Occasionally I'll write

Sailing to the South Pacific

Davis — Mon, 26 May 2008 09:02:10 GMT

The winds of change are blowing again. I have been hermited on Orcas Island all winter building a weaving studio for work, lighting a fire every night and hanging out with my sweet Colleen. I haven't had much connection with the outside world as I haven't had any internet connection up there in the woods, and my phone would cut out if a cloud moved across the sky. And now......I am going to be even further from civilization. Tomorrow at noon I set sail on a boat called the Kwai for the Line and Cook Islands in the South Pacific. svkwai.com should get You to the website. She's a sail cargo ship that supplies these islands with everything from cement to guitars, check out my new pictures. I've signed aboard as engineer and so far so good. I showed up last week and have been kept busy eversince. So far I have welded up a bunch of stuff, replaced pumps, fixed exhaust systems and loaded up a bunch of shit. In a lot of ways it reminds me of the early days on the playa. Make it work with what You have. Anyhow I feel like I have been way out of touch with a lot of You and wanted to say hello before I dissappear again for 3 to 5 months. If You are interested in getting postcards from the edge of the world, drop me a line with Your snail mail and I'll send You messages from the far reaches. Until I see You all again, Love and friendship.

~

Davis — Sat, 17 Feb 2007 08:11:05 GMT

I have seen molten rock run rivers of orange and grey, The ground rolling beneath my feet ripples on a pond Underwater worlds of such beauty and complexity lit at night from the glow of Nocta Luca, a fierce dynoflagelate~ Lightning Bolts from the sky and spit from Tesla's coils the arc of an electrode strike melding two pieces into one The spray of the spectral arches down the falls of a Yosemite afternoon Granitic scrapings and towers the wake of retreating Ice Giants The spin of the universe at morning's first light I have seen glimpses of Wonder

Life on the Playa

Davis — Sun, 13 Aug 2006 04:21:43 GMT

I'm exhausted. I've been busting my ass for the past couple weeks and it is fantastic. At the end of July I packed up my truck and headed north to work on the Seaward, a 81 ft stay'sl schooner based out of Sausalito. I worked for 10 days as the First Mate taking a group of students out to teach them about sailing and marine biology. We headed up to Drake's Bay( the last anchorage of Sir Francis Drake before setting out to cross the Pacific)which was beautiful, unfortunately we had no idea upon setting out that that was the day that they took a years supply of cow manure and sprayed it on the fields. It was a pretty foul wind that blew that night until a southerly came up around two in the morning. Then we headed out to the Farralon Islands, which for a few scattered rocks about thirty miles west of the Golden Gate, have a pretty interesting history. Having such a small crew, the Captain[an old friend of mine{he's the one that owned the shoptop and let me do all that stuff to it}], two deckhand/educators, the cook and Me, we were pretty much busy every waking hour. By the end of the week I was actually looking forward to the respite that working for the DPW would bring me, and although it is kicking my ass, it is still easier that the boat gig last month. So the fence is done. Seven miles of T-stake pounding madness. The DPW crew came together in an unprecedented spree of fence building setting a new record for the time the T-stakes were put in. We started around 8 in the morning and finished at 11:20. After lunch I wound up offloading a bunch of stuff with an enormous forklift, to stage for the event. And then sunk holes for shade structures with the bobcat, actually a John Deere. The playa is crusty on top and wetter than I've ever seen a couple feet down. It's going to be a big dust year! Be prepared! The weather is beautiful. Dropping to maybe 45 at night. Calm and beautiful in the mornings. I'm sleeping in my hammock out on the playa now and the sunrises are as gorgeous as ever, maybe even more so since I'm one of maybe ten people sleeping out there. Today was even more offloading, some work at the man base in a lift and then a big push to get the ground anchors in at the cafe. Tommorrow more of the same. Really demanding, really rewarding, a little bit cracked. Anyway come find me on the playa. I can always be reached through the Aftermath which is the rigging shed behind the Cafe. Go behind the counter and ask for the aftermath. Then I'll either be there or You can leave a message for me. I'll get it. I'll be working a lot of the event. If You find me I'll give You a ride in a lift to the top of the city. The view is fantastic. Much Love to You all, I'll see You in the Dust. Namaste' Stinky Pirate

