CATCH & RELEASE CYCLE~Self-Care/Shabbat Eve; Castle Rock-WA

Lifted from a Friend's Page.

Sharing it today, because it's real life realities; and a good mindset to walk into the new week, with:

You can be a really good friend, and still not be liked. You can hold someone dear and still not be valued. You can say all the right things, and still have someone twist your words, brush off your words, or worse—use your words against you. You can give it your absolute best, and still have it not work out.

You can be pure as humanly possible, and still be painted as the bad guy.

After years of work, these are some things I’ve learned:

1. You can’t control other people. Not even in the slightest, and it is a complete waste to ever assume you can. It will make you angry, and exhausted, and chasing something you don’t have a chance to catch, so switch gears and control you. Control your mouth. Control how you treat people. Control your attitude. Guard your heart, and keep it genuine. Keep showing up, and let that be enough.

2. Other people aren’t you. They don’t think like you, or feel like you. Their experiences belong to them alone. They approach situations differently, and their outlook is nothing like yours. Don’t expect them to handle things exactly like you do. They aren’t you. They’re them. Do your best to love them for it.

3. Some people are never going to like you, and there isn’t necessarily and a rhyme or reason. Your life will improve significantly as soon as you learn this.

4. Sometimes you’re actually the bad guy. Sometimes you’re the one acting foolish. Sometimes you’re the one with the toxic trait or two. Check your own heart. Clean out the junk, and grow from it. Apologize, and now that you’ve learned - take that wisdom, do better next time, stay humble, and give others an awful lot of grace along the way.

5. There is a purpose to it all. There is beauty everywhere. That failed friendship will teach you how to do the next one better. That heartache will remind you to be gentle with other people. That loneliness will help you appreciate connection when you do find it - and you will find it. Not every season lasts forever, but every season does produce something precious eventually, even if it’s just a fresh perspective.

So sleep well, my dear friend.

Life is a long series of letting some things go and holding others close: a catch and release sort of cycle. Let go of needing approval. Let go of bitterness, and resentment, and any of that junk. Let go of insecurity. Let go of guilt. It will keep you shackled like nothing else.

Hold close to the people in your life who have stuck around. Hold close to your morals and your integrity. Hold close to your light and your joy and your hope. Hold close to today. Believe in tomorrow. Hold closest to love. At the end of the day, it’s all that really matters, and as long as you have it - you have more than enough.

GIFTING~Self-Care/Shabbat Eve; Castle Rock-WA

Today was all about gifting.

Holland had gifted himself … finally. He rarely spends $$$ on himself, so I was glad packages arrived for him.

Holland gifted me: a couple days ago, my headphones gutted out on me … and immediately, Holland went online and ordered me a new set - it was good of Elohim to make sure that everything arrived at the same time.

And my current Cussler-Fargo storyline is about thwarting greedy thieves; and gifting South America with their own artifacts, by the Fargo duo working with the governing leadership to stop black market criminals.

After coffee, we drove across the Columbia River to retrieve waiting packages:

Rainier-OR Post Office from Toutle River RV Resort, in Castle Rock-WA~via I-5 S; 23 min (20 mi)

Holland's piece for Betsy arrived - he's happy.

A water filter, so we'll be able to cut down on the bottled water; no matter where we go. And the added water softener to city water systems will be filtered out, thus skin irritations will be curbed.

He's also happy with his new shower head.

My new headphones also arrived - no more crackling static, or cut out dead silence. YAY!

Movies, documentaries, music - all coming thru loud & clear - I'm happy.

Various Artists - Adonai: The Power Of Worship From The Land Of Israel:  (https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLMyk37WZD9hqVNdbeGOY2xgX9BrI7IwYW)

And, they fit my Tablet, too! Bonus - I use my Tablet a lot, on the road.

Today is basically a Day of Rest, so the morning drive was the extent of busyness. The rest of the Day was pretty laid-back, with lounging, napping, personal choices of low-key activity: we gifted ourselves with just "being".

My choice was getting back to the jungle adventure, in South America, with the Fargos …

Cussler-Fargo Novel~The Mayan Secrets

Last night, the Fargos left Valladolid-ES, to return home, in San Diego, CA

Today's adventure begins with them leaving La Jolla-CA to travel to an ancient mayan compound, in Belize.

