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Tiburon and Toddy
··· Mar 02 2011 · By ···
J and I have been enjoying regular walks along Richardson Bay in Tiburon. There’s a nice flat trail we like to walk on Sundays, when we want something not-very-challenging after a solid yoga session
How wonderful that this open space has been preserved for all to enjoy! There’s something special about being up high, with spectacular views of the San Francisco Bay and skyline in the distance. It’s a nice open hillside so no shade to get in the way of that precious winter sun, and the plant life is abundant and diverse. I’ve particularly been enjoying the bold bursts of color from California Poppies and the orange moss that lives on so many of the rocks around here.
The rarity and profusion of plants is a result of the preserve’s geology, which includes steep hillsides of serpentine, level areas of deeper soil and a series of fresh-water springs. With full sun and prevailing winds, the area allows an impressive number of sedges, rushes and grasses to thrive along with attractive and conspicuous flowers.
-Belvedere-Tiburon Landmarks Society
This past weekend we had the privilege of hanging out with one of our dear friends, Todd Martin, “Toddy” as I like to call him, and we took him up the hill for a hike. He’s one of those solid friends you know you can always count on for love, support, wisdom, and a good laugh. Todd and I met when he took me under his wing at the since-closed Ivy’s restaurant in Hayes Valley. In the world of difficult personalities that is the restaurant biz, he was a breath of fresh air. That was in 1996 (15 years ago!) and through the peaks and valleys of our lives, that big-hearted Pisces and I (and J, too) have remained close, no matter how far apart geographically. Todd has faced intense challenges and his perseverance and personal growth are an inspiration to us. His hard work and commitment to a healthy, holistic (and positively contributing) life have created serious positive momentum for him and no one deserves it more.
Birthday Fun Part 2
··· Feb 06 2011 · By ···
The Dish
Day 2 of my birthday celebration brought Dorothy and I down into the heart of Silicon Valley to enjoy the nice weather, and take a little walk around a nature area called the Dish. The Dish is owned by Stanford, and isn’t all nature, as the hillside is dotted with a number of different antennas and radio telescopes. It is named the Dish because of a rather large dish, or radio reflector antenna, that sits atop the hill overlooking Palo Alto and the surrounding area. We went on a rather clear day, and could see San Jose to the south, San Francisco to the north, and across the bay to the East Bay Hills.I scoffed as we approached the entrance to the trail, as I had read a review in Yelp that said “I love this place! I enter clockwise b/c the first hill is STEEP & and gets my heart going. the view is well worth it once you make it the the top. Great views of the Bay no matter where you are standing.” It didn’t look too steep to me, but rather appeared to be moderate rolling hills. Boy was I wrong. We took the clockwise path (it’s a loop) and Dorothy and I were both feeling it in our legs and lungs.
As we ascended the hill we heard, then saw these little California Ground Squirrels digging around in their holes. They are kind of cute, but I am sure that they are kind of pesky varmints. Their speckled fur does its job helping to camouflage them. As we went on the path we even saw a hawk fly in low while a ground squirrel booked it into one of its holes.
Approaching the dish I was taken back at how big it really is. You can see its hugeness from all around, but once you are right up on it it’s quite impressive in its size. One of the three arms that hold the transmitter/receiver thing was cabled down (as you can see from the photos), so the dish was probably going through some maintenance.
There is plenty more to see walking around the Dish, but I will stop here and leave the rest up to your imagination…
Coffee and Music
After we left the Dish and got a much needed cup of coffee and a bite to eat, we headed into downtown Mountain View, to attend a free event at the East West Bookstore. When Dorothy described the event, I got all excited. It was a talk and performance by Bruce Manaka and Rick Skalsky who work with overtones and produce a sort of healing energy music through the playing of various bells, bowls and voices (among other things). There is a meditative quality to the sounds these two produce that allows you to approach various states of consciousness (and sub-consciousness). Bruce and Rick have a recording they produced, Sonic Ascension that you can buy here. I recorded the event, and decided to post a selection to give you an idea of what these two are getting at in their music.
Bruce Manaka and Rick Skalsky at East West Bookstore
Download it here
We left the book store recharged and ready for the drive up the peninsula, across the bridge and back home. Not a bad way to celebrate a birthday, huh?
