Eat, Play, and Love

We've been up to so much this week in Fruita!

Here are a few pictures to highlight what we've been doing around here.

Daniel playing guitar at his parents' house.

One night, we went over to Cullen's to watch video clips of the documentary he's making about Daniel. Cullen is a jack-of-all-trades, who is definitely very talented in film-making. 

I look forward to seeing the finished product when the time comes.

Next we went over to Cavalcade with Cullen's friend, Cooper, to film several of his original acoustic pieces. His talent just blew my mind! We all relaxed and lounged on the benches, listening to Cooper play until 2 AM. Words can't express how transformative all the experiences of that night have been.

The following evening we headed out to Cavalcade for Open Mic Night. 

Beginning the night with a performance by Josh, who's amazing at guitar, bass, and singing.

This girl and Josh teamed up for a harmonious rendition of "She Will be Loved" by Maroon 5.

Another talented group.

Ellis, who played from a variety of genres.

These two breathtakingly performed "My Immortal" by Evanescence together.

Brandon played a song by Bach for us that was out of this world!

This girl and her father put on quite a show!

After breakfast the next morning, Daniel and Brandon performed some 

hauntingly beautiful songs for us - Brandon on piano and Daniel on saw.

Ron filmed a video of them playing "Amazing Grace," which I shall add at the end of this post.

Cullen called to tell Daniel about Carrie, someone was interested in interviewing him for her podcast, "Honestly, Dear Listener." So Daniel and I walked on over to Cullen's house to meet with her and her family. Carrie told us about her podcast, that it is about creators, whether they be artists, musicians, or those who create a different way of life or think differently. Daniel and I were both interviewed. I'm thankful that Carrie had the interest to talk with us. Whenever the podcast is posted, I'll be sure to share it with all of you.

Carrie and her son, Elliott.

Left to right: Seth (Carrie's husband), Daniel, and Cullen.

Cullen's wife, Jeannine, to the left.

Casey.

Cullen's studio, where we had the interview.

Brandon, Daniel, and I walked into an art museum just around the corner from Cavalcade. We encountered an amusing exhibit of random tweets and met Kyle Harvey, whose collection of poems, Hyacinth, we've been reading (a gift from Cullen).

Cullen was there as well, and told us that there was this girl named Lindsay a.k.a. Little Red Cycling Fox that we should meet. She had this awesome ride parked in front of Cavalcade, selling earrings for basic expenses. Her travelling companion, Foxy, slept comfortably on a bed nearby. She is in the midst of a cross-country trip that commenced in Los Angeles back in February, with Virginia as her destination.

Read her story here and check out the rest of her blog!

After taking Foxy to a warmer haven, Lindsay returned to perform fire dancing for us. 

Meanwhile, a vinyl party was going on at Cavalcade, and Brandon and I went 

down to Copper Cup to play darts with Alex and Rudy.

...and then the fire dancing begins!

After Lindsay's show, we went into Cavalcade to watch the dance party.

Sam doing the "worm."

The following morning, as usual, we are amused by Molly and her desire to be the center of attention.

Daniel, Brandon, and I sauntered around Fruita that afternoon. First we went to Friedly Brothers Gallery and met Dennis, one of the brothers who displays so many beautiful ceramic and bronze pieces throughout the space. His brother, Danen, has paintings on display all over. There are pieces from other artists there as well. Dennis generously left an open invitation for us to come by and throw pieces on the wheel any time.

We then wandered aimlessly until we came to a local bike shop. I got to meet Max, a friend of Daniel and Brandon. He led us to a couch near the back of the store and gave us freeze pops to savor.

Max in the background.

He offered us a ride on his tall double-bike. Daniel and Brandon took it for a drive around the block.

A beautiful mural outside of the shop.

I tried to get on, but that was enough for me!

Brandon and Daniel playing piano outside of Cavalcade.

After that, we wandered around town some more, checking out dumpsters. We found a piece of 

vegetarian pizza with tons of artichoke (yes!!) that Brandon and I split. It was so sumptuous 

that we ignored whatever Daniel was rambling on about!

We've been reflecting on how, despite being moneyless, we have come across so many opportunities in the music and arts. We encounter whatever we need to soothe our soul. We're provided for in all sorts of ways, even more than food and other basic necessities. In some cases, we've seen more talented performances than any we've seen that required money. And in general, we've had more energy and enthusiasm to grasp the opportunities that come to us. When I worked and/or went to school, I rarely had the energy to pursue these types of activities... and moreover just to live the life that I wanted to live. I'm very content with this lifestyle with each day.

Ron's breakfast this morning - a reminder for him to eat, play, and love!

Well that's all for now. Today we're returning to Moab with Cullen, who will stay with us for the week. Alex may join us as well, with his friends who are currently travelling out west from his hometown in Ohio. Govinda, from Australia, has just arrived in the United States and will soon be arriving in Moab and joining our moneyless tribe. It'll be interesting to see how we fit everyone in the caves! I look forward to this coming week. 

Tonight at 9-11 PM MST (11 PM - 1 AM EST) is Daniel's radio show (listen live here or here or here), and we will all be hanging out at the station.

Oh, and here's the video I promised. Daniel and Brandon's 

heartfelt expression of the soul through "Amazing Grace." Life is good!!