• gastrolyte
• Painkiller/muscle relaxer
• Vitamins
• Prescription meds if needed
– There are great essential oil alternatives to the above.  One good one to have is Oil of Oregano.
– Although I  might not ever use  the medications listed above at home … they are pretty nice to have when you are ill or develop strange rashes and can’t easily get to a doctor.

Depending on where you are going:
o water purifying pills
o Off – insect repellant
– mosquito net.

Important, too:
• VERY Small sewing kit
• Spoon, fork, utility knife.  (These must go in your checked in luggage – as will most liquids. Check regulations before you go, so you don’t have stuff taken away from your ‘onboard’ luggage)
• Travel clock with alarm.
• Camera
o Extra memory cards
o Battery charger
o Power converter for Battery charger

Nice to have:
• Books:
–  1 novel  (that can be given away when you are finished)
–  1 Learning  (for extended vacations nice to have something related to hobby, history, art, self development, etc)
– 1 guide book (this is IMPORTANT)  Note: you can exchange books in many hostels.

• Journal, pens.

• If you are an artist ,writer, etc -bring tools you need.  Often not easy to find those while travelling. Can be fun to discover alternatives, but keep in mind that quality tools and mediums you prefer may not be easily available.

The New Year’s Eve Wedding Reception with Greek Beings

A unedited story created as a direct result of an Awe-Manac journal prompt to write about a recent event using unusual beings, science fiction or such..

 

Unbeknownst to the mortals involved, the Shot Glass Beings of Greek Faerie Origin came to life the moment of their creation. Like all those planning a celebration, they were particularly busy but mostly drinking ouzo, checking what magic lay behind doors and up stairways, and observing the Canadian Way of faeries, magical beings and, of particular note, the mortal who brought them into being in this new place and the little faerie- like being oft beside her.

 

The Wedding Reception Day, then, the Greek Shot Glass Beings were well prepared and dusted ouzo bottles with laughter; table settings with ‘less spills, more thrills;’ and wine bottles with an extra dose of ‘love, humour and good times be had by all’. That wine! It worked!

 

The MOST MAGIC, however, the Greek Beings put into dance spells – having had much opportunity to encourage their creator’s creation, Evalee, to dance, dance, dance and learn more dance from her Auntee and Mommy and Nana, and therefore she gave her ‘big booty a slap’ and got Low, Low, Low whenever she felt so inclined.  And if not so inclined, it was because the Greek Beings  and she were far too entertained watching others and forgot to do their steps!

 

Of course the dance spells were imparted on all of the guests, including drizzling Auntee with orbs, and dowsing the Bride (their creator) with ‘Dance Moves Not Possible in a Full White Wedding Dress’ and whom, with the help of the wine, rocked like no Bride has rocked before.  The Groom was also sprinkled with dance spells, but it seems his occasional making fun of magic turned his spell into Dance Spills and he crashed over a table, breaking things, but not himself, and the Greek Beings laughed shamelessly.

 

Of course the faerie-like child, Evalee also drizzled her Nana with pee.. but that was simply in keeping with the tradition set at the Wedding of having baby-style spills on her dress.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

Do you own this ship?

Do you own this ship? I couldn't find you to proposition you!

Exploring, Dreaming, Discovering…On my Turkey and Greece adventure, I met wonderful people and  heard their inspiring stories,  painted, studied perspective, (both in drawing and in thinking), hosted a couple of workshops, had some impromptu coaching sessions, reflected on ancient history and mythology (including the muses, of course!) and how it affects where we are today, explored amazing art and architecture, had some really great laughs, acquired a new son-in-law, and had only one injury.  And I have a whole new novel of the magical sort in my head, waiting to be written.

I did not however, find the owner of this ship. 

Nor did I reach the mysterious person by phone in Delphi.

But hey.  Next time.

I have a cold! and Did you Know Evalee fed me her $45 Wrist Bouquet?

I never get colds.. but here I am with a cold.  I’m sure the cure is to do whatever I feel like.  Maybe I’m just supposed to relax and re-adjust to the coolish Canadian weather?  So, what I’ve been doing is adding photos, and some ‘addendums’ (in italics) to some of the travel and wedding posts.  I am adoring reflecting on this trip!  

