Lake Zaca

This is really a continuation of the posts, part 1 and part 2, that I did in March before the A to Z Blogging Challenge.

http://athursdayschild.wordpress.com/2011/03/25/serious-trouble-will-bypass-you-part-1/

http://athursdayschild.wordpress.com/2011/03/26/serious-trouble-will-bypass-you-part-2/

Lake Zaca in California was our destination point, where we would meet with other volunteers of our group for a retreat type meeting.  Lake Zaca is located in Los Olivos, California.  It is a beautiful San Rafael mountain top retreat with a rich history: 
http://www.zacalakeretreat.com/

Apart from being pristinely natural and a serene departure from the hustle and bustle of normal everyday life, its claim to fame is also for location shoots for some quite famous movies such as “Creature from the Black Lagoon,” and “Friday the Thirteenth, Part 3.”

The Chumash Native American Tribe consider the lake a sacred place, and according to their legends, it is bottomless, with a passageway existing through the lake to Santa Cruz Island where the Chumash lived before coming to the mainland, with underwater caves containing oxygen and home to a civilization of “little people.” The lake does possess a strong energy current.

On our opening night get together we were told that we would be experiencing some after effects of the recent Japanese tsunami.  Considering it was a nice sunshiny day I kind of shrugged off that warning.  My husband and I hiked our next day there – a mild hike.  On the next day we were planning a more strenuous hike, but the rains came and came.  By the following day the rain became much stronger with gusting winds.

Let me interject here that the cabins were rustic to say the least, especially the one I was assigned to.  I took the top bunk partly out of kindness, but mostly because I was the last one to check in.  There were five women to a cabin in our case.  Upon seeing some of the other cabins we were rather disappointed in ours, but we were assured that we had the best cabin.  Ours was up on a hill, and had older plumbing.  Others closest to the lake had been updated with large bathrooms and walk in whirlpool showers.

Okay, at first I had shrugged off the tsunami aftermath warning and was now dubious about our accommodations.  You could put me in the category of “Oh, ye of little faith.”

The next morning we awoke to no electricity.  The temperatures had dropped, and being very cold natured I was freezing.  Due to our older plumbing we had enough hot water in our water heater for all five of us to have hot showers.  In the wee hours of the morning we drove in our rented van to pick up others for breakfast and found a tree limb had fell on someone else’s rental car.  No one was hurt.  We found that others were not so fortunate.  Many had stepped out of their bed onto wet carpet where water had seeped in the cabins, and there were no hot showers to be had due to the newer water on demand water heaters.

The wind got stronger.  Creeks rose, and new ones were created.  Two vehicles drifted away with luckily the drivers and passengers swimming out safely.  By the next day heavy equipment came to get everyone out, and everyone was able to make his or her planes on time.

I’m thankful that serious trouble was averted.  On the way to the airport, my husband and I stopped to eat at our favorite Chinese restaurant, and we both opened our fortune cookies to find the same fortune:  Serious trouble will bypass you.

The Venice Canals – US Version

This is a continuation of the story Serious Trouble will Bypass You – Parts 1 & 2 (earlier posts).  It was our second day in California and we discovered the beauty of the Venice Canals.  I love water, water that is of the non-threatening variety such as floods and tsunamis.  On one side of us we had the vast ocean with its soothing roar and to another side the quiet calmness of canals winding their wet streets through an artist’s palette of architecture.  So, this in essence is part 3, the calm before the serious trouble.  The serious trouble part will come when we reach the letter “Z.”  Fitting that it should be letter “Z.”

The canals are the Venice Beach Canals in California.  Patterned after the Venice, Italy canals they originally spanned 16 miles and were conceived of and engineered by Abbot Kinney in 1904.  By 1929 a large portion of the canals were filled in to make roads for the rapidly increasing automobiles, which Kinney, or the horse and buggy era, did not quite compute into his plans.

During the sixties the canals were a place for partying and were a home for beatniks, artists, hippies, and even Jim Morrison of the Doors.  Real estate started skyrocketing.  By the seventies the artists and Bohemians moved out to make way for affluent homeowners.  The serenity of the canals was like entering a different space in time.  I’m thankful we had that experience.

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Last Year’s Trip to California

Surfer on Venice Beach

We just returned from California.  We also went last year.  Going back in time, this is a reflection on last year’s trip.  It was truly a blessing in so many ways.  There was getting to be on the ocean, reconnecting to friends, meeting new friends, getting to be in the presence of our teacher, who is of the lineage of Yogananda, to name a few.  We got to visit SRF which sent chills up me, as did the film our Swami showed of Yogananda’a earlier years during our meeting.  We listened to just five minutes of a Sanskrit mantra done without taking breath.  You literally quieted down and couldn’t move for a while afterward.  It was like an hour of total body and brain massage.

We had great sattvic food served to us, which is always a cleanse, and you never even get hungry.  I was really surprised my husband didn’t starve, but he was fine.  It was a service meeting, as we signed up to be volunteers.  We are being taught Vedic wisdom, ayurvedic principles, environmentalism, vegetarian eating, and yoga practices.  On the other days we discovered great organic/vegan restaurants, so plentiful in California.

