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October 20, 2015 by Pat Bean

Palo Verde Trees

The trunk and branches of a Palo Verde at Sacaton Rest Area. -- Photo by Pat Bean

The trunk and branches of a Palo Verde at Sacaton Rest Area. — Photo by Pat Bean

“The more often we se the things around us — even the beautiful and wonderful things — the more they become invisible to us. That is why we often take for granted the beauty of this world: the flowers, the trees, the birds, the clouds — even those we love. Because we see things so often, we see them less and less.” — Joseph B. Wirthin

In a Historical Setting

            My second stop of the day was at the Sacaton Rest Area at Mile Marker 183 on Interstate 10. I wasn’t tired, (Pepper and I were only about 75 miles from where we started our road trip) but I had discovered that Arizona Rest Stops are usually scenic and informational – and this one didn’t disappoint.

In remembrance of two Arizona police officers who died in the line of duty near Mile Marker 183 on Interstate 10. -- Photo y Pat Bean

In remembrance of two Arizona police officers who died in the line of duty near Mile Marker 183 on Interstate 10. — Photo y Pat Bean

A large bronze marker at the site informed me the rest area had been the site of the first Government Indian School for Pimas and Maricopas, as well as Pima villages that served as friendly resting places for travelers heading west during the Gold Rush. The site was also the birth place of Ira Hayes, a Pima Indian who was one of the flag-raising Marines at Iwo Jima.

I remembered seeing the 1949 movie, “Sands of Iwo Jima,” in which Hayes actually portrayed himself.  It was one of those unexpected memory recalls that left me wondering what other trivia was  hidden in my brain that might never be brought into the light without a jolt to shake it loose.

Continuing its tribute to heroes, the rest area also contained grave markers of two Arizona police officers, Mark Dryer and Johnny Garcia, who had died in the line of duty.

A nice place for a road trip stop. -- Photo by Pat Bean

A nice place for a road trip stop. — Photo by Pat Bean

After reading all the honorary plaques and informational posters, and pondering their meanings, I finally let myself simply enjoy the landscaped picnic area and the Sacaton Mountains that formed the rest area’s backdrop. What I liked best were the Palo Verde trees with their green trunks and branches.

The Palo Verde is Arizona’s State Tree. Numerous of these trees grow around my Tucson apartment, where they turn the landscape into yellow eye-candy when they blossom in early spring.  Then, depending on the desert’s dicey water situation, they drop some or even all their leaves to conserve moisture. Their green bark can do everything that leaves do, making these trees one of the most drought-tolerant in nature. Appropriately, their name in Spanish simply means green stick.

This second stop of my road trip, where Pepper and I took a short walk taking in the views, reminded me, yet once again, just how amazing Mother Nature is. Don’t you agree? To be continued …

Blog pick of the Day. Check it out.

Blog pick of the Day. Check it out.

Bean Pat: Extraordinary http://tinyurl.com/pzc6svh Beautiful photographs, meaningful words.

Posted in Adventures With Pepper, Journeys, Nature, Writing | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments »

Slow Start, Then Picacho Peak

October 16, 2015 by Pat Bean

Picacho Peak looking north. This is a Wikimedia photo because there never seemed to be a safe spot to pull over and take a photograph from this angle on Interstate 10 -- and it's the view of the peak I like best. -- Wikimedia

Picacho Peak looking north. This is a Wikimedia photo because there never seemed to be a safe spot to pull over and take a photograph from this angle on Interstate 10 — and it’s the view of the peak I like best. — Wikimedia

“It’s about finding something interesting in an ordinary place … I’ve found it has little to do with the things you see and everything to do with the way you see them.” – Elliott Erwitt

Road Trip 

            I began the first day of my road trip to the North Rim of the Grand Canyon, so I could see aspens in their shivering-in-the-wind golden fall leaves, by singing and dancing around to Willie Nelson’s “On the Road Again.” The song put me exactly where I wanted to be: excited about my upcoming adventure.

The overcast sky that started my day soon gave way to a sunny day. -- Photo by Pat Bean

The overcast sky that started my day soon gave way to a sunny day. — Photo by Pat Bean

When I had the car all packed and ready to go, it was 7 a.m., a great time to start a trip. Five minutes down the road I realized I had forgotten my binoculars, something no birder – which I am – never travels without. Fifteen minutes later, I was back at the spot I made the U-turn.