Birthday Fun Part 1
··· Feb 05 2011 · By ···
When in San Francisco, do as the tourists
February is a great month. For starters it is a point out here in the SF Bay area when the winter weather can break and produce some great weather, as is the case this La Niña year. It is also the shortest month, but packed with a bunch of holidays like Groundhog Day, President’s Day Nirvana Day, Valentine’s Day… If that isn’t enough, it is also the month of my birthday! As far as things go for my birthday, I tend to like to keep things slow paced, and not get too celebratory. So when Dorothy asked me what I would like to do for my special day, I said the usual thing that I always say, “Mmmm, nothing.” That doesn’t work for her, so I am usually greeted with a list of possible things that she has researched for us to do together to honor the day I was born (and the week, and even the month). Who says you have to celebrate for just one day? The list this year, the first when we weren’t in Boston in the past 4, featured some things that I have never done, even though I have lived in and around SF for many years prior. After mowing through the list with her here is what we decided to do.
Exploratorium
The Exploratorium is a landmark in San Francisco. Originally designed by Frank Oppenheimer (brother of atom bomb maker Robert Oppenheimer), the Exploratorium started with just a few exhibits that gave kids a chance to see the action behind the science that they may be learning about in school. Part museum, part learning experience, all fun, this way of “learning” was pretty revolutionary back in the late 1960s. But it works, and the Exploratorium soon filled its 100,000 square foot space at the Palace of Fine Arts with a wide range of exhibits that encompasses everything from how energy flows, to how sound travels, to a dark dome that you navigate through using only the sense of touch (the Tactile Dome) and so much more…
Even though I am kind of a germaphobe, I eagerly agreed to visit the Exploratorium just to experience it before they move to their new space at Pier 15/17. What a treat it was too. We spun cranks that made light bulbs glow, turned knobs that caused water to ripple with sound waves, shined light at prisms and watched rainbows appear… I especially liked the magnetism and electrical exhibits, as they all look like they are as old as the museum itself with big chunky knobs and buttons that appear to have come from some magical electronics surplus store.
I plan to return when the new facility is open as well, but I am super glad that I had the chance to see the place in its original home.
Fort Mason
We left the Exploratorium and walked along the Marina Green to get some much needed coffee and a snack at Greens Restaurant in Fort Mason. We missed the cutoff for lunch, and dinner was still a few hours away, so we grabbed some coffee from the Greens To Go counter and headed over to a bench on the dock of the bay where we watched the tide roll away (a quick check of the tide tables shows that the tide was indeed heading out as we sat there). The temps were mid 60s, light breeze and no clouds!
Feeling that we hadn’t yet walked enough, we continued through Fort Mason, passing a number of Exploratorium outside exhibits that are set up around the old fort. One that I like is this viewer that is aimed at the Golden Gate Bridge. Using a long zoom lens and some markings on the screen you can see how much the height of the bridge varies due to temperature. As the bridge heats up during the day, the metal expands causing the deck of the bridge to be just a bit closer to the water. Pretty neat, huh?
Fisherman’s Wharf
We popped out of the fort where Van Ness Ave ends and walked along a beach where people were swimming laps and boats were bobbing around in the water. It was starting to get shady and cool, so we headed away from the beach and walked along North Point St. for a bit, by Ghiradelli Square but soon found ourselves drawn back toward the water, where we became instant tourists experiencing one of the biggest tourist areas in SF, Fisherman’s Wharf. Oh, the smell of fried this and sticky that.
I like the anonymity of walking around a tourist area like that. It is a great equalizer. Everyone is either a tourist, or there to sell stuff to the tourists. If you are walking around with a small bag, just checking stuff out, boom – you’re a tourist. So Dorothy and I were temporarily thrust into becoming tourists for a short while. We watched some of the cable cars get turned around while musicians and dancers vied for our attention (I was more interested in watching the cable car turn around). Head down, no eye contact, and we were through the crowd just looking for something to do.
Aside from visiting the Wharf as a child on a family vacation – we got a big sponge, I have no actual experience on Fisherman’s wharf. That is unless you count skating around the wharf in Tony Hawk Pro Skater 4. But my skateboard was back in Marin, so no grinds along the Embarcadero on this trip. It was all walking, and realizing that there wasn’t much for us to do there any longer, and with the sun rapidly setting, we took some pictures of Alcatraz and headed back to the car, over the bridge, through the tunnel and back home.
Tennessee Valley Trail – A Summery Sunday in January
··· Jan 27 2011 · By ···
After a ton of rain and many cold gray days in November and December, Mother Nature has been shining some powerful golden rays on us lately. Clear, sunny, warm days in January are food for the soul and we’ve been making it a priority to get Out and soak it up every day. Sunday was especially warm and clear-sky’ed so we grabbed Nicole and Sid and headed out to one of our new favorite hiking spots in Marin: Tennessee Valley. Getting to the beach without the twisty-turny kind-of-long drive out to Point Reyes is pretty cool. And it’s just a beautiful place. As the trail curves around and rolls slightly up and down and that first glimpse of the Pacific comes into view, it’s pretty hard not to feel good about life.
