Monday, October 14, 2030
Sunday, October 14, 2029
I lived with the Children of Light in 2002.
articles.latimes.com
Commune Perseveres in Its Desert Oasis : Religion: The eight remaining members of the Children of Light, founded in 1950, live a simple life. Despite dwindling numbers, they profess contentment in making their patch of Arizona bloom.
December 19, 1993|TONY PERRY | TIMES STAFF WRITER
AGUA
CALIENTE, Ariz. — Accidental tourists beware: Should you stumble into
this compound of senior citizens enjoying their final years in the
desert sunshine, don't go looking for old duffers telling tall tales on
fairways or yentas gossiping around bridge tables.
You're in for something a good deal more esoteric.
Instead you will find the Children of Light, one of North America's oldest religious communes, whose eight aged members are dedicated to righteousness, vegetarianism, celibacy and the proposition that the outside world is going to hell. Taking refuge on this 80-acre plot of Arizona desert, they have sworn off the evils of the secular world and turned their little piece of desert into an oasis.
Numerous other communes and experiments in utopian living have had their brief moment in the sun and then disappeared, but the Children of Light have endured since 1950.
"I don't think the Children have deviated at all in their beliefs and practices from the very beginning," Daniel Wright, a patriarch of the American communal movement and founder of the Padanaram commune in Indiana, said with admiration. "They never change."
You're in for something a good deal more esoteric.
Instead you will find the Children of Light, one of North America's oldest religious communes, whose eight aged members are dedicated to righteousness, vegetarianism, celibacy and the proposition that the outside world is going to hell. Taking refuge on this 80-acre plot of Arizona desert, they have sworn off the evils of the secular world and turned their little piece of desert into an oasis.
Numerous other communes and experiments in utopian living have had their brief moment in the sun and then disappeared, but the Children of Light have endured since 1950.
"I don't think the Children have deviated at all in their beliefs and practices from the very beginning," Daniel Wright, a patriarch of the American communal movement and founder of the Padanaram commune in Indiana, said with admiration. "They never change."
Dec.
27 will mark 43 years since a rural postmaster and breakaway
Pentecostal named Grace Agnes Carlson startled the farming community of
Keremeos in British Columbia by announcing that she had experienced a
vision from God. She commanded her followers, the Children of Light, to
hie forthwith to a farmhouse and begin a life free of personal
possessions and worldly ties.
Calling herself Elect Gold, she proclaimed that God had told her that the end of the world was near and repentance was in order. The Children of Light refer to Elect Gold's apocalyptic declaration simply as the Separation.
"It was the day we separated . . . from the ways of man and started following the ways of God," said Elect Beryl, who, like other members, uses the appellation Elect to designate a belief in having been chosen by God to set a virtuous example for a wicked world.
To mark the anniversary of Elect Gold's vision, the six ambulatory members of the Children of Light will retire to a special second-story room in a special building to sit around an oaken table. They will read Scripture and discuss the meaning of their four decades of communal existence.
The room is used but once a year and is called the Upper Room, from Luke 22:12: "And he shall shew you a large upper room furnished: there make ready."
The Children--who range in age from 60-something to 104--consider their annual assemblage in the Upper Room an even more sacred occasion than Christmas.
Elect Gold, who is in her 90s, is bedfast and unable to participate in the work or play of the commune. But in 1950 the newspapers described her as tall, strong and austere, with a penchant for fiery oratory and confrontation.
She had promised that more messages from God would be forthcoming. "Message From God Awaited by Weird Sect," read a headline in the Vancouver Sun.
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police demanded that all children in the group be released. A mother charged that her son had been hypnotized into joining. A dropout member sued to get back the worldly goods he had bequeathed to the Children of Light.
For nearly two months the newfound communalists stayed barricaded in their farmhouse. Finally, the Sun reported, "The Children of Light have vanished. . . . Nineteen members of the cult left so suddenly that townsfolk were not aware of their absence for more than a day."
Calling herself Elect Gold, she proclaimed that God had told her that the end of the world was near and repentance was in order. The Children of Light refer to Elect Gold's apocalyptic declaration simply as the Separation.
"It was the day we separated . . . from the ways of man and started following the ways of God," said Elect Beryl, who, like other members, uses the appellation Elect to designate a belief in having been chosen by God to set a virtuous example for a wicked world.
To mark the anniversary of Elect Gold's vision, the six ambulatory members of the Children of Light will retire to a special second-story room in a special building to sit around an oaken table. They will read Scripture and discuss the meaning of their four decades of communal existence.
The room is used but once a year and is called the Upper Room, from Luke 22:12: "And he shall shew you a large upper room furnished: there make ready."
