The Way Up, The Spot, and After

Enjoying the Peace

Moments afterwards

A view from the top

After Landing, we began up the hill that overlooked Prisoner's Bay

SB Channel Island Engagement Adventure, pt. 1

A trip to the islands....

4 am. Leaving the Santa Barbara Harbor on the Ocean Pearl

6am. Sunrise on the Ocean Pearl looking back on Santa Barbara

Captain Steve and Gracie asleep...don't worry, I commandeered the boat.

Pulling up to Prisoner's Bay on Santa Cruz Island

Part 2 Coming..."They Way Up"

Water and Fire

I'm on a boat...living there...and only there.  

As opportunities presents itself in life, it is exciting to take advantage of them.  Especially when it is something you have desired.

My friend is back in England for a while, and he owns a boat and a slip (slip = Water Real Estate) which he lived on for a while.  Now its my turn.  

So, Water and Fire.  The water is what I am closest to.  Living the simple life, purging myself of most comforts.

My new home:

Fire. As more fires threatened Santa Barbara (the third time in as many years), it seemed like straight wisdom to be moving towards a wetter living space.  Fires like I have experienced since living here are actually not that common.  I would have thought otherwise, obviously, but from my understanding, the last time fires were this bad was in 1964.  Preventative  fire burns on our dry mountain passes have been overlooked, so much fuel has grown since the previous fires.  Result = lots of large burns that cost millions and millions of dollars in damageand loss of homes.

Here is a glimpse of what we saw from the Fish Market of the latest Jesusita Fires:

Pretty threatening.  It cast an odd, apocalyptic mood over the city.  Thousands were evacuated from their homes, some homes were lost.  

So everything has settled down.  Life will be easy and simple.  Rockin' the boat.

Montecito BURNSsss

A close Evactuation. Just a another night in SoCal...

JALAMA ("J" pronounced with an "H")

What does Jalama mean?  The simple answer is that Jalama is a beach on the rugged and windy coast of California...

Located at the end of a twisted road that leads through oak lined canyons, Jalama was once home to Chumash Indians who lived off the land and sea.

This is a baby Sea Urchin I found  on the beach.  Sea Urchins are an avid resource on the Cali Coast.  This is about 2 inches wide:

My friend Jaime said (his name also pronounced with and "H") that the Indians use to call Jalama the "Gateway to Heaven"

My friends come here to surf and camp.  I drove 45 minutes north up the California Coast to be in the presence of God...Peace does not escape my constant thoughts here.

I found a place on this ravine that gave me a place to sit, and contemplate HOW WINDY IT COULD POSSIBLY BE and still keep a sane, mind-thought sequence.  So windy!!  Jeez.  How do you gain peace from a place that whistles it's existence in your ears at a constant rate of 25 mph?  I came away from this escape with the knowledge that: 1#.  My BMW can hold a curve in 2nd gear like no other.  2#.  My life/lifestyle is too noisy, and I need to make it more peaceful.  The wind of life is bright and vibrant, but where in my daily life is a time of peaceful reserve?  
 

Peace and tranquility, to me, are the essentials of life.  Where do you find yours?