The first time we were there, we saw a really Big slug on the ground. Big like a (brown) banana. We also saw what was probably a bobcat but, even with the zoom lens, the pictures aren’t clear – he/she blends into the background. Cool to see new creatures!
Jeph pointed out that the topography of the beach was totally different than just one week before. The extra strong tide of this full moon probably made the changes more substantial than usual. Last week there was a fairly big ridge of sand over to the left which we climbed up to get around the little stream dividing the beach horizontally. This time there was only a small bit of ridge and it was further left, against the back wall of rock. The stream was wider and crossing it meant wet feet (except for long-legged Jeph who jumped it with ease.) After a few minutes of debate, the rest of us wised up and took our dam* shoes off. And boy did that sand feel good on these feet, so tired of wearing shoes. Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh.
We played on the beach. Sid dug around in the sand. The sand here is super cool. It’s like miniature pebbles and the color palette is pretty hues of gray-blue, rosy-brown-red, and burnt-orange. I could spend hours just marveling at the rocks and pebbles, and getting inspiration for jewelry pieces.
After awhile we dried off our feet, put the shoes back on and hiked up the side of the hill to an overlook. This is whale migration season (nearing the end) and we hoped to maybe see them heading south. No luck this time – we may need go out to Point Reyes next season. But it was still fun to be up that high, where the crows drop in to ocean winds and float. Watching them from below I observed their graceful balance of effort and going-with-the-flow.
They are focused and present. Their muscles are strong and active. And, at the same time, they are harnessing the power of the universe via the flow of wind – being supported and uplifted.
This reminds me of the practices of qigong, where instead of fighting against opposing energies, you move with them and use them to your advantage. This is wise effort and we humans, as usual, can learn a lot from these creatures. And that is one of the things I enjoy about being out amongst nature – learning in a natural, intuitive way.
The concept of qi as a form of pervasive energy is a fundamental pillar of Chinese Philosophy. This energy is considered to exist in all things including the air, water, food, and sunlight. In the body, qi represents the unseen vital force that sustains life. Qigong practice involves the manipulation and balance of the qi within the practitioner’s body and its interaction with the practitioner’s surroundings.
If a Tree Falls in the City
··· Jan 06 2011 · By ···
The philosophical question “If a tree falls in the forest and there is nobody around, does it make a sound?” has been riddling philosophers for years. It’s all about perception of an event. Of course this tree in a forest, well outside of an earshot, doesn’t make a sound. But that’s not why I am writing this.
If a tree falls in the city, or in this case is prematurely cut down and fed into the chipper, it makes a lot of noise. But it isn’t the noise that I am writing about either.
We lost a good friend today. A mature, healthy, Coast Live Oak that was the first thing we saw each morning as we opened our sleeping eyes.
This tree, which sat on the property line between our next door neighbor, and the next house down, was sent to the chipper because a couple branches were removed about 6 months earlier. This became a point of contention between our neighbor, who is renovating her new house, and her neighbor. The branches were removed to make room for upcoming renovation work on the house. That’s the background.
Well, because of the size of the branches that were removed, an arborist came out and noted that the tree would most likely die. I really don’t get that one, but it is basically what the tree genius said. I waited to see the tree turn brown, and start to lose leaves. That never happened (keep in mind that coast live oaks are evergreen, so they don’t shed their leaves annually). From my perspective the tree remained healthy, and not endangering any houses around it or anything else.
So this morning, Dorothy looked out the window and said “There’s someone up in the tree!”. Sure enough a guy was climbing all up in this magnificent tree, chainsaw in hand prepping it for its impending demise. KEEP IN MIND, THIS WAS A STILL HEALTHY MATURE TREE!
I quickly ran out with my phone to get some pictures and video of the tree in its final minutes. (it’s kind of noisy)
Just click on the video below.
What possibly angers me the most is the fact that this tree was still healthy, and a favorite perch for birds, squirrels, bugs, spiders, moss, lichen… It was also a very pretty tree, symmetrical, teeming with life, and serving as a screen to the urban hillside in the distance. So now I am forced to look at the homes dotting the hillside which were behind the canopy of the coast live oak.
