"The Time Has Come"

the Walrus said, "To talk of many things: Of shoes—and ships—and sealing-wax— Of cabbages—and kings— And why the sea is boiling hot— And whether pigs have wings."

A bodhisattva doesn't have to be perfect. Anyone who is aware of what is happening and who tries to wake up other people is a bodhisattva. We are all bodhisattvas, doing our best.

- Nhat Hanh

This edition is about more recent events. You may have noticed that the substack has been… quiet. I have a couple of subjects to cover with this one…

Well it has been quite a summer and now as we're stumbling in the fall I would like to make a posting pretty much unlike anything I usually do.

On the main I tend to post about the distant past and adventures, but this post is about a season which encompasses this past summer.

It has been perhaps one of the busiest and most delightful times in our lives in recent memory.

I have to state that we have been busy with our wonderful clients, projects and to top it off travel and our son Rowan & his beloved Suzanne were joined in matrimony on the 1st of September.

Preceeding their wedding, we had a very large gathering of the wedding party and various relatives and friends at Caer Llwydd for the rehearsal dinner. I cooked chicken for those that eat meat, and there was a wide variety of shared food from many. All in all, there were some 35-40 guests at our table & home… Wonderful toast, good company and good food!

The wedding the next day was beautiful. Suzanne had chosen a wonderful location, Horning’s Hideout.

They had put together their vows over the preceding months. We are so overjoyed in their happiness. It has been a wonderful melding of families, friends and events.

Earlier:

June is a blur at this point remembering back. During the month, we were preparing to fly to Colorado to meet Suzanne’s extended family. Having not flown for many years, going via Southwest airlines was a trip and a half. Dealing with TSA is less than my favorite activity. The flight was fine but overcrowded and you couldn't choose your seat even with early reservations... I was enthralled though to have a window seat and to observe how empty the west still is.

We arrived okay, and spent the most delightful week at Suzanne's extended family’s cabin located in Green Mountain Falls, on the side of Pike’s Peak. The cabin has been in the family for over 113 years!

As you can see it's incredibly lovely. There is a stream running to the left of the cabin, making the most pleasant of sounds throughout the night. There are several cabins below, and a hiking trail above the cabin takes you up the mountain past streams, rock formations etc.

Suzanne's extended family is absolutely delightful, filled with artists, musicians, college professors & health workers. There were of course a couple of events, the bridal shower and an engagement dinner.

(As a kid, I had grown up in Colorado Springs for 5 years. It has changed beyond recognition though. Colorado Springs was a town of 36k people when I was there, it now has a population of 694k+ from what I have read…)

The week there was incredibly beautiful. The trip back was bumpy due to weather, but seeing the Columbia River as we came in across Idaho made my heart jump in happiness! I love this part of the world so very much!

Between work, editing and prep for the wedding it has been a wild and wonderful summer.

The Happy Couple A Few Years Back…

On Marriage

Then Almitra spoke again and said, And
what of Marriage, master?
     And he answered saying:
     You were born together, and together you
shall be forevermore.
     You shall be together when the white
wings of death scatter your days.
     Ay, you shall be together even in the
silent memory of God.
     But let there be spaces in your togetherness,
     And let the winds of the heavens dance
between you.
 
     Love one another, but make not a bond
of love:
     Let it rather be a moving sea between
the shores of your souls.
     Fill each other’s cup but drink not from
one cup.
     Give one another of your bread but eat
not from the same loaf.
     Sing and dance together and be joyous,
but let each one of you be alone,
     Even as the strings of a lute are alone
though they quiver with the same music.
 
     Give your hearts, but not into each
other’s keeping.
     For only the hand of Life can contain
your hearts.
     And stand together yet not too near
together:
     For the pillars of the temple stand apart,
     And the oak tree and the cypress grow
not in each other’s shadow.

- Kahlil Gibran

_______________________________

In A Landscape

Our wonderful friends/family of Angie & Holly took us out for a concert in the Willamette Valley… A solo performance by Hunter Noack in his “In A Landscape” series. Amazing moment in time. The set up: everyone in the audience gets Bluetooth earphones, allowing one to wander about, sit anywhere in the area around his grand piano. Hunter has performed all over the West, and points East. An incredibly eclectic set. Mary was enthralled, as was I.

Holly & Angie!

It was a wonderful way to spend a fall afternoon, among the beauties of the Willamette Valley, good wine, food, and of course incredible music.

The Wonderful Venue

Please check out Hunter’s website.

Here are a couple of pieces & composers I was totally unaware of that Hunter presented…

The concert was held at : Soter Vineyards What a location! amazingly beautiful.

We plan to see Hunter again next year!

Looking East from Soter Vineyards

Other News…

It looks like my book will be available from the publishers this coming December. I am very excited about it! I will be publishing more information after all is finalized.

Thanks for visiting, and more writings soon, I promise.

Pax,

Gwyllm