Duck Tape

Getting a kick out of Kyle. (Our Auctioneer)


Some Solo Time


Me, Kyle and Taylor sporting our style on stage.

It's been a bit of time since I have written in my "journal" and for reasons that are worth getting into. April 10th was of great accomplishment. We, meaning I, raised well over SEVENTEEN hundred dollars at the "Little Yoga Warriors and the Outdoor Industry Shoe the Children of Nepal" fundraiser. There were seventy friends situating themselves in fine conversation, happily accompanied by sponsored pints of Avery IPA. Coming to the realization that I HAVE that many friends, I am even more blown away by their eager support that made this all happen. I auctioned off and sold ALL, but three pieces of my art, rocked some soulful originals with my incredible band mates and GREAT friends, and created quite the buzz for what I am getting myself into in three weeks. If you "GOOGLED" Little Yoga Warriors, there was even an article up on Climbing Magazine's web page. YES, I am bragging.

It seems this year is the year of the SEVEN, SEVENty friends, SEVENteen hundred dollars, seven heart stones that I found all in a row hiking in the foothills, AND low and behold I am twenty-SEVEN years for another four or so months. Maybe that should have been the title for this post. Or, if you could figure out what the deal is with all the SEVEN's let me know. BUT there is seemingly a more befitting title that you have read above. DUCK TAPE.

Duck tape has become quite symbolic these past few months, not only because it has been the brand of tape that I have relied upon while I sealed every little bit of my material life and locked it away in my friend Laura's attic, but because in a sense, there are quite a few things I have come to know as MY "duck tape". Please feel free to skim the following: Annie's bed. My ex - house mates over at 1409 for letting me make a studio space out of their living room. Ok, so I lie, MOST of the house. Taylor and Kyle who actually got out of bed to have "band practice" at 9 AM the day of the fundraiser. Nine am doesn't sound too intimidating, but it is when you have to use your vocals and hand coordination so aggressively so early in the day. Swiss airlines for finally giving into me and the shoes. Josh, for allowing me to be quite moody for MANY days before and after the event. My cherished friends to offer their hands, expertise, advice and laughter of the craziness that has become my life. The invention of coffee. The invention of wine. The invention of Horseshoes, paint thinner, and meditation; not all used at the same time. AND let's not forget the magnitude of people that have contributed to this project, and I am not just talking sponsors. Friends, family, and strangers that have put me in touch with those who could offer up some insight to these regions that are SO foreign to me. You get the idea. All that I have mentioned above have been my "duck tape" and I know I am leaving quite a few people out and not giving them fame to their brilliancy.

This is a perfect time to introduce to you a "duck tape" story.

Leona, an absolute bad ass (sorry, but I really couldn't rack my brain for another word that would be of such magnitude) who is a fantastic and knowledgeable resource for me regarding Dolpo. Just for some background, she traveled around with a caravan (many people) in Dolpo about 10 years ago. I gave her a ring the other day to ask her some questions and let her know that I was pretty close to choosing Dolpo for possible donation of ALL the shoes. It just felt right and we will have to make some choices for various reasons when we get into Nepal. She validated my gut feelings and said, "Have I ever told you of the Duck Tape story?" "AH, NO" I easily replied and could feel the goosebumps ALREADY forming on my body. She told me of how she came to a village and an older woman held up her ragged, white, tennis shoes, and motioned to see if Leona could fix them. At the time she was carrying around two rolls of duck tape, wrapped around her Nalgene Bottle. Later that evening she was still repairing every last villager's shoes.

SO, I guess I am heading into the right region, to say the least.

I just purchased about 6 rolls of duck tape and another who knows how many yards of rope for shoe lace repair.

I am about to embark on an incredible journey, and although I have been planning this trip since January, it's still very surreal to me that I will ACTUALLY be trekking into the middle of no where, in a country that boarders Tibet, with porters, some horses, and a TON of gear. WAIT WHAT? How did I get here. Oh yeah, Christina kicked a horse shoe in the Himalayas. Another story for another time.

