First Stop: Farm Heaven

Beets with a view!

I'm so happy to be back on the farm in Geyserville, California. Last year I spent three and a half months with the Berniers learning how to farm and garden the most delicious, organic produce in the land! I'm back for more farm fun this month.

I start my day with a strong cup of local coffee, ground at the farm, from Flying Goat (www.flyinggoatcoffee.com). A big bowl of oatmeal with honey and raisins and we're ready to tackle some veggies. The next 4 hours are spent weeding, planting, harvesting, tidying up garden beds and organizing restaurant orders. There have been some long days of garlic planting but I love every minute that my hands are in the crumbling earth, with my face soaking in the vibrant Cali-sun, as my fellow farmhands chatter and sing their garlic cloves into neat rows beneath the moist soil.
Garlic is the name of the game around here, where Yael, aka the garlic guru of California, grows 13 different varieties that she's collected around the world. We plant, we harvest, we clean, we braid, we sell and we eat this magical little gem! Life is sweet and garlicky 'round these parts!
Life is also a bit hectic with so many travel plans up in the air. I was accepted into a Vipassana meditation retreat nearby, but its a 10 day course and I would have to rearrange things. I think it will have to wait until I land in India. I promised my friend Brooking to visit her in San Diego and I've been looking forward to hanging out, drinking big mugs of tea and relaxing into Southern Cali vibes. I'm also considering coming back to Canada for Christmas...and then departing for India via Toronto.

But with all this juggling I must say life is sweet on the farm. Erica, a fellow wwoofer (www.wwoof.org), and I put together a CSA (community supported agriculture) food box for her Green MBA classmates. You'll notice that cracking into one of Yael's pumpkins takes a bit of skill and some handy tools...
Best food in the country, most humble, hard-working family with huge, beautiful hearts and really fun get togethers! We're also making yummy plans for American Thanksgiving and drinking some fab vino!
Life is fabuloso out here; with the farm dogs joining me for runs in the neighboring vineyards, mushroom hunting on the schedule for early next week and some funky concerts coming my way!

On the road again...

“There is something in October sets the gypsy blood
astir, We must rise and follow her; When from every
hill of flame, She calls and calls each vagabond by
name”
-William Bliss Carman

It's that time of year again, when I start scanning flight deals, squirrel away extra funds, lace up my hikers, pull out my trusty backpack and make sure my travel documents are in order. Then comes the hard question- where shall I go?! With 195 countries in the world this is tough to answer. I have been playing around with the idea to go to South East Asia (mainly Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos). While those countries hold an array of colourful cultures, an incredible history and more than this little nomad could ask for in the way of culinary delights, I'm just not feeling the pull to go there right now.

The Land of the Tiger is calling me! India has been my #1 destination for several years now and I was putting needless restrictions on myself to explore this fascinating, mystical country. A country that brings us tea, spices and yoga, where you can lose yourself in the bustling cites or find yourself on a mountain sanctuary.
I'm still working out all the kinks but ideally I would like to spend sometime on an ashram (meditation and yoga), a bit of time backpacking to see the splendors that India has to offer, do some mountain trekking and perhaps a wee bit of scuba diving and then volunteer for the rest of the time.

I have found an incredible project called Navdanya: www.navdanya.org. A progressive biodiversity farm, seed saving bank and Earth University learning center; a women centred movement for the protection of biological and cultural diversity. I have applied to intern here and awaiting the approval.


My cross canada plans didn't work out so I am flying from Detroit-San Fransisco and then I'll jet down the coast to visit my friends on the farm, in Sonoma Valley! I am really excited for American Thanksgiving on the farm! A few weeks late I'll head to San Diego to hang out with a dear friend before jumping a plane Asia-bound! This is depending on getting my visa to India processed in a month...

***
I am looking forward to this journey in front of me. There is some fear, much joy and a sprinkling of relief as I head back to my dusty trail to see what the fates have in store for me next!

Please feel free to follow this journey with me and I will try posting a few times a month, depending on Internet access and cyberspace will power.

I wish you all a big NAMASTE and I look forward to when our paths cross again.

Voyage from Marco Aslan on Vimeo.

8 Secrets of Success!

In Transition...

Moving back to Toronto I felt caught within a whirlwind of emotions and ideas. But, once I found how to move with the changes, and let go of the fear that often surfaces during transitional moves, I felt free! Free to explore the possibilities of the city, a new job, a different roommate/home and a new season.

I wish you all happy transitions and quiet moments to feel change and move with the flow of life!

Following is a lovely poem that captures the mood and moment:

Unconditional

Willing to experience aloneness,
I discover connection everywhere;
Turning to face my fear,
I meet the warrior who lives within;
Opening to my loss,
I gain the embrace of the universe;
Surrendering into emptiness,
I find fullness without end.
Each condition I flee from pursues me,
Each condition I welcome transforms me
And becomes itself transformed
Into its radiant jewel-like essence.
I bow to the one who has made it so,
Who has crafted this Master Game.
To play it is purest delight;
To honor its form--true devotion.

- Jennifer Welwood

Cheers to transformation!!!

Finding Balance?

How do you find balance? This question has come up a few times over the last week and so I'm going to put it out there. We all get swept along by jobs, time lines, relationships, and emotions. How do you free your mind, find solitude, connect with your inner god/goddess?! Now, now, I'm not getting all hippy-dippy on ya. I'm just saying we all need balance. Too much is too much.

