Poem of the month: September 2022

“What I’ll think about in winter”

by Jessica Pizzo Brix

A bevy of swans approaches,

thunderous white cloud over Delaney Pond.

It’s December, and while nothing is frozen,

 the earth is hard.

Alleys of ferns and mugwort

have given their last bow.

Sharp-winged barn swallows have flown south,

and the beavers at Horse Meadow

have boarded up their lodge for winter.

Harvard is the color of straw, wheat and flax

tinged with snowflakes and rot,

prophets of what lies ahead.

But today,

I’m thinking of strawberries, sirens of the season, pulled

like rubies from the ground at Old Frog Pond.

The tart explosion of blueberries,

moving fistful to mouth,

wayward from any bucket’s fate.

The warm flesh of a Carlson’s peach,

a vibrant reminder that we’re alive and dust, at once.

Raspberries, oh raspberries, noblest of summer fruits.

To demand a delicate touch while being plucked

from prickly vines, mere minutes before meeting their fate

as finger hats.

Plums from Westward Orchards

bearing names of heroes and knights –  

Santa Rosa, Castleton and Red Heart –

and baked into frangipane.

The scent of a thousand Italian summers

in my very own backyard.

These gifts live on,

preserved in time and the literal sense

as jams, pies and in the freezer below. I’ll dip into them,

savor their muted perfume

and imagine myself among the

cosmos and goldenrod again.

For now, the swans approach their journey's end:

a half-frozen pond where pickerel and bass

lay sleeping below, their winter wings

keeping every kind of time.

Maintaining Balance on the Road

I'm a woman of ritual. Whether it's my morning or evening meditation, a daily smoothie, or a luxurious self-massage using healing oils, these acts of self-care help encourage a personal homeostasis and an overall sense of wellness.

However, I tend to travel a lot - for fun, work, and family visits. While many trips are great times to escape your daily space and mindset, there's also something to be said about coming home feeling like you need another vacation to recuperate. With a large percentage of my time spent living out of a suitcase for work, I've worked hard to maintain a general sense of my home balance while on the road.

After returning from her own recent trip out west, my sister-in-law requested that I share some of my tips for traveling well. Below you'll find some thoughts on how I prepare for weekly trips and manage life as a road warrior. While some ideas may seem a bit obvious, by creating these types of simple parameters for yourself, you can break down packing to a science and ensure that you return home feeling just as good as when you left.

Nourishment

Travel is a great time to explore food options in a new place. But, I find that there's also nothing worse than finding yourself hangry while stuck in traffic on a roadtrip, on the tarmac of a delayed flight, or in an office park full of less than desirable food options. There are three main  ways that I prepare for these types of challenges:

• Pack Like You're Going to Camp: As a kid, I remember making a big bowl of GORP ("good old raisins and peanuts") when preparing for a hike or an overnight camping trip. I find that nothing travels better than trail mix, and in a pinch nuts and dried fruit can pack a great punch. On the Sunday nights before I hit the road, I pull together a mix of nuts (almonds, cashews, and walnuts are favorites), dried fruit (like tart cherries, sultanas, or banana chips), seeds (pumpkin or sunflower) and a touch of sweetness (dark chocolate or carob chips). I store them in my favorite Produce Bags for easy access.
• Hydrate, Hydrate, Hydrate: Many people arrive at airports and toss their bottles - only to buy a few liters of water before they hit their gate. I always have my reusable water bottle on hand, and on most flights, have the flight attendant fill it up several times while en route. Bonus step: fill your bottle with slices of lemon, cucumber, and herbs ahead of time as well. Nothing helps hydrate like a little flavored water, and when you fly frequently, you need that agua more than you know. 
• Balance Meals Eaten Out with Stops at Local Markets: When in a new or unfamiliar place, particularly for work, eating every meal out can get tiresome (mostly if you're a home cook like me!). I like to balance the meals that I eat out with a stop at a Whole Foods or grocery store to pick up some easy fruits and vegetables that don't need to be refrigerated. I've traveled to some areas that were relative food deserts, and really appreciated stumbling upon a weekday farmer's market to stock up on some fruit. It's also a great way to hydrate after a long (and drying) flight.

