Finally...I bought a throw away camera!

Me ready for bed! Brett climbed to the top & took this pic from the opening of the tree.

Beautiful morning in the redwoods!

This is where we climbed in & out. The piece of wood you see to the right, was placed over the opening once we were inside.

Brett & I at the entrance to the redwood forest. A friend we met (Seth- who will later be in our story again) took this picture. This was actually our last day in Arcata. Notice the mace on my belt loop!

This is how we traveled. Mine is the bike in front. I was usually the "bag lady". Everything we had with us is in this pic. Except Brett's saxophone, which he kept in his Timbuktu, over his shoulders. The National Redwood Forest is in the background. This was the day we biked forever, looking for the ocean.

High at the marsh on a stump 10-10-02

I'm in some surreal world
But really I'm not
It's still called October here
The leaves are still burning
Orange, yellow, red
Burning & reaching my nostrils
I'm calling from some other place
But the sun & the moon
Are still sharing the sky
I feel I'm out
But am still surrounded
In warmth, in green
& also
The air thick with too much evil
Too little love

I left & am now
Living
Like you said
So much more
Everyday

Day?
What's in a day?
My day's the dirt & rare coffee
Flying down the hill every morning now
So fast the air
Whips by & I'm
Bawling
The air has blinded me, me laughing hysterically

& you're here
We've left. We're gone
But still there
'Cause it's God
& God is always there

In the bugs & the tree &
The gold on yr skin. The
Life in your eyes
Never failing
Like the sun always eventually
Making it's appearance

But wait. Wait!
Let's be still
Not move for hours, for
Anyone, anything
Let's be here but be gone
Minds entwined
To create

& love God

Some writings done while in Arcata....

This writing was done at the free food place. The first time we went there to eat.

More people pilin' in but I just wanna' stay in my box gettin' louder now tryin' to keep to-with-in-myself coffee gettin' a little cooled off drink it up & get some more they've all obviously been here before maybe every day wanna' be sittin' amongst warm colored trees with leaves flyin' down next to me playin' guitar & still inside my box my mind now I hear a piano didn't know there was one 'cause I've never been here before someone playin' it around the corner can't see but can definitely hear drink it in some guy is overwhelmed by the saxophone it seems & I want more coffee now on my third cup & the man around the corner is unfortunately playin' **** I've heard a million times before smells stale rotten lovely some other man is singin' loud beautiful deep dark man don't know where the one person I know has gone but I continue to write as another man joins in the vocal sounds oh- the one I know is back & for some reason the people across us are kissin' on eachother sun shinin' through the curtains for some reason I suddenly smile.

Sun 10-6-02

Chilled at Mariah's from like noon-4 (she had to work), made our last box of Annie's & got high a few times. Our breakfast this morning was apples (not yet ripe) from some tree. After Mariah's, we went behind some building to see if we couldn't set up the tent for a second try. We had tried the night before. Then I bought us some "herbavore" pizza. Mushies, tomatoes, artichoke hearts, peppers. It was **** good. We waited half an hour for it & right as I was going to get it, Brett says he's goin' for a walk. So I get the pizza & start eating. I thought maybe Brett was just goin' to pee, but it was takin' forever, so then I thought maybe he went to get some soy to drink. Anyway, he came back & I guess he was on the building we were sitting under. So he was right above me the whole time. But um, while I was sittin' there by myself, eating, I imagined someone (or some people) comin' up to me & asking for some pizza. I imagined how much I would not want to give any up, because I was enjoying it so much. Then, whaddaya' know- some kid walks up & asks for a piece in exchange for a tape or something! I gave him a piece of mine & we took up his offer & he gave us a tape of live Grateful Dead. As he left & said, "Well, I gotta' head up to my camp," I thought- wouldn't that be ****** up if he was the dude that took the tree!? Cause I had a feeling he was. Then Brett says somethin' like, "That was the guy in the tree yesterday." & we both freak out & head up to the tree as fast as we could. But we also stopped at a grocery & Brett got some soy & bought us a banana & 2 candy bars. We got to sleep in the tree! We listened to that tape & it was SO nice for a while, 'cause we haven't listened to music all that much lately. We freaked out earlier, listening to Goo at Mariah's.

