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1vidapoeticando · 11 months

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Feche os olhos, e se imagine passeando em um lugar lindo, e com infinitas sensações você sente o aroma do lugar... Sente o sol te aquecer, sente a brisa tocar no seu rosto...Respira um ar puro...Sinta a melodia dos pássaros ao redor cantando pra você...O som que vem das águas de um rio, e em sequencia o som da queda da água da cachoeira...O som da folhas das árvores...Caminhando a diante, lindas flores e borboletas de um lindo jardim que o caminho leva até uma cabana...Você pode ouvir o som do latido de um cãozinho que vem ao seu encontro...Você sente... Um agradável aroma de comida feita no fogão a lenha....Na entrada dessa cabana som dos sinos tocam, anunciando sua chegada...A diante na frente dessa cabana uma pessoa que te observa e te convida a entrar....Você é o convidado especial...Entre seja bem vindo(a)... Não se demore a entrar, uma delíciosa refeição te preparei...Você se pergunta como cheguei até aqui, apenas fechei meus olhos por um instante...Não é ilusão, esse lugar é todo seu...Você tem que deixar vivenciar as melhores sensações da vida...Você nasceu pra vencer e ser feliz, não permita ninguém dizer o...Esse lugar é para você se renovar... E entender que não importa as suas dificuldades e frustrações, você é a cura e o remédio pra você mesmo, nunca pare de lutar...Se precisar chorar chore... Enxugue suas lágrimas e olhe pra você, seu maior e melhor amor é você mesmo... Se ame todos os dias...Isso me tem me dado forças todos os dias....

Cierra los ojos, e imagínate caminando en un lugar hermoso, y con infinitas sensaciones sientes el aroma del lugar... Siente el calor del sol, siente la brisa tocar tu rostro... Respira aire puro... Siente la melodía de los pájaros alrededor cantándote... El sonido que sale de las aguas de un río, y en secuencia el sonido del agua cayendo de la cascada... El sonido de las hojas de los árboles... Caminando adelante, hermosas flores y mariposas de un hermoso jardín que el camino conduce a una cabaña... Puedes escuchar el ladrido de un perro que viene a tu encuentro... Sientes... Un agradable aroma a comida cocinada en una estufa de leña....A la entrada de esta cabaña, el sonido de las campanas anunciando tu llegada...Frente a esta cabaña, una persona te observa y te invita a entrar....Tú eres el invitado especial ...Estate bien adentro viniendo... No tardes mucho en entrar, preparé una comida deliciosa para ti... Te preguntarás cómo llegué aquí, solo cerré los ojos por un momento... No es un ilusión, este lugar es todo tuyo... Tienes que dejarte experimentar las mejores sensaciones de la vida... Naciste para ganar y ser feliz, que nadie lo diga... Este lugar es para que te renueves ... Y entiende que no importan tus dificultades y frustraciones, tú eres la cura y la medicina para ti mismo, nunca dejes de luchar... Si necesitas llorar, llora... Sécate las lágrimas y mírate a ti mismo, tu mayor y el mejor amor eres tú mismo... Ámate a ti mismo todos los días... Esto me ha dado fuerza todos los días....

Close your eyes, and imagine yourself walking in a beautiful place, and with infinite sensations you feel the aroma of the place... Feel the sun warm you, feel the breeze touch your face... Breathe in pure air... Feel the melody of the birds around singing to you... The sound that comes from the waters of a river, and in sequence the sound of the water falling from the waterfall... The sound of the leaves of the trees... Walking forward, beautiful flowers and butterflies from a beautiful garden that the path leads to a cabin... You can hear the sound of a dog barking that comes to meet you... You feel... A pleasant aroma of food cooked on a wood stove ....At the entrance of this hut, the sound of bells ringing, announcing your arrival...In front of this hut, a person is watching you and inviting you to enter....You are the special guest...Be well inside coming... Don't take too long to enter, I prepared a delicious meal for you... You wonder how I got here, I just closed my eyes for a moment... It's not an illusion, this place is all yours... You have to let yourself experience the best sensations in life... You were born to win and be happy, don't let anyone say... This place is for you to renew yourself... And understand that your difficulties and frustrations don't matter , you are the cure and medicine for yourself, never stop fighting... If you need to cry, cry... Wipe your tears and look at yourself, your greatest and best love is yourself... Love yourself everyday ...This has given me strength every day....

Fonte: 1Vidapoeticando 🌺 🍃

Vive a vida!!!! 🥰

Vive la vida!!!! 🥰

Live life!!! 🥰

Love ❤ Amo❤️

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deduction-tutorials · 2 years

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Memory Techniques for beginners

The main methods used for deductionists are linking, method of loci / mind palace and a good memory system.

Memory system The memory system will be an image for each of the digits from 000 to 999, or 00 to 99. for example, 949 would be dalek and 622 would be a chess bishop in my system. Systems like this can be built in many ways, my preferred method is by category, for example 500s is youtubers, within that, the 520s are magicians, and within that 8 is someone who's name begins with a B, so 528 is Ben Cardall in my memory system. This turns abstract data (cards, numbers, etc) into a more memorable image that you can use with the other techniques. Linking

Linking is a technique used to connect two bits of data, often used to connect a name to a face, or words in different languages. An example would be imagining a butterfly landing on your finger while you do your marriage pose at a Spanish wedding to remember butterfly is mariposa in Spanish. Method of loci

The method of loci or mind palace is a very powerful technique. It is used to store long term data usually, and I have used it to memorise vast amounts of data such as all countries, periodic table, my phone's contact list, 100+ digits of famous constants, art history and more. It works by thinking of a place, such as your home, and making a set path through it with several locations called loci. For example you might have your front door as the first loci, the shoe rack as the second and so on. You then mentally place images here to help you recall things. For example, the 7 wonders of the ancient world can be remembered with the list below, where 1 is the first loci

A pyramid for pyramid of Giza

A garden for gardens of Babylon

A giant crossing a road for Colossus of Rhodes

A lighthouse with someone called Alex inside for lighthouse of Alexandria

A temple full of art to remind you of the temple of Artemis

Zeus to remind you of the statue of Zeus

A coffin with someone called Hali trying to get a car ride to remind you of the mausoleum of halicarnassus

#deduction #memory #sherlock fandom

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formeryelpers · 3 months

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Chandler Bikeway, N. Mariposa St. & W. Chandler Blvd, Burbank, CA 91505

Chandler Bikeway follows the path of the converted railroad tracks from Burbank to North Hollywood. The bikeway opened in 2004. The trail is 2.8 miles (one way) or 5.6 miles out and back on a wide, paved asphalt and concrete surface. It’s clearly marked with one side for pedestrians and one side for cyclists and inline skaters.

The Burbank section is nicer than the North Hollywood section. In Burbank, grass, trees, and some mini gardens line the path. There are modest homes on both sides. In North Hollywood, there is no grass though there are still trees. The NOHO section has murals with images from NOHO’s history. There are a few statues and benches along the bikeway.

The path is flat and cars drive parallel to it in both directions. There is no shade. The path is popular and feels safe. It takes about 90 minutes to complete (walking).

4 out of 5 stars

By Lolia S.

#Chandler Bikeway #bike path #walking path #Burbank #North Hollywood

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ochoislas · 2 years

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tras las cinias el jardinero también bebe de la manga

after the zinnias the gardener, too, drinks from the hose

Paul O. Williams

pisando seroja... echo a volar gorriones camino abajo

walking in dead leaves— sending the sparrows flying further down the path

lluvia radiactiva Buda sigue sonriendo a la última mariposa

In atomic rain Buddha goes on smiling at the last butterfly

James Kirkup

últimos rayos un hombre lanza una estrella de vuelta al mar

the last rays a man hurls a starfish back into the sea

Chuck Brickley

callada en la cena la hez suspensa en el vino

her silence at dinner sediment hanging in the wine

Scott Montgomery

el teléfono timbra una vez sólo lluvia otoñal

the telephone rings only once autumn rain

riela la aurora boreal un tecolote chifla en la orilla lejana

northern lights shimmer a saw-whet piping on the distant shore

hondo en el bosque mustio un arce grana

deep inside the faded wood a scarlet maple

Nick Avis

lluvia vespertina... trenzo mi pelo con la sombra

evening rain— I braid my hair into the dark

cuenco roto los trozos aún cunean

broken bowl the pieces still rocking

monumento a los caídos... las mariposas migratorias tapan los nombres

the war memorial— migrating butterflies cover the names

Penny Harter

mañana de relente: la troncos del camión sudan savia

dewy morning: the logging truck's load sweating sap

más adentro cuanto más se aparta bruma vernal

walking farther into it the farther it moves away spring mist

hondo recodo del arroyo charleta del guardarrío tras el chapuz

deep bend of the brook the kingfisher's chatter after its dive

sombra tras sombra la banda de gansos viajeros cruzando entre nosotros

shadow after shadow the flock of migrating geese passing through us

Wally Swist

#haiku en inglés #Paul O. Williams #James Kirkup #Chuck Brickley #Scott Montgomery #Nick Avis #Penny Harter #Wally Swist #traducción©ochoislas

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lunarreaper-ut · 3 years

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“Where I grew up...”

(This is just the start of a sort of short story for one of my AUs! This will be Mariposa’s backstory, so if you guys are interested, let me know, since this is just the teaser~)

“You never talk much about yourself, Mari.”

Mariposa hummed as she turned towards Ignis. He was taking a long drink from his mug, looking at her from the corner of his eye.

“What do you mean?” She tilted her head at her friend. He set the mug down and turned towards her, giving a lazy smile.