Personal Care

I'm a firm believer that to some extent, when you look good, you feel good. If you are someone who spends money on products for your face, body, or hair, I strongly urge you to bring them along on your trip. You'd be surprised what you can fit in a quart-sized clear bag. Some general thoughts:

• I pack three-ounce bottles of my shampoo, conditioner, and several oils and sprays.
• I re-use old sanitized makeup jars and contact cases for packing pint-sized versions of my creams or concealers. I also have several travel-sized makeup items that never leave my suitcase.
• I also bring along my dry-brush, and a few pampering tools, such as a powder mask and scrub. If you've got a few evenings alone in a hotel, there's nothing lovelier than a glass of wine or some tea and a face mask to reap the benefits of time away.

Other Routines

And finally, I have a few miscellaneous thoughts on maintaining routine. While many of these apply mostly to those who travel for work, they can also help you find a balance when you're simply getting lost for fun:

• Determine Your Balance Range: At home, I exercise five to six times a week. When on the road, there are client or team dinners and occasional late work nights to consider. Figure out your general goal for maintaining things like exercise, or other daily practices, and identify your ideal maximums and minimums ahead of time. This will help you create an attainable range, and you'll be more likely to set aside a feasible amount of time to stick to your routines.
• Explore Options: While traveling for pleasure, I love to go in with a plan, and let life happen along the way. When traveling for work, my method is a bit similar, but I like to give myself options. If I can't exercise in the evening because of a dinner, perhaps I can find a local exercise class around the hotel or a local site to powerwalk to during lunch. Giving yourself options can better ensure that you maintain personal goals when in a new place.
• Be Flexible: Finally, give yourself a break. While I try to maintain routines, eat healthy, and care for myself the way I prefer, I'm quick to remember to be gentle on myself. Travel is a great way to enjoy a new place, get a little lost, and shake up your view. Don't forget to take advantage of that!

Cumberland Island National Seashore

Last week, on our not-so-sunny trip south, we took a jaunt to Cumberland Island.

Off the coast of St. Marys, Georgia, this barrier island is an fascinating place.  It's four miles bigger than Manhattan, yet on any given day, has less than three hundred inhabitants - most being campers, day-trippers and guests. While it historically was home to Native American tribes and colonial settlers, the Carnegie family put it on the map.

Visually, Cumberland Island is a dream - specifically, the type that's covered in Saw Palmetto and dripping with Spanish moss. A mix of beaches and maritime forests, it's the kind of place that you could find sand dollars on the beach and see an armadillo burrowing amidst the dense trees. It also doesn't hurt that it's full of horses that run freely across the beaches and marshes.

On the day we visited, it was cool and quiet, almost hauntingly so. I can't stop thinking about the pristine beaches and the way that the live oak trees curl away from the shore. And while I look forward to returning on sunnier days, I'd be remiss if I didn't say that Cumberland Island has got me under it's spell.

What to Do

Bike

Cumberland Island consists of a small network of sandy roads that are perfectly packed for bike and foot traffic. Rent bikes at the Sea Camp dock, and depending on how much time you have, either head north to the sandy beaches and historical sites, or turn south to the Dungeness ruins and Pelican Banks for some birdwatching.

Beaches

We spent much of the time that we weren't biking on the beach, which was vast and gloriously empty. We walked and talked for hours, hunting for shark's teeth and shells. Despite the endless fog and cool breeze, the water was fairly warm and the rays somehow poked through.  For this, I was endlessly happy for my big sun hat and a new gorgeous natural sunscreen.

Historical Sites

With a history of wealthy residents, Cumberland Island is scattered with historical manses that were built as the Carnegie children grew up. To the south of the island are the ruins of the Dungeness mansion, Thomas and Lucy Carnegie's home, which burned down in the late 1950s. To the north of the island is the nineteenth century First African Baptist Church, most known for being the place that John F. Kennedy Jr. got married.

On the day we visited, we selected a site halfway between the two (nearly eight-miles from the ferry dock), Plum Orchard. The Georgian Revival was built for one of the Carnegie sons, touted extremely advanced technology (for the 1890s!) and was filled with the most gorgeous hand-painted wallpaper I've seen.

