For 18 years now, I’ve lived on the edge of a cliff. Literally. [I live on other edges, too, but that’s another story.]
It’s been an exhilarating ride, indeed. I feel honored to be steward of such a spot. It’s also been a major headache as the cliff is on an unstable part of the island.
Until this year, there has been little movement to speak of on my property (other than the 1999 storms which caused a mile of the island to sink 8 inches, ending at the edge of my house). This past March, we lost about 15 feet of the edge of our cliff.
The good news: we discovered the slide was caused by a leak in our own drainage. The bad news: we had to build a retaining wall and new drainage to ensure there won’t be more slippage. The better news: we built a new observation/yoga/meditation deck atop the retaining wall, giving us glorious views of Puget Sound and the Cascade Mountains.
Gordon and I call our house Soundcliff: both a description and a prayer [And – thanks to those who’ve asked – we fared OK in the recent rain and windstorms.]
***
Soundcliff / Sacred SpaceOur home is sacred space...
and on sacred land
Soft land that won't be here in centuries
But now both sacred and somewhat scared...
Amazing water views, floating...
Witnessing that majesty of horrible fire, Tahoma
Air creatures, sea creatures, land creatures all around
Botanical exuberance delights and feeds us
Each room a shrine to daily life
Each life altered at the altar of existence
Inviting inner reflection while inspiring outer beauty
Better not to talk about it
Just be in it
And listen...
2 comments:
Hi Stephen! Enjoying going through your blog....I thought of the difference between the place your home is built, and the place where DnA got married, which stands on a rock which is amongst the oldest known to Man....about 3 million years on the surface of the earth!
Hope your retaining measures are effective...
deponti-on-livejournal
Hi
Stephen, I have never done this before so I am not quite sure what it
is that I am doing. I liked reading your blog. It was fun, informative,
and I don't know a very fine way to enjoy my morning tea. I liked your
poem but something was missing for me. I think it has to do with the
playfulness, that in spite of the fact that your house maybe slipping
slowly into the sound there is a playfulness, silliness, joy that
doesn't cover the eventual reality but runs alongs side it. That maybe
important to me because that is something I do a lot, play in the face
of desaster. A little over stated but I since this is my first time be
kind. Hope to see you soon, Marya
Oh you all have to aplaud loudly. I hadn't signed up for whatever allows me to post here. So I saved this and put it on desk top and then signed up with Google etc and then pasted what I wrote here back and here we are. OOOh I know I sound like a three year old but that is what my computer reduces me too. Anyway I feel putting sumg. Maryam
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