Bodega Bay Weekend

Pictures taken on the beach.

   One big fat starfish, a sea anenome, sea gulls, sand designed by the sea, and mussels.

Bodega Bay Weekend

This is the spiral staircase in the beach house we rent for a weekend at Bodega Bay

Through the window we can see Salmon Creek and in the distance the waves are breaking on

 the beach.  We enjoy this trip once a year.  It is for my birthday and this year is the fourth annual.

David, Robin, Skyler, Sterling and Shae waiting for the cold water to splash their feet.  The water is very cold this time of year.

Bodega Bay Weekend

Bodega  Bay pictures coming soon.

We had a great time.

I believe

NPR has a part called "This I Believe"  people write essays and then read them on the air.  There are also printed collections of these essays.

These are some of my thoughts so far.   Consider this a work in progress.

I believe in the interconnected web of being.  The web that connects me with every living thing on the planet.  I try to do what is the best for this web.   I try also, to do right by the earth, the air, the sky and the water that sustains our lives.

I believe in family however YOU define and live it for yourself.   I have family I can reach out and physically touch, some I touch through telephone and internet.   There is my family of origin and longtime close friends who often feel and act like family.  And there are the ancestors. 

Teaching

I missed watching the Obama Inauguration and hearing the complete address of our new president.  I was teaching an ESL class.   I heard pieces of the address on the radio during the day.   Today I returned to the same classroom.  One of the students brought the text of the speech to class.  I asked the class if they would like to read it aloud.  They did.  I walked among them and listened in awe as the speech was read in a dozen or more different accents.  Amazing.   We spent the two hours with Obama's words.  They asked about some of the phrases.  The unfamiliar metaphors and idioms.   

I have taught ESL for ten years and this was one of the most exciting, difficult and satisfying class I have taught.

San Francisco

On a perfect Saturday, I walked seven miles with a group of friends.  We walked all around the Presido in San Francisco,  we walked along the beach and were rarely out of sight of some part of the Golden Gate Bridge.

We even found the buildings currently occupied by Lucas Films and here I am with a statue of Yoda.  Looks good, he does.  The building was closed and through the windows we did see Darth Vader.

San Francisco Bay was dotted with sailboats and rowing crews.  We think they were racing.

An end and a beginning

  Thoughts about the end of 2008

1. Secular Christmas:  

        Black Friday should be discontinued.  Someone died.

The commercial with dancing corkscrews wearing red and white Santa hats singing Bev Mo lulia.  Sick.  (This may have been a California thing)

2. Keeping Christ in Christmas.  

      Please bring back 'swaddling clothes" for Jesus.  Dressed in cloth doesn't work for me.  

     Glad Tidings is better than good news. 

      Sore afraid is better than terrified or as one pastor said 'So scared they peed their pants." 

The list could go longer but I have some positive things to say.

1,  Going to the Nutcracker with Shae and Skyler and Robin.

2. Shae and Skyler playing in the fresh snow until their hands were cold, cheeks rosy and a very short snowman decorated the yard.

3. Christmas eve service ending with candles and Silent Night.

4.  The quiet that falls over the city when most businesses close for Christmas day.

5.  Cards, family photos and newsletters.

Looking forward.

It's a new year with 364 fresh new days ahead.  I spent the first one having brunch with friends and then a long walk under foggy skies.

HAPPY NEW YEAR everybody.