Bouldering and Slacklining: My Summer

It really has been turning out to be quite a wonderful summer. Time spent outdoors among the tall trees, fresh air and granite. Ok there's been a bit of sandstone in there too. I've made a few trips to Yosemite to play on boulders that began calling to me during my trip there in March. Only then I was in a cast with a broken wrist and still snowshoed out to run my fingers over the cold rock that would have my chalky fingers all over it in a few months. I couldn't resist the call.

I have spent a massive amount of time indoors climbing at Diablo Rock in Concord. I took the plunge and bought a membership. My strength has grown tremendously as well as my skill and technique, leaving me with a sense of accomplishment. My religious trips to the climbing gym helped me focus when some shit in my life got turned upside down for a minute. It helped me focus only on what I was doing while my fingers gripped the holds and I had to solve problems that were worth solving. I really did learn to let go of real problems that I had no control over. Bouldering/climbing has given me back a part of myself I think I had lost, maybe I had yet to uncover it.

I suppose I shouldn't allow my bouldering to get all the credit for my peace at heart and strength. Slacklining is my new true love among the others. I started out feeling so shaky and like it would be impossible for me to ever walk on a thin piece of tubular webbing. Well I persevered and after a week and half I was feeling confident in my newly developed skill.

Moving Into The New Place

Oh so much has been happening in the life of this Gypsy.  We've roamed 85 miles south.  With a new job supervising the Brentwood-Antioch REI.  The dogs (Merle & June) and cat (Denali) are settling into our new house rather well.  We found a 3 bedroom, 1 bath house with a big back yard and a garage.  1500 square feet = lots of running room for the pups.  And running have they been.  The other night I watched Merle soar through the air from the dining room into our back living room, over June.

Veggie to Vegan

Last July I came back from the High Sierra Music Festival a vegetarian. Every year I go back I have experienced life changing moments and made amazing friends. This last High Sierra was perhaps an opportunity for enlightenment like no other that I have experienced thus far in my life's journey. I made some decisions to take care of myself better than I had been doing. I was inspired to revisit vegetarianism. I now look in my refrigerator and cupboards and find myself really sticking to my vegan tendencies. I have been feeling better inside and out. My consciousness is rising and my more enlightened self wants to put my ethics to work in the kitchen so here goes. I expect that by the end of this month I will commit to my heart's diet. I am enjoying cooking new recipes I am finding and will share soon.