Day 152

It was a busy day with puttering and errands and walking. In the afternoon, Megan joined us and after a walk through the park we had pizza at Sea Quake. It was time well spent with a beautiful day and a new place to explore. Today is overcast and warm and walking will be on the agenda again. I’m not going to church. I may attend on the days Fr. David comes because Communion draws me. The ritual is the connection. 

POH

Summer weather in Santa Cruz is similar to ours. The hotter it gets inland, the cooler and foggier the coast gets to be. During one summer session At UCSC, I lived in a coed dorm and learned to get up early and out before the others were up. In the morning I would go out and walk up the dry grass slope to the dining hall for coffee. I would take my cup and sit outside on a bench that faced downhill. One morning the fog was right down to the ground and there was not a breath of wind. My eyes and ears trained in the eerie hush when the stillness and calm were broken by a far off sound. My ears perked up trying to figure out what the sound was. It was high pitched and had a tone that was strange to me. I peered into the fog trying to see what was coming up the slope for the sounds were getting stronger and more sounds were coming to me. Then I recognized bagpipes and what sounded like a mournful dirge. Sure enough, I could see the beginning of the leader in full regalia emerging out of the fog like in a dream. He was followed by a whole troop of bagpipers and the full range of their sounds filled the whole area. As they walked passed me into the dining room, I followed them. There were about 15 men and they took up the space with laughing and calling back and forth across the tables. Many had Scots accents. I couldn’t help staring and listening to them. The beauty of their costumes and the variety of colors and patterns were wonderful to study. They had come to the campus for a gathering of bagpipers from all over the world. It was a highlight in my visit to the university.