Fifteen minutes after that, I realized I hadn’t had my morning cup of coffee, which I had planned on making and pouring in my to-go cup for the trip. I assume it slipped my mind when I packed a cooler with sandwiches and other goodies for the trip, since I didn’t want to spend money for food.

Another 15 minutes later, my pocket book $4 lighter after waiting in a lengthy line at Starbucks for a latte, I again headed out of town. It was after 8 a.m. when my canine companion Pepper and I finally took the ramp to Interstate 10, leaving Tucson in the rearview mirror.

It was a pretty typical start for one of my road trips.

The morning was overcast and dusty, as a stiff breeze rolled across the desert roadsides. But I was upbeat, unhooked from all electronics, including my car radio, and scanning the landscape for surprises on a route I had traveled quite a few times before since moving to Tucson almost three years ago.

Those trips, however, were for taking my daughter to the doctor in Phoenix, or to the Phoenix airport, not just for the pleasure of it, which in my experience is the beginning of a whole new book. The first thing that caught my attention after I turned onto the interstate was Picacho Peak. It intrigues me because of how it stands out in the Sonoran Desert landscape, presenting different and distinct profiles depending on the viewing angle.

What I didn’t know before the trip was that Picacho Peak is the site of a Civil War Battle. The skirmish was fought between an advance party of Confederate soldiers from Texas and a Union Cavalry patrol from California. The site marks the westernmost battle of the war.   The Confederates won the April 1862 battle, but by May of the same year, a stronger force of Union soldiers from California pushed the Confederates back to Texas.

But the history of the 1,500 peak, which served as a landmark for travelers well before my time,  goes back much farther than that, It’s all explained by exhibits at Picacho Peak State Park that now sits at the base of the 1,500-foot peak. It was well worth a stop on my way.  — To be continued…

         

Blog pick of the Day. Check it out.

Blog pick of the Day. Check it out.

   Bean Pat: Write like a weed http://tinyurl.com/nwtm53n  Good writer’s advice.

Posted in Adventures With Pepper, Favorite Places, Journeys, Travel | Tagged , , , | 4 Comments »

October

October 9, 2015 by Pat Bean

“There is something in October sets the gypsy blood astir. We must rise and follow her. When from every hill of flame, she calls and calls each vagabond by name.” — William Bliss Carman

Autumn color in my son Lewis' Texas Gulf Coast front yard. -- Photo by Pat Bean

Autumn color in my son Lewis’ Texas Gulf Coast front yard. — Photo by Pat Bean

            “Listen! The wind is rising, and the air is wild with leaves. We have had our summer evenings, now for October eves!” – Humbert Wolfe

Road Trip Fever

            October is my favorite month of the year. I thought about this while I drank my cream-laced coffee this morning and looked out over the Catalina Foothills from my third-floor balcony.

I slept in until after seven, and so the sun had already crept down the mountain, bathing Mount Lemon and the valley with a warm glow while a brisk October breeze brought the feel and scent of desert freshness, after two days of on and off again showers, to my body and nose. It felt and smelled delicious. From my viewpoint, the valley was dominated by a rustling green sea of tree tops, their verdant hues enhanced by the monsoon rains that visit the Sonoran Desert.

And the color of October in Maine's Scarborough Marsh. -- Photo by Pat Bean

And the color of October in Maine’s Scarborough Marsh. — Photo by Pat Bean

 

But elsewhere, in higher climes, the aspen trees are turning golden, the maple leaves are burning with fire, and the forests are wearing coats woven of lemon yellows, apple reds, pumpkin oranges and plum purples.

Such splendor calls to my heart. I especially want to see the sun-illuminated glow of aspen leaves as they wink to me in the wind. I’ve got road fever.

So o-dark-hundred tomorrow, I am heading to the North Rim of the Grand Canyon on a route that will take me through some of this country’s most scenic landscapes, which hopefully will be lit up with the colors of autumn.

It will just be me and my canine companion, Pepper. And that’s my favorite way to travel. I’ll tell you all about my trip in upcoming blogs. So stay tuned.

Blog pick of the Day. Check it out.

Blog pick of the Day. Check it out.

