May the long time sun shine upon you, all love surround you and the pure light within you, guide your way on "~Incredible String Band

Tuesday, May 27, 2008

Just wanted to post a quick update before we set out on a longish road trip up north.


Now that we are no longer bound to this area for reproductive or legal reasons ( at least for the time being anyway) we are once again free to travel. Unfortunately, quite a few things have changed since before I was pregnant and these changes present more than a few difficult, though not insurmountable issues.


For starters we no longer have our veggie system. Secondly, the price of bio diesel and all other fuels for that matter, has risen to ghastly new heights. This is all complicated even more so by the addition of our previously mentioned Mercedes diesel. We acquired this when we mistakenly thought we would be settling for a while . THAT in turn is further complicated by the fact that we do not have a tow hitch nor the money to purchase one.


But wait, it gets worse ( oh, cm on admit it, you love this ! The drama of it all ..)! Not only do we not have enough money to purchase a tow hitch, but we do not have enough money to drive both vehicles up north where we can make some money working a few initiatives.


What to do....



After a few moments of panic and confusion we sat down and thought things through a bit. We thought of selling the car, this would bring in about 3-4000. Then again the car will really come in handy at some of those remote campsites we will be going to. Also, if we do find a home base of sorts anytime in the near future, the car would again really come in handy. After thinking through all sorts of options- we left none out mind you, including the increasingly tempting one (Moss's favorite)of trading all vehicles for a wagon and six mules- we decided at least for now anyway, to keep the car and park the bus at a friends house for two weeks. We will then drive the car up north where we have some initiative work in Washington. After a few weeks Moss will take a greyhound down south, pick the bus up and head north where Sage and I will be waiting, probably in hotel. At that point we will be in the beautiful northwest region, land of many free and cheap campsites. Here we will remain for a few months, maybe longer working on stuff to bring to the Faerie Worlds Festival in July. It makes me sad that we have to leave the bus, but it will only be for about two weeks.


With all that out the way we breathed a collective sigh of relief and turned our attention to other matters.The last few days have been spent refinishing the floor,cleaning and repacking the bus. This is a time consuming, though necessary task that we try to do at least once a year. The task consists of taking everything out of the bus's various storage areas and tossing it into three piles. The piles are as follows,


Pile 1 ~ Need it
Pile 2~ Want it
Pile 3 ~ Gotta go..


Following that we scrub down the bus interior, reorganize, and finally burn some sage. This is to cleanse the vibes, ward off any lingering, unwanted spirits and keep the air fresh.


I actually like this activity, maybe it is just my triple Virgo nature, but the bus feels so good when we are done. I also really like the idea of having to take stock of our belongings every so often and reassess what we need. It is a noteworthy activity that even those in brick and mortar houses would be wise to practice as well.


Refinishing the floor was something that we had wanted to do for a long time. When we first put the floor in we applied, regrettably, a coat of polyurethane . The walls and other furniture which we did later, were finished using Osmo Hard Wax Oil, an all natural oil and wax mixture. We liked the look and feel of the walls so much better, we decided to refinish the floor in the same manner. This tedious process entails removing every floor board, stripping the old finish, sanding and applying the wax.The difference in the floor so far is nothing short of remarkable. Also, it feels good knowing it is an all natural environmentally sound finish on there. I will post pictures when it is finished.


On another topic, Sage's birthday is coming up on June 9th and I am sure no one would be surprised if I said I cannot believe it has been one year already ! Although it will likely make no difference to her at this point we would like to start the first birth day off with rich family traditions that we will cherish and return to year after year. One tradition we really like is the northern European tradition of the birthday ring or wreath. Here is a description from Three Sisters Toys,





The Birthday Ring is a classic German birthday tradition. It is a symbolic way to celebrate the anniversary of your child's birth and show reverence for each year of their life thus far. A birthday ring consists of a wooden circle with holes representing each year of life. You may place ornaments or candles in the ring to adorn your birthday table or cake top.


Traditionally, on your child's first birthday, you place one candle on the ring and fill the rest of the holes with figures. On each consecutive birthday, you replace one figure with a candle. Place the unused figures in the center of the ring to signify the child's previous years. Finally, on the twelfth or sixteenth year (depending on the ring you choose), the ring will be fully illuminated. This is truly something your child will look forward to each year!


You may choose to create your own variations on this tradition, perhaps placing figures that represent events your child experienced during the year since the last birthday or using just one number decoration to represent the child's age along with the corresponding number of candles. The birthday ring can also be used as a decoration throughout the year. It is a beautiful addition to a nature table when the decorations are changed with the seasonally.


A lovely tradition indeed, though it is a bit pricey and money is tight, so it may have to wait until next year, we'll see.


I am also making for her a doll that I will present to her on her birthday. In addition to that we will have some type of healthy cake and hopefully will be in the woods some place near a stream, river or lake that we can swim in.


We should be done repacking and cleaning the bus within the next few days and at that time we will say goodbye to friends and family and drive north to Washington where we will work for a few weeks to earn enough to bring the bus up. We will also likely buy a tow hitch at this point for the car.