Refrigerator Magnet Poetry

Davis — Sun, 12 Feb 2006 07:42:51 GMT

Open the Rum We will launch a tale of an ocean voyage Roar a monkey jig Navigate through growth Fly friend Catch this Wind

Return to the City of Angles

Davis — Sat, 11 Feb 2006 09:54:12 GMT

My plane from Auckland left at 8 o'clock Friday night, and arrived at about one thirty in the afternoon, on the same friday. Time-travel.......modern miracle.....or just another wierdness in a world that is full of strange....... The first land I glimpsed from 30,000 ft today was Santa Barbara island, a barren rock north of Santa Catalina, that neverltheless holds plesant memories for me as the place where I swam with SeaLions........then I saw Catalina, a magnificent island, though brown, surrounded by the deepest blue and ringed with a white halo of breakers..........and the whole LA basin spread out before me, impresssive in its vast expanse of pavement and serpents of traffic, the breath of which hangs like a miasma, choking the sky.... Later, walking in Avon Park the city reveals itself as a beautiful pinnacle, lit with many colors, rising as if from the pages of science fiction, as perhaps it is. I am overjoyed to see my most familiar stars again, the great bear and small one, always going in circles. Orion, no more forced to Stand on his head. In that same thought,I allready miss the Southern Cross and the Magellenic clouds. I enjoyed looking out into the universe in that direction for a while...........and now as I return to this attempt at a more perfect Union, I realize that I need to focus that same long vision on myself to chart the constelations within, an incredibly more difficult task than mere stargazing, and hopefully a more rewarding one than woolgathering from my navel. I feel as if I am moving into a new chapter of life, and am excited for it, and a bit trepidatious.....It is a time for me to focus on being healthy, and to have the discipline to stay this course. It is also time to learn to both earn and save money, so that in two to three years time, I can buy the sailboat I have long dreamed of.......

Davis — Mon, 06 Feb 2006 18:30:19 GMT

In Aotearoa, the land of the long white cloud, I have seen dogs climbing trees, a one armed man riding a motorcycle, strangers who will stop if You are broken down on the side of the road, to offer assistance, and if thats not needed, a hot cup of tea. Water flows everywhere. It wells up out of deep holes the color and almost temperature of ice. It falls from great cliffs ito black pools, rolls in continuously in peeeling smashing churning breakers. It falls from the skies, not every day, but enough that people pay no attention to the fact that if they want to do something, be it work, play or attend a dance party in the way back, next to a stream or on top of a mountain, the rain is just a part of it. My favorite water experience lately was jumping into the deep rapids of an ice blue river with huge rock walls on each side. It flowed so fast that by the time my head popped out of the water after I had jumped in, I was fifteen feet furthur downriver and filled with the adrenaline of cold and speed and danger.......... ...........and now my time in NZ is coming to an end. I feel like it is time to return to the states and get on with the next chapter in my life. This chapter is to be about learing to settle into a place, most likely Seattle, and spend time getting healthy and work towards owning a sailboat, so that I can continue the journey with a set of canvas wings....

Banging out a Spoon

Davis — Wed, 11 Jan 2006 09:18:00 GMT

I'm WWOOFing (Willing Workers On Organic Farms) right now at a blacksmiths house. I got to bang on metal this afternoon after a few hours of pulling out fences, and then went kayaking down the river that runs alongside. In short, the adventure continues. My knee is a bit tweaky, after attempting a rock jump in a river, slipping and twisting. I've been pushing myself in some good adventures. The water here is always cold, invigorating though. There is always a beach or river waiting to be plunged into, and with very little effort a ropeswing or jumping rock can be found...... I attended the New Zealand regional burn called Kiwiburn and got to help put up the Man, made of bamboo and wanting to boogie all over the place. The dream plan goes like this. I applied for a position in Nelson as a rigger. Ideally I get hired and get a work visa, then I wind up being able to buy a small boat, not the ideal one which will come later, but one good enough to go explore NZ. Well thats it for now, the blacksmith wants to use the computer.... Cheers.......

It really is Middle Earth

Davis — Tue, 13 Dec 2005 09:31:25 GMT

This afternoon I played in the waves while watching a spectral shaft of light, play in the foothills of the nearby mountains. I am currently working on building, what I am calling a hobbit house. I explored the beaches today to find pieces of driftwood suitable for inclusion in its construction. It rains and rains and then clears, the hawks play in the skies over a nearby lake and the horses play with the sheep......