So today Dorothy and I grieve at the loss of this friend of ours. We are sad that our bird and critter friends no longer have a place to perch, eat, squabble, play. We wish the tree good passage into it’s next life as it’s chipped up remains help nourish the soil where they are deposited.
Point Reyes – Tule Elk Preserve
··· Dec 15 2010 · By ···
Marin County is by far one of the most naturally beautiful places to live. This is evident in a number of ways; from the sweeping urban views of San Francisco from places like Sausalito or Tiburon to the thoughtfully preserved natural hillsides in the Marin Headlands, from the top of Mt. Tam to the foggy coast with stunning cliff-sides and hidden beaches. Point Reyes is such a place, jutting off to form Tomales Bay on the east with the mighty Pacific Ocean on the south and west shore of this awesome land formation.
What makes this place so cool? Well, it is for the most part a free place to roam around, part of the National Park Service and there are a bunch of really neat, quirky things about the land. First, there are a lot of dairy farms out on the point, essentially leasing the land their cows graze on from the NPS. The ranches that the dairy’s are located on are historical ranches where cows have grazed for a while. The Coast Miwok lived…
On Tomales Bay: Echa-kolum, Shotommo-wi (near the mouth of San Antonio Creek), Sakloki (opposite Tomales Point, Dillon Beach area), Utumia (Near present-day town of Tomales.) and At the present-day town of Olema: Olema-loke.
We traveled out to Pt. Reyes for an afternoon of hiking, looking at Tule Elk and the many coastal birds, and maybe a walk on the beach, or a look at the lighthouse. Well we did most of that stuff, and found a place that epitomizes the term micro-climate. You can almost find a different, distinct weather pattern every ¼ mile or so, walking in just about any direction out on Pt. Reyes.
Fortunately for Dorothy and I we headed up to the Tule Elk preserve to bother the small herd, and kind of think about how the “collective” we have essentially brought this breed back from the edge of extinction and now are scratching our heads how best to “manage” the herd, since this group of elk are pinned into the end of the point, and they really should have some more room to elk around in. Dairy farming sort of prevents that sharing of pasture land with the elk.
So with that in mind we walked around on a pretty easy trail that starts you out in a historic ranch that houses info and stuff now for the park. You start in going around a hillside, and head out towards the rugged coast line. The drop off is a couple hundred feet in some parts, but there aren’t any technical paths that put you in danger. Being this high up above sea level puts birds right at eye level as they catch ocean breezes and soar around.
The crows seemed as interested at seeing us as we were to be seeing them, just a few feet away, just coasting along on the wind, cawing away.
I spoke about the micro-climates earlier and we finally hit that point of feeling the weather just suddenly start changing, as the fog decided to make its march onto the beach, up the cliffs and across the point. So we turned around, to see a small group of Tule Elk chilling up on the hillside beside the path. Their heads perked up as they, one by one, became aware of our presence in their yard. We stood around, checking them out with the zoom lens on our camera, snapping a few pictures, then started back to the ranch.
The beach was ruled out this time, but as we started our drive off the point, we decided to take Sir Francis Drake to the end where the Point Reyes Lighthouse sits but by the time we got there, the weather had turned into the fog equivalent of a blizzard. There was Zero visibility, with wicked fast winds. What’s the point in enduring that to see a lighthouse? Especially since there is no doubt that I will make my way to Point Reyes many times down the line.
Matcha Latte
··· Nov 08 2010 · By ···
In an ongoing effort to consume less coffee (because of various not-great effects it has on me), I’ve discovered matcha. At first, I thought it was just any green tea ground up (like the gunpowder J grinds in the pestle and adds to smoothies sometimes), but after more research, have learned it’s green tea grown and processed in a very specific way. Because you are consuming the whole leaf (as opposed to just the “broth” of steeped leaves) you enjoy substantially more of the many beneficial nutrients of green tea. Some of the other positive effects (thank-you, Rebekah, for motivating me to give this yummy drink a try): improved metabolism, digestion, calmness, clarity, and concentration – no wonder this was/is the zen monks’ drink of choice!
I have not tried matcha simply whisked with hot water. My preparation of choice is a matcha latte, following this basic recipe and sweeten with a little agave. It’s surprisingly delicious in a very unique way and I do find it provides a steady stream of calm energy (Note: I used 2 tsp for a latte today and found the effects to be a bit jittery so I think 1 tsp, maybe heaping, is enough.) I love making it in a clear mug because the creamy green color is fun!
