Transitions

Life has it's ways of transforming and changing one's perception of reality. Like water seeking it's lowest level, life has it's natural, and sometimes seemingly unnatural cycles and we as simple humans can only attempt to adapt. Each of us must face tragedy in our lives, events that seem to be part of the natural cycle of life and those that seem to be apart from what is supposed to happen. On January 29th, 2007, I lost my friend and lover in an auto accident. Gina and I had grand plans for our life in the Southwest with me painting and her selling Indian jewelry. Also on January 29th, I learned that my father was dying of the cancer that he had so bravely fought for the last year and a half. My dad passed away on the evening of February 20th. A Korean War vet, he worked hard all of his life, raising 4 of us boys and teaching us the joy of fishing, Texas style BBQ, and good manners.

On my last trip to Texas to see my dad, I was walking along the Medina river with my brother Tim, cousin Koni, and my uncle Joe. We began skipping rocks across the surface of the water, seeing who could be first to skip a rock enough times to reach the other side. It seems to me that life is much like a rock which is skipping across the water. If the rock is the right shape, and is thrown at just the right speed and angle, and without hitting the wrong ripple, it skips many times and reaches the other side. Life has many ripples and it is hard finding that perfect rock.

Unless life has another unforeseen ripple for me, future plans include moving back to La Boca Ranch in Southwest Colorado to build my strawbale house and art studio. I want to live closer to the earth, grow my garden, paint, and continue the search for that perfect rock.

In the meantime, I've got all my painting equipment packed up and won't be able to paint for sometime.

If you'd like to learn more about building with straw, solar energy, and reducing greenhouse gases, visit my La Boca Vista website which is a documentary of my sustainable house plans, construction, and information on global warming.

For the vast McElroy clan, a little on-line memorial to the day we said goodbye to one of our own. Here

And for my Gina. Here