On the Mountainside…
I am in the midst of sixty acres of ::::::::treesilence::::::::: of the redwood variety. In a little riverstone cottage that overlooks a vast tract of forest twenty miles down to the ocean, on the top of a mountain hard by the Forest of Nisene Marks - southern Santa Cruz county. The views are breathtaking. Looking down, I can see a tiny bluesilver sliver of sea in the lacuna where trees part to reveal a brief crescent of coastline. All around the silence is so deep, you can feel it in your bones. Occasionally, a creature unseen will chatter, move brush or drop things from a tree. These occasional forest whispers are like a wise chef’s seasoning in a dish of epicurean proportions. The sibilant rustling of needled branches fills my thoughts with…nothing. Nothing at all.
I am to have three whole days here by myself. This is the first. I am writing a book proposal while here and am online doing research today, then will be turning off computer for the rest of my time here. New semester of the CEC starts next week and this is the first actual vacation - (vacation=relaxation, most so-called vacations are not) that I’ve had in seven years. It’s been way, way, way too long.
Last night I spent hours in the hot tub underneath stars so vividly bright I could actually see the Milky Way galaxy with the naked eye. I was blessed with the opportunity for three wishes as I actually saw three shooting stars - meteors burning up in the atmosphere. Perhaps a remnant of the annual early August Perseids, I stopped counting after three. Three wishes is an overabundance. Best not to think of asking for…or taking…more. The clarity of the stars entranced me and the atmosphere was cold enough to spend quite a long time in my own skin, staring dreamily up at the constant twinkling of the heavens from the steamy redwood tub.
A waterfall runs down a course of riverstones beside the cottage to a serene pool in a sunlit meadow, below. Near the waterfall is a treehouse observation deck built into the midst of a Circle of Nine Sisters - thick-barked capacious redwoods that sprang as daughters from a central mothertree, now long gone. Large enough for a party of ten to be seated comfortably, I’ve set up my yoga mat here and this morning, greeted the Sun with salutation and joy. Melting…melting….melting into the mat….spending luscious hours meditating and soaking in the beauty of the energy and the views. I will sleep among the Sisters tonight on doubled yoga mats with a thick woollen quilt, as it is quite chilly this far up on the mountain - even in August.
And now, I’m off on a hike to watch the sunset from the top of the mountain. Hope your day is treating you as well….
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