“I mean about before we met. You told me you’ve lived in that cottage for a while, but not much more than that. Nothing like where you grew up, your family?” He raised an eyebrow at her and she felt herself still a bit at his question.

“Ah, well… I don’t have a family, so I suppose I didn’t feel the need to mention it.” She turned away from him, raising her own glass to her lips. Despite her efforts, Mariposa couldn’t help but think back. ‘You wouldn’t want to know where I was raised.’ She thought to herself.

“Oh…” Ignis cleared his throat, “Sorry… I didn’t-”

“Don’t worry about it Ignis, I’m fine.” She giggled and rested her hand on his arm, giving him a reassuring smile. She stood up and fixed her skirts before turning toward the exit. “It is getting late though, I should head home before it gets dark.” Mariposa said. Ignis nodded and stood aside her, tossing a few coins to the counter to pay for their drinks.

“I’ll walk you home, the forest path can get dangerous after dark…” He said, following her out the door. Mariposa smiled a bit and turned to him as they were outside.

“It’s alright, it’s not late enough for you to be worried. I’ll be home before the sun goes down. Besides, didn’t you need to report to Dyna about your patrols?” She tilted her head with her question, making Ignis groan. He rubbed the back of his neck and sighed heavily.

“I completely forgot about that… Are you sure you’ll be fine on your own?” He looked at her, concern clear on his face.

“Of course! I’ve lived in that forest for years, I know how to handle myself. You worry too much.” Mariposa laughed as she began to walk down the road, casting a wave over her shoulder as she left her friend’s side. Ignis watched her leave for a few moments before turning the other way and going on his own path.

‘Where I grew up…’ Ignis’ question kept echoing in Mariposa’s mind as she walked along the path to her home. The setting sun’s final rays of light trickling through the leaves overhead lit the narrow pathway she took, and soon enough her home came into view. A small cottage with an equally small pond off to the side. The garden she’d planted still having a few plants bearing vegetables, and the flowers beginning to wilt. Winter was beginning to settle over the kingdom, so it wasn’t unexpected.

Mariposa stepped through the door into her home, and sighed in relief. ‘Safe’, her inner voice said to her. ‘How long has there only been one?’ She ended up thinking. Clutching her chest, Mariposa shook her head, trying to rid that thought from her mind. How is it that such a simple, normal question could upset her so? The young woman quickly began to hurry to complete her evening routine.

Get dressed in more comfortable clothes, may as well pick the rest of the vegetables from the garden, cook dinner, eat, and try to relax before bed. Emphasis on try.

‘Where I grew up…’

That intrusive thought still echoed. Mariposa went through her routine with that question insistently prodding at her. By the time it was dark, and Mariposa was ready for bed, she found herself laying on her back, staring at the ceiling, with nothing but that thought.

‘Where I grew up…’

She got up from her bed and stepped outside, feeling the bite of the cold night air on her skin. Mariposa stepped along the hard dirt, walking over to the small pond, the moon’s reflection glistening on its surface. It was a full moon, it’s light bathing the area in a pale glow. As she approached the water’s edge, Mariposa could see her reflection. Long, dark brown hair that reached her mid-back, (‘Is this how I wanted it?’). Pale skin, seemingly flawless under the moonlight, (‘No, it didn’t used to be like that’). Fine features, she was by no means unattractive, (‘But whose face is this…’).

It was only when Mariposa looked at her eyes did she see something she knew were hers. Round eyes that were no longer hidden behind a veil, with deep amethyst irises. They would have been beautiful, if it weren’t for the pitch black sclera that screamed inhuman. ‘The only thing I can call mine, and yet it remains the most repulsive’.

Mariposa sighed softly, shutting her eyes to try and block out her own reflection. She stood up, intending to go back inside and try to get some semblance of sleep, but before turning away, Mariposa stared at her reflection again. She remembered. She didn’t want to, but she couldn’t help but remember.

She remembered when there were two reflections.

#Mariposa #undertale au #my au #I hope this turned out ok!#If you're interested don't worry #there's more yet to come!#Ignis!sans #Mariposa!Frisk #Luna's writing #Unity!Tale

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mariposasrebeldes · 3 years

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El Bosque de Itzpapalotl

A forest inspired me to write this blog.

Some context: Mariposas Rebeldes is a collective I started in 2020 after inviting friends over to do some gardening my backyard. We found so much joy in creating a space where we could grow food and cook for each other, and it quickly took off with the rest of our community. So much so, we were able to crowdfund enough money to buy land.

And so, after months of searching, I came across something very interesting: a driveway. It's an easy driveway to miss if you're driving down the road it's connected to. The actual lot it sits on is 1/3 of an acre, and used to be a tire shop that got demolished decades ago. I climbed up the driveway. The first thing I noticed was the wisteria, in full pink bloom, runners shooting every which way. I noted the thick mat of blackberry brambles, the ripest fruits far from reach. English ivy, privet, honeysuckle, all "invasive", overgrown, and at a state where they would be hard to manage. Not the best first impression.

After climbing for a bit, I walked into the shade of the canopy and felt a shift.

I was looking out into a narrow corridor, surrounded by trees on all sides. It was clearly the work of the electrical companies, who had clearcut a path to make way for overhead wires. But ecosystems adapt. Already, there were tiny sweetgum saplings waiting to reach as high into the canopy as their mothers. Young dewberry brambles poked through the grass where the local fauna had recently spread their seed. Ivy covered the old, discarded tires that littered the corridor and sheltered so many mosquitos.

Places like these are sacred. They illustrate beautifully how ecosystems change and are changed by their surroundings. They demonstrate the triviality of borders and property lines. Even though the actual lot is only 1/3 of an acre, this corridor opened up into at least 5 acres of un-managed forest, right in the middle of the city.

I guess I kinda fell in love. Which brings me back to why I started this blog. I want a record of what happens here. We signed the deed in April, and I've just been spending time out there camping and clearing trails since. This blog will be a place to post projects, observations, and art related to this forest.

Already, the forest has taught me so much. It took me a while to come up with a name for it. Sacred spaces should have names. "Bosquitzpapalotl" is what I settled on. "Bosquitz" for short. It honors the patron diety of our collective, Itzpapalotl.

Stay tuned for more content. I'll try to do a photo tour soon, as words can only tell so much. In the meantime, an essay that's been on my mind a lot lately:

#cryptoforestry #forestry #forest #ecosystem #ecology #biodiversity #environment #ivy #food #food forest #cottage #indigenous #native #foraging #garden #gardening #plants #foliage

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cadenreigns · 4 years

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My Monster(s)

(This was an AU short story I wrote for a reddit 1-day writing contest for the star vs subreddit a long while back and later decided to add a twist ending to. While I went back and edited it a little bit, it was still something I wrote in like 2 hours so don’t expect a masterpiece. And since it’s longer than I remembered so it’s after the break)

“And that should be everything,” Dr. Backintosh said as she ticked off a few notes on her clipboard. “We’ll call you to set up a follow-up appointment once the results come in, but based on what we’ve gathered so far, I don’t foresee anything keeping us from moving on to the next phase.”

Meteora shifted in her hospital gown before feeling Mariposa squeeze her hand. The two exchanged a hopeful look before she returned her attention to the doctor. “So, you don’t think there will be any problem because of…what I am?”

The doctor looked up and gave a reassuring smile. “Ms. Butterfly, while your body may be more unique than others, you still have all the same organs and working parts we’re used to dealing with. I won’t say it’s impossible something won’t come up, but I wouldn’t bet on it.”

Meteora let out a sigh she hadn’t even realized she’d been holding. “Good.”

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“I guess all that’s left is to figure out a donor,” Mariposa mused aloud as they exited the doctor’s office and made their way to her car. Meteora immediately knew that she already had an idea, otherwise she wouldn’t have brought it up. It was, after all, the part of this situation that made her the most uncomfortable. More about it probably should have made her uncomfortable, like the very basic fact that 19 was a bit young to be doing what she was. But unlike Mari, quintessential college student that she was, who had every opportunity still ahead of her, Meteora only had one major decision of her own to make. And she had decided to make it before her weird half-breed biology could mess something up about it. Everything else, like where she could live and what job she’d have, had already been decided by the government or negotiated by her parents. And while being the monster representative would be a cushy job, she wasn’t sure that’s what she would have chosen for herself.

“I’m not going to like what you’re going to say next, am I,” Meteora said, knowing the answer.

Mari put on her most innocent smile, the smile that had convinced Meteora to do so many things over the years. So many things that often ended with them in trouble. “Well, there is one obvious way that would let me be a real aunt.”

Meteora stopped in place. “Please don’t tell me you’re insinuating what I think you are.”

Mari continued to smile. “And wouldn’t you know it, today’s the day I’m supposed to go check in on him. But my evening class starts soon, hmmm.” She cupped her chin in her hand and started to tap her upper lip, something she often did when presenting an idea as just thought up instead of meticulously planned. “Maybe you could go check on him for me, see how he’s doing, have a chat about life, the universe, and medical procedures. You know, stuff like that.”

Meteora’s tail had started to swing tersely back and forth at some point, and she made no attempt to stop it. “You know I don’t like him, Mari.”

“But you’ve got no real reason not to. Besides, he’s basically just me as a guy.”

“Does it even matter to you that I don’t want to go?”

“Your future matters more.”

Meteora crossed her arms and huffed. “Fine, I’ll do it. But you should know that sometimes I really hate you.”

“Which,” she began as her smile spread mischievously, “is of course why you end up doing everything I put in your head.”

