been a while..

It's been a while and I can't claim to have been too busy to update the journal. I haven't been lazy, either. The simple truth is that I've been neglegent. Maybe a little bit lazy. Oh well. Time to crack the knuckles and summarize the past few months.

After leaving Colorado, I opted to travel south towards New Mexico. The scenic mountain drive proved as kind to the eye as unkind to the engine of my beloved Casper. She handled the inclines and meandering curves with a slow, steady grace. A notable exhaustion was a constant reminder of the burden my ride, obliged, must carry so it's no bother forgiving her for a 10mph pace on the steepest grades. And I couldn't be bothered by the impatient motorists who lined up behind me. I could practically feel the heat of the steam screaming out of their ears and I couldn't help but think that I was unintentionally giving them a gift. The world moves a bit too fast and there are times when it's best to slow down, take it all in, let the mind slip into auto-pilot, and appreciate the finer things on the periphery that all too often become nothing more than a backdrop to the self-absorbed mellow-drama that embodies the human experience. Yes, I'm talking about nature.

This is where God lives. This is God's home. This is the wild west, gutted by a slinky highway suture; a stitch in the hills. I spent a week in the mountain valley just taking in the splendor and hiding out in my womb. I thought I'd be Dan Boone and explore every day, but I ended up spending little of the time traversing the great outdoors. After all, there were microphones to be set up, guitars to be played, and computers to aid my whims and frustrate me to no end in return for the favor. There were dvds to be watched for the hundreth time with the commentary audio on, agave tequillas to be iced, and over-the-top barbeques to be prepared. After a week in the picturesque mountain valley, the urge to move combined with the awareness that I'd run out of fresh food. No more barbeques. Time to roll.

I had a contact in Santa Fe to get in touch with. This person's name and telephone number were given to me by Sarah and Roy during my visit to Colorado. The promise of a hospitable native with a firm grip on the surroundings was as good as cold cash or a hot bowl of soup at that point. I rolled southward on down to Santa Fe where I'd hoped to find an engaging evening to break the monotony.