Down to Earth at Green Gulch Farm

The San Francisco Zen Center (SFZC) at Green Gulch Farm (GGF) holds a children's program on the first Sunday of the month (unless GGF is in retreat). Their web site has details on the GGF schedule, including information about the children's program and their coming of age program.

This last Sunday, I had a nice day with my daughter Maisy. It was very busy with lots of families for a warm, sunny day at the green dragon temple.

At a little after 10 am, roused by the resonant bellows of the large green dragon bell, we sat at the front of the zendo awaiting the darma talk. This week we listened to a wonderful fairytale about an incarnation of the Buddha as an ox, known to his master by the name Great Joy.

After our short dharma talk (about 15 mins), we left the zendo and meandered into the garden for a brief ceremony to offer and receive blessings of Jizo Bodhisattva, protector of children and travelers. Then, in walking meditation, we made our way into the farm to get our hands dirty in the potato patch.

We all pulled potatoes from the soil and placed them into large boxes. The children were able to keep a potato; we took ours home for our Sunday dinner. This was a rare and wonderful experience for the children to learn about the source and preparation of raw food, from the soil to the dinner plate.

After the potato digging, we made our way back to the garden. Maisy has been raising caterpillars for the past few weeks. On Sunday, we released our butterflies into the GGF garden, where there are plenty of colorful, aromatic flowers. Lots of kids were excited to see them released. It's a magical moment to see the butterflies leaving their home and fluttering off into the garden.

The children's program includes a light morning tea of juice and muffins. The kids often enjoy playing on the small playground equipment in the garden. Maisy is especially fond of the monkey bars, proud to show off her new talent for swinging.

The GGF kitchen offers a reasonable vegetarian lunch at noon. We had a nice lunch of soup and salad (well, I had soup and salad, Maisy had some bread and a bit of soup).

It was a lovely day with my little girl :-)

Blessings,
Darren Weber

OFF TO THE TREES

ROY'S REDWOODS is the perfect place for a family outing that's nothing short of awesome.
Tucked in just off of Nicasio Valley Road, this short hike is a gem of a gem.

A quick 15 minutes outside of Fairfax, you'll notice the cars lined up along Nicasio Valley Road. Pull in and head towards the slight slope down to the trail head (a handy port-a-loo is off to the right).

Once on the trial, within just a few feet, you'll find yourself already feeling like you're miles away. The long flat trail, and the wide open space, will have your little ones charging ahead with blissful abandon.

If you're traveling with a 5+ year old, you'll have no problem doing the entire hike. With little ones (3 and under) in tow, it's best to walk straight into the redwood grove for a magical picnic amongst the spectacular trees.
[Actually, with the poison oak in full swing and the dusty trails of the summer--it might be best to do just the short walk with the kids into the grove, saving the full hike for Fall or next Spring.]

The grove is incredibly inviting. There are logs to balance on and a cool serene setting provides a welcomed shelter from the sun. If you walk around to the right of the large cluster of sister redwoods in the center, you can easily climb inside this joined family of trees.

Our morning adventure energized the entire family and still left time for chores. Pack a lunch and fit the kids with backpacks and bandannas--and head off to the trees!

Simple pristine beauty with an abundance of wild life––right outside the backdoor.

FREEDOM FIELD

Our feet run over the green expanse,
bees scatter, grass bends.
Laughing,
breathing hard;
the air holds just a hint of the day's heat.
The hour moves fast,












but the freedom lasts.

Join us to celebrate the opening of The Point Reyes Farmers Market Saturday, June 27th!

One of my favorite things to do each summer is to scoot on over to Point Reyes to visit their extraordinary farmers market. It's an easy 40 minutes or so from San Rafael and you won't be disappointed! An outing worthy of royalty...and the rest of us too!!
The market will be held every Saturday, June 27th to Nov. 7th, 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. at Toby's Feed Barn in downtown Point Reyes Station. Don't miss the opportunity to purchase wonderful, locally grown products, from the only all local, all organic market in the county!
Opening Ceremony begins at 10am with a toast to this year's bounty!
Also, don't forget to cast your vote for your favorite farmer's market, the Pt. Reyes Farmer's Market, on both the Local Harvest website and on the American Farmland Trust website! Both are great ways to give back and offer gratitude to the wonderful folks who make it happen each year!

For more information on the market, please visit the Marin Organic website.