so much history right here for me and all of it witnessed by this glorious gingko tree – photo by Ryoko Olson, painting by me
A journey of 30 years starts with a single act quitting a terrible mushroom farmer job and hitchhiking to a cow farm to shakedown gear & head into eveywhere.
Years later, you meet a remarkable girl, throw a raging party with international renegades, goats are swapped for the cows, the espresso is top shelf and the gingko tree measures the changes.
Postcards available on site (at Rural Caprine Farm, Mac Kobayashi, farmer)
PS in reply to a comment, keeping here for keeping:
Yeah travel gets complicated and strangely enough, amongst all the “public health conundrums” and just been in one place for a long time, I’ve had the most incredible 18 months of my life, I almost just accidentally. But Japan is a wonderful place to visit, it’s easy to get around and such a variety of geography and culture and everything from ultra-modern to old-timey coexisting next to each other.By the way, in my endless folder of “almost finished but not quite” essays to put up on my website is a practical guide to traveling while dealing with chronic/complex illness… A few airport/airplane/travel hacks (for lack of a better word) I’ve used to skate around the world while dealing with #MECFS etc
My world switches rapidly between black and white and Technicolor depending on the hour. Do you have this one in your collection yet? Do you know anytime you see something of mine you’d like, I’ll make you a postcard of it. I’d like to imagine I’m on your refrigerator
I sought permission to go out of the house to explore the neighbourhood, and after a while, she relented, warning me of the intense heat. I made a few oil pastel paintings of neighbouring houses which were all “sherbet coloured“ with lime greens, tangerine oranges and lavender which I found delightful.
i stepped out to make oil pastel painting and quickly made pals / note my awsum disposable clothes
Me and Mr. Mohammed the Ayurvedic practitioner at Dr. Veena’s Ayurmantra in Kerala, India
What follows comes from my erstwhile “Healing Journal” – written/compiled on a foggy meandering journey to various countries (Pacifica, Phitsanulok, Cochin/Kochi, Pokhara, Dikwella/Galle…) visiting all manner of hospitals, clinics and exploring various healing modalities and techniques. Shared here more-or-less unedited for posterity (whatever that is) and to shed light to those struggling who might come across this riff.
Please watch the “Healing Ramble, introduction” video for context on this series. Importantly, this is not meant to be a travelogue or creative writing exercise, just laying out my experience as it came to me. I may include some links to other projects or creations that came out of this, maybe… I’m not there yet.
This entry, from Thrippunithura (Kochi), Kerala, India (wiki), late 2016 and was written during my stay and in the weeks following – hence possible tense shifting and “note-style”. For the record: it’s nowJune 2021, i live in Japan, am stable if far from “normal”. No advice or sympathy requested or accepted. Carry on.
Thrippunithura, Kerala, India , Nov. 2016
Intro: On my healing journey, I had tried most every possible medical modality to find some relief, and was determined to try everything which showed reasonable promise a benefit.
A friend from Dubai recommended Ayurveda as a natural and holistic approach, and in a fog – truly, in a really difficult point in my healing process, I investigated 20+ Ayurvedic clinics in India and Sri Lanka – very rapidly and without knowing what i was doing really…, received all manner of different replies, prices and recommendations.
my first cup of Chai in India! such splendid heaven for a dime
I settled on Dr. Veena’s Ayurmantra the province/state of Kerala, India due her excellent clear communications and no nonsense approach to the clinic (some seemed dodgy, others were “resorts for yuppies” with very high rates, most told me to “call” and i am not a phone calling type).
Settling-in
I flew from Thailand (after time doing a load of tests at a hospital in Phitsanulok) to Kochi (aka Cochin), spent two nights in an airport hotel recovering in a bath {note: will share travel tips later in the series}, venturing out only to drink coconut (below) and tea (above) and rolled by taxi to the clinic – exhausted, demoralized, confused but open to anything.
stepping out into “all of the India” to drink a coconut
The clinic was run by a whip smart woman named Dr. Veena who was sometimes assisted by her husband, a jovial tall thin man named Dr. Hemesh who worked at a regional Ayurveda hospital requiring a long bus ride for him every day. Such chemistry between them ;)
I lived in-patient in this facility for three weeks. My room was simple with the bed, wardrobe and desk and a wet bathroom. For much of the time, I was the only patient in their small three-story facility. Other times, there was a couple from Malaysia.
