Turtle Haven Yoga Center

As promised... pic's from my second to last house sitting. At the very end of a long, dead end road that carves into a valley offshoot... Two women, partners in life, have 'built' themselves an amazing and incredible, living & working space. To just say it's a small, almost private yoga studio and meditation sanctuary would be a gross understatement. Every square inch of this place lives, breathes and embodies love & nurturing... and before I left, I felt honored just to be a part of it. In the surrounding forest, they have laid out many paths that meander about, one rarely crossing another... And some of the previous 'guests'... owing in their own sense of immense appreciation, have built expressions of gratitude in the form a unique, thought provoking shrines, tucked in along the way. I've captured most of them, but some were 'working' pieces, and had to be experienced, and are difficult to explain. This place was/is a reminder of the direction I'm taking, the (what I think is the immediate) dream that I'm following... building my own, 'science of mind/L of A., sanctuary... with gardens and 'transporting' paths. Ironically again... I'm walking my path, and surprised/amazed & inspired by how my path now is crossing others of like mind. So as 'they' say... without further ado... enjoy the ride...

This is of course the view of their home upon entering the driveway...

The little place to the left is a tiny, two room 'cottage' for guests. It's an airy, simple, colorful & efficient living space.

The view from the backyard. The hot tub dead center, their den on the left, and bedroom up top left. The Feng Shui in this home made it feel as if it was alive. Can't explain it really... just that when I walked around, I just flowed with the place... through the place. No resistance, no blockages... just unencumbered & light.

Also, what is near impossible to show, is that every 'working' space available, was made into art. Countless shrines in all shapes, sizes and denominations lived throughout... little boxes, small stones, dried flowers... down to delicately, hand painted, foil mached, customized switch plates for the lights. But it never felt cluttered... testament I guess to them having been placed there through a true sense of spirit.

Every where I looked, and around every corner... there was something I thought was photographical...

A shot of the yoga studio taken from between the guest quarters and the main house...

A small shrine someone made for them... located on their porch...

The porch... duh.

Again, details on how they brought Art & Life everywhere, throughout...

Plants... again, duh...

I took so many pic's of this gate it's absurd... I just couldn't get enough of it and want to build my own asap. It's the gate to their flower garden, with the vegetables sown in around on the outside of the fence for easier, daily access. I did enjoy some great salads while I was there.

Hindu deity of sort...

One of a zillion shots I took of these flowers...

This is the staircase looking down from inside their bedroom (where all house sitters are invited to stay). Notice that there's an opening in the floor off in the upper right so that you can see down into the hallway. This detail is just one of many thats lends to the airiness and flow of the house.

When you (they) wake up... this is what you wake up to... and though the pic doesn't show it, there is a far away, snow covered mountain top directly behind the that forest ridge.

Every window sill was a platform for art...

View of the backyard from the driveway...

Beautiful, cozy, dining room table...

View down into the den...

An old, beautifully restored wood cooking stove... mit flowers again... I just loved this section of the room.

My artsy shot...

Looking down into the den... nice couch off to the right.

The view from the den... same direction as the upstairs bedroom.

Living room/dining room shot from the den...

My favorite spot of the house again... with my Boo in front.

Their front doorway...

The river that runs behind their property... soothing to sleep to at night.

And the beginning of many shrines that decorate the meditation paths through the woods...

Peace...

A mixture...

Tibetan prayer flags...

Don't remember...

Don't remember... again.

You can try clicking on these pic's to see more detail...

Wooden bridge with gong...

Path... duh.

Beam of sunlight hitting the very bottom of this hanging moss, highlighting the/an orthodox style cross?

My gate again...

Oh yeah... and nine hens and one rooster... that pr___k wakes up at 5:30 am. ;-) But I did enjoy fresh eggs for breakfast everyday after fetching them from the coop.

More shrines...

Ohmmmmm... more shrines.

Breakfast... though you can't really tell... the color of the eggs at the back are the palest of blue, kinda cool...

And Luka... outside of watering the plants & garden, and feeding the chickens, he was my main charge. Besides playing with a rubber frisbee for hours, we took a couple of rides while I ran some errands.

He was a very well mannered and regal dog...

The yoga studio...

Inlay at the entrance of the studio...

Shots of the inside... It's a wooden built yurt, and another work of art...

The beginning of another series of trail art and shrines... big & small.

No shit... believe it or not, though this one is no longer in use (I believe) but many homes around here are only years away from having abandoned these out houses. Where I now live... it is still my only... toilet.

Self portrait...

The End... ;-)

p.s. Next week... my move onto the River Farm - Co-operative Community... where the house I live in is practically homemade and has no electricity... it's solar & runs on car battery's... and I share an outhouse with spiders the size of your fist. Until next time... stay flexible in life, and of course... continue taking good care of yourselves :-) Alexis