Tag: Living wherever we are

How Did We Get Here?

by Living Wherever We Are, posted in Embracing Uncertainty, Escaping Winter, Life Lessons, Martial Arts, Travel, US Travel

There is a large gap in the blogs. Yes, it is true.   Ending here in North Beach Miami, where I am writing to you now but, that was not our only step after Central American. The decision was made, in the eleventh hour, to escape the winter in California after Costa Rica.  The people on the East Coast will understand why.

Here are the snippets of the downside of our trip.  Debbie Downer no, realist yes.  These things need to be expressed from my perspective because we are those people that really take in our surroundings.  Lets just get these out of the way.

Cali Needs a Life RIng
Lovely Ojai Downtown
Ojai Groves

Ojai:   FRACKING in the  STATE PARK just near to town.  I repeat in a STATE PARK just NEAR TO TOWN – wrong on so many levels.  Factually, it is now effecting their already low water table, there are toxic levels of chemicals being released in the air, and oh by the way they are on a fault line.

Hermosa Beach:  At the time was voting on whether to allow drilling of thirty something oil wells IN the town and also offshore wells.  (Thankfully, we know now that the bill did not pass.)

Manhattan Beach:  Signs on the Pier stated not to eat the fish caught off the dock.  Upon further investigation it appears that the area from Palisades Verdes to Santa Monica is the US’ largest Super Fund site, the largest.  Endangered by sediment polluted with DDT from wastewater discharged by the Hermosa Beach many years ago.

La Jolla:  Sea lion pups are turning up on California’s iconic shores emaciated and dehydrated or already dead. Officials predict that about 70 percent of sea lion pups will die before weaning age – around April.

HERE IS WHERE YOU CAN SIGN A PETITION AND DONATE:  http://act.oceana.org/sign/pfmc_save-starving-sea-lions_2015?source=mailing&t=2&akid=4536.408151.R8GXtA

SOS – Save our Sea Lions (Huddled for Warmth)
Manhattan Pier
View from Manhattan Beach North

Californ I-I-I A!!!! Oh and NASA just reported last week that California only has one year of water left.  Hunger Games? Let’s talk the real Water Games.

But I digress…  When Rick and I were originally contemplating the intention of adding another being to this already out of balance world, a wise friend of ours reminded us that someone needs to raise the conscious ones.  Anyone ever see Idiocracy with Luke Wilson?  Seems like a wacky movie but the premise is spot on.  We also got a reminder from our friend Dana in LA, who our wee one was thrilled to see again, that Ilaria can be one of the good conduits for a higher consciousness, as I believe and hope that all coming generations will now be.  Glass half full, friends, glass half full!

We loved the Sun and Fun in Cali so now onto the fun, and there was loads.  In Ojai, hiking almost 2 hours several times was great.  That amount of time is major when you are 4 and imagine what that feels like time and distance wise.  The outdoors, nature, and uninterrupted time.  But not quiet time, for Let it Go was a go to at any moments of lag.  It does not help the fact that passers by always rave about the lovely voice, thus perpetuating it.  Over and over and over…. therapeutically, I now hear it as a mantra, a positive message the keeps rattling around and heard repeatedly during any moments of silence.

In Tow
Hiking Away!
Lone RIder

Lots of biking, in Ojai and then at the beaches, thankfully the bike trailer is a hit now even though as a 2 year old she would scream and only liked the seat on the back of the bike where she could look around and see everything.  Also renting a bike for her to ride was a bit hit, she zooms and mom gets a great jog – win/win.

Upon our return to NJ at the beginning of March, Rick gave a seminar at Princeton Academy of Martial Arts – Beyond Technique, the Art of Flow.  This was profound and I believe that it deserves it’s own Blog so you will have to follow up to hear the juicy details.

Rick's Seminar - Beyond Technique
Rick’s Seminar – Beyond Technique

We did stay in Jersey for 2 weeks = 2 snow storms, enough to enjoy, appreciate, make hot coco, and “Build a Snowman”.  The take away is that almost everyone had the same news to report, “Normally, I don’t mind the winter but, this is just too much.”  People looked beaten and battered from it and ready for it to be over.  As I write this from North Beach Miami on the first day of spring, it is snowing in New Jersey.  Sorry folks!  No worries, Jersey is tough, but tired

Want to Build A Snowman?
Want to Build A Snowman?

