Pilgrim at Pumpkin Creek

Lady in a straw hat walking alone in a field of wildflowers on a Tuesday.

Resting spot. Essentials along a slim creek.

I have been drawn to this place since I was a small child.

A good spot as any to meditate in the nude.

Brownie McGee in its natural habitat.

The fire wouldn't catch so I settled for smoke.

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July 9th, 2017: one month since dear friends married on a full moon.

I came back to this photo essay titled Pilgrim at Pumpkin Creek (ode to Annie Dillard's "Pilgrim at Tinker Creek") because I felt this particular series of photos needed a story to go with it. These photos were taken on June 20th. After being delivered back to my home by my sweet mum following a hellish time in purgatory, I started to spin out and panic and lose it. Have you ever felt like you can't be at home? My home is my sancutary so this was quite distressing to me. On a whim, I threw a bunch of things in a bag, filled jugs with water and hit the open road in Iain's truck. 

Before long I had that old girl heading west for the counry. There is no radio in Brownie McGee (we both began in '86) but it didn't matter. It felt like a matter of life and death to open every window and let the breeze brush away the energy of that day. Ahhhhh. Feel those shoulders drop. I was wearing my old straw hat from Albuquerque, New Mexico. When I finally arrived to my favorite place called the Sugar Shack, I got out and stood in that little grass clearing near the truck in the photo above and said "this is my Calm Zone. I am safe, open and aware that this is where I need to be right now". I dropped my bag in the porch and made a beautiful bed. Put my boots on and marched through the hills to my favourite spot along Pumpkin Creek. My clothes came off and I lowered my body into that water and washed away the day. Sunshine on a nude body like a frog on a rock. That was how I welcomed the sun and summer this year. These are the photos I felt compelled to take while in the process of releasing the old. 

Welcome Party for the Sun, party of one in a maple tree stand. My kind of retreat. 

My friend Rebecca often refers to her home as her Calm Zone. I love this phrase: calm zone. Rebecca is Lula's Calm Zone. It is lovely to observe a dear friend glide into motherhood and discover new ideas while pushing herself to the limit as a new mom. It is so inspiring to me as someone looking outside in. Something to look forward to, perhaps? I would love to experience pregnancy, birth and motherhood in this lifetime. Time will tell. In the meantime, I can observe and learn from those around me who are in it for the long haul! My life is rich with little children. This I know.

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Kiev 60 / Delta 400

Eve of Summer Solstice / June 20, 2017