Life Transplanet

I woke up today to the sweet smell of decomposing mangos.  It’s a thick sweet smell. 

We got up and showered (in cold cool water) and decided to check out the wood house.  We went thru some books that the lady left behind.  Interesting story about the house.  We are beginning to pick up little bits and pieces of the story from items around the house and from things locals are telling us. 

Apparently the lady that owned the house before us (Kathy) died after having a car accident. In the house. And her dog too!  In a hammock in the house no less…..  I wasn’t sure if it was the hammock we asked them to leave there or not, but I took it down just in case.   It seemed….I dunno…Creepy! 

It still looks exactly like this in 2011

Anyhow we were told that she moved down here in the late 80s and lived all thru the 90s.  She was a ‘trust fund baby’ so she didn’t have to work.  From what we can gather she watched movies (VCR) and read quite a few books.  The books and movies are still in the house along with other 80s era items.  Her dishes are still dirty in the sink and the calendar is stuck on september 2001 when she died. 

It’s like the place has been lost in time.   You can just imagine her hanging out, listening to Jimmy Buffet and driving her Jeep to the Calypso resturant with her dog.  The dog in the picture we saw looks like a yellow lab or retriever.  The locals still remember her even though she died 10 years ago.  Not all of their memories are fond however and in fact it sounds like she had a drinking problem and anger issues.  I suppose when you don’t have to work and have money your other issues can get magnified. 

Looking toward the house from the acreage down below

I can’t help but think about that vivid dream I had.   I have this strange feeling that Jack (Cassie’s dad) is helping us from the otherside.  We did ask him to and it is definitely something he would do.   He loved making deals and he liked to help people.  I have a feeling that he met her and once he found out she was from Puerto Rico he saw an opportunity.  The house feels just ‘recently’ vacated in a spiritual sense.   I think he could have made a deal.  She didn’t need the house anymore and she was ‘stuck’ between worlds.  Jack would have offered to help her progress on the other side and ensured that his daughter could take the place. 

And if that’s not what is going on, I think we have a good plot for a story (movie / book ).  Puerto Rico is definitely enchanted.   Sometimes it feels like we are in wonderland.   We were driving down the road and saw a guy raking leaves in a Santa suit.  No, seriously… A Santa suit in the middle of the tropical fricken jungle.

You can’t make this up

We’ve seen some strange stuff and decided we have to take pictures for you to believe it. Otherwise, you would never in your wildest imagination begin to understand the weird, movie-like setting of this island. It’s a cross between Lost, Alice in Wonderland, and Oz all rolled into one, except I don’t THINK we’re dreaming this.

With the book at Banana Dang in Rincon

One of the books we found in Kathy’s things was the book Jonathon Livingston Seagull. It’s the perfect book…and we read it in one sitting at the beach today.

Last night we went out to a Halloween dance party in Greeley. My friends Shana and Marjorie are in a belly dancing group and have performances now and then. This one was a Halloween costume party and everyone was encouraged to come dressed up. Shana dressed as a nun (which is doubly funny since she is Jewish), Britton went in his afro wig as usual, and I dressed up as a bunny rabbit. We saw some other pretty creative costumes like Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds (a flight attendant with diamonds on her outfit), the Mad Hatter, and Smegal (sp) from Lord of the Rings.

Leah (aka Lucy), Shana the Nun and Me the Bunny

Before we left the house I noticed that my black and white bunny outfit looked an awful lot like Schnoodle, so she even got into the festivities:

Schnoodle Rabbit and Cassie Rabbit

Shana changed out of her nun costume into a hoodlum get-up. She says, “I left the habit for the hood”.

Lorena, Shana and Me after Shana’s costume change

Our friends Lorena and Adriana came out with us after the dancing and we had drinks at Coyote’s Grill just a block over from the dance studio.

A bunch of misfits: Britton, Adriana, Cassie, Lorena, Shana, Leah at Coyotes

While we were over at Coyotes we started to see people coming in in black tie attire. At first we thought they had had a costume party too, but no, they were coming from the Greeley Chorale. It was quite the mixture of people. Our group dared me to walk through all the tuxes in my bunny outfit, and I did to their cheers. It was pretty funny.

We took the Corvette out so it was a fun night all in all.

Britton drove the Corvette with an afro

On a side note, I loved my fake eyelashes but I could never wear them daily, what a pain!

Check out these long lashes!

It’s been about a month and a half since my dad passed away.  In that time I wouldn’t say that time has necessarily healed me, but I do start to feel the separation between my dad and I drifting farther and farther away as if we were holding hands in two separate boats and were pulled apart in different directions. As I watch it slowly float away all I can think is how to bring it back together. But it cannot be brought together. That time is gone…

But is it? I still have really vivid dreams with my dad in them and strange occurances happening although not as often as early on. Maybe they are just my mind trying to cope with this loss, or maybe there is something else out there? Maybe there is more to life than just life? I mean, what is the point of inhabiting a body for this short amount of time (in the long scheme of things) for it only to die permanently? If we ask ‘what is death?’, then we would have to ask, ‘what is life?’

Could it be that our consciousness, our strong belief in this physical body reality, limits us from experiencing the unconscious crazy limitless universe -that we actually experience every night in our dreams when we sleep?

This morning I heard my dad talking with me, really faintly as I was in a dozy state of in-between sleep and waking. I asked him to talk more clearly, and he did, but I ended up deep in a dream. Is there something to that? Could it be that access to that “side” is limited to when we are in a subconscious state? Are we cut off from that side of things because we are so tied to believing in this conscious life of the tangible and concrete?

Isn’t it true that everything we know to be real and tangible is but a fleeting moment? A type of energy? Everything we are and see started as a form energy. Most of it from the sun. Our bodies are made of water, and oxygen and the sun. We eat the plants that absorb the sun, and the animals that eat the plants. We are part of that cycle. And if energy never dies only transfers, then what happens when a body does? How do we even begin to understand what this all is?

Could it be that we are just spirits in the material world trying to figure this stuff out?

The Memorial Service for Dad was very nice. Lots of people came, many memories were shared, and I think the slide show video we made was extra special. Here are a few images from the day. Thanks to everyone who came, or was there in spirit.

Father Brian from my mom’s church officiated. Also in picture are my brother, mom and Justin’s girlfriend

Quite a few people came out

Britton is my rock and did great on the technical aspects of the day

I thought this was such a great flower bouquet for Dad

We sang Amazing Grace and the Honor Guard presented Mom with a flag

Afterward we went out to dinner

It was a tough day, but we got through it. I think we did a great job of honoring Dad. Thanks again to everyone who has helped us through this.

http://www.lifetransplanet.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/memorial_web.wmv
Right click and ‘save as’ to download.  38MB

Or

If you are lucky like me, when you just click it Windows Media Player will stream and play it.  It is too large for youtube otherwise we would have posted it there.

Rassling the kids

Family Photo