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The Fandango Trance

Imagine a stampede of bulls. But not just any stampede, a stampede of bulls accompanied by poetic verse and melodious Jaranas. A stampede that ferries one into a state of trance. Sometimes syncopated sometimes not. And in that state, in order to really know the rhythm, PAY CLOSE ATTENTION TO EYES.

I give you the Spell of the Fandango!

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Dia De Los Muertos – Galleria II

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The preparations for Dia de Los Muertos – Day of the Dead – got underway yesterday, only four days before the actual observance of the festivities. Here are a few shots from the Plaza in Xalapa Veracruz.

    Dia de Los Muertos – Galleria The preparations for Dia de Los Muertos - Day of the Dead - got underway yesterday, only four days before the actual observance of the festivities. Here are a few shots from the Plaza in Xalapa Veracruz.

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I’m sitting with two vastly different ‘things’ colonizing my mind. The first and chief of all is the punches of rhythm packed in Mercado de los Corotos. An album by Augusto Bracho, whose performance from the night previous is now cemented as a fond memory. I’ll get back to that performance in a second. The second ‘thing’ that has taken root in my mind is Ivan’s simple allusion to the songs of Xalapan birds that resemble crows, Pichos. He referenced their songs with gentle familiarity. Almost as if he would, if he could, pick them off a playlist for an afternoon stroll or a people watching session in the Plaza.

  For my afternoon stroll and people watching session in the Plaza, I resolve to play some Augusto Bracho with the same gentle familiarity if only to summon the energy of this Welder of Rhythms. The truth is, my introduction to Augusto Bracho is fairly resent. It was not until a few nights back, swaying to the persuasions of Mezcal that Ivan exposed to me to his voice. An exposure that was inspired by me playing Tu Si Sabes Quererme by Natalia Lafourcade and pointing out the frizzy haired, darker skinned, bespectacled Augusto Bracho resembled Ivan in appearance and musicianship. A gentle familiarity. Ivan pulled out his cellphone and played  El Rey Del Pecado Frito . I guarantee you will be swayed! You will be moved!

Augusto Bracho and Martin Bruhn at the Cantinazo de Augusto Bracho 10/24/2018, Mexico City

At the Cantinazo de Augusto Bracho in Mexico City last night, we were witness to the mysterious figure of the genius of a musicians imagination.  Alongside Martin Brunh and a sold out Cantina that participated with every breath, Augusto Bracho ripped and criss crossed his cuarto the same way Ivan does with his Jarana! A huge persuasion to my embarking on this Son Jarocho adventure!

  Here is a short clip of some of the first half performances.

https://vimeo.com/297175076

    The Welder of Rhythms – el soldador de los ritmos I'm sitting with two vastly different 'things' colonizing my mind. The first and chief of all is the punches of rhythm packed in 

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  That morning, the air was cold enough that passing up a cup of morning Joe from Rino’s infamous Crema Coffee House was out of the question. The donuts from, who knows where, had a similarly irresistible allure. Perhaps a desire also driven by the not so brisk morning air and light fog that lingered as one motorcycle after another roared into the parking lot across from Erico Motorsports for Denver’s Edition of the Distinguished Gentleman’s Ride.  

Caferacer at Denver’s Distinguished Gentleman’s Ride 2018

The Distinguished Gentleman’s Ride takes ‘Riding Dapper’ to new heights in the streets. But most importantly, the swarms of suit-cladded men and women cruise the streets to call attention to Prostrate Cancer and Men’s Mental Health. Founded in Sydney, Australia by Mark Hawwa, the movement has taken root in over 650 cities across the globe with a stronghold of over 120k men and women. In their classic, vintage motorcycles, these gentlefolk channel their Mad Men’s Don Draper and Steve McQueen and raise money towards these causes.

MENTAL HEALTH

Mental Health is a global issue and it is about time we are all sensitized to it. It is more so prevalent amongst men in that it can very easily go unchecked or unaddressed simply because of the ‘shame’ that it carries. Lets face it! Men as supposed to be strong and fearless along with a host of other machismo attributes that are part of some unspoken social contract. As a result, a lot of men suffer in silence and eventually self distract plummeting further into mental illness or yielding to suicide as an escape. Face this, 3 out of every 4 suicides men. How about this for perspective, Movember affirms that there are about 60 male suicides every minute! About 510,000 every year! From personal experience, there have been times when I have felt STUCK and battled through that grime myself. When I wished I had the space to release all of it.

If you have a buddy that may be having challenges, here are a couple of resources that can help.

HEY BRO, LEMME HALA AT YOU!!

