California Maps

Archive for June, 2009

day, December 04, 2008

A Walk in San Francisco: God, Bishop, Man, Church:

Diocese of California Celebration–July 17, 1999

(a meditation and report; some notes on a public spiritual walk with observations and side comments)

By Peter Menkin

(written July 17, 1999)

Starting in the Morning

Some months (now years) have passed since the walk occurred, and a moment of reflection on the event makes me want to continue in prayer. I believe that there can be a silence in our emptying of our mind, in a Zen fashion. Doing this allows the Triune God to enter in, and it allows the archetype to whisper, and the speaking of our past lives to bring new impressions of reality to bring in our day.

When we gather together as a Church, or a Diocese, and walk among the Shepard, and are ourselves the people who as children of light seek to let that light come in, there is a Springtime of Easter where we can be receptive and allow the promise of his presence to bring us to that beating heart of our body to be Christ.

The morning is a difficult time, for we await the light, we await the waking of the world, the birds to sing, the everyday working life to begin its struggle and toil, its very labor as Job would in his exceptional relationship enter into another waking oblation in complaint, love, and observation with the Lord. This commentary, no stranger to the children of Abraham, is a Biblical time and I recommend the reading of Acts, and at this time of year for our Easter Luke.

Wondering is good, but the quiet of the Sunday is really the joy of measure that brings us closer to ascend and discern, to be and to contemplate. May we find someone who is suffering and in need, who is a good soul, and a genuinely gifted person as the Tibetan Nun in China who suffers so greatly at the hands of her torturers. To be in prayer and solitude with her is the silence that is the Zen moment. There is to know another who is a great distance, and to walk with them in the spirit on a journey that is an immensity of the times and in the world. I ask your prayers. God grant us grace to walk among the creatures that we have been given, and to maintain our selves in stability, in the love of our Lord, as we come to know the inevitability of the mystery of the resurrection. This we do when we walk together as Church, as Christian, in seeking our God, and knowing God who is a great and wonderful thing as a force for entry the narrow way. Oh, light, bring us this morning. This is the day that the Lord has made, let us be glad in it.

What’s Right In the World

There is a comfort in knowing the presence of God, and eventually one may find that this kind of willingness to travel with a restful attempt to remain in the presence of the almighty is refreshing. The most unusual thing about this Saturday walk with clergy and church members was it reminded me of the importance to be aware in preparation for Sunday. If it hadn’t been for the others along the way, I would have had a very much difficult time climbing the hill to the Cathedral.

By our all climbing that hill together, like followers, like disciples, like strugglers, like penitents, like lovers, and as friends, my own journey was made easier. How glad I was along with the others for those who shepherded us on to worship. This Saturday morning of July 17, 1999 the entire group of people who attend the Episcopal Church in my area of San Francisco, started gathering in the morning for a walk up California Street. I arrived early from a sense of desire to participate in an early morning time in the City. One of the nearer towns to the Cathedral, where our journey in pilgrimage together was taking us, is in Mill Valley in Marin County.

Others came from Contra Costa County, and some from South of San Francisco like Christ’s Church located near Stanford University. Our Saviour was the group I started looking for in the morning, and was happy to find a Reverend Gwen, a Deacon, who also arrived early to begin sheparding us along. She had a map showing the way up the California Street Hill, and our places to gather together for the walk. There was a woman Priest named Gloria who was on one corner of the congruent point of arrival.

Beginning at a Crosswords

We began at a crossroads. She was dressed in a long coat, since the morning was cool and the fog had lifted. The Reverend Gloria speaks Spanish. Across from her, to the West towards the Ocean side of the Bay, was another small gathering of Church members. They held the first lone banner, to be joined by others with banners to lead their small groups. Love called us. So it does as we listen when we walk for that bidding of love, the love that is offered to us in friends and others.

There is a treasure for us to be enjoyed in a walk, by ourselves in solitude or with others as I am describing to you here. By the time the morning had risen for us to greet the arrival of the leaders, we were pretty well organized and happy to continue up the walk. Later the St. Gregory’s Church community waved us along, refreshing us, as we sent the way through the middle of the street. They are a joyous group.

They walk in a bunch. The diversity of the Diocesan Episcopal Church USA group was described in a dispatch from the Church as: ” Let It Shine, the procession, which included Chinese dragons, bagpipers and a sea of church banners, numbered more than 2,500 people and stretched nearly four blocks.” So wrote Dennis Delman the Church magazine.