I have been bouncing around from one house to the next and living out of a few boxes and a backpack. My guitars are happily in one spot, which means that I have to bike to them when I have a moment of nostalgia. But my head, unfortunately is not; in one place that is. I have taped my life and under the stickiness lies a woman who still considers herself to be a little girl not a cut throat business woman. A free spirit not a guru at logistics. Someone who has been, at the very least, emotionally unavailable. But these days, you can often find me screaming, "BRING IT ON UNIVERSE". Meaning I am open to new experiences. SO whatever journey is offered to me. Whatever trail I find myself on. I will no doubt tag along with me multiple rolls of duck tape. Just in case the shoes run out. And oh they will. If I need it to patch a bit of confusion, (another "OH I WILL") I will be well equipped.

A Door For Change

About a year ago, I and two of my most treasured friends, Annie and Alex, who also happen to be sisters, decided we wanted to start a non profit. I had a 15 piece photography exhibit lined up and I wanted to donate a percentage of the proceeds to the non profit Bead For Life, based here in boulder. I didn't end up donating a dime. I sold one photograph....ah the life of an artist. The name "A Door For Change" stemmed from this photograph above. We wanted our non profit to raise money for various other non profits. Short and simple. It symbolized, and still symbolizes, that one door opened isn't just one door but a path to many. The many paths of change and influence. We were SO eager to start something, to I don't know, maybe NOT work a desk job and work for something we actually believed in, that our one idea turned to many and we couldn't decide which direction we wanted to take.

We didn't start the non profit. It wasn't right and we weren't ready. Now here I am with a company, a FOR profit company, Little Yoga Warriors, that gives back to smaller organizations, non profits, individuals, etc that are doing incredible things in all walks of life, WHILE also educating children on rich and remote cultures within multiple continents. Speaking of which, I think it's time that I give a SMALL introduction to what is about to take place.

On May 13th I am taking a 3 day journey to Kathmandu Nepal. I will be leaving my neurotic mom weeping at the gates, either from happiness to finally lose all forms of communication with me, (she has been my backbone this past year with LYW) or from pure fear that I will die from polio or Japanese Encephalitis . I know, absurd, but you should have seen the list of shots I was "recommended" to get for this trip. I let the nurse double stab, one in each arm, to get it over with, I am such a baby when it comes to that stuff, and I'll have to take my chances with the rest and will let you all know how things pan out. Ok back to my update. I will be trekking 250 pairs of shoes and socks into TWO restricted regions in Nepal. Dolpo and Mustang, are considered to be the two last enclaves, of virtually unexplored Tibetan territory in the world.

As of now, with the incredible generosity of the guys over at Mountain Professionals www.mtnprofessionals.com all of the socks sit locked away in a storage unit at a small hotel in the Kathmandu valley. Please check out their blog and follow along as fellow friend, Ryan Waters and his expedition team, make their journey to summit Everest. SmartWool has donated the socks, Chaco and Soles 4 Souls, the Shoes. Patagonia supplied the bags. Isis, Totem Industries, SmartWool, Zeal Optics, and Cloudveil have outfitted us. World Nomads Insurance, will be my right arm. If I end up in a hospital or my camera gets snagged, I am ALL covered. AHHHHHHHH, huge sigh of relief, as I wipe the ALMOST sweat from above my eyebrow.

Like I have stated before, we give back to the communities in which we research. Dolpo and Mustang will be the focus of our next (second) book and while the people of Dolpo and Mustang will provide invaluable information about living peacefully with the land, I will return the favor the best I can, providing sturdy, comfortable and warm shoes and socks, and maybe a jig or two on the guitar that I will bring with me. Music IS the UNIVERSAL language and I hope to charm them with my musical skills as my verbal language, will, to say the least, be LACKING.

Why Shoes? This past year I have learned a lot about the human form, because of my own health issues, and I stumbled upon a very interesting topic. FEET are the FOUNDATION of the body. I mean, it seems pretty obvious, but why is it that we know nothing of their powers? To not absolutely bore you of this knowledge I will give it to you straight. If our feet are not supported our body is not supported and EVERYTHING else goes out of whack. The people in these regions virtually rely on their feet for all mode of travel. They happen to be the complete opposite of the average American, and we can all laugh at that statement knowing just how TRUE it is. They need shoes more then we do. And since I love walking around barefoot I will happily give them mine.