After that, it's into the woods for the next few months to soak in the hot springs, swim in the lakes and of course work on items for the festival...





An example of a birthday ring.



Moss pretends to be crazy while holding Sage. What can I say, he has an intresting sense of humor.



My friend Jackie, a photographer, did a photo shoot of Sage. This is one of my faves.



Moss looking more his usual self..

17 comments:

Nina said...

Beautiful pics.

I hear you on the gas prices! We will be traveling cross country in June/July- I can only imagine what that will cost.

We started the birthday ring with both of our girls this year- such a wonderful tradition. Sacred really.

Back to the woods...I bet you guys are ready for that!

Peaceful traveling :-)

Anonymous said...

Glad to hear that all in all you are well! Spring cleaning is good for the soul, eh? Be blessed in your travels and Happy Birthday to Mama and Sage!

faerwear said...

gas prices, ugh.

virgo! me too, and i will be at fairieworlds - i'm sure i'll know you when i see you. sage is so incredibly beautiful, by the way. that baby's eyes are amazing.

Anonymous said...

I'm surprised...It's been a year?! Wow, she is intensely gorgeous!!! Congratulations to each of you. It sounds as if all is very well.
Birthday rings are beautiful and what child doesn't love the glow of a lit candle and the act of extinguishing its light when the day is done? New beginnings abound in the bus of Enchantment!

Lizz said...

Summer yay! We too will be out and about hot springing and visiting festivals. Will you be at the Oregon Country Fair?

Gas prices make us think and rethink and this is good! We should be doing that really. I look at it as a challenge to reorganize my life. Tough on us travelers, but worthwhile none-the-less.

Happy Birth Day to Sage and Mama.

Love and Light~

Anonymous said...

Beautiful picture of Sage. I love that you are putting a natural finish on your wood floor, can't wait to see pix! We, too, have been cleaning (our home) and getting rid of a lot. It feels good to do this as often as possible. I wish you financial prosperity and good travels and a beautiful summer with your family. I enjoy the updates...thanks for sharing your life.

Lew and Jan Johns said...

Oh, my goodness. Its a lovely PIC of Princess Two Tooth! Thanks for sharing....

Lew

Anonymous said...

Good luck the three of you this summer. Your daughter is growing so fast. What a beauty.

Anonymous said...

Safe travels!

Effortlessly Average said...

A happier family I can't even imagine!

Can I ask you a couple Q's? I've been out of the loop a bit lately (new job working for The Man, ya know). What happened with the veggie system? I'm SERIOUSLY considering buying a bus also and was planning on installing one of those bio systems as well.

Also, when you mentioned burning Sage, do you just grab some of the herb and light it or is it dried first?

Mindy said...

Beautiful pics and a belated HAPPY BIRTHDAY to precious little Sage. I know exactly how you feel about the cleaning and cleansing of the bus. I use the same method and sage in our home and afterward there is such a feeling of peace and calm. It's really unbeatable. Best of luck on the next leg of your journey!

'EF' said...

Gas prices doing us too :( Oh well.

We live in the forest but yearn for the road xxx

I so appreciate the sentiments expressed in this post of yours, the way you both sat down and figured out what to do next inspired me (having just sat down together and not known what to do next at all).

I'll start with the house cleanse. This is needed before any new leg of a journey, yes.

Fare well on your journey xxx

SeaMama said...

She has an incredible light in her eyes-she reminds me of my son, born June 1st. He has some soulful eyes too. I wish you so much peace in your travels-the gas prices are killing us as well, so much more modivation for us to get the boat ready! Mahalo nui loa, happy birth day.

מעיין maayan said...

hey (:

i've been reading here for some time now, and i realy enjoy it and admire your writing.

i just opened a blog here at blogger, and linked you through my "inspiration" list, so i hope it's ok. (if not, i'll take the link off as soon as you'll ask).

hope you are having fun at the north, and wisihng you a great day,
Maayan.

Anonymous said...

I stumbled upon your blog while surfing and from the first few posts I read I felt compelled to start from the beginning. I have spent the past 2 days reading your entire blog! Your bus is wonderful!

You are a beautiful person with a beautiful family. Your joy and blessings radiate through your writing and pics. I was so delighted to read that you intend to home school. I am a home schooling mama of 2 girls and know without a doubt my husband and I made the greatest decision. Don't ever doubt your decision mama...not that I think you ever will ;)

Peace and blessings to all your journeys in life.

Grammie Hoffman in WA said...

Sunshine's mom here,
Don't think she'll mind if I tell everyone (that's what Grammies do!) she gave birth to a girl, LeeLa, on 6-8. The blessing took place in the Mayflower at a music festival in No. CA.
They are in Mendocino doing what they do and if anyone hears from them, I need her to call me. Thx!

melissa said...

Hey Pixie,
I glad to have met you at Faerie Worlds! When I bloged about you. I went to your blog. I saw you Husband-Partner and your sweet girl, and I helped them get the Bracelets on Vender check in on Friday. (It was super crazy,) I was just volenteering. Your work is just amazing!

Melissa
(thingsinstuff)