April 16, 2012
My awakening of Morning came before the sun, I gazed out the window of the yert that hangs off the side of a mountain, I can not remember how high Star said it was in altitude here, but we are pretty high up. What I saw was a Crescent Moon not long before dawn, it just felt as if I could step out the window and touch her, so beautiful. I must have fallen back to sleep and just as the sun reached to top of the mountains I jumped off the floor and ran up the hill, I saw it but did not get my camera out fast enough to catch what I saw. It took my breath away. I sat in the meadow and watched the sun bath the world as everything came awake. The bird song and rush of colder wind swept me into a place of gratitude to be on this sacred land, yet I felt the fragality and the strength of this place. Later as I stood on the porch, I asked Charles if he heard the music from the next hill over. He told me the only music he heard was the birds song. That is not what I heard, it was voices light and soft, singing in perfect harmony.
We ate oatmeal and I said my good-bys. I drove down the hill and by Star’s house to take a photo of her street sign when I saw a huge jack rabbit, it just stood there and stared at me, almost as if it was waiting for me. I moved to grab my camera and it jumped into the brush on to a trail leading to Star’s house. You know what I think, don’t you?
Off to the redwoods! I found the River road and got to Armstrong Woods state park right as they opened at 9am. I was the second car in the lot and it was almost full by the time I got on the trail. My first glimpse of the massive trees sent me into a state of trance and tears ran down my cold face as I walked the trail alone. It took me about a half hour before I could totally embrace where I was and what I was seeing and feeling. I found a place where two huge redwoods stood side by side and a natural curve between them. I stepped into the curve between the trees. I could feel the pulse of the earth and trees, I could feel the life I was seeing and feeling. I wept for a while. Not tears of sadness but of pure gratitude that I was allowed to be here in the grace of this place. That my life’s path has opened and lead me to such beauty and enlightenment. It was not just this moment in the redwoods but life as a whole. I felt lost as to how to return such honor but also knew I was welcomed here with my gifted sight, to see the true heart of these woods. I felt the woods whisper their message to me that I was welcome here. I felt the connection of family and the collectiveness of survival over the thousands of years these trees have stood. I felt the family of birds and furry ones that lived in these trees and those that walked the woods to admire their massive beauty. But I also felt the others that lived deep within the earth and heart of this place, the spirit of this land. I took my time and walked the trails. I chatted with other visitors and shared the awe of my experience there.
I could have just stayed there and never left. I thought of home and family, of my place in this world and why I had made this journey. I knew if I stayed much longer I would never leave.
Heading for home
The little river town near the woods called Guerneville was a classic hippy haven sitting on the Russina river, complete with gift shops, a few dinners and local old burnt out hippies playing checkers around the fountain in the park. I ate Pacific fish and chips, bought some tie dye and a few small trinkets. I found a Hemp shop that was closing and had a 75% off sale, some I bought myself some, since I don’t own any hemp clothing. It was the perfect opertunity for me to unload the rental car and repack all my bags to prepare for the flight home, that took me about 45 minutes to stuff everything back into some travel fashion. I made my way back to the airport just in time to return the rental car, check my bags and get on the plane. Alaska airlines runs the puddle jumpers out of Santa Rosa with twin engine prop planes, not a bad ride but a little bumpy. I had changed into a long skirt for travel and I guess they thought I looked suspious because the patted me down and went through my computer bag with swabs like I was carrying some explosives. I was kinds laughing at their seriousness but I guess better safe than sorry.
My seat mate on this plan was a delight, a young man from Africa now living in Seattle Washington, traveling to Australian on business. We chatted about everything from the high tech world of wireless mining (his business) to growing Kiwi trees in Washington state. One day he will be living on a farm doing permaculture because of the conversation we had in the short hour and a half. I was very curious about the landscape on our trip south to Los Angeles, there were desolete spaces of dry bare mountains bordered with farmland, then not far from Los Angelas there was a mountain range with snow tops. We were flying low due to the size of the plane so I could see a lot of what was below.
The lay over in Los Angeles went slow and when I checked my carry on I felt I needed to go back and get it, the flight was packed and there were a lot of roll ons going to Miami. Sure enough my carry on bag got lost and I had a nasty 5:30 am conversation with an attendent in MIA about my bag, when I got to Tallahassee neither one of my bags were on the plane. I was too tired to deal with it but was concerned, I let American Airlines deal with it my brain needed a rest.
I walk into my house and everything was different. I was not expecting to see the living room totally changed. I hated the light brown sectional couch Noah had found at Goodwill, mostly because I really like the old one and he didn’t. It is ugly and uncomfortable to me. He had also bought a rug for the floor which I do like. A new used coffee pot and a kirby vacuum cleaner. Oh, of course our income tax money was back….and I was gone so things got changed, duh. I just really felt unhappy in the moment, I was too tired to sleep. He did get ride of two horses and not bring any more home, that was positive.
So instead of sleeping Noah and I spent the day extracting honey. This was the first time we had done it all by ourselves with out David’s help or extractor, because now we have one of our own. It was a little awkward but we managed. We need to learn the set up a little better, but we got 6 gallons from the first harvest and it is rich and golden.
I went back to the airport and got my bags in the afternoon, bought feed and my schedule from Ace and finally fell a sleep watching the news, so Noah had to do the feeding alone. It will be good to have a full day to catch up and Leslie and the kids are coming this weekend. As usual when Noah cleans the spare bedroom gets trashed and there is no place for them to stay this weekend. I havemilk to pasturize and lots of things to do.
But all and all it was a WONDERFUL trip and I am looking forward to sharing new things I learned with my friends and class.