It took Meteora almost an hour to make her way to his ramshackle home at the edge of Echo Creek. Not because it was any significant distance away, if that was the case then he probably would have been outside the area her and her father’s kind were allowed to travel in, but because he had picked the most out-of-the-way spot imaginable to live. The roads that led there were little more than curvy dirt paths that were hell on her moped, each looking ready to collapse into one of the many riverbanks or ditches that lined the way, and took the most roundabout routes to get anywhere. Of course, this spot was chosen when “he” had been “them,” but he had stayed after everything…stayed for years, so she wasn’t going to give him any slack about it.

And then the trees parted and she was in the clearing, where the mountains were far enough away to be majestic instead of looming overhead. It was truly a beautiful sight…until you looked down and saw the home sitting in the center of the clearing, right at the end of the dirt road that had brought her there. Everyone called it his “house” to be polite, but it was little more than a gussied-up trailer as far as Meteora was concerned. The chicken coops off to one end while a messy garden and old minivan took up space on the other didn’t exactly improve the image it gave off. If you didn’t know he owned all the land around them you’d think it was a squatter’s camp.

The closer she got the more Meteora didn’t want to deal with this. And that feeling only grew stronger when she propped the moped on its kickstand and took her helmet off. She knew she could drive away now and just tell Mari that she had done it, that would satisfy the periodic visits she insisted on, but not the donor angle. That she couldn’t drive away from without getting an earful about later. So, after a long and drawn out sigh, Meteora stepped up to the front door and knocked.

At first there was no reply, so she knocked again. Second time was the charm evidently, as almost immediately she heard a call from inside, “I’m coming.”

A moment passed, with some rustling barely making its way through the door before she heard the lock slide in and the handle started to turn. “You know you don’t have to keep checking in on me, Mari. I can take care of myself…”

Marco Diaz trailed off when the door was fully open and he saw that it wasn’t Mari at his door, but her best friend. This man, who Meteora had known all her life and who was in surprising good shape considering that, by all accounts, he rarely actually left his so-called “house,” was the man who she despised more than anyone else in world. But Mari had made her promise not to let that come across as too obvious.

“Hey jerk-face.” Some promises were hard to keep.

“Meteora,” he replied, his brow raised in confusion.

She stepped past him and inside before he could get the chance collect his thoughts. “Mari’s got class tonight, so she sent me. You’re not doing anything stupid that would worry her, are you?”

Marco closed the door behind her and followed as she made her way down the length of the small home. Based on what Mari had told her about previous visits, she had expected more of a mess as she made her way through the small sitting area and kitchen, but the place was clean and tidy, almost sterile. The only thing even close to messy about it was a dish rag on the kitchen counter. She stopped when she came to the bedroom on the far side of the kitchen, it featured some un-fluffed pillows, not that Meteora ever bothered with that either.

“I don’t think so,” he finally replied. “You want a drink, or something?”

She shrugged. “Got any diet Pitt?”

“I see Mari’s taste for that junk finally wore off on you,” he said as he opened the fridge and reached inside. A second later he emerged with a pink can, though instead of handing it to her when she put out her hand he placed it on the kitchen table and then took a seat. “I’m surprised you bothered to come, even with Mari asking.”

“Yeah well, people don’t pick their families,” Meteora said, picking up the can without taking a seat of her own, then pulling the on the tab. It opened with the expected swoosh of bubbling liquid that was practically reassuring, even if it was generally the sign of something that wasn’t actually good for her. “I like it when she’s happy, she likes it when she knows you’re not dead because you live in the middle of nowhere with a bunch of chickens, so I guess I like knowing that too.”

Marco made what Meteora could only assume was an amused sound with his nose. “Even though you’d probably enjoy figuring out a way to set the chickens on me?”

It was Meteora’s turn to make an amused sound, which she followed by taking a huge gulp of her diet Pitt. “At this point I’m more likely to just not help when the chickens attack than actually sick them on you.”

“Well I appreciate you not hastening my demise yourself,” Marco answered back. “Anyway, I know you don’t like being here, so you can go and let Mari know that I’m in the same state I always am. Nothing to be worried or relieved about.”

“Right…” she said slowly, turning in place to survey the home again instead of looking at him. She couldn’t bring herself to really look at him and ask this question. It was bad enough she had to ask it at all, let alone of him. “Well there was one other thing I…Mari suggested I ask you…”

Meteora paused as her slow look around came back to the bedroom and something caught her eye that she hadn’t noticed before. A picture on the nightstand, one of a young woman taken over twelve years prior. Meteora had been around seven the last time she’d seen Star, and hadn’t really understood when she couldn’t anymore. No one had been able to explain it in a way she’d understood. Some had said she’d gotten sick, like so many had at the time, but everyone had cried, and then yelled. Marco had yelled most of all, and at practically everyone. And then, well then he stopped leaving this supposed “vacation home” they’d shared altogether. In fact, Meteora didn’t think anyone aside from Mariposa had seen him in person more than three of four times in the dozen years that had followed.

Trying to pull her attention back to the task at hand, she saw the home in a new light. The photo of Star was the only color in the whole place. Everything else was white or some shade of grey. And the place wasn’t just sterile, it was practically lifeless. That’s why Mari came here when no one else did, not because she was worried about him living so far out alone, but because she knew he wasn’t really living at all.

“Ask what?”

Meteora almost jumped when Marco prompted her to continue. And looking at him in that moment, with something besides the irrational anger that had plagued her thoughts of him all her life, she couldn’t bring herself to ask what she’d been sent here to. So she asked the question that had been asked of her so many times.

“Why…why do you think I’ve never liked you?”

Marco took a deep breath and looked out the window for a moment, as if considering something very carefully. But then the moment ended and she got her answer.

Meteora pushed her third can of diet Pitt to the side to sit with the others as she ran though everything Marco had told her. It all seemed crazy when he’d said it, even crazier as she thought about each part, but none of it seemed wrong either.

“Because of an old king I was raised by an abusive robot…and then ran a boarding school?”

“From what I understand, yeah.”

“And then I had to live in a car because you, while crossdressing, riled my…students into kicking me out.”

“It wasn’t my idea to cross-dress, but basically.”

“Which led me to remember that I was half monster…which led me to try and take over Mewni…”

“Which led to all the soul draining and eventually the combination of magics that turned you back into a baby,” Marco said nonchalantly before taking a sip from the water bottle he had eventually pulled out for himself. “And you just never liked me after that. I guess some emotions just get too ingrained to fade.”

“But,” Meteora started as she put the pieces together. “If you hadn’t gotten me kicked out, which let me remember what I was, which led to the magic battle…then I wouldn’t have my family, or Mari, or any part of the life I have now.”

He shrugged. “Probably not.”

“So, I’ve been angry at you all my life, because you gave me my life.”

His mouth twisted a bit before replying with, “Well it’s not like I turned you back into a baby myself, but if that’s how you see it then just know that I don’t take it personally. In fact, it’s actually kind of nice having someone not like me for a different reason than the rest.”

Meteora’s chair squeaked across the linoleum floor as she pushed herself up. The empty cans shook as she walked around the table. And Marco just looked confused when she grabbed and pulled him up by the collar. He was still a few inches taller than her, so it was an awkward position once he was up, but no less awkward than when she wrapped both her arms around him in the next instant.

Silence permeated the next few moments. Shocked silence from Marco if she had to guess, while her own was confused. Part of her still felt the urge to knock his block off, but at the same time…well another part was seeing him in a whole new way.

“Thank you,” she finally said before pulling away from him.

“No problem?” he replied.

Now the silence between them was just awkward. Though that wasn’t surprising when Meteora remembered that the only physical contact the two had ever had before that hug had usually entailed her trying to hurt him in some way.

“I gotta get going. I’ll tell Mari you’re doing fine.”

“Sure, thanks,” he said slowly before glancing out the window. “It’s starting to get dark, be careful on the way back.”

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Meteora’s tail twitched back and forth as she sat on the couch flipping through channels. She hadn’t slept well the night before and was going to be alone all day thanks to Mari’s new class schedule. Angie and Raphael usually would have been there to bother her in their good-natured way, but they were out of town. Which left her alone with nothing to do on a day that had a storm approaching and nothing worth watching on tv. So, when the phone rang, she didn’t even care that it was probably a telemarketer, at least it gave her something to do.

“Hello,” she answered.

“Ms. Butterfly, it’s Dr. Backintosh. Is this a good time?”

Meteora sat up straighter, ready to receive the news they’d been waiting for. “Well I’m on my own today, so I guess-”

“Actually,” the doctor interrupted, “it’s probably better we talk about this on our own first.”

In the distance Meteora heard the first boom of thunder.

Meteora knocked on the door, though she could barely hear her knocks over the rain and thunder that plummeted from the sky above. She knocked again a few seconds later, barely any harder though. She didn’t have the energy for it. Finally, after she forced herself to knock a third time, the door opened.

“Meteora?” Marco practically bellowed.

She didn’t reply.

“Come on, get out of the rain,” he said before taking her by the arm and pulling her inside. “Are you ok? Did something happen?”

She thought about it as she watched drops of water roll off her and start to puddle on his floor. Something had happened, though what actually mattered was what wasn’t going to happen. She didn’t say that though, just like she hadn’t said anything since hanging up the phone.

“I’ll get you a towel,” he said after a moment had passed without any reply. “I’ll be right back, okay.”

Meteora remained silent as he ran off towards the bedroom, continuing to watch the droplets join the puddle while listening to Marco frantically open and close drawers. A few seconds, maybe a minute, later he returned and the towel came down over her head. He hadn’t bothered to offer it to her, and wasn’t bothering to let her get around to actually drying herself either.

