properties of light

When we moved to the west side of SLC Beach was little not quite 3 yrs old. 

 We used our bikes (Beach in the bike trailer) to explore our new neighborhood.  Back then this vacant lot located on true 1300 South facing the Jordan river had a house on it.  House is a generous term.  Squatter's shack is was more like it.  From what I remember it was a bungalow of some sort chipping white plaster, boarded up, sagging roof, broken glass, attacked by Christian taggers, ransacked, and furnished by pee covered clothing and broken sofas.  A dream home really, right?  We would bike over and break in on a regular basis.  I remember little Beach toddling among the weeds and crumbling cement, she pointed up at the front porch to the blackened broken exposed light bulb and said, "It needs a new light."  Six years later this property still has a pull on our hearts.  Six year later Beach is still a kid who sees the world on her own terms.

Yesterday I had one of my famous "melt-ups" (its like a melt down but it does high instead of low) after a few days of stir crazy fueled by too much NPR and coffee.  "Mountains or die." I announced into the yard.  Car already packed with a picnic dinner, a box of cheap beers, & a few random jackets.  BC added dogs and a fishing pole.  We headed into the Wasatch back and beyond.  We stopped at Dan's old place to kick around in the dirt and dream about a cabin.  

You can see the slight distress on BC's face in this pic (above) it is right after the neighbor popped his head out to see who in the hell was poking around and I asked "Do you get Internet up here?"  Translation: I intend to live here. 

What does any of this have to do with anything?  It's about Beach; out front riding her bike one minute catching a snake the next and suddenly thrown into the back of an old car with a pile of dogs heading out on an adventure without warning.  And then there she is in the mountains just as ready as her mom to abandon comfort for a new crazy idea/life.  The road takes us further away and off into the early evening.  She is happy to discover we have food and water.  She wonders out loud about warm clothes and I assure her I packed some; trust & comfort come easy.

 

And then there she is dancing in the woods.

And slaying imaginary bad knights who would hurt her dragons.  

Somewhere bombs fall from the sky.  Somewhere people hate each other enough to kill.  Somewhere some one is all alone on their knees in the darkness.  The world she "needs a new light."  Hold on our children are coming....