The wedding… really so amazing.  The location had such a beautiful ‘clear’ energy, the Bride, Groom and actually all of the family also had an amazing energy about us.  We’re a good bunch.  (smile)  Especially the wee Evalee! What a joy. And when she wasn’t feeling quite so ‘joyous’ she just added some humour by having a meltdown or two that day.   (Not long after the wedding, she popped two molars!)    I’m laughing as I recall the wee Evalee with her $45 wrist bouquet of roses, in my arms during the ceremony… PICKING the petals off and trying to feed them to me.  She may have ate some herself.   I wonder if rose petals are good for teething.  Sometimes babies know best.

Courtney made good decisions in planning their wedding.. she turned down the option of a bouquet for Evalee, because she knew Evalee would just throw it aside.  I don’t think Courtney foresaw Evalee actually EATING her wrist bouquet… but she did suspect it wouldn’t last long one way or another.  Good thinking.  Worth the $45 for the story, though! 

And on that note of planning a destination wedding with a baby in tow….  Prior to the travels, we did realize that perhaps the reason to get married before having babies is that the whole thing could be much simpler.  You know, I suppose that’s not a bad idea.  But all of us know that our trip and the wedding was made just that much more beautiful with Evalee a part of it all. 

Enjoy the photos if you happen to peruse through the blog.  I’ll get to the Turkey ones right now….

Oh sooo much I didn’t say! The Intentions List worked…

Hmm.  With my good old Canadian-style Coffee in hand, sitting at my computer with a keyboard that actually works, I perused my blog quickly.  Wow.. there’s so much I didn’t say!!! 

Like, did I even mention how expensive coffee is in Turkey and Greece?  And that when I did find a Starbucks in Hania… the coffee was cheaper than the Instant Nescafe being sold elsewhere!  And that on this round of being overseas,  I did not bond with Greek or Turkish coffee –  Little cups of gritty coffee pudding just wasn’t as appetizing as when I was 21, I guess.  So, this home brewed coffee in hand is appreciated now much more than it was 7 weeks ago.

Prior to leaving on this trip I made a list of intentions.  One of my intentions was to learn more about a question that plays in my mind often: “When did we give our power away?”  At what point in history did we as individuals give our power away to gods, goddesses, world leaders, religious leaders? ”

I am delighted to report that my journal is quite full of thoughts that came to me, (‘the rewritten history’ I have mentioned in this blog), and there’s much more in my head not yet on paper.   I’m fascinated by the story, that not only revealed itself in my thoughts, but surprised me in the sketches I did.  Ya, there’s a lot more to goats than what history says there is.  (Who knew I could even draw a goat, let alone a flying goat!)   I think the whole story is worth sharing one of these days… just as soon as my coach coaches me into making time to finish these books in progress!   I feel a bit of overwhelm at the amount of stories I have that are anxious to be told.  This can be a problem for the overactive right brain dominant creative person!  I’ll call on my ‘muses’ to help me with this!

Another intention on the list was to paint… and I actually have quite a collection of paintings finished,  The Cretan days were all about nature, seaside, ships, craggy rocks, a meal in town, and painting.  A tough life, that.

How impressed are you that I packed art supplies, a wedding attire, and what I needed for travel in a backpack and a small suitcase?  You can guess that I brought very few clothes.  That’s why my clothes and I became friends in the shower.  But that’s another blog post further down the list. 

Would I recommend packing all of this to others?  ya. no. In fact, on a day prior to me having to pack all of my goodies for a long day of travelling.. I wrote the recommended list of ‘things to pack’.  It’s pretty short.   And is pretty good.. considering it was being written in the middle of a trip, at a moment when one was thinking… “seriously, what does one really need?”  Of course, I don’t think a lot of people are going to pack a wedding dress and wedding party attire around a couple of countries.  If you are considering it..My advice? Budget for the extraordinary costs of shipping priority.  BUT THEN… you’d miss the opportunity to gather the magical energies, now wouldn’t you? 

