From The Top of Willamette Mountain

I’ll Tie Into You. You Tie Into Me. A creature is what a creature Be.

  Monte L. Bean - Life Science Museum. Provo, Utah

Today marks the beginning of numbness. The dumbing down of the realness of life/death. It has been 12 days since Jasper was killed. Though guilt ridden upon saying it, I have started to forget the incident and am slowly repairing the gap that was left in my heart when he was taken from us. I have kept (or have tried to keep) myself busy with the garden, writing, recording, singing, dancing, playing with all the other animals on the MTN, but he still has left that hole. Never (hope) to be closed fully.

Billie - Compost Piled

   In prepration for emotional recovery i headed to the mountains with Colby to pursue a night of danger and brotherhood. After three climbs up Escape Buttress in American Fork Canyon we headed to find a campsite near Tibble Fork Reservoir. We found the perfect location just as the sun was setting. We pitched a tent and scavenged for firewood. Around the fire there were discussions of every kind. My brother is a truth in my life, a childhood friend, and a life amigo. The next morning we headed out and up into the mountains for a good hike. While out we witnessed two stampedes of moose (merely two moose walking a bit ahead of us really, but “stampede” sounds much better), and three frolicking deer. By the time we got back into the valley the day had begun for most, it was 9am, the sun shining and cars scattered on the streets. I wanted out. But i stayed.

Colby and I. Life Living.

Water Runs

Trees Get Tall

   My parents, for the first time since I married my lover 6.5 years ago, made a trip out specifically to visit us for three days. I felt, truthfully, honored. Their presence has been something that I have longed for since leaving the flat cold and windy land of Nebraska. Our days were quickly filled with activities of all sorts. Croquet, campfires in the backyard, exhibit visits, graveyard passing’s, baseball, board games, food making, goat watching and the like. My favorite of all the activities on which we embarked took place in the wildest of everywheres. The American Fork Canyon. My Pa, Colby (brother), his daughter Haley, and I climbed up cliffs, and saw the world from a different plane. It was my father’s first time rock climbing. And though he might correct me upon reading this. I have reason to believe that he really liked it. Well the time came and it went, as it always does. If there had been more (time) then it might not have been as magical as it was. For it truly was. Tuesday morning came and my folks were off with the sunset. They traveled toward Elko, NV to visit another one of their children, and it went like that.

My Pa Slays Mountains.

That night I finished all of my chores and finished what I hope to become a good song. I wandered outside just as the last bit of sunshine faded behind the western sky. I went into where the goats live and Dottie, the Nubian lady here, exited her house and came over for me to pet her. As I rubbed her chin, and scratched her head she placed both of her legs over mine and quickly/quietly fell asleep. I wasn’t sure quite what to do. This had never happened. It was magical and beautiful. I was thankful for that moment, and for the moments that are yet to come with all these lil creatures that live with and around me. Dottie, the magician, changed my heart last night.

Dottie, My Gal.

News of the music. I was recently interviewed, and followed around as I lived out a couple of days two and a half months ago. During this time there were cameras and microphones placed in all locations of my where abouts. All of this audio and visual content has been edited down to a 30 min. segment that aired last night. You can watch it here if you so wish.

CREATURES we all ARE!

joshua

A Life full of Death.

The day was wonderful. The wind was coming in with a slow breath. We planted 7 rows of beets and made sure that all the crops were free of weeds.

The sunshine, the birds chirping, the running to and fro of all the animals here on the MTN. It proved to be a wonderful day. At 1:30 we headed up the canyon to climb up sheer cliffs, causing our hearts to soar at the top of each climb. Helping us realize how microscopic we all really are in the magnitude of life.

