Cheryl and I take the red-eye home tonight, and somewhat bleary-eyed, I expect to show up at the office tomorrow, so for all intents and purposes, my sabbatical is pretty much over. It has been an amazing twelve weeks. I would like to begin this final entry by expressing my deep gratitude to those who made it possible. First, of course, to Cheryl for supporting me in this and all things, and for holding down the fort at home during my long absences. Then to my associate Ashley and the rest of our wonderful staff at Church of the Pilgrims, for making my sabbatical absence a meaningful time for the congregation. (I confess to some post-sabbatical jitters: Ashley has done such a great job, will they want me back?) Then to my sister Janet and my beautiful daughters Andrea and Kelsey, for accompanying me on key legs of my journey. Time alone was well spent, but the time with them was even more precious.
Cheryl's father and his wife, Bob and Jan Keil, joined us in California. 
After a couple of days site-seeing in San Francisco, we headed up in to Sonoma County to taste some wine and indulge in Nothern California Cuisine. (That's the "good food, good wine, and good company" part). Our hosts at the Bed and Breakfast welcomed us as if we were guests in their family home, and joining the other guests around the breakfast table in the morning reminded me that hospitality is still practiced well in some corners of our individualistic culture.
After a couple of days site-seeing in San Francisco, we headed up in to Sonoma County to taste some wine and indulge in Nothern California Cuisine. (That's the "good food, good wine, and good company" part). Our hosts at the Bed and Breakfast welcomed us as if we were guests in their family home, and joining the other guests around the breakfast table in the morning reminded me that hospitality is still practiced well in some corners of our individualistic culture.
After dropping Bob and Jan off at the airport Sunday night, Cheryl and I headed south to Sunnyvale, where Cheryl is coordinating another teacher conference for the U. S. Department of Education. On Monday, I was on my own. After exploring all my options,
I decided to head over to Big Basin Redwoods State Park, which is in the Santa Cruz mountains, about an hour and a half away, and the largest stand of ancient redwoods south of San Francisco. I arrived about 11:30 a.m. and asked the ranger to show me a good two-hour hike. She recommended Buzzard's Roost on Pine Mountain, which has 360-degree panoramic views of the mountains and the Pacific Ocean. She warned me that it was a steep elevation to the summit, and the guide books recommend you allow three to five hours.
I decided to head over to Big Basin Redwoods State Park, which is in the Santa Cruz mountains, about an hour and a half away, and the largest stand of ancient redwoods south of San Francisco. I arrived about 11:30 a.m. and asked the ranger to show me a good two-hour hike. She recommended Buzzard's Roost on Pine Mountain, which has 360-degree panoramic views of the mountains and the Pacific Ocean. She warned me that it was a steep elevation to the summit, and the guide books recommend you allow three to five hours. I wasn't sure I reall
y had five hours to devote to this hike, or that my over-fed body was up to the steep climb, but I just couldn't resist the idea of one more "mountain top" experience as my sabbatical came to an end. So after fortifying myself with a chicken-salad sandwich at the camp store, I threw caution to the wind, and headed off up the trail. Worried about the time, I moved at a pretty good clip, and actually made it to the top in less than an hour. (I would have said I'm in better shape than I thought, except for my sore muscles this morning!).
y had five hours to devote to this hike, or that my over-fed body was up to the steep climb, but I just couldn't resist the idea of one more "mountain top" experience as my sabbatical came to an end. So after fortifying myself with a chicken-salad sandwich at the camp store, I threw caution to the wind, and headed off up the trail. Worried about the time, I moved at a pretty good clip, and actually made it to the top in less than an hour. (I would have said I'm in better shape than I thought, except for my sore muscles this morning!). It was totally worth it. Just as you reach the top, Pine Mountain emerges
from the timber line, and suddenly you can see in every direction. The sky was entirely clear except for some low-lying fog along the coast. As I ate my sandwich, perched on a cluster of rocks ("Buzzard's Roost"), I couldn't help but think this was a fitting end to my adventures. This was the last of many experiences that literally took my breath away. I thought of one of my favorite Taize songs (and since I was completely alone on the top of the mountain, I sang it out loud) :
from the timber line, and suddenly you can see in every direction. The sky was entirely clear except for some low-lying fog along the coast. As I ate my sandwich, perched on a cluster of rocks ("Buzzard's Roost"), I couldn't help but think this was a fitting end to my adventures. This was the last of many experiences that literally took my breath away. I thought of one of my favorite Taize songs (and since I was completely alone on the top of the mountain, I sang it out loud) : Bless the Lord, my soul.
And bless God's Holy Name.
Bless the Lord, my soul,
Who leads me in to Life.
Then I headed back down the mountain-- also a fitting metaphor for my sabbatical. Like my walk in the woods, this 
too must come to an end. So this afternoon I will pack up our bags, figure out how we're going to get all this wine home to Washington, D.C., and then we will head to the airport, already my thoughts focused on what I need to do when I get back to the office.
too must come to an end. So this afternoon I will pack up our bags, figure out how we're going to get all this wine home to Washington, D.C., and then we will head to the airport, already my thoughts focused on what I need to do when I get back to the office. It will take some time for me to entirely process exactly what this experience has meant to me. It has exceeded all of my expectations. I worried before hand that returning to work after so much time away would be difficult, and perhaps it may be. But for now I am looking forward to getting back, catching up with life at Church of the Pilgrims, and figuring out how to creatively integrate my experiences with our ministry at the corner of 22nd & P. That, too, will be an adventure.
1 comment:
If you are still wondering about how to ship the wine, you can send it to my address (just include that check for the Broklyn Bridge too) :-)
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