Last week, I shared with you the first half of my two-part short film: Homes Within, Communities Without, sponsored by PlatteForum and Lighthouse Writers Workshop. If you haven’t seen part one, I hope you’ll give it a look, because I believe that somewhere between these two digital stories a third, unspoken story lies. In Audrey Haynes’ story, she shared how living on the streets has changed her ideas about community. For Audrey, community goes wherever she goes. For me, community begins at home. But it wasn’t always that way, and my story doesn’t end there.

You’ll find my video below. After you watch, I hope you’ll share your thoughts. What is the connection between home and community? What separates us all, and what connects us? What is community to you?

Homes Within, Communities Without: Cara from Cara Lopez Lee on Vimeo.

In the economic meltdown, the specter of homelessness looms over many people who once felt secure. So, when PlatteForum and Lighthouse Writers Workshop gave me the opportunity to create a short film exhibit on the theme of community, I wanted to relate that topic to homelessness. We often hear that Americans have lost their sense of community. I wondered, “Have I?” We often hear that homeless people have “fallen through the cracks.” I wondered, “How do they hold onto community?” Homes Within, Communities Without is a pair of digital stories in which a young homeless woman and I each explore our experience of community. Audrey Haynes lives just two miles from me, yet worlds apart. Still, we share one important desire: to connect.

You’ll find Audrey’s brief video below. Next week, I’ll share mine. I hope you’ll watch both, and that they’ll prompt you to share your own thoughts. What connects you to community?

Homes Within, Communities Without: Audrey from Cara Lopez Lee on Vimeo.

A friend and I wanted to go on a hike, but we were limited on time, so we chose one of my favorite short trails in nearby Boulder, Colorado. For me, the sight and sound of running water along a trail washes away stress like a glass of water quenches thirst. The Anne U. White Trail follows Fourmile Canyon Creek, where the water level can be hit or miss: a friendly gusher in wet years, or a mere trickle in dry years. This time it was a hit. We crossed the rushing creek nearly two-dozen times, and stopped to admire many small waterfalls. This easy, three-mile hike is tucked away in a convenient residential area, yet the canyon walls give it the feeling of a secluded getaway. Here’s a two-minute peek at what you might see if you go:

Hiking Anne U. White Trail: Fourmile Canyon Creek, Boulder, Colorado from Cara Lopez Lee on Vimeo.

They Only Eat Their Husbands: A Memoir of Alaskan Love, World Travel, and the Power of Running Away now has a book cover. That means it won’t be long before you can hold the bound book in your hands, or download the e-version to your Kindle. No matter how unreal it seems to me, my travel memoir really is coming from Ghost Road Press this October.

If you’re interested in pre-sales, which should start in a few weeks, or if you want to come to my Denver book release party on November 5th, please join my mailing list and I’ll send you an invitation. I’ll spend the rest of November rattling around the American West in my ‘95 Honda Civic Hatchback, staying in hostels and surfing couches. If you have a couch I can ride, please let me know.

Until then, please feast your eyes on the exciting book cover above, designed by my talented editor, Matthew Davis. Then check out my latest excerpt from the pages of They Only Eat Their Husbands.

Because I’ve been busy working on a writing residency, I’ve kept my recent hikes simple and close to home. If you like to see wildlife, Rabbit Mountain near Lyons, Colorado is a fun choice. The chatty prairie dog town at the trailhead might tempt you to hang out there all day and skip the hike… but keep walking. On a clear day, the 4-mile lollipop loop known as Eagle Wind Trail offers panoramic views of the Continental Divide and the prairie. I recommend you go early, because there’s a good chance of seeing white tail deer. Here’s a video of my recent hike:

Eagle Wind Trail - Rabbit Mountain, near Lyons, CO from Cara Lopez Lee on Vimeo.

One of my favorite things about Denver is that I don’t have to travel far to get away from the city. I recently drove 45 minutes to the South Mesa Trailhead near Eldorado Springs and South Boulder, where I hiked the Big Bluestem Loop. This relatively easy trail meanders below the spectacular foothill formations known as The Flatirons and Devil’s Thumb. It’s about 4.2 miles roundtrip. I experimented with a combination of video and photos to create the following vicarious hiking montage for you. So, come join me for a little walk…

HIKING BIG BLUESTEM LOOP - Boulder, Colorado’s South Mesa Trail from Cara Lopez Lee on Vimeo.

I’ve been busy working on my digital story project for the Biennial of the Americas, with Lighthouse Writers Workshop and PlatteForum. But I haven’t forgotten my promise to tell you about my two research trips to China in search of family history. So, let’s see, where was I…

Hong Kong, China
April 10, 2008

Yesterday afternoon, Fiona Zhu and I went on a brief walking tour, to find the Hong Kong Island of British Colonial times, and the Hong Kong Island where my Uncle Roy witnessed the fiery arrival of World War II.

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This month, every morning when I wake to the pounding, clattering, and growling of machinery and men building the new house two doors down, I’ll stare at my spinning ceiling fan and ask myself, “What is my community?” July 1st, was the first day of my writing residency for the Biennial of the Americas, with PlatteForum and the Lighthouse Writers Workshop. My project is called “Homes Within, Communities Without.” I’m creating two digital video stories: one in which I explore how I experience community, and another in which a young, recently homeless woman explores how she experiences community.

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April 9, 2008
Hong Kong, China

Yesterday, Fiona Zhu and I took one of the many double-decker buses down Kowloon’s main drag, Nathan Road. We got off the bus at Haiphong Road, walked behind the mosque, and entered Kowloon Park. The park was an unexpectedly pretty and relaxing place in the midst of the city, doing for Kowloon what Central Park does for Manhattan—making urban life more bearable. But this peaceful little place was once all about war.

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Instead of only reading about travel and adventure, how would you like to also see videos that show you fun, beautiful, unusual, relaxing, exciting places to go? I thought so. I have a new camcorder, so every now and then I’ll offer you a more active peek at my adventures. This week, my husband, Dale, and I went for a simple hike at Betasso Preserve, just outside Boulder, Colorado. The 3-minute video below will give you the highlights of the 3.2-mile Canyon Loop Trail. I always take progressively more challenging and spectacular hikes as summer progresses, so keep coming back! This is going to be fun…

HIKING BETASSO PRESERVE from Cara Lopez Lee on Vimeo.