- DEPARTING SOON -

I have been in this amazing place for almost two months.  I am amazed at what it has given me and how I have grown and changed with the magic of the trees and the ocean.  I feel as though I could stay here forever, growing old and being content with all that is around me.

I have discovered that all of my needs are met.  That I am living happily and fulfilled with what I have.  I am able to simply be.  My perspective on some things has shifted quite a bit.   I am so much more at peace with many things.

I suspect my biggest test will be when I am back among the crowds of the larger cities and the hustle and bustle of everyone scurrying about with their daily lives.  Will I be able to stay in my own self while in the mayhem?  We shall see.

The past five or six days have been absolutely amazing here.  Crystal clear sunny days that beg one to walk to the beach or overlook and sit and commune with nature.  I love this time of year when nature slows down readying for the winter rest.  Even the critters are less visible as they prepare for this annual occurrence.


Here, on the northern coast of California, the few deciduous trees are bare and bracing themselves for what is to come.  The evergreens and the redwoods are standing tall and strong knowing what to expect.  Nature knows the change is in process and does what it knows to do.  I am watching and marveling at the shift occurring.

Soon I will be on my way to the Sacramento and Auburn areas with lots of activities and adventures to be had.  A hair cut is definitely in order and visiting with family and friends will fill the days I stay,


Morro Bay is then next on the list for a time and then heading a bit south and east, I think.  There are a few areas I am looking forward to visiting that are mild during the winter months.  We shall see.

For now, it is walking to the beach, pier, fudge shop (which I probably forgot to mention), grocery store, ocean overlook, and along the short streets of this tiny town.   And simply taking in as much as possible before I start the drive back towards civilization.  

I listen to the calls of the ravens as I go, being aware of any messages they may have for me.  I admire the very different mushrooms growing that I am certain are not for eating.  I notice the ground has dried out since the last rain over a week ago.  

I can sit on a bench at the ocean overlook and soak in the rays of the sun.  I can walk the ocean beach and meander the many paths to and from the ocean shores.  I can say hello to all I pass by and encounter along my walks.

It is all so simple, saying hello to new people  and having a chat with those visiting from other areas and countries.  Smiling at a homeless person on the corner and receiving a smile in return.  How have I become so fortunate to receive all this abundance?  I am so blessed!

My Christmas cactus was in beautiful full bloom for the Thanksgiving celebration.  We shared a dinner with about fifty guests in the park and enjoyed stellar weather with all.  Everything is so amazing and wonderful.  

To All Those Celebrating,

Happy Birthday!

Happy Birthday, Neil!

Happy Birthday, Linn!

Happy Birthday, Michele!

Happy Birthday, Eric!

"Being Indian is an attitude,

a state of mind,

a way of being in harmony

with all things and all beings.

It is allowing the heart
to be the distributor on this planet,

to allow feelings and sensitivities,

to determine where energy goes,

bringing aliveness

up from the Earth

and from the Sky,

putting it in and giving it out

from the heart."

 - Brooke Medicine Eagle

Enjoy your heart!

- A GRATEFUL THANKSGIVING!!! -

May this day be a day of gratitude.

Me, I am grateful for;

Each member of my family

Every one of my friends

My little house on wheels

A most incredible year

Beautiful places I have visited

Amazing people I have met

The abundance of Nature

Unexpected surprises

Yummy food

A peaceful heart

The blessing of this day

The blessing of my now

The blessing of my breath.

My wish is for each of you to know

the joy and peace of love,

gratitude and compassion,

always!

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

- REFLECTIONS -

I am fascinated at how time is moving so quickly.  I feel as though I have less time on the computer and hence, less blog time.  I am only spending fifteen hours a week working in the office, so I am wondering where the rest of the hours go.  

When I take my walks to town and the beach, this utilizes wonderful time and walking to the overlook of the ocean and sea stacks is marvelous.  I am certain it all works out and I will simply allow it to be.  Not much else I can do.

I have become very aware that here I feel immensely peaceful.  I feel as though I could simply stay here, become covered  over in moss and that would be that.  Life has become even more simple, which I thought was impossible.  Yet here I am with a need for absolutely nothing.  Other than a hair cut!  Major bush woman thing going on.

I have been given the opportunity to observe and relax in the redwood forest and meander through it in awe of its majestic presence.  Each time I venture in I feel even a greater sense of calm and peacefulness.  Perhaps this is why I have always enjoyed the places where the ocean and the redwoods come together.  Muir Woods is another one of these most wonderful places.  Few though they are, they are amazing to me.