Santa Barbara Beach

We drove both up and down Highway 1 from Santa Barbara to Los Angeles as well as through the mountains.  We were on Venice Beach, but were not really attracted at all to the commercialism and had no desire to even see Hollywood or the normal tourist things.  We would have gone to the Getty (perhaps next trip), but we stopped so much to observe nature that we ran out of time.  The weather was just too perfect to be indoors.  My uncle plowed us out of a now bank the day before, or we wouldn’t even had made the plane.

I loved the ocean, the mountains, the fresh air, the views, but still I love where we live.  Real estate was unbelievable there.  I can understand why.  People were renting just a bedroom and bathroom for one thousand dollars per month and were grateful to do so for the benefits of living there.  Everyone was so relaxed.  Traffic  was easy-going like the people.  We did a lot of walking and found a very nice coffee shop  in Venice Beach for breakfast.  We got to go again this year. They had the most delicious bagels.  The homeless and rich blended really well.

Sites of Venice Beach

The California weather had an equalizing effect on all, no matter how absurd.  People there could truly follow their heart.  There was a total acceptance of differences and no judgment from what we could see.  I found this truly refreshing.  As we walked down the street around the sleeping homeless a policeman pulled up beside us and rolled down his window, laughing, “It isn’t as glamorous as you see on TV is it?”  I guess we stood out as tourists.

I think my husband was ready to move out there.  The one thing we have over all of it is no other houses around us and the silence, and of course a much lower cost of living.  I guess I’m a recluse at heart.

On Venice Beach we ate at the famous Sidewalk Cafe.  The picture to the side is one of the many views from the outside cafe.  It was Spring in the section of California we were visiting.  I’m thankful we went when we did.  Most any other time would have been too crowded.

Sierra Mountains

Our favorite restaurant was The Seed Kitchen, a vegan, organic eating place right across from our hotel.  While there we got one of their cookbooks….more on some recipes from that later.

I think my whole life revolves around having spiritual experiences, as this trip was one.  Also, just being in the now, wherever I am, is one as well.  Learning to see the divine in everything and accepting life and people and the lessons they bring is my passion.

I’m thankful we got to go back again this year, reconnecting with previous friends and making new ones.

Vendanta Temple

Serious Trouble Will Bypass You – Part 2

Serious Trouble Will Bypass You – Part 2

The Hotel's Emblem

First of all, I’m thankful that the plane trip was uneventful.  With the fortunes in the cookies hours earlier I began to doubt whether or not we might have really been supposed to miss the flight.  But, all went well.  A kind lady changed seats with me so Chris and I could sit together.

We arrived in LA and picked up a rental car or van, rather, with relative ease.  The following day we were scheduled to return to the airport to pick up others flying in from Texas and West Virginia.  But tonight and the next morning was our time together.

You never know exactly what kind of hotel you are going to get from pictures on the web.  They always seem to look larger and better than what you actually open the door to, but not in this case.  We were very pleasantly surprised.  We stayed at the Inn at Venice Beach, which was actually at Marina Del Rey.  The location was great.  We were right in the midst of some great eating places, canals, shopping, and most importantly, the ocean.  There will be more on that later.  For now, I’m beginning and concentrating on the hotel.  Hopefully, this will give future visitors some insight in their own choosing of a hotel.  This was the third hotel we have stayed at in the area, and thus far this was the best, and will be the one we stay at again.

Our room was quite huge.  We took yoga mats.  Four people could have done yoga in there easily.  I’m including pictures.  The picture is of a slightly smaller room, which the maid kindly let us in to.  We had already pretty much trashed ours.  Well, not really – not the rock star variety of trashing – just an unmade bed and spreading out all of our stuff kind of trashing.

A live plant in the bathroom was rather a unique touch I thought.  The bathrobes were also a plus as were good shampoos, soaps, etc. – the biodegradable kind.  I love those California extras. The only thing I could even say unkind about the room was that there were no luggage holders.  The staff was extremely friendly.  As for the TV, when out traveling, we rarely turn it on, and with the beach outside and many interesting places to walk to, I couldn’t even tell you if it worked or what it looked like, as it was hidden away in an armoire.

There is a great breakfast area with all sorts of items to choose from.  This was included in the price.  This is in the center of the hotel with open sky.  It has that European feel.  There were plenty of vegetarian choices for us, and although it looked good I had a yearning to walk the 7/10-mile trek up to Collage Café for the great bagels and chai I experienced last year.  But, we did grab some fruit to go for later.

I will leave you with the website: 
http://www.innatvenicebeach.com/

And our own slide show of the hotel.

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Next time I hope we are able to have at least two nights there in order to enjoy the room more and explore the area further.

 

Bagel Heaven

Cafe Collage, Venice Beach, California

Bagel Heaven

While staying in Venice Beach last year we discovered Café Collage close to our hotel.  It definitely took on the ambiance of the place.  It was full of colorful locals.  Usually a place frequented by locals is a good sign.

This year we stayed at a different hotel, a little further down, but still in walking distance to Cafe Collage.  I was looking forward to tasting their bagels again.  This year, being St. Patrick’s Day, there were green ones added to the mix.  I stayed with what I found so good last year – poppy seed.  Chris tried the onion bagels.  I would also put their chai at the top of the list as well.