Where to Stay

Cumberland Island is a great place for a day trip, but staying longer affords you the possibility to see more and take your time. Unless you're a descendant of the Carnegie family, you have two options: stay for two or more nights at the lovely all-inclusive Greyfield Inn or camp at one of several campsites.

How to Get There

The Cumberland Island Ferry has several departures daily from St. Marys, Georgia. Make sure to book in advance, as the ferry is small and fills up fast. St. Marys is a sleepy port town, but there are a few places, like The Blue Goose, to pick up breakfast or snacks before your journey begins.

Desert Vibes Only: Joshua Tree National Park

The sun was setting, and it was happening quickly.

It was an early November evening on the winter side of daylight savings time, and we had places to be. As we sped down Twentynine Palms Highway, the sky turned gold and shadows turned the sandy landscape to a dusty brown. A desert fox crossed our path. Two miles turned to five, and we cursed the LA traffic for making us so terribly late.

We had flown to California to ring in the dawn of my thirties. My only goal? To spend some time meditating on the close of a roller-coaster decade. What we got was five days of pure California sunshine and enough warm desert vibes to bring good juju for the next ten years of my life.

We finally did reach our destination that first night. When we arrived, it was at the intersection of an iridescent sunset and a full moon rising in the middle of the Joshua Tree National Park. And that's exactly where I found myself at the on the last day of my twenty-ninth year with the man I love and a brand new plan to build our lives together.

Joshua Tree National Park, and the surrounding Yucca Valley, are beautiful and arid. We spent several more days enjoying the vastness of the space, the warm Mojave Desert air and the sheer delicious silence about the place.

What to Do

Hike, hike, hike. And take the opportunity to simply get lost.

Joshua Tree is expansive and full of diverse hiking experiences. On our first day out, we hiked a few miles of the Boy Scout Trail, which leads hikers through typical flat dry terrain which is dotted with monzogranite boulders piled like mountains of clay throughout the trail. On our second day, we trekked up Ryan Mountain, which was quick, but challenging, due to the harsh mid-day rays and dry heat. The views at the top were jaw-dropping, and on a clear day you can see straight through to Mount San Jacinto.

The Integratron

If you've ever wondered what it's like to get your brain tickled, this is exactly what an afternoon at The Integratron in Landers, CA feels like. North of Yucca Valley, in the middle of Landers, the street names are as celestial as the landscape. The Integratron was built in the 1950s through a combination of Boeing-engineered design and alien technology (you read that right). Today, the acoustically perfect dome is home to daily "sound baths," where visitors can transcend space and time while being serenaded by the vibrational sounds of quartz-crystal singing bowls. After an hour long aural massage, we stumbled out into the sunlight rejuvenated, invigorated and awesomely elevated.

Noah Purifoy's Outdoor Desert Art Museum

Back in Joshua Tree, we visited artist Noah Purifoy's homage to assemblage art and desert sculpture. Purifoy's art is political, cheeky, and when placed in the middle of a desert landscape, even more striking than expected. It's a sanctuary of sorts, quiet and reflective, which is exactly what I think Purifoy intended it to be.

Where to Eat

Pie for the People: On our first night in the desert, we had news to celebrate, so we picked up a bottle of bubbly and a pizza in town and brought it back to our rental house. Pie For the People is a New York-style pizza joint slash yoga studio (as you do, California) and it serves up  delicious and unique pies in the middle of the desert.

Pappy & Harriet's Pioneertown Palace: Weekly nightlife is limited in Joshua Tree, but Pappy & Harriet's is always rocking out. We grabbed a plate of BBQ and margaritas and grooved along to sassy siren Dominique Pruitt's tunes as the stars shone above the valley.

Where to Stay

Joshua Tree is a fantastic place to camp, but, given that we were celebrating, we opted for a rental home.

Yucca Valley and the towns surrounding the park are chocked full of thoughtfully designed homes to rent, so check out AirBnB, HomeAway and VRBO. We hit the jackpot with the Joshua Tree GreenHaus, due to its private nature, modern architecture and a pretty luxurious hot tub out back. It was the perfect space for meditation and celebration alike.

Our time in Joshua Tree was sacred, both for the relaxation we experienced and the monumental milestones we celebrated there in the stories of life and love. I look forward to returning someday, not only to relive the memories, but to immerse myself in those good desert vibes.