My small Christmas cactus has three buds on it and I suspect it may bloom next week.  That will be the first time this cactus has done so in years.  It is completely root bound and needs to be repotted badly.  I will tend to this once it has finished blooming.  I am excited for both.

So, the mice issue seems to be resolved.  We set some traps with only one catch.  I kept the lights on in the rear of my home (which is where they were coming in) and put foil around everywhere.  I did a lot of stuffing holes with steel wool and so it is a big hooray for now.

The property owner from Colorado arrived a few days ago with a cat.  It used to belong to his nephew who could no longer keep it where he lives.  He took it to his parents (the property owners sister) at that time.  Amazing how parents seem to acquire many critters from their adult children.  

The cat has spent the past three nights in my home and has been seen wandering the grounds during the day.  She hangs out around the office and sits on window sills to see all that is going on outside.  She is definitely a people cat.  Tonight will be her first test by being left outside until she calls to be let in.  Hopefully I can be brave enough to allow this to happen.  I can be too much of a softy sometimes.

She has been up on the office roof, the bath house roof and several cabin roofs.  She appears to be adjusting to this completely different environment very well.  In Colorado she was a mouser, so she will have lots to do to earn her stay here.  I suspect she will be a great addition to the forest.

Unless there are changes that arise, I will be leaving here on December 1st or 2nd.  I will head to the Auburn and Sacramento areas and spend time at Millie's making cookie dough balls (finally, I have been out for months) and all sorts of other goodies for her family Christmas gatherings.  I will then spend about two weeks with Tim and Darlene and then back to Millie's.  I will then be in Auburn before heading to Morro Bay for a few months. 

I can feel Morro Bay calling me and I am looking forward to being back there and enjoying the central coast.  While I feel so peaceful here in Trinidad, I feel energized in Morro Bay.  Both have the same awesome Pacific Ocean yet very different energies.  I will do well with some energizing for a time.  Also looking forward to seeing friends there.

Here at the RV park/forest, the long awaited work campers arrived yesterday afternoon.  They have been doing this for many years and I imagine they will pick up everything quickly.  A very nice couple.  They had many delays on the way, with four flat tires at different times and transmission issues.  They are grateful to have finally arrived.

There is also a gentleman from Tennessee who arrived last week and has stepped into helping with the grounds work.  This is a completely new adventure for him and he is quite excited to simply be here.  I can totally relate.  So, I think by the time I am ready to depart, they will be staffed well to get them through to late spring, early summer.

I will be a bit sad to leave this area.  It has given me so much.  I do my best to thank the trees and surroundings every day for blessing me with this amazing experience.  I feel as though healing has occurred on some very deep levels and I have connected with some very wonderful people.  This is something I will always treasure.

To All Those Celebrating,

Happy Birthday!

Happy Birthday, Dotty!

Happy Birthday, Laura!

Happy Birthday, Megan!

Be Well, Sharon!

 "The goal of life

is to make your heartbeat

match the beat of the Universe,

to match your nature with NATURE."

- Joseph Campbell

Enjoy your nature!!!

- HEAVEN -

I can see heaven through the clouds.  Here in Trinidad they seem to have some of the most beautiful and unusual cloud formations.  Yesterday's were amazing and thankfully I had my camera with me.  This makes up for all the other times I was out adventuring and forget to bring it along.

I am getting better at working with the light so the picture taken looks very close to what my eyes see.  Or at least how my brain is interpreting what I see.  It is all so fascinating and fun.  I won't even pretend to understand the wonder of it all.  Simply enjoying the view.

I am being invaded by little mice.  Apparently they used to be in an unused trailer and were quite happy there until it was being cleaned out.  I am the closest motor home so they have decided to check out my home.

I am working on finding all of their entry points and stuffing them with steel wool and the pest control   company is coming Tuesday to set traps.  I told the owner I was against poison or sticky tape and he assured me there were other solutions.  I will definitely talk with the people that come to deal with the issue to be certain they are compassionate with these little critters.  

It is kind of funny as they only come to visit during the night when I have turned out all the lights.  They wait until I am asleep and then I hear them.  I have yet to actually see any of them.  Though their presence is evident the next morning when I open drawers and see their left overs.  Tuesday seems a long way off.

There is another motor home a few spaces from me that has been vacant since early October.  The owners hope to return the end of December.  Hopefully it is sealed enough that the little critters are unable to get in the unit.  Otherwise, well, let's avoid thinking about that.

We had a bit of rain two days ago and into the night and since, it has again been stellar beautiful.  After working yesterday I walked to the harbor and just sat and enjoyed the sun and fresh clean air.  It was wonderful.

