The Blog: Behind The Scenes

The Blog: Behind The Scenes

A lot goes on behind the scenes of this blog.

I wear many hats, from research, to travel, to writing, to photography. Networking and meeting people. Filming and making pitches. Let’s look behind the scenes, here in Santa Fe.

The Blog: Behind The Scenes

What’s a day in Santa Fe like with CancerRoadTrip? Here are some looks at daily life.

 

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I’ve been able to establish a bit of a routine that includes daily exercise, walking with my Urban Poles or hitting the elliptical when time is tight; a matcha latte with almond milk in the morning (matcha for its antioxidant support, in lieu of coffee); having a few favorite things with me.

Wind chimes ring at my front door; Clarence (the gargoyle, in the slider above and picture below) looks over my small office; an old and favorite bracelet waits for me every morning. Weekends at the Farmers Market, events like Indian Market, an evening out at the Opera to see Madame Butterfly, and activities like hiking fill in the balance.

 

The Blog: Working from Wifi

 

CancerRoadTrip Blog

My office in the casita

 

 

“I work very hard, and I play very hard. I’m grateful for life. And I live it – I believe life loves the lover of it. I live it.”
– Maya Angelou

 

There is good and bad about writing a blog and being something of a digital nomad. The good is that you can work from anywhere. The bad is that work is always with you. I’m grateful to be truly passionate about what I’m doing.

A blog can open many doors. It forces me to get out and constantly explore. (See Life Lesson #1)  It means interacting with people from all over the world. It means on-line learning to develop your skills.

And of course it’s all a bit of an adventure.

From the first year, some milestones:

  • Twitter has grown from zero to over 10,000 followers, reaching to over 1.1 million people/month (and growing!)
  • Instagram is coming up on 10,000 followers soon
  • Visited 8 countries, 11 states (some more than once)
  • Photography entered my life as a new found passion and I’ve just added a super zoom lens to my bag.
  • And last but certainly not least, I have simply survived the last year.

I’ve resettled, re-energized and re-oriented my entire 60 something life since events sent everything reeling, and the way I view things has changed dramatically.

I’ve worked hard to develop non-judgment, less I drive myself crazy over the perceived injustices of life. The Buddhist sense of impermanence combined with the stilling of my mind has allowed me to find a place of peace. I work on this daily.

Being homeless for some months, I’ve found that I don’t “need” many of the habits that had once made up my life. I can happily exist in many situations, under many conditions. I adopt the disciplines that promote my well being; I allow the rest to be.

 

“When we are no longer able to change a situation–we are challenged to change ourselves.”

–Viktor E. Frankl

 

 

Yet through all this, some things remains constant. I am someone who likes having a home base. I admire the people who can be permanently nomadic, but it’s just not for me.

When I landed in Santa Fe, everything seemed to just click. With this lovely casita,  I have wifi, computer and camera. Here I find a timeless connection to the land, the energy and the people that simply fills my soul.

Life is good.

 

The Blog: Life Through The Lens

 

CancerRoadTrip O'Keeffe house in Abiquiu

Artifacts on the window ledge, O’Keeffe style

“In photography there is a reality so subtle that it becomes more real than reality.”

–Alfred Stieglitz

 

I take my camera almost everywhere with me; there’s much to learn and explore through the viewpoint of a lens. The endless creativity of the medium has thoroughly captivated me.

The addition of the Gallery section of the blog, and the unrelenting appetite of an Instagram feed, have pushed me to constantly take pictures in my travels, often daily.  As I look back over the last year, I see great improvement. I am hoping the next year sees still more.

I have signed up for two photography classes this fall. One is technical; one is more hands on.

I pity the poor instructor because I already have enough questions lined up to fill a semester.

 

The Blog: Life Lived Through the Lens of a Story

 

Cancer Road Trip Indian Dances #GatheringoftheNations

From the PowWow in Albuquerque

 

“Tell me the facts and I’ll learn.

Tell me the truth and I’ll believe.

But tell me a story and it will live in my heart forever.”

– Native American Proverb

 

We learn through the stories we tell.

Isaac Dineson once said that “To be a person is to have a story to tell.”

At heart, the best stories are really about a journey into the soul.