HEY BRO, I MISS YOU 

If you yourself might be feeling a little grey. Here is a small resource for you. 

GREY DAYS 

PROSTRATE CANCER

Cancer is scary, period! Prostrate Cancer is a lot more scary because it creeps up and goes undetected, symptomless until its almost too late. It has an increased occurrence in black men and men from all walks above the age of 45. Still all men are highly at risk! Take some time to visit a doctor and endure the discomfort for a piece of mind!

Here are some things you need to know about Prostrate Cancer. 

    I made a few friends that day and came out feeling more confident that I, you, we don’t have to fight any battles in the dark.

I made a few friends that day and came out feeling more confident that I, you, we don’t have to fight any battles in the dark.

      Distinguished Gentleman’s Ride That morning, the air was cold enough that passing up a cup of morning Joe from Rino's infamous…

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Go to Moab

“Hey! Look! Here I am where I have always been!” This sentiment is etched with unbridled conviction in Moab. In this hypnotic landscape, rock walls, even water soaked sand beds express life flamboyantly! These rocks, these walls couldn’t be more undead. I’ve thought a lot about writing about last weekends retreat to south eastern Utah. If I followed through, I would have too many words. Moab is…

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Salmon Delight Sandwich

Earthlings, I give you the Salmon Delight. The answer to my Sandwich quest for the week. As I trolled the internet yesterday waiting in line at the ER, I uncovered ALPINE SANDWICHES. Look them up. This fortuitous discovery from in between the infinite folds of the inter-webs steered my gastro curiosities to challenge myself to this wonderful creation. So here goes this beautiful abomination!

Serv…

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Gothic Mountain - Crested Butte

Gothic Mountain – Crested Butte

Im still holding onto Fall by staring at these shots taken at Gothic Mountain in Crested Butte. There is no place like Crested Butte to be audience to a change of seasons so glorious. Enjoy these shots.

DCIM100MEDIADJI_0004.JPG

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There is no longer question in my mind that Glacier National Park is the land of abundance. Especially not after the fishing backcountry trip I just emerged from this past weekend to Elizabeth Lake, in the Belly River Trail/ Region of this great National Park. The 11.1 mile hike to the head of the lake along the Belly River Trail was lined with a dense underbrush of thimbleberry bushes on which tall, well spaced (worth noticing ) pine and spruce nested. Seemingly brave Ptarmigan, crisscrossed the trail indifferent to our heavy feet as we rushed to set up camp and cast our lines before nightfall. Huckleberry-rich bear scat punctuated the trail every half mile or so as the river coursed, crossed and hugged the trail every mile or so. The vista’s abundance in sheer beauty could only be tainted by the lingering smoke that ghosted the entire valley as it did in most of the Montana. If your spirit is attuned to Nature’s gifts, there is so much for you in Glacier National Park.

It didn’t take much convincing when Steven called a few months back and asked whether I wanted to join him on a backcountry fishing trip to Glacier National Park. To be fair, he would actually have said, ‘put some hurting on a lake’. Steven and I met about five years ago slinging plates at a restaurant in Denver. Slinging plates eventually led to one of the most epic camping backcountry pilgrimages of my life which culminated in a bear incident in the Canadian rockies of Banff National Park.  Steven is a soft spoken, even toned, fearless, outdoors man. And he is damn good angler. It was on this said epic trip that I cast my very first line into the glacial waters of Berg Lake. That wasn’t great fishing, we could only come up with hand sized brook trout which we shamefully kept and cooked trader joe’s dehydrated curry food bags. It was messy, but it was memorable. Fast forward and Steven has since moved to Michigan but our brotherhood has prevailed against time and distance. 

Perhaps this trip was a do over. If Berk Lake in Banff was bad fishing. Then there are no words for our fortune at Elizabeth lake. After 11.1 miles of arduous hiking , we dropped our bags, set up camp, hooked our lures and whipped our rods into the lake. Sure enough, within the first couple of casts, Adam, Sam, Steven and I,  attracted some aggressive nibbles. Within the first ten minutes we had caught a couple of pan sized rainbow trout. Exhaustion had gotten the better of us and all five of us retired into the night. Excited and spent!

The next morning was an Angler’s dream. We rose early with the sun. The eerily still water was blanketed with dense mist and fog. But you could still see your lure flatter through the water as you reeled it in from a distant cast. One after the other we pulled fish out. Mostly rainbow trout, but also arctic grayling in the ration of 5:1. Osprey and bald eagles that coasted the air above us were not left behind either. One after the other they dove into the water and emerged with talons full of fish. Abundance.

