Musical Discoveries

I have had a couple of musical discoveries that truly "rocked" my musical world.  One of those is Ray LaMontagne.  A few years ago some friends introduced his music to us, he has been a staple on our radio since.  In fact for me it was by listening to his music that I felt like I had finally found music that perfectly fit me.  Yesterday he released a new album and with it a whole new chapter of genius.  On this offering of "God Willin & the Creek Don't Rise", I am blown away by the track New York City's Killing Me....

If you get a chance check it out, you won't be sorry you did.

Peace 

Awesome Quote

This morning in my email I found a wonderful bit of wisdom that I thought was worth sharing, enjoy.

I want to love you without clutching,
Appreciate you without judging,
Join you without invading,
Invite you without demanding,
Leave you without guilt,
Criticize you without blaming,
And help you without insulting.

If I can have the same from you,
Then we can truly meet each other.
~ Virginia Satir

Breckenridge

Late in the afternoon of July 17th we pulled in to what would be our home for the next week in Breckenridge, Colorado.  We were a weary and exhausted bunch, looking to eat and drift off to sleep.  So instead of just grabbing dinner we decided to push our luck with our little ones and go grocery shopping!  If you've ever taken tired and hungry children to the grocery store when you are not really sure what you want to buy, you can imagine the experience we had, lets just say next time we will wait until the next day....

None the less we finally ended up eating and explored our area a little bit.  The area is simply spectacular, unbelievable really.  We fell in love with the mountains on sight.

The next morning was a big farmers market in the downtown area of Breck and we thought it would be a great place to go, we went and the weather was just perfect, the whole scene was more than I could have ever hoped for, complete with a local folk singer singing "Rocky Mountain High".  It was the perfect introduction to the community.  We spent the rest of the day hiking and exploring, this would be the theme for the rest of our trip.

We went searching for moose, bears, elk, deer, badgers, and even an owl.  We did find a badger, owl, and deer, but I guess we will see the rest the next trip.

We met up with several old friends and it was a blessing to share time and space with them.  Our focus was on being together and enjoying each other, and we accomplished this beyond our wildest imagination.  We had a great time, I will leave the rest of the telling to the pictures, I know they do a better job.

Peace

From Rocky Mountain High to the Lower 9th Ward

July 16th we set out for Breckenridge, Colorado. Last night my wife and I returned from New Orleans, Louisiana. We have been on an adventure beyond ordinary and now we are left reeling from what we saw, gasping somehow to digest it all.

Anyone who has ever hiked at close to 12,000 feet knows what I mean when I say that it feels like you are breathing through one of those stir stick straws that you use when you stir your sugar into your coffee.

Likewise one can only gasp when looking at what is going on at the beaches of Grand Isle, LA, or when driving through the Lower 9th Ward in New Orleans.

Our trips left our cups over flowing, and our minds scrambling to try and reflect on it all, savor the beauty, while simultaneously confronting the brutal reality of everything else we saw.

I will attempt here in the coming days to bring out some of those experiences, for now these photos will have to suffice.