I had forgotten the results of a holiday weekend until I was in town and saw all of these people wandering around and causing a delay for my meal.  Then it dawned on me that they were all here enjoying the area over the extended days off.  Makes me appreciate the locals even more.

I met the most wonderful couple up from the Los Angeles area who were only going to stay two nights and then decided to extend their visit due to the large number of great hiking trails.  I experienced a feeling as though they were part of my family.  

I was immediately comfortable with them and by the third day of their stay we were hugging each other and feeling as though we have known each other forever.  They came by my little home this morning to say good by since they needed to head back to their home.

I absolutely love when people, animals and things show up in our lives at the most unexpected moments that make ones heart sing.  This couple brought this to me and I am so grateful they chose to stay here rather than at some other housing.  Had they done that instead, I would be without this special experience.  I am so blessed and so grateful.

To All Those Celebrating,

Happy Birthday!

Happy Birthday, Judith!

Happy Birthday, John!

Happy Birthday, Angel!

"I do believe in an everyday sort of magic --

the inexplicable connectedness

we sometimes experience with

places, people, works of art and the like;

the eerie appropriateness

of moments of synchronicity;

the whispered voice,

the hidden presence,

when we think we're alone."

― Charles de Lint

Enjoy the connectedness!

NOVEMBER ARTICLE, SLO COAST JOURNAL

The November article "Coastal Clouds" is ready to view in the www.SloCoastJournal.com.  Enjoy!!!

http://www.slocoastjournal.com/docs/roeadventure.html

A RAVEN ASSISTS

Several days ago I was walking through the back tent section of the Emerald Forest.  It was sunny, clear and cool and a perfect day to visit this area.

I became aware of something following me above and calling to me as I progressed.  Then this huge raven began flying closer to where I was moving.  It's callings at first fascinated me as I was very curious why it kept coming closer.

I took some pictures of the forest and how the light plays through the trees and began to retrace my steps.  As I did, the raven followed me and I had a sense of urgency from the bird.  I turned around and looked at it perched on a branch and felt I needed to leave the area.

Once I was probably about fifty feet from where the raven had been perched, came the sound of a tree limb breaking and falling to the ground.  I turned around and went back to were a broken branch lay in several pieces on the forest floor.  It was where I had passed just a minute before.  The raven was gone.

So, I thanked the raven (out loud, though out of sight) for acting as my guardian angel and guiding me away from possible harm.  I have added this bird to one of many experiences of protection that I have been blessed with throughout my life.  Always amazing!

After the fog, we had several days of sunshine and cooler temperatures and then a little rain last night and this morning.  The forest is now clean and fresh and the sun is filtering through the trees again.  The greens are more green and the tree trunks and frowns on the ground seem refreshed.  Absolutely beautiful.

I find it also beautiful in the evenings when the sun is shining through the trees with a very warm glow just before setting.  It appears as if there are sparks of fire in the trees.  It is a very comforting feeling that seems to warm my soul.

Training and working in the park office has consumed quite a bit of my time though I still make my walks to the beach, pier and town.  I am getting to know a few of the locals, and especially this woman, whose name is Joan (same as my Mom), and she has the most wonderful entry door with a ship with masts adorning the front.  I admire it every time I pass.

Two nights ago I was awakened by coyotes (some say wolves) moving and vocalizing through the park.  It is rather calming and exciting at the same time.  Others have seen deer on the property, so this appears to be a very thriving environment.  Especially when one adds the gnomes, elves and fairies making this place their home.

We change our clocks tonight and I am grateful the mornings will be lighter again, even if for a short time.  This gives me a chance to adjust.  I could go on an on with a tirade about my dissatisfaction of the whole time change thing, however, I think I did so last year, (and nothing changed) so I will let it rest.  (I think you know how I feel anyway!)

There are flowers continuing to bloom and provide color to this beautiful area.  There are bushes in one yard that have tree type leaves and are a stunning bright combination of all the awesome fall colors.  

People have become very creative with their plantings here and many are quite lovely.  It is the first of November though according to the flower blossoms, one might think it was summer.


I am having fun here and enjoying the redwoods and ocean in such close proximity.  I am very blessed for the opportunity to spend time here and when I do move on, this will always have a special place in my heart and soul.  I am very grateful for this experience.

To All Those Celebrating,

Happy Birthday!

Happy Birthday, Dart!

Happy Birthday, Geri!

Happy Birthday, Sue!

Happy Birthday, Beth!

"Civilization has been thrust

upon me...and it has not added

one whit to my love for truth,

honesty, and generosity..."

- Chief Luther Standing Bull

  Oglala Sioux

Enjoy your love for.....!