Spring has returned. The Earth is like a child that knows poems. ~Rainer Maria Rilke

Monday, June 1, 2009

Asilomar; a beautiful place to be.


"Asilomar with her many trees,
Her silvery water,
her ocean breeze.
Her sand dunes white
arise with grace:
Oh! Nature lovers,
it's a wonderful place." ~e. briar, m. weber & a. eatwell~ 1935~

...and it was. My sister and I drove from Lafayette, on Sunday, down hiway 101 to Monterey and into Pacific Grove. The Asilomar Conference Center is a refuge nestled in the dunes and forested shoreline of the Monterey Peninsula. It is a wild preserve founded by a group of women that were determined to build a community that would support education and improve the lives of woman in the early part of the century. They helped create a retreat for the YWCA that would be available to anyone who wished to gain knowledge and learn new things to improve their lives. Julia Morgan was the architect for the buildings. The buildings are of the Arts and Crafts style and only local wood and stone was used. More recently apartment style rooms were added with all the modern emenities. There is a spirit and a feeling of pilgrimage when you arrive here. There is a feeling of refuge that quiets the business of life and gives you permission to slow down.

The view through the doors of Merrill Hall at dusk.


This was a trip that almost didn't happen. Mom went into the hospital on Friday morning and we had decided not to go. I arrived two days early thinking that we would just cancel the trip and I would spend the week at my sisters. Mom, although having trouble breathing, told us we should go and the doctor said that he was sure she would be returning to her care home in a day or two. He told us that she would be all right and that we should attend the workshop because it was only 2 hours away and Mom would probably be in the hospital until the day before we would get home. On Sunday we decided to go.

I got home yesterday afternoon to my little house on the hill. The Prospector, Maggie, Carl (aka,the pupster) and Annibel were all here to greet me. It is so good to be home. The goats were a bit distant, but that's to be expected. Brownie kind of ignored me but Bart told me he was glad I was back. I will be going back down to see Mom in a week or so unless there's an emergency, then sooner.

Tomorrow I will tell you about the Art and Soul Workshop, our teacher Nina Bagley, how much fun we had and how Mom is doing.
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9 comments:

  1. Beautiful photos... I want to go to the ocean...

    That place looks like you step back in time there, no rush, no fuss, just the peace and quiet that you can only get from being out in nature.

    Hope your mom is doing better.

    Thank you for sharing your world.

    Helen

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  2. Welcome home Connie. Hope your mother is doing better. The pictures are just beautiful, so relaxing. Sounds like you and your sister had a good time after all. Thank you for the visit and comment to my last post. Have a good evening. Madeline

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  3. BEAUTIFUL...glad you are home and hope allis well with your mom.
    love n hugs and grits

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  4. Just gorgeous, I miss the ocean but we can't afford to live there!
    SO glad you are back I have missed your posts, watched all week awaiting the next!
    Prayers for your beloved Mom.

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  5. That place looks like a place everyone would enjoy. I enjoyed your experiences, but sorry about your mother. I appreciate your dropping by my post today. Since I am fairly new at this, I do not get many viewers,

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  6. Spent my honeymoon in Monterey. it was beautiful... everything was beautiful. great pics. Hope all is well with your mom.

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  7. Hi Connie,

    I hope your mother is doing better. I'm so jealous - I LOVE Nina's beautiful jewelry and her blog. I know the workshop must have been fabulous. She is such a sweet and special lady.

    Did your earrings arrive safely? I hope they did and that you like them.

    You must share photos of what you created in Nina's workshop. I would love to be able to attend one some day!

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  8. I love anything in Monterey, now how did a California born and raised woman end up in Mississippi? Oh yeah, well it's a long story.

    Glad your home again and looking forward to hearing all about your trip!

    New photos of all the animals will be an anticipated pleasure too.

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