Winter Camp ’23

Just north of the Mexican border and south of the town of Ajo, Arizona lies a remote wilderness in the Sonoran Desert. This is my fourth winter in these parts and it’s where I have camped for the past four and a half months. The nearest U.S. cities, Phoenix and Tucson, are each over a hundred miles distant. The isolation here provides physical and psychic insulation from the noises and furies of current American life. 

Having grown up in the 1940s and ’50s, sometimes the 2020s feels like being on another planet. While I wish everyone a bright future, frankly I’m relieved I won’t have to be a part of it. That said, there’s nothing wrong with me and I’m in good health for a man my age. But as an old friend of mine likes to say, “I may die tonight or I may die ten years from tonight. Either way’s fine with me.” This is the thrall of old age.

The Italian poet Gabriele D’Annunzio famously said, “Life plays a dirty trick on us. About the time one has everything figured out, it’s time to go.” Most people I’ve known have regarded ‘death’ with dread and denial… some with fear. I must confess there’ve been times in my life when I’ve regarded dying as not such a good idea. I mean, dying at 23 or 44 or 57 would’ve been a drag because at those ages I hadn’t understood things to my satisfaction. Now at the age of 79, I’m satisfied. It’s all been enough.

At the end of the day I’m a kid who grew up around wealth in Southern California and went on to have a full and fascinating life. I’ve certainly had advantages and most of all a lot of luck. God knows how lucky I’ve been. And that’s enough about that.

It’s been a good winter here in these desert environs. Every year in late autumn a community of snowbirds arrive in RVs from their homes in the colder northern latitudes. They are mostly older folks who come for the relief of mild weather and wide open spaces. The rich desert flora and stunning mountain ranges are an added bonus. I’ve begun new friendships here with likeminded individuals, an aristocracy of experience. Like myself, these travelers will break camp here in the spring and return to their respective homes up north. Snowbirds.

This place is especially ideal for the rhythms and routines of a writer. I’ve made a lot of progress here on my current works in progress. The Ajo Library is a comfortable and nurturing environment where I’ve had many productive days. It is my full intention to return here in the Autumn of this year. 

Tomorrow I’ll begin the journey back to the Española Valley in New Mexico. This will be the fifth summer that I’ll camp there on the ranch of a good friend. Over these years I’ve come to know many good people in that community. Some of them are from families that go back to the 16th Century. The place resonates with old world sensibilities.

With all the noisy confusion of modern life, one must always remember that every day has a life of it’s own. Sometimes a single day can be an epoch. One day at a time, we each live our lives as best we can and if we’re fortunate we enjoy good health and the company of friends. Life is good. I’ll write more later.

note:  To those of you who have followed the episodes of ‘Unforeseen Events’, the writing of the story continues to go well. I expect the book to be completed by the end of the year. Writing is like cooking, or living for that matter. You don’t want to rush it.