Growthings

This was an exciting couple of weeks.  There was a fair deal of work with which I am comfortable and competent to execute, as well as a good deal of learning new practical skills.  After a week long intensive first aid course, I feel like a much more competent citizen, with a basic understanding of how to help a person in need.  At the same time, it was a experience humbling and I hope I should never have to dress a sucking chest wound or provide traction for a broken femur.
Leadership was another interesting aspect of the course work and though I wasn't explicitly engaging in a leadership position it was neat to see those skills emerging from within the student cohort.
As summer settles in, the spring is subject to reflection.  It can be tricky to evaluate performance when your measure of success is not in line with the socially accepted standards.  That being said, it feels like things are moving in the right direction and though there is always room for improvement... the current path is certainly pleasant.  The future will consist of more of the same, with a bit of refinement.

Cruising Altitude.

It is almost like I know what I am doing... but not quite.

Things are going very smoothly these days.  Work has been coming in at a consistent yet manageable flow.  There is even some degree of security with contracts being signed for future projects and invitations to new positions.  I feel compelled towards some small scale expansion/refinement of my processes, even bringing others in on some appropriate projects.

Within all of this there even exists a bit of relaxation and freedom.  Time to garden, tan hides, draw and mess around with my bikes.  Like I said, it's almost like I know what I am doing...

There is certainly a mountain or two to climb in the not too distant future but I feel comfortable in my current state and I imagine it will be an excellent challenge with some appreciable benefits upon completion.  I will let you all know how it goes.  Until then... Be Well.

Saint Spring

This spring has arrived with a small handful of treasures.  Mostly intangible, these little pieces are all fitting together quite nicely into the bigger picture.  Some simple realizations certainly help the fit (mostly, patience), as will a bit of nudging, scraping and pounding, but on the whole, things are looking pretty sharp.  Some of these treasures include a new focus in my Zone 1 garden, potential partners in a compelling collaborative project, future career opportunities befitting of the masterplan and gallons of home brewed wine that tastes great and works even better.  Also, the morels have shown up this year and they are always delightful.

On a differnet note, I have been doing a bit of drawing from life and thought I would share some of this with the world.  This is from a recent trip to San Deigo's Mission Beach.

El Regresso

It was a busy year.  Kind of.  Apparently too busy to maintain my silly little blog here.
But after speaking with a number of "frequent users" I realised that there is more to these posts than my own cathartic musings.  Some people (I won't mention any names), some where (I won't point my finger) like to see my art work and it makes me really happy to oblige.

As far as the rest of life goes... I'll be brief.  Peru, work, work, work, Peru, bike riding and "poaching" fruit, backpacking, Advanced Permaculture Training, two lost sketchbooks, no work, no work, no work, Holidays and a trip to the Bay Area and the most recent chapter involves a return to my old haunts at the alma mater.  Weave a beautiful woman through all that racket and that sums up 2012 for myself.

Things are going well enough now.  I am still balancing a number of projects and some tasks are going better than others. All of them seem to fit into the big picture and I imagine I am learning something from each of them.  The future holds some cool new potentials and I will do better to keep those interested parties up to date.  On the horizon... my work will be published in an international magazine, my worms will be free ranging in the garden and hopefully my current sketchbook will stick around long enough to reach completion.