This is a SOLO mission. And by "solo" I mean not with a group. Christina, another cherished friend and my partner in crime, will take this journey with me. She and a handful of porters, guide and horses. Many have asked, "WHY are you doing this?" My reply. "Life doesn't make sense to me if I just sit here at my computer delegating tasks, illustrating books, selling books, giving lectures blah blah blah. Life makes sense to me when i am LIVING my life. " Someone once gave me this advice and to THIS day, it's still the best advice anyone has ever given me. It went something like this... and then of course i have tweaked it about and have added my own truth: You can't wait for people to do something you want to get done. You HAVE to do it yourself. Once you do it, clear the path, THEN they will follow. But only until you clear that path will they then walk it. It's up to you to do that "something" you want done.

I can't say it enough. YOU and only YOU can make it happen.

SO, here I am. I don't REALLY have a desk job, although you can often find me in my long johns, sipping tea, getting burned in the sun on the back deck, lost IN my computer. I DO own a company and with that requires a lot of desk like work. BUT I have another book to research for and although I could, why the hell would I research through other peoples research? There is an ENTIRE world to be discovered out there. My life's mission is to discover it, document it, and inspire others to preserve this magic, so that maybe one day, my grand kids can call me up and say, "hey guess where I am going?? MUSTANG!" and let's just hope it's still got the same grace and beauty as it has today, 30 years from now and that maybe my grand kids will have kept their childlike peaceful and loving being to continue the legacy.

I am tired. Enough blabber mouthing.


Be Inspired. Take Action. Go Exploring.

Wearing Different Shoes: An Interview with Gramicci

An Interview With Gramicci and My Many Different Shoes

In the late fall of 2007 I got a phone call from Lucas, a friend and an employee for Gramicci. He asked if Little Yoga Warriors and I would like to be featured in their 2008 Catalog. This offers a great deal of information about the foundation of what Little Yoga Warriors is all about and the Expedition that will take place in Nepal in May 2008.

THE INTERVIEW:

LG: What draws you to finding a sustainable way to live?

KT: There are so many variables. I think part of it is in my blood, to go down a path that is less trampled on, more treasured, a path more respectful of the natural environment. Part of this eagerness to live sustainably came later on in life while I was studying at University. I kept stumbling upon these courses, with professors that literally dropped their students off in the middle of nowhere, abandoned farm country and would say things like, “ Ok kids, what do you see? What do you hear? Report back at the van after sunrise." We would follow deer, rabbit, fox, and squirrel tracks on ski’s. We could be there all day, nose to the snow, tracking these animals around to see where their dens were. I started seeing the world with completely new eyes, far away from a world where they first opened back in Connecticut. I was mesmerized by this world.

I once had to take an exam in the middle of a snow storm, my gloves were icing over, my hair soaked, and every time I put my pencil down to write on the paper, it would slowly tear, as paper will often do when it’s wet. By then end of the four hour exam I got back in the bus, grinned, handed my paper over to my professor and said, “good luck reading that, how do you feel about a redo?” we all laughed, there were about 12 of us frozen solid and with the same results. THAT is what education is all about. Not so much the test results but the experience that takes place while learning.

LG: What draws you to teaching children?

KT: CHILDREN draw me to teach children. They are the most intuitive, free loving, laughter based, brilliant beings on this earth. They scream, “Let’s play outside and discover EVERYTHING!” Where there is only black and white, they see color. They can take one look around and see everything as a magical land. Children are SO right on in everything they say or do. They haven’t been molded yet into the close-mouthed, close-minded; keep your thoughts to yourself, way of life. I can very much relate to them.

