For 28 years silver-haired Mildred Norman Ryder wandered from place to place across America, walking over 25,000 miles to bring a message of peace to everyone she encountered. On her journey she took no money, personal belongings, or food. No cell phone, for in those days cell phones hadn’t been invented. What propelled her was confidence in the intrinsic kindness of human beings and trust in the goodness of life itself. She called herself Peace Pilgrim. Some have likened Peace Pilgrim to a Twentieth Century Saint Francis of Assisi.
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Whether you plan to refresh a weathered balcony terra cotta pot with vibrant geraniums or vivify a secluded patio with the perfume of gardenias, exploring your local garden shop will provide you with technicolor possibilities for putting your earthy creativity to work.
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Overhearing a conversation in the market about the return of the butterflies to Natural Bridges, we decided to brave the stormy weather ~ hoping the gods would grant a brief reprieve just for us ~ and see, for the first time, Santa Cruz’ version of San Juan Capistrano’s return of the swallows.
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People the world over are fascinated by the power of Nature. And I count myself as fascinée aussi.
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The popularity of the Polynesian Festival at the wharf last weekend – complete with outrigger canoe races, hula dancing, luau specialties, shave ice, lomi lomi (massage), Locals (flip flops), traditional arts and crafts, lilting slack-key music, and crowds dressed in their best Hawaiian florals – proves how far-reaching the Spirit of Aloha extends. Around our town, like on the islands, bumper stickers read “Live Aloha” nearly as often as those that say, “Keep Santa Cruz Weird.”
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The wake up call came at 6 am, Thursday, August 13th: a voluntary evacuation of Bonny Doon necessitated by the approaching Lockheed Fire. My first sleep-laden reaction was to deny that the fire would spread. Knowing that new first-responder protocols had been put into place since the Martin Fire here in June 2008, we decided to take this early warning to heart and commence packing in a focused but unhurried manner.
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The corner sign along Highway 1 in downtown Davenport, California, reads:
Antiques
Brocante
Gifts
The first and third words are familiar, but Brocante? Well, it happens to be French for “second hand.” Leave it to the French to make “second-hand” sound first rate!
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