Bean Pat: Dreaming in all the right ways http://tinyurl.com/ph982gs Give somebody a hug today, for me.

Posted in Adventures With Pepper, Journeys, Nature, Quote for the Day | Tagged , , | 15 Comments »

Do You Like Yourself?

October 7, 2015 by Pat Bean

Life is like a winding river with surprises around every bend. Sometime the river is calm .. Photo by Pat Bean

Life is like a winding river with surprises around every bend. Sometime the river is calm … Photo by Pat Bean

“Loving oneself isn’t hard when you understand who and what yourself is. It has nothing to do with the shape of your face, the size of your eyes the length of your hair or the quality of your clothes. It’s so beyond all of those things and it’s what gives life to everything about you. Your own self is a treasure.” – Phylicia Rashad

I Do! I Do!

            Vivian Swift, in her book,When Wanderer Cease to Roam,” remembers back to a time when as a 21-year-old she and her then boyfriend, who met in Paris, were absolutely positive they were never going to be anything like their parents.

And sometimes you're just lucky not to have drowned.

… and sometimes you’re just lucky not to have drowned.

The boyfriend became a lawyer, settled down, married, had two kids and they all wear matching outfits for their annual Christmas card photos; Vivian settled down in a small Long Island Village with five cats, and admits that she heard the little girl next door call her the cat lady.

“Our 21-year-old selves would hate us,” she wrote, which of course got me thinking about my own 21-year-old self. I decided that insecure, barefoot and pregnant girl whose primary goal in life was for everyone to like her, would love the assertive, old broad she became. The truth is I didn’t even like myself when I was 21. But I do love the plump, sagging old broad I am at 76.

The years haven’t always been good to me, but they’ve certainly been good for me.

Blog pick of the day. Check it out.

Blog pick of the day. Check it out.

Bean Pat: Lessons on Becoming Xena http://tinyurl.com/nfkc5vv This is a Story Circle Network blog. The organization is the best writing support I’ve ever had. Check it out at: http://tinyurl.com/kn5bbrl

 

Posted in Books, Journeys | Tagged , | 4 Comments »

Working Dreams

September 27, 2015 by Pat Bean

            “Choose a job you love and you will never have to work a day in your life.” – Confucious

During my journalistic career, I wrote thousands of stories some of which I kept, like this one about the Utah Air National Guard encouraging women to join up For this assignment, I got to ride in a refueling tanker and watch over a crewman's shoulder as he refilled an F-16. And on the way back, we flew over the Grand Canyon. Did I mention how much I loved my job.

During my journalistic career, I wrote thousands of stories some of which I kept, like this one about the Utah Air National Guard encouraging women to join up For this assignment, I got to ride in a refueling tanker and watch over a crewman’s shoulder as he refilled an F-16. And on the way back, we flew over the Grand Canyon. Did I mention how much I loved my job.

My Latest Dream was No Fun

It is not uncommon for me to step back in time to my newspaper journalism days in my dreams. Most often I find myself chasing a story, overcoming obstacles to obtain all the facts, then rushing to get it written before deadline.

Sometimes I wake up before the story is complete, which annoys me. I even try to go back to sleep so I can finish the task. I took Confucious’ advice and did find a job I loved.

 

Other assignments that were special to me were the times I got to write about good people, like this one about Paul Rokich, who was known as the Johnny Appleseed of the Ouirrh Mountains.

Other assignments that were special to me were the times I got to write about good people, like this one about Paul Rokich, who was known as the Johnny Appleseed of the Ouirrh Mountains.

I also have working dreams when I find myself in a pickle of a mess, like not having a pen to write with or getting lost on the way to an assignment, or simply missing deadline. On the morning of these dreams it usually takes me a while to convince myself that the dream isn’t real and I’m not going to get yelled at by an editor.

Part of my 37 years as a journalist, however, I was also an editor, and the dreams I have along this vein involve me doing a better job of the task than I know I did when it wasn’t a dream. I had the heart of a reporter, and only the better pay near the end of my career prompted me to become a desk-bound editor.

But I even enjoy these dreams, because they teach me something about myself.

I didn’t, however, enjoy the dream I had last night. I found myself attending a political gathering, and despite all the talking going on, I couldn’t find something to write about. Every word coming out of the candidates’ mouths sounded childish, gibberish or involved unsubstantiated claims or even bullying of people because of their looks.

