layover

I returned from the prairie lands, dreaming of drooling down my chin

as I slept next to the man from Fresno and his wife with the funny jokes.

I'm back to this side of the Rockies, dreaming of swimming pools and rum,

drinking myself into Saturday then Sunday, home sweet home.

After all is said and done, I will never again complain about the cool evenings here. I was immersed in humidity so thick it made me dizzy. I forgot what it's like to have static air, frizzing my hair and making me feel like I'm wandering around with a wet blanket on my shoulders.

This is a river I climbed rickety bridges over in the Republica Dominicana in 2004. I sat on warm rocks and watched people pan for gold. I've got a mean travel bug right now - looking forward to multiple visits to the Northerner Westerner Pacific coast soon and weighing my ability to visit Nawlins before a year passes.

I also lost my shoe in a serious mud pit walking through this forest to this river.

Mint Gin

Picking blackberries with grill tongs in West Berkeley

Eating blackberries with juicy fingers on a rooftop,

Making fire and remembering how good it feels to smell like burnt wood

Making a glittery patch so my backpack shimmers in the Oakland twilight,

and collages for a friend living in a wooded garden in citrus county, fla

Making hot pads and quilted aprons for my sis getting married in under 2 weeks!