The sun was still high in the midday sky when we headed back home. The night held promise. Friends and more friends were to come over to spend the evening with Em and I. As the night passed along more friends showed their faces. There was music and discussion, talks of family and the ONGOING grand question of existence. Around 11:00 PM Emma and Carissa decided to pay a visit to the local movie vendor to see if anything stood out enough to pay the $1.27 for a one-night rental. As it always seems to be, the options were limited and deciding took a bit longer than they had anticipated. As they were returning home Emma noticed something in the main road that caused a shot of pain to pass through every receptor her small body had. There was an animal, dead, lying in the middle of the street. The fur color was that of one of our most loveable creatures that live here with us, Jasper. She returned home frantic, and came to find me, in tears she explained what she thought she saw and wanted me to drive back with her to see if it was Jasper. As we turned the corner I saw his small furry frame lying in the road. I ran out of the car and kneeled by his side. He had been struck in the head with a car, though there seemed to be very little damage to his body anywhere, he had died. I picked him up and brought him back to the car where my lover and I wept for having lost one of the greatest lil members of our tribe. With the cloud of sadness looming above the car, we drove him back home and wrapped his body with his favorite orange blanket. We dug a grave next to our maple tree and placed him in it. We said our goodbyes, and shed a few more tears for our boy. As we walked in “Scared At Night” by Kathleen Edwards was coming through our living room speakers. In each others arms we held one another. Our whole bodies shook. The pain of losing someone or something that you love. It was so real. It is so real. We will miss him. Forever we will.

Jasper William  (Sept 2011-May 11 2012)

“The hour of departure has arrived, and we go our separate ways, I to die, and you to live. Which of these two is better only God knows.”

-Socrates

Tapes n Tapes n Tapes n more.

IRJO returns home. Sad Eyes. Happy sky.

IRJO’s vew from the truck. Homeward bound.

Emma and Shirley.

As the summer months are quickly approaching our lives here in the valley of Utah time has become something ghostly and distant. The day has been quickly eaten up with planting, sowing, weeding, cutting, hedging and the like. This however is anything but a problem. I find the worth in all the activities that this season brings joyous. Having that as my excuse for not being “around” helps me cope with the brevity of this entry tonight. There is far too much to be done for my hands to be focused on these keys. I returned IRJO (the male goat) back to his home. We also sheared all of the fleece off of Shirley and Loma (the two angoras on the MTN). Now apart from those terribly quick and to the points subjects….

There are two things that I would love to tell. Like to tell. yes like to tell.

Recently I came to know of “Dan”, an elderly gentleman that was both unemployed and unhoused for the latter years of his life. He took refuge in the garage of my nieces grandparents home. He lived there for many a year. Well, a couple of weeks ago Dan passed away, leaving behind a few posessions that belonged to him during his stay in life. Dan, from what they have told me, was a simple man. He was kind, and helped when and where he could. He also collected cassette tapes, it was his medium of choice when listening to music. Well….my niece knew about my humble tape collection and asked her grandparents if she might be able to gift them to me. They obliged and let her take the cassettes home. I, last night, received a very large garbage bag of some of the greatest albums every made all on cassette tape. I spent the evening surrounded by good friends and the sounds of The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Black Sabbath, Van Morrison, The Band, Bob Dylan through the magnetic tape that once passed through the sound system of “Dan”. There was a part of me that could feel Dan’s presence as we listened to all of his tapes. There was something very magical and even a bit morbid about it. I felt good. This is to Dan and to his life and his tapes. Thank you.

Now, the second thing that would really like to share is yet another WONDERFUL recipe for some WONDERSOME food. This is one of the best vegan mac and cheese recipes I have ever used. Absolutely magnificent!

HARK & Behold:

Butternut Squash Mac ‘n Cheeze (taken from ohsheglows.com)

Yield: 4 servings or 1.5 cups of cheeze sauce

Ingredients:

• 1 fresh butternut squash* (peeled and chopped) OR 1 cup canned butternut squash OR canned pumpkin
• Extra virgin olive oil, S & P
• 1 tbsp Earth Balance (or other non-dairy butter replacer)
• 3/4 cup unsweetened & unflavoured almond milk (revised from 1 cup)
• 1 tbsp arrowroot powder (or cornstarch)
• 6 tbsp nutritional yeast, or more to taste
• 2 tsp Dijon mustard
• 1/4 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2-3/4 tsp kosher salt (or to taste) & ground black pepper, to taste
• 4 servings brown rice macaroni (8oz or half a 16oz package) makes 3 1/4 cup cooked
• Mix-ins of choice (e.g., kale, spinach, broccoli, peas, pumpkin seeds, etc)

1. Preheat oven to 425F. Line a casserole dish with tin foil. Mix chopped squash with EVOO, S & P. Roast for about 40 minutes, uncovered, or until tender.