“I can’t believe you rode here in this weather,” he said while gently dabbing the towel across her face and long lilac hair. “And without even a jacket, you know it’ll be me Mariposa explodes at if you get sick.”

She still didn’t reply, just watched the droplets while he moved on to wiping off her arms.

“Ok, well whatever brought you here, you need to finish drying off first. And since I don’t think I can dry anymore myself without feeling like a creep, I’m going to push you into the bathroom. There’s some spare clothes in there, so will you please finish drying off and change?”

Meteora nodded meekly and let him lead her towards the back.

Sometime later Meteora found herself huddled at one end of his couch wearing an oversized ninja t-shirt and a pair of drawstring shorts that were loose even with the strings drawn all the way. Marco sat at the other end. They had been that way for a while, silent except for right when they’d sat down and he’d said to just ask and he’d do whatever she needed him to. She didn’t have any conscious plan to ask him for anything. She didn’t even have a conscious reason for being there, it had simply been where’d she decided to go. But suddenly, even surprising herself a bit, it started to come out.

“My life was planned out for me since Mewni became part of Earth,” she started. “Except for when I get to have a baby.”

“Ok…”

“So I was going to do it,” she continued. “Invitro and all that, because it’s my choice and it’s what I want.”

“Well I guess that’s ni–”

“But because I’m half-monster they say they can’t.” Her eyes started to well. “That something about the way I am makes it too dangerous. That the only way I could ever be a mother would be…the natural way.” The tears were rolling now. “But I’ve never felt…that way about anyone. So what am I supposed to do? I’m too much of a freak to get what I wanted and I just…I just–”

Marco stood without warning. He made his way towards the kitchen, where Meteora could hear the fridge and some drawers open and then close in succession. He returned with a six-pack of bottles and pile of old-timey VHS tapes.

“Look Meteora,” he said as he put the bottles down on the small coffee table and started shuffling through the tapes, “the last time anything bad happened to me I pushed everyone that cared about me away. And well, that’s probably not going to help you right now. So instead of trying to make you feel better, we’re going to play a little game that used to help me forget about stuff.”

He slipped one of the tapes into the VHS below the tv and hit play. The tv roared to life with an off-color title screen that loudly stated, “Fist of the Fist!”

“This,” Marco said as he sat back down and started divvying up the bottles between them, “is an early Mackie Hand movie, before he even learned English. The rules of the game are simple, take a sip anytime someone acts like they were hit but obviously weren’t, anytime the dubbing is obviously off, and anytime someone shouts an attack name.”

Meteora looked at the bottle he handed her, and then at him. “And this is supposed to help me?”

“It’s supposed to make you feel less bad,” he replied. “Actual help can start tomorrow.”

The title screen faded and a man sitting at a bar came into focus. Another man approached him and put a hand on the first’s shoulder. Their eyes met and an American voice yelled, “Time to die, Mackie Hand!” while the man’s actual mouth calmly said something completely different.

Meteora almost laughed, then joined Marco in taking her first sip.

#star vs the forces of evil #marco diaz #mariposa diaz #Meteora #star butterfly #star vs #svtfoe #my monster(s)#Cadenreigns #art #my art #artist #artist on tumblr #hekapoo

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thepackwantsthed · 6 years

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Shance Soulmate AU

So I used this premise for a griffance headcanon but now I’m thinking about the implications of this universe with Shance sooooo....

You know those aus where the significant events of your life leave marks on your skin? What about a soulmate au where the significant events in your life leave marks on your SOULMATES skin?

Shance au where Shiro doesn’t have marks for the first few years of his life. His parents aren’t really concerned about it since he’s so young and it’s likely his soulmate is just younger than him, but Shiro sees his parents with their painted skin and sees how his classmates show off new marks that they get and feels jealous. He wants to be like them, wants to have someone the same way that his parents and classmates do.

Then he wakes up one day with large bundle of Mariposa flowers right over his heart, because Lance is only a baby but already Shiro’s body knows that Lance will value his culture and his family. They are Lance’s heart, something he’s proud and fond of. More flowers appear as Lance grows older and meets more of his family, as Marco gets married and has two kids, as Luis brings home a girlfriend that they all know he’s not going to break up with. By the time Shiro is twenty-five there are so many of them, petals folded against others and stems intertwined, that Shiro’s lost count. It doesn’t stop him from tracing his fingers over the flowers in his low moments, finding comfort in the first tattoo that he ever got.

Lance is born with a red chrysanthemum and rose between his shoulder blades, twining together. They are marks for Shiro’s parents, his Japanese father and his American mother. They love each other and they love him. They teach Shiro to stand tall and keep his head straight. The flowers are also a symbol of what Shiro is, of the mix of cultures that make up who he is and how he does things. He is Japanese, but he is also American and Shiro learns to be proud of both of those things. He’s born with two identical tattoos of chain wrapped around his wrists, symbols of Shiro and his twin, Ryou. When Lance is young the links of the chains are looped tightly, barely distinguishable, but as Ryou and Shiro forge their own paths and grow apart the links of the chain become looser. But it never breaks, because Shiro loves his brother. Distance and different dreams are not enough to break that bond. The final mark Lance is born with is a small green snake, a sign of the jealousy and envy he had felt as a child. But the snake is curled up, looping in on itself with it’s head resting and it’s eyes closed, because the jealousy was important to Shiro’s life but Lance’s birth and the appearance of Shiro’s first tattoo is enough to set it to rest.

Lance gains more marks as Shiro grows up. Shiro’s father dies when he’s nine years old and three incense sticks appear on Lance’s right legs, because his father had taught Shiro to stand tall and Shiro will never experience a death more significant, more crippling, than his fathers. His mother moves them to America shortly afterwards, finding that her husband’s homeland holds too many memories of him for her to stay, and a sakura tree appears on Lance’s lower back, because Shiro will never forget the home that made him, where he was born and raised and grew up. When Shiro discovers flying and the feeling of wind in his hair, a paper plane etches itself on the back of Lance’s neck. It’s directed as if it’s flying into Lance’s hair, Shiro’s desire to go further and see more then anyone else etched into it’s direction. Shiro has disappointed people before, but when he’s in the Garrison and feels - for the first time - the crushing feeling that comes with disappointing people who have so much faith in him, a cloud made of depressing blacks and grays appears on Lance’s hip. When Shiro meets Keith, when he finds this boy who he connects with and takes under his wing, a charm in the shape of a Celtic knot appears on the bracelet surrounding Lance’s right wrist. Lance’s bracelets are Shiro and his brother, so it makes sense that Shiro’s new brother would be represented there as well.

Shiro gains more marks as Lance grows up. His upper arms gain bands to symbolize Lance’s greatest passions. On the right arm is a band of water. The side facing the outside of Shiro’s arm is rough rolling waves, the inside calm waters with shadows that imply the creatures living in it’s depths. On the left is a thin band of black sky, interrupted by several bright white stars and a ship flying through it. Lance loves flying, but he wanted to fly so that he could see the stars. There’s a reason he’ll end up choosing the Galaxy Garrison and the not the Air Force. Lance loves easily and freely and when he is eight, he tries to give a girl he has a crush on a flower from his mother’s garden and gets his heart broken for the first time. Shiro gets that flower on his rib cage, dead and crumpled. By the time Lance is fourteen, there’s a pile of dead flowers - each one a different kind for each person who has broken Lance’s heart is a different person - on Shiro’s ribcage for all the boys and girls he’s fallen for. When Lance hits puberty and feelings of insecurity-anxiety-notgoodenough hits full force, a feeling that will follow Lance throughout his life, Shiro gains raindrops between his shoulder blades, colored in sad swirling purples and blues and dark pinks. It’s a beautiful scene, but a sad one. The day that Lance moves into his Garrison dorm and meets Hunk, a minimalist bear - made mostly of blocky line art - appears on Shiro’s lower back. It’s a sign of how close they will be that the tattoo appears instantly. The placement a sign of how Hunk will always have Lance’s back, a sign of Hunk’s affection for Lance and Lance’s trust in Hunk.

Shiro finds out that Lance is his soulmate when Lance is a freshmen in the Garrison. The teachers like to throw Shiro at the new recruits for one of their introduction classes, like to remind them what they should be striving to become, so Shiro ends up teaching one of the intro classes that all four classes - mechanic, communications, cargo pilots, and fighter pilots - has to take. Lance raises his hand to ask a question, uniform sleeve slipping down his arm and revealing the chain bracelet wrapped around that wrist and the charm attached to it. And the second Shiro sees it, he knows that that’s a tattoo for him, knows that the arm is belongs to belongs to his soulmate.

He also knows that he is newly graduated from the Garrison and that the boy he’s looking at is fourteen, a child.

He doesn’t tell Lance. He makes sure all of his marks are hidden, an easy task given that he’s never gotten a face or hand tattoo and the Garrison uniforms cover all his others, so that Lance won’t see his and know the way Shiro did.

It is not that he doesn’t want Lance, because Shiro has wanted his soulmate for his entire life, but that Lance isn’t ready for something like this and Shiro won’t let their bond take anything from Lance’s childhood.

Shiro finds himself watching Lance, keeping an eye on him because he wants to keep him safe. He mentions Lance to Keith a few times, getting information from his brother when he hasn’t seen Lance recently or can’t figure something out just by watching Lance.

Watching Lance the way he does and getting to know him through his actions, Shiro grows to love Lance. It’s one of the easiest things he’s ever done, falling in love with Lance.

