Inverness Almanac First Release!

its been a long time, but this is important!

the Inverness Almanac has just been released (march equinox) and i have several shots in this first edition. it will be released twice a year on each equinox, full with a tide chart, myth, lore, natural history, farming tips, recipes, pros, poetry, art, imagery, essays and much more, all centered around Tomales bay, Inverness, and Point Reyes Station.

http://invernessalmanac.com/

i think they are quick selling out and i have been late and too busy on getting any posts up at all.

here are the images they used.

enjoy

Abbotts lagoon with Richard... and life on a whim

  The time has come the walrus said... to talk of many things...

i have moved off the farm and into the greater West Marin. i am no longer "acting farm manager" at RDI. there is a lot moving, and so much going on, and i think my year was exactly what i needed and they needed.

so im free now, and the plan is to enact a few new projects.

one of which is reconnecting with the greater Point Reyes community that i lived with for my first year out here and its been great. Meredith and i woke up early for a solo track with Richard who invited us along for a visit and walk at Abbotts Lagoon.

Richard and Meredith checking the rodent activity

among the wonderful birds, amazing coyote tracks and unusual behavior, were bunnies, and apparently on the walk in from another wanderer, a mountain lion that was spotted.... we are skeptical.

i am now free to have more time... and so i will be attempting to update this blog a little more regularly and to a different tune of arts and nature connection. Permaculture will always ring true, but i think life is taking a different route of creativity and quiet mindfulness. following are some of the photo highlights from this morning!

Rabbits on the path

friend lounging

A walk to the roaring tempist, and giving thanks

RCA beach looking to Palomarin headlands

all together now!

Danny and Apollo meet the ocean with gusto

 The great pacific

The Ocean was roaring yesterday on a walk to the beach. everyone came along from the farm- including Johnny and Apollo, two brothers who i take every Tuesday afternoon for some nature connection and play time with all their uncles and aunties. we walked to RCA beach, where the waves were crashing into a great white sea foam along its driftwood covered shoreline.

there was bullwhip kelp, as seen above, with Andrew practicing his Indiana Jones moves. Danny had fun too.

Jelly admiration

 A Jelly washed ashore, and all took part in letting the coming tide take it back to its home in the sea.

helping the Jelly back to the sea.

Shore Shrine

 and of course, if i have anything to do with it, we went ahead with a shore shrine, made from all minds together with no plan. just let it come together and be! the tide line from the last few days was right up to the cliffs so it most likely is no longer standing as of last night. I remember long afternoons in the fall, both as a young blood and not long ago, on the south fork of Long Island on the beach scouring for shells, building sand castles, and making up adventures along the high seas about the far off sailors of its waters. Thanks Pacific for letting us all, and especially Johnny and Apollo, have that afternoon again.

Shore Shrine

Admiration for our Shore Shrine

from another angle

Lounging in the fields on the way to the beach.

Pt Reyes Tracking School at Abbotts

 

Richard Vacha. co-founder of Pt. Reyes Tracking School

                               Heeeeyyy Abbotts! Lagoon

today was a good day of tracking with Richard Vacha, co-founder of the Pt. Reyes Tracking School here in West Marin. i met Richard through RDNA in a round about way, and ended up moving to a trailer on his property for most of this past winter. i could not be more thankful for this man, his great knowledge of nature and tracking, and his incredible teaching and mentoring. we also have a very similar sense of humor, so it made for some great post RDNA conversations about tracking and nature. he is also craftsman of the wood working trade, and i got to ride along a few times with him for a few jobs. big thanks Richard!

Liam and i woke up early to get to Pt. Reyes Station to catch the meet up for the tracking session. today it was Abbotts Lagoon, located out in the Pt. Reyes National Sea Shore. Abbotts is a two stage lagoon with a fresh water lagoon emptying into a salt water lagoon. it has beautiful rolling dunes nestled amongst the historic cattle ranches, and the very intense pacific ocean just south from Bodega bay. on the ocean side it is still old growth northern coastal scrub, and the lagoon often in the winter will have tidal exchange with the ocean.  the wind was blowing but the sun came out and it was a nice change from the foggy and chilly days we have been having here in Bolinas just south of the sea shore.

Bird prints

Abbotts Dunes and Lagoon

 it was Liam's first time to Abbotts, and it was a great day tracking Skunk, Racoon, some Otter, Coyote, Bush Rabbit, the mice running amongst the dune plants harvesting for the fall, two deer swimming across the lagoon, a few birds of prey- Harriers, red tail, and possible Falcon or Merlin.

itty bitty insect tracks

 

 

prints in the sand

Richard got down to the nitty gritty of gaits and walks of animals and how their prints look in the different trots, baselines (the "Chill" walk of a relaxed animal), and direct register (the back foot landing in the front foot print). my tracking was minimal, or shall i say limited in the past to "hey thats a dog or cat print", so RNDA as well as Richard have blown the doors off tracking for me in the last year. this is Richards site, the meet up is the last sunday of every month, so if you are in the area come check it out! http://www.prts.me/ 

some tracking of trackers

 One last note: this little spider i almost ruined walking up the path the other night. actually he was about the size of a half dollar coin, and was half way through with his web. so i am glad i didn't interrupt or ruin it for him. he was not there in the morning, but i hope at least he got a meal or two.

Solstice at Lairds

Danny and Meghan dropping rose petals on our way down to Lairds

Solstice, the longest day of the year, first day of summer. to celebrate there was a grand thanksgiving and soup dinner held at the fabled Lairds landing hosted by Jordan Atanat and the coasties. this was what we hoped to be our first of many annual solstice/equinox/full moon celebrations at Lairds. bringing back connection to the rhythms of the universe, nature, ancestors, and our selves in this season of plenty.

Clayton's old house

 Lairds Landing was once a artist colony, complete with a few whimsical cottages, a art studio/forge and a artist named Clayton Lewis (http://www.claytonlewis.net) that would hold parties and dinners and gatherings with all the local fisherman, boat builders, artists and other eccentrics of west marin. the magic and presence of Clayton is still there, and we all held space for Clayton, and even smelled his pipe waft through the cool solstice air as we lit a fire and created an alter on the beach. 

Nature Table

 As the light held on nearly to 9:45 in the far west of the sky, phosphorescence appeared in the lapping Tomales Bay water millions of little critters shimmering in the disturbed swirling bay. Jordan splashed through with rolled pants and the water glowed and sparkled in the final moments of our solstice celebration. 

In those final minutes of light for the first day of summer and the 2012 summer solstice a few things came to mind-

What is our relationship to the sun and earth? 

the rhythms and beats of the seasons?

How can we preserve and continue that 

presence and energy at Lairds that Clayton held?

If Clayton were to be there last night, 

what would he have wanted as a Solstice Tradition?

9:40 pm on june 20th 2012. fire light solstice at Lairds Landing. thank you Clayton Lewis

Marshall Beach and hog island, 2012 summer solstice.