I've Landed in Bisbee!

It's true...I have left the "safe haven" of familiarity in California after residing there since 1963, and moved to the high desert wildlands of Southern Arizona. All I can say is WOW. Did I really do this? Yeah I did! And, I was more than ready.

My thanks for introducing me to Bisbee go to my friend Robert - a former love of mine from our Mendocino days 25 years ago. He left California in 2002 and bought a 100 year old miner's cabin perched on the side of one of the steep hills in this canyon of Old Bisbee (accessible by many stairs). I'd been telling him that I wanted to explore beyond the borders of California and he suggested I might really enjoy it here. Well, this summer I rented a car to drive across the scorching (like 116 degrees at 10 p.m. scorching) deserts from Southern California and rolled into Bisbee in early June. By the end of June, I had moved here!

I do love California and always will. It's a beautiful and diverse state, and I've been blessed to have lived in and photographed some of the most beautiful parts of it - the amazing village of Carmel, the San Francisco Bay Area, Healdsburg in the Sonoma Wine Country, Mendocino Coast and Sacramento in the Great Central Valley. Yep, I've seen what people spend their hard-earned vacation money to come and enjoy for only a few days every five years - or ever. I have read many of the historical novels, learned a lot of the history, and explored the original paths that the early settlers tread when they first came to the Golden State to strike their fortunes during the Gold Rush. And, of course, I have made many lifelong friends I left behind (physically, anyway). Funny, every time I talk with them they say "when are you coming home?".

Here in Bisbee, it's as though I have stepped back in time. It's a unique place - kind of ramshackle in many ways. But, there's a spirit to the place and the people that is so refreshing. Bisbee reminds me of what Nevada City, California was like in the 70's when I had lived there. Funky, artistic, beautiful scenery and full of people there because they really want to be. And, most importantly, the people are committed to a better way to BE in the world. 

As far as supporting myself here - well, that's an interesting experience. There doesn't seem to be any particular job that schedules more than a 5 hour shift at a time - and at that, not more than one or two days a week. I seem to have landed here during the slow season, which is exactly the opposite of how the seasons go in California. The summer - the slow season? How can this be? But, it's true. Maybe it has something to do with the desert heat, the distance from pretty much anywhere (1 1/2 hour drive from Tucson - the nearest large city), and the dramatic but dangerous monsoon storms, which happen for a couple of months throughout the summer. You don't want to be caught in a flash flood around these parts - or struck by lightning. It's interesting to walk into town, see big beautiful billowy clouds and all of a sudden be caught in a deluge of rain. I like it.

There's more - lots more. I just wanted to put my thoughts into words...maybe to pinch myself to believe I'm really here. I think I'll stay awhile....