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“Hey Steven, how many bears are out here? ” 

The awareness of the abundance of bears in Glacier hit home at snack time as Steven disemboweled a rainbow trout and we were faced with the conundrum of how we were to transport the bear bait back to the cooking station at camp. As the thought of bears sat with us, the more terrified we became, the more cognizant we were of the fact that were practically fish at that point. 100 fish and counting, the whole process of catching and releasing ensured that we were doused in all kinds fish juices. I thought of my hammock – ‘bear burrito’ – and let out a nervous laughter. Fuck!  Eventually we mustered some collective courage, chopped up the fish, buttered, salted and peppered the fish and cooked them with delicious precision. Nothing ever tasted better. Abundance.

Preparing rainbow trout on the shores of Lake Elizabeth

The night seemed to have countless hours. I cradled the bear spray and re-read the instructions over and over again for understanding. In my hammock, I peaked through my sleeping bag at the stars that filled the sky and tried my best to ignore the approaching shuffling and grunting in the woods coupled with howling from a distant. The only saving grace of being in that hammock was that I was perched right above the thickest thimbleberry bush that was fruity. The berries were so juicy they would crumble if not handled delicately. So in my terrified state,  I would ever so often reach out and gently retreat my fishy hand full of treats into my mouth.

The night eventually turned into day. It was abundant. Our intent to ‘put some hurting on the lake’ drove us back to the shoreline. We fished and recounted our individual terrors from the day before. We delighted in the fact that we all peaked from the Magic Mushrooms we had consumed the day before at the same time. We thought that was magical. We shared our perceptions of the majestic forest, mountains and lake  that were the canvases of our ‘trip’.

We were thankful for Glacier for providing abundantly.

  Abundance in Glacier National Park There is no longer question in my mind that Glacier National Park is the land of abundance.

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You don’t curves until you put a dragon between your legs!

Zabibu : One month of Riding You don't curves until you put a dragon between your legs!

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Ride Your Bike; Make Love to Your Girlfriend

Ride Your Bike; Make Love to Your Girlfriend

When I first became pregnant with the desire to ride a motorcycle, I was propelled by the conviction that the roars of the two wheeled machine would free my spirit. I knew that air rushing around my body would elevate my consciousness. I wanted access to other parts of my ‘self’ through escape. And so far, I have engaged in conversation with so many parts of my person that life had muted. So far,…

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STRETCH YOURSELF FURTHER this Weekend @bullworkerfitness #isobow #getoutside #outdoors #nature #flexibility #igkenya #igfitness #fitness #ocean #sandiego #lajolla (at La Jolla, California)

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. This one really moved me. Give Thanks for Every Sunrise that you are a part of! The gift of life that we share with each other here on earth. Cherish and Have Fun with it. #sunrise #rockclimbing #igkenya #safari #vacation #travel #mtkenya #batian #hiking #batianpeak #lenanapeak #backcountry #hiking #rastasthatclimb #suitntie #climbingoutside #wallclimbing #blackclimbers (at Mt. Kenya National Park)

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5days in the Mount Kenya’s Wilderness. - After 10 pitches, snow and ice stopped my advance towards the top of Batian Peak, Mt. Kenya’s True Summit and a magnificent and larger than life Volcanic Pinacle. I have promised Batian another play date latest January 31st 2019. This time I will be more purposeful with my timing. #rockclimbing #igkenya #safari #vacation #travel #mtkenya #batian #hiking #batianpeak #lenanapeak #backcountry #hiking #rastasthatclimb #suitntie #climbingoutside #wallclimbing #blackclimbers (at Mount Kenya National Park)

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We just came out of the Bush! Two Day Tented Camping Safari in Tarangire National Park and Ngorogoro CraterConservation Area! My heart, mind and spirit are Stretched. Let’s say I am INSPIRED ! I will Share some amazing photos in a week or so, for now, Mt. Kenya has invited me to Commune with the heavens. I pray for good fortune. #tarangirenationalpark #ngorogoroconservationarea #ngorongorocrater #immigration #igkenya #tanapa #igtanzania#travelblogger #travel #safari #eastafrica #vscokenya #vsco #colorado (at Namanga Border)

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Hands Down to Zanzibar! Tomorrow we go on a two day SAFARI to Tarangire and Ngorogoro. Thank you Zanzibar for the lesson that life can be, should be, IS Delicious ! #zanzibar #auricair #vacation #portrait #smallplanes #tanzania #arushabound #africa #travel #safari #tanapa #tarangire #tarangirenationalpark #ngorongoro (at Arusha, Tanzania)

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Ahsante Sana Nungwi!! #nungwi #zanzibar #vacation #igkenya #igtravel (at Mnemba Island, Zanzibar, Tanzania)