On my list of intentions was to be aware of potential retreat opportunities.  Well!  Ladies and Gentlemen, I have the most exciting ideas for travel retreats!  I look forward to offering these to you in the not too distant future.  Travel that allows you to discover your most creative, gifted soul; that allows you to let go of fears and discover your independance and strength; travel that results in you finding a clarity about yourself and your future that you never thought possible.  And it will come with a really short list of ‘things you need to bring.”

Ya, I’m excited.    

If you want to be notified of the future retreats and are not currently on the newsletter list, please do stop by my website.. www.musingsandmud.com and sign up for the newsletter.  Or simply click here mudheaven@shaw.ca  and ask me to put you on the newsletter list.  Newsletters come out on a rather random schedule (or an ‘inspired schedule” one might say) – usually about once a month.

Home and everyone is dancing.

This morning the stereo blared with Indian Music… we all danced.  Megan and Evalee danced continuously,  Cody and Courtney cooked breakfast, and I took videos of the wee dancer… in between dancing myself.   This is what people do when they get home from being away, right?  This is what people do when they have had 2.5 hours sleep in 44 hours – isn’t it? 

Well, apparently we do.   It was lovely.  Lovely to have Cody, my best son-in-law ever, cooking breakfast.  Lovely to listen to Bollywood music and dance and enjoy Evalee’s interactions with Casper the dog and with her toys, now that she is a full 7 weeks older and a world traveller.  Lovely to have Megan home after her 28 months of travel.  Lovely to see that Casper the dog is now relaxed, having apparently been quite a whiny, unsettled dog for the past 7 weeks.  Lovely to look at Courtney and think “Wow, You’re married!  Last time we were here we were still frantically planning a wedding!”

Lovely to see that my daughters ‘getting along’ continues even back home!  I know. I’ve never mentioned that …  but one of the most glorious parts of the trip was that my daughters got along so well.  This has not necessarily been true throughout their lives, so if nothing else had happened on this trip, that alone would have made me a very happy person.

My own bed felt fabulous. It’s great to have my own shampoo and conditioner again.. I no longer have to look like a face with a fuzzball around it.  And I don’t have to debate with my clothes about whether they can share my Sense body wash.  Not only that, I don’t even have to share the shower with them!  I probably don’t even have to have conversations with them at all! 

I am sooo tired.  Grama is coming over for tea, and then I will see how far into the evening I get before ‘just having to go to bed’!   I am also feeling quite ‘disoriented.’   Even putting the toilet paper into the toilet instead of a bin nearby feels weird. 

I’ve always been quite adept at ‘being on vacation’.. as in: after weekends or weeks off work, (when I worked a ‘day job’) I’d have to entirely rethink what my job was on the day of return.  I called it “Re-entry Syndrome”.   Now, being away for seven weeks from home, I have to ‘remember’ the details that need remembering… like paying bills, and laundry, and feeding the dog, and oh.. what’s that thing?  oh Ya, a vacuum!..  that sort of thing.   I like to give credit to my ability to ‘immerse’ in where I am at the moment as my reason for ‘forgetting’ things back at home that will eventually need to be ‘dealt’ with.   It’s so much nicer than telling myself I am an airhead or something not quite so brilliant as a person being capable of immersing in the moment.

The point is, while away, I was very much away from the everyday details of Canadian Life.  And now all the details of running a home, car, dressing for winter, etc seem very foreign to me.  Do I seriously have to wear shoes and not sandals now?  And what do I even own for shoes? 

Granted, a good part of this disorientation could be the lack of sleep recently. Topped with jet lag.

The good fortune, for me and those I work with, is that this time my ‘job’ didn’t get ‘set on the sidelines and forgotten’ while I travelled.  It’s an amazing feeling not needing to rethink my ‘job’ now that I’m back.  Coaching and creating, exploring, dreaming, discovering… it’s just who I am.  It feels so good to recognize this… I’m just ‘being’ who I am, ‘doing’ what I love!  I don’t have to tune out my job to be able to enjoy vacation anymore!  In fact, the trip was enhanced by the fact that I was learning and discovering so many things that relate to how I do what I do.   

Just wait til your next guided visualization, those of you who share this experience with me!

