Tassajara

No haiku for this back blip. Just a lovely little (marketing) postcard I got from Tassajara Zen Mountain Center a couple of years ago. Perfect though, since I just booked another stay there for this summer. This Agust I will do my second poetry and Zen workshop with the fantastic poet Jane Hirshfield. Squeeeee!! I am SO pleased to be going back there, and especially because I will be joined again by my dear friend, who was with me for my first two trips to this remote little monastery.

It will officially be the third time I've been to Tassajara, though the first time we had to evacuate after one night because of a forest fire that was closing in on our little valley. (It did eventually burn a couple of nonessential structures at the monastery, but monks who stayed behind to fight the fire prevented it from burning the zendo and other important buildings. There's a fascinating account of their firefight on the Tassajara web site.)

Since my friend and I had no where to be until out flights left more than a week later, we turned our evacuation into a random and delightful road trip around California, stretching from San Diego to San Francisco. The trip included visits with my brother and his family, the ex-boyfriend of my traveling companion, a former English teacher, the Getty museum, and a goat farm. I giggle a little every time I think about that adventure. But as much fun as it was, I hope this time we get to stay at the monastery for the whole week. :)