Interesting day. (Saturday)

I stayed in Monterey again last night and then headed on down the coast. Now I know why I was told I need to make this drive: way more beautiful than the Oregon Coast. Just awesome! I took me 5 hours to drive 37 miles... I had to keep stopping to check out the beautiful views.

I stopped at one of the restaurants for breakfast but it was so expensive that I decided to just get a burrito from the store. Made several balloons but didn't get a good reception. I decided to ride down to where Johnny is staying before trying to find a place to camp.

I thought that I might have to just park beside the road and unroll the sleeping bag. I mentioned that idea to a woman who was working on her motor scooter and she asked if I had a bivysac. I said no and she immediately said, "Here, have mine. It's about 20 years old but should still work." I love the way the Universe works! Turns out that she owns several companies and was carrying the bag on the off chance that she might get stuck someplace without a a hotel. She planned to be home before dark. She had bought the bike in Tuscan and was riding it home; 8 days on the road. No freeways.

I then decided that I would rent a campsite if I could find one that was inexpensive enough. After trying a couple places, I found one for $17.50: I got it for half the price it would normally cost. It was a busy night for the grounds and I had to set up in the dark. Nice place, but I had no food or water. So, off I went to find some.

I rode about a mile down Hwy 1 to the Fernwood Grill. I ate dinner and made a balloon for the waitress. Another woman saw me twist and said that she also twisted. Sure enough, she proved that she could do it. She was there to visit with her friends so we only spoke for a short time. I did enjoy talking with her friend for a while. Thought about "making a play" but it would have violated my vow to refrain from sexual misconduct. Since she had been drinking, she wasn't in a condition to give clear-minded consent. So I slept alone.

Monterey

Hi all,
Don't know if it is the riht thing to do, but I trust: I decided to stay over another night. Thanks to the generousity of my friend, Wendy. Hopefully, I'll be able to replenish my funds from twisting today. I'm also going to try to find a local can provide tent or couch space.

It is amazing how many people I meet who wish they "could do" what I'm doing. Little do they know, obviously, that they CAN do what I'm doing and it is just fear that holds them back. Well, fear, and the conditioning that they must remain separated and independent from each other or society will think one is a "loser". Personally, I feel that the more I am ablle to help my fellow man, regardless of race, sex, creed or financial situation, the more my joy grows.

Just by the shear numbers of people who confide in me about their desire to be able to connect with others, I can see that we are living in a dysfunctional societal model. The smaller the group that must sustain themselves, the more they have to rely on commerce to survive and thrive. So, how best to create consumers than to isolate people a diminish the sense of community and of freely helping one another? After all, generosity can't be taxed, but money in the bank can be. Well, I guess some generousity can be taxed since anything over a certain amount needs to be declared and there is a "gift tax".

But community cannot be taxed as far as I know. If I grow a garden and feed you with the bounty of nature, that will deprive (taxable) income from the big farmer, so it is best to discourage such transactions. Offering a stranger a space to sleep deprives a hotel of taxable income and fosters friendship which means less trade...and less riches and power for the 1%.

Perhaps this sounds paranoid , but it also makes sense...to me, at least. Actually, I feel sorry for the poor 1%, the resst of the country have the ability  to regain the sense of local and world community without too much change to their lifestyle. The same cannot be said of the super-rich. I now understand what is meant by, "It is harder for a rich man to get to heaven...", heaven in this sense is freedom to love everyone. If your livelihood depends on thinking of the rest of the human race as sheeple, then one is so much less likely to see others as brothers and sisters.

Thanksgiving...

It started off quite lovely at my friend's house. Wendy is such an amazing and wonderful woman! Had oatmeal and corn chowder for breakfast. I still hadn't figured out where I was going, so I got on Google Earth and checked out what towns was close to where my friend, John, is staying. Carmel, California, is the closest town.

So, after saying goodbye to Wendy, I hopped on the bike and headed out. It was a long, but pleasant ride. Got to Carmel and found that it is a town of rich people who cater to anyone who wants to spend a lot of money. Lovely place, but no where for one who didn't want to spend $200 a night for a hotel.

