Strawberry Shortcake on the blue plates
It was a beautiful sunny morning as we pulled away from the coast towards Mt. Shasta at about midday. Six hours later we arrived, having stopped a few time along the way. My regret is that I was not able to stop and perhaps meet a reader who lives in a town between the coast and Mt. Shasta. I already knew our journey was going to be unpredictable; time of leaving, stops and last moment business to deal with which might hold us up.

And therein is my thought for this day. Which is: the difference between dealing with and responding to a situation. In a commentary to the Precepts there is the teaching to do nothing whatsoever in a hurry. That is such great advice. Because when in a hurry, one is in the mind of dealing with a situation - quickly. When not in a hurry one is more likely to respond in a thoughtful and rounded way. I'll remember that next time I am rushing along, as I was this morning, when just going along would be better.

One thing you can't rush is tea. Taking tea needs to be a thoughtful and full rounded occasion. And Jim and Nancy and I have certainly enjoyed our teas and time together. Thank you, thank you both so much.

A Norwegian Fjord pony, pausing after a ride beside the Mad River.

A few days ago I had a lift (ride) up the coast from the Bay Area with a person doing his PhD at UC Berkeley, in Old Norse. We had hardly crossed into Marin County before my transportation benefactor was regaling me with stories. Old Norse Sagas. His enthusiasm was infectious, I was quickly spell bound. I began to see how these stories, depicted in such monuments as the Gosforth Cross in Cumbria, England and others in the Isle of Man are ways of making sense of the world. Rather graphic ways which I can connect to.
And the pony?:

The Fjord Pony's ancestors were used by the Vikings as their primary mount. Therefore, it may be assumed that it affected the breeds indigenous to other countries, notably the "mountain and moorland" ponies of Great Britain, and the Icelandic Horse.
From Cowboy Frank's site.

This is for my traveling benefactor of four days ago. Thank you.

Beach walking near Arcata with friends Jim 'n Nancy, Muji and Annie
Mid morning. The sun broke through the fog, sandals were strapped on and off we went. More photographs tomorrow.

Found on the wall of the room I'm staying in....

The place in which we truly sit
Is within our own body and mind.
Since body and mind embrace the Universe,
Nowhere can this place be found.

Gosh, that sounds familiar! Wait a moment. I wrote that! It comes at the beginning of an article titled, A Place To Sit written in....1991, or there abouts.

Well! I remarked to the young chap behind the counter, It's one thing to buy postcards, and quite another to write and send them. He said in all seriousness, It's good to keep up the epistolary arts. I said, The what!? So kindly he explained. Wrote down what it meant on a piece of paper, and here I am doing what I said I'd do. Write. But the postcards are yet to have the epistolary arts applied. Tomorrow?

That's Berkeley for you. Educated everybody. Especially on Telegraph Avenue, in Moe's Books (which is where the above exchange took place. A huge bookstore close to the University of California Campus. Apparently with connections back to those turbulent times in Berkeley in the 1960's. I know at least one reader who was there at the time....

Moe's Books was founded in 1959 by Moe Moskowitz and his wife Barbara, the original site of the store was a small shop on Shattuck just north of University Avenue. As the early 60s dawned, Moe moved his expanding operation to Telegraph Avenue, closer in to the hub of the UC campus. By that time UC Berkeley was about to explode into the national limelight as the focal point of the burgeoning Free Speech Movement. As the decade lunged forward and the Viet Nam War raged on, Moe's Books found itself at the center of numerous confrontations with the Berkeley police and the National Guard. When local authorities called for city-wide curfews, Moe refused to close his doors, asserting that people should be free to walk the streets. When an occasional tear gas canister would roll down the sidewalk, many protesters sought refuge in Moe's Books--one of the few safe havens willing to remain open during a time fraught with imminent danger. Clearly this was a revolutionary period in our history that defied comparison, and Moe's Books under the fearless leadership of Moe Moskowitz, led by shining example.

Epistolary means: Written in the form of or carried on by letters or correspondence. Who would have thought buying a few postcards would lead to such and interesting word, a charming encounter and a hugely historic bookshop.

That was not the half of our shopping trip by any means. Berkeley Hats just down Telegraph from Moe's is a hat fanciers heaven.

Berkeley Hats, Telegraph Avenue Berkeley - from a moving car.

Now there's a hat to write home about!

Out walking...

saw this little creature - a lizard of sorts?

thankfully there was shade from the burning heat...

and restrooms , classic hut style too...
Phew, what a scorcher! At 5.30 pm in Berkeley it was registering 90 f. Earlier in the day the prior at Berkeley Buddhist Priory and I took a hike in a state park called China Camp at Point San Pedro, Marin County. Hard to believe this area, now deserted save for the mountain bikers, wild turkeys, critters and us, was once home to upwards of 500 souls. They were fisherman from China. Their catch, shrimp, was processed on site and...sent to China! Apparently the people of the Bay Area, at the time, didn't eat shrimp. Of course all that changed, and so did the fortunes of the fishermen...unfortunately.

View Larger Map
With aid of Google Earth you can, hopefully, see why where I am is called the Bay Area.
While here I've been walking, sleeping, eating and working. As well as sitting and yesterday, celebrating Dogen Day. We recited Rules For Meditation.

For those who concern themselves about my well being, I'm well. Thanks.

The resident monk, Rev. Alicia, at Reading Buddhist Priory, Berkshire, UK is writing a regular news/blog. I await her weekly posts with happy anticipation. Perhaps some of my enthusiasm is because I was the resident monk there in the early 1990's. Knowing for example Rev. Alicia has arranged for a plumber to install new taps (faucet's) and that the new floor covering is down on the stairs brings me vicarious pleasure, even after all this time away. But there is more, much more, to these writings. There is teaching that comes through both overtly and through her talking about her day. This post on Renewal is a grand example of the teaching coming though. Here is an excerpt from this post as a taster.

Renewal is a different concept to rest. Renewal is a change of pace, time out from the usual routine of work, an opportunity to relax, yes, but in skillful ways that keep the training going and allow it to be expressed in other ways. It is a chance to ask 'what would it be good to do that would renew/refresh me in mind and body?'

I have subscribed to the RSS Feed on this site. The link to the feed can be found at the bottom of the list in the left side-bar.

And if you look at my schedule you'll see I'll be staying a few nights in Reading after I land back in England October 29th. Hum...wonder if there will be some gardening I can do while I'm there. Clip the Hawthorne hedge perhaps?