They also had a wonderful 3-year-old daughter who spent the day with relatives and came home welcoming me with a best hug calling me “Uncle”. The staff included a house lady, and a practitioner, a short Muslim man with a moustache – though almost every man the state of Kerala had a moustache. My 3 week, intensive, in-patient program of traditional Ayurvedic treatments was designed to address chronic pain, pain and heaviness in legs, reduced/uneven sleep. The treatments consisted of various massages with medicated oils, plus inhalations, purging, dripping medicated oil/milk on forehead, eyewashes … plus specific food for body’s needs, meditation time, stretching and a variety of herbal medications.
assorted Ayurvedic medications i took “to go” at the end of my treatment cycle along with Dr Veena’s handwritten direction
Left with 2 month program of medications (capsules, liquids, ghee, powders…) and advice to avoid cold, avoid acidic food and meat, do yoga stretching and breathing exercises. Day-to-Day
Shirodhara vessel for gently pouring liquids over the forehead
Scenes of resilience and fragility around Thrippunithura, Kerala, India
New batch of postcards for DaveoShop ~~ this time featuring three scenes of the neighbourhood around Dr. Veena’s Ayurmantra, my Ayurveda clinic in Kerala, India, including: 2 sherbet-coloured houses in oil pastels and the local train station, Thrippunithura – empty though there is a video of clip of a train rolling through – in mixed-media.
Here was a special place for me and my erstwhile healing ramble and well, the world needs a lot of healing right now so floating these out into the world in hopes of sparking inspiration and goodness.
Set of 7 hand-finished, numbered prints of oil paintings on Japanese postcard paper featuring scenes from the very end of the Puget Sound, WA (Cascadia). Ah! the rousing end of the sea, swirling skies, towering trees, driftwood logs, and flowers just for you.
Printed on Japanese postcard stock, hand finished and decorated with affection
A decade and half in the making, the backstory is: “Gravelly Beach” was a home for a while and inspired these paintings, then related poems, which then sparked a podcast of poetry, then the paintings became actual postcards. And here we are, ready to send to you. $28USD includes custom mailing anywhere.
Let’s Enjoy! daveostory.com/shop – Paintings, Postcards, Poetry, etc.
+ Paints, Posts, Poems + (with tea)
Construction underway, the elusive and complicated “operation turtle” {requiring lawyers & money but no guns #Zevon} has progressed a tiny step amidst absurd requirements and Ichiro’s all registered for nursery school which means I am “back in the studio” for a bit making envelopes of treasures for my customers, yup, customers.
You know I make postal treats, poems and paintings for love but hey, gotta pay for the copious ink and endless stamps so hooray, sign up and receive things… wonderful items, sometimes slowly (but that’s the postal systems of the world working diligently amidst *all of it*).
Fondly, dvo
ergo: Oh I’m making things today, making wonderful things and sending to all sorts of spectacular folks. My business ain’t fancy but it filled with heart and art. Ya on board?
Reading the Sakura leaves to know the present, the past and the future well… Whatever it is.
+ Postbox Haiku Exhibit at the Goat Farm: In which I combine love of poetry, painting and postal mail and recaps an exhibit at buddy Mac’s goat farm.
So happy to share my mixed media project with a new audience at a very special place
Gist: Produced by dDesign to promote Okayama design, tourist and culture, the campaign included a painting in Shibuya as well as paintings of post boxes and office in: The Vatican; Kathmandu, Nepal; Olympia, Greece; and, Muscat, Oman as well as a new haiku on a postbox about “nonconfidential postcards” along with a book of paintings, a book of postboxes, and postcards of well… postboxes with poetry – both painted and functional.
DaveO at Goat Farm with postbox haiku, both sides now sport a custom poemTransported the paintings in a velvety suitcase (notice the key for keeping them imaginary safe)The paintings of postboxes had custom postcards with shodo ink by Junko Fujita and decorated up with appropriate postal and inky stamps by me
Another en plein air oil-on-stretched-canvas painting view of Gravelly Beach for a bit of sunshine in your day.
Shadows & trees at the end of Puget Sound, 2005, oil on canvas
Note: Shall I make a batch of postcards for sale from the series?
PS Many folks don’t realize that VvG was an early adopter of pre-mixed oil paints in tubes and often used them direct from the tube (both in terms of not mixing colors, and sometimes not using a brush)… Previously, generally painters ground their own compounds and mixtures into oil paints in studio. Of course these convenient tubes allowed him to create very rapidly finishing a canvas or sometimes two in a single day outside.
Rocking a plaid track suit, Dave catches up about an exhibit of postbox haiku and paintings at pal Mac Kobayashi’s goat farm and in Shibuya by dDesign and shares the story of the post box haiku and painting plus details of: Kathmandu, Nepal; Muscat Oman; The Vatican, and Olympia, Greece (including accompanying postcards of course) and riffs about importance of personal archeology and making things for future generations while drinking including coffee and jamu and digression about persimmon chutney.
Special ahoys to Gary, Beth, Arild, Jared, Erin, Sandra, Lance and especially you.
Postbox haiku exhibit corner at Rural Caprine Farm (more to come)