When I finally woke up, I was angry, and there was no doubt in my mind where this dream had come from. What made me even angrier is that I suspect I might be having more of these nightmares in the coming days.

Bean Pat: Interesting Literature http://tinyurl.com/od9sl64 If you like Lewis Carrol and Jabberwocky, you’ll like this blog.

Posted in Journeys, Writing | Tagged , , | 5 Comments »

The Sun and the Mountain

September 23, 2015 by Pat Bean

“There is only one day left, always starting over: It is given to us at dawn and taken away from us at dusk.” – Jean-Paul Sartre

Daisies dancing in the sunlight. -- Art by Pat Bean

Daisies dancing in the sunlight. — Art by Pat Bean

Lighting up the Catalinas

I walked my canine companion Pepper, still in my pajamas, at o-dark-hundred this morning. It’s a time when few people are about in my large complex. By the time I was back in my apartment, fixed myself a cup of cream-laced coffee, and settled on my bedroom balcony with my journal and a daily to-do list, it was 6 a.m.

While the sun was up, as it had not been for the past two rainy days, it had not yet reached the Catalina Mountains that so comfortingly stand to my north. I smiled, delighted in the knowledge that I would now be graced with an opportunity to watch the sun creep down from their peaks.

butterfly

A butterfly enjoying the sunlight and the flowers. — Art by Pat Bean

And as I watched, my mind wandered back to the many times I had watched this same sun’s rays creep down the red mountains in Zion National Park. I usually visited this, my most special place in the world, in early April, when mornings were often chilling to the bone. Often I would find myself huddling next to a dawn campfire, watching as the golden rays slowly crept down the cliffs, eager for its warmth to reach our valley camp site. Once I sat so close to the fire that I suddenly realized my tennis shoes were melting.

While these days I find my body mostly rooted close to home, my mind is still free to continue wandering all the places I’ve traveled and relive all my adventures. And since I never know what place my memories will take me next, I still have the luxury of being surprised. And surprises were one of the things I liked best about traveling.

Blog pick of the day. Check it out.

Blog pick of the day. Check it out.

Bean Pat: Lettuce Lake http://tinyurl.com/pz9u75b And there’s also the easiness of armchair travel to let me visit places I’ve never been.

Posted in Art, Journeys, Nature | Tagged , , , | 3 Comments »

Weekly Photo Challenge

September 20, 2015 by Pat Bean

“Going off the grid is always good or me. It’s the way that I’ve started books and finished books and gotten myself out of deadline dooms and things.” — Neil Gaiman

The Grid

Roseate spoonbill nest. -- Photo by Pat Bean

Roseate spoonbill nest. — Photo by Pat Bean

These photos were take in the aviary at the St. Louis Zoo in Missouri that was specially built for the 1904 World Fair.

Cloud reflections through the grid and a great egret. -- Photo by Pat Bean

Cloud reflections through the grid and a great egret. — Photo by Pat Bean

 

 

Posted in Birds, Favorite Places, Weekly Photo Challenge | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment »

The Hoopoe

September 19, 2015 by Pat Bean

“You have to know the past to understand the present.” –Carl Sagan          

A Bird from my Past — and Present

No. That bird at the feet of the zebra isn't a Hoopoe. It's a Hammerkop, and one of the 182 life birds I saw on my African safari. -- Photo by Pat Bean

No. That bird at the feet of the zebra isn’t a Hoopoe. It’s a Hammerkop, and one of the 182 life birds I saw on my African safari. — Photo by Pat Bean

I had never heard of such a thing as a Hoopoe until I read John Michener’s novel, The Source. That was a long time ago. The book was published in 1965, and if I remember correctly I read it right after it came out. I was a Michner fan back then.

This is a Wikimedia photo of a Hoopoe. Sadly I didn't get a good photo of he bird when I saw it, which is actually more normal than not. -- Wikimedia photo

This is a Wikimedia photo of a Hoopoe. Sadly I didn’t get a good photo of he bird when I saw it, which is actually more normal than not. — Wikimedia photo

He wrote 27 fictional novels – and not skinny books either – between 1947 and 2007. The first was Tales of the South Pacific, and the last was Matecumbe, published in its unpolished form a year after his death.