Polochic River, Guatemala = The Polochic River is one of Guatemala's main rivers, draining into the Caribbean Sea. The river has a fairly cool climate - but also experiences excessive rainfall during the winter months, which generates a lot of humidity.

Polochic River, Guatemala

Guatemalan Highlands hillside.

Guatemalan Highlands.

Towering La Danta Pyramid rises from the jungle floor, of Guatemala's highland region.

From Belize, to Guatemala City & onto Alta Verapaz, Guatemala

Calakmul, Campeche, Mexico

Calakmul's murals and frescoes.

Establishing ownership of Calakmul's discovery - to thwart the murderous thievery.

{{La Danta: One of the Largest Pyramids on Earth is Hidden Beneath the Forest

I've only posted interesting tidbits of this original article; focusing on the facts touched on in Clive's novel.

~Ivan Petricevic

Built thousands of years ago in present-day Guatemala are the remnants of a lost city called El Mirador. This ancient metropolis thrived from approximately the sixth through the third centuries BC, wholly abandoned around the ninth century. During its heyday, the ancient Maya civilization built within Mirador a pyramid that would stand the test of time. But not just any pyramid. They built a massive superstructure (or better said, complex structures), rising a towering 72 meters into the air. Today, one could pass by it and barely notice a behemoth structure even larger than the Great Pyramid of Giza in terms of volume. But, in fact, some of the largest, most impressive pyramids were not built in Africa but in North, Central, and South America.

Found in 1926

The ancient city was revealed in 1926 by Percy Madeira. A brief survey of La Danta was done by a Carnegie expedition in 1934, but it only lasted a few hours due to a lack of water in the area. In 1962, archaeologist Ian Graham produced the first map of the site where the area identified as La Danta (1967) is known. Later from 1978 until 1983, the Mirador  Archaeological Project, led by Ray Matheny and Bruce Dahlin, conducted the first intensive investigations. During exploration, archeologists found, surprisingly, that a large number of constructions were not contemporary with the large Maya classic cities in the area but rather from centuries earlier, during the pre-classic period.

https://curiosmos.com/la-danta-one-of-the-largest-pyramids-on-earth-is-hidden-beneath-the-forest/ 

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The Ambition, Power, and Downfall of the great Calakmul

I've only posted interesting tidbits of this original article; focusing on the facts touched on in Clive's novel.

~By Carlos Rosado van der Gracht

Calakmul is an ancient Mayan city found deep in the jungle of the southeastern Mexican state of Campeche, near the border with Guatemala. The site is also in the heart of the biosphere of the same name which covers an area of 700,000 hectares. The archeological site itself is well over 70 square kilometers and is home to approximately 6,000 structures that range enormously in size. 

Calakmul was first documented by the biologist Cyrus Longworth Lundell in 1931. But it is widely believed that the existence of the ancient city had become an open secret of sorts between the few people living in this remote territory and workers who would delve into the jungle to harvest chicle trees.

In Mayan, Calakmul means “the city of the adjacent pyramids,” but in antiquity the city was known as Oxte’Tun, meaning three stones. The date of Calakmul’s foundation has been lost to time, but most scholars agree that the city first rose sometime between 700 and 350 BCE. During excavations, archaeologists discover a network of Mayan roads or Sacbés connecting Calakmul with the powerful pre-classical age cities of Mirador, Nakbé, and Uaxactún. This fact, even taken on its own, hints at an extremely early foundation date, power, and prestige.

During the classic age, starting in the second half of third-century BCE, Calakmul had risen to considerable importance. But it would not be until several centuries after that the city would reach its greatest splendor. During the fifth century CE, Calakmul had become bold and strong enough to begin challenging the city which would become its greatest rival, Tikal. Hostility turned to war in 562 CE under the leadership of the king of Calakmul, Sky Witness, who launched an all-out invasion of Tikal. The battle was hard-fought, but in the end, Calakmul managed to capture Tikal’s ruling class, including its king who they put to death, and turned the once hegemonic power into a vassal kingdom.

https://yucatanmagazine.com/the-ambition-power-and-downfall-of-the-great-calakmul/ }}

TENINO DRIVE~Self-Care 2026; Castle Rock-WA

It was going to be a long drive.