The Children--who range in age from 60-something to 104--consider their annual assemblage in the Upper Room an even more sacred occasion than Christmas.
Elect Gold, who is in her 90s, is bedfast and unable to participate in the work or play of the commune. But in 1950 the newspapers described her as tall, strong and austere, with a penchant for fiery oratory and confrontation.
She had promised that more messages from God would be forthcoming. "Message From God Awaited by Weird Sect," read a headline in the Vancouver Sun.
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police demanded that all children in the group be released. A mother charged that her son had been hypnotized into joining. A dropout member sued to get back the worldly goods he had bequeathed to the Children of Light.
For nearly two months the newfound communalists stayed barricaded in their farmhouse. Finally, the Sun reported, "The Children of Light have vanished. . . . Nineteen members of the cult left so suddenly that townsfolk were not aware of their absence for more than a day."
Keremeos
residents still recall shock at hearing that the Children agreed to
forsake their spouses and children and shed their property.
"People thought they were foolish and radical because they sold off their property at rather a low rate," said Charles Finch, president of the Keremeos Historical Society.
"People thought they were misguided," said his wife, Hildred.
Scorned by their nonbelieving neighbors, the Children fled, wandering the United States and Canada for 12 years as religious outcasts, homeless but devout.
They settled in Arizona in 1963 and for three decades have taken literally the Biblical admonition to make the desert bloom. Their numbers have dwindled, but the Children profess contentment in the isolation of their desert oasis.
"I wouldn't live anywhere else," Elect Beryl said.
Elect Star, the commune's major-domo and youngest member, thinks of the long-ago controversy as much ado about almost nothing.
"It was a small town so it caused quite a stir," she said with a chuckle. "But now our relatives and friends don't believe we're as far off the track as when we started out."
They no longer preach or proselytize but remain convinced that the masses will soon beat a path to their door to escape the violence and vulgarity of modern life.
"There will definitely be an in-gathering of people as things get worse," Elect Star said. "We are an ark of safety, just as God commanded."
"People thought they were foolish and radical because they sold off their property at rather a low rate," said Charles Finch, president of the Keremeos Historical Society.
"People thought they were misguided," said his wife, Hildred.
Scorned by their nonbelieving neighbors, the Children fled, wandering the United States and Canada for 12 years as religious outcasts, homeless but devout.
They settled in Arizona in 1963 and for three decades have taken literally the Biblical admonition to make the desert bloom. Their numbers have dwindled, but the Children profess contentment in the isolation of their desert oasis.
"I wouldn't live anywhere else," Elect Beryl said.
Elect Star, the commune's major-domo and youngest member, thinks of the long-ago controversy as much ado about almost nothing.
"It was a small town so it caused quite a stir," she said with a chuckle. "But now our relatives and friends don't believe we're as far off the track as when we started out."
They no longer preach or proselytize but remain convinced that the masses will soon beat a path to their door to escape the violence and vulgarity of modern life.
"There will definitely be an in-gathering of people as things get worse," Elect Star said. "We are an ark of safety, just as God commanded."
MartinezPhotography: "Children of Light"
I first photographed the "Children of Light" in 2006 and recently went back home to take some portraits of them again. I intend to photograph them once or twice a year from now on.
Throughout my teenage years, I lived only a couple miles from this group of people who call themselves "Children of Light.
articles.latimes.com
Children of Light's Aging Survivors Keep the Faith : Religion: Eleven of 18 original members of sect have died. But the rest retain belief in eternal earthly life.
December 10, 1995|MICHELLE BOORSTEIN | ASSOCIATED PRESS
AGUA
CALIENTE, Ariz. — She was seeking immortality when she left her husband
and home in British Columbia decades ago, willing to forgo sex, meat
and other "sins."
Now more than 80 years old, she explains her regimented life in an isolated desert commune as one of the Children of Light, her veined hands shaking and her voice quivering.
"Who wants to quit having sex? But you give it up, and you get eternal life," said Elect Beryl, one of only seven surviving sect members. They all dropped their former names and took the name "Elect" to show they are God's chosen.
They live a simple life, gardening, sewing their own clothes and patiently awaiting the coming of Jesus Christ's kingdom, where there will be no death or sickness. They live off Social Security checks, donations and "supernatural" power.
Now more than 80 years old, she explains her regimented life in an isolated desert commune as one of the Children of Light, her veined hands shaking and her voice quivering.
"Who wants to quit having sex? But you give it up, and you get eternal life," said Elect Beryl, one of only seven surviving sect members. They all dropped their former names and took the name "Elect" to show they are God's chosen.