Move Over Willy Nelson

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

On the Road Again… That was the theme of our recent exploration of California.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yXe1jtS7k28

The original estimates notwithstanding, here is a glance at the actuals:

10 Nights

8 Hotels (Including a pre-trip Newark Airport hotel)

20 Stops (Meaning a meal, coffee, or sleeping)

And a whopping 1123-Miles when we dropped of the rental car

A Visual
A Visual

So why the healthy jaunt through Cali?  It was a multi-faceted excursion and very practical (in theory only).  We wanted to catch up with some old friends while simultaneously cramming in every part of California we could possibly explore for future inhabitance.  This petite window helped us to rule out some parts of California for future living.   SEE RESULTS LATER IN THE BLOG

We are exploring California intently because there are many things about the state itself that we appreciate.  As a resident of the state, Bill Maher summed up many great points via his “New Rule” method.  Beside those points the weather and alternative public charter school funding and support are both sizeable pluses.

Every day 1 of traveling amazingly our daughter goes to sleep at 8:00 PM, even during travels into a different time zones.  This trip was no exception.  Over the years several people have asked if that is when we, the adults, turn down. Oh no, no, no.  Our secret hide-away, especially in warm climate or in this case not so warm, is always a room with a balcony or when not outrageous, a suite. In Cali this time of the year, balconies consisted of layers, a scarf, and one night, a very strong contact high.  A friend with 2 children once suggested always get a hotel room with a big closet and make it a special treat with lots of pillows and blankets to tuck her in but I would feel too guilty and besides 3 in a king size bed is not bad. After one early rising, I did do something I promised as a parent I would not do.  The unthinkable, a bribe of a gluten-free cupcake or treat that day if she went back to sleep and it worked like a charm (OK, more than once).  Alright, so it was a win-win and in California these are easy to come by.

Checklist of the abundant accomplishments this excursion included:

  • Trip to see amazing healer in Fullerton.   Ancient Chinese secret – our lips are sealed!
  • Watched the remarkable Alberto Villoldo PhD speak to his organization, The Four Winds Society, and reuniting Alumni from his classes.  The consummate orator Alberto never disappoints.  Also got to sit with him and his partner Marcella and reconnect with some other people that we have met through the organization.
  • Bruce Lipton lecture – WOW!  Simply astounding.  Oh just a little epigenetics and cellular biology defining the molecular pathways connecting the mind and body.
  • Time spent with the Drunken Taoist, Daniele Bolelli a favorite Italian Martial Artist of ours.  Daniele, an author, was originally introduced to us when he wrote the Martial Arts book On the Warrior’s Path.  It was great to catch up and have our daughters meet for the first time.
  • Santa Barbara – Lovely, lots of elements that we enjoyed.  Along with other spots in Ventura County we appreciate it for the Arts, Culture, and greenery.
  • Monterey Bay– This was just a stopping point for us on our trek.  Great vistas but wow the pier restaurant hawkers were bordering on belligerent!  Sorry we don’t want your chowder sample or to eat at your tourist trap.  We did however as you can see from our last blog Enter the Travel Guru enjoy some tasty authentic Brittany-style crepes on the pier at the Crepes of Brittany.

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Here is where things start to get blurry.  Onwards towards the Bay Area, the rest of our trip, which was supposed to be more investigative, was somewhat transformed into touring time.  We could tell right away that it did not feel right for us permanently.  Berkeley, which was supposed to be 2 days, we changed just to a lunch, too concrete jungle.  Petaluma – nice but obviously very San Fran suburbish.  Wine Country – Beautiful but touristy. Los Gatos – Nice to visit but can you say Stepford Wives?  We did manage to squeeze in a visit with my artist friend Tara de la Garza and family but bummed that it did not line up for a visit to my author friend E.V. Anderson.  By the end we realized that we were way to ambitious but got the information we were looking for.

Although we love travel and seeing new places switching hotels that many times is crazy and unadvisable unless running from the law or driving cross country on a deadline.  Contrasting hotels in other countries, most American hotel breakfasts include a personal hell filled with over-processed, high-carb foods so that is a pass for us and we head out early.  Our plans for big travels include renting places for a few weeks to a month and ah yes, breakfast sitting in our PJs.

With that many miles logged we could not help but play a healthy game of cat and mouse.  Not with the police, mind you, but our old foe the GPS.

