In part on a whim, in part because I found
meditation helpful when I was at the weight loss clinic at Duke this
summer, my wife booked us for a hotel in Larkspur Landing, CA, near
Muir Woods and the Green Gulch Zen Center. We walked through the Marin
farmer's market, then drove to Muir Woods, where we spent an
hour
walking among the redwoods at sunset. The day was topped off
with a lovely sushi meal at a little Japanese restaurant
across
the street from our hotel.
We went to Green Gulch the next morning; it is a LOONNNGG way down the road, so much so that I was afraid we had missed the turn. If only I had put it in my GPS. We did find the turn eventually, thank goodness. Green Gulch was a beautiful place, although useful signage was non-existent. There were signs; they just didn't tell us anything. Fortunately, we got there early, so we managed to find the Zendo by 8:15. I did not wear my coat. I should have. Marin may be hot in the afternoon, but three miles in from the ocean it is bitterly cold in the morning, and in the unheated Zendo. We learned to meditate Green Gulch style (eyes open, among other unusual attributes), then walked through the associated organic farm. There was a talk at 10:15 by the president of the San Francisco Zen Center, which owns Green Gulch, followed by a lunch that was a localvore's dream; bread, salad and soup, all made from ingredients we could have walked outside and touched. We concluded our day with the 40 minute walk to Muir Beach. Alas, Muir Beach is too short to walk, in addition to being tiny and WINNNDDYY! It was 35 mile per hours if it was anything.
Inspired, in part, by our time outside, we put up fairy lights and marquee lights when we got home, and ate our second outdoor meal in two weeks--and probably our third or fourth since we moved into this house in 1997. What a great weekend!
We went to Green Gulch the next morning; it is a LOONNNGG way down the road, so much so that I was afraid we had missed the turn. If only I had put it in my GPS. We did find the turn eventually, thank goodness. Green Gulch was a beautiful place, although useful signage was non-existent. There were signs; they just didn't tell us anything. Fortunately, we got there early, so we managed to find the Zendo by 8:15. I did not wear my coat. I should have. Marin may be hot in the afternoon, but three miles in from the ocean it is bitterly cold in the morning, and in the unheated Zendo. We learned to meditate Green Gulch style (eyes open, among other unusual attributes), then walked through the associated organic farm. There was a talk at 10:15 by the president of the San Francisco Zen Center, which owns Green Gulch, followed by a lunch that was a localvore's dream; bread, salad and soup, all made from ingredients we could have walked outside and touched. We concluded our day with the 40 minute walk to Muir Beach. Alas, Muir Beach is too short to walk, in addition to being tiny and WINNNDDYY! It was 35 mile per hours if it was anything.
Inspired, in part, by our time outside, we put up fairy lights and marquee lights when we got home, and ate our second outdoor meal in two weeks--and probably our third or fourth since we moved into this house in 1997. What a great weekend!
