Sandhill Cranes 

So many of us have been put to the test this year. So many stories out there.

This is the Oddhouse Earthship, part of an earthship community of off-the-grid sustainable houses. It looks big, but it’s only a 1 bedroom, 1 bath home, and is it ever colorful.

The kitchen is an explosion of color.

Someone took the time to make an intricate mosaic support pole.

It has a relaxing round living room.

Bedroom.

The bathroom has a huge tub.

The feature I like most about these earthships are the lovely indoor gardens.

faisons-la-mur.com

Cutler Creek

 [05|22|16}

One of the reasons I won’t allow myself to call this a real hiking blog yet is because half of the time we/I didn’t finish the hike because...well I don’t know, at first it felt like there was always something! I also don’t really read maps, use compasses, or have a GPS watch or anything, so those are all goals that I have. In the mean time, I feel that I do need to record my experiences so that I can remember and avoid these sorts of things next time.

Now I’m writing this from a memory of 5 months ago, so I am a giving out a warning that this should be taken with a grain of salt. But I remember the drive there was wack! Nathan has a 4WD truck and we did not feel comfortable driving all the way to the trail head. Pretty sure we had to walk a little more than .5 to the trailhead, and soon after the trail began, a roaring creek prevented us from really going farther--plus we had done the Owl Creek Pass drive earlier that day, which I’ll have to post on another day. 

Here are some directions/descriptions for the trail:

Blog 1

Blog 2

Below are some pictures of the creek that made us turn away and the cool view from the crazy drive.

Beautiful Ophir Valley, Colorado

If you set a boundary and someone else is disappointed or angry or upset, that reaction does not mean you’re not allowed to set boundaries or that it was wrong of you to do that.

If you ask someone for something and they say no, that does not mean you shouldn’t ask for things or that it was wrong of you to ask. Saying no to something, even if you really want it, is not (by itself) an attack on you, either.

There will be times in every good relationship where one person says no to what the other person wants. And there will be times when that answer feels bad to the other person.

That can be uncomfortable, but it’s healthy and good to be able to say no to each other. It’s healthy and good to ask each other for things and give the other person the chance to say yes or no. It’s healthy and good for each of you to be able to hear “no” and accept it even when it’s disappointing.

It’s healthy and good to own your emotional reaction and make sure you both agree that being upset is a normal and manageable feeling, not a crisis that requires someone to give up their boundaries.

Shots of rural USA, 1978-2001 (c. National Geographic)

Incredible capture in Utah 🌝🏜

You are not IN the mountains, the mountains are in YOU.

John Muir (via getlostinthemountains)

Chimney Rock at Dusk, Cimarron Mountains, Ouray Colorado