A fun video I created for The Cloud Appreciation Society.  The video wasrecorded in Wasilla, Alaska, my home town.  Some of the photos are mine, some obtained from the www.  I remember as a young child looking at the clouds and imagining what I could see.  Many of us have the same memory.  As an adult, I continue to look at clouds and see what I can see with my imagination.

What a fun day hanging out together, at Bishop’s Beach then a quick pit stop at the Ocean and Wildlife Center. We also went fishing and hiking at Russian River and each one has a great story to tell.

Cousins and friends, these guys rock!

DeGraffenried/Fishback Cousins

I paid less than $10 for a membership and received a membership certificate and button.

This is one of my favorite pictures on the website.

Morning Glory cloud sweeps in over the Gulf coast of northern Queensland

Lao Ma's Folk Art

While visiting Lao Ma in North Carolina, he took me on a 4.5 mile hike through the woods of Pittsboro. This was one of my most favorite sites, the first of four pieces of folk art he has created over the last three years, since getting Mongo and taking her on walks. Each time he found a ball at the river, he brought it back here to this stump and created a rather fun and distinguished one of a kind, never before seen piece of art. Just one more reason I love Lao Ma.

The other folk art… Beer Cans in Fence, Bottle Grave Yard, Skulls in Tree, Bottles in Bag.

DeGraffenried Brothers, Mark in the middle.

How special his art is, helping individuals, families and communities heal from the loss of their loved ones.

News video and article.

I’m proud to call you my brother Mark.

You can play “Start With The Ending” song here.

And what if life started with death and ended with an orgasm!  How fun would that be. 

This story was emailed to me and it is a great thought!
In my next life I want to live my life backwards. You start out dead and get that out of the way.  Then you wake up in an old people’s home feeling better every day.  You get kicked out for being too healthy, go collect your pension, and then when you start work, you get a gold watch and a party on your first day.  You work for 40 years until you’re young enough to enjoy your retirement.  You party, drink alcohol, and are generally promiscuous, and then you are ready for high school.  You then go to primary school, you become a kid, and you play.  You have no responsibilities; you become a baby until you are born.  And then you spend your last 9 months floating in luxurious spa-like conditions with central heating and room service on tap, larger quarters every day and then Voila!  You finish off as an orgasm! I rest my case.

talking about my daddy?”  Yes.  Anna’s daddy)

is an avid blogger who has inspired me to

be more dilligent to keep up with my blog

more regularly.  Thanks Kevin!

Here is a sample of a blog I found

on his blog.  Very fun and creative.

Other fun diagrams can be found at:  http://indexed.blogspot.com/ 

As requested: the 7 holy (or not) virtues.

After a little hiking, wading across the river and back, we found the best fishing hole ever!  Dana was the expert and caught his limit of salmon in just 10 minutes.  I think he hooked his first one in the first four casts.  He taught me how to do it right then I limited out in short order.  I was thinking that I wanted to keep going, that my fun was over to quickly.  I guess I could have released my fish and kept on going, but maybe next time!

Now I was standing at the edge of the river taking pictures, videos and cheering on the kids.  Dana was a great sport and he coached Christopher, Brittany and Chelsea to catch one fish each.  Here’s a picture of Brittany and her Russian River Red Salmon.  Great job Brittany!!  Such a cute Alaskan girl!  We left with 10 salmon today!  The fish were hot, hot, hot!!  Hope to go back there soon and camp over night.

Taken directly from the book:

“Many of our intuitive desires are nullified by our rational thought or judgment.  Notice how often your inner voice speaks to you, only to be followed by “buts” and excuses for not following you “whims.”  When you make the following statements, stay to the left of the “but.”  In other words, do what you initially say or think, and forget what follows the “but.”  Here are some examples.

“I could really use a vacation, but that would be irresponsible with all this work to be done.”

“I’d love to go to the party, but I need to get up early tomorrow.”

“I know I deserve a raise, but he’ll just refuse.”

“I want to leave this meeting, but I might be criticized.”

“I’d love to ask her to dinner, but she’d probably refuse.”

It was the practice of staying to the left of my “but” that eventually lead to me asking out my professor, and after four years of dating, getting married.  I was leaving campus one day, hungry and heading for off campus food (Taco DelMar to be exact).  I thought, “I’ll see if he wants to go get a bite to eat with me.”  My “but” was something like, “but he’s my professor and I can’t ask out my professor!” 

I knew that I had to go ask him, no matter what social rules applied.  We had made several important and energetic connections, and I liked him.  He appreciated the invitation, and said that it wasn’t a, “No,” but a, “wait.”  Wait until after the class was over, then he would love to go out with me.  We waited 4-5 weeks and it was a great day when we could go out (to Barnes and Noble, meeting in the stacks of books, where to this day, we love to go and hang out together).

If you are working on listening to your intuition and need an exercise so you don’t talk your self out of the strength of your Sixth Sense, staying to the left of your “but” really works.

Like many other 9 year old children, Branden suffered from asthma, and like his father, it had plagued him all of his life.  One of Braden’s lungs filled quickly with fluid for an unknown reason and soon he was only getting 70% of the oxygen he needed to survive.  After arriving at the Emergency Department, he was quickly medivaced to the nearest large hospital that would be able to service his illness.   There just wasn’t time to help our little Braden, nothing that our medical knowledge could do to take the infection away, although they were able to  drain his lungs, which did allow him to have adequate oxygen flowing through his blood.  But that wasn’t enough, nothing would be enough for him today.  The infection spread and quickly caused sepsis, a complete body infection, overwhelming the immune system to the point of death.

My heart is with his mother and father, nanny and papa, cousins, uncles and aunties.  My heart is sad for he had so much ahead of him.  So much life to live.  So many promises of wonderful memory making experiences that his family and friends will never get to experience.  I believe though that Braden will now not have to experience trauma, grief, pain, sorrow, saddness, fear, worry, anxiety or anger.  Now Braden can live for hope.  Now Braden can be an angel to help Our Creator in a special way that we as mortal beings can not.  Braden is with his spiritual family who will take care of him.  He will take care of others and he will take care of his family. 

 May Braden’s family be comforted today, tomorrow and always.  May Heaven’s light fill their hearts and sooth their pain. 

In Memory of Braden J.            Goofy Family Photo July 2005