Soul Searching & Urban Exploration

May 19, 2013

This afternoon we watched a beautiful black stingray swim into a calm cove we were sunbathing in. At least 50 people gasped at the sight in awe; nature was before us in a very up close and personal way.  As I thought to myself, how cool it was to see something so natural and rare…my moment of bliss was ruined as a child picked up a rock and threw it at the sea creature. Instantly I yelled, “stop that…why would you?” My voice fell on deaf ears, the child bent over grabbing another rock to strike the animal again. No one else seemed to care; the child did not even look back at us before he hurled the stone at the stingray again, missing it this time as animal quickly swam back out to sea. Ross chimed in with “Hey kid I would not do that again if I were you!” The boy laughed while gaining some cheap admiration from the other children around him; all the while we were disgusted with his behavior and the lack of concern from any other adults around. 

The lesson learned from this is that children are not connected to nature in the same way that I was as a kid.  Outside was my paradise! Climbing trees, swimming, playing in the dirt were all things I did to release energy; I didn't know at the time but now I can say that was how I relaxed. Some of you may disagree but being a kid is stressful….it was for me….and today I can only imagine it is worse. Today our ideas of summer camps exclude education about plants and animals in exchange for fat camp and computer camp. Let’s be honest and call them what they really are: a few weeks of parental vacation. My parents signed me up for sports for the social interaction with other children; making me appreciates the outdoors for as long as possible. They did not pressure me to become the next super star of blah, blah activity. In today’s society recess time is being cut, intramural sports are viewed as a waste of academic time, and playing in the neighborhood is seen as dangerous by most parents.

As modernity and technology take over our world we must not forget that having a strong connection to nature’s beauty is crucial. Otherwise disconnect will continue to grow, as will children’s lack of understanding about where things come from.  Belief that food comes from the grocery store rather than a farm, the idea that the only thing that grows on trees is money because they have no clue what value is, and the belief that science holds all that answers. Would making your children turn off their Ipad’s when driving along scenic road laced with mountains and creeks be a better option? Perhaps swap a trip to the amusement park for a camping trip, where they can be taught not to fear the creepy crawly things? Educate them of nature’s dangers while showing them how to embrace the beauty of its creation. Preservation & Conservation are KEY!  If you share these concerns I recommend reading “Last Child Left in the Woods” it will shed more light on this topic and surely open your eyes to this rapidly growing concern.   

May 20, 2013

Stock Image

 They say that home is where the heart is….the origin of that saying is unknown to me but I know it’s a common expression used when someone is experiencing feelings of sadness related to being away from our comforts and conveniences of home.

As a child I rarely remember such a feeling. Although I had a number of friends that could never sleep over the entire night, they would get sad, or scared, leading to a late night phone call to their parents requesting to be picked up. Perhaps these feelings are unfamiliar because we moved  so often; I adapted quickly to change, or  my home-like comforts were simple objects like a pillow or doll. I feel, you make your home wherever you find joy. What I consider home has little to do with comforts and conveniences and more to do with being with someone who makes me feel safe, full of life, and free to express myself in whatever fashion I feel like at any moment.

To my surprise I'm feeling a little “homesick,” with that comes feelings of confusion and weakness. Why now? After being gone for about a month and a half?  Is it because I have no daily routine here? Or that I am living, for the most part, stress free?  It is odd to believe that I feel more at home when I am in a state of panic, with constant concern and something to bitch about.  DING…that’s it! I'm not ‘homesick’ I'm uncomfortable being “freedom rich.” 

Is there anyone else out there that feels they stray away from change because they would lose the ability to complain? That they would feel unlike themselves because we have grown so accustomed to running around chasing deadlines. Did we forget how blessed we are to be alive? Life is not supposed to be the “woe is me” story, although we feel we are trapped in one.

Our true home is the present moment. If we really live in the moment, our worries and hardships will disappear and we will discover life with all its miracles.

Real life can only be found and touched in the here and now. This is because the present moment is the only moment we can actually experience and influence. The past is over and the future has not yet arrived. Since the present moment is the only real moment for us, we can always return here to get in touch with the wonders of life.

