Month: September 2014

Boulder is spelled BO…

by Living Wherever We Are, posted in Embracing Uncertainty, Travel, US Travel

Boulder has a quaint and lovely downtown with great independent shops, eco-friendly larger brand stores, unsurpassed farmers market, and loads of great restaurants that are on the no-GMO, local, organic bandwagon. In fact, of all our travels personally I can say that they are the best place to eat hands down. Not just on the high-end, also moderate and inexpensive great options.

Boulder Downtown
Downtown Wildlife
Boulder Views

I am Super Crunchy and Liberal, but if you have an able body and a sign “Homeless Hippie needs money for Weed” just forget about it. You have a great gig smoking all day but it is for sure something you could and should support all by yourself – no joke. But just a hint – shower first, really, because that pot cloud smell is surrounding you like Pig Pen. As you all must know by now, I am very open about not conforming to conventional standards but hippies were about Free Love not Free Rides.

Dangers of Mary Jane
Cannabis Capital
unHippies in the distance

Speaking of pot, wow, it is like Willy Wonka’s chocolate factory for the herb.  Literally, you can even get it in candy, soda, cookie, and brownie form. Shops are everywhere and you only have to be 21 and show a valid ID. Reminiscent of when freshman start college and they are left to their own devices, before the novelty of unfettered independence and unlimited alcohol access has worn off, it is all very new and people are taking advantage of the freedom. A hint for the novice man from India in the rec marijuana store.  There is no need to hold up the line asking newbie questions such as how to light a joint.  If you want a live answer go talk to the unHippies on the street or even smoke it with them. At least then they will be working for it.

But I digress; on our hunt for an eventual landing spot we loved Louisville, a very quaint town 20 minutes outside of Boulder. It had a vibrant, intimate historic Main Street with an awesome, grand new library. But…. it snowed, twice in the second week in September. TWICE. We kept hearing how Boulder gets 300 days of sunshine and we got to see 7 of the other 65, grey rainy and snowy. But we did get a break one day (although nippy) to go to the Rocky Mountain Park and it was stunning. It is a natural beauty that one should not miss and we saw it with lots of snowy peaks!

Bear Lake
River Hugs

P.S.  Whoops, the blog is a bit late. Anti-marijuana crusaders claim it is harmful because it can make you lazy.

The Trouble with Shangri La (and why EVERYONE should care)

by Living Wherever We Are, posted in Embracing Uncertainty, Life Lessons, Travel, US Travel

A purpose of our US tour is to visit and revisit some potential relocation places.  The first week we revisited Santa Barbara, Ventura, and our much-loved, idyllic Ojai.  Ojai was the backdrop for Frank Capra’s film Lost Horizon, the scenes of the villagers of Shangri-La.  Historically known as a place of Art, Spirituality, and Health it was the place that Krishnamurti, the famous philosopher, made home and created a retreat center and children’s school, both of which still continue and thrive.  It is a small town with 8,500ish residents and as I heard one Rasta man in town state, “Everyday here is just another day in paradise.”  We love it and would consider it a new home for our family minus one thing.

Picturesque Ojai
Ojai Farm Market
Park by the water
Hiking in the dryness

So what is the issue?  An issue that you, me, and the rest of the US should be concerned with – Fresh water.  The drought conditions are Exceptional, 2-steps worse than Severe and 1-step worse than Extreme.  In the US drought monitoring system Exceptional is the lowest category so, it may get worse but categorically it has already hit rock bottom.  Maybe some think let Hollywood dry up (maybe it already has), who cares?   There are much more important exports from the Golden State then movies and TV.  Named the land of fruits and nuts, for more than one reason, Cali produces over 50% percent of the fruit, veggies, and nuts for the US.   I am a strong proponent for local, organic food but at present the infrastructure is not in place in all areas to feed the masses by these methods and like NJ, some states have cold winters!  Americans NEED rain in Cali.

Warnings a bit late
La Jolla clouds no rain
Contrast of Dry and Wet
Brown hills
Scripps Institution of Oceanography

We next enjoyed our time in California as we explored the southern coast – Lugina Beach, San Clemente, and one of our favorites Ja Jolla.   In the past we have been in Costa Rica in the dry season just before the rainy season and there is a tension for the locals as they await the rainy season but, after all, as of yet it always comes.  Conversely here people all seemed happily going about their business.  It was however ever present on our minds.  We could not help but ask people we encountered  their take on the water issues.  Shockingly most everyday folks seemed to be very causal about it mentioning that there are NOW restrictions on watering lawns and such.  Maybe like most global warming issues it is just to big for people to wrap their heads around so instead they just … wait for the rainy season.

La Jolla Beach
San Clemente Sunset
Screw Seaworld La Jolla Sea Lions