I'm Back!

Wow! It was a long couple of weeks. The Rendezvous was absolutely wonderful. It’s awesome to take time to slow down and live life in a more creative way.

Trapper John is the leader of the Tall Trees Rendezvous at Smith River, California. He seems to fit better there than anywhere else. He sleeps in a primitive tent and fires up a forge to make pot hookers the old-fashioned way. He can make a fire with flint and steel in less than thirty seconds.

“Used to be anyone could do it,” Trapper says. “That’s one of the reasons it’s good to have the rendezvous. It’s a learning experience. We’ve lost things in history that will never be found until we try to recreate it, hoping to find a piece of history that was lost.”

I agree with Trapper John. There is a lot of history that was lost that we would do well to find again. It’s easy to see at a rendezvous where families enjoy spending time together instead of hiding away behind walls that keep out every semblance of wild or community. Sometimes living for a week the old way is uncomfortable or messy, but it’s nice to know that if you had to do it the hard way, you could.

Speaking of the hard way. The Cat Man and I lived for seven years in a home that had no electricity or running water. We had to hike a half mile up hill to reach it. Now, that’s messy! But, oh, was it wonderful. What adventures we had.


Another thing about the rendezvous is that we spend a lot of time making things to use and wear while we’re there. It’s satisfying to make something from the ground up, because nowadays everything is done for you. It’s also satisfying to spend time working on something and being able to show it off to someone else who understands what went into the making of it.

That’s one thing the internet is good for as well. We can share our creations with others who understand the creating process. It means a lot to me when someone leaves a comment or sends an e-mail in response to specific piece of writing, photo, or art.


The Rendezvous also makes me aware of being a part of history, of taking a place inside a story that began a long time ago. It started with the first settlers and continues through the stories I place on paper or computer one word at a time so the next generation won’t forget what’s gone before and will be thankful for coyote song and tall timber.

Thanks for your patience as I’ve taken a break from the internet in order to recapture beauty and simplicity. I’ll be sharing photos of the rendezvous along with the rest of Pastor Steve Hopkins’ message to artists and writers over the next couple of weeks.

Enjoy the Son!