A Wind Spirit Landing

Hello my fellow Steemians!

I have not posted in quite some time for many reasons. Mainly because the place I have been inhabiting for the past month has limited wifi.

So I shall reintegrate myself back into Steemit with my first Blog on my West Coast Sustainable Development Tour. Today we will start with my landing at the 20 plus year old community called Wind Spirit.

Here we go!

The saguaro cactus stands tall overlooking the sun battered valley. This is Apache Land. Once when there were little problems in the world, communities of people roamed the land, living by their tribal principles. These tribes of people were not perfect, but they lived by land based ethics that had value in the ecosystems they were inhabiting. The indigenous humans of this land lived happy, abundantly prosperous lives. We all know the tragic ending to this story, but there is still hope for this way of life after generations of resistance to the idea.

Driving through the canyons of central Arizona and into the Pinal Mountains, I got to get more of a perceptive on this land’s diversity. When I use to stereotypical think of Arizona, I thought it to be a flat barren landscape that showed little to no life. Well, I was wrong. Though some parts where in fact what I expected, there was much more to see than what my preconceived notions showed me. Small mountain ranges, canyons, vegetation. I saw many highly specialized lifeforms thriving here. It gave me a warm feeling in my chest to know that life was thriving in such hospitable environments. I received a massive upgrade to this feeling in my chest when I arrived at my destination.

Stepping out of the truck with my GreenFire Director/Founder, we saw before us a scene that took our breath away.
We were in the presences of an Oasis. Our senses took in a lush ecosystem of life. There were no words at first, only the sound of the 115 different bird species that called this land their home. Joshua Trees, mesquite, peach, pistachios, olives, and the citrus! We came at just the right time in the season to find the environment littered with grapefruits, lemons, tangelos, oranges, tangerine, and some other varieties I am not to familiar on. Most of these citrus trees were in guilds of aloe vera at the base. What a sight it was. It was profound to think that just a walk up the road there was a native environment that either wanted to poke you, sting you, or kill you. The land I was standing on was a blend of both native species and nonnative productive species. In order to attempt to build soil in this climate, one must increase the amount of water retention in the soil. Which would require you to increase the shade, organic matter for mulch, micro-climates, and terraforming of the land. This place had all of these realities, some more than others.

Wind Spirit Community is a 20+ year old community nestled in a scenic valley near Globe, AZ. There is not much out here of interest besides this community. A handful of privately owned properties along with the surrounding BLM land. So I am sure by now you can imagine how much of a treat it is to see this hidden gem that is Wind Spirit existing where not many things can. Its a breath of fresh air(literally and metaphorically speaking).

After we regained out composure, we saw a visitor walking by. I waved and greeted her from afar. The lady came to introduce herself to us and proceeded to direct us toward the communal kitchen where the last remaining cofounder of Wind Spirit was.

Its was all so familiar. Walking into that kitchen. Seeing before me a round table of human beings sharing their meal with one another. Something about that scene make me feel really good. I think I was feeling community.
As uncoordinated as it was, we went around the table and introduced ourselves to our new friends. I found myself shaking the hands of the man himself, Don!

Don, was an elder gentleman that appeared to have a very passive nature. Very calm and soft spoken, but clearly very passionate about community and sustainability. This man was battling the dreadful lime decease, but this still did not stop him from holding space as the foundation to this community.

We all sat down to enjoy Wednesday night spaghetti dinner, where they invite neighbors and friends to join in the feast.

The next morning I awoke from my slumber in a yellow converted short school bus. I slept like a baby that night in my new sleeping bag supplied to me by GreenFire. I got up and we organized a village tour with Don.

What a tour it was! I saw many sustainable realities taking place here. From solar dehydrators and panels, to naturally constructed buildings and compost toilets. There was even a hand crafted sauna for the community to enjoy. I was grateful for this inside access into the village by last remaining co-founding member.

My Director left the next morning with a warm loving embrace. After a heartfelt farewell, I began giving my contributions to this land.

First I started with some digging work with a pick ax and shovel. It was a mighty fine work out indeed. In the beginning I was just lending them a helping hand with anything that might need. I did not have no real project that was running point on. That was until I walked by this 4ft high stone base under a sturdy new tin roof. I thought to myself,”that looks like the beginning of a Cobb Oven.”