I woke up and had a light breakfast in the Navi before meeting at 9:15 with two other visitors like me for a beautiful walk across the property to the campground area for volunteer work assignments.  I had the opportunity to spruce up the labyrinth created with stones in an open field with a handful of others including one of the founding members David (Dabo) Fischer and apprentices Patrick and Layla along with other volunteers.  We spent 3 hours on our hands and knees weeding.  I've never enjoyed weeding so much.  It was a great opportunity to hear from Dabo how the community got started and to hear how he got the name Dabo.  He said he was trying to teach a young child just learning how to talk how to say David so he repeated it three times slowly for her.  She looked at him and replied with great confidence "Dabo".  He decided to embrace the child in him and stuck with Dabo.  He's an affable, fun loving person who seems to embrace life with both hands.  It was a joy working along beside him and the others in our group.

I also got the opportunity to visit with Layla who has a Master's degree from Naropa--a Zen University in Boulder in Contemplative Psychology.  I asked her if she had an opportunity to use the degree and she said she wrote a book about her experience living in Hawaii off the land with Patrick where they conceived and she gave birth to Iziah all on her own.  She said that it was through her book that she shared how she applied what she learned in school.

I told her that I would love to read her book and she agreed to include me in when it was ready to share.  Can't wait!

  

So I discovered that Mora, NM is 41 miles "as the crow flies" but would take me 3 hours by automobile.  I decided to drive south towards  Santa Fe and then north towards Mora rather than take the Navi-gator into the Carson National Forest assuming the roads would be wider and flatter.   Chugging along in a 9500 pound box on wheels is a challenge in the mountains.  Plus, I wanted to stop at Whole Foods this time for provisions for the weekend.

So in the process of doing all this, I made three rookie mistakes.  First, I left the bike lock draped across the spare tire on the back of my RV rather than re-attaching to the bike and the RV.  I didn't discover it until I got to Santa Fe.  I can't imagine how it stayed hung over the spare with all the typical RV bumpiness.  Second, I forgot to shut the gas cap after fueling up in Las Vegas, NM.  At least I didn't forget to remove the gas nozzle.  Finally, I set my water bottle one quarter full on the table intending to drink it before taking off.  I've been having mild headaches that I'm thinking are related to the high altitude and not enough hydration.  Well, I forgot that I left it there and took off without drinking the water.  Thankfully, it was only one quarter full when it fell off the table onto the new, hickory wood flooring.  At a traffic light, I put the Navi in park and quickly ran back and cleaned it up before the light turned green.

Something happened unexpectedly.  I put the Navi in reverse to back out of the Whole Foods parking lot and the rear view camera turned on the way it is supposed to when the coach is in reverse.  However, when I put the RV into drive, the rear view camera stayed for the next hour or so when I stopped for fuel.  That was great to have the ability to see what's going on back there.  I would love to figure out how to work it so it does that all the time. Does anyone know how to do that?

Other than those three minor details, it was a good day traveling to my second intentional community--the Hummingbird Community.  They've been in existence for 18 years which is impressive.  Many communities are well "intentioned" no pun intended, but don't have the skills to make it work over the long term.   I've been told that like minded individuals come together, usually around ecological, sustainability, and/or social justice issues and feel the common passion will sustain them but they don't have the skills to handle the conflicts that no doubt will arise whenever you people try to live together.  Imagine how difficult it is when two people get married and must learn to live together and multiply that times the number of individuals in the community.

So I traveled the bumpy, dusty, pot-holed dirt road and arrived at the Hummingbird parking lot nearest the Grace and Ease houses and the solar laundry out building.

I was greeted by Norma, a short and feisty woman who gave me a big welcoming hug.

She showed me around the Grace house where many common meals were held.  There were bedrooms off the kitchen where she and 2 others slept.  She showed me the media room and the large living area warmed by a wood burning stove.  She showed me the bathroom that I could use to take showers if I wanted to and asked that I keep them to 5 min to preserve the hot water generated by solar panels on top of Grace house.

So, while I was one of the first to show up, others started dwindling in.  I went to the Navi and prepared a curried chicken salad dish for the potluck at 6pm.

There was a wide range of people at the potluck.  Michael was one of the first people I met.  He was a big man in overalls with long white hair looking to be in his 60's.  Then I met another tall, thin man rough hewn from the elements (forgot his name).  He has lived in many communities over the past 40 years and he had some wisdom to share.  He said he got tired of living in co-housing situations where he was confronted regularly with others' dirty dishes.  He and his partner Sequoia live in their own place not far from Grace house on the surrounding 500 acres.  I heard they built it themselves out of mud and straw bales.