My awakening of Morning came before the sun, I gazed out the window of the yert that hangs off the side of a mountain, I can not remember how high Star said it was in altitude here, but we are pretty high up. What I saw was a Crescent Moon not long before dawn, it just felt as if I could step out the window and touch her, so beautiful. I must have fallen back to sleep and just as the sun reached to top of the mountains I jumped off the floor and ran up the hill, I saw it but did not get my camera out fast enough to catch what I saw. It took my breath away. I sat in the meadow and watched the sun bath the world as everything came awake. The bird song and rush of colder wind swept me into a place of gratitude to be on this sacred land, yet I felt the fragality and the strength of this place. Later as I stood on the porch, I asked Charles if he heard the music from the next hill over. He told me the only music he heard was the birds song. That is not what I heard, it was voices light and soft, singing in perfect harmony.
We ate oatmeal and I said my good-bys. I drove down the hill and by Star’s house to take a photo of her street sign when I saw a huge jack rabbit, it just stood there and stared at me, almost as if it was waiting for me. I moved to grab my camera and it jumped into the brush on to a trail leading to Star’s house. You know what I think, don’t you?
Off to the redwoods! I found the River road and got to Armstrong Woods state park right as they opened at 9am. I was the second car in the lot and it was almost full by the time I got on the trail. My first glimpse of the massive trees sent me into a state of trance and tears ran down my cold face as I walked the trail alone. It took me about a half hour before I could totally embrace where I was and what I was seeing and feeling. I found a place where two huge redwoods stood side by side and a natural curve between them. I stepped into the curve between the trees. I could feel the pulse of the earth and trees, I could feel the life I was seeing and feeling. I wept for a while. Not tears of sadness but of pure gratitude that I was allowed to be here in the grace of this place. That my life’s path has opened and lead me to such beauty and enlightenment. It was not just this moment in the redwoods but life as a whole. I felt lost as to how to return such honor but also knew I was welcomed here with my gifted sight, to see the true heart of these woods. I felt the woods whisper their message to me that I was welcome here. I felt the connection of family and the collectiveness of survival over the thousands of years these trees have stood. I felt the family of birds and furry ones that lived in these trees and those that walked the woods to admire their massive beauty. But I also felt the others that lived deep within the earth and heart of this place, the spirit of this land. I took my time and walked the trails. I chatted with other visitors and shared the awe of my experience there.
I could have just stayed there and never left. I thought of home and family, of my place in this world and why I had made this journey. I knew if I stayed much longer I would never leave.
The little river town near the woods called Guerneville was a classic hippy haven sitting on the Russina river, complete with gift shops, a few dinners and local old burnt out hippies playing checkers around the fountain in the park. I ate Pacific fish and chips, bought some tie dye and a few small trinkets. I found a Hemp shop that was closing and had a 75% off sale, some I bought myself some, since I don’t own any hemp clothing. It was the perfect opertunity for me to unload the rental car and repack all my bags to prepare for the flight home, that took me about 45 minutes to stuff everything back into some travel fashion. I made my way back to the airport just in time to return the rental car, check my bags and get on the plane. Alaska airlines runs the puddle jumpers out of Santa Rosa with twin engine prop planes, not a bad ride but a little bumpy. I had changed into a long skirt for travel and I guess they thought I looked suspious because the patted me down and went through my computer bag with swabs like I was carrying some explosives. I was kinds laughing at their seriousness but I guess better safe than sorry.
My seat mate on this plan was a delight, a young man from Africa now living in Seattle Washington, traveling to Australian on business. We chatted about everything from the high tech world of wireless mining (his business) to growing Kiwi trees in Washington state. One day he will be living on a farm doing permaculture because of the conversation we had in the short hour and a half. I was very curious about the landscape on our trip south to Los Angeles, there were desolete spaces of dry bare mountains bordered with farmland, then not far from Los Angelas there was a mountain range with snow tops. We were flying low due to the size of the plane so I could see a lot of what was below.
The lay over in Los Angeles went slow and when I checked my carry on I felt I needed to go back and get it, the flight was packed and there were a lot of roll ons going to Miami. Sure enough my carry on bag got lost and I had a nasty 5:30 am conversation with an attendent in MIA about my bag, when I got to Tallahassee neither one of my bags were on the plane. I was too tired to deal with it but was concerned, I let American Airlines deal with it my brain needed a rest.
I walk into my house and everything was different. I was not expecting to see the living room totally changed. I hated the light brown sectional couch Noah had found at Goodwill, mostly because I really like the old one and he didn’t. It is ugly and uncomfortable to me. He had also bought a rug for the floor which I do like. A new used coffee pot and a kirby vacuum cleaner. Oh, of course our income tax money was back….and I was gone so things got changed, duh. I just really felt unhappy in the moment, I was too tired to sleep. He did get ride of two horses and not bring any more home, that was positive.
So instead of sleeping Noah and I spent the day extracting honey. This was the first time we had done it all by ourselves with out David’s help or extractor, because now we have one of our own. It was a little awkward but we managed. We need to learn the set up a little better, but we got 6 gallons from the first harvest and it is rich and golden.
I went back to the airport and got my bags in the afternoon, bought feed and my schedule from Ace and finally fell a sleep watching the news, so Noah had to do the feeding alone. It will be good to have a full day to catch up and Leslie and the kids are coming this weekend. As usual when Noah cleans the spare bedroom gets trashed and there is no place for them to stay this weekend. I havemilk to pasturize and lots of things to do.
But all and all it was a WONDERFUL trip and I am looking forward to sharing new things I learned with my friends and class.
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