Not quite The Pacific Crest trail, but wait till you see my country..

I'm mentally prepping to go on a hike. At first it's going to be a micro hike, because – General's reasons. He wants to test me for a night at first, so I have to sleep in the woods on my parent's estate. This might happen tomorrow, as it plans to rain later and he refuses to let me run around in the rain. Then, in a week's time, I will try to do a 5-day run, looking for Geocaches from my town to my brother’s town, taking a detour though the Kozje natural resort. There was a location I wanted to see, finally, but it is too far out from my route, so I’ll just see that one some other time and enjoy the park in the meanwhile.

It has been 10 years since I trekked alone. We did it some later, but together. I am a lot fatter now, which means I tire quicker and my ankles hurt more. But also, I have my head on straight lately and know exactly what I want and what to look for. I used to pack 50 pounds of a backpack called Kingdom. I can now pack 15 of its smaller brother County. I also haven’t really done things by maps much before, just destinations. I’m printing out topographical chart sections – and the symbol list. Drej has been marching us up a steep hill every day. 

Now, which of the little dots are a leech polluted swamp and which are coffee shop littered villages?

I have one compromise and two challenges set up. The compromise is that I remain within the country’s border. Obviously, in 5 days, I will not cross many borders, but this whole conversation began because I wanted to do the Appalachian trail and the General said not only he doesn’t have the money to send me there, he certainly doesn’t have it to come rescue me when I do something stupid. Between looking at the E7, Santiago de Compostella pilgrimage and the Geocache game, I figured it would be just as fun to walk alongside the border round and round. It’s a thousand miles. I walk about 30 km a day if I pace myself properly and if I don’t spend too long looking for the damn caches, that’s about the summer’s length. Weather contingent. (Not a fan of hiking with wet feet.) The General will allow me to go anywhere as long as he is never more than two hour’s drive away from rescuing me.

The challenges are taking the camera and the dog. I have no idea how a Beagle will look at sleeping outdoors. She may be unhappy a bit. Or she may be supper happy. I don’t know. You can never tell with a Beagle. They tend to look flabbergasted most of the time. As the camera goes, it is a very heavy piece of gear. I would really love to have a small wide lens, but alas, my smallest is 50mm, which is perfect should I find anyone to portrait, not so much for landscape – in case NG decides to consider me for a reportage. But, like I said. I am nothing if not really good at this stuff now.

I would be doing this a lot more if I wasn’t so fucking madly in love with G and cannot really spend more than a day away from him.Have taken a photo of my favorite part of him this week for morale. (It's the foot, you pervs.)

The plan is to cross Svetina (or, actually, be driven up to the summit, because I hate that ascend) and head to Olimje. That’s a day’s walk, but there is a tricky destination in between, namely a lake deep down in the valley – and I enjoy walking ridges if I’m in a hilly terrain. So there is almost no way I’ll make it to Olimje in a day, as it is not going to be a straightforward hike. It is more likely I will cot somewhere before that. Then, through the next day, I’ll roll around the park, chilling, maybe down to Bistrica ob Sotli. Day three is down to my brother’s place near Brestanica. This would be Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday… I’m putting a day in there somewhere, because the park is really pretty and I want to check out some castles and some hilltops and smaller medieval towns. So, I gotsta be on the mark Friday night. And if this trek proves adorable and cool, I’ll have the green light to hop on a train a few days later, go to Dobova and continue alongside the Slo-Cro border for a wee longer while. The good thing about this country is that, if you see a week of rain coming up or if there’s something interesting happening back home, you can just hop on a train and return for a few days. I have to buy the muzzle for the mutt, though, as regulations dictate a dog, no matter how benign looking, requires a muzzle if you want to ride a train with it. Also, the General wants me to take along a hammock. Those are not as easy to hide when you’re sleeping, not as small sleeping arrangement under an army canvas, but then again I have no idea how either will work, so I may as well try both. That’s 6 extra pounds on the backpack, though, counting the rope.

I’m thinking, if I get bored during (which book should I take? Don Quixote?), I’ll write and illustrate a kids/young adults series of adventures and misadventures of a crime solver, explorer and sundae taster Nellie and her dog Bo. A chubby, chocolate loving traveler little girl, spending the summer vacation taking photos and talking to people and drinking milkshakes and finding lost treasures. It’s totally not based on me. 