They live a simple life, gardening, sewing their own clothes and patiently awaiting the coming of Jesus Christ's kingdom, where there will be no death or sickness. They live off Social Security checks, donations and "supernatural" power.
The
deaths of 11 of the original 18 Children of Light have not weakened the
faith of the remaining members, who say their 80-acre paradise in a
harsh landscape is protected by God.
Members who died may have strayed from the Christian sect's beliefs, or perhaps God had another purpose for them, the survivors say.
"We feel badly about it, but we still believe," said Elect Star, one of the sect's founders.
The story of how they traveled from a Pentecostal church in tiny Keremeos, B.C., in 1951 to this isolated patch of southwestern Arizona desert, a 100-mile drive from Phoenix, is proof that they are God's chosen, members say.
Prompted by a divine vision, a Pentecostal preacher and former businesswoman led about 40 followers out of Keremeos and on a journey throughout Canada and the United States. They preached at churches and communes about the apocalypse and the importance of repentance.
The group picked up and lost people along the way. They found a destination when the words "Agua Caliente" appeared in fire-like letters in the sky to Elect Gold, the preacher.
Evidence that God was with them continued, in a donation that helped them buy the land in 1965, in a desert dotted by brush and surrounded by rocky foothills near Gila Bend.
Further proof, they say, is in the water source they found on the property, the date palm orchards and the thriving gardens of beets, carrots, cabbages and pomegranates.
The Children do nothing to recruit new members, although over the years a number of travelers have temporarily lived at the commune.
With Elect Gold said to be nearly 100 years old and bedridden by illness, Elect Star has assumed the role as leader of the sect.
They welcome occasional visitors. On a recent afternoon, three retired couples from the Midwest who drove four miles off a paved road to reach the commune were given a tour by Elect Joel, an 85-year-old former honky-tonk musician from Indiana.
Members who died may have strayed from the Christian sect's beliefs, or perhaps God had another purpose for them, the survivors say.
"We feel badly about it, but we still believe," said Elect Star, one of the sect's founders.
The story of how they traveled from a Pentecostal church in tiny Keremeos, B.C., in 1951 to this isolated patch of southwestern Arizona desert, a 100-mile drive from Phoenix, is proof that they are God's chosen, members say.
Prompted by a divine vision, a Pentecostal preacher and former businesswoman led about 40 followers out of Keremeos and on a journey throughout Canada and the United States. They preached at churches and communes about the apocalypse and the importance of repentance.
The group picked up and lost people along the way. They found a destination when the words "Agua Caliente" appeared in fire-like letters in the sky to Elect Gold, the preacher.
Evidence that God was with them continued, in a donation that helped them buy the land in 1965, in a desert dotted by brush and surrounded by rocky foothills near Gila Bend.
Further proof, they say, is in the water source they found on the property, the date palm orchards and the thriving gardens of beets, carrots, cabbages and pomegranates.
The Children do nothing to recruit new members, although over the years a number of travelers have temporarily lived at the commune.
With Elect Gold said to be nearly 100 years old and bedridden by illness, Elect Star has assumed the role as leader of the sect.
They welcome occasional visitors. On a recent afternoon, three retired couples from the Midwest who drove four miles off a paved road to reach the commune were given a tour by Elect Joel, an 85-year-old former honky-tonk musician from Indiana.
Later,
Elect Joel entertained the guests by playing "Sweet Georgia Brown" on
the living room piano. Another member of the sect handed out bowls of
homemade date and banana ice cream.
"I think the sun will stop shining before this fades out," Elect Philip said. "We may look a little worn out, but God still has work left for us to do."
"I think the sun will stop shining before this fades out," Elect Philip said. "We may look a little worn out, but God still has work left for us to do."
The Big Green Bus
A Moment, for Fashion »
Desert Roads to Children of the Light, The Bus Leaves The South, Large Rocks and Stubborn Engines in Somewhere California
Ok fine, it’s no surprise to you that Phoenix was indeed hotter than Texas. Fine.
Yee Gad, when is the last time I have Spoken to you people? Days? Weeks? Where were we the last time I mixed letters into rambling words on these devious machines? I seem to remember lying to all of you in telling you that we would be driving from Austin to El Paso, Texas. HA! The thought of actually having a successful eight hour drive across the desert brings laughter right out of my gullet. HA indeed. Within three hours of driving in the Direction Of El Paso, the fuel pump demolished itself, per usual. Being in the middle of the desert (how many times will I repeat these words, this story?)…
Oh wait, I’ve just remembered that I have already told you this story.
Right then. So, onto Gigantic Magnets, and the cult. Unfortunately for YOU, the cult will have to wait.
