First things first; I bought a ticket to Maui to begin my WWOOFing journey. YES!!
There's no turning back now. The ticket is activated September through February, but if need be I could arrange a different date, sans charge, as long as the flight parameters are the same. Maybe I'm taken by it's beauty and I don't come back for quite some time, or hate it altogether and come back immediately (doubtful, but you never know). This is a portion of the Greenleaf's property.I used some frequent flyer miles from United, which totally cushioned the transaction considering my "un"employed situation, and while not the most environmentally conscious form of transportation, I was left with no alternative because my kayak is out of commission. I'm very happy with my choice of air travel provider. They even comp'd me drinks cause their video was out. I find that an adult beverage or two helps me get over the unease of flying.
Up until the moment I clicked "Submit" to purchasing the plane ticket, my plans had all been tentative. A passionate desire cooked in a half-baked plan tied to a nomad's bindle. But now its real. I have a solid date to base something (my life?!) around. What was once a liquid milk chocolatey plan is turning into a solid, rich and creamy layer of pudding that forms at the top of the pot, the kind that mom used to make... where was I, pudding? Oh right, solid plans. That's not to say some unforeseen event could occur to prevent me from getting on that plane and traveling to the pineapple state, but all efforts on my part are proceeding with vigor and zeal. Could really go for some organic pudding...is that an oxymoron?
Freelance is coming in with perfect timing, and some rather large clients, so I've stepped up my approach and reformulated my portfolio. Here it is if you'd like to view. Next is the website. Baby steps, but getting there.
I got a new bike! A Surly Long Haul Trucker which will carry me and all my gear wherever I need to go. It came with a Surly Nice Rack and I got two waterproof panniers, a waterproof pouch for the front, fenders, a new pump, and put my Brooks saddle and SPD pedals on it. I also outfitted it to hold my mini solar panel, so while I'm riding (and the sun is shining) I can power my iPhone for music and directions. I intend on riding it to Santa Cruz and/or San Diego, and I'll be shipping it to Maui when I go out there. Very excited to ride this more, but coming from a fixed gear, it's a huge mental hurdle to overcome not having to pedal and using multiple gears with brakes. I don't get to the destination as fast, but my body feels better after a ride, and I can carry everything I need. I've also discovered this is not a daily commuter, nor a bar bike. Far too much trouble to deal with locking it up. I'd just as soon scoop up my KHS and whip out the house.
I finally made it out to my uncle's property in Mississippi. A two hour drive north from New Orleans across Lake Ponchartrain, through vast countryside, and a political dispute later (my uncle, despite our similarities, is vehemently pro-corporation), we rolled up to a one room studio house aptly dubbed Ed's Shed–my other uncle was involved in building it. Anyway, I spent the next 4 days Huck-Finning it around the property and surrounding areas. It was a sweaty and thought provoking adventure of tossing around gnarled cut-outs on a 4WD ATV, shooting beer cans with a Daisy bb rifle I bought from Wal Mart, writing and thinking, basking in southern sunsets, wrasslin with a beagle puppy that showed up on the property, picking blueberries and blackberries, laying floorboard, meeting the local hospitality, smoking copious thai sticks, and concepting on The Shire. The freedom and lack of restriction is unparalleled to anywhere else I've been. Lots of property to pretty much do what you want with it. My uncle is in the midst of finishing a two bedroom house:
and without inspection or permit necessities, he can finish quicker and less expensively. I forgot to mention he's a licenced contractor, so it's not like shanty town status. He found a shack that had been on the property for over a hundred years, and we used it as floorboards for the upstairs landing. Really nice reclaimed wood.
And it dawned on me, that more than a human female companion, I want a dog. I had such an amazing time connecting with this puppy, "H" I called him, and I really felt sad leaving. With a little training, he'd be an amazing hunting dog. Very smart, this one. I'd really like a dog friend.Adventure, a la Huckleberry Finn. My uncle and I would talk extensively into the night about possibilities for The Shire. Building technique, methods, time frames, costs...
I was also in New Orleans to attend my cousin's wedding, which was lovely. Great selection of catered food, open bar, and one of those photo booths.
Family, the blood, my tribe. Never before have I felt such a kinship with my heritage. 
Not just the relations I'm developing with my immediate family, but the historical and cultural significance I've concluded of the south in a grander scale. It feels old. Heavy French influences wet my palate in art, food, and drink. The century-old oaks with hanging moss in City Park, the countryside and open pastures, the slavery. My dad did some family tree research, and apparently my lineage will trail back to reveal I'm a descendant of an enslaved southern plantation worker seduced by her master.This may or may not be completely accurate based on spotty records, but even the idea of it makes me understand a bit of the enslavement myself. I just made a connection to something I wrote while in New Orleans:
The "civilized" world has taken us away from true harmony. It is a facade. A game set up with the sole purpose of self perpetuation through slavery for financial gain. The free world we call America was built on slave hands; from the plantation south, to the trains out west, and the rape of native lands at it's not so humble beginnings. "Slavery" has been re-interpreted for our contemporary consumption. We are slaves to industry. Livelihood, food, education, spirituality, ethics, and entertainment. Its even harder to get out of slavery now. Historically, a slave master was an actual person - you could see them, running away from a physical human. Now, the slave master is a shadowy thought. An unquantifiable, omni-connected bureaucratic web. You can't run away from this slave master, because it is everywhere, all the time.So that is the system. Pretty shitty when I think about it. But its presented with a sugar coating for easy swallow. I taste the kool-aid every now and then, but the more I realize what it truly is by peeling back the veils of deception, the more I find solace in the fresh-squeezed OJ.
What is beyond the facade of tangible acquisition? I intend to get closer to it.
For me its not about battling the system, but more focused on not engaging in a broken system at all. I want to opt out. I'm not interested. I'm just gunna do my own thing over here.Organic pudding and Fresh Squeezed OJ.