There were people of all nationalities and colors in our group, and there is no singleness in Christ, nor a barrier to him or in the walk I am describing here. San Francisco is a diverse group of families from many places in the world, as are the people who were gathered in friendship.

Presiding Bishop Led the Way

The Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church was accompanied by his wife, and The Honorable Frank T. Griswold had this to say about the occasion, that is true for us as a spiritual direction in taking a walk up the hill wherever we may be: “‘Be thankful,’” our reading from the Letter to the Colossians urges us, ‘and with gratitude in your hearts sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs to God.’ A spirit of gratitude opens the way for what is given to appear as gift, as the poet Stephen Mitche observes with regard to prayer.

Gratitude helps us to release our grasp on life: to be grateful is an act of non possession; it is a yielding of control which delivers us from the harsh and unforgiving judgments we so often direct against ourselves and others.” The way we journeyed along together, this large community gathering in its spiritual exercise of shepherding to a place of worship, was by approaching the excitement with an acceptance in faith for the coming entry to the Cathedral.

This preparation for a feast inside, continued us along in a companionship of desire to be together, and to join in saying the very words that we as a community believed would bring us closer in faith, and know in love the source of the being that is the Triune God. We can bring this into our body, incarnate this for the good of our soul.

Italicized Comments: Expectations

Sometimes in retrospect, looking back just those short few weeks ago from today, I consider that the amazing coincidence of fate that brought so many together in joy for the festivities of banners, excitement, and experience to live in a more liturgical and spiritual manner together was joyful.

The power of the living word, so aptly and well said as a love to the lips in breathing just the clean air itself in this morning climb was preparation for us enough. When taking a walk, remember as others and I do, that this is a preparation for worship in your own Church. That God would be with someone alone, though, later, is another matter. God is with us, and this is the message that I want to leave with you as I recount what it is to take a walk in the country or the city. Look for him. I tell you this because it is not only what we brought in joy and anticipation, but in the expectation that we would return to our homes, families, and later in worship to our own Churches of the communion that made us happily able to walk.

So we came, friends, carrying in and enjoyment of banners and yes crosses, willing to carry them together with the clergy among and before and behind us.

Walking with God and Man

When I returned home, and in the days following I practiced reflecting on the way that I walk. When one walks with God, does one wonder as one walks, does one look for beauty and think of the glory of God, does one examine the earth and know that it is a soil of forgiveness and charity?

How does one walk, in the breathing silence that is the living presence of the Almighty?

Pondering these matters, I considered the Bible a source of the joy in which I might come to know a way that is Christ, and how I could remain more fruitful in a care for others. What is this manner that we or I can do with a friend in the expectation that God is in his willingness, and we are able in the necessity of our virtue to offer a simple prayer of pleasure in the living that he offers us. Ponder we did, I am sure, as the many who were there did, as a friend did who made the journey and was so specially blessed to be brought home refreshed, though drained. Another friend had been a singer in the Choir, and this for her was probably a remaining hymn for us as a living testament to the condition that this kind of prayerful or spiritual desire can offer by the experience we shared.

Peace was a theme of this celebration, and how aptly this message is given by the very nature of the worship. Even during the liturgy we offered to one another a time to say a peaceful word. This exercise in being a good neighbor, to be decent to another is worth reflecting on because that is the fruit of the spiritual walk.

I look towards a walk in the daytime, or at evening, in a way that is a journey towards friendship and in peace, despite my own travails and difficulties. This kind of desire can be difficult to maintain, since many people suffer seriously from unhappiness. Some say Christ brought the lame, the maimed, the halt, the forgiven, the sinner, and others to a satisfaction in the grace of living in this world.

Celebration & Love

God helps us we celebrate, and we remember in the story of a journey we take on a walk that we have homes and children with whom we can find a love and some ways to bring to one another a more cheerful and giving time in our lives. God helps us do these things. There are many who haven’t these things in their lives, the less fortunate and the poor. By every step of the way, catching prayerful thoughts can be accomplished. This is one foot in front of another, and the whole body in quiet, in rhythm with the living God, and the light of others, along the way where there are buildings, or people, in streets, on a path in the woods or a garden, we see as we look to take our path that we are hastening towards our heavenly home.

Many of the parents who were with the clergy who shepherded us to this enjoyment were younger than I am, and this kind of presence of people who are so well prepared in their lives to offer us aid and support is a gratifying thing to know about.

