Just got back from Oregon and had my love of rocks sparked and revitalized. Charles, a man I know from the Apache Nation, once told me that once the stones get in your blood, you’re hooked for life. Not sure they are that strongly in my blood. I definitely didn’t feel the drive of my comrades in rocks up there who truly loved spending the day in the blazing hot sun digging for sunstones. But I admired them. And I liked following them around, taking pictures, asking questions. I l... Read Full Story

The 100th Name of God The Qur’an lists 99 names for God. The final and last name will be revealed to each of us only when we draw our last breath. I’ve awoken from dreams to feel his breath soft on my ear the syllables indistinct nudging me into insomnia And in the wind that batters against my peace of mind the words are still nothing [...] Read Full Story

Every day I tell myself I’ll come back to these pages. And yet the days pass. Sometimes I barely recognize my life any more. I’m living alone in a small studio over the garage at our old house in Susanville. It’s beautiful in a sad sort of way. I look out the windows and I see my life ten years ago. Both of my boys were at home. We had hound dogs and pickup trucks in the driveway. Now my oldest son is working in Pasadena and my younger one is about to leave home. I came her... Read Full Story

It’s been incredibly hard lately for me to come to this online space and write. It’s been hard for me lately to write. I think that will change, but for now it seems like it’s all I can do to focus on the changes at hand. In a week or so I’ll be gone, moving on to Susanville. Moving back to Susanville. To a place where the wind blows incessantly and coyotes howl in the night. Owls perch on the branches of the pines and the stars look close enough to touch. Changes are ... Read Full Story

For the past several years I’ve been freelancing for publications in the gemstone and jewelry industry. I became captivated with the glitz of the jewels, the fashion, the dazzling, shining colors. Two weeks ago I went to Tucson to the world’s largest gemstone and jewelry trade show in the world. And I’ve come away with a new perspective. Call it a crisis of faith, but as I’ve been sitting here recollecting the different things I witnessed, I just keep thinking what doe... Read Full Story

Some things in life we’re simply powerless over. So it is with me. This past week has forced me to be honest with myself in ways I never dreamed I could. Or would need to be. I’ve learned that I’m not alone, that there are others like myself. I feel like I’ve lived a double life. On the outside I seem competent. Skillful. People generally like me and think my life is fascinating. I’ve traveled around Asia and now North America writing about gemstones and mining, ... Read Full Story

It’s that time of year. And, really, looking back at the past year and making decisions for the new one is a pretty good practice. Most cultures do it whether their new year is January first or whether it follows the lunar calendar. I have a couple of resolutions. One is to try to see the bigger picture of things. Sometimes I zero in on some small aspect of a situation or a person and I miss what’s really going on. I want to step back more and look at a situation from all angles a... Read Full Story

Something about this time of year is hard for a lot of people. The nights are long and cold. More stress. For me, I’ve been doing lots of soul searching. Wondering why I’ve been pulling back in so many areas of my life, while others seem to be taking on a life of their own. I’m in limbo. Have made the decision to move yet am still in my old life. Pulling back from travel writing, too. I feel that my creative sprite is nudging back into my life. Times are hard. Times are what... Read Full Story

For the past few months I’ve barely written in here. This isn’t the only thing that seems to be getting swept aside. I have articles that I can’t seem to get to. My other site, World Culture Jewelry is just sitting there. I’m putting so much time and energy into things that I’m not seeing any pay off yet, that I’m beginning to wonder if once again, I’m off on a wild financial goose chase. Money. This is the thing that has come back to bite me. As a yo... Read Full Story

It happens sometimes when I’m walking the hills and the only sound I hear is a humming. A few times it comes from the earth herself. At others it’s from the sky. It’s the language of living things from granite to clouds and everything in between.  I just came from the Sonora Desert where I watched shadows turn with the passing sun–and clouds that were bright pink and glistening…where the land is full of cactus, rocks, things with sharp edges, things with thorns. ... Read Full Story