I headed back up the road and stopped at a hotel in Monterey. They wanted over $60 for a room but after explaining what I was doing, the woman at the front desk called around and, unable to find a cheap hotel, gave me a room for $50.50. I think it is the nicest room in the hotel! Two big beds, a gas fireplace, clean, first floor, and I was able to park the bike just outside the room.

Well, after settling in, I set off to find some food. I walked throughout town but didn't find any place until late...but had a great fish sandwich! The food made up for the noise in the bar.

I had great fun while riding through town stopping to make balloons for four little boys who were in awe of people on motorcycles. Seeing the faces of the kids while I make the balloons is truly priceless! And I have begun a contest, kinda, to see how many people I can trigger to say, "You've made my day!" It is common very fulfilling to live in such a way as to have "strangers" feel that their lives are enriched for having encountered me. Too cool!

Okay, I still have a lot to do while I have a comfortable place to work on the 'net.

Huh?!

Funny thing, seems I may have suddenly wound up without a place to stay tonight. The place I was going to stay suddenly is occupied by a sick woman and she feels it wouldn't be a good thing for me to come stay there. I stopped to get a bite to eat when I got the call. I've found that it's difficult to find a cheap hotel ($50) around here. I may have to bite the bullet and spend a bit more. I'm too tired to ride south until I run out of city. At least it isn't raining. :-)

So, I'm going to attempt to post a picture of my new tablet. It's pretty cool! And to be able to get it so cheap; only $150! I can put it in my motorcycle coat pocket. It also can run for about 6 or 7 hours. Way better than the laptop...even with the new battery. Those are finger smudges on the screen.

Time to go find a hotel room.

Lots of fun stuff!

I got to meet one of my main teachers today, though he didn't know that I was his student until we met. I went by IMC and met with Gil Fronsdale. It was great, being able to put a face with the voice. The only time I've seen him is just a few not-so-good stills and one older video. It was interesting, seeing him in person.  As many of you may know, I've been listening to his talks on www.podcasts.org for many years now. It was pleasant to see him in person. He is taller than I thought he might be. (I remember once wondering and I guess I still had the impression than he was around my size. He's actually a bit taller.)

He gave a talk about Right Livelihood. I'm happy to say that by his understanding of the term, I'm engaged in right livelihood. :-)

Another lovely eventis that the Universe presented me with a very nice tablet computer with a bluetooth keyboard of Craigslist for only $150. It's worth quite a bit more than that. I'll still need to carry the laptop around for a while to make sure the tablet works for everything I need for the tablet to do.

Bridge

Well, pooh! Just had another little chunk of my busted bridge break off. If this keeps up, I'll have a lopsided smile. ^_^ Guess that might add character. :-)

Now to see if I can get back to sleep.

Mindfulness and guidance...

Last night, Lalena and I hosted a mindfulness dinner. This is a situation where attendees eat in noble silence, paying strict attention to the action, or life, of eating, tasting, smelling, feeling, seeing or thinking about the food and whatever might arise while eating. The silence and attention paid to the act of eating enhances everything about the meal that it often is a transformative experience to novices. "Noble silence" means no communication with others: no touching, meeting eyes, speaking or any other attempt to meet souls with another. One seeks to cultivate a bubble of quiet attention around oneself. This action frees up energy to focus inward on one's own experience.

We had 10 participants in last night's dinner. The food we chose needed to be good warm or cool. Mindful dinners often take a while to finish. We placed the food on a low table in the living-room and sat in a loose circle. One by one, we filled a plate and sat back down. When everyone had gotten food, I gave some instruction about mindful eating and we began. The meal lasted about 40 minutes. Afterward, we shared what our experience was. Five participants admitted that it was the first time they had truly tasted the food they ate. We often are so busy in our minds that we consider eating to be one of those tasks that we can put on automatic pilot.When we slow down and focus our full attention on what we are doing, it is like focusing the sunlight through a magnifying glass. Eating is one of those areas in our lives where this phenomenon is most evident.