Eat Hangout Eat Some More

We celebrated David's birthday.  I made him chocolate cake.  We had Indian food for dinner and went to watch Karate Kid and Eclipse at the theatre.  Then we went to Starbucks to hangout.  This doesn't get old, eat-hangout-eat some more.   

All the Little Things

The summer trip has helped me experience the simple things in life like a classic old school wipe down.  Simple things like pedi-manicure, the space to exhale and expel.  How little congestions of the cuticle of dirt or dead skin can really create tension and overall distress.  That the simple soaking of my feet at the end of the day could be so rejuvenating.  That staying efficiently systematically organized leaves no room for frenzies or distress to grow.  All these little things really make a difference in a day.

This Could Be a Song if Only it Metered

There are days
when I want to move and leap forward in light years or even just crawl forward one step,
I feel as if my legs are sinking in quick sand.

There are days
when I try to climb up,
I feel as if my arms are struggling in thick mud.

There are days
when I try to fly,
I feel as if my wings are wet and caught in sticky webbing. 

In every thought,
in every heart beat,
in every breath,
in every moment,
I have the freedom to choose,
to give up
or press on.

Burning Anger

Felt a burning ring around my head.  What and who is angry towards me?

Oregon Staff Thankyou GSA Party

Loc led the Vietnamese spring roll feast for our post Oregon Retreat work crew thank you party.  It's nice to get together watch a movie, eat and just not have to sweat or get dusty.  We had loads of fun.

Hooked on Dutch Oven Cast Iron

Sanborn Camping Day 2

At 3 am this morning I heard 2 people walking and chatting.  Then I heard them stop at my picnic table and unzip my black bag, which I use for a double folding chair.  Wow, thieves of the night.  They did not open the locker.  It makes a big creaky sound.  It’s a good thing I don’t bring anything important when I camp or travel.  So I decided to move all things I want not using back to the car.  I ended up packing everything up except for the tent and sleep stuff. 

The day was spent in just feeling the sun, eating, drinking tea, snacking on crackers, contemplating on 2D art and hiking. 

I saw a wedding in the park this afternoon, of an elderly couple with adult children. 

 

I met a family with twin boys 5 ½ years old born 1 minute apart Galvin and Luke.  They invited me to hotdogs and s’mores. It was lovely they invited me to camp fire.  I actually roasted a beautiful marshmallow.  Then I watched the mom Amelia make a peach cobbler on an iron casket pot with hot coals underneath and above.  It was fresh peaches with a bit of sugar to season it and the cake mix on top with lots of butter.  It was yummy, super high in sugar and fat, super heavy and dangerous to eat more than a bite.  I am totally determined to learn how to use a Dutch Oven Cast Iron in this next year. 

In the evening I went to watch “The Merchant of Venice”.  It was cold again, I could see my breath at night.   A beautiful woman sat to the left of me who took up a part of my seat, which I did not enjoy.  I enjoyed the pretty costumes in the shoe.  I think I was a bit tired as I found myself zoned in and out of the play. 

This park allows dogs to camp too.  I like that. 

Sanborn County Park and Shady Shakespear in the Park

Sanborn Camping Day 1
I was gifted to a weekend of prepaid campsites to Sanborn County Park in Saratoga for two nights. I was super happy. Since I still had all my camp stuff laying around, I jumped to it. It is evident I am getting older, I see the camping gear and half of the luggage is for the comfort of sleep. I was too lazy to pack food. It was all instant noodles, crackers, and tea.

The entrance fee to Sanborn is included in the campground fee. I liked the place, the energy felt clean. Site #8 is great, so is #3. I didn’t know about the push wagon so I lugged it all in 3 trips, a nice workout. I don’t mind. I saw signs for Shakespear in the park. The “Shady Shakespear” company has been performing summer open theatre plays since 1999. It is free and donations are welcomed.

After setting up camp, I strolled around the campsite to see other sites and compare. It’s lovely here but in actuality, there aren’t a lot of site that are leveled in a way that is convenient for tent. In general I only see a tent for 2-3 to be possible set up per site. Each site can fit 8 people max. However I don’t know where the other people can set up their tent at, their tent will be slanted, going to wake up kissing the tent wall. When looking at tent sites, it’s a delicate balance of where the picnic table is, the fire ring, the walk path, the tree, sun light through the trees, and the tent in relationship to all of that.


I went to claim a seat at 6pm and watched “Much Ado About Nothing.” It was funny and fun. I love summers. I love plays, ballets, symphony, live performances. It was cold at night. I did not feel warm during the play. I will need to bring more clothes or blanket or both for tomorrow night’s play.

