The Top Quality in Your Life--Enjoy Flowers

Refresh The Top Quality in Your Life --Enjoy Flowers

The vase of flowers is a symbol of all the wealth of nature, brought indoors and arranged in its simplest form.  So refreshing and so fine an example of quality that seems to be put forth effortlessly, flowers speak to us in their own way.  The symbolic language of flowers was widely used in the Middle Ages by everyone, to express the feelings held in common by the masses, who could not read, and had no access to other forms of communication, often needing to say without words what they were forbidden to say out loud.

And flowers are sweet expressions of affection used by all.

Arranging flowers ia a great way to summon the same harmonies into your own life.  If you don't have access to flowers, you can always find illustrations of them.  Silk flowers are also a way to have the same energy visually represented.

This allows the spiritual beauty of the natural forms to be expressed in a new way, showing also the hand of human desires for harmony.  A cultural expression of appreciation, flower arrangement is an ancient art in many cultures.  Temples and churches feature floral displays, and every occasion of life is celebrated with flowers.

The vase is the symbol of the forces of affection being expressed in a spiritual way.  Add a few candles, and you have a display of harmony that soothes the inner being as few other expressions are able to do.  Flowers are of short duration in themselves, yet they express the eternal so strongly that they are held in reverence by all.

Wild flowers in Big Sur are a special treat.  When it's a good flower year, the hills are splashed with color as if someone had dumped out the paint bucket.


Come and visit!

New!  Youtube video: http://youtu.be/XmcVpeYVL3E

Three ways to visit me:

www.bettyofbigsur.com  My web site, where you will find information and updates about events and my work,

www.etsy.com/shop/bettyofbigsur, a shop to showcase and sell examples of my art and fashion designs,

www.retreatcampchecklist.com, a checklist about camping retreats, to let you know what is here, and let me know what you would like to have, and to do, in Big Sur!  Fun, quick, instant feedback!

Community and Hand Made Life

Community and Hand Made Life

This is my great-grandmother, Anna Nowak Novatne Horn, holding my grandfather, Alfred Sigmund Horn, in his dress-up outfit.  At that time, boys were kept in dresses until they were several years old.
The dress is of thin fabric covered with embroidery.

Three years later, at the age of four, the young man proudly showed off his new rifle!
People grew up fast in the mountains of Colorado.

The dress that Anna is wearing is made of several types of lace combined, and she is wearing an apron made of thin fabric with tucks and lace at the bottom.  Her high collar is typical of the attire worn by a young mother in those times.

The Novatne and Nowak families emigrated from Prague in Bohemia during the 1860s.  They were masters of wood carving, and textile arts, as well as other types of hand creations that were of high refinement and very much in demand for the homes of the wealthy.  The Novatnes were costume makers for the Vaudeville show business tradition in New York, as well as being active in the intellectual life of the region.  Anna spoke six languages.

The family traditions of art and wood carving held for many generations, and clans of artists lived together sharing their resources.  These types of community interactions formed the core of artistic life for generations in old Bohemia.

 There would be a large gathering each day at meals to share whatever had come to the family.  This tradition of sharing made sure that everyone had what was needed in life.  In this way, clans of artists made their way for centuries in whatever types of circumstances came along.  The table would be decorated splendidly with hand made linens and all types of ornaments, to assure everyone had a place among whatever wealth had been accumulated.

"There is a strength of quiet endurance as significant of courage as the most daring feats of prowess."....Henry Tuckerman

Anna's hardanger and silk embroidery are still very beautiful to this day.

Quiet Joy to Keep With You

Bamboo is one of the strongest symbols of inner peace. 
It has a quiet nature of simplicity that shows us the value of tenacity.

Light and resilient, it bends in the wind, and has a tensile strength greater than that of steel.

In the Far East, bamboo is revered as a building material, and multistory scaffolding is built of it rather than of steel.
Ten stories or more in height, the lashed structures will hold workers who are doing repairs on very large buildings whether new or of great age.
 
