Main characters
Dani and Me
Dani has 25 years experience as a Buddhist practitioner. At least twice she has visited Southeast Asia to learn at the feet of the masters. Her dream is to establish a traveling nomad Buddhist community. With a small crew she has collected in the desert, she and what she refers to as her mindfulness camp venture north toward the cool of the forests near Flagstaff.
John has been on the road for seven years. In the desert, he happens to experience a near-fatal heart attack by Dani's van. In the wake of his recovery, grateful for the rare opportunity to establish a disciplined meditation practice and to physically and mentally heal, he jumps at the opportunity to join Dani and her "Boonies."
Everything goes well ... until it doesn't.
Dani has 25 years experience as a Buddhist practitioner. At least twice she has visited Southeast Asia to learn at the feet of the masters. Her dream is to establish a traveling nomad Buddhist community. With a small crew she has collected in the desert, she and what she refers to as her mindfulness camp venture north toward the cool of the forests near Flagstaff.
John has been on the road for seven years. In the desert, he happens to experience a near-fatal heart attack by Dani's van. In the wake of his recovery, grateful for the rare opportunity to establish a disciplined meditation practice and to physically and mentally heal, he jumps at the opportunity to join Dani and her "Boonies."
Everything goes well ... until it doesn't.
Flower the Skunk (AKA the Dharma Skunk)
Exiled and alone in the forest, but with visitors popping in and out, John makes friends with the local skunk. What began as a series of tense face-offs evolves into an affectionate relationship. Flower is the final in a parade of totemic animals that pop up in John's story, from hopping on a steer on a childhood dare to a bear rocking his minivan his third year on the road in the Sierras to an up-close wild mountain encounter back east. Not to mention a vast assemblage of critters who invite him on inner journeys, including a mouse.
Exiled and alone in the forest, but with visitors popping in and out, John makes friends with the local skunk. What began as a series of tense face-offs evolves into an affectionate relationship. Flower is the final in a parade of totemic animals that pop up in John's story, from hopping on a steer on a childhood dare to a bear rocking his minivan his third year on the road in the Sierras to an up-close wild mountain encounter back east. Not to mention a vast assemblage of critters who invite him on inner journeys, including a mouse.
Squinty the Prospector
John's alter-ego. who turns up out of the past as cantankerous comic relief and as a foil when things get too serious. Over time he emerges as a philosopher guide who keeps John grounded and pointed in the right direction.
John's alter-ego. who turns up out of the past as cantankerous comic relief and as a foil when things get too serious. Over time he emerges as a philosopher guide who keeps John grounded and pointed in the right direction.
The Blessed Virgin Miss Dooley
John's spiritual nemesis, he first encountered her in high school as his evil history teacher who took perverse delight at the news that his little brother almost died of exposure stuck waste deep in mud in the woods. Now she lurks in a dark recess in the ether, waiting for the right moment to exact karmic revenge.
John's spiritual nemesis, he first encountered her in high school as his evil history teacher who took perverse delight at the news that his little brother almost died of exposure stuck waste deep in mud in the woods. Now she lurks in a dark recess in the ether, waiting for the right moment to exact karmic revenge.