The day after Shiro’s revelation, a little bit into Lance’s Sophomore year, Lance comes to class with a small heart connected to the corner of his eye, colored in dark black. He knows that it’s a sign of what he feels for Lance, knows that it’s placement is because Shiro has been watching over Lance and will continue doing so for the rest of their lives.

Shiro likes seeing it when he sees Lance in the halls, likes knowing that even if he’s keeping his distance for now Lance has something on him that shows Shiro’s love for him and not just Shiro’s life experiences.

It’s the last mark either of them gets before Shiro goes on the Kerberos mission, but it’s not the last mark either of them will ever get.

part two

#voltron #shance #shirogane takashi #lance mcclain #mine

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thathopelessromantic · 6 years

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Save the Date

Fandom: Voltron: Legendary Defender Rating: T+ (for mild language only) Pairing: Lance/Keith Note: Part of the Growing Up series.

They had gotten married in the middle of a war, on an alien spaceship, both boasting major injuries. It was rushed and short and the team was thrust into battle almost immediately after “I do.” But afterwards, after some insistent questioning from Keith, Lance admitted to things he had let himself imagine for their wedding, were they to have had one on Earth.

AO3: (x)

Lance’s feet drag as he makes his way up the steps to his front door. He’s exhausted and there’s a tight pull across his shoulders from sitting bent over a desk for too long. His hands ache and he’s not even sure if he did something to cause it or if the cool evenings were just starting to fuck with his joints. He wants nothing more than to crawl into bed, or a hot shower, and not move but a note on the blue door catches his eye.

Come to the backyard the sticky note reads in Keith’s sharp penmanship. Lance wracks his brain for a reason as he backtracks down the steps and around the side of the house but he comes up empty.

There are two ribbons, one blue and one red, tied to the handle of their gate when he reaches the side of the house. Lance reaches for the ends as they flutter in the soft breeze, the soft fabric catching on the callouses on his fingers. He’s been meaning to buy more hand lotion for weeks but he doesn’t seem to have time. How was fighting a war more leisurely than normal life?

He pushes open the gate and finally sees the lights.

Small paper bags, with stars cut out of the sides, line the stone path that goes around the back of the house. Tea lights flicker inside. Soft white lights are also strung over the trees and bushes in the back and along the fence, where they are held in place by more ribbons.

He has absolutely no idea what is happening but it’s beautiful.

He had never been one for landscaping beforehand, but the summer after the paladins moved into the Galaxy Garrison suburb, he and his mother spent almost every weekend elbow-deep in dirt. It was a perfect opportunity to spend more time together, and him another reason to be outside, back on earth, as much as possible. Keith had simply waved him off when Lance pressed him for opinions on the path and garden and everything else, but now it seemed Keith spent more time out here than Lance did.

He had absolutely no idea when his husband would have had time to set this up, however.

At the end of the stone path, more paper lights trail up the steps of the patio to where Keith stands. He’s dressed in dark slacks and a white button up, which makes Lance feel oddly underdressed, even in his uniform. Their patio table hosts two tall candles, also red and blue, as well as two glasses of wine and a bouquet of flowers. Even from a distance, Lance can make out mariposa flowers sprinkled amongst the deep red of the other petals.

Keith smiles when he sees him, waving for Lance to join him on the patio.

“This is beautiful,” Lance says in hello. He drops his briefcase off to the side before stepping closer to Keith. His husband reaches for him, threading a hand around his hips to hold him close as he says hello.

“Well I’m glad. They’re citronella candles and I was a little worried that would ruin some of the ambiance of the night.”

Lance laughs, shaking his head. “Making my backyard beautiful and protecting me from mosquitoes? What a good husband you are,” he presses a kiss to Keith’s cheek before facing him again. “Speaking off, when did you do all of this? And why?” He asks.

Keith steps back to offer him a glass. “I can’t just surprise my husband?” he evades with a teasing smile.

Lance rolls his eyes. “You can, you just don’t, usually.” Lance looks around the backyard again, taking in everything Keith set up. Music plays quietly from a speaker against the house.

Keith waits until after he’s taken a drink before he answers honestly. “It’s for our anniversary.”

Lance stops. “What?” He’s worn a ring for so long now he hardly notices its presence, but he reaches for it now anyways.

“Our anniversary.” Keith repeats simply, as if the explanation was obvious. When Lance continues to blink owlishly at him, lost, he finally takes pity on his confused partner. “I got the idea last year, when your mom asked about it. I know we just…guessed before, but that got me thinking, so…I asked Allura to use the castle’s logs to figure out how many Earth days it had been since we got married. I did the math and,” he waves a hand in the general direction of the yard. “Happy fourth anniversary.”

Lance has to put his glass down so he doesn’t spill wine over himself. His hands feel like they’re shaking and he’s worryingly close to crying.

“H-How long have you been planning this?”

Keith watches him sheepishly. “Ah, a…few months,” Lance steps closer, slowly crowding his space until Keith puts down his own glass and rests his hands on his hips. “Do you like it?”

Lance cups his face gently. His hands still ache, but somehow they feel better cradling Keith. “I love it,” he kisses him finally, holding him as close as he can. Keith’s breath tickles his cheek as fingers tighten in the jacket of his uniform. “I love you.”

When they break, Keith smiles in an airy, dazzled kind of way he always does when Lance tells him he loves him. So, Lance kisses him again, chuckling as Keith tries to say “I love you too” around the kiss.

“I know it’s still simple, and it’s just the two of us, but I tried to think of things you talked about…for a wedding.” Keith says softly when Lance finally allows him a reprieve. “I still think blue and red is a cheesy color scheme for a wedding,” he starts, laughing as Lance swats at him. “But you insisted. And we can’t be in Cuba right now, but there are mariposa flowers in the bouquet, and Hunk assured me a dozen or so times those were a national flower,”

They had gotten married in the middle of a war, on an alien spaceship, both boasting major injuries, and in Keith’s case, a new prosthetic. Hunk’s space cake and Coran’s eccentric speech were the most extravagance they were allowed at the time. It was rushed and short and the team was thrust into battle almost immediately after “I do.” But afterwards, after some insistent questioning from Keith, Lance admitted to things he had let himself imagine for their wedding, were they to have had one on Earth.

“I’m glad we didn’t wait to go back to Earth,” Lance insisted when he saw the quiet, guilty look on Keith’s face, as if it was somehow his fault for keeping them in space all this time. “I just wanted to be married to you. I would have married you right there on Pentov when you asked if we weren’t running for our lives. But it was something to think about while I was stuck in bed for days on end. Colors and flowers and,”

“And we could finally have our first dance,” Keith finishes. “If you still don’t mind me stepping on your toes.”

Rather than answering, Lance pulls him away from the railing to stand in the middle of the patio. The chorus is starting, the gentle music rising, and the slow sway they start with might not fit the tempo, but he doesn’t care as long as he can keep holding his husband and seeing the candle light flicker in his dark eyes.

“What did I ever do to deserve you?”

“I think that’s my line,” Keith argues with a shake of his head. “You’re the best thing to ever happen to me.”

“Keith,”

“I’m serious, Lance. Shiro helped me when I was alone and lost, and finding my mom again was as terrifying and confusing as it was amazing. But you, you challenged me, sometimes just to be a pain in the ass,” Keith laughs at Lance’s expression, pulling his husband even closer. “But you helped me be better. You believed in me, you trusted me, I wouldn’t have made it as a part of Voltron without you. I wouldn’t have made it this far without you.”

Lance didn’t realize he was crying until Keith was wiping a tear away from his cheek.

“I wouldn’t be here anymore if it wasn’t for you,” Lance says. They’re hardly doing anything but rocking back and forth now, but as far as Lance is concerned, it’s the best ‘first dance’ ever. “And I wouldn’t, I don’t, want to be anywhere without you. We’re better together, we’re a team.”

Keith cupped the back of his head, pulling him down for a kiss. “For better, for worse,”

“’Til death do us part.”

#voltron #voltron legendary defender #vld #klance #vld lance #vld keith #lance mcclain #keith kogane #established relationship #fluff #vow renewal #kind of #fic: growing up aint what it seems #fic #rita writes #writing #6.11.2018

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krishdoeslit · 3 years

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Looking Glass

I wasn’t one to shy away from the supernatural. I was raised by believers. Those who respect the way of life wherein some souls that perish linger just for a little while longer to keep an eye on their beloved. I was always taught that these “mumus” (a rather funny moniker for an otherwise creepy being) were here to guard us. They were good. Just don’t pay attention.

And I didn’t. My whole life was spent minding my own business. But when nighttime fell, a thought in the back of my head would always entertain the fact that figures were lurking in the shadows. I’m not sure if I was only staring in the dark long enough for my brain to play tricks with me. But it’s more than just that. All hairs on my body would stand up. My heart would pound every time I felt goosebumps. Yet, I didn’t mind.

What I did mind was the house I grew up in. There was a big garden outside full of plants and flowers. When you wake up early enough, you see the butterflies flying from flower to flower trying to get the nectar out. I loved chasing them. They were little and would usually swarm in big groups. It was a beautiful sight.

At the time, I wondered why the only color of the butterfly I saw was white. I’d see different colored ones on NatGeo all the time. I just told myself that these types of butterflies were the ones native to our town. They’re just as majestic.

One morning, as I was chasing the biggest one I’ve ever seen so far, it led me to the vacant lot in front of our house. The lot was overgrown. Big bushes and tall grasses took over the place. “It must be the butterfly’s home.” I thought to myself. So I followed. I tried to walk as far as I can, but my feet seem to sink under the towering weeds. When my feet started to feel itchy, I decided to abandon my little adventure and come back home.

