John & Anne Wiley

2013/11/29

Lightness

Filed under: Flying,Happiness,Has Photos,Inner World,Nature,People,Random,Relationships,SB Region — John @ 05:46

I’m not clear on why, but when we fly out to the Point Conception Lighthouse we always seem to return with an expanded “lightness of being.”

5841 Pt. Conception Light

5841 Pt. Conception Light

Of course, we only fly out there on calm days when the air is clear. In other words, very seldom. Usually there’s fog, haze, low clouds or smoke in the air and the wind is gale force as it rounds the point. So maybe the placid seas and expansive views as we approach the Point, conspire to shift us into deeper connection with the lightness we feel during pretty much every flight.

5843 Getting to the Point

5843 Getting to the Point

In the distance on the right is of course another point that’s within the boundaries of Vandenberg Air Force Base, and VAFB hasn’t so far allowed us to fly close enough for good pix of that. Luckily the dunes, rocks, sea caves, and heather here are quite enough to enchant the visitor.

5840 Point Conception

5840 Point Conception Enchantments

A relatively new resident on the beach, just barely visible on the narrow beach in the second pic (#5843) above, is Gingerbread. A lovely lighthearted name for this little sailboat that ended its adventures there.

5845 Gingerbread

5845 Gingerbread

As you can see from the sand that is accumulating in her cockpit and hull, she’s slowly sinking for a second time – into the beach. Yet somehow the sadness I feel in seeing this process further along every time we fly there, is transformed by the expanse of magnificence surrounding her. The dreamers who once pampered this little boat, have now moved on to other expressions of love.

Immersed in the experience of Lightness flying over this magical place, it’s easier to remember that Love is about Letting Go.

2013/11/13

In City and in Forest

Filed under: Flying,Happiness,Has Photos,Inner World,Nature,People,Random,SB Region — John @ 02:36

There’s a line I like in an old Leonard Cohen song, “In city and in forest, they smiled like me and you.” I’m reminded of that theme looking at this home hidden in a forest right here in paradise.

4973 Forest Home

4973 Forest Home

It’s so lush and secluded, surely it’s in a jungle far from everything. But from the air we can see how it’s nestled among orchards, greenhouses, mobilehomes, and not far from the fascinating wetland and beaches of Carp.

4975 Well Placed

4975 Well Placed

Barely visible at the bottom of the pic, you can see how well placed this home is for a quiet life with easy access to the relaxed playground that is Carp and all the culture Santa Barbara has to offer. I relax just looking at it. 🙂

2013/10/30

Escape

Filed under: Flying,Happiness,Has Photos,Inner World,Nature,People,Random,Relationships — John @ 02:16

I once yearned for Escape. Not just from urban life, but at one point from even civilization itself. Now I’m quite happy living on the edge of “Goldilocks” Santa Barbara, small enough to escape rush hour but large enough to have plenty of arts and culture. So it’s easy to understand people in urban Silicon Valley wanting escapes like this farm offering a taste of rural life.

4906 Escape Farm

4906 Escape Farm

Visitors can test their escape skills on the mazes, or escape modern life on the “hay ride” winding its way thru the fields at upper-right. Kids can escape the supermarket and discover the joy of choosing a pumpkin right from the farm at upper-left. Further up the central valley, my beloved Uncle has created his own escape.

4887 Escape the City

4887 Escape the City

Among the innumerable canals and waterways north of Sacramento, he planted rows of eucalyptus trees to escape the relentless winds. He created a dream home to escape the tensions of everyday life.

4892 Escape Dream

4892 Escape Dream

I dampened his dreams of escaping the encroaching corporate agroBiz by moving to Idaho, when I told him how global warming is making annual monster wildfires the new normal there. I decided there’s no escape during my own attempt, when the quiet valley where I once enjoyed a -40F winter morning ten miles from the nearest neighbor was invaded by hunters on snowmobiles. Until we leave this life or at least this planet, maybe the only escape is to the sanctuary we always carry within us and with our loved ones.

2013/10/24

Mission Accomplished

Filed under: Flying,Happiness,Has Photos,People,Random,SB Region — John @ 18:44

Looking at the mission in my previous post here got me thinking about the lovely mission here in Santa Babs.

4030 Mission Context

4030 SB Mission Context

Up at the foot of the mountains, Mission Santa Barbara is surrounded by its influence. All those red tile roofs are the result of building codes creating what’s called the “mission style” of architecture for our whole community. Right in the middle of downtown is another ancient example of this style.

4061 Presidio Santa Barbara

4061 Presidio Santa Barbara

This was once the focus of military might in our town. It’s appropriately located on a street with the military name Calle del Canon Perdido deriving from an infamous incident. Now the Presidio stands as a tourist attraction and a classroom in mission style adobe construction.

2013/10/07

Passages

Filed under: Flying,Happiness,Has Photos,Inner World,Nature,People,Random,Relationships — John @ 05:44

There was a popular book decades ago about the major passages we all encounter in this precious Life. We’ve just returned from a tender collection of passages that ended not long after this sunset out beyond the dunes of Oceano.

3991 Contemplative Light

3991 Contemplative Light

The critical health condition of a family member in the Sacramento area moved this cheerful and sweet woman to busy herself mowing the lawn on the small farm of her father as dark thoughts passed like clouds.

3835 Memories In Action

3835 Memories In Action

Leaving there we saw patterns in the sand reflecting the timeless river’s passage, mirroring the patterns we each leave behind in every interaction.

3840 Patterns in the Sand

3840 Patterns in the Sand

Stopping in San Jose for delightful moments with family there, the next generation paused in a family bike ride to say hi.

132752 Fresh Cycle

132752 Fresh Cycle

There were many feelings and memories to process during our beautiful passage from there, flying home to our little nest. A lonely lake in the hills above San Jose like one I used to ride my bike up to and swim several miles across and back as a teen.

3847 Lonely Lake

3847 Lonely Lake

In the golden glow of evening we took a detour past Mission San Antonio de Padua where generations passed before us.

3900 Mission San Antonio

3900 Mission San Antonio

Near the mission is Lake San Antonio where I once collected some memories that found their way into a screenplay named Lake Holiday. Today it is mostly a dry riverbed.

3916 Dry Memories

3916 Dry Memories

Flying on we passed more memories of our time on this planet, and of the Citizen whose childhood memories motivated him to build this coast view castle.

3926 Hearst Castle

3926 Hearst Castle

So it was that we met the sunset at the top of this post, and we now savor moments with loved ones as our paths mingle in this dance of passages.

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