The cancer story is one of challenge, seeming defeat, perseverance and triumph. It’s about life and death; about presence and love.  It’s about all the things that make us human and allow us to learn and grow.

I know we will all choose different routes and destinations because we all carry different stories. But along the way, our paths will intersect and resonate. Where they cross, where our emotions and experiences meet, are timeless truths to be shared.

 

 

The Blog: The Story In A Name

What’s in a name?

CancerRoadTrip. What does that conjure up?

Fighter, warrior, survivor.

We seem to want to label people, experiences and viewpoints.

But there is no label that captures this cancer experience. To try to label it, to simplify it and to apply it to everyone, ignores the many dimensions of people and their experiences. It ignores the uniqueness of each story.

 

CancerRoadTrip

What’s in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet. –Shakespeare

 

And yet names define us.

They’re a marker, an identifier, perhaps an inspiration. They tell a story.

 

It is here that I need your help.

 

As you know, we’re gearing up to give away healing journeys.  I am (for the moment) calling the people (the cancer patients, survivors and the friends and family impacted by these events) who embark on these journeys with us as “Journeyers”.

After all, cancer is a journey; healing is a journey; ultimately life is a journey. Are we not all travelers through our times?

But perhaps there is a better word than Journeyer.

Traveler? Pilgrim? Explorer?

Voyager?

Can you think of a better one? Send me your thoughts either in the comment box below or via email, pat@CancerRoadTrip.com.

What’s a name that inspires, motivates and connects with you?

 

The Blog and The Journey: CancerRoadTrip

 

CancerRoadTrip, blog

 

Everyone’s CancerRoadTrip is different.

Some people learn by physically challenging themselves; some through introspection. Some quickly embrace a new life; some not.

Whatever the choice, it’s an evolving path of uncertainty pulled by promise, given to everyone, embraced only by some.

 

“To dare is to lose one’s footing momentarily. To not dare is to lose oneself.”

– Søren Kierkegaard

 

Which brings me to an interesting conversation that challenged my view of CancerRoadTrip.

 

CancerRoadTrip Adventurer Sean Swarner

Sean Swarner, Cancer Survivor, Mountaineer and Adventurer

 

I’ve been acquainted with Sean Swarner for some time now. Sean is a force of nature and then some. He has climbed the highest mountains on all continents (starting with a successful first summit on Everest ); gone to both the North and South Pole; completed the Ironman World Championship in Hawaii; summited numerous other mountains many times.

All on one lung.

Because two different terminal childhood cancer diagnoses left him with just one functional lung.

Most recently he took on the North Pole and the film, “True North: The Sean Swarner Story”,  has been nominated for an Academy Award.

 

 

Sean and I reconnected recently and we got talking about the incredible self knowledge that can come from experiences of being in and challenging nature. About setting goals and working through them; about the incredible power of one’s mind.

The challenges Sean has chosen are the stuff of legend.  Climbing the highest mountains, going to the most remote areas, defying the bounds of what was considered humanly doable, not to mention beating terminal cancer not once, but twice.

Perhaps a bit of physical adventure should be a part of CancerRoadTrip moving ahead.

Which brings up my own life and level of physical fitness. It is not where it needs to be, and all of a sudden I realized that I might miss out!

 

CancerRoadTrip Blog

Kilamanjaro

 

What if we were to add Kilimanjaro to the CancerRoadTrip lineup? Or another more physically oriented retreat?

Right now, I’m not fit enough to go.

So I have started a serious fitness program which is long overdue. I’m 61 years old and quite honestly in the worse shape of my life. The combination of (multiple rounds of) chemo, a failed hip, off the charts stress, weight gain and being on the road have taken their toll. While I’m doing some light hiking and moving, I’m not “in shape”.

 

CancerRoadTrip Blog

Getting in shape is my numero uno mission behind the scenes.

“Don’t die without embracing the daring adventure your life was meant to be.”    

– Steve Pavlina

 

Behind the scenes, my fitness is now an absolute priority. I want to be present, to experience everything I possibly can, for as long as I can.

 

***

I didn’t know where CancerRoadTrip would lead when I started. The journey has become the blog and now the blog is becoming an adventure beyond me. One that I look forward to sharing with many, both in person and vicariously through the new website.