Matcha can be quite expensive. We are fortunate to have a wonderful asian market here in San Rafael (good selection including always fresh produce and Excellent customer service) that offers a 1 oz. canister, imported from Japan, for $6.99 which is a great bargain.
While I am not following a strict and elaborate method, filling the kettle, sifting the tea powder, heating and foaming the (soy) milk, waiting for the water to boil, and blending it all together is a nice time to slow down and mindfully reflect on the four basic elements of the Japanese tea ceremony:
Matcha is the tea that is used in the well-known Japanese tea ceremony which was established by Zen-master Sen-no-Rikyu in the 1570s. The ceremony follows four basic principles:
- Harmony (wa)
- Respect (kei)
- Purity (sei)
- Tranquility (jaku)
Second Friday Art Walk
··· Oct 14 2010 · By ···
One of the nice things about San Rafael is that there is a rather strong arts community. This means that there are lots of opportunities to take in, purchase, be inspired by, even exhibit art.
One of the ways that the San Rafael arts community presents its art to the public is by holding a monthly art walk downtown on 4th St. (and some of the surrounding streets). This event is called the 2nd Friday Art Walk, and happens – you guessed it – on the second Friday of each month. It’s put on by Art Works Downtown, a San Rafael arts incubator.
Well, since Dorothy and I are interested in local art, and have missed taking part in things like this since we left Kalamazoo (where they have a monthly Art Hop that is similar to this) we thought it would be nice to head downtown and get our art on.
We didn’t have a lot of time, so we felt it would be best if we stuck to the densest part of the art walk, between C and D Streets on 4th. This worked out good, as we were able to check out a number of galleries and the Art Works facilities. Overall, most of the art was paintings, mixed media, and photographs at most of the places we went. I didn’t take too careful of notes on who the artists art or anything this time, but one of the things that I did notice is that a lot of artists are working in encaustic. For those who haven’t heard of encaustic, it is basically a pigmented bees wax that is layered onto the canvas (or board, or whatever). That layering gives the work a really cool depth. You can also do stuff like transferring things onto it, then covering the transfer with more encaustic medium. You get the picture, I am sure, if not check here http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Encaustic_painting . Anyway, maybe it is a bit played out as the medium of the moment, but I like how it looks and I even hope to get into a little experimental wax painting some time soon (hands rubbing together)…
One of my favorites is the Folk Art Gallery. I had a nice chat with the owner, Sharon Christovich, who is also an artist (it is indeed obvious that she has an artist’s eye). She really seems to enjoy what she does. They specialize in unique, handmade things that are produced by various native peoples from Mexico to Africa to Peru to the Middle East (and a lot of places in between). One of the things that I enjoy about a lot of the products in places like this is you see a lot of re-use of items that in the USA we typically will throw out. Dorothy pointed out a neat chicken (or cock) made from old plastic bags (hopefully clean). I noticed this door curtain made from strung together plastic bottle pieces, garden hose, and other stuff we normally pitch, or recycle. It’s cool!
There are also some more traditional items like this funny hat that might have been used in some ceremony or celebration that you see in National Geographic magazine.
It’s nice to be part of a community with a thriving local artist scene, and I have only scratched the surface with what D & I experienced here in San Rafael. A few years back we produced a little video about a Cotati based artist 3D Edddy. Needless to say, Dorothy and I are totally looking forward to exploring the art scene all up in this place we call home.
Lowdown ina Showdown
··· Oct 01 2010 · By ···
I’m just going to come out and say it right away, Dub Step is the ultimate underground dance music. Now that I got that out of the way, let me get down to some of my reasoning.
I attended the September 19th Lowdown ina Showdown event at the Showdown bar in San Francisco, right next door to the legendary Tu Lan Vietnamese Restaurant. This event is a free, monthly Dub Step dance party and BBQ that is also in collaboration with a weekly free Dub Step event across 6th St. at Anu called Ritual. Really, how can you go wrong with two free events. (as of this writing, it is unsure whether either of these events are continuing)
So I called up some friends in the City, and we headed down to see what all the fuss is about. The fuss is all about deep dark beats, MCs rhyming, bodies moving, and some good clean underground fun.
Ritual is the larger event, with a bigger dance floor. It looks like there is a waiting list to get in, but what really goes on is that the club is 21+ so anyone younger than that just hangs out on the sidewalk in front, dancing, hanging, eating BBQ, even playing retro video games on some old NES consoles that are set up. When you go in, Anu is dark, hot, and loud – just the alchemy needed to get bodies moving. We set up camp along the side for a while, had some drinks (I had some water since I was driving) and watched the action and took in the sounds.