Soon, the butterflies became irrelevant. There were no more adventures. Just boring responsibilities I had as an adolescent. I had no more love for what was out there. Instead, I acknowledge the neglectful owner and his lot becoming a forest. He didn’t care for his property, so it grew with me. As time passed, the vines stretched farther and farther, gripping at everything in its path. It quickly turned into a forest because no one paid attention.

For my graduation, my mother decided that to give me a new outfit to be used at the ceremony. It was a white dress with a cape sleeve and a long, flowy tulle skirt. She paired it with the most beautiful butterfly necklace I’ve ever seen. The wings were adorned with tiny gems while the chain was dainty, almost as if it would disappear in one touch. I loved it. I kept it in my drawer, excited for the day that I would use it.

But the graduation never came. Instead, the outfit remained stashed neatly inside the drawer, never seeing the light of day. Because of the pandemic, there wasn’t a ceremony. To say that I was bummed is an understatement. I never really cared for the medals. It was just an excuse to feel like Anne Hathaway in Princess Diaries. We didn’t have a ceremony for our own safety, but the fact that I didn’t get to wear my dress felt heartbreaking. But I didn’t mind.

Instead, I stayed at home. The same one where I grew up. The same one with the beautiful garden and the overgrown lot in front. I was back where it all started.

The goosebumps came back. But I didn’t mind. From time and time again, the white mariposa came to say hi from the terrace. I didn’t run after them as I did before. I had more important things to do. Now that I am in Grade 11, I have my work, my career, and my studies. There is no time to chase the butterflies.

However, one eventful night, I dreamt of something peculiar. In my dreams, I was clad in baroque garb, eyeing myself in the gold vanity mirror in front of me. She looked beautiful. As I arranged the pearls on my chest, I see a figure staring at me in the mirror. It wasn’t my reflection, nor the helpers around me. A little girl dressed in all white. She had all the requirements for a stereotypical white lady, except that something was faintly glistening on her chest. It was strangely familiar. I looked at the place where she was supposed to be standing and saw nothing. When I looked back, there she was, a foot or two in front of me.

I don’t know why, but my first instinct was to run. Gathering my gown, I fled from the room and into a hall of mirrors. That thing was still chasing me.

I reached the end of the hall in no time. There were neither doors nor windows, just a room filled with mirrors. She was in front of me. Gradually slowing down her pace as she sees that I have nowhere to run. But as she got closer, I noticed that she didn’t have a face. She was a blur. The only thing visible was her tattered dress and disheveled hair. She didn’t try to pounce on me. She just walked ever so slowly until she and I were face to face.

Or should it be face to no face? This being was now standing an inch away from me. Her breathing was heavy, and I felt it on every part of my body. In an attempt to find out who it was, I swept her hair away and saw it.

There I was — same white dress and butterfly necklace, now with tired and hopeless eyes.

I was her.

She was me.

#creative writing #writeblr #writers on tumblr #commissions are open #dark academia #butterfly #looking glass

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amarilloinfo · 3 years

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All About Amarillo

Located in the western part of the State, Amarillo is bordered by the vast dusty deserts of the west and the mountains of the north. It is a popular destination for tourists who enjoy the warm weather and all the attractions that Amarillo has to offer. The city is home to two major reservoirs, Mariposa and Cochise, as well as several recreational facilities, including the popular Amarillo Park which serves as a haven for families with small children. There are also many parks in the area.

The City of Amarillo began constructing Lake Park in 1918, across the street from the City Hall. It quickly became a popular place for residents to spend their time, with many taking advantage of the amenities that were offered at the park. Today, there are several different playgrounds in and around the area, including a large park just west of the Lake, known as South Amarillo Park.

Another structure of note is the City's Amarillo Parks and Recreation Area. The entire area is considered one great park because it offers something for everyone. The majority of the area is dedicated as a nature preserve, where visitors can enjoy walking through different habitats featured on the Amarillo Naturalist Newsletter. It also features a skate park, hiking paths, baseball diamonds, picnic areas, and an aquatic center. Additionally, the lake is one of the most popular places for boating and other water activities, such as swimming, boating, and fishing.

The second major attraction in the area is the Children's Miracle Garden. This garden features interactive playsets, hanging toys, and even an inflatable water fountain for kids to cool off in. The park is open year round, and even has special events during the summer months, including volleyball and flag football. The parks are designed around the interests of children from birth through 12 years of age, so families with children of different ages have plenty of things to do together.

Finally, children who love sports can have hours of fun at the new Spring Training park in Amarillo. Located right next to the downtown skyline, the park offers plenty of sporting options for all ages. Whether you prefer indoor or outdoor sports, the Amarillo Convention Center can provide all of the amenities you need to enjoy a day of baseball.

For adults interested in entertainment, there are many adult-oriented places to visit as well. The Silverado Casino is a great place to play cards, gamble, dine, and dance the night away. The West End Theater is a well-known performing arts organization that offers many live shows across the world. The Driskill Hotel and Casino also offer gambling and other entertainment options. Finally, the Dallas Symphony Orchestra has stage productions in their three venues, along with concerts and family shows at their theaters.

In terms of recreation, the city of Amarillo offers a huge variety of parks. From country clubs to nature preserves, there's something for everyone in this metropolitan area. The largest park in Amarillo is the Driskill Gold Club Park, which is also home to the Silverado National Park. Several springs and lakes in the area make for beautiful hiking and fishing experiences, as well as horseback riding and hot air balloon rides.

While the city of Amarillo offers many types of recreation opportunities for people of all ages, it is especially popular for its outstanding recreation opportunities for children. The city is also home to an annual event, Blue Springs Day, which is dedicated to the enjoyment of children of all ages. Several community parks also feature children's programs, from art activities and science projects to musical programs and bike rides. For those looking for amusement and excitement, but still want to remain within the safety and security of the community, the city of Amarillo has several popular nightlife and sports attractions. Whatever you seek out when you choose to live in Amarillo, you're sure to find a good fit.

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wallpapernifty · 4 years

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The Seven Secrets About Clematis The President Only A Handful Of People Know | Clematis The President

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wallpaperpainter · 4 years

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Art dealers were on vacation aback Patrick Drahi pulled off the better accord abounding of them had anytime seen.

It was June 2019, appropriate afterwards Art Basel, a dormant aeon aback arcade honchos and bargain chairmen appoint homes in Italy or go island bent in Greece. Drahi, a telecom billionaire in allegation of the bunch association Altice, plunked bottomward $3.7 billion in banknote and debt to access Sotheby’s, which had been traded about for added than three decades. Beneath than two years afterwards the art apple had watched, aghast, as a applicant believed to be Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman spent $450.3 actor on Leonardo da Vinci’s Salvator Mundi, a man had stepped up and paid added than eight times that—not on an artwork but on a block of the art apple itself.

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Patrick Drahi, Sotheby’s new owner, in 2016. (Photo by Christophe Morin/IP3/Getty Images)

This, presumably, was acceptable account for Tad Smith, the CEO of Sotheby’s for the accomplished four years, who had led a bulk of acquisitions that adapted the aggregation into a apple of the absolute art market, a one-stop bazaar for collectors who capital all their needs taken affliction of beneath one roof. Better yet, Smith and Drahi had a history: aback Drahi was in talks to buy Cablevision from James Dolan, Smith was CEO of Madison Square Garden, which Dolan has endemic aback the 1990s.

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Former Sotheby’s CEO Tad Smith administering a bargain in Hong Kong. (Photo by Jayne Russell/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images)

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But beneath than six months afterwards the accord was announced, Smith and Drahi beggared ways, and the CEO absolved abroad with a aureate parachute analysis for a whopping $28 million. To alter him, Drahi assassin Altice CFO Charles Stewart.

Drahi capital one of the world’s better art businesses to be run by a banker.

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shirlleycoyle · 4 years

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The Most Critical Fight Against Trump’s Border Wall You’ve Never Heard Of

“We’ve been here thousands of years,” said Isidro Leal, a member of the Carrizo/Comecrudo Tribe of Texas, or Esto’k Gna, as he surveyed the Rio Grande River atop a high bank fortified over the years by piles of concrete and rebar. From this rise, it is more than 70 miles downstream to the Gulf of Mexico, but double or triple that distance if you follow the wild meanderings of the river itself.

It is in these accordion-like bends and folds of the water’s course that the Esto’k Gna, whose ancestral homelands straddle both sides of the river, identify innumerable sacred sites. “A lot of our artifacts are there,” said Leal, “and old village sites.”

Only a few hundred yards to the north is Yalui Village, a resistance camp set up by the Esto’k Gna at the historic Eli Jackson Cemetery. Esto’k Gna tribal members are buried here, as are the descendents of freed slaves, white abolitionists, and veterans of multiple wars. And long before that, “this spot in particular was always a burial ground for us, always sacred land,” Leal said.

An old irrigation pump sits idle beside the winding Rio Grande less than a mile from Yalui Village.

Yet by siting 25 miles of border wall on top of the river levee abutting the cemetery, the government threatened to “completely destroy” Eli Jackson, said Ramiro Ramirez, a descendant of the cemetery’s original founders. It would also destroy another cemetery and chapel a short walk up the road.

After a few years of dormancy, wall construction is reviving with a privately funded wall near Mission, Texas and a new federal contract for 3 miles of new wall at Rio Grande City.

