Vacation at Home
Point Reyes National Seashore with Alexandra
Photographs by Alexandra Bruehl.jpg)
Pont Reyes National Seashore is a vacation-at-home
destination extraordinaire. It is only about an hour from Oakland, but
it is truly another world, full of wildness and great beauty.
Although I often go out there on my own, this time I wanted
to share it with my friend Alexandra. We headed out to Point Tomales, one of my
favorite places on this earth, especially when covered in a blanket of
wildflowers. Pink, white, purple, yellow, I love those wildflowers!
I love that they are there every spring/summer. I can count
on it. I love knowing that Notre Dame stands tall in Paris and the meadow pool
remains unchanged at Breitenbush Hot Springs high in the Oregon cascades. I am
comforted by the solid, eternal rhythm of the seasons and the eternity of
place.
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I wanted a nice, easy morning so we didn’t even get started
until noon. No worries. It’s never too late to go have fun. We grabbed a couple
of apples and bags of macadamia nuts, supplemented by a maple walnut scone we
picked up from the Busy Bee bakery on our way out. We threw the top down on the
Rockette and motored under the big sky, passing rugged hills (imagine the moors
of England), and dairy fields on our way out to the end of the world, also
known as the Point Tomales trail.
Point Tomales is a relatively flat trail, situated high on a
rim between the ocean and the bay. It provides safe shelter for hundreds of Tule
elk and if you walk far enough you can spot them near the watering holes; herds
of beautiful creatures moving gracefully over the brush. I get very excited
about seeing wild animals in their habitat. It makes me feel connected and an
integral part of the universe.
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Half the fun was sharing it with my friend. She loved it and
I loved it with her. We walked for miles, watching the hawks soaring high above
the vast blue world of water on either side.
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We drove back through the tiny town of Inverness and of
course had to stop at the Busy Bee to pick up two plump peanut butter cookies
that looked irresistible the first time around. We were going to save them for
later but the baker encouraged us not to wait.
That first bite was warm bliss…oh, how glorious it is to
live fully in the senses! We each ate our entire cookie and skipped the late
lunch we had planned. Why not? We’re on vacation at home!
Next stop on our outing was my very favorite, girly clothing
boutique in the tiny town of Point Reyes Station. The Epicenter is always a part of the Point Reyes expedition day. Over
the years I have become friends with the owner, Dana Davidson, a beautiful woman, blessed with the gifts of
creative sewing and exquisite taste.
We lost track of time for an hour plus in that sweet little
shop, trying on cool spinner rings, earrings, bracelets and necklaces,
eventually working our way toward the clothes. Two girls having lots of fun,
tried on several form fitting, whimsical outfits.
Alexandra spotted a colorful, sparkly, tiny pair of earrings
that I would have never even seen. I trusted her taste and bought them. (I’m
wearing them this very moment). She bought an exquisite Balinese silver
necklace that lay perfectly, gleaming on her neck. She talked of her dream of
going to Bali one day, traveling completely unencumbered, bringing nothing but
a small bag of essentials. I excitedly declared I would join her!
We
drove home back to Oakland, taking a different route, along the Nicasio
reservoir with dreamy late afternoon light illuminating the spring green
hills. We passed through the town of
Nicasio proper, greeted by the sweet white steeple of an old church and wide-open
fields with horses running free.
We
motored through the back way forest of Marin County on our way to San Rafael. She
pulled out her I-phone and started playing this beautiful, sweet, rich,
soothing Kirtan music, a form of Hindu chant. It was soulful and restful
all the way home; through busy I-80 to the very moment I dropped her off in
front of her darling little house in the hills of Oakland. My gratitude surged
for a day well lived.
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