Lance and Nori come to town

Hello you still Faithful members of the Readership,

Been about two whole weeks since i’ve posted, and after promising for so long to post weekly on Tuesdays, it’s high time to get back to doing what i’ve said i’m going to.

A lot has happened since last we met, chief among them being the visit here of Lance and Norio! The boys were on the tail end of a six-week vacation in n. America, and so they were more than content to kick back for a while; they arrived about 7 Tuesday evening (6 sep) following a 4-hour car trip from San Francisco. Chef J had honored my request for a Japanese meal which the boys were just in time for.

The next day was set aside for hanging out: poolside in the afternoon, massages for the boys before dinner, hot tub below the stars before sleep. On Thursday we were off-mountain by about 10 to pick up Sandyat the farm, with a little tour of the lower greenhouse thrown in before leaving. I’d been disappointed to learn a couple of days before that Michael would be out of town during this time, but business called, and it couldn’t be helped. Then the four of us were off to drive up 101 about 20 minutes to a place called Bull Creek Flat, where some of the largest and oldest redwoods still standing are to be found.

A link to a wonderful description (written by the travel-section editor of the SF Examiner) of some of the amazing sights to behold in Humboldt is here, and a photo that will give you some idea of how large these trees can be near their base can be found here.

I say still standing because although you might not be aware of it, logging even in old-growth areas continues unabated, even faster than before. George Bush’s No Tree Left Behind program has given loggers access to areas which were protected under previous administrations. We can only hope that in Katrina’s aftermath, his disdain and disregard for the environment and for the poor have finally become so glaringly obvious to a critical mass of people that impeachment hearings on his ass can begin soon after Sept. 24, when a multitude of Americans will be converging on Washington to demand just that.

Anyway, Lance, Nori and I had a picnic before setting out on a 2.0-mile hike to peep “the giant tree” (once 363 feet, now 354 feet after a storm broke off its top -- this is like the height of a 30-story building!) and the similarly enormous “flatiron tree," so called due to the shape of its cross-section, more obvious after it fell over.

The thing that struck me most from our time in the forest was how much i perceived the trees as individuals, rather than as a forest. Each one had a story to tell which you could read if you watched and waited long enough. This one fallen over, this one burned by fire, this one with another tree growing out of its side, this one only a few years old, those over there hundreds!

One of the most impressive trees i’ve seen recently was on the road as i biked to visit Sandylast week or the week before. i was on an uphill climb and so was going quite slowly, and just happened to turn my head in the proper direction in time to catch a vision of a tree so huge it took my breath away. I looked up, and up, and up, and at the very top i saw that many years ago, a violent storm had ripped off a huge chunk. The tree was still thick and massive where it had been broken, and from either side of this huge gash, branches had grown to the left and to the right, and after a few yards on either side, the tree had again pursued its push to the sky. And those outgrowths had already become massive trees in themselves. It was the most moving testament to the will not just to survive but to thrive that i’d seen in nature in some time, and a potent example of the lessons we can learn if we just look closely enough.

Well, we pushed on to the seaside resort of Shelter Cove, stopping first at Black Sands Beach, where powerfu but frigid waves crashed on .. a black sandy beach! A seal popped his head out of the surf every now and then to see what we were up to .. the only creatures on the beach at that time. The second time i began a sentence with "I'd go swimming if only ... " Lance said, "I"ll hold your clothes," and then there was nothing but to go for it! So i stripped down and ran screaming like a lunatic into the icy surf. But it was so powerful, and signs warning people of this so numerous, that i didn't truly swim. i stood as close to the crashing waves as i dared, and when they come rolling in after the break i sat down, flailed my arms before finally going fully horizontal and went running up the beach screaming like the lunatic i am.

We thought .. listen to me .. I thought that restaurants in Garberville might be open till 10 on a Thursday night: WRONG! Closed at 9, we were lucky to find the supermarket still open, and grabbed sandwiches, which we consumed at the picnic tables of one of several closed eateries.

Strictly against Heartwood policy, i snuck Sandy back to my room. The road down to Michael's place had been hazardous enough in the daylight to the undercarriage of the low-rider Lance had rented, we could not imagine negotiating it in darkness. So we dropped her off Friday morning, and i had a late breakfast with the boys at the Eel River Cafe, and said goodbye about 1 before walking back to Alderpoint Rd. and beginning to hitch back. I had about an hour to make it to work by 3 (and it's a 45-minute drive!) but was relatively lucky with rides, and was only 15 minutes late, no big deal for the shift i had to work that day. All in all, a great time with old friends.

Since it's so late, i'll leave out the whole story of the deep and dark depression i was plunged into shortly thereafter. i only want to say that the shiatsu session i got from a friend here reminded me in a powerful way of the absolutely fundamental connection between mind and body which we ignore at our peril. The change in mood, in emotional state, in willingness to go on living, was so absolute (although not entirely immediate) as to be like the difference between night and day. i strongly advise everyone reading this to go out and arrange to have a good massage, shiatsu if you can find it.Ask if the person offering it is certified, agree on a price and then prepare for the most wonderful attitude adjustment you've had since you-don't-know-when. Trust me.

OK it's 11 pm here and it's a big day tomorrow. Thanks for your patience .. drop me a line.

Comings and Goings
Matt Minkin, i can't BELIEVE i have to hear it through the friggin' grapevine that you are again living in Amsterdam, thou fawning earth-vexing dewberry! and thanks to pangloss.com for that.

Kathy great to get another phone call from you today. Eileen had let me know that you guys were up in Canada, so i hung up when i called you the other day after recalling that you wouldn't be home. But i got another phone card and will surprise you with a call sometime next week. i mentioned getting your letter a few days ago right? Hope you and Scott enjoy the rest of your vacation.