Aotearoa....the land of the long white cloud

Davis — Tue, 06 Dec 2005 20:26:29 GMT

Yesterday was a big one. I set out from Wellington on my bike( after having to wait for it to arrive, the airlines misplaced it for a while) in a rain shower. The furthur I pedaled the harder it rained. Thunder and lightning ripped the sky as I crested the ridge above New Zealand's capitol city at the southern end of the North Island. Eventually the rain slacked off and the sun came out in the afternoon about 50km into my journey. I discovered through trial and error using a not very detailed bicycling map a beach route up the kapiti coast. At the end of the day I had gone 100km, the furthest I've ever travelled in a day under my own power. Riding has really given me a good perspective on time and space. everthing gets stretched out. Every hill that would be hardly noticed in a car becomes an all encompassing challenge, every crossroads a decision that could make the difference between a good route or a long arduous detour. Smells envelop you. Sounds are immmediate. Things take on a clarity, an immediacy.......and after a long climb there is always the gravity ride to enjoy..... time to ride....

First Hobo Adventure......

Davis — Wed, 23 Nov 2005 08:45:41 GMT

I've only had a few experiences, riding the rails. The first in 1988, I wound up hitching from Redlands on the way to Colton to jump a train to SF via the coast. Wound up getting a ride that took a friend and I up the 60, missed colton by miles, got a ride with a recently released ex con who took us to Ontario airport where we saw a friend who was willing to drive us to another friends' place. Apon arriving we were hurried off to my first conta dance. Hitchhiking the next morning took us as far as Hollywood. One of the best rides ever was in the back of a pickup truck, filled with 3 generations of a Mexican family. They were headed for the valley, and took us a few miles out of their way, as we sat in the back dissappearing coins for tiny children sitting in their grandparent's lap. The next night found us in a glendale switching yard. We hopped a slow moving train heading roughly north. It was a train of tanker cars, with a small triangular space at each end of the tank. ... The exhillaration is undescribable...We were riding the rails!! Actually hobing in 1988! An adrenaline charge that lasted for hours. until we climbed into the two facing holes at the connection of two cars and went to sleep..... WAking to the slowing and eventual stopping of the train, only a few miles down the track, railroad bull spotlights checking for signs of stowaways. Ducking into the dark corners feeling the explosive detonation of railroad cars being slammed into each other to achieve the coupled linking of steel ..... Spent hours of the night travelling slowly back and forth, adding and dropping cars..... woke to a red/orange ball in the sky and finally got up the nerve to ask a worker if the train was heading north soon. AFter a few missunderstandings ( him thinking I wanted to jump on the Amtrak, me trying to get information of freight schedules) I had the information. There was no train headed north until Wednesday( it was monday)and that was only going up to Oxnard....... Long story short. While waiting for a bus, we decided the beach would be a great place to be, so we spent the week at the beach, learning to surf and sitting on couches around the fire.......

Music Makers

Davis — Fri, 11 Nov 2005 10:56:03 GMT

I learned the first stanza to this years ago and just tonight discovered the rest......... We are the music makers And we are the dreamers of dreams. Wandering by lonely sea breakers, And sitting by desolate streams; World losers and world forsakers, On whom the pale moon gleams: Yet we are the movers and shakers Of the world, forever, it seems. With wonderful deathless ditties We build up with world's great cities, And out of a fabulous story We fashion an empire's glory: One man with a dream, at pleasure Shall go forth and conquer a crown; And three with a new song's measure Can trample an empire down. We in the ages lying, In the buried part of the earth, Built Nineveh with our sighing, And Babel itself with our mirth And o'erthrew them with prophesying, To the old of the new world's worth; For each age is a dream that is dying, Or one that is coming to birth. ~Arthur O'Shaugnessy

Pacific Coast in November

Davis — Wed, 26 Oct 2005 05:45:22 GMT

I am ready to stretch my wings, and fly to New Zealand....before I do, I am going to visit the west coast for the month of November. If anybody wants to hang out, go on adventures, put me to work, share their couch, or drink some Rum, drop me a line. I'm thinking along the lines of heading to Joshua Tree, Deep Creek, and the Pacific Crest Trail.....