Large buildings are made of timber bamboo pegged and lashed together.  they are strong and withstand the elements for long periods of time.

This small stand of yellow-stemmed bamboo has a space inside it, since it grows outward in concentric rings.  Over the years the quiet space has been a fort and refuge for children and a tiny palace of the imagination.  It holds about four or five children at a time.

"The heart that is to be filled to the brim with joy must be held perfectly still."....Bovee

Taking the time to create that quiet space within so that you can notice the joy that is always there will bring you greater resilience and allow you to be at peace with whatever life brings to you.

It will allow you to prevail, also.  The ancient law of charioteers is,
"When the still heart is firm, fresh energy is victorious."

May you have both peace and victory today, and carry that quiet joy with you always.

Come and visit!

Three ways to visit me:

www.bettyofbigsur.com  My web site, where you will find information and updates about events and my work,

www.etsy.com/shop/bettyofbigsur, a shop to showcase and sell examples of my art and fashion designs,

www.retreatcampchecklist.com, a checklist about camping retreats, to let you know what is here, and let me know what you would like to have, and to do, in Big Sur!  Fun, quick, instant feedback!

How to Enjoy Getting Simple in Big Sur

How to Enjoy Getting Simple

"Of all things, simplicity is the most difficult to be copied."---Sir Richard Steele

Heading out for a walk on the trail, one finds a vista like this one near the road entering the property.  Oaks and maples have a thick covering of moss, and the smell of pines, just behind you, fills your lungs with the fresh feeling of health and vitality.
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How to Enjoy Getting Simple in Big Sur

Waking up in the southern mountains of Big Sur is always a delight.  Songs of birds and the lovely chirps of small creatures add just the right sounds to your mornings as you hear only the sounds of the hills.  You may very well see various types of wildlife on your way through the woods.

Outside concerns just fade into the distance as you breathe fresh air and see the display of nature's glory.  You feel that you are a samll part of the greater picture, and this is so refreshing.  New insights and ways to find peace of mind are right there waiting to speak to you, and you have the tme and place to hear the messages.

It is easy to see how simple life really is without the distractions of too much information of too fast a lifestyle.  Give yourself the chance to really relax in nature and set your spirits free by coming to this delightful refuge.  Visit the south coast and find the hidden world of the back country.


Come and visit!

Three ways to visit me:

www.bettyofbigsur.com  My web site, where you will find information and updates about events and my work,

www.etsy.com/shop/bettyofbigsur, a shop to showcase and sell examples of my art and fashion designs,

www.retreatcampchecklist.com, a checklist about camping retreats, to let you know what is here, and let me know what you would like to have, and to do, in Big Sur!  Fun, quick, instant feedback!

Try this fun and easy checklist to learn more, and let me know about what you would enjoy.

I will make every effort to ensure you a fantastic experience.

Essential Freedom in Simplicity--Refresh your Inner Life

Essential Freedom in Simplicity--Refresh your Inner Life

The mandala above is my own work, crocheted in embroidery floss.  It holds a great complexity in its pattern, and yet it resolves into a simple design that is pleasing and refreshing.  The piece is about 11' in diameter.

For me it is an illustration of quiet concentration, a project which anchored me during a difficult period of my life.  By focusing on the overall design while yet handling all the details, I was able to move forward without getting stuck on what was happening around me, since I was busy thinking about what was going on inside of my own universe.  A pretty neat little trick for mediation, this needlework stuff!

Focusing on the things that are working rather than on my own ideas about "how things should be" has been a great key for serenity. 

There is so much in life that is not subject to our own control, yet by creating objects of beauty, that same energy can be made visible in a form that transcends its original function.  The beauty outlasts the force that created it.

So I want to share with you the product of this experience, and invite you to join me for creative relaxation and community  her in Big Sur.

There are many types of creative retreats being planned and created here in Mill Creek.


Come and visit!

