Mar 082010
So a major update is order but unfortunately this is not going to be it. I just don’t have the time or – apparently – the clarity of mind to get into any details right now.
Egret haing out in the front lawn.
In short, I’m back in Sarasota staying with my Dad. There’s always a lot going on in the yard. Hawks in the backyard picking off an occasional pigeon leaving piles of bloody feathers, Egrets hanging out in the front yard. Just the other day I saw a squirrel building some kind of leaf nest in the crook of a tree (see photo below). I’m guessing it may be some kind of matting display as the next day (which would be today) he had some grooming company and was running around like a madman, falling about 30 feet from a tree at one point. Now it’s dark outside and for the first time I can hear birds chirping at night. Spring celebrations have begun.
Most of the month of February was spent in the Ocala National Forest with the Rainbow Family which somehow led into a week’s stay at the Zen hostel in Gainesville Florida.
There are several stories bouncing around my brain related to this last trip none of which are organizing themselves into any kind of a coherent post.
My time in Gainesville was fertile ground for research into an upcoming post on the distinction between being a survivalist and being a bum so that is upcoming and should be interesting. Other topics include another post on survival relationships; mostly a meditation on Buddhism’s view of suffering and attachment sparked by a friendship developed at Rainbow. In fact the whole Rainbow experience was steeped in a contemplation of Buddhist philosophy. This despite the fact that Ocala gathering lived up to its reputation as being more of a chaotic rage in the woods. I‘m also attempting to write something about the Rainbow Family in general which is defiantly easier said than done.
As soon as I can get those thoughts together I’m defiantly planning on adding some more posts on actual survival skills. This will include a few thoughts on Floridian survival skills, nothing too spectacular or advanced here just a few really basic things I discovered…like not all Oak tree leafs are lobed or get shed in the fall and why using Oak wood is an excellent way for beginners to practice bow drill. Speaking of bow drill fire making I have video ready to post but I’m thinking about shooting another one, possibly doing a bow drill class at Apalachicola.
Really been slacking in the photography department, can’t really seem or organize my thoughts either. I feel like I’m switching tracks. Moving in the right direction but finding it difficult to have any kind of perspective on the unfolding situation as the view is constantly changing, what I really need to work on now are physical skills. Really looking forward to getting back to Lothlorien and getting dirty in the garden.
For now though I’ve got to get packing, and I’m packing everything I own including a nice tipi and Moose hide blanket my uncle gifted me. I’ve got something resembling a plan. I’m defiantly heading north tomorrow, first to visit with a friend in Tampa then to Gainesville to pick up some Rainbow family before heading off to another Rainbow Gathering already in progress in Apalachicola Florida, south of Tallahasse. I hear the Apalachicola gathering is a bit more mellow then the Ocala gathering but we’ll see. From there who really knows…most likely though I’ll be spending some time in the Gainesville area until heading back to Indiana in early April or mid May. There’s so much I’d still like to do in Florida, feel like I’m just now getting familiar with southern woods. Python season just started, maybe I’ll stay until May. These are very pleasant deliberations.