Day Four - Sunol to Quail Springs

Another Day on the Road....
brought us to Quail Springs Permaculture Farm in New Cuyama, about 100 miles North of L.A. But it's a different world. One of my favorite places in the world. This is the fourth time I've traveled here in four years, and each time I am amazed and thrilled at the changes I see in this place, where a small group of people are working hard to live in the rhythms of the land around them. Helping life to grow in the desert, and caretaking the land as they do so. We will be here for four short days, filled to the brim with work and play.

One of the things that I notice when I come here is that the pace at which I typically move is very fast. This landscape isn't necessarily gentle, but it's rhythm is slow. Somehow, here, my speech seems too abrupt and my movements glaring. It is a place to sink into. To facilitate this transition for the students, we left them on the dirt road about half a mile from the main area of the farm. As they disembarked the vehicles, we
instructed them to silence their voices and stretch their senses out across the landscape, noticing the smells and sounds, the taste of the air and the feel of the sun and wind. They then proceeded to walk up the road in silence, taking the time to feel the earth beneath them and settle into this place. As I share our stories from the next few days, maybe you will pick up some of this quieting too.