Of all Michener’s books, The Source was my favorite. I think it was because of how Michrner used the bird as a literary device, how described it, and how he named one of his characters Hoopoe, and then claimed he had been named after the bird.

When I read The Source those many years ago, I never expected I would ever get to see a Hoopoe. But I did, while on an African safari in 2007. That trip was one of the top two travel experiences of my life. The other was the 1991 trip when I paddled the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon. I still don’t know which trip should lead off my travel adventure tales. .

It wasn’t until 1999 that I became a passionate birdwatcher. It’s a hobby that caught me by the heart right when my 20 years of passionate white-water rafting heydays, were coming to an end. Wasn’t I lucky?

I’ve found that life always has questions and surprises – like the Hoopoe – to keep my days interesting. And these days, such surprises seem to engage my brain to make connections with my memories. Life is good. Especially since my back is no longer hurting.

Bean Pat http://tinyurl.com/o2jye94 A fascinating tale of the Hoopoe Bird.

Posted in Birds, Books, Journeys, Travel | Tagged , , , | 6 Comments »

Life’s Painful Episode

September 15, 2015 by Pat Bean

“Bad things do happen; how I respond to them defines my character and the quality of my life. I can choose to set in perpetual sadness, immobilized by the gravity of my loss, or I can choose to rise from the pain and treasure the most precious gift I have – life itself.” — Walter Anderson.

Once again the sun is shinning in my life. --Photo by Pat Bean

Once again the sun is shinning in my life. –Photo by Pat Bean

They Hurt

As most of us who embrace life fully, I’ve had my share of emotional pain. But until this year any physical pain I suffered has always been minor. Even the births of my five children weren’t that painful.

And the geese are playing. -- Photo by Pat Bean

And the geese are playing. — Photo by Pat Bean

Until this year, I’ve never even used all the pain pills I was given for broken bones or other grievances of my body. And never until this year did I actually ask for them.

A back problem a few weeks ago, not only had me asking for them, but then asking again for something stronger. I was then given a prescription that I had to pick up personally, and then show my ID before I could pick them up from the pharmacy.

I went through the first bottle of 60 pills, in which I was allowed to take eight a day, in about 11 days, and then asked for more. Thankfully, physical therapy is finally getting me back to normal. I had my last pain pill four days ago, with half the pills still remaining.

I’m thankful the pills were available because for the first time in my life I was in serious pain, such that I lay curled up in a recliner for eight days straight with nothing but bathroom breaks. But I hated taking them. They made me sick to my stomach, zapped my energy and attacked my brain.

Perhaps I have a different chemistry than others, but it still bewilders me why anyone would want to take pain pills for fun. Today is the fourth day I’ve been pain-pill free, and the first day I’m feeling myself again. I woke at 5 a.m. with some of my energy back. And I just got back from walking my canine companion, Pepper.

Life is getting to be good again. I’m sure hoping it stays that way. One thing for sure, I’m going to let others do all the heavy lifting for me from now on. Like all the other lessons in my life, I seem to only learn the hard way. But I do learn.

Bean Pat: Hasty Words http://tinyurl.com/ph4nz8z I love this.

Blog pick of the day. Check it out.

Blog pick of the day. Check it out.

Posted in Journeys | Tagged | 12 Comments »

Keep on Keeping On

September 6, 2015 by Pat Bean

             “What I like in a good author is not what he says, but what he whispers.” Logan Pearsall Smith

Writing feels like a sliver of silver moon that sheds light on what the dark tries to hide. within the world and within ourselves. Things may still be hazy, but never again invisible. -- Photo by Pat Bean .

Writing feels like a sliver of silver moon that sheds light on what the dark tries to hide. within the world and within ourselves. Things may still be hazy, but never again invisible. — Photo by Pat Bean .

Doing That Writing Thing

            I write because to not write is to not breathe. I think I’m not alone in how I feel. .

“It is necessary to write, if the days are not to slip emptily by. How else, indeed, to clap the net over the butterfly of the moment? For the moment passes, it is forgotten; the mood is gone; life itself is gone. That is where the writer scores over his fellows: he catches the changes of his mind on the hop.” This quote by Vita Sackville-West is my very favorite writing quote.

Why do you write, and what’s your favorite writing quote?

Posted in Journeys, Writing | Tagged | 4 Comments »

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