Who is Desert Rose?

An adventurous soul focused upon telling her tales.

Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Brenda Cordray.

“The Desert Rose” was the name of my original road chariot, an 8-passenger van.

“Desert Rose” is my husband Dan's nickname for me, but those are stories for another day.

Just over a decade ago, I hatched an escape plan while lying in bed suffering from a plethora of “incurable” autoimmune diseases and other bodily malfunctions. It involved getting in a van and driving off into the sunset to truly savor any sunsets I might have left, and to not be a burden to anyone else as I aged.

Turns out, bed life was not for me. I worked hard to regain strength, dropped most of my belongings and nearly all of my medications, rolled the dice, and put rubber to the road. Nearly 9 years later, I am still gathering my yarns, my bits and bobs, or what I call “doodabs”, ponderings that lead to serendipitous discoveries and remarkable revelations along the way, to create a memoir about my road life experiences.

In the process of figuring out how to tell my tale, I have unearthed such treasures as vintage scrawlings and pages of morning that hold clues to the nexus of my dream of living life in on the roam.

I have shared much on social media over the years, but I would like to flesh out some of the deeper backstories and the harsher truths of living with disabilities, no matter where your body happens to be at the moment.

I would love to expound upon the joy of hitting my stride, then finding the man of my dreams along the way. Later in life love, my writing-to-publishing journey, living and cooking outdoors, boondocking and navigating, exploring remote and off the beaten path locations and attractions, nature stories and photography, artwork, recipes…all up for discussion, and much more. Forks in the road, detours, rests, and rallies, it's gonna be in here. I am still in the throes of creation, so bear with me as I birth this thing.

Then fledge me, help me grow my stronger writing quills by witnessing as I leap into published life at this introductory level. That's what I know I have to offer you, onboard and available at this very moment. I can give you that. The rest remains to be seen, as I grow my next set of wings after this significant leap. I invite you to ride shotgun on this part of my journey.

With your either free or paid subscription, your choice, you will have the opportunity to hear the tales behind the thousands of photos and captions on my Facebook travel page, “The Sunny Side”, https://www.facebook.com/stepintothesunlight, my art page, “ramblindesertrose” https://www.facebook.com/ramblindesertrose/, and my Instagram page, @twentyonefeathers.

As pioneering spirit who has had a chance to live her dream anyway, even when it seemed completely impossible, I want to let you in on what that's been like for me through my stories and photographs.

My current goal is one post a week while I settle into a groove. Please allow me to let the posting day be whatever day I can best manage. You won’t have to worry about missing anything. Every new edition of the newsletter goes directly to your inbox. I hope that you savor and treasure each one, and tell your friends. The more, the merrier!

I appreciate your interest, and I hope you will give it all a gander and see if my new space is a place for you. Happy trails!

Blessings~

Brenda Cordray

“Desert Rose"

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