They say it how it is; they SEE it how it is. They are so dam creative that sometimes I put my hands up in the air and say, “I am doomed, I just got stumped by a 4 year old” Children want to play, they want to dream, and they are all ART. They can turn ANYTHING into an art project and transform sand into small cities just by looking at a mound of it on the beach. They talk to animals and can relate to them on a deeper level. They don’t judge unless they are taught to judge.

Children are the only hope we have because THEY get it. They love ALL that is in this world; sometimes I think the only reason LOVE is still here is purely because of them. Children love everything and everyone with no guards up and no walls to break down. They teach US how to love because they let us love them under no condition.


LG: Tell us how your first book Sasha and Mishoo: Little Yoga Warriors came about?

KT: Jeff, my business partner and I met at a local coffee shop back in the summer of 2005. He and his wife had just moved to boulder from Seattle, and I had just come back from living in New Zealand. He had these grand plans of writing a children’s book about yoga and I jumped at the chance to illustrate it. My skills were a bit rusty, I hadn't picked up any sort of art medium, anything but my camera and guitar in two years, but lied and told him, “oh piece of cake”. Very far from it.

LG: What has been the response and feedback?

KT: You know, everyone wanted to have their own say in this project. We have gotten everything from doubt and warning to excitement and praise. People tend to be very afraid of trying something new and I found that there were some people who were hesitant about this project; “not enough money too much time” kind of thing. Then there were those who kept getting goose bumps by our concepts and dreams. And in the end, creating a bridge between children all over the world through environmental and cultural education, is worth all the risk.

As for how we published, A LOT of respect there, for printing the way we thought it should be done. To get a book published is one thing, to self publish and to self publish SUSTAINABLY is entirely different. I was practically married to our printing firm for 7 months solid. My hands were decorated in reds/yellows/purples/blues. People have loved the final product and it’s been such an incredible journey to have everyone from major publishing houses, and big name companies in the yoga and outdoor industries, supporting us so for what we have been doing. I think the biggest honor: my friends constantly tell me that by following my dreams and making it happen, has give them hope to follow their own.


LG: With all the new publicity regarding the Green Sustainable movement, what do you think is most important for people to know right now?

KT: There is so much to take in; I mean it’s kind of ridiculous in a sense. It’s become such a trend, who has the most eco friendly grocery bag, the most energy efficient car, home, lifestyle. BUT this trend I commend because people LOVE trendiness and the people behind the environmental movement have created a spectacle out of the “green movement” connecting to a great amount of people who normally wouldn’t really take notice of a more ecological and friendly lifestyle. We are growing as a society and every day more and more people say YES to going local and NO to corporate. Oh wait, maybe It’s just because I live in Boulder, CO that I see this.

But really, the most important thing to know: BABY STEPS. Don’t take too much on, do what you can. We all know our ability to over use energy and raw materials and thus creating quite a large environmental footprint and every day we read more and more about new animals being added on to the endangered species list, ice in the arctic that is melting at an astonishing speed, natural disasters due to the rise in temperature, I mean the list is endless. Where is the list of HOW DO WE DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT? We need to take action, get involved, clean up the trash that sits on the sidewalks outside our house, change our light bulbs, turn off our heat, and our air conditioning, open the windows or insulate our homes better. Learn how other cultures are living peacefully with the land. There is a TON we can learn from them.

LG: What inspires you today?

KT: EVERYONE. My greatest teachers are the people I pass on the street or seeing a friend elude compassion towards themselves and life. Travel, LAUGHTER, and living a more peaceful and simple lifestyle inspires me to keep growing. I get all worked up about all the things we have to do this lifetime to make a difference within this world but I try to stay focused on the beauty I see daily and go from there.


LG: Who is your favorite artist?

KT: I can’t answer this. Picasso? The way he saw the world has fascinated me since I was a kid. Every day I see something new from a “just discovered” artist, that BLOWS my mind, and I am like, “why didn’t I think of that?” I have profound, never dwindling respect, for ALL artists. They take the time to see the world differently; that’s admirable. Even if I don’t like a piece of art I have appreciation for it. I can always find something that I like. It’s my absurdly POSITIVE attitude. I can’t help it. I just recently found out Katie means ABSOLUTELY in Hindi.