Do you ever have the urge to write but really do not have anything pertinent to say? Do you ever feel like you should be doing something but the one thing that is making you happy is doing nothing?

This picture is of some friends I met at a retreat outside of Nagpur, India in Feb 07.

On Thursday I'm leaving for New York to the Padmasambhava Buddhist Center with my friend Derek. I'm looking forward to a week of practice, solitude, work and breathing! Derek has been working with the centers teachers Venerable Khenpo Palden Sherab Rinpoche and Venerable Khenpo Tsewang Dongyal Rinpoche on their food service for retreats. They have asked Derek to start traveling with them to provide food at their off site retreats. It looks like we will be traveling to Florida in January for a 7 day retreat. Where the goal will to be create fresh vegatarian fare for 120 people at a budget of $5 per person.

I just bought a Hank Williams 3 CD, yes the grandson of Hank Williams Sr. He is an outlaw and pens songs like Trashville a song about how lame and cheap Nashville has become "they don't care about the music, you see" he growls.... http://www.hank3.com/ I don't believe Hank3 is a Buddhist but maybe an Anarchist? I like him!

it's Friday!

I came back to the farm to find Some fine folk (Kurt, McKenzie and Pauly) preparing to create Apple Pies, me hoping some lands on my doorstep when completed!

Amanda's Garden!

Homelessness, the Whites and the Open Seas.

On Sunday My Mom, sister and I roadtripped it up to Mt Washington, We stopped in Jackson for some lunch, went for a short hike and stopped in Wolfboro to check out Lake Winneaupausaukee. I hadn't spent time with my sister for about 5 years and it has been great to reconnect and feel like a brother again.

On Monday my friend Herman took me out on his boat as it was 80 degrees, and the water ways were pretty mellow except for some fishing vessels, a couple of sail boats and a number of different species of birds. I took a swim off of Odiorne Point, the water was nice. Herman is an excellent captain. We talked politics, capitalism, Cuba, women and spent most of the day verbally high fiving each other for having the flexibility to take advantage of a perfect day! We docked as the sun splashed down over the city of Portsmouth about 7 hours later.

On Tuesday Morning I had a cup of tea with Chris Sterndale, he is the executive Director of the Crossroads House, a transitional home for the homeless. Just this weekend a resident of 2 months overdosed of heroin. We talked about the issue and the population. Their are many factors, lack of low income housing options, mental illness, addiction and the what is sad a general hopelessness. I'm hoping to spend some time volunteering as I am drawn to this population as I understand we they are. It is easy for people to look and say isn't that sad, or their just lazy, or they create crime and suck up our tax money. Others with resources donate much needed funds and some other volunteer time, but what I have found is most people don't need sympathy and they sure don't need to be looked down upon. I'm not sure exactly what they need, but how about starting with a smile, or an invitation to have a cup of coffee or just a simple hello and a recognition that this person is you, you are this person.

Tuesday afternoon my friend Derek, Kurt and I played some horseshoes as the warm breeze off the Pisquataqua River created a downpour of leaves from the tree in Amanda's Garden. I ate the vegetable Chili brought over that he just made for Mizuna... I ate it trying to stop thinking about the inevitable end to this delicious, healthy bowl of goodness. Later I drove over to the Aryaloka Center to join the Sangha for it's Tuesday night gathering. We did a Puja and I focused on the words and breathed up the back of my spine!

Do you think this quote by Emma Goldman is controversial?
"If voting mattered it would be against the law?"

Can Larry come out and play?

I stopped at the hometown of Larry Bird on my way from SF to NH... A 7 day journey, with stops in Lake Tahoe, Salt Lake City, Moab, The Colorado Rockies and besides the French Lick excursion a straight shot from Denver to catch John Scofield at the Stone Church, which was worth the 2 1/2 days of driving besides stops to sleep, eat and relieve....

I'm in the foreside at the farm of local artist, activist, captalist and freind to all Mr. Ned Savoie. I've been boating, denailing, horse shoeing, catering, dishwashing, writing, reading , family and friendsing.... Attacking the colors, the smells, the red sox, the white mountains, the atlantic ocean and Teddie's Peanut Butter!

What are you doing? Where are you? Are you breathing?