Freedom is Calling - Page 19 of 25 - Blog about following the call of freedom

Bouncing Ideas

EW March 17, 2024

Big Paul is ready for the next step. On my side, I’m not quite ready, yet. There are so many things to consider. What do we really need? And there is the question of how to fit it into Big Paul’s belly. We want to keep any furnishings minimalistic and removable. Ideas come and go, some are being refined, others discarded. Which concept is right for us?

Often, we get caught in a kind of circular thinking. Then it’s time to air out our heads. On Thursday, the weather was quite nice and lured us outside for an excursion.

Although the mountains were still snow capped, we found to our surprise wild crocus and cowslip in the poor grasslands around the lake. They showed up early this year.

The highlight of our trip came unexpected as we passed a “humming” tree. The noise was made by hundreds of bees collecting nectar from the blossoms of a great sallow. I haven’t seen, or heard, so many bees in many years. What used to be a familiar part of spring sadly became very rare.

Listen to our “humming tree” on YouTube: https://youtu.be/mjsW5leEmoA

That’s it for now. More to come.

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Dogs with Jobs

GEF March 17, 2024

What a surprise on our way back home!

We dropped by the house of friends we hadn’t seen for a long time. And they took us to the local fire brigade festival to see their daughter and the family dog perform.

Wow – it was great to watch the volonteers of the search-and-rescue-dog team demonstrating their skills on the exercise course.

From Irish Wolfhound to Mini Aussie

Size or breed didn’t matter – you could see so many different dogs in different stages of training, from excited beginners to cool and calm „professionals“.

An instructor explained to the audience how the dogs were selected and trained in order to balance on all sorts of rubble and debris and sniff out buried earthquake victims. Or help rescuing people from scenes of fire or other man-made or natural catastrophes.

Our friends‘ dog Amy, a black Australian Shepherd Mini, did a great job on all the different obstacles, including tracking and finding a person hidden in a closed dog house.

The festival was a fundraiser and attracted a lot of families with young children. So, the dog team had come up with something exciting for the kids:

They were invited to form a long „living queue“ for the dogs to crawl underneath.

There was a lot of cheering and giggling when the dogs, one by one, wiggled through the tunnel of legs.

I bet a lot of parents gave a donation and bought one of the cute toy dogs at the Red Cross stand rather than giving in to their children`s rekindled longing for a real dog.

Finally - a test of courage

At a fire brigade event you want to see real fire, right?!

So finally, the courage and trust of the dogs was put to the test. They had to slip through a metal pipe that was set on fire on the outside. A job for the experienced ones with years of training.

They all had their individual approach to the task, some very collected and serene, others zealous and dynamic.

All of them, including Amy, passed the test without hesitation and received a thunderous applause.

It was great to see how happy and content those dogs appeared. Job done well, ready to go off duty and relax after a fulfilling day.

That’s it for now. More to come.

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Reassembling Paul

EW March 10, 2024

All done! At least that what we planned for our workation. What a great feeling!

Putting the separator wall back in was easy peasy. See for yourself: https://youtu.be/JBzJks6XiyA

To remount the interior panels was quite different

Especially the parts of the ceiling were a pain in the neck. My poor partner had to hold them into place until I got enough clips in to hold the panel – and it took me forever! You may get a glimpse even in the fast forward portions of the video clip. No, you really don’t want to see it in real time. You back may start hurting just by watching: https://youtu.be/F-G1Zpoe1sk

Some time to relax

The weather was quite dreary. At least it did not rain so we took some walks in the vineyards. Some trees were already in full blossom. Up the hills, you can see the industry of the region: wind and wine.

Now, all the tools are packed in Big Paul’s belly and we are ready to roll to our next station on the way.

That’s it for now. More to come.

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Hidden Treasures

GEF March 10, 2024

Got it. You are curious.

The yard we have been working in is not just another yard. That’s obvious.

Let's disclose its secrets!

Our work environment is a very special event location.

What used to be an old, worn-out winery is now a beautiful, picturesque, enchanted place. A hidden treasure behind the gates designed by our friend Janka, who has a knack for creating „magic environments“.

In her first career, she used to cater for famous rock and pop stars like Madonna, Bon Jovi and Pink Floyd.

Now she designs and organizes weddings, anniversaries and other gatherings like seminars and retreats on her extraordinary property.

Also, she rents out some cozy, nicely decorated guest rooms including a little „princess suite“ – it’s Bed & Breakfast, English style.

You feel it right away when you open the gate – there’s something very special in the air …

So, let me give you a little tour.

The yard where we have been working on Big Paul is just the entrée.
You walk towards the back and enter the barn.

And what a barn that is!

From the bar downstairs you proceed up to the next level: The gorgeous celebration and party place on the top floor.

Through a little door in the back you step inside an enchanted little garden, where you can retreat and relax. Or meditate under a huge walnut tree and enjoy being far, far away from the noises of the world.

There you also find a beautiful room which is used as official civil status and register office for marriages. Or for exhibitions, seminars and workshops.

I had the pleasure to give workshops on energy work and spiritual development here myself.

You can shop for fanciful decoration items

People who are fascinated by Janka’s eminent talent for decoration and „atmosphere“ can now immerse in her little „Magic Deko Shop“.

There you can find so many wonderful things that bring beauty, ornament and color to your home. Or make very individual and charming presents to surprise and delight your loved ones.

You can check out her inspiring world for yourself on her website: https://www.dach-der-welten.de/

A beautiful environment even helps doing mundane tasks

It’s funny that we have been working here on something as mundane as a VW van, scrubbing, whipping it into shape and preparing the loading space for future use as an all-in-one bedroom, office and utility compartment.

For the last two weeks, this has been the most convenient place for us and we really see progress on Big Paul.
The peaceful and hidden atmosphere and the beautiful surroundings definitely fueled our creativity and helped staying „in the mood“.

We were able to finish all the tasks we had planned – including wallpapering the interior panels, believe it or not.

That’s it for now. More to come.

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