FunPig Issue #2 - Winter '99-'00

December in Joshua Tree. Unseasonably warm, and not as crowded as you might expect for a holiday weekend. We grabbed our climbing shoes and a bottle of tequila, intent on spending the day in an isolated place where nobody ever climbs.

Or so we thought. A couple of miles from the parking lot, in an area not mentioned in any of the guidebooks, we found beautiful boulders peppered with perfect handholds--and each handhold covered with a thin layer of climbers' chalk. We were not the first to enjoy this beautiful place, and we certainly wouldn't be the last.

On the way back to the car, rather than simply retracing our steps, I convinced my three fellow fun pigs to take a slight detour for a change of scenery and a taste of adventure. It's not the first time I was deceived by a seemingly direct route that turned into a death march from hell. Weaving in and out of boulder-strewn canyons, tired from the long day of climbing and exploring, I walked well ahead of my companions to dodge verbal and physical abuse. No worries, though. Weary joy at reaching the car outweighed any lingering complaints.

And that's what being a fun pig is all about. Finding fun in the strangest places, joy in the most unlikely situations. Whether it's a lifestyle or a philosophy, the fun pig spirit can help on your own arduous, detour-filled path to enlightenment.

In this, our second issue, we provide a diverse mix of content that is both literary and photographic, thought provoking and irreverent. Please enjoy it. And until issue #3, remember:

Get Out, Have Fun!