Just saw some weird **** as I was waitin' for Brett to get our coffee. Some kid posted some **** on the door of the building & me & some woman were readin' it- now I'm over hearin' some girl talk about it.- Anyway, the students (to register) have to have their fingerprnts & photographs taken & something else, for international security reasons. & if they don't comply, they get punished- loss of financial aid & somethin' else. I can't remember. Then there's like 3 seals on it. One of the white house & president Bush is the signer. Although it's typed. The woman was like, "I'd see if it's legit." Whatever. I think the end MIGHT be beginning!

I guess we're ******* bombing Iraq! ******! No!!! It ******* sucks & I feel rotten for living in America. I guess also, that one of the reasons Bush gave his national televised speech, was that, well, he (or one of 'em-or some ****) tried to kill my daddy once. WHAT THE ****!? That's THE most selfish reason for going over & bombing, KILLING a million innocent people. In God we trust my ******* ***! Mariah ran into us & I guess there's gonna' be some rally at noon. A lotta' ******' good that's gonna' do. Brett & I were just about to smoke a bowl, but he had to go to the bathroom, so now I'm waitin' in between some trees, watchin' our things. I hope my mom ain't freakin' out. She probably will once I call her. She'll probably want me to come home. I'm not.

I just finished praying. I'm watching our stuff again. Brett said he had to go back. He had something to say. "What if you don't come back?" I ask. "Just pray," he says. So I did. We went to the rally. Good poetry. A bad band. Brett commented on a poster that read: There's a terrorist behind every Bush. Then he laughed & said, there's 2 of 'em behind us. I looked at the 2 men that didn't seem to fit in. All suited up & ****. A girl walks up to the mic. Brett says, "see, look at 'em." & he starts to walk up to the mic. I follow. One of the men tries to move the woman. To shove her over. She gets on the mic. The man does too. Brett walks up & turns off the mic. He says something but I can't hear him. The man says, "I'm the FBI." Brett looks at the crowd & points to the man & says "FBI, FBI!" I shout, "We're not gonna' listen to you!" Some hippie man grabs Brett like, "NO! Let him speak. Let him dig his own grave." We turn around to leave, me shouting "Blah, blah, blah!" Now we're sitting in the woods & Brett's pissed because he says he didn't do what he was supposed to do for God. He says he heard one of the dudes behind us doin' a mantra. Sayin' the **** under his breath. He says we were there in that same corner of them 'cause he was supposed to **** w/him. Which he did spiritually. Tellin' him he's gonna' burn in hell forever & how does it feel? The guy heard him spiritually. So now Brett's freakin' out & I'm kinda' scared & this town is TOO small! Brett said when he went back there, there were cops all over & the people weren't even talkin' about it anymore. They were talkin' 'bout lesbian rights or somethin'. Brett says the girl they stopped probably had a mark on her. Was probably on their list for other reasons & that gave them the reason to stop her. The **** the one guy started saying... "This is a theatre group, it's all staged..." Brett says he's heard before. Anyway, I gotta' stop writing now.

We're back at the marsh. The place w/all the trees to sit on. We got high & now Brett's playin' some crazy sax & I just got done pickin' blackberries & havin' a treat. On our way out of the woods, some guy walked by us. We had changed shirts. (Well, Brett did. I just took my glasses off & put a scarf on my head.) Anyway, this guy looked just like the youngest cop in this town. & he was walkin' like a cop & had the glasses on. & now I'm just hopin' I can take us out soon, to the vegetarian cuisine place.

Brett came & picked berries w/me. He kept callin' 'em blueberries & so I kept correcting him. We smoked more & left. On our way to the veggie place, Brett stopped to see the hours of the place we get free food from. They were open, he got bread. I got bread. Then we biked to Safeway & got some **** to put on the bread. Bread, bread, bread! Blah blah------weeeeeeeeee! (& we had snickers) :)