Pacific Ocean and Redwoods-Going Home

Harbor below 1800's Russian Fort Ross settlement
Van Damm Park

Going back to where one grew up is a reflective experience. The Mendocino coast where rural grandeur is unchanging , cathartic and so relaxing to visit. 

 

My aunt and uncle and their families still live there right where they were raised.  
My Aunt Lil and her daughter at her ranch

My Uncle Bob 

My Italian grandparents and their kids on Little River homestead.  My dad on left and aunt in dress My uncle Bob is the baby in his mom's arms

And just an hour inland, is my boyhood town of Ukiah-the same in so many ways with little impetus to grow and change.  The isolation, slow pace, manual labor and ignorance is what drove me to leave. The beauty and summer coolness is what draws me back. 1000 years from now the oceanside and redwoods will likely look the same.  What lessons can we draw? Perhaps to enjoy each precious day of life and don't fret the small stuff.  




I'm the ringbearer at my Uncle Bob's wedding 


Location: Little River, CA, USA

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Sunrise Sunset - Marriage in Lynchburg, Virginia

Image
  Lynchburg, Virginia.  The place of marriage for my oldest son.  The first time all four of my children have gathered together in years. I was expecting Lynchburg to be a backwater, but was pleasantly surprised with what I experienced. The little turn-of-the-century downtown with classic front porches set in the hills above the James River exuded historic Americana.   But Lynchburg also has two of the most authentic Indian restaurants I've experienced outside India itself and a great jazzy pub.  Not bad for a dry county. You can ride the railroad to Lynchburg from Washington D.C. and I recommend you do especially in the fall.  For me a week of preparation with my son including yoga on the river and getting acquainted with the new family made this a very special time. As the ceremony progressed the scene from "Fiddler on the Roof" where they sang " Sunrise Sunset " came to mind. Take a listen.  
Read more

Glaciers and Yoga- Bettmeralp Round 2

Image
A three day weekend afforded me the opportunity to return to Bettmeralp Switzerland, and this time experience trekking over the Alps and down to the Aletsch glacier. It a word WOW! But this Italian phrase says it better. “Non ci sono parole per descrivere questa esperienza.” But I will try.  My challenging treks were punctuated with wonderful yoga and meditation sessions. The glacier is 14 miles long and over a 1/2 mile wide. The crevices are huge and are only traversed with ropes and crampons. Blow up the pictures  down by the glacier and find the people. It will give a little perspective. The glacier's grandeur can only be fully appreciated in person.   Beyond the glacier, the silence and solitude are so cathartic. Winston Churchill thought so as well. My picture  link has a foto of his cabin overlooking the glacier. Still my experience wasn’t all bliss.  I must admit the 2nd day was not only arduous, but challenged me to overcome a primal fear. I had chosen to take the
Read more

Mendocino Coast, Accordians & Ecclesiastes

Image
Hopped a flight to San Francisco to visit family near the Mendocino coast, close an open book, and attend the world famous Cotati Accordian Festival. The redwoods are so big, strong and SILENT. You feel their presence. Something to learn from this. I stayed in my Aunt Lil's old cabin. I drove up on a moonlit, foggy nite to the remote cabin. Such wonderful solitude to reflect or shoot a haunted movie. 👀🌙I shared a meravigliosa Italian meal with family. Great grandchildren to Aunt Lil. Dinner was a plethora of home grown vegetables and homemade gnocchi. Aunt Lil worries that the farm is running down. You can see it and is a vivid reminder that nothing on the earth stays the same. Visiting my 92 year old Aunt and her 89 year old "baby bro", I pondered the question again, what to do and where to live when one's working career is over? Their lives center around extended family, living in nature, and growing. Can that be enough? On this trip I closed one chapter in life.
Read more