A lovely young couple came in with their their equally beautiful 1 1/2 year old son Iziah.   Iziah had piercing blue eyes.  He looked like an old soul in a babies body.  His parents, Layla and Patrick looked to be in their late twenties.  They had a wonderful earthiness to them.  They came in with skin browned from the sun and dirt covered feet from top to bottom.  Now these were people I'd like to get to know.

We gathered in the kitchen in a circle and held hands as we contemplated the blessing of one another's company and the colorful, healthy food set before us.  We each introduced ourselves and shared whether we were visitors or residents.  Looking around the circle, I saw a mix of old and young--mostly my age and older with a handful of younger faces.

One person's face looked familiar.  It turns out that it was Amanda, who cycled the US in 2008 with her partner Ryan in search of a community to call home.  They filmed the journey and created a video called Within Reach which was a DVD that I purchased from the Fellowship of Intentional Communities web site and found incredibly interesting. They lived in tents and rode 50-100 miles each day.  They had intended to visit 50 communities in a year.  In the end, they visited 100 communities and after doing so chose one where they felt they most belonged.  In the DVD it wasn't clear to me which community they chose but it turns out it was the Hummingbird community in northern New Mexico.  The closing shot shows them riding their bikes down that dusty road with all the members of the community waiting there for them with big smiles and signs and words of welcome and encouragement.

It was fun to visit with Amanda briefly while we washed and rinsed dinner dishes together.  It was interesting to meet so many new people that first night during the potluck but I was feeling a bit overwhelmed and needed to retreat to the Navi for some time to myself.

Friday was the first night in the Navi that I'd be spending with no electrical or water connections.  I had the generator and filled up the water reservoir so I felt I'd be fine.  However, it was so peaceful there, I didn't want to disturb others with the loud RV generator.  It turns out that when I checked my fluid levels in the Navi, the propane was in red zone meaning I didn't have much left.  Since I had never depended on the generator for lights and cooking and heat, I wasn't sure how long it would last.  So, with the dual purpose of wanting to be a quiet guest and not wanting to run out of propane for the weekend, I went to sleep underneath all the blankets I brought and slept in my hat and clothes.

 This is what the thermostat read the next morning inside my Navi...

Why didn't I bring that down comforter?

Well the internet connection doesn't seem to be fast enough to allow me to upload video so that will have to wait.  I did explore the mineral pools which cost $20 for all day admission.  While that seemed rather steep, after exploring the 5 different heated mineral pools, including the mud bath and trying out the hammock to dry out (after cleaning off the mud), it didn't seem so bad after all.

I wasn't too sure about the mud thing.  I wonder if the native Indians watching all had a good laugh.  One woman told me the mud must be good, elephants like it.  I told her I didn't want my skin to look like an elephant--nor any other parts of me for that matter.  She was just trying to be friendly but I didn't get her logic.

I scheduled a massage after lunch when I was awarded my own bathrobe.  I wore it as far as the masseuse unlike others who wore them everywhere including the restaurant for lunch.  Go figure.

After that, I came back to the Navi for a nap, then woke up and set up my camp chair by the river to have a glass of wine.  With all the intense leisure, I decided to take my bike out for a spin.  I came back and set up my yoga mat and iPad for a vigorous 15 min of yoga at my campsite.  Tough day.

While this wasn't the way I intended to spend my time while on sabbatical, a little of this kind of R&R sprinkled in just seems like good sense to me.

So, while it's getting late, I need to figure out what to prepare for potluck tomorrow night at Hummingbird.  Does anyone have any healthy, easy ideas?  I always stress out when it comes to preparing food for gatherings especially not knowing if there are any meat eaters where I'm going.  I guess those tiny BBQ weenies are out.

This is the third day into my trip.  I made it to Ojo Caliente, a spa and resort just north of Santa Fe, NM.  They added a campground recently and I have a lovely, secluded site for my RV with water and electricity.  As I'm writing this, I'm listening to the gentle roar of a river about 50 feet away and the birds singing sweetly.  A hummingbird dive bombed me a minute ago.  That long drive across Texas is tough but places like this make it worth the drive.

As I drove in and went to register, I saw a lot of people in bath robes.  That was a bit intimidating.  It's not every day you see that.  My sister in law, Lydia recommended OC and I asked her about the mores here.  She explained it all to me so I think I'll give the mineral pools a try today.  They sound luxurious.  Perhaps I'll feel comfortable walking around the place in a bathrobe too.

The weather is a lovely 48 degrees as I write this.  I'm sitting at a picnic table with my laptop and cup of coffee on a Thursday morning.  How wonderful is that?  I feel so blessed to be able to do this.  

What I learned yesterday is that I should have stopped at the crowded Whole Foods in Santa Fe rather than waiting until Espanola for groceries.  It was a nice sized store but they had few of the things I would have normally selected.  I got some fruits and veggies and considered myself lucky to have found them.  I prepared a veggie soup for dinner with a glass of Pinot Noir and watched a video a friend had given me.  