2. Meanwhile, prepare the cheeze sauce in a pot on the stove top. Add Earth balance over low-medium heat. In a bowl, whisk together milk and arrowroot powder (or cornstarch or flour) until clumps are gone. Add into pot and whisk. Stir in remaining ingredients (nutritional yeast, Dijon, garlic, S & P) and whisk over low heat until thickened (about 5-7 minutes or so).

3. Cook your pasta according to package directions. The sauce makes enough to cover 4 servings of pasta.

4. In a blender, blend the sauce with 1 cup of roasted squash (or if using canned, simply stir 1 cup into the pot).

5. Add cooked, drained, and rinsed macaroni into pot, along with cheeze sauce & mix-ins. Heat and serve.

Please if you have an affinity at all for mac n cheese, try this. It is unbelievable. We added peas and it turned out so bloody delicous.

Here is to spring, here is to summer. Here is to the sun and the heat she sits under.

joshua fred.

The beginning. The end. and nothing in between.

The beginning.

It’s the last summer of our youth before the TRUTH of Adulthood sets in.

Where the cancer holds commonplace in our bodies and minds.

Day 1. Baby is born

Day 5,840. Confusion sets in deep.

Day 10.585. The realization of death/cancer/and the like makes a man come CLEAN.

NOW.

This, this is something I have been contemplating over the past weeks and such.

The concept of the “Healthy”, the “Prolonging” of the inevitable passing of our bodies. I/she/he/we/you try to “DO WHAT YOU CAN” to ensure a longer, healthier, and hopefully, happier life.

BUT…

Is it?

Does it?

Whether that is spending time jogging, biking, eating well, doing yoga, walking, hiking, this, that, and the other it is all (or often time) for the benefit of a LONG LIFE.

David Bazaan said once in his masterpiece “Priests and Paramedics”:

“You’re gonna die, we’re all gonna die
Could be twenty years, could be tonight
Lately I have been wondering why
We go to so much trouble to postpone the unavoidable
And prolong the pain of being alive”

There is just SOMETHING to that.

To accept (and yes yes yes…..I understand that we all KNOW that it WILL happen. That our bodies WILL turn back into dirt. That our brains will cease from sending signals to our organs which in turn will cause us to “shut down”) that our bodies are here NOW, and that NOW is TRULY TRULY REALLY all that we can depend on. THERE is NOTHING after the current moment, and there is NOTHING before the moment that we are currently in.

It is something (true? Not true? False even? Maybe? Either?)

I can’t quite describe why it is that this has been a topic of mental usage lately.

BUT.

It has.

And probably will be (future tense).

 The week has turned my back sore, and my mind a bit dull.

There was goat sheering, hoof cutting, planting of fruit trees and baby plants, weeding, watering, running, dancing, talking, tree cutting, tree hauling, tree buying and the sort.

It has been such a wonderfully busy weekend that I couldn’t tell you how or when the week should truly begin, and when it should come to a halt.

This last week we saw Damien Jurado sing songs to an excited and grateful Provo crowd. He was wonderfully engaging and exciting to see. The next day we (Emma and I) had to travel back to the city of Provo to pick up pieces of a tree that has been cut down in front of a rental property. The tree now lives (or dies, however you might view it) in our backyard in pieces. It will make wonderful firewood, and to seal her (the tree) fate we have documented it with a small foto. And behold:

It (like I had mentioned (maybe) before) the week was full.

It was wonderful.

And MAGICAL even.

Friends, Family, Lovers, Loved Ones, Fires and Mischeif all were my companions throughout the time spent here on the MTN.

Thursday evening I made Emma and I a Indian Curry dish that was absolutely WONDERFUL.

And so.

SHARE I MUST.

I took it from “Appetite for Reduction” a wonderful Vegan cookbook that always seems to prove that eating healthy can also be eating TASTY (I am sorry, that was sort of weird/tacky, but oh the freedom to let your mind control your hands to write what it will.)