As this question arises I hear a multitude of answers. Some look to writing/reflection, yoga, meditation, cooking, physical activities, soaking in a bath, spending time with loved ones, etc. But, I want you to go further than simply coming up with one of your past times that helps you unwind and relax. Why and how do these hobbies or quiet spaces provide solitude? Why do we need balance? What occurs when we live unbalanced lives? And what happens when we get lost in our experiences?

Create gaps in the stream of thinking! Without these spaces your thoughts become repetitive, uninspiring and not very creative. Boring! And who wants to live a boring life?

I was cloud gazing today, out here on the Saskatchewan prairies, and I discovered that we can learn a lot from a simple cloud. My Mom taught me the delights of the cloud game, many moons ago. We would search for images and make believe objects while lazily watching the clouds drift apart from our perfect spot lying on the grass or beach. As I grew older I used that game to help calm myself and others. I was often viewed as the mediator at school. Kids would run up to me, at recess, to ask my advice or opinion on different arguments. I felt special that they chose to ask me and I would listen to the dispute and tell them my advice. Sometimes, I didn't have a clue what to tell them and when I didn't know what to say I would lead the little group to the back of the school ground and tell them to lie on their backs and look up at the clouds. We would gaze up, pointing and telling each other what funny shapes we saw and the dispute would drift away, too.

Now, I find myself relating to cloud wisdom once again. As an adult I see the beauty and I am still in awe, mystified by their wonder and shape shifting abilities high above.

"How surely gravity’s law
strong as an ocean current
takes hold of even the smallest thing
and pulls it toward the heart of the world.

Each thing—
each stone, blossom, child—
is held in place
Only we, in our arrogance
push out beyond what we each belong to
for some empty freedom.

If we surrender
to earth’s intelligence
we could rise up rooted, like trees.

Instead we entangle ourselves
in knots of our own making
and struggle, lonely and confused.

So, like children, we begin again
to learn from the things
because they are in God’s heart
they have never left him.

This is what the things can teach us
to fall
patiently to trust our heaviness
Even a bird has to do that
before he can fly.


- RILKE (Book of Hours)

My Fun, Fun, Fun Farm!

While Wayne was running the highway I wandered into Indian Head, pop., approximately, 1500. There was lots going on in this small town on a Saturday afternoon. A tea bazaar was being held in the armories, a new hardware store was holding a grand opening bbq celebration and the main street was closed off to allow people to stroll along to shop or talk to friends. I had an extra bounce in my step as I made my way along Main Street in search of coffee and a place to write in my journal. However, I passed the two coffee shops as I felt propelled to venture to the end of the strip. I came up to a new/used trinkets shop and felt mesmerized standing in front of the quaint little window display. It was nothing out of the ordinary but it was just one of those moments, like, "yeah, this is where I need to be". I'm not really a shopper/browser yet I felt pulled to enter this store. Once inside I looked around for a bit before I was asked by the owner where I was from and how I had come about wandering into her store. We started to talk and sure enough this wonderful lady had lots to say. When she heard about the Cross Canada Run project she piped up about her history of being a foster care parent and the trend in her life to attract mental health causes. People who suffer are drawn to her and she has helped many affected. We kept chatting, I told her about couchsurfing and asked her advice on where we could shower and plug in the RV for the night in her town. Within minutes she was drawing me a map to her farm and inviting us to stay the night! I was blown away and also excited to explore her farm 10 miles north on their isolated land.

The next 24 hours was pure bliss! We had great conversations, a lovely meal and well deserved rest in their comfy, cozy farm house. Dixie and Robert Kleine moved from BC to Alberta to Indian Head, SK over several years after several jobs. They wanted a base after many years of wandering, living out of their funky bus and raising their kids. They found their paradise here on the Kleine Commune! They call it Whoville Farm and there's tons of cool, antique farm stuff, equipment and nick knacks that fit their wacky, free spirited lifestyle. What a wonderful couple! I'm so glad I wandered into Dixie's store that day!

Here's a few pictures to display my absolute gratitude and love for the farm, Dixie and Robert and all their fun, fuzzy friends who gave me hours of enjoyment!

Antique Saskatchewan

I have been fortunate to experience the beauty and antique side of Saskatchewan over the last week. It all started with a hotel stay at the 102 year old Wolseley Hotel in Wolseley, SK. Wayne was a bit skeptical at first since they were hesitant to give us a room. The hotel is full of old antiques, paintings, copper doors and frames, an ancient piano, books, one "lavatory" per floor, gorgeous, old radiators and funky carpets.
The hotel is located above a bar and the owners live in half of the building. We had been living in the RV for four days so it was time to find a real bed and shower. Luckily, they agreed to have us stay for two nights at a discounted price. At first it felt like we were staying in a haunted house. The walls creaked and moaned, the radiator tapped all night long and the dark hallways seemed to whisper of past affairs and long forgotten travel adventures. Cool!

That same night we were invited to Sandra and Ken Dobra's home in Grenfell, SK after our speaking engagement at the Grenfell Health Care Center. Sandra is a social worker and Ken is a retired teacher who is working on setting up the new 9-11 services for the province. They are a lovely couple with huge hearts, open minds and an active lifestyle! We spent a wonderful evening chatting, philosophizing and wining and dining over a fabulous homemade meal! Again, I was lead through an old, beautiful home with tons of Victorian flair! Sandi and Ken rescued their 100+ year old dream home over 20 years ago when they decided to settle down in the quaint town of Grenfell.
There was a great structure in place and with a few additions and new pieces they created a fabulous home for themselves and their two kids. I was in awe all evening and managed to capture some good shots on my way to the bathroom. Wayne and I left town energized and drunk on good vibes! Thanks Sandi and Ken for being our angels in Grenfell!