That lesson of walking with others, or walking alone, helped me to continue my own path of spiritual awakening in the Church. This kind of journey that we find in an everyday event is refreshing. Thank God for the time we took in this joining together in assembly. Though we walk apart, we go forth in the harmony that the Lord is with us.

Conclusion

Say a prayer along the way. There are many subjects for prayer, and a prayer can be short like a brief moment in time as a still point. Like letting loose small pieces of folded paper into the air for others to know about, these prayers can be available to others as we offer them to God.

By: Peter Menkin

uple of miles north of San Francisco is one of California’s prettiest vacation lakes — Clear Lake.

A friend visited Clear Lake not too long ago and came back raving about the area’s unexpected scenic and natural beauty – so we had to investigate. On a recent swing through Northern California, we dropped in on Clear Lake, staying at a small, unpretentious waterfront resort that brought back childhood memories of vacationing at lakefront resorts in Central Washington state. It was like vacationing in a simpler place at a simpler time.

At 43,000 acres, Clear Lake is the largest natural freshwater lake in California, and some say it may be the oldest lake in North America. The lake is the centerpiece for several communities in the Lake County area, including Lakeport, Clearlake, Kelseyville, Glenhaven and several others. Taken together, these communities and several parks in the area offer a wide range of family vacation activities.

Chief among those are boating, fishing and swimming, three main reasons people stay at the Seabreeze Resort in Glenhaven, headquarters for our brief stay in the Clear Lake area. Owner Steve Nash happened on the resort many years ago as he was looking to buy a waterfront house. His accountant advised him that the income from the resort would go a long way toward helping to pay for his new waterfront home, and so Nash – who had never operated any sort of lodging facility – took the plunge.

Today, Nash divides his time between Clear Lake and San Diego, where he lives during winter months. But every year, April through October, it’s back to Clear Lake and the round-the-clock chores of managing the resort. With only one housekeeper for help, Nash is up at dawn each day, working to well past sundown. But, as we discovered, he always finds time to chat and joke around with his guests – many of whom have been returning to the small resort for many years.

Since we were traveling with a four-year-old, we were booked into the “family wing” of the resort – some housekeeping units a little further from the water and from the guests in the waterfront adult wing. Our cottage was like a small apartment, maybe 1950s vintage, but nicely remodeled and cheerfully decorated. A full kitchen was included, as well as a living room, bath and a bedroom with two queen beds. Thankfully, on this summer visit, the unit was air conditioned.

Our cottage had a grassy area, lunge chairs and several individuals just outside the door. Nearby was Steve’s fragrant flower garden – which he obviously takes great care in maintaining – and then a few steps further was the boat launch, dock and swimming area. In short, the Seabreeze offered everything you need for a restful lakefront stay or a base of operations for your boating holiday.

But we were visiting Clear Lake to explore. Just why was everyone raving about this lake?

The first thing we discovered was that, as advertised, the lake and its surroundings are beautiful. The blue-water lake is in the middle of a hilly, mostly treed landscape that is especially interesting when approaching from the east. We also noticed that this lake is big. On the map it looked like it would be fairly easy to circumnavigate since there were highways, roadways and towns and villages on almost every part of the lake. Once we were driving, however, it soon became apparent our trip around the lake was going to take us at least a half day.

Along the way we stopped in several little lakeside towns, including the largest city, Clearlake, which is the largest population center in a region that only has about 12,000 year-round residents. Each town is different, but all share the beauty of Clear Lake and recreation opportunities are never far away.

Along most shores of the lake you’ll find a combination of private residences and small motels and inns like the Seabreeze. We did note, however, there is a large timeshare resort on the northwest shore, as well as the famous Konocti Harbor Resort and Spa, known for bringing headline musical acts in for performances in the Outdoor Konocti Field Amphitheater as well as the resort’s indoor showroom. Altogether, the resort puts on about 100 shows per year.

We noticed that parks are abundant throughout the region. Many are located on the more than 100 miles of shoreline but, in addition to camping and watersports, several parks offer other features. For example, the Anderson Marsh State Park is known for nature walks and birdwatching, while the Middletown Trailside Nature Preserve offers the “EcoArts Lake County Scupture Walk” conducted on 107 acres of natural park. The area’s history is highlighted at the Anderson Marsh State Historic Park.

There are plenty of other opportunities to learn about the history of Clear Lake, including two county museums, the Lake County Museum in Lakeport and the Lower Lake Historical Schoolhouse Museum in Lower Lake. Learn about the stars at the Taylor Planetarium and Observatory in Kelseyville.