Cancer challenges and changes our lives. Many of us need to regain trust and confidence in ourselves and our bodies.

We need to plot a new path forward.

We find ourselves with an urgency and renewal of life that only comes from confronting death and the dissolution of all we perceived to be real. Physically, psychologically, socially and spiritually we need to find a new footing, a new way forward, one step at a time.

 

“The power of storytelling is exactly this:

to bridge the gaps where everything else has crumbled.”

– Paulo Coelho

 

When all else has crumbled, it takes courage to move ahead. Courage to face mortality, and then life. Courage to make self care a priority. It takes courage to listen to your heart and soul to possibly follow a new path and create a new story.

If there is any good news about cancer, it is that it can be a wakeup call, to patients, friends and family.

Are you living your best life?

Are you feeding your soul?

 

If you could…

What would you do?

 

And even more importantly,

 

Where would you go?!

 

CancerRoadTrip, Behind-Scenes, blog 2018-Cancer-Road-Trip-Behind-Scenes 2018-Cancer-Road-Trip-Behind-Scenes CancerRoadTrip, Writing a Travel Blog CancerRoadTrip, Writing a Travel Blog2018-Cancer-Road-Trip-Behind-Scenes 2018-Cancer-Road-Trip-Behind-Scenes 2018-Cancer-Road-Trip-Behind-Scenes 2018-Cancer-Road-Trip-Behind-Scenes CancerRoadTrip, Writing a Travel Blog CancerRoadTrip, Writing a Travel Blog2018-Cancer-Road-Trip-Behind-Scenes

 

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More Reading On Traveling With CancerRoadTrip

Traveling With Cancer: A One Year Anniversary
Road Trip!
Thoughts On The Metaphor Of A Road Trip
A Woman Wearing Too Many Hats
An Out of Body Experience: Getting Fit With Cancer

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CancerRoadTrip Blog

 

If you’re interested in learning more about photography (or cooking or film or any number of topics) check out MasterClass All-Access Pass for on-line excellence.

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What is #CancerRoadTrip and how did it come to be? Read this post to get the backstory! 

Follow me on Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram, and at Anti-Cancer Club.  Connect with me!  I may need a place or two to stay along the way!

 

 

The Not So Quintessential Ghost Ranch

The Not So Quintessential Ghost Ranch

I have been waiting to write about Ghost Ranch and Georgia O’Keeffe. What can one say?

It’s stunning; it’s beautiful; it’s inspiring?

That the landscapes O’Keeffe painted are equally awesome in person?

Art lovers plot their pilgrimages to view the landscapes of Georgia O’Keeffe. But they are limited to (a very good) tour of the ranch where the guide matches up O’Keeffe’s paintings with the landscape.

Because, alas, her seven acre house in Ghost Ranch is off limits to the touring public.

CancerRoadTrip, Ghost Ranch, Georgia O'Keeffe,

Guided van tours take visitors to various locations to view some of the vistas that Georgia O’Keeffe made famous in her paintings.

Or at least it usually is.

But as serendipity would have it, I was able to visit the interior of both of O’Keeffe’s houses, at Ghost Ranch and at Abiquiu.

***

Ghost Ranch captivated me from the first time I drove down the long, unpaved drive. A steel gate with the name of the ranch opens discretely at the roadway. From there the road climbs, as the motion of the tires kicks off a dust cloud that moves along with the car.

Washboard, dust and rock wind through the desert in a semblance of a road, up the hill. And then, the landscape that inspired O’Keeffe emerges.

O'Keeffe House, Ghost Ranch, CancerRoadTrip

Moonrise at Ghost Ranch

The beauty is astonishing. My first visit was in winter, and winter may remain my favorite time. The cottonwoods have no leaves; the stream, the Rito del Yeso, is meager and partly frozen; but the landscape stands out, immutable through seasons and time.

O'Keeffe House, Ghost Ranch, CancerRoadTripv

Cottonwoods line the partially frozen stream through Ghost Ranch in winter

I find myself drawn to the area; I can totally understand what O’Keeffe saw in this landscape. But the sheer guts it took to relocate here and live twelve months a year at Ghost Ranch is quite astounding.

