Circle of Unity

I know it has been a while since I have made an entry, but if you can believe it my hard drive was full! I could not add more pictures and my computer was sending me funny messages. Plus, we have been touring around quite a bit as Jeff has had some holidays. Life has been full these past two weeks. We are still working on moving things around to a larger capacity hard drive, but I am able to get some of the pics in now. It has been an odd feeling for me not to work on the pictures or the blog on a daily basis... I'll be glad to get back to it.

So, I will start with last Saturday, when we set our sights on Dana Point Harbor- when we arrived we entered Doheny State Park-beautiful palms and sycamores, sand, picnic tables, volleyball nets, aquarium, gift shop and visitors center were all there. It began as any other day for us; exploring the wonders of California. However, what immediately drew our attention, was a group of people congregated on the beach-several of them being surfers with their boards assembled, standing tall together beside a large photograph of a young man. We walked by and heard a woman speaking of the young man and we realized it was a memorial service.

We continued walking to a point with dunes, mountain views, rocks, water and birds. Then, we chatted with a staff member who gave us lots of information-including, that the ceremony taking place was called a 'Paddle Out' which is a traditional Hawaiian memorial service. The 'Paddle Out' is typically for committing the ashes of someone who had a love for the ocean back into the water to serve as their final resting place. Apparently, these are very common in California.

It was not long before the beating of drums and movement from the surfers caught our attention again. The drums played like the rhythm of a heartbeat - the surfers walked into the water one by one, following the lead paddler. It was absolutely mesmerizing. In the midst of these intense moments, hundreds of birds flew around our heads - and Lucas came to me concerned and somewhat panicked - asking me to come with him - he took me to an injured and dying bird that was lying on the sand. The children decided to report the bird to the woman we had been speaking with and as the drums continued to beat, and the birds continued to fly - life and death surrounded us and took over our senses.

The surfers created a 'circle of unity' in the water and stayed there for some time-onlookers at the beach held hands. We watched and listened as the surfers splashed and yelled. It turns out that they chant, pray and call out 'Aloha' when the person's ashes are scattered in the ocean - a conch shell is blown - flower lei are thrown into the water as the ashes are released as well. As the paddlers return to shore, the drums beat again until the last one is out of the ocean. The mourners continue to chat and gather and then disperse.

The event was incredibly moving despite not knowing the young man who had died. We could not help but be drawn to the feeling of connectedness as we all celebrate, cry, suffer illness, lose a loved one and face the inevitability of death.

Throughout our day, we continued to witness signs and samples of the circle of life. We encountered a dead cormorant at Coronado Beach, a glowing bride crossing the street at Laguna Beach, hermit crabs carrying their prey in tide pools, new baby birds zipping a long after their mama looking for food in the sand, large crab claws poking around and of course shells, fossils and rock formations by the oceanside.

I felt like an observer, yet also a participant ... I did not know the man who had died, but my heart ached and felt for those who were there to celebrate and commemorate his life ... just like I felt joy and happiness as I saw the face of the bride walking down the street after she had taken her wedding vows - just as I felt the sorrow and sadness in watching the boys find the dying birds - seeing the bones, shells and rocks - fragments of life being lived and life ending - new beginnings, rebirth, growth, developing, changing, renewing itself... seeing these things wherever you go- really gives meaning to the idea that we are all one... we are all connected... circles are happening wherever you go and life can be experienced on any beach, street, ocean, building or ecosystem - beginning - being- and ending- then starting all over again.

Journal Entry

Can anyone really believe it is the middle of December? Time flies... Matt is our countdown man for how many days left until Christmas. The kids are very excited for Christmas this year...it will be interesting to see how the day unfolds for us.

We had a busy weekend as we moved to a new location in California called Newport Beach. It is amazing to me how we managed to get to Cali in 6 days when I see how we could spread out a one and a half hour drive over the bulk of a day! Newport Beach is about an hour and a half north of Santee. Check-out time at Santee Lakes was noon and check-in at Newport Dunes was 2, so we weren't really in a rush. But, doing the last minute tidying, showering, putting stuff away so it wouldn't fly all over the trailer, bringing in the slides, dealing with the hook-ups, attaching the vehicle to the trailer, moving the trailer so that it didn't hit a big tree branch, getting on the road and following our beloved GPS which took us toward a toll route, which Jeff wanted to avoid, so we went on the Pacific Coast Highway instead-adding an extra half hour, getting to our site, Jeff backing into a smaller site for the first time (which he did very well I may add) and hooking back up, sorting and eating- well all that took a whole day... phew... so, we'll have to take this into account for future moves... the lesson being, things always take longer than you think they will so, take extra time!

So, our site is much smaller here and we don't have the immediate view we had had at Santee, but the beach is very close as are the amenities and the staff have been very professional so far. The park is well lit and has a secure entry/exit point, accessed by a card. The place is lit up and night with beautiful white lights and the other RV'ers have decorated their homes like crazy for the holidays. Plus, the pool here is heated as is the hot tub! Yay!

On Sunday, we went off in search of a leash-free dog beach for Willow. Willow gets several on-leash walks everyday, but it's not the same as having a good, free run. We discovered that this area does not have an abundance of leash-free beaches as there were in San Diego. So, we drove to Huntington State Beach for her. She enjoyed it very much and again made new doggie friends. Later, we went to Coronado and saw some beautiful views and spectacular homes and shops along the way. Shopping here is a woman's dream-boutiques and specialty shops galore ... along the Pacific Highway and tucked into the towns and cities. There are multiple yacht stores, upscale car dealerships and restaurants... it's quite a fancy place... People live in some smaller and some larger homes close together; by the water with their boats at their beck and call. 

It is and will be cooler here than in Santee ... but that's all relative isn't it ? :) We have had a lot of rain yesterday and will continue to get more today and tomorrow, but later this week the sun will be out and that's all that matters!

Jeff is working from Cali, super close to home which we love and look forward to him having some holidays soon. The kids love the park here and are having a blast with their friends.

So, all is well...we continue to hope everyone at home is healthy, happy and warm. 

Thinking of you all!