For those who enjoy visiting wineries, this region has several that are all within easy driving distance of the lake.

No matter which shoreline, there seemed to be plenty of anglers taking advantage of what the locals say is the best bass fishing in the West. The bass fishing is so good that several professional bass fishing organizations have designated Clear Lake as the best bass lake in the country. But it’s not just bass — catfish, blackfish, Sacramento perch, hitch, crappie and bluegill are all caught at Clear Lake.

There was no fishing for us this trip, but we did enjoy the great swimming area right at the dock in front of the Seabreeze. Our midweek visit was quiet and restful – and like a step back into the days of Ward and June Cleaver when family vacations just seemed a lot simpler.

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AT A GLANCE

WHERE: You can reach Clear Lake by driving north on 101 and then east on Highway 175. From inland cities, you can drive north on I-5 and west on Highway 20.

WHAT: Clear Lake is known as one of the best recreation lakes in California, partly because of its size and services, and partly because it is easily accessible from Northern California population centers.

WHEN: Any time of the year, but the typical lake recreation “season” runs from April through October.

WHY: Clear Lake offers a throwback to a simpler time with fewer crowds and quiet little beach resorts dotting its shoreline. Lake County offers a tremendous number and variety of parks and recreation, so there are many choices.

HOW: More information on Clear Lake and Lake County are available at Lake County Visitor Information Center, 1-800-525-3743 or visit www.lakecounty.com. Email: info@lakecounty.com. More information on the Seabreeze Resort is at 707-998-3327, or visit www.seabreezeresort.net. Email: info@Seabreezeresort.net.

By: Cary Ordway

Stretching north for 20 miles along the Pacific coast line of San Diego are five quaint beach towns – Solana Beach, Encinitas, Cardiff-By-The-Sea, Carlsbad and Del Mar – all with refreshing ocean breezes.  These beach towns each have their own personality, and each boasts delightful hotels, resorts and inns, incredible restaurants and stunning beaches.

Perhaps the most stylish or “chic” beach community north of San Diego is Del Mar.  While those of us who live here regard all of San Diego as “paradise,” the Del Mar is considered even more heavenly.

Del Mar has a very long record of celebrities living and playing here due to the Del Mar horse racing track built under the guidance and inspiration of Jimmy Durante and Bing Crosby nearly 70 years ago.  Their Hollywood star-power put the Del Mar Horse Race Track on the map as one of the most ritzy and prominent associations in the racing world. The Del Mar horse track brought a steady steam of well-known Los Angeles and New York celebrities to the Del Mar hotels and motels, and dozens of Del Mar inns and resorts prospered as a result.

Del Mar hotels and lodging accommodations are wonderful, albeit expensive. One of the most romantic Del Mar hotels is located near the shores of the Pacific Ocean: the timeless L’Auberge Del Mar, a time-honored California coastal resort that, as they say, “Celebrates the special connection we all have with the tranquility, comfort and relaxation of the sea.”

Ranked among the best luxury resorts in the country by Cond Nast, L’Auberge Del Mar hotel brings together panoramic coastal views, casual elegance and personalized service to create an outstanding romantic weekend getaway at a Del Mar resort.

The San Diego County Fair comes to the Del Mar Fairgrounds each summer. We locals call it the Del Mar Fair – in fact, nobody I know every call it the San Diego County Fair. The location is perfect — just a few blocks from the cooling breezes from the Pacific Ocean on hot summer days. If you’re coming to the fair, be sure to check your reservations well in advance at any of the Del Mar Ca Hotels or Del Mar Inns.

Of all the Del Mar bed and breakfasts and Del Mar hotels, the only one that is quaint, romantic and close to the beach for under $200 a night is Ann Dunham’s Del Mar Bed and Breakfast located on Moonlight Beach just a few miles along the coast from Del Mar. Visit: http://www.innatmoonlightbeach.com/delmar.html

Del Mar California is one of few locations in the world where the Torrey Pine grows. The Torrey Pine is the one of the rarest pine trees in the United States – the Monterey cypress is rarer, but it’s not technically a pine tree. The Torrey pines along the sea cliffs of Del Mar endure persistent drought and grow in hard sand which can hardly be called “soil”. They are blasted by storms, soaked in salt spay and cooked in the sun, but they live stubbornly on.

By: Terry Hunefeld