Maybe it was partly the beach air but their bagels seemed to be the freshest I’ve ever eaten.  I also loved that they toasted them and spread on the cream cheese before serving them to you.  I’m not a big fan of plastic knives and little containers of cream cheese, which is the case in most establishments.

Cafe Collage Photo from: http://www.flickr.com/photos/gumption/ / CC BY-NC-SA 2.0

I was thus inspired to make my own bagels from scratch.  I found a recipe on line that didn’t look too complicated.
http://hubpages.com/hub/Homemade_bagel_recipe_Make_great_nadrolled_water_bagels__its_as_easy_as_baking_a_loaf_of_bread

My first batch turned out pretty good.  I topped with poppy seeds.

My Own Attempt at Poppyseed Bagels

Homemade Organic Poppy Seed Bagels

I hope to experiment with

different toppings in the future.  I need some more work on joining the ends.

I’m thankful we were able to go again this year.

 

Wednesday Warm Up

Wednesday Warm Up I always consider Monday fresh start day, but in this case it is Wednesday. I refer to it as a warm up day due to residues of jet lag. I’m slowly approaching all those new things I’m doing – in most cases they are just what I took a vacation from. At the same time I hope to approach them with a new vigor and awareness.

We just returned from Lake Zaca Retreat near Santa Barbara, California.  One of its claims to fame is being the site where “Creature of the Black Lagoon” was filmed.  It was a rustic experience, but then I am used to rustic. There will be more on that later. We also got to spend some time in Venice Beach, Santa Monica, and Marina del Rey, also more on that in later blogging posts.

While away I basically disconnected myself from cell phones and Internet. In some cases it was my decision. But for several days it was due to the fact that in the mountains there was no cell service, and for part of the time no Internet service. We were stranded in nature, a good thing and a bad thing.  Needless to say, the post a day 2011, fell by the wayside.

Today, I’m back in nature, my own natural surroundings. The weather is beautiful. I walked out into our own woods with our black labs, Barney and Benka. Barney is enjoying the creek in the picture.

There was a brief hiatus from regular yoga practice, which I had kept up seven and a half months. I missed a few days due to travel. That will also start again tonight. And now on to one of those new projects – learning to make vegetarian gyros for dinner.

Right now I’m thankful to be home safe and sound.  That was iffy at times.

Taking My Blog to the Beach Today

Venice Beach

On this cold winter day, I’m thinking of the ocean and an upcoming trip.

The seductiveness of the beach is no secret.  Humans have been flocking to where water meets land since ancient times.  After all what made hundreds of thousands trek across wilderness and treacherous mountains for the ocean blue, well besides gold, that is?  I would have to say it was to experience the serenity of aqua waiting on the other side.  The ocean teeming in paradoxes, one of the last frontiers for discovery is a small piece of nirvana to which most of us are drawn at some time in our life.

I can remember my first time.  Who doesn’t’ remember their first time seeing the ocean, especially if you waited a good part of your life to do so.  My first time was in college.  You know you are closer when the trees in the horizon start to disappear.  Then comes that smell.  It’s so different.  A salty freshness permeates the air. My first ocean visit was to Daytona Beach, in Florida.  Did I mention there was also romance in the air?  Well, that goes along with both the ocean and college doesn’t it?  It wasn’t “From Here to Eternity,” with Burt Lancaster and Deborah Kerr.  It was just myself walking with a boy along the beach.  I can’t even remember the boy’s name.  The romance came and went as swiftly as the tide.  It was just one of those pristine, innocent ocean moments to savor.

There is definitely something magical about the beach.  What is this allure of the ocean that causes half of the world’s

Hendry's Beach, Santa Barbara, California

population to live within fifty miles of its shores while inviting the other fifty per cent to vacation there?  For many others and myself the spray of the ocean waves offers a renewal of life.  The stresses of the world begin to fade away.  Being near the ocean can change one’s “to do” list drastically.  On the top of my to do list is to watch the sunset and squish my toes in the sand.  Then there is to recreate the ocean/kiss scene in “From Here to Eternity,” with my husband.  I know that will come.  There is also to just let go and relax and let the ocean waves lull me into a deep meditative state.  This was our objective with our latest ocean visit.  This idea I found was hardly novel, as my husband and I, sat cross-legged on the beach, fingers in mudra position, less than a year ago, our last morning there.  As I looked out there was quite a string of people doing likewise.

Ever since that first time of experiencing the ocean I’ve needed a “fix” so to speak as often as possible.  I’ve experienced different beaches at different times in my life now, from different areas along the Pacific, the Gulf Shores, the Atlantic and even The Netherlands.  While each individual beach offers a different flavor like ice cream they all still provide me with that Zen essence of ice cream.  The water rolls up on shore for a brief moment of time and recedes back into the oneness representing the fluidity of life.

Whatever beach you choose prepare to lose your stress, let your children play in the sand, and let your own inner child come out.  Before you go, rent “From Here to Eternity,” to watch with your significant other.  This is a note to myself.

I’m thankful for all my beach experiences.