In July I had a couple of day’s free from my profession (work) which I truly enjoy although I wanted to take full advantage of my time off from work. Generally I work 5-7 days a week and approximately 50-60 or more hours a week and was ready for some relaxation. I am completely blind and cannot drive myself to locations I enjoy although I could take a taxi even Uber to travel if I really wanted to get away by myself. When my friend asked me to join him on an overnight trip to Bolder Creek I jumped at the chance to get away. I love mountains and I used to go to them weekly if not daily when I could see and drive myself. To be sure this was a successful trip I carefully packed my things I would need and made sure I could find each item by touch alone. My loving wife Kathy assisted me with packing even though she would not be accompanying me on this trip.
Time for Fun and Relaxation- Day 1:
As soon as we arrived at my friend’s cabin in Bolder Creek I got out of the car and felt the warm air against my skin and breathed in the fresh dry mountain air scented by the trees and shrubs which immediately began to relax me. After unpacking we sat out on the deck at the back of the cabin that overlooks the San Lorenzo River and had lunch. I could hear people laughing as they swam or waded in the river. I could also hear the occasional ducks quacking in the background as I imagined them swimming in the river.
After lunch we stopped by a nursery where I purchased a native California plant to plant in my yard to attract Monarch butterflies.
Besides some relaxing and visiting with each other as we drove around we went on a walk completing the Redwood Grove Loop Trail at Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park in Felton. I enjoyed the relaxing walk through the very large Redwood trees and through a variety of other native plants and trees. I even enjoyed feeling and smelling the trees bark and plants as we took our leisurely walk in the filtered sun.
After our walk since my wife Kathy is full blooded Italian, plus I like Italian cookies as well, I had to stop by Ben Lomond Baking Company to sample some Italian cookies including Cucidatis (Italian fig cookies).
To conclude our enjoyable Thursday my friend and I met up with one of my longtime friends who I have known since 1st grade for a nice dinner and conversation in town at Scopazzi's Restaurant. Since the night was so pleasant we were able to enjoy our delicious dinner on the outdoor patio. To end our evening all three of us went back to the cabin where we continued our conversation.
Time for More Fun and Relaxation- Day 2:
After a nice breakfast at my friend’s cabin we visited with a few friendly nearby neighbors in the warm air surrounded by Pine, Oak and Bay Laurel trees with some birds chirping here and there. When we concluded our visiting and exploring the forest /woods we drove to Spanky's Cafe where we had an enjoyable lunch in this restored old farm house. When we finished our lunch my friend and I did some other exploring including visiting a place where they sell wooden carvings so I could feel the beautiful wood work and imagine in my minds-eye what each piece looked like. We then planned to conclude our day by relaxing on Davenport Landing beach.
To get to Davenport from Boulder Creek we cut over the mountains and headed directly towards Bonny Doon Beach. The roads were windy with a lot of elevation changes until we eventually dropped off onto Highway 1and headed north to Davenport Landing Beach. Once we arrived we carried our beach essentials down a large sand dunes until we found a perfect spot near the ocean and a cliff face and cove. Relaxing in the nice warm air with the gentle breeze on the beach was very refreshing since it was 68 degrees which was more than 30 degrees cooler than BC which was 98-100 degrees which we had left earlier in the day. I also enjoyed listening to the waves and the people around us enjoying themselves by playing an acoustic guitar or playing music on boom boxes very softly off in the distance. It was very relaxing as I laid on my back in the sun on the soft warm sand imagining in my mind’s eye the surfers, wind surfers or others playing in the waves that were actually out there although I could not physically see them.
Time to Conclude Our Fun and Relaxation:
When we concluded our enjoyable beach experience it was time to return home. After returning home to the very hot Santa Clara Valley (on that day ) it was time to unpack and return to my standard daily routine, which I also enjoy, although quite different than the exploration and relaxation I just experienced over the last two days.
Have you been able to find methods to relax like I describe above? Did you have any opportunities for exploration you were not expecting? Do you have any tips to make our opportunities turn out the best for all involved despite any perceived or actual challenges you may have?
We all look forward to hearing from you.
Bill Tipton
Contributing Author,
Global Dialogue Center
http://www.globaldialoguecenter.com/
LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/wdtipton
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Hey, Bill! Another remarkable story! Thank you for inspirning us all! Debbe
Posted by: debbe kennedy | August 29, 2017 at 11:05 PM