On roads I haven't been on - in at least 7 years; things change in 7 years. I left hoping & praying familiar landmarks would still be in place. I planned to have GPS engaged … but, you know how sketchy GPS can be. I NEED landmarks.

I dressed for comfort: this drive was a scouting venture, not a cat walk.

I was making this drive to familiarize myself with the route, and to cement the route in my memory, for the actual appointment on the 31st.

Holland did not go. Kelso called yesterday & he's been in a snit ever since. So, he is staying home. In a mood.

The freeway would have been faster - but, I avoid the freeway at all costs. So, I routed my way to Tenino-WA … through Toledo, Chehalis, Centralia, and little towns like Wabash & Bucoda, before reaching Tenino: a little over 1 hour - coming & going.

Plus, I wanted to check the parking out: if the parking slots are going to be too tight to safely, or confidently, fit Betsy into them - I'll pass on the appointment and see what I can do from Longview. Longview will be about $500 more expensive, but Betsy is a Beast and I need a WIDE area to slip her in and out of. Bob could have done it. Holland can do it (when he's not being a Kelso ass). But I am not either one of them: I cannot do it, without room to spare on both side of Betsy's wide girth.

I have had Bucoda in my thoughts for at least a month (before the appointment was even needed), so I know this drive is something I'm supposed to be doing. I just wished it wasn't happening with stress hovering on the Homefront.

My route today - what an experience!

Housing Developers grabbing farm land as quick as they can … ALL new, over a 4 year span, & changing the landscape landmarks; Jackson  Hwy.

Road work everywhere; this is Mary's Corner-WA. The area sits at the crossroads of U.S. Route 12 and Jackson Highway.

Steep-dip pothole worry in Wabash-WA; when I got home, Holland says she's safe if a warning light wasn't activated.

NO! Big N-O

Big Hanford Road, Centralia-WA; a loooong loop road that wound through the upper hills, before dropping down into Bucoda.

Hwy. #507, coming into Bucoda-WA

Limited on-street parking - maybe 4 vehicles, tops. Betsy is a beast … but she's got a low-hanging belly bottom. That is the concern.

Bodyweight Glute Stepup~In & out of Beast Betsy, x6

Neck Circular Flexion Stretch~10 reps

Chair Spinal Twist~Turn to the Left & to the right, while driving x10 traffic stops.

Driving, laundry, ect.

Bodyweight Standing Bend Alternating Toe Touch, x10

Bodyweight Overhead Triceps Extension, x10

Chin Tuck~All Day long.

Bodyweight Standing Calf Raise~Up & Down the stairs, x20

Even with the concerning & kinda scary moments during the drive, it really was a nice backroads drive, and I made my Tenino & Home destinations safely - and grabbed a Chinese Supper on the way home, serving it to Holland while laughingly telling him about my adventurous escapades along the route.

He didn't think the hillbilly offer of "follow us and we'll lead you to Tenino" was anything to laugh about. He thinks I need another dog: a territorial dog. So, I guess a dog is going to be joining us, again, at some point - with restrictions … no killer dog. And no dog that sheds loads of hair. A dog bigger than a tea cup - but smaller than a great dane. Somewhere around the 25-30 lb. weight load (the only size most RV Parks will allow). And, if we get another dog; this one is not going to be given away. I will miss Bleu every day of my life - he is happy where he lives now, but he doesn't understand why he can't come back home; and every time Holland goes to Kelso to visit, he stops to see Bleu. It confuses him, as well as makes his stubby little tail wag in happiness at seeing Holland. I will not bring another dog into our life if we aren't going to keep him for the rest of all our lives.

Anyway.

After supper, I did laundry & read more chapters of my recent Cussler-Fargo adventure novel. As I have stated before, Clive's novels are loosely based on actual Historical facts - that is just one of the many reasons I like reading his material.