The one thing that you immediately notice when listening to Dubstep in a proper setting (loud dark club) is that the music is pretty stripped down, almost minimal and sort of slow. That’s alright, because it is really the underlying bass line that serves as the meat of Dubstep. I could go into a whole page on what makes a song Dubstep (versus, say Garage, Twostep, Jungle…) but it is better to just provide a link to the Wikipedia article on Dubstep to get you started. I do like this opening quote attributed to the All Music description of Dubstep.
“its tense, almost oppressively dark sound was built on tightly coiled productions with overwhelming bass lines and reverberant drum patterns, clipped samples, and occasional vocals”
Meanwhile, over at the Showdown, UFO! was getting ready for his set. I have been a huge fan of UFO! back when I lived in SF and was part of the Jungle scene in the late 1990s. In case you missed out on that scene, too bad, because the way that I feel currently about how Dubstep is the ultimate underground dance music, is the way I felt about the San Francisco Jungle scene back then. I was familiar with the UK jungle that was popular, with all of its offshoots. But I was fortunate to see first hand how those building blocks were interpreted and transformed by a bunch of talented DJs and musicians, who created a very unique San Francisco Jungle sound. Among them was UFO! Part of the Phunckateck crew UFO! regularly filled the dancefloor wherever he played, mixing a tight combination of UK and local tracks, while keeping the beats gritty, dark, and full. In addition to his spinning and mixing, UFO! was a character, sometimes stopping a track to yell something across the floor, then getting right back to it, without missing a beat. Oh, those were some good times!
So I had this chance to see UFO! perform again for the first time in like 12 years. Seeing that he is on a bill for some Dubstep, I thought that is a good change for him. Wow, did I ever enjoy his set! It was like a natural progression that took some 10+ years to get from the Jungle he was producing back in the late 90s to the Dubstep whatever you wanna call it that he was throwing down here in 2010. I felt that the only thing that was wrong with things during his set was the mic hogging MC who couldn’t shut up! There is a time for MCs to do their thing, but they don’t have to try to find a rhyme all the time (sorry). And the lady MC who had the mic during UFO!’s set was just harshing things in a major way (and don’t get me started on the feedback from the mic). Regardless of all that, UFO! worked his style into his mix, including his patented “stop the music to yell things across the floor” move (mostly aimed at the girl on the mic).
Driving back across the Golden Gate Bridge, through some of the thickest San Francisco fog I have ever seen with the sounds still fresh in my head, I smiled and sent cosmic thank you to UFO!
First Visits to Spirit Rock
··· Sep 13 2010 · By ···
Last month I visited Spirit Rock Meditation Center for the first time. I had heard of the place before moving to Marin and was delighted, once we arrived in our new home, to find it is only about 25 minutes from here. Nicole and I went together which was nice, because it gave us a little time to catch up on each other’s lives, and she has visited several times and so has a familiarity with the place.
Driving onto the property, there was a man out in the field with horses, and a dog running around the horses – playing? herding? The sun was going down and bathed the whole scene in amber light. It’s beautiful land out there and I made a mental note to bring along the camera next time.
The entry was quite packed, which I wasn’t quite expecting, as we made our donation, took our shoes off and tucked them away. Nicole mentioned that Jack Kornfield would be leading the evening and that it was likely more crowded because of that. It was a pleasant surprise because he was not listed for that night when I looked at the schedule. And, since Spirit Rock was founded because of his vision, it seemed appropriate to be led by him on my first visit.
We entered the main hall, found some chairs midway back, and chatted quietly while people made their way in and filled up all the chairs and cushions. The live music being played was soothing and really assisted with the relaxing/loosening process. I was happy that the musician took a few moments to discuss the instrument and its origins, because it is fairly young (10 years) and not common to hear, or see. It’s called a hang and sounds similar to a steel drum but is played with the hands (not drum sticks) and is less “tin-y” and more warm sounding/feeling.
The feeling of that large room full of people was surprising nice and calm. The energy of the land out there, in the rolling golden hills, with the big, starlit sky, sweet country air, and wild creatures living naturally, it envelops you in its stillness and natural rhythms, filters through the windows, and infuses the inside space, too. I very much enjoyed the wisdom, guidance, and stories shared, the opportunity to slow down and clear out my mind, and the experience of being part of a group undertaking this work together.
After a month of letting life get in the way of returning there, I made it back this evening, brought Jeph so that he could experience it as well, and brought the camera for some photos of the land. I plan to return again soon.