![\"king_city_2.JPG\"](\"http:\/\/www.kuma2.net\/skyeview\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/01\/king_city_2.JPG\")
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Stormy Weather<\/strong> It\u2019s not often I have the opportunity to enjoy a special evening out on the town with my sisters. The distance between our homes and the conditions of our lives make it difficult to do anything spontaneous. It takes a lot of planning and coordination for us to get together. For this reason I was determined to make the trip, however, brief. My sisters where sympathetic when I informed them I\u2019d have to shorten our planned weekend in order to return to the bay area before the next storm system hit the state.<\/p>\n Early Saturday morning I mapped out a route that took me through picturesque Ojai Valley in Ventura County and along Highway 101. The dry roads and moderate to high visibility for approximately the first 200 miles made for a pleasant drive. Still, I didn\u2019t want to take a chance of getting caught in the storm so I resolved not to make any detours for sightseeing\u2014I\u2019d only stop for fuel. King City is not a destination city it\u2019s one of those seemingly unremarkable places that seem to blur into the landscape as travelers trek along Highway 101.<\/p>\n Fortuitously as I was taking these photographs a pleasant woman with a kind face opened the door and warmly greeted me. She did not speak English and I do not speak Hindi so through pantomime and animated gesturing I inquired about the tree and she invited me in for a closer look.<\/p>\n The moment I stepped into the house and caught sight of the base of that tree I knew I had just stepped through a portal. I can\u2019t quite describe the otherworldly sensation of gazing at that tree trunk festooned with ivy and flower garlands. A sensation of familiarity washed over me as I observed the orderly surroundings of the interior and received the kindness of the woman and the smiles of an adorable little boy. The experience reminded me in some way of my first trip to India. I recall being utterly perplexed by the sight of oxen, cows, monkeys and dogs roaming the streets in cities I\u2019d visited. When I enquired about this with my New Delhi colleague, he commented on the lack of space and Indian\u2019s ability to cope with crowded city conditions due to overpopulation and inadequate infrastructures. He said, \u201cWell, Skye, we Indians believe in peaceful co-existence when possible. We allow the animals to roam and live amongst us because they have the right to exist too.\u201d<\/p>\n The woman (whom I learned is from Allahabad, India) was gracious enough to allow me to take a few photographs before gifting me with a tree seed. I told her, I in turn would mail copies of the snapshots as a gift.<\/p>\n
\nThe fierce arctic storm that pounded California on Friday (1\/4) could not deter me from driving to Southern California to help celebrate my youngest sister\u2019s 48th birthday. Mary is also my lesbian sister so we hold a special bond in that regard.<\/p>\n![\"ward_lesbians_08.JPG\"](\"http:\/\/www.kuma2.net\/skyeview\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/01\/ward_lesbians_08.JPG\")
<\/a>With the aid of the California Transportation storm tracker and road conditions web sites, I calculated the normal 6 hour drive would extend to 8 hours. I managed to arrive in Los Angeles a couple of hours before the torrential rains flooded the area during the rush hour commute. Rush hour on L.A. freeways is bad enough but to experience it during torrential rains is downright ugly and frightening.<\/p>\n
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\nOptical Illusion<\/strong>
\nBy the time I reached Monterey County I could no longer ignore my hunger pangs and the onset of road hypnosis. I decided to take the first exit at the next town to rest and have lunch. I didn\u2019t want anything from the fast food joints located off the highway so I drove through the small city centre of King City (population 11,225) in search of homemade style food.<\/p>\n<\/a>Well imagine my surprise when I came upon the Fireside Inn with this tree jutting out from the roof of the motel office\/managers residence! It appears to be an optical illusion, but it isn’t.<\/p>\n<\/a>I tried to imagine what the interior of the structure was like with the tree situated in the middle of the room. I wondered about the energetic effect of this tree on the occupants of the manager\u2019s residence.<\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n
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