I had wanted quiet. I had spent the last two and half weeks living in a sleepy fishing village next to the sea, in the south of Crete, and it had been an incredibly nourishing time for me, full of immense creativity and productivity. One could say, with artists and artistry there is usually either an ebb or flow for standards of creation. Another place in nature was the ideal choice for me. And then I stumbled upon Rožat… Continue reading Rožat ~ Creating in Croatia
It was a sunny, August day as we wound brightly along the hilly, narrow two-lane roads lined with verdant, pastured farm land. The southwest of France is a shiny, picturesque dream of idyllic charm. One painted repetitiously with plots of corn and patches of sunflower fields. On this warm day, windows down, and blown by the steady cool wind, we buzzed past the endless fields, and I could feel the comforting presence of simplistic lifestyle where people existed closely together with the land. Continue reading South West France ~La Vie en Vert
We meandered on slowly through the ancient grove. We were both silent. The presence of these great sequoias had touched us. I turned back for one last look at the beast of a tree. My eyes traced the height of the tree upwards until I could see no more of its top. Around its crown, were gaps in the forest canopy, and sunlight beamed through the open shape, surrendering to the morning’s still, colorless sky. Grace seemed to shine through in stillness and in song. The story of these giant trees must be told. Maybe then, with greater awareness, more action can be taken individually and collectively and more can be done to help sustain them. Continue reading Giant Hope ~ Sequoia National Forest
Turning off at the Mojave Cross, the road led far back into the desert bush. We parked the van at the perfect site next to giant boulders with stretching views of Joshua trees and gnarly cacti. You could see where fires had ripped through the area; only the wind had held the power to choose which trees got spared. Continue reading Resurrection ~ Mohave Desert
We stopped to sip water, and we could easily hear the noticeable frequency that was the desert essence. Neither of us moved, we simply tapped in. Although we were quiet, and unmoving, and all around us was still, the ringing in our ears intensified, becoming more overwhelming, playing its divine humming tune of nature. Continue reading The Hum of Stillness ~ Joshua Tree National Park, California
Dust wafted behind us as we trudged up the narrow, rock-lain
trail to the top of the mountain. The parched earth crunched beneath our
shoe tread and all around oozed a dry steaminess of thick desert air. From the mountaintop, the view revealed an expansive valley patterned with innumerable saguaros and succulent shrubbery filler, while the crisped, desert land gleamed light golden in the sun’s reflection.
Continue reading Saguaro Desert- Arizona
A terrain once dominated by the dinosaurs, its mysterious atmosphere was palpable. We looked around at this fantastic, petrified graveyard, with its remains of preserved ancient trees. Shards of wood from their large trunks scattered the terrain like ashes strung along thousands of acres. Continue reading Arizona’s Petrified Forest-A Walk through Ancient Time
My hand brushed along the smooth, stone walls as I climbed and wound through the narrow path. The rocks almost came alive beneath my caress. Its heartbeat pulsed through to my core. They were still here. Their spirit, their laughter. Hush so you can listen. The wind started in the distance, snaking its way to us, whistling through the trees, rustling the leaves in sacred symphony. The most euphonic of language, understood as you open and allow it to moves through you, permeating the skin, lighting the senses. Continue reading Colorado’s Mesa Verde ~ Windsong
We were driving again, to the next destination, integrating that which had passed. Nature had shown off her many facets to us and at times it was hard to wrap our minds around the unique diversity of it all. One moment, we were walking through a brightly-lit, white sand desert, the next, wrapped up, sitting by the fire in an enchanted forest of pinon pines next to the river, and the next, being lifted up a ski slope over a verdant mountain in summertime, with sparse patches of leftover snow. We could feel her muse, the mother. Her passion had infiltrated our beings and we could feel the flood in our hearts. This was the road we travelled; this was our road. Continue reading Santa Fe & Taos New Mexico – The Art of Living
Gradually, we began tapping into the inner heartbeat of the land. This is when all things came alive. You tap into the artistry. You begin to notice the nuances, colors and textures in the mountain scape, hues at sunset, when the wind whispers, and the hum of bees. You get closer to the natural essence, and the quality of stillness permeating around you . . . awakening you to what’s been forgotten. You remember. Continue reading New Mexico- Land of Enchantment
Christin Marie Writes 