While the Department of Homeland Security Appropriations Act of 2020 recently exempted certain natural areas and “historic cemeteries” from wall construction for another fiscal year, Indigenous sites remain threatened in Texas. To “ensure the expeditious construction” of the wall in the Rio Grande Valley, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security last fall waived dozens of federal laws, including the American Indian Religious Freedom Act and the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act.

In opposition, the Esto’k Gna tribe has joined forces with the Ramirezes and other local landowners, reviving ancestral villages along the length of the Rio Grande. Part resistance camps and part decolonial education sites, these villages stand squarely in the pathway of President Donald Trump’s proposed border wall expansion.

'People came and raided us, invaded us. Occupied us. And now we're learning to take all of that back'

Unlike Standing Rock or Wet’suwet’en, the names of Yalui Village, Lehai Village, Mariposa Village, and Camp Toyahvale are largely unknown. And yet these villages are some of the most critical resistance work undertaken in response to the manifold crises converging on South Texas—the border wall, to be sure, but also the fracking, flaring, mining, and pipelining accelerating climate change, and the criminalization of largely Indigenous Central American asylum-seekers and the theft and internment of their children.

“This is the head of the snake,” Carrizo/Comecrudo tribal chairman Juan Mancias said of the region. “Everything is coming this way. If we don't cut the head of the snake off and just continue to break its back every once in a while, it'll heal itself.”

In the shadow of the wall

The Esto’k Gna started setting up villages along the Texas/Mexico border in 2016, amid the thick of the resistance at Standing Rock and during the season of Trump’s election. Starting with a base camp just south of San Antonio called Somi Se’k, the tribe established Camp Toyahvale in far West Texas, where intensive fracking had caused sacred springs to run dry. Cotoname Village followed in 2017 on the Gulf Coast to resist the siting of liquefied natural gas (LNG) infrastructure on Esto’k Gna fishing grounds.

Camp rules at Yalui Village, where roughly 50 tribal members and allies gathered last summer.

In 2019, three more camps were established along the proposed route for the wall: Mariposa Village on the grounds of the National Butterfly Center, Yalui Village at Eli Jackson Cemetery, and Lehai Village on land adjacent to the privately funded border wall. Others are planned to protect sacred peyote gardens and fight planned LNG pipelines and export terminals in Brownsville.

While the Esto’k Gna maintains the land at all camps year-round, the number of villagers varies. At Yalui, presently in watch-and-wait mode, at least one person is always there tending sacred fire, though the camp can fill on weekends and for specific actions to include dozens of villagers.

Yalui (meaning “butterfly” in Hokom) Village has attracted the most attention for its location at Eli Jackson Cemetery, where the tribe has maintained a constant presence since January 2019. This cemetery is of ancestral significance not only to the Esto’k Gna but to multiple traditions of liberation and resistance. Established by a white former slaveholder from Alabama who married an emancipated slave, the chapel and two family cemeteries were founded after Nathaniel Jackson, Matilda Hicks, and 11 other freed slaves fled Alabama’s Fugitive Slave Act in the 1850s. “Most people were going North,” says Ramiro Ramirez, great-great-grandson of Nathaniel, who founded Eli Jackson Cemetery. “They decided to come South,” where slavery was illegal in Mexico.

Jackson Ranch Chapel, the oldest Protestant church in the Rio Grande Valley, is threatened by border wall construction.

After arriving in the Rio Grande Valley, however, the group decided not to cross into Mexico, deterred by the prospect of language barriers and that country’s Catholic majority. Instead, they purchased land and in 1874 established the Jackson Ranch Chapel, the first (and now oldest) Protestant church in the Rio Grande Valley. Eventually the area became, according to Ramirez’s wife Melinda, “a really mixed-race community” and ultimately a stop on the Underground Railroad. “There was a cotton trade that would come down,” Melinda explained. “Who was driving the wagons? The slaves. And so they knew exactly how to get through the monte (brush country) and the rattlesnakes and no water, and that was the trail.”

For the Esto’k Gna, the villages resist not only the wall, but the official narrative about Native people in Texas—which too often is that there aren’t any. “People don’t think there’s Natives in Texas,” said Mancias. “That it’s only the federally recognized tribes that need to be dealt with.”

These erasures of Native presence in Texas are rooted in centuries of massacres and missionization at the hands of the Spanish. Starting in the early 16th century, missionaries enslaved Native people for purposes of building Texas’s numerous colonial missions, including those celebrated today in San Antonio as UN World Heritage sites. But the missions also initiated a more insidious form of genocide. As Native people entered the missions, conversion to Catholicism and Spanish names and language fractured tribal identities, hiding original peoples in plain sight.

“It created a rift among our people, because of the missions,” Mancias said.

Juan Mancias, chair of the Carrizo/Comecrudo tribe in Texas.

Today the Esto’k Gna tribe has 1,600 enrolled members and another 2,000 registered, with many more throughout South Texas as descendants. But “if you talk to present day people,” Mancias said, “a lot of them don't even recognize the fact that they're Native anymore.”

If the threat posed by the border wall to Texas Natives has received far less attention than elsewhere, it’s because “a lot of the tribes (here) have been disenfranchised,” said Leal. “A lot of us didn’t sign treaties, for obvious reasons. Just went into hiding or eventually just sort of disbanded out of the need to survive. Carrizo/Comecrudo is one of them.”

But although the Esto’k Gna lacks either federal or state recognition, this can be an advantage. As Mancias observed, the lure of contracts has led some federally recognized tribes in Texas, such as the Ysleta del Sur Pueblo in El Paso, to bid on contracts to build the border wall. “We’re more sovereign right now,” said Mancias. “We got nothing to lose and everything to gain.”

Eventually, Mancias hopes the villages can be developed into centers for decolonial education, even building a university with an Indigenous curriculum. “We’ll teach math, reading, writing and stuff, but at the same time, we want to talk about colonization… that we’re on the verge of destroying the only planet that can hold our life forms. And talk about that kind of science, rather than the science they want to proclaim about controlling the petroleum and pushing their racism on us.”

These are villages

Both the Esto’k Gna and the Ramirez family at Eli Jackson Cemetery are watching to see what develops next. Last March, the legal firm Earthjustice filed suit against the federal government on behalf of six plaintiffs affected by the government’s plans, including the Ramirezes and the Carrizo/Comecrudo Tribe of Texas. Currently in federal court, the suit alleges that Trump’s attempt to divert funds to the border wall without Congressional authorization, on the pretext of a national emergency, is unconstitutional.

Melinda and Ramiro Roberto Ramirez, owners of historic cemeteries and a chapel in the path of the border wall.

In the meantime, the Ramirezes won a small concession after two lobbying trips to D.C. that resulted in all “historic cemeteries” being exempted from wall construction. So, Melinda, said, “we’re safe for a year.”

After that, Simmons said, “We gotta go through it all over again in September, when they’re ready to submit the new budget.”

Meanwhile, an anti-migrant group operating as We Build the Wall has started construction on a crowdfunded border wall nearby, right next to the National Butterfly Center. “So we’re still occupying out there,” Simmons said. “We’re still watching and monitoring everything out there. And we’re making sure that things don’t happen because they think we all went home and we’re not paying attention.”

Isidro Leal overlooking the Rio Grande.

For many at Yalui Village, the issue is deeper than the wall’s route and the wall; it’s the border itself. “The idea of borders is a colonizer idea,” said Leal. “That's something that came from Spain. For us that wasn't really a thing. We mostly traveled wherever we wanted.”

For that reason, the Esto’k Gna is forming alliances with the Tohono O'odham Nation in Arizona, another binational, borderlands tribe 1,200 miles upriver who recently decried the wall’s blasting of burial sites at a Washington, D.C. hearing. The Tohono O’odham is “fighting (the wall) really strong,” said Mancias. “We’re working on setting up a coalition of tribes along the Rio Grande.”

Above all, Mancias wants people to recognize “that there’s camps here. There are villages. This is where the creator put us at this time, to protect that. And we were overcome, we were raided, completely. People came and raided us, invaded us. Occupied us. And now we’re learning to take all of that back. And say, ‘Hey, you gotta grow up. There’s an injustice and you have been a part of it.’ Especially in Texas.”

Marisol Cortez is a writer, scholar, and organizer around a variety of environmental justice issues in her home community of San Antonio, Texas.

Greg Harman is a San Antonio-based environmental organizer. Follow him on Twitter.

Both are co-editors of the online journal Deceleration.news.

Have a story for Tipping Point? Email [email protected]

The Most Critical Fight Against Trump’s Border Wall You’ve Never Heard Of syndicated from https://triviaqaweb.wordpress.com/feed/

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ladystylestores · 4 years

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The Ultimate Two-Week California National Park Road Trip Itinerary • The Blonde Abroad

Rachel + Dana of Traveling Found Love are here today sharing this epic California national park road trip itinerary!

One thing is for sure, California’s vibrant cities and the stunning Pacific Coast Highway attracts millions of visitors every year. We loved walking on the Santa Monica Pier and admiring the amazing views on Highway 1 but what really left us speechless was the inner part of California.

As outdoor lovers, we are always up for an adventure in a national park. On this route, you will pass through five exceptional parks with undeniably gorgeous landscapes and some of North America’s greatest natural wonders.

From the lowest point in Death Valley National Park to the highest waterfall in Yosemite National Park and not to forget the largest tree in the world in Sequoia National Park.

Ready to get off the beaten path for an unforgettable 2-week California national park road trip from San Diego to South Lake Tahoe?

We would recommend doing this road trip from spring to fall since there can be road and trail closures in some parks due to snow in the winter months.

When Should You Take This Route?