2nd Avenue Vegetable Korma
Serves 4

 

Ingredients:

1 teaspoon olive oil
1 small red onion, quartered and sliced thinly
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger
2 teaspoons curry powder
1 teaspoon garam masala
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups vegetable broth
1 1/2 pounds cauliflower, trimmed and cut into florets
1 pound zucchini, cut on a bias in 1/4-inch slices
1/2 pound carrots, peeled and cut on a bias in 1/4-inch slices
3/4 cup frozen peas
3/4 cup light coconut milk
1 teaspoon agave nectar
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro (optional)
Extra chopped fresh cilantro, for garnish

Directions:

Preheat a 4-quart pot over medium heat. Sauté the onion in the oil for about 5 minutes, until translucent. Use a little nonstick cooking spray if needed. Add the garlic and ginger, and sauté for another minute.

Add the broth to deglaze the pan. Mix in the spices and salt. Add the cauliflower, zucchini, and carrots. They won’t be completely submerged, but that’s okay. Cover the pot and turn up the heat to bring the broth to a boil. Let boil for 7 to 10 minutes, until the veggies are tender.

Add the peas, coconut milk, agave, and cilantro (if using). Taste for salt. Turn off the heat and let the flavors meld for about 5 minutes. Serve the korma in bowls over rice, garnished with cilantro.

THE END.

Too much for one man to hold. Too little for the world to consume me.

I could find it hard to start, or to know WHERE to start with the evergrowing list of activities and whooptinaughts and tinkertots, but i will simply choose to not (find it hard).

And so i begin.

The week begins…. into a frenzy of sanding, laddering and more sanding. A back breaking 4 days of labor that in all reality has most likely stunted my life span by a good 3-5 years. I am convinced. I was recently given a good “talking to” by a good friends brother who knows much about wood and her strengths/weaknesses. He mentioned that the two pillars that are holding up the veranda in front of my house were “looking like hell” and needed mending at the earliest date possible. And what could be earlier than the present. I was to sand the pillars twice, once with a rough grain and once with a milder grain. I was then to stain the pillars twice with an oil based stain and NOT a post poly-urethane, which evidently was my mistake last year. My options were either do the prior list, or….pay someone $2500 to do it for me (bro rate). I chose the first option. Four days into the sanding I started to question myself, the highest point of the pillars stands at about 22 feet. There were multiple “almosts” throughout the procedure. BUT!!! Eventually I was able to pull it off. Today was my last day of staining. And I must say that I am thrilled that it is over.

High on the MTN top.

Fingers of FURY
(an example)

As the sanding and FIRST round of staining was coming to its end Thursday (last) was quickly approaching. This wondersome day marked the embarkment of our journey to los angeles, and eventually santa Barbara to watch RADIOHEAD have their way with us. We stayed Thursday night in Las Vegas and made our way to the city of angeles the next day. We entered the Santa Barbara bowl with stomachs full of some of the finest vegan cuisine that the city had to offer and had our bodies transformed into mutants by the mightiest of men (radiohead). The show was wonderful, and magical and mystical. And above all we were able to spend it with some of our finest friends…Evan and Maren. After the show we were to stay with a friend of Evan’s who lives in Los Angeles (roughly 100 miles away from Santa Barbara) we were greeted with open arms and a beautiful smiley from the one they call “mikey”. We stayed up talking of the experience and the beauty of it all. We were tired.

We slept.

Evan “the navigator”

VEGAS!!! The next generation (GINGER)

The next day we treated ourselves to a wonderful brunch at SAGE, a vegan cuisine restaurant like I have never tasted before. Radiohead (of course) was playing over the speakers as our stomachs digested the greatest of flavors. We then payed homage to multiple record stores before joining friends and family at PARU, a local Indian restauraunt. The food was a bit bland, but the company was grand. We ate, we paid, we left. Where to?

THE ONE EYED GYPSY.

