Ojai Surrounded By Wildfires

Shared joy is a double joy; shared sorrow is half a sorrow.

Swedish Proverb

The fire started somewhere around here, close to the lovely town of Santa Paula. 

I read the Washington Post on my Kindle every morning, while having my breakfast in bed. For some reason, they have a reporter in Ojai covering the wildfires. This is what I read, and why I'm posting this. Don't know what I'm posting yet, but I do know that "shared sorrow is half a sorrow," so here I am, and here is what I read:

The largest of the wildfires - the Thomas fire, which spanned about 140 square miles in Ventura Country, roughly equal to the entire city of Philadelphia - surrounded Ojai on Thursday morning, officials said, endangering the popular winter retreat that is normally home to about 8,000 people. Most of the Ojai Valley was under a mandatory evacuation order. 

Between 1976 and 1985, I spent ten spring vacations in Ojai and, for me, the town is so much more than a winter retreat. It's a place where people come to seek spiritual growth and understanding; it's a place where artists gather, inspired by the beauty of the valley and the majesty of the mountains that surround it; it's a place of memories for me, of good friends, good food, hikes in the mountains, and so much more.

Rachael and I spent a day in Ojai last spring and I posted these three posts from there:

http://desertcanyonliving.blogspot.com/2017/05/meditation-mount-ojai-california-garden.html

http://desertcanyonliving.blogspot.com/2017/05/meditation-mount-ojai-california-path.html

http://desertcanyonliving.blogspot.com/2017/05/ojai-california-city.html

As I'm writing this, I'm calming down a bit and realizing that this is all equally horrific, from the poorest people losing their homes to Rupert Murdoch's vineyards buring down for all to see on TV. 

About 150,000 books here. And a wonderful tradition of trust, going back decades. I wrote about it in one of the posts above.

I don't watch TV in the mornings, so I don't know what else is going on. I just wanted to share my sorrow, the sorrow I feel for Ojai. 

But then, as I'm writing this, other sorrows come to mind. The sorrow I feel for the animals, the wild animals with nowhere to escape, so many horses that could not be saved, that will not be saved, other livestock, and pets. And the people suffering through all this.

The dogs and I are OK. We will be under Red Flag alert if the winds pick up, but so far it's calm here. I'm hoping that our cold nights will reduce the danger and so grateful to the tractor guy who cleared my land. 

Thanks for listening.

Meditation Mount, Ojai, California ~ The Path and The Views

The Path

Many people who are drawn to Ojai are on a path of some sort. Serious people with an interest in finding a path that will lead to a better life, better understanding, peace, truth, maybe even enlightenment. Rachael and I thought the inscription on this rock a very good idea. Good Will, it says. Something we truly need in our lives now.

Oleanders line the beginning of the path.

You walk through this wooden gate and

arrive in the garden that I pictured last week.

The path is not long, but the gardens are so massive, if gardens can be that. So many different plants, all so beautiful and interesting, growing together in harmony along the path.  

The Views

Ojai, is located in a valley, about 15 miles from the Pacific coast. The town is surrounded by mountains and hills. The Topatopa range, with an elevation of more than 5,000 ft., borders the valley to the north. Other mountain ranges surround the town, making for some gorgeous views from Meditation Mount. 

The climate is Mediterranean with many orange groves dotting the landscape. Since I spent springtime in Ojai all those years ago, the smell of orange blossoms evokes memories of this lovely town. 

But Ojai is more famous for its oak trees. Krishnamurti actually gave his talks in an oak grove, where all of us who came to hear this remarkable man, sat on the ground under canopies of ancient, magnificent oaks. 

Rachael and I talked about how each person we share time with in our lives, leaves us with something. And I am grateful for my eight years, plus, with Henry, who introduced me to Ojai and opened my eyes to a more thoughtful and spiritual life. He was a good man.

When you arrive at the end of the path, the views are gorgeous, amazing, and just plain beautiful. Rachael is enjoying it all here.

I will finish my Ojai posts next Sunday with some pictures of the town itself. 

Meditation Mount, Ojai, California ~ The Garden

Happy Mother's Day!

Rachael and I took a road trip the other day, through the high desert, the mountain pass at the Grapewine, ending up in Ojai, a place we have wanted to visit together for a while.

In the 1970s and early 80s, I spent ten May vacations in this lovely town. It's a spiritual place, home to among others the Krishnamurti Foundation of America, the Krotona Institute of Theosophy, and a Buddhist Temple. 

I'm very busy right now, both with springtime chores around here and visiting with friends, some of whom I haven't seen for years. And then spending the day after the fun or the work resting. I get so tired, but you can't let that stop you from having fun. Right? My point being, I haven't got that much time to think up blog stories and take pictures. But now I feel lucky to have a lot of pictures from Ojai to share. I will post some on Sundays for a while. 

I love to see a cactus in bloom and this one was really special.

I've never seen one so healthy and with such lovely yellow flowers before. 

The views from Meditation Mount must be among the most beautiful in the world and I will share them, the town, the cute shops, the famous bookstore, the beyond gorgeous oak trees, and even some rusty items I found. 

Again, have a wonderful Mother's Day!