It's interesting not having TV.  I didn't watch much of it when I was living in my apt.  I recorded a few programs to watch at my leisure.  My favorite is the CBS Sunday Morning program and I enjoyed the sitcom Modern Family.  I'm sure I can figure a way to watch them on the internet given enough time to figure it out.  

I'm having trouble getting used to the small bottom bunk bed in my Navi so my sleep is restless.  I'm sure in time I'll get adjusted.  If not, I'll take Reid's advice and try to find a real mattress from an RV store or get some memory foam from Walmart and cut it down to size following my Mom's suggestion.

I'm here for two days and then head to my second intentional community--the Hummingbird Community near Mora, NM for the weekend.  They're having a work weekend to get the place ready for visitors over the summer months.  I thought by volunteering, I could get a good sense of how things work there.  

Signing out for now.  I'm off to explore the mineral pools.

Well, I finally left Houston in my RV today to begin my driving tour of intentional communities in the U.S. I've been off work for a little over a month now.  While I spent the first two weeks in Boulder, I spent the last two weeks providing my boyfriend Reid with moral support as he packed up his home of 14 years for a closing last Thursday. With that behind us, it was time for me to begin.

Time to take off

I liked the fact that he had a lot going on as I was leaving today to make the departure more low key. I don't see the trip as a long, extended separation but as adventure that he and others in my life can share with me via FaceTime, texting, calling, and this blog....not to mention coming to join me at points along the way.

So I left SW Houston at 11:30 am today headed for Lake Brownwood State Park.  I arrived in about 6 hours to a lovely waterfront spot even though the lake level is noticeably low.   Along the way, I stopped at a Buc Ees in Bastrop and picked up an expensive hunk of turkey to cook in my new gadget--a 12 volt mini, crock pot made for truckers.   It resembles a large lunch or tackle box.  Well, 3 hours of cooking resulted in a rather unpleasant looking, dried out slab of meat.  Looks like I've got a thing or two to learn about cooking in the mini crock pot.

Failed attempt at dinner in the new mini, travel, crock pot

I'm waiting in the Denver airport for my trip back to Houston following my two week stay at the Boulder Co-Housing Community. What a great start to my journey. My hosts, Greg and Chris made sure my experience was a good one. 

My beautiful and gracious hosts in Boulder

Greg showed me around Boulder on bikes. Chris taught me secrets to healthy eating. They invited me into their home every day for good food and conversation and they introduced to me to as many of the community members as possible.

Greg talked to me about the value of tapping into my feelings—a skill I've not thought too much about. I admitted to him that I took an emotional intelligence test last year and was surprised to find that some of those skills needed further development.

I co-hosted a community event with one of the community members—Stephanie Heacox who also lives in the Gold Run Condo complex. I thoroughly enjoyed the experience. She renovated her condo into a lovely place and she had every gadget imaginable for entertaining. We prepared lettuce wraps and I shared a TED talk to generate dialogue with the 10 members in attendance.

Greg shared with me a web-based, software tool he and Chris and another community member, Brian Dunn, created called Inside Feedback that got me excited. It's something I can use personally and perhaps something I can promote as a valuable tool in my travels. Certainly Chevron and any business or educational endeavor could benefit from using it for a better understanding of emotions.

The first week on sabbatical I packed up most of my belongings from a luxury, high rise apartment with a beautiful view of downtown Houston into a 8x8x12 foot storage pod. 

No way that it's all going to fit in this tiny box

I say most because some of my things have been set aside for my trip in my gently used, 24 foot Winnebago which I purchased in October. The first quarter of 2015, I spent weekends painting the interior and becoming familiar with my soon to be home on wheels and during the week paid to have professionals refurbish the rest of the interior so that it would look and feel like a place I want to live in as I embark on a journey to explore intentional communities across the U.S.

It was a challenge trying to determine what to throw away, what to take to Goodwill, what to give to family for safe keeping and what to take with me in my limited 100 sq ft of space verses what to box up and pack away for a year. I had no way of knowing for sure if the storage pod would be big enough nor exactly what I would need to bring with me.

Some how, some way it all fit and the remains went into the RV. I spent the weekend organizing it before flying to Boulder CO today to spend my first 2 weeks (Apr 6-17) at a co-housing community in the Gold Run Condos on Boulder creek. I chose the Boulder Creek Co-Housing Community as my first stop on my trip for several reasons. Firstly, it's a beautiful part of the country and one reason I wanted to explore was to determine if another part of the U.S. would work better for me than my hot and humid hometown of Houston. Houston has a short and lovely fall and spring intermixed with a very brief weird and wet, unpredictable winter. But it's those long, hot summers that last too damn long that are killers. So, I decided one day that I don't have to be constrained to Houston. With a lot of thought and planning I decided to go on an adventure to see what next might look like for me.