Wild Mustang: Lover of Soul and Inviter to the Dance

Encountering the Woods of New Zealand Standing deep in a forest in New Zealand Looking up at the majestic trees Encountering the verdant ferns Listening to the strange call of birds I had never heard before. I wondered how I am to take all this in. Should it be as one who consumes? As one who tries to absorb and enjoy all I can Taking as many pictures, Collecting as many memories as possible. Perhaps. I do want to take it all in and record and remember Should it be as one who notices? Who simply observes The height of the trees The flight of the birds The green of the undergrowth The colors of the flowers The soil and leaves under my feet. Focus my mind and eyes on simply seeing. Perhaps. I do want to notice what is before me, to truly see And not miss anything. Should it be as one who is simply present? Who moves out of the head and into breath? Who feels the energy of the great forest? Who stops thinking about the next a

Good Friday and Easter – Mammals vs Birds in New Zealand             The only mammals in New Zealand before humans came around 800 years ago were bats. Birds were the predominant species, occupying the place of mammals in the ecosystem.   The kiwi bird of New Zealand evolved to be a flightless bird because it had no reason to fly.   Nothing was chasing it or trying to get its eggs.             The first humans were the Maori, a Polynesian people.   With them came rats. Rats quickly multiplied, began wreaking havoc on the finely balanced ecological system.   The moa, a large flightless bird weighing around 500 pounds was hunted to extinction by the Maoris. Europeans came in the late 1700’s when Captain James Cook circumnavigated and mapped New Zealand. Settlers began to arrive in the early 1800’s and New Zealand joined the British Commonwealth in 1840. Most of the settlers came from Great Britain and imported rabbits for hunting. Rabbits do what rabbits do and quickly multipli

The Chickens and Jesus             The first week of our trip to New Zealand we experienced life in RVs. Instead of a hotel, we were able to set up camp right in the midst of the beauty of New Zealand.   Our first night we stayed outside of Auckland in a campground that was on a farm. Sheep. Cows (who were quite loud in the morning waiting for their food). Two huge draft horses. Pigs. Guineas. And chickens.   These chickens were definitely free range, roaming all over the farm and all over the campground section of the farm.             That evening we decided to have sandwiches for supper – peanut butter or ham. We made a stop earlier at a grocery store in Auckland and made a significant contribution to the New Zealand economy. We were sure to get the adult beverages.   My son Drew and I have a goal to sample as many of the beers of each country we visit, and we take this task very seriously.   We were ready for the evening.             We set up camping chairs in a circle