The Wind

Son Nolan Flying a Kite April 2013

As the soft breeze gives life to the trees.

As a forced gust gives flight to a wounded wing.

Guiding the kite while bringing joy to a child.

As Mother Nature expresses her powers, creating illusions of art forms in the sky.

Delicately placing seeds of wildflowers in a lonely meadow.

Giving Northerly attention to our Nations stars and stripes.

Composing music, freeing the windsurfer to dance across the waters.

Carrying soft whispers...

Nolan and his buddy relaxing while kite flying April 2013

I

Love

You

Clinton.

 

Written in 1997 for my then boyfriend, now husband Clinton. Clinton was an avid windsurfer when we first met. He helped me discover my true passion and love for adventure.

Walk a Mile In My Shoes

Walk a mile in my shoes.

See what I see.

Hear what I hear. Feel what I feel.

THEN, MAYBE you'll

understand why I do what I do.

Till then, don't judge me.

 

Yosemite - below Vernal Falls 2011

Pillsbury Lake 2012 - owner identified*

Pismo Beach 2010

Stinson Beach - Parking Lot 2013

 I don't know what it is about random shoe sightings that I have encountered during my adventures. I find them to be curious, mysterious and forlorn. I can't help but to wonder who the person was wearing the shoe, where the shoe had traveled, how the shoe got left behind, and what became of the other mate? The shoes above where found and photographed in there original locations. They were perhaps forgotten, swept away by the surf, washed away in the tumbling rapids, lost and abandoned and never to be worn again. I can only hope that these expired shoes that once lived an adventurous life with their mates can somehow find peace and solitude as single shoe.

*Duct tape fip-flops at Lake Pillsbury were still being worn by their owner at the time the photo was taken, current status of flip-flops is unknown. 

Arch Rock - Tennessee Beach

8/6/2011

Solid form
A geologist’s gem
A photographer’s focal point
A visitor’s wonder
The iconic arch, touched by Mother Nature
Struck by wind, surf, rain and endless erosion
Decades of peering through a vertical halo, and into the soul of the sea
Stimulated by swift sunsets and long starry nights
The mysterious arch, grounded and united as a single form
With every last fiber of strength,
and with the inhalation and last breath of the salty air
Holding, holding
And with the exhalation of breath,
the arch releases from its tenacious grip, crumbling
Falling rocks, pebbles and dust particles
Tumbling into the water and mixing a bloody smear in the shallows
The rumble subsides
The only sounds are the waves sweeping debris into depths of the ocean
Reaching toward the sky
The light warms her dark shadows
Eternally emancipated, December 29th 2012

1/13/2013

By: Deann MacDonald

What's on Your Resume?

I’m not talking about your professional resume. I’m talking about your personal resume. I call mine my adventure resume. But you can call yours whatever fits your interests. You might call yours your hobbies resume or your passions resume. Get creative.

So why should you keep a personal resume? For me, it’s fun to look back at my accomplishments. It also keeps me motivated. As I look at what I’ve accomplished I also think about future goals and it helps to keep me on task. And it’s a great “at a glance” timeline. The years go by so fast and it’s hard to remember what I’ve done and when.

So spend some time creating your personal resume, fill the page with things that you’ve enjoyed doing, then look back at it from time to time and be proud of your accomplishments. Be sure to review your resume occasionally to update it and keep it fresh. Have fun with it!  

Below is a copy of my Adventure Resume to give you an example of what one can look like.