  1. In park, set the destination and receive the arrival time.
  2. Finito.  Arrive at that time.

This technology is incredible and must be far more developed then we can comprehend.  No matter how fast our pace the arrival time never seems to get any nearer.  During the infrequent moments when it does, we are destined to encounter a speed trap thus requiring a bit more time be consumed.  Is the technology really that high tech or maybe, just maybe, we are monitored even more then we realize and the Matrix already knows our speed habits?  Our profile definitely fits the compulsive and competitive lead foots so we are categorize and triumphed over on every occasion.   Ok, one time we won by 5 minutes but that small trophy was not very gratifying for blowing 85 in a 55 plus all of the additional energy spent praying to the police gods promising to be good if they turn a blind eye once again.

Without further ado onto the results…

For us, Southern California.  We will see in the end but in contention nonetheless.

Tuckered out we returned to New Jersey with no traffic tickets and our gained wisdom of the 3rd largest state only to get catapulted right into the tumultuous packing Rick’s personal effects from PAMA and the taking apart our home.  It is daunting and exhilarating all at once, collapsing and deconstructing not only the physical but also the Egos attached to it all.  We are making progress on all accounts and in the mist of it all my ever resilient partner is planning out his seminar for this Saturday, his last as owner of PAMA 😦 🙂

Next blog:

-About the “Last Lecture” seminar

Enter the Travel Guru

by Living Wherever We Are, posted in Travel, US Travel
Fitting sign from our recent trip!
Fitting sign from our present excursion!

How did we decide to become sojourners?  Some background:

Rick and I do not make take grand decisions lightly.  We have been contemplating a move for quite sometime.  How long?  Believe it or not since 2008.  We think BIG.  Places we have examined in detail and even house hunted and bid on houses including as near as Hopewell, NJ and as far away as Chile, Southern Sweden, Nicoya Peninsula Costa Rica, Ojai CA, Sedona AZ, and Asheville NC.  Other visits and research include but not limited to Boulder CO, Brattleboro VT, and Great Barrington MA.   All great places but in all cases things did not seem to click or materialize for us as they should, so the search continues………

Comments and suggestions welcomed!  PS we are of Mediterranean decent, moderate climate preferred 🙂 

Our Search
Our Search

We began this process and intention as a couple and continued when our 2 became 3 with more fervor.  We feel even more of a desire for a community with creative like-minded people, nature, sustainability, art, and culture.  How can we continue the search with a 3-year-old in tow?  Easily when the origin of her name is Happy Woman/Bringer of Joy.  For those of you who know her, she is without a doubt just that and one hell of a seasoned traveler already.  Starting at 3 months she has already racked up frequent flyer miles going to Europe 3X, Central America 3x, the Caribbean 1X, crisscrossing the US 13X by plane not to mention long car rides up the East Coast.  The apple doesn’t fall far from the trees.

As I write this we are mid-trip driving up the coast of Cali.  OK, READY?  You may get tired just from reading this……… 10 days, 12+ stops, 6 hotels, 816+ driving miles (+ local miles) and lots of investigating and examining for a possible future location for our family after our sabbatical.  Very ambitious for just two adults let alone with a little one and she does not watch TV so the car rides are creative.

Crepe connoisseur Monterey Bay
Crepe connoisseur Monterey Bay

It has been a lesson for us from our little buddha. In anticipation of our trips around the world Rick and I are being schooled with some great travel wisdom that will truly come in handy.

  1. Why not wear your favorite clothes over and over?  Favorites over function, if you find them after rifling in the suitcase it doesn’t matter if they are worn and possibly with stains.  You need much less than you think.  Leave the rest home and this will make the packing very light.
  2. In adverse situation with controversy between travel companions just be quiet.   Testy when our blood sugar drops?  Simply said, “Mom and Dad stop talking to each other.”  Done, problem solved – Ferme la bouche!
  3. No matter where you are the place where you sleep is “Home”.  As in – after dinner 3-hour time difference and you are kept awake in anticipation of the 1-hour Fall Back daylight savings time change, “I am really tired, I really want to go home —- I want to go to the hotel.”  Ah embracing the blog namesake.
Fitting Quote found on LA wall!
Fitting Quote found on LA wall!

– Saving the Cali trip details for the next blog but here is a teaser:  It involves world-renowned authors and friends Daniele Bolelli and Alberto Villoldo as well as  Bruce Lipton.