Three ways to visit me:

www.bettyofbigsur.com  My web site, where you will find information and updates about events and my work,

www.etsy.com/shop/bettyofbigsur, a shop to showcase and sell examples of my art and fashion designs,

www.retreatcampchecklist.com, a checklist about camping retreats, to let you know what is here, and let me know what you would like to have, and to do, in Big Sur!  Fun, quick, instant feedback!

Retreat Camp Philosohpy

Here is an example of Camp Philosophy!  The very simple way of living that centers around the camp fire is illustrated by the fabulous kebabs, so easy to prepare and so much fun to eat.

Barbecued vegetables, meats and breads are a staple of camp life.
Anything that can be made more simple adds to the fun.

That's the beauty of it!

Just the basic level of having plenty of good food and company, along with a minimum of concern for things that take a lot of upkeep , the everyday concerns of living large, the busy thoughts of keeping up with things....this will bring about a level of relaxed interaction that causes the mind to experience a type of pleasure based on contact with nature.  We are talking renewal!

Fresh air, clean water and beautiful surroundings will refresh the creative spirit with vibrant and powerful new energy.

If you would like to learn more about how to have a really great experience outdoors in a fully supported camp environment, please contact me at
retreat@bettyofbigsur.com.
Betty Withrow
(831)667-2314


Come and visit!

Three ways to visit me:

www.bettyofbigsur.com  My web site, where you will find information and updates about events and my work,

www.etsy.com/shop/bettyofbigsur, a shop to showcase and sell examples of my art and fashion designs,

www.retreatcampchecklist.com, a checklist about camping retreats, to let you know what is here, and let me know what you would like to have, and to do, in Big Sur!  Fun, quick, instant feedback!

Nacimiento Road

This view of Highway 1 from the bottom of Nacimiento Road shows the character of the South coast area of Big Sur, with its rugged cliffs and winding ways.  The vegetation near sea level is relatively small, and shows the twising effects of wind and the hot temperatures of summer, alternating with the rains of winter.

As one proceeds up
Nacimiento Road, the forest areas in the inside corners of the road grow more frequent and the trees larger.  Some small habitats that go up very steep terrain hold the dens of wild animals, and deer are very frequently seen jumping to and from the road along their well established trails.

Redwood trees grow right next to the road, and they are larger higher up the hill.  Further back in the canyon, the forest environment is thick and the trees still show the effects of the 2006 fire that passed through.  The north side of the canyon has much more vegetation than the south side, and the trees are much larger.  This is because the summer heat on the south slope evaporates so much of the moisture.

Nacimiento Road was built in the late 1800s, using labor from China.
In the early days it was best by bandits who would hide aboe the road to swoop down upon the unwary.
Miners who wanted to take their gold to the valley would use alternate and secret trails to get there.
the road was a narrow way of unpaved clay, slippery and dangerous in the winter months.
When I first lived in the mountians, getting to town was a pretty big deal!
Nacimiento was a dusty mess in the summer, too...It was paved in the mid-1970s.

It is the only road over the mountains, between Highway 1 and Route 101, that is located south of Carmel Valley Road, far to the north, and Highway 46, south of Cambria.

It holds scenic vistas of amazing splendor and is a popular viewpoint for artists.

Nacimiento Road is kept open as the highway of choice by Monterey County for transport of heavy equipent used to maintain and repair road circuits in the area.
In the event of land slides on Highway 1, it is the main access route for the entire region, passing through Fort Hunter Liggett to the east before intersecting Jolon Road which goes to Highway 101.

My studio and home are in the upper reaches of Mill Creek, off a couple of ridges from this famed road.
To learn more about my work, and  get in touch with me about getting out into the wild in a comfortable and fun way, 

fill out this checklist: www.retreatcampchecklist.com

Like to see my work?  Visit the web site at www.bettyofbigsur.com 

Like what you see?  Visit my Etsy shop:  www.etsy.com/shop/bettyofbigsur