ADVENTURE RESUME

 Deann MacDonald

INTERESTS: Mountaineering, Backpacking, Snow Camping, Snowshoeing, Mt. Biking, Trail Running, Hiking, Wakeboarding, Camping

09/2012    Hike TRT Leg - Tahoe Meadows to Brockway Summit 19.7 miles, 10 hours

                 Summit - Mt. Rose 10,778 the next day

04/2012    Snow Camp - Mt. Shasta, Horse Camp, organized and led an all-women’s

                 backpack trip

07/2011    Summit - Mt. Shasta, Avalanche Gulch Route 14,179, solo climb

02/2011    Snow Camp - Carson Pass, organized and led an all-women's trip
                 Summit - Red Lake Peak, 10,063         
 

9/2010      Backpack - Cloud’s Rest, Yosemite 9,926, organized and led all-women's
                 trip

01/2010    Snow Camp Trip 1 - Echo Summit, Sierra Club backpack trip with son
                 Landon, age 7
02/2010    Snow Camp Trip 2 - Carson Pass

05/2009    Summit - Matterhorn, 12,264 Sierra Nevada Range, CA, Bay Area

                 Mountaineering Meetup Group

 

06/2007    Summit - Mt. Shasta, 14,162, West Face Route

                 Introduction to Mountaineering Course, CA Alpine Guides

07/2005    Childbirth - our son Nolan was born!

 

10/2004    Ran - Nike Half Marathon, San Francisco, CA, time 2:15:23

02/2004    Snow Camp - Inaugural snow camping backpack trip, Crane Flat, Yosemite

10/2002    Childbirth - our son Landon was born!

09/2001    Ran - Providian Relay, Calistoga to Santa Cruz, 199 Mile Relay Race

                 Team Results: Finished 3:01 p.m., total time: 29:01:33, Finished 31
                 out of 71within our division.
 

2001         Mt. Bike - Trips for Kids Fundraiser Ride, 34 Miles, Marin County, CA

12/2000    Ran - California International Marathon, Sacramento, CA, time 5:12:52

10/2000    Ran - Primo’s Run for Education Half Marathon, time: 2:18:32

07/1999    Hike - Half Dome 8,842, Yosemite, CA

                 Personal Experience: Made it to the top, faced my fear of heights

 

Ten Reasons To Snow Camp

 

 

1.  The ground is so clean you can drink it (and you will).

2.  The air is crisp and fresh, the best to breathe in, relax in, and cleanse with.

3.  It is serene, calm and picturesque, nature at its finest.

 

4.  There are no crowds. You are surrounded by nature and true peace and quiet.

5.  You will learn a new skill or teach somebody a new skill.

6.  It is an opportunity to bond with nature and experience adventure.

7.  Face your fears (the dark, the cold, the unknown) - feel empowered.

 

8.   Witness the winter night skies in the wilderness – the stars are brilliantly bright.

9.   Test your body, challenge yourself, experience the elements, feel alive.
10. Bond with friends, new and old, share in the experience. Laugh so hard you cry.

 

NATURE IS CALLING. WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?

Rain Meditation

Fresh air, soft soil

Clean tracks, quenched thirst

Plants thrive, roots come alive

Clouds dissipate, life rejuvenate.

 

After a rainstorm get outdoors and breathe in the fresh air. Feel the renewed energy from the earth. Imagine being a rain cloud, rising high above, releasing cleansing tears that fall to the ground and lands in parched meadows, empty streams and thirsty forests. Feel the flow of the water as it touches down and fills in the dry cracks of the earth. Feel the fulfillment then take in a deep breath of the fresh clean air. Awe.

 
Written after a September rain on Mt. Burdell 2012

Where is your meditation?

WHERE IS YOUR MEDITATION?

Where is your meditation? Is it a priority? Is it on your “to do” list? Is it on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday or is it on Tuesday and Thursday? Is it on the weekends? Is it today? Is it tomorrow? Is it in the morning, mid-day, or at night? Is it during a full moon or during a new moon? Is it ten minutes or twenty minutes? Is it in a chair or on the floor? Do you hear music? Do you smell incense, or the fresh air from an open window? Is it outside with the singing birds and the warm sun? Is it just a thought, a thought for only a moment and then lost again? When will it become an action? Why is it so hard to find? It’s all around us. It’s with us right this moment. Invite it in. Allow it space to be. Greet it with an open heart and an open mind. Breathe.

Written 1/7/2013 after a day-long retreat at Spirit Rock called Women, Food and God: a Transformational Journey, taught by Geneen Roth. I decided it was time to commit to my meditation practice.