In the 1930’s Ghost Ranch was only accessible by a dirt road that wound its way from Abiquiu. There were no signs or markers except for a skull mounted on a fence, which would later become the ranch logo. Yet this remote locale attracted the celebrities of the day, such as Charles Lindbergh, Ansel Adams and John Wayne. Later it would host scientists from Los Alamos. And included in the mix was Georgia O’Keeffe.

CancerRoadTrip, O'Keeffe house in Abiquiu, Ghost Ranch

The old road to Ghost Ranch

Here is some short video on Ghost Ranch (complete with bugs on the windshield!). You’ll notice not only her house, but the red hills–the Chinle formation –that appear again and again in her art; the towering cliffs; and of course the iconic collections of rock and bone.

Visiting both the O’Keeffe houses is an opportunity to see behind the scenes, into the artist’s daily life and perhaps catch a glimpse of her vision. What surprised me most was how different the houses were.

Had I only visited Ghost Ranch, I would have had a very different sense of O’Keefe. I would not have seen the serenity and extraordinary sense of place she created at Abiquiu.

Had I only visited Abiquiu, I would not have understood the true grit her life at Ghost Ranch exemplified, nor her camping and painting forays into areas such as Bisti Wilderness.

Together, both residences offer a glimpse of the incredible range, curiosity and talent of Georgia O’Keeffe.

Click Here To Visit the Ghost Ranch House

Click Here To Visit the Abiquiu House

***

Georgia O’Keeffe’s introduction to New Mexico was through a visit to Taos in 1929, and later through her stays at Ghost Ranch. It was love at first site, and she would return and eventually resettle in New Mexico until her death at age 98 in 1986.

CancerRoadTrip, Ghost Ranch

The American West, Ghost Ranch

Ghost Ranch comprises 21,000 spectacular acres in northern New Mexico, about half an hour north of Abiquiu.

And as history has it, it’s haunted.

It was originally named Rancho de los Bruos (Ranch of the Witches) by the Archuleta brothers, a pair of cattle rustles from the 1800’s. The brothers would steal cattle, lead them up through the stream to hide any tracks, and tuck them away in Box Canyon which was the perfect corral. The sound of the wind whistling through the rocks were rumored to the the wails of men who had sought to reclaim their stolen cattle.

Needless to say, while the property was avoided, it was not haunted.

Nor was it to shunned for long.  In 1928, Roy Pfaffle won the deed to the ranch in a poker game.  Carol Stanley, his wife, recorded the deed in her name and named it Ghost Ranch. When they divorced, she moved to the property and created an exclusive dude ranch that attracted a celebrity clientele.

After O’Keeffe’s first visit in 1929, she returned again and again, renting a house from Arthur Pack, writer and editor of Nature Magazine, each time.  Pack eventually purchased the ranch from Carol Stanley in 1935, and in 1940 O’Keeffe purchased Pack’s house and made Ghost Ranch her home. In 1945, she purchased a house in Abiquiu, about 20 miles south, where she could enjoy a garden and establish her studio. Ghost Ranch then became the “summer house”.

Click Here To Visit the Abiquiu House

CancerRoadTrip, O'Keeffe house in Abiquiu, Ghost Ranch

The front door of O’Keeffe’s Abiquiu House

The Abiquiu house is open for tours; the Ghost Ranch house is not.

Not usually, that is.

However as luck would have it, I was able to tour the property that is otherwise closed to the public. I wasn’t able to take any any interior pictures. But to have the experience of walking in her home, seeing her environment as she saw it and to have stories and art come together was truly a special experience. All my thanks to the Georgia O’Keeffe Museum who made this possible.

O'Keeffe House, Ghost Ranch, CancerRoadTrip

Click Here To Visit the Ghost Ranch House

The power of Georgia O’Keeffe’s paintings draw from the deep soul of the landscape as well as from her imagination. To walk in her steps, to see the views from her house much as she saw them, was an experience that touched me deeply.

