Oh, I will sit with you for this. How awful. I've never been to Tassajara, but have been nearby, and the place is dear to me because Suzuki Roshi taught me so much. May its physical manifestation be spared.

Te amo gatita. Chris has been down in Palo Colorado for about a week now, clearing brush and waiting for the next day, the next hour, the next minute to see what nature brings. At least he got to buy that chainsaw he's been wanting.

I'm sending my good thoughts to the zen center. I've never been there, but every year my best school friend would go there for a time in the summer, and report back with the extreme detail that only pre-teens can accomplish. On the news report tonight they said that the fire was about half a mile away from the center. "We see the fire as renewal", as someone at the center said.

Sometimes so many lives can change on the decision to either try and hold on or to try and let go. I wish them the best in deciding which to go with, and when.

The best site I've found so far for updated and local information, like specific houses that have burned, is surfire2008.org.

<3

Thanks, Beth. So hard to separate the place from its heart. I feel now especially for the monks and students displaced (and the guests who were long anticipating their retreat).

Amorita, good to hear from you. I hope Chris is safe. The seeds you sent have sprouted vines that are three feet tall already. Miss you.