No, the fires and the smoke have nothing to do with my cooking for yoga I promise! Rather from a big fire raging down the coast a way. Near Big Sur not too far from Monterey and Carmel. It is a stubborn fire making its way up and down various mountain canyons and therefore difficult to contain. According to the California Department of Fire containment might not be accomplished until sometime in the end of August! The brave fire fighters have had a bit of help from Mother Nature the last couple of nights due to cool temps, coastal fog and calm winds.
We can smell the smoke and the sky is grey with the sun and the moon glowing a fire red in the early mornings and evenings. The Big Sur fire is just one of many fires in the State with its terrain loaded with dead trees and bone dry hill sides due to the continuing draught.
Let me go back to where I left off at the time of our last blog post, now close to two months ago. Yes, time flies when you have fun!
So, after a walk around Brigantino Park together with the Photographer and Garbo very early this morning, then a Pilates class at the best gym in Hollister namely Oasis Fitness and Yoga, I am settling in to give an update of the happenings around here lately. It was a busy time, that is for sure!
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| Photo by Sheryl Cohen |
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| Photo by Sheryl Cohen |
The most exciting, the most amazing, and the most fabulous event for me since I reported last was our Yoga Retreat up in the mountain regions of Mariposa. Our old stomping grounds!
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| Photo by Sheryl Cohen |
Invited to help cook for the event, together with Desi, the owner of the Oasis Fitness and Yoga Gym, I accepted the challenge with some trepidation as I ordinarily do not cook for so many people! It ended up that with Desi's experience, her calm confidence and with help from Sheryl in the kitchen we did just fine! Those two ladies rock! The same is true for Linda our fabulous yoga instructor!
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| Photo by Sheryl Cohen |
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| Photo by Sheryl Cohen |
Spending three days and two nights at her glorious place along with about fourteen additional awesome women was for me an experience like no other. It was fun, it was exhilarating, it was inspiring, it was WILD, and it was emotional!
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| Photo by Sheryl Cohen |
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| Photo by Sheryl Cohen |
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| Photo by Sheryl Cohen |
Together and or separately we meditated, relaxed, swam, hot tubbed, ate, drank, laughed, hiked, danced around a fire, hooted and hollered, drummed and "tambourined" our way late into the nights to then get up early to breakfast and yoga, lot's of yoga, all over again! Fabulously fun!
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| Photo by Sheryl Cohen |
Garbo was in "heat"! That situation always puts a kink in our existence and our routine. We weathered the storm however and now we are back as "regulars" at the dog park! There was the 4th of July Motorcycle Invasion to attend. Noisy and Fun!
Saga came to visit! We had a wonderful time! Or at least I did. We cooked and baked, made ice cream and sorbet, walked the Garbo girl, and went to the movies. She came along to the yoga and Pilates classes and Saga practiced her chipping on the golf course, impressing the heck out of some older "golf veterans", one of whom gave her a golf ball from Stanford. She does look like a Pro out there, taking long strides with those beautiful long legs of hers. She seems too enjoy herself and is a true joy to watch!
With perfect timing it just happened that we were invited to Kellie's Wedding Shower while the "Little Cousin" was still here! Saga loved being part of the fun event. Watching Kellie open gifts galore, partaking in fabulous food, making her own perfume at the "create your own fragrance" table and winning the Bridal Shower Game Prize! A "forever memory" I am certain
This coming week end we will be making a marathon drive down to the Los Angeles area to go and see Saga perform in a professional production of Peter Pan. Saga is playing the part of a pirate. We will be bringing the "little brother" with us back home as it is his turn to spend some solo time with the two "Grumps" his Gram and Gramps! Let's see how that turns out?
Since our last blog post there have of course been dinners and lunches with friends and family, as always! Minus The Future Chef who incidentally returns this coming week end from a month long vacation in Croatia with a bit of time also spent in Rome, Italy and a few extra days on the East Coast. It is going to be a great pleasure to hear about all of her adventures at our next Sunday Family Feast! We can hardly wait!
Our tomatoes are just now ripening as they got a late start and the summer has been rather cool. So far we have only harvested a few. Looking forward to tomato abundance shortly. Truly a summer pleasure! I see tomato sauce, roasted tomatoes, tomato pie, sliced, diced, and chopped tomatoes in my near future.... what do you foresee in yours?