I found I could say things with color and shapes that I couldn’t say any other way – things I had no words for.– Georgia O’Keeffe

CancerRoadTrip, Ghost Ranch

Cerro Pedernal, viewed from Ghost Ranch. This was a favorite subject for O’Keeffe, who once said, “It’s my private mountain. It belongs to me. God told me if I painted it enough, I could have it.”

CancerRoadTrip, Ghost Ranch

This is the actual view from the courtyard of her Ghost Ranch house, taken during my visit, July 2018

O’Keeffe expressed her love of Ghost Ranch in a 1942 letter to the painter Arthur Dove:

“I wish you could see what I see out the window—the earth pink and yellow cliffs to the north—the full pale moon about to go down in an early morning lavender sky . . . pink and purple hills in front and the scrubby fine dull green cedars—and a feeling of much space—It is a very beautiful world.”

In addition to the artistic legacy of Georgia O’Keeffe,  Ghost Ranch also includes the Florence Hawley Ellis Museum of Anthropology and Ruth Hall Museum of Paleontology.  It is the site of numerous retreats and workshops. Plus horse trails, hiking trails and a wonderful labyrinth.

CancerRoadTrip, Ghost Ranch

Labyrinth at Ghost Ranch, NM

Plus of course the house where City Slickers was filmed:

O'Keeffe House, CancerRoadTrip, Ghost Ranch

“City Slickers” was filmed here, at Ghost Ranch

Unbeknownst to many, New Mexico is one of the leading sites for film projects, attracting major stars for major productions. Most people are amazed at the breath and sheer numbers of film credits associated with this state. From traditional western to sci-fi, New Mexico is the location behind many well known films. Talk to the locals, and nearly everyone has a film story to tell, as an extra, as a worker on the set, or as an observer. Here is a small selection of films set in Ghost Ranch, New Mexico (click the image to learn more about the movie):

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Ghost Ranch is not just for film buffs. It’s for everyone with an appreciation of history and beauty, whether you come at it from the perspective of geography, outdoor adventure, art, film or travel. It’s a special, timeless place, immortalized in rock and stone, paint and film, with something of interest for everyone.

It’s a “must do” in northern New Mexico.

Click Here To Visit Georgia O’Keeffe’s Ghost Ranch House

Visiting Ghost Ranch

From Santa Fe, the road winds north through Espanola, to Abiquiu and then to Ghost Ranch. Ideally, if you have time, stay at either Ghost Ranch or the Abiquiu Inn and explore a bit. There are also several AirBnB’s in the area.

CancerRoadTrip, Ghost Ranch, O'Keeffe house at Ghost Ranch

From Santa Fe to Ghost Ranch

If time is tight, here are a few thoughts:

Are you into the outdoors or horseback riding? If so, plan to spend the bulk of your time at Ghost Ranch. Stop at The White Place (Plaza Blanca) outside of Abiquiu on your way to or fro.

CancerRoadTrip, Ghost Ranch, O'Keeffe house at Ghost Ranch

The White Place

Into art? Spend a bit more time in Abiquiu, visiting O’Keeffe’s house and connect with The Abiquiu Art Project. Plan ahead for both. House tours for the Abiquiu house are very limited and the Abiquiu Art Project requires reservations and for the artists to be available.

As one starts to explore New Mexico, one discovers the extraordinary depth of culture, history and outdoors. Ghost Ranch is part of that exploration–have fun!

More Reading on Ghost Ranch and the Legacy of  Georgia O’Keeffe

Inside The Georgia O’Keeffe House: Ghost Ranch
Inside The Georgia O’Keeffe House In Abiquiu
Georgia O’Keeffe Country: Abiquiu
Art in Abiquiu: Visiting The Abiquiu Art Project

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CancerRoadTrip, Ghost Ranch, O'Keeffe house at Ghost Ranch

Georgia O’Keeffe’s ladder at her Ghost Ranch House

CancerRoadTrip, Ghost Ranch, O'Keeffe house at Ghost Ranch

If you’re interested in learning more about photography (or cooking or film or any number of topics) check out MasterClass All-Access Pass for on-line excellence.

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What is #CancerRoadTrip and how did it come to be? Read this post to get the backstory! 

Follow me on Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram, and at Anti-Cancer Club.  Connect with me!  I may need a place or two to stay along the way!