The National Parks and Lake Tahoe are beautiful all year round and each season will provide you with different and unique experiences in the parks. From beautiful wildflowers in the spring in Death Valley to the incredible fall foliage around Lake Tahoe.

Nevertheless, we would recommend doing this road trip from spring to fall since there can be road and trail closures in some parks due to snow in the winter months. To stay up to date on road information and conditions it is best to check the national park website before your trip.

We completed our trip during the summer. The weather was always beautiful and sunny but extremely hot, especially in Death Valley and Joshua Tree National Park.

If your trip includes outdoor activities, it is best to complete them in the early morning or late afternoon. You will want to limit these activities during the middle of the day since you can experience scorching temperatures. Always remember to have lots of water with you!

Our 14-Day Road Trip Itinerary

Day 1-3: San Diego

Day 4-5: Joshua Tree National Park

Day 6-7: Death Valley National Park

Day 8: Sequoia National Park

Day 9: Kings Canyon National Park

Day 10-12: Yosemite National Park

Day 13-14: South Lake Tahoe

The Coolest Airbnbs in California

Here are the coolest (and most charming) Airbnbs to stay at in California!

Day 1-3: San Diego

San Diego is a must-see city on the West Coast and one of our ultimate favorites.

It offers a lively downtown area with awesome nightlife possibilities, tons of beaches to unplug, wildlife encounters at La Jolla Cove, and incredible parks to wander around in.

When you want to combine a relaxing afternoon on the beach and a unique hiking experience, don’t miss out on the Ho Chi Minh trail which brings you right to the shore. It is a bit of a climb through a sandstone passage but we had a lot of fun on this little adventure.

Best Things to Do and See in San Diego:

Visit the famous San Diego Zoo

Stroll around Balboa Park

Experience Downtown: Gaslamp Quarter, Seaport Village, Little Italy

Admire the sea life at La Jolla Cove

Hike the Ho Chi Minh Trail, a unique hiking trail that leads you to the Blacks Beach

Soak up the sun on one of San Diego beaches: Mission Beach, Pacific Beach

Go on a hike through Torrey Pines State Natural Reserve for stunning overlooks of the Pacific Ocean.

Catch a sunset at Sunset Cliffs Natural Park

Where to Stay in and Around San Diego

Ranchos Los Coches RV Park (20 minutes east of San Diego) This family-owned campground is a great place for RV traveling and tent camping. Another plus is the prices are cheaper since you are a little outside the city.

Day 4-5: Joshua Tree National Park

Drive from San Diego to Joshua Tree National Park (south entrance at Cottonwood Spring)

[Approx. 158 miles | 3 hours 20 minutes]

Experience how two deserts, Mojave and Colorado, come together to create a unique landscape in Southern California.

Snapping a picture with the spiky Joshua Tree is a must. But don’t forget to experience the diversity of the lush and rocky landscape in the park up close on one of the incredible hikes.

Keep your eyes open for wildlife on your hikes! We were lucky to spot a chuckwalla (lizard) and a rattlesnake underneath a rock.

Best Things to Do and See in Joshua Tree National Park

Take a scenic drive through the park

Check out the unusual Cholla Cactus Garden

See impressive rock formations: Skull Rock and Arch Rock

Admire the panoramic view of Joshua Tree from the highest point at Keys View

Take a hike on the Barker Dam Trail

Where to Stay in Joshua Tree National Park

Camp out in one of the national park’s campgrounds!

Day 6-7: Death Valley National Park

Drive from Joshua Tree National Park (north entrance at Twentynine Palms) to Death Valley National Park (east entrance via Highway 190)

[Approx. 228 miles | 3 hours 50 minutes]

Death Valley is the hottest, driest, and lowest of all the U.S. National Parks. You can expect a true desert experience from climbing up the Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes, standing in salt flats at Badwater Basin, to admiring surprisingly colorful patterns on the Artist’s Drive.

You also have to see Death Valley from above, the views from Zabriskie Point and Dante’s view are breathtaking.

Best Things to Do and See in Death Valley National Park

Take in the views of Death Valley at Zabriskie Point and Dante’s View

See a salt pan at Devils Golf Course

Visit the lowest point in North America at Badwater Basin

Journey down Artist’s Drive to see the beautiful colors of Artist’s Palette

Explore the sight of Harmony Borax Works in Furnace Creek

Walk on the dunes at Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes

Where to Stay in Death Valley National Park

Stay in one of the park’s campgrounds from late fall until spring. We would not recommend camping in this area during the summer months due to extreme heat. For a more delicate experience book a room in one of the park’s lodges.

Kings Canyon National Park – General Grant Trail

Day 8-9: Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Park

Drive from Death Valley National Park (west entrance at Panamint Springs) to Sequoia National Park (Ash Mountain entrance at Three Rivers)

[Approx. 268 miles | 4 hours 45 minutes]

Drive from Sequoia National Park to Kings Canyon National Park via Generals Highway

[Approx. 10 miles | 20 minutes]

Home to the largest trees in the world, Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Park are truly the land of giants.

What will be your favorite way to experience the land of giants?

Is it feeling like a tiny ant standing next to these massive trees, seeing inside of a tree while walking in Grant Grove or driving through a fallen sequoia tree at Tunnel Log?

Best Things to Do and See in Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Park

Hike up Moro Rock

Drive through a fallen sequoia tree at Tunnel Log

Stand next to the largest tree in the world on the Congress Trail: General Sherman Tree

Hike around the General Grant Tree and walk through the fallen Monarch in Grant Grove

Take a Scenic Drive on Kings Canyon Scenic Byway

Stop and see Grizzly Falls on Kings Canyon Scenic Byway

Enjoy the scenery at Zumwalt Meadows

Where to Stay in Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Park

Enjoy a night in nature at one of the many campgrounds throughout the parks. Spend the night in one of the lodges within the park for a cabin retreat!

Day 10-12: Yosemite National Park

Drive from Kings Canyon National Park (Grant Grove Village) to Yosemite National Park (south entrance via Highway 41)

[Approx. 111 miles | 2 hours 15 minutes]

Yosemite National Park is not only California’s most visited National Park but one of the top ten in the U.S. The park is best known for its impressive waterfalls, especially Yosemite Falls which is the highest in North America.

Enjoy the stunning views on the scenic drive, have a picnic at one of the lakes, and when you are up for a real adventure, take a strenuous hike up Half Dome or Vernal falls.

For a romantic ending of the day, drive up to Glacier Point to see the iconic Half Dome shining in the orange and red lights of the sunset.

Best Things to Do and See in Yosemite National Park

Explore Yosemite Valley

Take a Hike: Lower Yosemite Falls, Vernal Falls, Bridalveil Falls. Or take on the challenging 14-16 hour hike up Half Dome (permit required)

Stop and see El Capitan: best views are at Bridalveil Falls area, the western part of Yosemite Valley, and Tunnel View

Capture a photo at Tunnel View

Catch a sunset at Glacier Point

Take a drive on Tioga Road to Tuolumne Meadows

Have a picnic by Tenaya Lake

Important Info

During the winter and spring months Tioga Road, Glacier Point Road, and Mariposa Grove Road are closed.

Where to Stay in Yosemite National Park

Day 13-14: South Lake Tahoe

Drive from Yosemite National Park (east side via Tioga Pass Road) to South Lake Tahoe

[Approx. 131 miles | 2 hours 45 minutes]

Lake Tahoe is truly enchanting with its crystal clear turquoise water and the surrounding forest and mountain sceneries. You will get the best views from Emerald Bay State Park Campground which is located on the southwest part of the lake.

From there, take the Rubicon Trail down to the lake to enjoy the cool water in a kayak or while swimming around. For a great cultural experience tour the unique Scandinavian Vikingsholm castle.

Best Things to Do and See in South Lake Tahoe

Visit a State Park: Emerald Bay State Park or D.L Bliss State Park

Hiking: Rubicon Trail, Balancing Rock Nature Trail

Water Activities: kayaking, paddle-boarding, boating

Take a tour of Lake Tahoe’s hidden castle: Vikingsholm Castle

Where to Stay in South Lake Tahoe

Spend a night at Emerald Bay State Park or D.L. Bliss State Park

Trip Additions

We take every chance to admire colorful street art and artsy creations wherever we go. If you are also into art, take the 50 minutes detour to Salvation Mountain on your way to Joshua Tree National Park. It is just a quick stop but the visionary environment on the hill is indescribable, it is best to see it for yourself!

When you have some extra time, make a stop at Las Vegas on your way to Death Valley National Park for a little sinful fun on the Las Vegas Strip.

For more original Vegas vibes, don’t miss out on the “old strip” around Fremont Street. Here you find beautiful original casinos that are worth checking out even when you are not into gambling.

A great way to end the day is to go to one of the dozen buffets which serve whatever you can imagine. Our all-time favorite is the Wicked Spoon. Make sure to arrive hungry…

Lastly, if you have even more time, think about making a loop back to San Diego via the California coast.

Helpful Tips

For those who want a time out from technology, this is your chance to unplug and enjoy the view, feel, and smell of nature because you will be lucky to find any service while in the parks.

If you are traveling by campervan or RV, we recommend campendium.com to find cheap or free spots to stay for the night. Campgrounds in the national parks in California book out months in advance, so make sure that you reserve your favorite campsite in time.

But don’t worry, even when you can’t get a site on a campground, there are National Forests and BLM (Bureau of Land Management) land where you can stay completely for free.

Another great way to save money on this 2-week California national park road trip is to purchase an America the Beautiful pass. This pass will give you access to a full year of national park adventures all over the USA.

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