The meteor shower is this weekend. While driving through downtown Saratoga, I saw a giant sleep under the stars sign on the lawn to all be around to star gaze. The night is clouded over, completed blanketed. I was not ready to give up. I got up middle of the night to star gaze, no stars, lots of deer grazing the grass. 

Karaoke Ride Home

Day 10 Turtle Mountain 2010
We drove last night and then pulled over in Mount Shasta off HWY 5 and slept at a rest stop middle of the night. We all woke up to multi colored beautiful sunrise over Mt. Shasta. The water at Lake Shasta is low. The Sacramento section of the drive was a killer, super boring and stagnant zombie energy to have to move through. It was already hot at 7am. Loc turned on Teresa Tang and the boys watched DVDs in the back. I drove 4 hours this morning to Michael’s house where their parents had food ready for us.  Lovely food, better than the restaurant! 

Pack Out Day

Taking down all the tents, it really does take a lot more time than it looks

Last look of this trail of wild flowers, until next year

What does Uncle Nam not know how to do?

Early morning pretty faces

If we push it maybe it will then start to run

I love this view especially with these tress in it

I love to watch the sky

This is Diamond, Silver's friend

Tea from Loc the Master

Day 9 Turtle Mountain 2010
I got to lay on the bench and watched the sky for an hour. When I was little I used to do this on the front lawn grass. I used to think the sky moved. Now I feel the earth move and rotate.

The Half Can seems to be a place that draws out venting sometimes. I dragged a chair out in the meadow and sat underneath the aspen trees. It was wonderful to sit out in the meadow on Saturday afternoon to just feel the sun, breeze, and listen to the mountain. What a treat this is.

When the night fell, I went into the van to plug my ears to enjoy quiet time and rest.

Brown Bear Cub Sighting

  Day 8 Turtle Mountain 2010

Today was Kentucky Falls day. A very special trip each year for me and I feel it is the same for others like Henry. It’s almost like a sacred annual ritual. It is something we all look forward to. So is sitting on the back of the truck in the cold wind. There were sightings of baby black bear cub off the road before the ‘Y” intersection. The truck slowed down and I stood up to take a photo. Mayra helped and held my left arm and David Williams help me up from behind all to keep me from falling off the rolling truck or startling the cub or the mama bear whom must be nearby. I have always wanted to see a cub. Mayra held me with unsteady arm and ended up swinging me forward and backward in and out of the truck. She meant well.

I handed Henry a fresh bag of High Mountain Tea. I wanted to cheer him up. He was pretty worried and upset over his car breaking down on the way to Kentucky Falls. I stayed behind and accompanied in time of hardship. What happened? His truck over heated, the radiator had a 3-4 inch crack. Henry must have sent a distress call telepathically because both his parents called him at the same time. We laid on the truck and watched the trees, drank tea, chatted about our love for Great Compassion Mantra, Dharani Sutra, meditation and caught up on the past decade of our lives until help came. Matt came with his truck to towed us back to Half Can.

Michael’s DVD of the retreat was awesome tonight. The reflections are usually quite something, not to be missed. It is like the best part.

Majestic Elks

Day 7 Turtle Mountain 2010

Instead of the Sand Dunes I enjoyed time at the creek. It was a wonderful 45 minutes to myself. I stayed until the mosquitos attacked me out. I soaked my legs and prayed to have the fatigue be washed away. People from the Dunes came back unhappy. I guess the group of 50 got lost with Tina’s local directions.

This evening I saw majestic elk by Half Can Meadows. There were 8 of them in my view. The raw beauty was so captivating. But they seemed too majestically sacred to approach or touch or even be near and especially not to be disturbed. They seem so magical and so unreal. I was so surprised to see them. This is my first time seeing them in all these years I have been here. I only dared to breath in their presence. I did not want to move. I felt honored to experience this sight. What a special treat this was. I would not have seen them if I wasn’t here working away.  What a gift!  It's a good a spotting a four leaf clover. 

Solar Charge

Day 6 Turtle Mountain 2010
No matter how much I plan before hand, the menu still changes day by day to adjust to people and the weather. I am grateful to have this opportunity to be of service.

My body was fatigued and my spirit was unburned. Although my body was too tired to crack a smile, the sweetness was in my tongue. I could not enter deep sleep at night. The solar recharge of sunbathing 15 minutes here and 20 minutes there did more for me than sleep or food.