Sultry Summer Days - A Short List of Devotions

Anywhere sunsets. I appreciate the ritual of settling my gaze into a shifting sky at the end of each day. It brings out the humble.

Afternoon naps inside shadows, preferably those of an elder tree or a monster bird.

Eating watermelon in open fields on blankets.

River meandering on flotation devices.

Garden mint in water with lemon and tea brewed by the sun.

Songs about colors: tomato reds, lifeboat oranges, canary yellows, fern greens, Caribbean cyan, disco magentas, marshmallow burnt siennas, humpback grays, and polar bear whites.

Maximum Sunshine

It’s summer. I’m donning a short-sleeved banana and papaya-printed shirt. My fists have been filled with local strawberries and cherries. My cheeks are pink. Aside from a fairly consistent wrestling match with space, time, and gravity, I feel delighted by this summer, starting now.

Today’s listicle:

1. Slow water floatation on grand rivers - I prefer paddle boards or canoes with a cooler bag bungied to their bows. In it, the dryest kombucha, salty nuts, and more cherries.

2. Just finished Miranda July’s All Fours, which I recommend to those of you who aren’t too squeamish about wacky foreplay and unconventional relationships. Her perspectives on the aging female body are golden.

3. For even deeper body guidance, I highly recommend Willa Blythe Baker’s book, The Wakeful Body, Somatic Mindfulness As a Path to Freedom. This quote, in particular, grounded my mind, sacrum, and foot pads almost instantaneously:
   
   Be strong then, and enter into your own body;
   there you have a solid place for your feet.
   Think about it carefully!
   Don’t go off elsewhere!
   Kabir says this: just throw away all thoughts of imaginary things,
   and stand firm in that which you are.
   - Kabir
   
   

4. And in the spirit of somatic play, transformative coach and art educator Kellie Maledy and I are hosting a Periphery experience for parent and child couplings. The camp is all about recharging our bonds and focusing our attention. Immersive sensory workshops will blend mindfulness, art, writing, music, and somatic exercises. Check out the lineup and details here.

5. Freeform Portland kicked off its summer fundraiser. If you adore eclectic tunes and gregarious radio hosts and community fueled radio waves, I encourage you to donate some dollars if you can.

6. The Blooms of Uncanny Valley is a new collage project that explores the future of flora in a world facing climate uncertainty. By merging my own photos of flowers with digital manipulation and AI, I create images that depict potential mutations and adaptations. These works blur the line between reality and artifice, reflecting the resilience and adaptability of nature.

7. Indonesian-born Dutch artist Taco Ockerse, known simply as Taco, released his debut album "After Eight" in 1982 under RCA Records. This record features his biggest hit, a synth and New Wave version of "Puttin' on the Ritz" by Irving Berlin. Alongside six classic pop covers, Taco co-wrote five original tracks. Dance it up!

Hello, World!