We entered the bar with not too much of an expectation of what the night would surely give us. We (we being 8) sat and talked of our experience thus far in Los Angeles and her surrounding family members. Soon enough Gary D. and his trusty side kick “Gewels” had taken the stage. With buleits to our name we slowly made our way to the dance floor, the night was quickly turning, before anyone knew it we had lost our minds in the blues rock that was being amplified from the bar’s speakers. The hour turned to two, and two turned to three. There was no stopping the movement of our bodies. The bar closed and we headed back to Mikey’s place. There Evan, Maren, Emily, Mikey, Linda and myself enjoyed a slice of Evan’s homemade bread and watched Saved by the Bell, I couldn’t have asked for a more perfect night. Soon our eyes fell heavy under the soft and soothing voice of Mr. Belding and the sun would rise shortly. The next day was beautiful. We spent the afternoon walking here and there through the city. The time had come to return home. We hopped in Maren’s VW Jetta and headed to Vegas where we would spend the evening before venturing to SLC. Tonight was a call for Red Lentil Loaf. It is delicious, and life is astounding.

Here is to it all.

What a mighty week it has been.

Joshua Fred.

The many faces of Color

FACE 1

FACE 2

FACE 3

FACE 4

FACE 5

After day 8 of my dedicated diet to the eating of raw fruits and vegetables my body seemed to have settled into its new daily rations of broccoli and carrots. Yesterday was the first day in which i ate “non” raw food. At first it was a cooked helping of homemade tomato soup (VEGAN Tomato Soup), and then it was a couple of slices of homemade (courtesy of E Train) bread. The day was filled with much recording, and visiting with old friends. The weather was too conducive to an outside evening for us ameriforkians to not take advantage. And so there we spent the better part of three hours, discussing the physical and the metaphysical. A devotional to the emotional. Out in the goat pasture we could see the ladies running to and fro. Making sure that they were out of reach from IRJO, the stinky male goat that has been living with us for the past week. He has been brought to the mountain to help the halted milk production. He has had access to all five of our ladies and we (within the next 7 months) will have little goats running around the property, causing mischief and headaches for the two of us humans amidst the many other animals that live here.

Yesterday while feeding both the chickens and the goats I was moving all 6 of them (5 ladies plus the long horned IRJO) to the goat pasture as to assure the survival of the chicken feed into their bellies before the goats could swoop in and eat it all. I was trying to corral irjo into the area and he was having none of it. After about 15 minutes of chasing him, he stopped, pointed his face down to the area of his crotch and urinated onto his face in attempts to impress both me and the ladies. I was disgusted, and unless my “goat meter” is off I think that the ladies were a bit taken aback as well. I finally got him into the pen and the day had begun.

QUICK SIDE NOTE: The photos from above were taken from “bobble headed” humans that were purchased at a convenient store in Austin, TX, just down the street from Lawrence’s house. They have brought me joy.

The winters wicked weather had started her decline into a submissive state to the more pleasant and life conducive spring. The bees have been buzzing and the garden (in a short spell) will be in full swing. We have been busy in the back of the yard where the garden grows. We have, thus far, planted broccoli, peas, yellow onions, red onions, and three varieties of carrots. This season is the greatest of all of them. The springing up of new life, the death of the cold, of the winter, and her terrible grasp on my soul.

I played two shows this last weekend with wonderboy/good friend Isaac Russell at the VELOUR Live Music Gallery in Provo, UTAH. Both shows had a unique and distinct energy about them. I was and still am wonderfully grateful for the support shown by all that were in attendance.

Isaac Russell breaking hearts (again)

I have recently started at terribly interesting and insightful book entitled “The Power Of Myth”. I would recommend it to anyone and everyone. A quote from the beginning of chapter three is (in my opinion) worth sharing. SO…..

“The animal envoys of the Unseen Power no longer serve, as in primeval times, to teach and to guide mankind.  Bears, lions, elephants, ibexes, and gazelles are in cages in our zoos.  Man is no longer the newcomer in a world of unexplored plains and forests, and our immediate neighbors are not wild beasts but other human beings, contending for goods and space on a planet that is whirling without end around the fireball of a star.  Neither in body nor in mind do we inhabit the world of those hunting races of the Paleolithic millennia, to whose lives and life ways we nevertheless owe the very forms of our bodies and structures of our minds.  Memories of their animal envoys still must sleep, somehow, within us; for thy wake a little and stir when we venture into wilderness.  They wake in terror to thunder.  And again they wake, with a sense of recognition, when we enter any one of those great painted caves.  Whatever the inward darkness may have been to which the shamans of those caves descended in their trances, the same must lie within ourselves, nightly visited in sleep.”

