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"Short Notes" | will's weblog |

| oct 21 - oct 24 | oct 27 - nov 6 | nov 7 - nov 8

november 2000 |

17 nov | Traveling westward last week along Route 20 brought me before one dramatic vista after another. Perhaps most noticable for me was the sheer vastness of space that norCal provided me. There, truly, is nothing that I can compare this to back east. The trip north was actually conducted in two legs. The first was a reconnoiter up the canyon where CA route 16 snaked along the edge of a mostly dry river bed. I followd this as far as Rte 20, then doubled back to Williams and from there to Sacramento. my erstwhile host

The second leg of the trip north took place on Saturday. Me buzzing along roads and not even stopping for photographs (lots of moving vehicle stuff). My intent being to be able to get to the hills well before sunset and then ~hopefully~ to have a chance to do some touring. our valiant steed

As it turned out, I was able to do this with grand style thanks to thoughtful direction from my host. The choice of tour by jeep or atv was a simple one; which would offer greater versatility? From there is was up the ridge line and through the woods until travel by vehicle became impractical and we continued on foot. Eventually coming to a precipice ~and some spectacular views~ we stopped and paid proper homage to Nature.

The next day was followed with a second, more extensive tour through a carefully protected ranch with many side trips and hikes for closer inspections of local fauna, landforms and artifacts. Sometimes, things were unexpectedly funny like the fox, who while initally wary of us, eventually decided we were no threat to him and showed us so by unhurriedly shitting in the middle of a clearing.

Yet never once did we travel the same path.

We broke bread and talked about everything from solar power to the power of collage. And I was able to paint. Everything else from the visit maked this last feat possible.

Altogether, the visit was one that well cleared the mind of so much excess. My thanks to my host(s) and the surroundings for their restorative effects.

16 nov | "If it were clearer, you could see the ocean from the west side of the ridgeline." mendo images

if you see two separate pictures try using NETSCAPE for your browser

Now, what you see here is not in that direction. Not a place to waste photo film, for no matter where I turned the images to capture were there. Yet the batteries on the camera went dead, so the only camera available was memory and ingenuity.

"Butch" | I watched Butch as I ate spaghetti and meatballs at the local "bucket of blood," Butch

a little roadhouse apparently living on its reputation as a wild biker bar from the past, and still home to pool hall habitues, road crew workers and great lookin' Woebegon men. So naturally, I had to draw his picture.

Now, the picture is no great work of art, it took all of a few minutes while sitting at the bar drinking Jagermeister and beer. What is significant is that it has been years since I have been able to do a spate of days of drawing without thinking about it. The visual creative process has started flowing already, and I attribute it in large measure to having had some respite in nature, (more on that though above and below) some time away from phones and faxes, and a chance to truly unwind ...haven't done that in ages. Here's hoping the sketch bug remains.

Regarding travel information on this site | First off, I want to be quite clear that I intend to be evasive about exactly where I was after leaving Sacramento. I went to a somewhere in Mendocino County

private, protected place where folks who get on the land have a respect for that land, who work hard at keeping it pristine, and recognize it as a sacred place. No Micky D wrappers nor shot up road signs there. As such, I am loathe to break that trust for privacy. I just thank my hosts for graciously sharing the beauty they live with daily.

That noted, now is probably a perfect time to respond to the reader who asked I send her "any and all directions for tourists" of places I may go to or have been. to places where I've been. Sorry Ma'm. This is not that kind of travelogue. Either find your own way to a place, use some service like MAPQUEST to provide you a grid for where you want go, or find some MSN hosted travel site that offers readers anything in exchange for enuf cookies to clog your hard drive's arteries. Otherwise, "ya cain't get theah from here!"

But don't look for that kind of travel info here. I won't provided. All that said, the map above is somewhere within 250 km of where I stayed. Furthermore, the photo of the tree below, an arbetus menziesii is one of the many species of trees found in the area, some of record size. And those two clues are all ya get.

15 nov | Mendocino County Reverie | After NARPA was over, I took an altogether much too brief trip to Mendocino County. There I was provided the rare privilege of a guided tour of some fairly well protected ranch lands and the chance to unwind and learn new rituals to calm the soul. I did a couple of small water sketches, as well as a larger work -all landscapes. Some of these shall go up later on as well.

More on facets of the west coast trip as my time frees up over next weekend.

Thanks in particular to the Billys, to Bubba and Kimba.

Extra special thanks for Cody and Mean Uncle Jake for providing a most appreciated respite. Gave a whole new meaning to pulling one's self up by one's bootstraps.

11 nov | NARPA Wrapup | The NARPA conference is over. The occasion well worth the excursion west. My own workshop presentation, too early in the sequence for my liking, went pretty decently anyway. Still didn't rate getting the presentation audiotaped however. Oh well. People did stay later and I had and extended Q&A. Luckily, my workshop ran into the lunch period.

Later this week (probably the weekend) I'll work on putting up a summary of materials I presented at the conference. Other than that, I'll note that all the handouts are of materials -except for one- I already give out to staff and patients. These include:

            • Patients' Rights Handbook
            • rondak.org's human rights web links
            • Connecticut State's Grievance Process materials
            • Recovery Resources Handbook

And beginning in February 2001, I shall begin to make arrangements to do workshops and seminars on Patients' Rights and Grievance Program development. Watch for details on the rondak site

Catch you on the rebound!

~Will Brady

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about "Short Notes"

"Short Notes" was the title of a column I wrote while working for a newspaper in the Adirondack Mountains some years ago. The format was similar to what you'll find here, except augmented with pictures and maps. The subject matter shall sometimes be personal, at other times comments on events or situations of which I am aware. Comments, suggestions welcomed but not always acted upon.

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I hope you've found this site interesting, even thought provoking || Occasionally some images come from commercial sources and are reproduced here under fair use guidelines of US Copyright law || Please don't write to me about the content of other peoples' sites linked from here || On the other hand, please let me know of any inactive links || Constructive comments, suggested links to add, are welcome.

This website is maintained by Will Brady / wbrady@connix.com / Last update: see most recent entry

since 12 June 1999

, returning in time to find crowd of conferees gathering to hear the first speaker of the week ~ Ms. Pat Deegan, who spoke of and provided slides about the history of having been incarcerated in mental hospitals since the days of Dr. Benjamin Rush, considered as the "father of modern psychiatry".