Desert or Dessert ?

Both the environment and the food are treating us well. The desert of southern Arizona, while surrounded by mountains, recharged me. The energy used to move those mountains still reverberates in these valleys. I can feel it on the extremely hilly country roads we almost flew over between Yuma, AZ and Blythe, CA. The looney tunes cartoons with Wiley and the Roadrunner depiction of the desert are more accurate than I realized. We also saw huge sandy dunes - I had no idea I would see dunes like those so far from the Sahara desert of Morocco or Sleeping Bear Dunes in Michigan. They separate Mexico and the US along the AZ and CA borders. We only saw them from the road but wanted to explore them soon. The daily winds are so refreshing. The wind brings in change. The wind brought us some beautifully fluffy clouds today. Here in the sunniest part of the US, clouds are news. haha

We’re camped outside of Quartzite, AZ in the beautiful BLM Long Term Visitor south of town. While we were in town charging Leeloo (Model Y), I stopped in to Quiet Times. They’re the local print, ship, and receiving shop. They had a vast collection of postcards which I enjoyed picking through. One of the postcards included a recipe for a vegan veggie dip. I have to share it because we loved it! Please note, credit goes to the ladies at the shop or the author of the postcard.

[picture of postcard would be here if i remembered to take it before I mailed them]

Here’s the tweaks I made that we enjoyed.

Quartzite Vegan Dip

1 can of corn kernels, drained

1 can of black beans, drained

1 can of diced tomatoes with jalapeños (juice included)

1 small can of diced green chilies (juice included)

1 red pepper, diced fine

1 orange pepper, diced fine

1 cup of cooked rice

1 lime, zested and juiced

1 teaspoons of cumin

1 tablespoon of salt

1 tablespoon of oil

1 bunch of cilantro, torn in small pieces

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and let sit for 30 mins. Serve with tortilla chips. If there’s any leftovers, please refrigerate them.

Options: Add one diced avocado or add 1 fresh jalapeño, diced fine

We’re both so lucky to have an opportunity to experience what this wide world has to offer. Thanks for joining us and for your patience as we share our journey

Here’s a list of upcoming topics. We’ll be posting each week on Fridays going toward!

• • Mental health on the road

  • Our downsizing process - yard sale stories in black journal (started)

  • Joanna Macy - life sustaining society (what comes after late stage capitalism?)

  • Our weight loss journey

  • What does the American Dream mean to us ?

  • Yoga and Meditation benefits

  • The great resignation and our part in it

  • Book reviews

  • Recipes

  • Tarot readings or cards that mean a lot to me

  • Interviews with new friends, interesting people or docents at museums

I'll be sharing our downsizing process next week. I can't wait to share with y'all.

Love always,

Rachel