-Joseph Campbell

And so we are current. The newest of days (today) is slipping quickly past. And so I am off, into it. Into the abyss of color of breath and love.

I wish you luck! I wish you love!

Joshua Fred James

VEGAN Tomato Soup

Sha-man. Sha-doe.

A Dreamin’ Day. Dogs.

Wired and willing could be the title of an ongoing saga within the confines of my brain.

There couldn’t have been a better or worse time for it all to permeate the thin membrane. But with that all being said, it was a perfect time. The perfectess….and the perfectness. All together, holding each other on a bed made for four.

Austin Texas must have poisoned me with her enchanting littered streets and whiskey slurs. I haven’t felt the same since I returned home. A slight cough, a bit of fatigue, and a wretched stomach stir that could be classified as “absurd”.  I decided that it was time for a purging of sorts (bodily speaking). I, as of three days ago, decided to try a all RAW diet for awhile, at least until my body recovers from the SOUTH-BY experience.

It has (careful to speak in turn William) treated me kindly thus far; I have felt energetic and invigorated. But I can’t quite tell if it is due to the lack or surge of vitamins in my system. The same thing happens when I frequent the 4-5 hours of sleep a nightclub. I feel wired and wonderful, but the “CRASH” comes later on in the week. Two days ago I spent a great deal of time with my animals. Goats, Chickens, Dogs, Cats, even the bees got a bit of time spent. The sun shined down and illuminated the yard found here in Willamette MTN. I was overwhelmed by the sheer joy that those creatures give me. How absolutely wonderful they are. Truly, Truly.

Billie and COMPANY. Thieving through lunch.

Speaking of the wondrous land of GOATS. Hiro (our sire of sorts) is to return to the land of the ladies TOMORROW, to try his luck at impregnating Dottie, our one Nubian doe. He is to live with us for 30 days, and if within those 30 days Dottie falls for his sly ways we will (hopefully) have 1-2 baby Dottie’s running around in 7 months. But seeing as how Hiro has only one working hind leg, his job as “sire” could become difficult. The poor lad was attacked by a German shepherd when he was only 6 weeks old. Though it doesn’t (obviously) come through in genes, he has a “time” getting to where he needs to be to protect his family name.

LAWRENCE ‘n LOMA. Love makes hearts THUMP.

Lawrence (The Scott Nemenz) is in town for two shows that we have this Friday and Saturday in Provo, UTAH. It has been a mighty fine adventure with his happy spirit weaving its way into the tapestry of our MINDS. How beautiful he is. YES.

I am off now.

Joshua (William)

South BY SOUTH WEST TRUTH.

Terribly Tired of Texas Traveling Turned To Truth.

Though the terror of a whilrwind might destroy most group of moderately equipped men, there is no twister that could stop us from our destination city of AUSTIN, TEXAS this last weekend. The mental preparation alone was almost more than i could bear that thursday night before we trekked out to start our 23 and a half hour drive into the middle of an incredibly large mass of land (TX). We drove the one and only van that has gotten us from here to there and back again. At 5am we hopped in the van and i began the drive. 7.5 hours in it was time to switch drivers and get some rest into my body seeing as how the night prior had been a late one with many a friend. We had a show Saturday night that we had to make it to, and this left no time to stop and or rest during the 23 hours of insanity. When we hit albuqurque we hit a mighty wind n snow storm. This lasted into the northern part of west texas but soon subsided and we made it safely into Austin at 5am saturday morning. Having your body try to figure out exactly what is going on during a journey like that can cause your body to go into a fit of tremors, fortunately nothing like that happened and we were able to rest our bodies for 3 hours before heading to downtown to sound check at the Patagonia Store, which is where the first day party during our 8 day Austin visit would begin. 

The patagonia experience was one for the books, absolutely incredible. We were greeted with warm embraces, good food, and kindness, this is seldom the case in situations as high energy and stress as these often are. POST-show we headed back to the house. As soon as my body hit the floor i drifted off into the land of dreaming and danger. The morning came and i decided to RE-visit the black swan yoga studio that i had so thoroughly enjoyed last time i was in Austin.