This  novel tells the story of a monk, serving his tenure in the jungle of Guatemala. Bartolomé de Las Casas was a real person, in a real period of History. He was a disillusioned spanish conquistador, who became a Dominican friar. Catholic accounts praise him as a "human rights advocate" … but, I have a problem with that, because though he was horrified at the way the spaniards treated the mayan people - he was not so horrified by the idea of slavery that he would totally denounce it; he would demand equality for the mayans , while at the same time [suggest] black slaves replace the mayan slaves. That does not sound like true equality advocacy to me. It sounds to me, like he was prejudiced towards people he had come to know and gain a respect for (and perhaps more than a little enamored with the mayan paganism practices) - while causally throwing strangers under the proverbial bus as a soothment for his fellow spaniards. So, I'm not going to post any historical facts about him - if you want to know, do your own research. I have shared this little bit, primarily to state that he was indeed a real person, who engaged in the real-life backstory of this Cussler-Fargo adventure.

Cussler~Fargo Novel uncovering a Mayan mystery.

The Mayan Codex depicts Jade miners; leading to another mystery secret - which was a REAL discovery in 1952.

Motagua Valley. Guatemala

Tapirs resemble pigs, but are related to horses and rhinos.

Cenote; Mexico. A lrg sinkhole when the surface rock gives way, revealing an underground lake.

A cenote seen from an underwater sinkhole cave, where runoff rainwater collects forming underground lakes.

From San Diego, CA to Valladolid, Spain

Valladolid, Spain~Modern portion.

Alta Velocidad Espanola bullet train; Spain

Valladolid, Spain~Medeival portion.

Main façade of Colegio de San Gregorio, Spain

Colegio de San Gregorio, Spain

The codex was salvaged, , being carefully & slyly copied verbatim in a monk's journaling of daily mission life - set in the 1536 atmosphere of a Guatemalan jungle.

I have included below more historical facts that relate to the story unfolding:

{{1952 Motagua Valley Landslide and the Jade Temple Discovery

In 1952, a landslide in the Motagua River Valley of Guatemala revealed a remarkable archaeological and geological find: jadeite deposits and what is now recognized as the site of an ancient jade-working temple or ceremonial complex . This event confirmed that the Motagua Valley was the exclusive source of the jade used by the ancient Maya, a material central to their religion, kingship, and art.

The 1952 Discovery

American geologists William F. Foshag and Robert E. Leslie documented the landslide’s exposure of in-situ jadeite in the valley near Manzanal. The pebbles and rock fragments found were identified as jadeite - a sodium aluminum silicate mineral - using modern techniques such as Raman microscopy. This was the first confirmed local source of Mesoamerican jade, ending centuries of uncertainty about its origin.

Geological and Cultural Significance

The Motagua Valley lies on the active fault line between the North American and Caribbean plates, where tectonic collision created the high-pressure, low-temperature conditions necessary for jadeite formation. For the Maya, jade (yax) symbolized life, water, maize, and the divine, and was reserved for royalty and ceremonial use. The landslide’s exposure of jade-bearing rock likely revealed not only raw material but also ancient quarry and processing areas - possibly linked to a “giant jade temple” or ceremonial center, though the exact structure remains under study.

Later Research

Mary Lou Ridinger and her husband Jay later discovered multiple in-situ jade quarry sites in the Motagua Valley, including tools and evidence of on-site jade working. These findings expanded understanding of the valley’s role as both a geological and spiritual heart of Maya civilization.

~Various information sources

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{{In May 2025, archaeologists in northern Guatemala announced the discovery of two anthropomorphic stone figures at the site of Los Abuelos, part of a nearly 3,000‑year‑old Mayan complex in the Petén region.

These figures, carved from stone and dating to between 500 and 300 B.C., are believed to represent an ancestral couple and were likely used in worship rituals. They were found alongside other sacred structures, including sanctuaries and pyramids, at Los Abuelos, which archaeologists describe as one of the most important preclassical Mayan centers, inhabited from about 800 B.C. to 500 A.D.

The site is part of a larger “urban triangle” of three Mayan cities — Penal, Cambrayal, and Los Abuelos — uncovered in 2025, each revealing unique architectural and cultural features.

So, while the figures are not from a cenote (a natural sinkhole), they are part of a major Mayan archaeological find in Guatemala and are indeed two anthropomorphic sculptures, consistent with the description of “two Mayan cenote pillared figures” in a symbolic or ritual context. 

~Various information sources}}

Belize, will be where Clive is taking me tomorrow 📖😉