Making myself the Morale Cheat Sheet. The biggest problem of any enterprise is always morale  - there comes a day that's been so bad you just say fuck this shit and turn home - and I always make myself a cheat sheet to look at from time to time and remind myself why I'm doing things. From leather bags I'd love to own some day, to wolf soul I'd like to own some day, to two hamsters in love, tattoos I like, battling bards and of course G's puffy feet, the prettiest feet ever. And some amazing places, imaginary or otherwise. 

Korpus dance gathering :)

OH MY FUCKING GOD :D

I just found out there is a world-wide treasure hunting game available and it's EVERYWHERE :D
 What time is it? Eh, fuck it, it's 10:30 pm. It's no so late. I'll be right back...

https://www.geocaching.com/

Not the best day for little beasts

Had a terrible day today, regarding small animals – I buried three baby creatures, two fawns and a bird. Dad asked me to see to remains he found in the vineyard, which I went to bury respectfully in the forest, only so that mum and sis found another dead fawn, evidentially a twin, later on as well. Since I examined the tiny body and there were no signs of gnawing, only a broken neck, it puzzled me when dad said he heard them crying in the night. Poor guy didn’t sleep at all, looking for the fawn in the tall grasses, worried the dogs might find it first. I did not have the heart to tell him he heard right, but one was already dead. Mum and sis thought dogs or foxes undug mine and dragged it around, so they gave it an Indian funeral, burning it, but my sister being my sister, using only a tiny pyre, instead of thoroughly dealing with remains, made an excellent roast. If dogs couldn’t smell the fawns, which are odourless to protect themselves from wildlife on the rim, they certainly could now. So, I dug that one as well. And when I was leaving the house, I saw that a small naked bird has fallen out of the nest in the drain and died. I thought, seriously, what the fuck is it with fledglings today?!

Tinka's interview coming up..

First of the season, soon on Dread Reality :) Soon. Soooon :D

I'm a bit slow to get to these, because I am shy and I lurk after people for eons before I dare ask them.. Stupid, really, because once the interview starts, I'm having the time of my life.

      She asked to meet at a cafe in an industrial area, where her workshop is, and when I drove over it was sunny and windy and I had my gear riding shotgun, in my dumpy old car, feeling like the coolest journalists can ever feel. I arrived an hour early, because I haven't slept enough (General's working night shifts and I hate sleeping without him), and wanted to get my head on straight. Tinka was just as shy, so I needed to make this cool for her, so that she sees publicity can be fun as well. While I waited, a pair of 'happy ending' masseuses' came for a coffee and lots of other interesting characters. these are all people I would love to talk to. Although, I notice, my male-to-female ratio is tilting. I needsta find more dudes to grill.

Yesterday went over to the uphill house to jump on parents, as my dad had his birthday - same day as our beloved leader, our very own communist dictator passed on 35 years ago. He was one of the very few communist dictators to be utterly diplomatic, so even though he was probably exactly the same as Castro or the like, Americans didn't brand him a villain, because he was clever. That dude was actually really clever. His politics were amazing. Not just because those were really good times, but because after the WWII, many other countries fell under the Soviet whip for being helped out by the Red Army, and couldn't get from under Russia for a very long time - well, Yugoslavia didn't sign that contract and we were on our own from the start. And we were mighty. Course, after he died, all shit came loose and bad children ripped the place to bits. But until he died, it was an impressive political square dance with the biggest boys. 

I really shouldn't read this stuff..

Reading into Chernobyl while the General works on his 'crisis management' seminar... Thinking - what the fuck were those people doing?! Do you even KNOW how many nuclear power plants have issues and accidents that nobody ever hears about, because they pretend it's really nothing? Holy fuck! Do people know how the accident in Reactor 4 happened?! I would be amazed it if DIDN'T happen. Did anyone there even have a degree in nuclear physics?! How is anyone on this planet still alive?!!

Graphic design posters for superhero movies.

(Avengers this time). I've loved these ever since I first saw what they did with Blade Runner. I have no idea by whom they're from, but I dig this trend..

Haha, a client sent me a snapshot, showing how all of the things she bought from me are now framed and hanging in on her walls... This feels so strange - my work in the real world. It looks like it actually can't wait to go into the wilderness and be admired :D No wonder I keep so much of it at home :D I'm very possessive of my goodies :D