And now, I think I’ll dance a bit more!

Yay! I did it! The Nekrymantium of Ashyra.. The Oracle of the Dead

Since leaving Crete, the strained wrist event, the magical days at Delphi, and then an extraordinary bizarre day in an attempt to get to the Oracle of the Dead site…    well, I feel like I’ve been on a quest, and I’m ecstatic at having arrived at the Oracle of the Dead!

When I grow up I want to be a storyteller, because the stories that come to my mind as I sit in sites such as this… well, they are .. ummm… different.  And I am writing them down, and will share sometime, somewhere.. maybe soon.   The sketches at these sites also have

strange twists that surprise me entirely as I sketch.  It

 really is amazing how much I have fun all by myself.  (Ya, right.. like I’m alone!)

I do want to share that I invited my family on the other side to explore the nekromantium and I was delighted and amazed that in that instance I noticed so many butterflies on my path!

The Nekrymantieou of Ashyra is also called a variety of other names:  Necromantium of Ehpyra.  Oracle of the Dead.  Entrance to Hades.  That is one of the challenges in Greece is the many names for the same place/ city / village.  Once you know that though, you just pay attention.

Their are various myths and historical ‘philosophies’ of this site…  going back even before Homer’s time…   up to 6- 8000 or more years ago.   Seriously.

The gist is that this site is the entrance to Hades.  Not hell.. but the ‘other side’.. and it is here that souls are guided through on ships crossing waters to the other side.   People could come here to see and talk with their family on the otherside, and would go through quite a process to be prepared for this event, including labyrinths, ….

okay, i’m not going to go into it all here.. because, well, actually, because as I type this there’s a whole bunch of beautiful ships just outside .. and I simply must go see!   Also,  my thoughts on all of this are more of an essay, which I will get to… when I get home… but | will say I could not quit smiling at the Nekromantium…   Do you know how fun it feels at Halloween?  Mystery, humour, and that lovely touch of magic?   ya…. it felt like that kind of smile…

Only a couple of days, and that’s where I’ll be.. home…   with a collection of paintings I’ve done, sketches and a whole new understanding of perspective… in both the drawing medium and the thinking medium (smile)

“What if a ‘worse case scenario’ sort of situation happened?”

If someone had asked me, before my trip, “but, Janet, what will you do if a bus drops you off on the side of a road with no instructions on how to get where your going, and no one around who speaks English,  and you have a full on migraine set in, and luggage that suddenly feels ten times it’s weight, what will you do?”  I would have answered,  “Shit, that’s kind of a worst case scenario, isn’t it?  Why would I even spend time thinking of that?  That’s the sort of questions that stops people from even trying to head out on adventures!”

But, hey, I survived.  It wasn’t pretty, but I ended up getting somewhere.. maybe not where I intended but the right general direction.   And the migraine, which are now rare for me, but can be brutal… got better quite quickly.  The scary part was knowing I was not in any shape to be responsible for a wedding dress.. and of course, money, passport and other luggage.. and would have to trust that I got ‘us’ all safely  somewhere, without my full mental abilities helping!

Lefkada’s pretty.  Has ships!  Each time a bus dropped me off, I just taking any bus that stopped and was going in some sort of the same direction I had intended.

ps lambs and camera update

ps.  The little lambs both got out of pen and became my friends.  Sort of.. at least they always ran over to see me, let me pat them briefly then snubbed their nose at me because I didn’t have food.  They were free to go, but apparently liked their home.  So that made me feel better, busy body that I was.

The camera after one day of demise .. a day of small village parades and seeing a car called a “Megane!” , and a nude beach plastered with signs ‘no nudism’ and naked bodies….  .. anyway, the camera recuperated and is now working again.. inasmuch as it has ever worked.  The cameraless day I did try to sketch the things I couldn’t take a picture of.. including 4 year old style drawings of nudes…  but in the end, I think being cameraless is what triggered a cranky day,  which made me want to ‘get on the move’ again,  which may or may not have triggered a badly strained wrist which led to the egyptian man, which led to Delphi.   (see previous blog)  See?  Look how one can realize a crappy day may have been meant to get you somewhere else.