As long as we are consumed with our everyday problems, distress about the present, holding regrets about the past, or constantly worrying about the future, we cannot be free people; we are not able to live in the here and now.  I encourage you to break free with me and start living as if each day is another day in paradise, doing whatever you can to free others from their daily anguish. 

May 21, 2013 

Have you ever heard of ‘urban exploration?’ I had not either! Ross stumbled across it on Reddit.com awhile back when looking at some pictures of the Chernobyl nuclear accident sight in Russia. Basically, it is when you go explore an area that once was urban and since has been abandoned for either reason’s known, like in the Chernobyl case, or perhaps unknown like in our experience. 

Rainy cold weather makes getting out of the house nearly impossible, which enhances feelings of cabin fever.  When not painting or reading, watching TV is not really an option because we only get three channels that can be translated into English. Since our arrival in Calpe we have watched seasons one through four of The Sopranos to pass the time. Today we took the weather with stride adventuring out of the house for a while.  We decided to give ‘urban exploration’ a try, considering the number of run down, abandoned properties we have passed when driving through the countryside.  I should have known that the cold wet day would add to the eerie creepiness of this type of exploring. 

Bar Area

As we walked into the first building, it looked like a kitchen except it was dark, damp, cold and smelled of mildew. I felt a cold gust of wind, giving me goose bumps from head to toe. The ceilings were caving in, the floors littered with trash and debris. In another room we found liquor and wine bottles scattered but not broken, some empty, some still full.

Seating for patrons 

There were broken card tables, napkin holders, and menu boards. The more we investigated we concluded this was an abandoned bar/restaurant.  The shelves were falling off the green painted walls. Dust coated every item we touched. There was a large calendar hung on the wall, a dated business transaction log, and stacks of newspapers that stated the year 1992.



Twenty years ago for some reason this place was closed down and it was never thoroughly cleaned out, yet it was not trashed from vandalism either. I’m sure it had been a safe haven for a few homeless and a gold mine to any wino, due to the amount of alcohol left behind.  The most interesting items we found included old Spanish coins, the outside toilet with intact vintage TT paper, and a crate of mineral water, in which the minerals had actually crystallized making them visible in the bottles. It was like walking back in time, our imagination filling in reasons why it could have been closed and left this way.

                                                                                                                                         

Workshop Bench

The second place we wandered through was a deserted house. As we walked onto the property we saw an empty, overgrown pool with the rusted ladder still in place. It was full of leaves, a layer of algae glazed water, and broken tree limbs.  The lot was rather large; it seemed to have been used for crop growing since the once neat rows of olive and almond trees were hard to identify. We turned the corner to enter the building from the back side, yelling “hola” in case a scavenger had made this their residence.

I dare you to eat those olives!

There was a large workshop bench that held hundreds of mason jars. I assume they canned their own produce because there were still a few jars full of olives. Over the years nature has taken back this space because vines covered in thorns and weeds took over the walls, ceiling and floors. Again this space was littered with trash, speckled with broken glass. Above the fireplace hung a framed portrait of Jesus Christ.  The bedroom still set up for living with an old wooden dresser, closet- containing jeans and jackets, and multiple mattresses stacked on top of one another. Just through another doorway took us to a makeshift shed that inside sheltered a 1970s camping caravan.  I don't know what I was thinking but I got inside and dug around for awhile fearful every second that a rat might run out. Here we also found old Spanish coins, a silver rosary, framed hand painted Spanish tile, and a vintage license plate.

Spanish Coins

Religious Relic 

Vintage Licence Plate

Painted Spanish Tile

Mysterious Keys 

My leg trembled every moment we were inside these scary yet interesting spaces; all in all the day was exhilarating and we got some unique “free” souvenirs.  I would definitely do it again, although I'd prefer a sunny warm afternoon for sure. If this sounds like fun to you, try it but keep a few things in mind: never break into a space, only enter if able to without force, be careful of wild animals or inhabitants showing up angry,  never leave any trace of being there so you do not get in trouble for trespassing, and bring some plastic gloves, if you plan on touching stuff, a flashlight is also useful.