BLACK SWAN TRUFFLES.

The class was great and Sunday was our one day off in Austin and so we (though not talking about it prior) decided to spend it in the backyard, strumming guitars, hitting tambourines, and singing Beatles songs. The sun was bright, the birds were singing right along with us and the day felt TRUE and right.  

Day ONE, Day TWO, done.

SUMMER GEAR.

BARTON SPRINGS. Creekwalking.

Day three quickly approached us and we were off to the watering hole to get our daily fill of texas sunshine and creekwalking. The Barton Springs reserve was just the place to get both. BUT…..before that we decided to pay a quick visit to the local thrift store to get our summer wear and that is EXACTLY what we did. We purchased .99 cent T-shirts of which we would remove the sleeves and sport our caucasion shoulders of skin. 

SWIMMING and LIVING.

Creekwalking.

That night we played at Club 606, our official SXSW showcase. It was well. It was hot. It was SX. The night went quickly. We saw much music, but nothing like what we saw the next day.

PHOSSY, having his way with Us.

Punch Brothers, LP, Delta Spirit, Brendon Benson, M. Ward, and one of my all-time FAVorites…Phosphorescent. By the end of the M. Ward show we realized that we hadn’t eaten all day, and at this time it was 11:47pm. We YELPED a great Thai cuisine place that was 6 blocks away, the only “problem” was that they closed at midnight. We ran at TOP speed to the place and made it just by the nick of our necks (is that a proper saying?). The food was delightful, the company even better. 

Friends and Life.

Texas and Truth.

I am here and we are in it TOGETHER AMIGOS.

oh graciousness glory.

joshua-fred.

NO Color for the needy

A continuation of thought brought me quickly to the current state in which my mind and body were in while driving through the mountains of southern Utah that eventually lead to our location of destination (Las Vegas). A surprise birthday party was to be held in honor of my fathers 60 years of survival here. The whole gang showed up. Brothers, Sisters, Uncles, Aunts, Friends, etc. The occasion was magnificent. Seeing as how a 60 year jaunt with relatively few wounds that show is a feat to say the least i decided that no neck tie, wallet, watch, or other “ordinary” trinket would do for the man who brought me here. I settled on a shadow box with a picture of both my father and my mother. Above them would be a flying white horse and engraved on the horse it would read “Fight for your love”. At the bottom of the shadow box there would be an army type figure, representing the “FIGHT”ing part. I think he liked it.

“FIGHT” for your love.

The night before we left for Vegas there was an immensely intense snow storm that swept through UTAH valley. It left the ground with a foot of soft pillow dust that  would, after we left, soon disappear. I found it a reasonable time to take photos of the wintery landscape that had taken our hands.

WINTER land.

LOMA rising above the fence

SHIRLEY longing.

Pick your poison. It’s either this (a large sum of something with which you can’t purchase anything but something in immediate competition with your company that you formed) or it’s that (shoes two sizes two small in which you have to walk back from the gully 17 miles strong). ANIMALS, and their photos.

Tuck with a LONGING

BUTTERSCOTCH showing TRU colors.

IT’s now March 7th and the present is as slow and fast as it has always been. Ticking and dripping away. Fading into something that can only be described as *&$%#$%%&. I, as i always have done, have found a lull of inspiration to pursuing. But, I, as i always have done after, will find it and engage in it during the drive to Austin TEXAS for the South BY South WEST Music Festival. We will be playing many places while out n about the town of the great “land lords”. The drive will take us 23 hours, and thats with no stopping, going the speed limit. Seeing as how the vehicle that will be carting us to Austin is on its last of the legs that it was born with i am hoping that all will be well. Both on the journey out and on the journey homeward. Very little can be said of the future.

xx

The slave of a day. A hoot and a holler.

Charly. Morning. Child.

The color of the day begins with the time of arrival. Is it early? Did your body find any redemption in the arms of Morpheus?

I suppose so.

I can’t (for the life of mi) figure out what my skin requires to keep its functions. I will sleep for 7 hours and awake feeling a cloud of fatigue and slothfulness, while other nights i will sleep for 4 to 5 hours and awake with the power of the sun. I have decided that a 5 hour sleeping cycle (per night) will suffice until i discover what it is my body is trying to get at.

