well, i ended up back at Ace August 23

......suddenly today i noticed 2 more leaks spraying water all over the garden. Why didn't they do that before? I only went in there twice with the sythe and that was weeks ago.

so back to town i went and got a few more of those hose repair things.

Not feeling very much energy this morning, but going down and driving back up gave me a little dose of motivation. At 6:30 decided that it would be a good day t o get up to bald rock with the camera. After exploring the rocks for an hour or so the idea of going a little higher up might just afford me a better view of the sunset. I didn't get as high as Walker Plains but i think i was pretty close before i found a turn around with a little view of the canyon and the was pink streaked with lavender. I was afraid i would miss all the colors if i kept going up. Worrying that i wouldn't find a spot to stop before it got dark.

anyway....a kind of weird thing happened. Not bad weird. Just weird because im not sure how to describe it. And also some of you will be snickering about it wondering what i've been smoking.

( nothing by the way if you must know. However , i did use benadryl to fall asleep and stop itching last night, oh and there was the long weekend in Sonora/ Tuolumne where i enjoyed some nice red wine, a refreshing rum punch,,,,,,,,,,and some rather smokey and sweet sipping whiskey.....dam attention deficit disorder, i got off track a bit)

well, this is what happened. I hope it happens to all of you some time. And i think solitude is key to this experience.

I pulled into i guess it would be a skid landing, where they strip the bark off of trees after they log them down? They bring them to a clearing and pull off the bark and branches before taking them to a mill.

Anyway, it was a place to pull over and it was off the road , clean, open, and i could tell that there was a possible view of both the Middle Fork Canyon and across the road the French Creek Canyon.

I stopped the car, got out. And just listened. There was not a sound. Not the river below, not birds, or squirrels, nor wind rustling leaves. Just quiet and absolute silence.

There i was. just me. alone. Right there. In the middle of the wilderness. Me. no one around . Just forest.

and bodily sensation fell away.

I didn't hear anything, I didn't feel anything, I didn't think anything. And it was like I disappeared.

Like there was no barrier between my skin and the air around me. Not warm. Not cool, no breeze, no hot sun beating on me. It was like being nothing and being part of everything and my body was only an illusion which i could not feel.

ok, i told you it was weird.

It didn't last long. My ears started ringing. And i still hadn't gotten the shot i drove in there for.

But , it was a perfect moment. total peace.

Maybe it was the temperature. the lack of humidity, at just the right balance.

i got a couple photos. they're just ok. but it was a lovely drive, beautiful scenery, gorgeous colors and light .....

thats it, thats my little blog for today.

love you

mom/sal