Magic places

Breitenbush Hot Springs
Oregon, USA
September 2004

This is one of my favorite places, one of the most magical ones I've even been at. Lost in the Oregon mountains, it used to be an old hippie commune. Today, it welcomes visitors that want to disconnect from the world and spend a few days enjoying the outdoor natural hot springs, the organic food, and most of all, the silence. There are no televisions, no cellphones, no cars, an no one seems to be in a hurry. There are none of the things that abound so much in modern daily life in the city.

Our home in Alaska has recently brought me memories of Breitenbush. I like this unconscious connection and it makes a lot of sense, really. On one hand, we don't have TV, or cellphone, or a car, and we're really not in a hurry to do much of anything. On the other hand, we have turned our shed into the original steam house that it used to be. To come out of the intense heat into the most clear and starry nights I have ever seen, adds a touch of intense mysticism to my life. Regardless of the -20F temperatures.

Castro de Baroña, A Coruña, Spain
December 1999

I remember many afternoons, a long time ago, up on those cliffs at El Castro watching the waves below us for hours. The power of the Atlantic Ocean crashing repeatedly against the rocks was mesmerizing.

That power of nature is the same one I encounter around me here, though in a very different form. It's at once more subtle and wild... and it intimidates me...