Sunday, April 27, 2008

Remembering Anasazi

I'm collecting memories, Anasazi memories. I'm picking up an old project I've picked up several times before and I would like your assistance. Any of you out there who worked on the trail or who knew me, Elizabeth (Liz), Tanya, Laura, Sunny, Joe, BJ, Ezekiel, etc. during the year of 1999, please send me a list of memories associated with Anasazi. And by anyone, I mean family, friends, anyone who may have encountered us during this time. I just need some memory joggers; I've forgotten a lot of stuff. I don't care what format the memories come in; go ahead, just puke them onto the screen in a comment to this entry or send them to me at my E-mail address: elijoal@yahoo.com.


For inspiration, take a look at a post by Tanya from a few months back.

By the way, the project I'm working on is a book, a memoir, of our Anasazi year. I just sent off a book proposal to a small publisher. We'll see what happens.

8 comments:

Vanessa said...

Lets see. My memories of your Anasazi experience are as follows:
Elizabeth getting stuck in quicksand. The murder attempt on your life...possible two? Elizabeth being lost and Mom receiving a wierd phone call from the "leaders". You are so lucky to still be alive.

Crystal Ainardi said...

Hi Joel, I did a search and found your blogger. I added you as a link with my others that I watch. Hope you don't mind.

Curious was this a trail friends did together?school thing? religious? are you all of native American descendants?Interesting interesting.

Joal said...

Crystal, the Anasazi Foundation is a wilderness therapy camp for teenagers. Their Web address is anasazi.org (their Web site is sort of cheezy and has an air-brushed feel to it, but the experience was fairly gritty). Elizabeth and I met there; we were both staff members. We also made some very good friends there, some of whom we have connected with here in the blogiverse.

We would go out into the Arizona desert for a week or two at a time and backpack with teenagers who would be out there for a minimum of eight weeks. In many ways, it was a life-changing experience; it was also a really challenging experience. Most of the people who worked there were Mormons, including Elizabeth and me, so there are many religious tie-ins, though Anasazi isn't affiliated with any religion.

Carrith said...

My only memory of you during this time is when you came to stay at my parents' house one night and My friend and I took you and Elizabeth to Savers for some shopping. I remember you passed some of the foulest smelling gas I had ever smelled and were very unembarrassed about it. I thought that was so strange.

tanyamae said...

i will have to think about this one... there are so many... i will dig up my old journals... it might not be until next week sometime...

i will tell you right now - but i am sure you will remember this week very well... i was lone walking - and you and Liz were backup... so... i didn't really hear from the two of you all week... i think that might have been the week you guys feel in love... or started to... i was alone - didn't speak to anyone (other than myself) for 3 or 4 days... it was brilliant... i walked along the creek barefoot... my moccasins were kind of worn and stretched and would fall off my feet... i slept alot and bathed in the creek... i thought i would read more than i did, but i mostly thought... i remember the grass was the same golden color as my moccisins... i remember gathering wood in the tall yellow grass and coming within a few feet of a rattle snake... because i was quickly walking/almost jogging in the stiff grass i didnt notice the snake until it was almost too late... its head shot out twards me but i was far enough away that it was still a 2 feet away from actually striking me... i dropped all of my sticks and ran the other way... at the end of that week i was in the car with you and Liz. The two of you were really tired... I was so excited to see people that I couldnt stop talking... I think I was annoying you two... but I dont mind...

Another memory - kind of funny... I was working with that one guy... cant think of his name right now.. Liz was good friends with him and he had a crush on Lara... anyways... one night i was really really cold... the next morning i told him that i came really close to asking him to cuddle with me... the next night in the middle of the night he acted like he was really cold, and asked "are you cold?". I quickly said NO and rolled over and went to sleep... I don't think he was cold enough to justify a cuddle... just think he was looking for an excuse... i laugh about that one now... NateDog... thats who it was... i know you will have at least a chapter or two on trail love... you should make sure to include trail un-love as well...

in fact I wrote a paper on this, where I conducted interviews about trail culture... send me your email and i will forward it to you if i can find it... don't know if it will be helpful or not.

tanyamae said...

can i edit that last post somehow... i just barfed it as you asked... but i mis-spelled a few words and now i feel embarrassed... will you tell all of your friends not to laugh at me. :)

Joal said...

Tanya,

I'm glad you didn't erase your comment. I don't think anyone will mind a few misspelled words. It happens to the best of us. I enjoyed your description of some of the silent times out there; it was well-described. My E-mail address is elijoal@yahoo.com. Send me any memories you have time to write about. I won't be able to use all of them, but I can use some and the others will transport me, which I really need.

Carrie,
Within a few weeks of working on the trail, I kind of forgot that flatulence was offensive to some people. Did you go to that outdoor dance with Elizabeth and me at UVSC? People kept moving farther and farther away from me until almost no one was left on the dance pad. I thought it was really funny at the time (weeks and weeks of lentils can work magic), but now I'm mildly embarrassed by the memory. Elizabeth didn't seem to notice; I thought that was cool.

the child family said...

Hey Joal,
Sorry I haven't responded to this post yet. I had finals and now I'm visiting family. I hope to get to it soon!