Incredible sunset on Kauai's west side
I got a call yesterday from my old friend and Master artist Giorgio Naranjo, inviting us to enjoy sunset and a campfire on the beach with some special souls. This sort of gathering happens on beaches the world over .. and on beaches the world over, I'm quite certain every lucky participant departs with gratitude and wonder at being granted the gift of life in such a magnificent universe.
Our evening began with the obligatory gathering and stacking of firewood into a generous mound that would become the communal human centerpiece, destined to bind us Mere Earthlings in a common bond of security amidst the immensity of an endless night sky and ever present sound of surf over soft and yielding sand. Once our firewood was stacked and ready, the camraderie began .. food and drink appeared .. tables and folding chairs were produced, creating the circle where we would watch, listen, and share with one another in that magical dancing light found only around the campfire.
Once the fire was deemed "ready for lift off", our camp became a flurry of activity. Tables, chairs, food, and beverages appeared from vehicles. It was a matter of minutes only before tables were enriched with a wealth of food, coolers were produced and waiting with wine, beer, sodas, and bottled water. Folding chairs of every description were retrieved from car trunks and were immediately formed into the Tribal Ring. We were ready. In relation to folding chairs ... may I humbly suggest you consider purchasing a real size "folder" and not one of those fancy looking but squatty little contraptions that sit only a few inches off the ground. If you refuse this advice, you are destined to suffer the same agony of discomfort I suffered every time I wished to stand up from, or lower myself to, ground level and that cutsie piece of furniture, complete with custom cup holder. I now understand clearly, that damned chair was laughing at me during each ascent and descent. If that wasn't bad enough, the fellow sitting next to me asked if I needed help at one point in time as I struggled to get out of "Satan's Clutch" ... a chair that is now earmarked for brutal destruction or a yard sale .. whichever occurs first. Please, join me in boycotting short, stubby, belligerent beach chairs!
It was still light, about half an hour before sunset, when the festivities began. Beverages were freed from their icy holding areas, chips and other snack foods emerged, and the sun softly slipped into the Pacific ... capturing our full attention and awe without making one sound. Soon, all mouths closed, all eyes opened, and the shared silence, enveloped in nature's beauty, roared inside our minds and hearts. Nature captured us last night ... She silently exploded in a symphony of light, and space, and color, and darkness, and stars .. and stars .. and stars ...... with only the ocean's pulse as an ultimate sound track for flawless beauty none of us will ever fully comprehend ... but all of us do fully savor. There are no words strong enough to describe the ultimate Mother ... gifting waves of perfect energy which leave even the most arrogant in a total state of absolute submission and bliss. Can't buy that at Macy's!
Nature's show never stops, but we humans also need one another to validate and share what we feel. Our fire was ignited and the night progressed from that beautifully powerful experience given to us, to a new verbal experience created by us. The evening moved along seamlessly ... it softened as the moon came into the night sky ... we said "good night" ... we left ... richer than we had arrived.
I know each of you has a "campfire memory" ... I invite you to please share it with everyone ... click here to give us your fond recollections in the comments section.
I wish a campfire moment for each of you ... in a world of peace, stimulation, and Nature's perfect beauty ...
Our evening began with the obligatory gathering and stacking of firewood into a generous mound that would become the communal human centerpiece, destined to bind us Mere Earthlings in a common bond of security amidst the immensity of an endless night sky and ever present sound of surf over soft and yielding sand. Once our firewood was stacked and ready, the camraderie began .. food and drink appeared .. tables and folding chairs were produced, creating the circle where we would watch, listen, and share with one another in that magical dancing light found only around the campfire.
Once the fire was deemed "ready for lift off", our camp became a flurry of activity. Tables, chairs, food, and beverages appeared from vehicles. It was a matter of minutes only before tables were enriched with a wealth of food, coolers were produced and waiting with wine, beer, sodas, and bottled water. Folding chairs of every description were retrieved from car trunks and were immediately formed into the Tribal Ring. We were ready. In relation to folding chairs ... may I humbly suggest you consider purchasing a real size "folder" and not one of those fancy looking but squatty little contraptions that sit only a few inches off the ground. If you refuse this advice, you are destined to suffer the same agony of discomfort I suffered every time I wished to stand up from, or lower myself to, ground level and that cutsie piece of furniture, complete with custom cup holder. I now understand clearly, that damned chair was laughing at me during each ascent and descent. If that wasn't bad enough, the fellow sitting next to me asked if I needed help at one point in time as I struggled to get out of "Satan's Clutch" ... a chair that is now earmarked for brutal destruction or a yard sale .. whichever occurs first. Please, join me in boycotting short, stubby, belligerent beach chairs!
It was still light, about half an hour before sunset, when the festivities began. Beverages were freed from their icy holding areas, chips and other snack foods emerged, and the sun softly slipped into the Pacific ... capturing our full attention and awe without making one sound. Soon, all mouths closed, all eyes opened, and the shared silence, enveloped in nature's beauty, roared inside our minds and hearts. Nature captured us last night ... She silently exploded in a symphony of light, and space, and color, and darkness, and stars .. and stars .. and stars ...... with only the ocean's pulse as an ultimate sound track for flawless beauty none of us will ever fully comprehend ... but all of us do fully savor. There are no words strong enough to describe the ultimate Mother ... gifting waves of perfect energy which leave even the most arrogant in a total state of absolute submission and bliss. Can't buy that at Macy's!
Nature's show never stops, but we humans also need one another to validate and share what we feel. Our fire was ignited and the night progressed from that beautifully powerful experience given to us, to a new verbal experience created by us. The evening moved along seamlessly ... it softened as the moon came into the night sky ... we said "good night" ... we left ... richer than we had arrived.
I know each of you has a "campfire memory" ... I invite you to please share it with everyone ... click here to give us your fond recollections in the comments section.
I wish a campfire moment for each of you ... in a world of peace, stimulation, and Nature's perfect beauty ...
From Kauai to Paris ... and all places between
Campfire on Kauai
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