Aug21
Posted on Aug 21 by Ruth Davis
As a kid I often ate waffles and ice cream for breakfast. Or a bowl of Lucky Charms without the milk. Or Sugar Pops, without a spoon, one sweet, sticky kernel at a time. On weekends we’d have bagels and lox and whitefish from the deli. Sometimes my father made scrambled eggs with thick round slices of Hebrew National salami, or French toast with Log Cabin syrup. But I don’t remember ever having homemade pancakes. The only time I remember eating them was on those rare occasion that the family would go to IHOP for breakfast and I would order a plate full of silver dollars with no butter. I’d drown them in the thick brown maple syrup from the fancy pitcher with the sticky metal spout. My first attempt at making pancakes from scratch was for my friend’s 20th birthday. I mixed the flour and milk according to the recipe and poured the batter into the frying pan. I didn’t know that the pan needed to be hot before you started, or that you shouldn’t flip them more...
Aug14
Posted on Aug 14 by Ruth Davis
I never went to sleepover camp as a kid. The idea of being away from home and sharing a cabin with strangers was the furthest thing from my idea of fun. But when Patti Digh announced her Design Your Life Camp, complete with inspiring speakers, art-making and a talent show, I leaped at the opportunity. Some of my favorite teachers and writers will be offering workshops and there’s even a full-day writing course the day before camp begins. This is a real gift to myself to indulge in so much creative fun. And I’ll finally get to meet many friends I’ve connected with on Facebook and spend time with other friends who I haven’t seen in a few years. As if that all wasn’t enough. Patti also invited campers to submit proposals to be a speaker on the topic of courage, and also to lead creative art sessions. Of course I submitted proposals for both. And both of my proposals were selected! Can I tell you how excited I am? One of my next big dreams is...
Aug07
Posted on Aug 7 by Ruth Davis
Exactly one year ago I pulled my RV into the Morro Strand RV Park with the intention of staying in the RV long enough to find a house to rent. Living here, I would connect with the local Apple stores and continue to provide one on one onsite training for Mac users. My bigger why for choosing THIS area, this small beach town off the beaten path on the central coast of California, was so that I could be outside more, walk more, breathe deeper, write every day and explore how else I wanted to do my best work in the world. Fast forward 365 days and I am, once again parked in the Morro Strand RV Park. But nothing else from that day last year is the same. I stopped looking for a house to rent when I realized how much I prefer living in my 24 foot motorhome. I have everything I need: bathroom, shower, microwave, bed, ample room for my printer and technology, unlimited wifi, and it’s relatively inexpensive, especially compared to renting a house with...
Jul31
Posted on Jul 31 by Ruth Davis
It was a hard week last week. The stress of the weekend festival and sitting outside in the blowing winds really knocked me for a loop. Everything settled in my chest, of course, as a deep hacking cough. My body was sore, I had no appetite, my head was stuffy and I really couldn’t think clearly. All I knew was that the vendor’s life was not for me. And yet I felt an obligation to still participate in the Morro Bay Merchants Street Fair in August, since I’d already reserved a booth and told people I’d be there. I felt that I should do it because it’s for a cause bigger than me. And couldn’t I, just once, think beyond my own comfort and needs? I thought of people with jobs that are always this hard. Construction workers who haul heavy things all day long, nurses who work 12 hour shifts, lifting people twice their size, with no breaks for lunch or even the bathroom, and the road crews in Phoenix who stand outside in blazing hell heat,...
Jul24
Posted on Jul 24 by Ruth Davis
Friday evening: The RV is parked and we are settling into our weekend home at the back end of the Vet’s hall parking lot in Cambria for our inaugural Community Prayer Flag festival event. My EZ-UP tent is set up, thanks to the help of one of the event coordinators, and Laddy and I are now relaxing as the sun goes down. Highway 1 is loud behind me, the dinette window faces the parking lot where the fair be. Looking east, past the tents, past Main Street is Happy Hill, a very steep mountain with worn dirt roads that lead up to four story houses built into the side of the hill. Pine trees, thick and tall, tower twice as high as the houses. Right now there are only a handful of booths set up. I can see my booth, the white canopy top flapping a little in the breeze, the concrete-weighted cylinders that are suspended alongside the canopy legs keeping everything stable. My chairs and tables are piled on the ground under the canopy for set up...
Jul17
Posted on Jul 17 by Ruth Davis
I’ve been at the new RV park for two weeks and even I am surprised at how easily I have settled in. I love being in the midst of all of the summer activity of campers coming and going, watching the families, talking with folks, even if it’s just to say good morning. There is more movement around me, a diverse mix of people and demographics, families and seniors and, this weekend, several gay male couples. Last weekend my neighbors were vendors at the Art in the Park festival. I talked with them about their booth, the crowds, and, on Sunday, I even took the summer trolley into town to stroll through the park. Morro Bay is a tourist town and, even though I’m on the north end of town, out of the direct crowds, I still like feeling like a part of the fun. And I love, when we ask each other hold long we’re staying, that I get to say, I’ll be here through Labor Day. Knowing this is my home grounds me. I’m not searching for...