(&8diidiaoidadi(*&^%$#@) ?

The mornings, as they have been for awhile, are the most magical times of the day (personally proven). It is a vital move to rip and stretch out all fibers inside the soft, outer layer of my skin. Though i feel a short sense of exhaustion immediately after, i find that it gives me an ample supply of energy for the remainder of the day.

The weather (As it SHOULD be) has been a bit of a wish-washer. Snow, Rain, Sunshine, none of these things are beyond the reach of the skies fickle temperament. That’s it for that.

Sunday was a day of days. My lady and i were able to spend the better part of the day listening to the new Damien Jurado, cleaning, cooking, baking bread, and later on, dancing into the wee hours. We cooked a wonderful dish out of our favorite (one of them (better said (YES))) cookbooks….Appetite for Reduction. The recipe is called:

CHIPOTLE CHILI WITH SWEET POTATOES AND BRUSSEL SPROUTS

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 red onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon coriander seed, crushed
2 teaspoons dried oregano
3 chipotles, seeded and chopped
1 1/2 lbs sweet potatoes (2 average sized), peeled and cut into 3/4 inch pieces
12 oz brussels sprouts, quartered lengthwise (about 2 cups)
2 teaspoons ground cumin
3 teaspoons new mexico chili powder (or other mild chili powder)
1 32 oz can crushed tomatoes
1 cup water
1 16 oz can pintos, rinsed and drained (about 1 1/2 cups)
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
Fresh lime juice to taste (about one lime was good for me)

In a soup pot over medium heat, saute onion in olive oil for about 7 minutes, until translucent. Add garlic, coriander seeds, and oregano and saute a minute more. Add remaining ingredients (except for lime juice). Mix well. The sweet potatoes and brussel sprout will be peaking out of the tomato sauce, but don’t worry, they will cook down.

Cover pot and bring to a boil, then lower heat to simmer for about half an hour, stirring often, until sweet potatoes and fork tender but not mushy. Squeeze in lime juice to taste and adjust any other seasonings. Let sit uncovered for at least 10 minutes before eating.

Lovely, lovely dish.

As we waited for Emily (Emmas highschool BEST friend) and her boy, Lloyd (he is from London visiting, i don’t know why i found that to be vital in the story) we put on a Sam Cooke record and danced in the living room. The doorbell rang. They were here. OFF to the kitchen we trot. Cabernet and Chipotle Chilli (see recipe above) led the way for the beginning of a wonderful evening. Conversation, as it usually is NOT the case, came smoothly, letting one topic melt into another. Lloyd, being from the UK, brought an element of mystery and intrigue to the table. As the discussions of life, god, death and love swirled amidst the rooftop here at willamette mtn, the homemade loaf of bread that had been baked for the evening was quickly disappearing into the stomachs of her four fans. The cabernet and her twin had long since been exposed to the winters air and the laughter around the kitchen table was their reward. Lloyd had yet to visit with the ladies in the backyard (the goats), and i felt that the night was mild enough to pay a quick visit.

LADIES OF THE NIGHT

We bundled up warm and waltzed out to the house where Elle, Sister, Loma, Shirley and Dottie sleep. After introducing them all to Lloyd i noticed that Dottie, our youngest, had taken quite a liking to Lloyd from London. During our short visit to the goat house she wouldn’t leave him alone, pawing at his hand to gesture that she needed more attention. It was wonderful. We got back to the house and entered what appeared to be a very serious dance off between Emma and Emily. The sounds of Otis Redding were coming through the speakers, and my feet were feeling the itch. We let the rhythm overtake us, and soon enough were all dancing in the living room. Swaying this and thata way. Oh how the mystery of the future can consume us. The hours slipped quickly past and soon enough it was 12:30am. Time for sleep (i’m afraid). Lloyd and Emily left and the nights close was just ahead. 5:30 comes early and the drive to climb on plastic handholds was just around the nights/mornings corner.

Dancing Feet. American Fork. (take notice of the dogs at the bottom)

Good Morning. 5:30. Drive Time.

To the closing of this….embrace.

“The best thing about the future is that it comes one day at a time”

-abraham lincoln