So, the magnet. The Big Green Bus drove through Paradise Valley and into Phoenix on Monday morning to visit one of Waste Management’s older Single Stream Recycling plants. Now, if you’re not familiar with SSR (Single Stream Recycling), lend an ear. In considering the absolute laziness of humankind, it seems appropriate that humans have major beef with the idea of CHOOSING which container to lob their muck into. Decision making is a taxing experience on these humans. Waste Management Understands the absolutely pathetic nature of these creatures, and has found a solution to greatly increase participation in recycling by offering…wait for it…ONE RECEPTACLE for recyclable waste products like plastic, aluminum, and paper. Waste Management then goes through the intricate and highly technilogical process of sorting each type of recyclable material, packing the materian into large Wall-E-esque blocks, and finally selling them to be mashed down and remade into New Old products. This process is complex, combining human sorting, movers, shakers, blowers, pushers and gigantic magnets to get each piece of stuff to it’s home in a Block. As Hunter S. Thompson once said in reference to the Oakland Raiders’ weightlifting room, “I was tempted to get physically involved with every machine in the building–just to know how it felt to get jerked around by all that fantastic machinery”. It truly was an impressive sight. Even more impressive was the fact that this facility’s technology was well on it’s way Out, and that WM is in the process of building a LEED certified structure with far superior technology and efficiency to replace it. Wow-ee.
Enough of that, onto the cult. Sarah and I set off on Tuesday morning in the Jetta (also run off of WVO) ahead of the Bus because the Bus had stopped to grease at I-HOP. Once we safely got from Paradise Valley onto Interstate 8 West, we pulled off at the nearest exit where a gas station existed (it’s not exactly metropolis, you know), and sat down in the gas station with a woman named Carmen. Little did we know that we would be driving to a Bizarre religious commune within fifteen minutes. I digress. The Meat of the Matter is that Carmen lives in a town of 8, and has been living in this town of 8–has been serving as one eigth of the population–for thirty five years. Sarah and I knew that we were far ahead of the Bus, and that we needed some activity to keep our brains from turning Sour on us. We asked Carmen for a mountain to run up, or a freak show to see, and she directed us 30 miles up a rambling, roobling road to the Children of the Light.
Upon arriving at our Destination, we were greeted by a woman who may possibly have been over three hundred years old. HAHAHA! She was ancient, and that is for sure. Her name was Elect Star, she had tan, thin limbs that hung from her small frame, and she wore white linen pants and shirt, along with a tiny red linen vest with “Elect Star” embroidered in yellow stitching, in script. Imagine a circus costume mixed with your mental image of a kindergarden teacher minus the finger painting. Elect Star. Elect Star motioned for Sarah and I to enter a 120 ft long building that the Children of the Light call The Arc, and we sat with Elect Star and four other individuals. One was named Elect Philip, and he wore the same outfit as our dear old gal, Elect Star. Then there was the man with one eye, the man with no teeth but a very pleasing beard, and finally the man who liked the engine. There were also dozens of random dogs. That doesn’t really matter though. We sat down with these five individuals and baking trays of measuring cups filled with water were placed in front of us. We’re being drugged! I thought. But alas, the water was actually, water.
Sarah and I drank our plastic measuring cups until they were empty and were quizzed on the Big Green Bus, our Message, and our Mission. The man who liked the engine only wanted to talk about the engine, the man with no teeth but a very pleasing beard got bored and went outside to rake the grass, Elect Philip was busily writing on a piece of paper, Elect Star politely nodded and held her hands in her lap, and the man with one eye licked his chops. We were then given large bags full of dates, The reason for this was never fully understood. Then it was time for me to quiz the Children of the Light. How did they get here? They were traveling around the country for twelve years telling the people of the world that humans had destroyed the Earth’s resources to the extent that God would soon purge the world of the human life on it in order for beauty to be restored. When they were in Florida, he told them to settle down. By the time they reached California, the words ”Agua Caliente” appeared to one member of the group, and after traveling around the southwest for a while, they discovered the dirt road that we took to their eighty acres of land, called “Agua Caliente”. The original twelve members of the group have been there ever since (over fourty years) and is waiting for God to purge the world. There are only two members of the original twelve left, Elect Star and Elect Philip, and because the Children of the Light do not procreate, the group is dying out. How many of them are left? Well Elect Star believes that Children of the Light goes beyond all racial, geographic, gender, and social barriers–that chosen ones are all over the world, and just may not know that they are Chosen. Some people come to the compound to stay for weeks, months, or even years, but Elect Star know that it is hard for a young person to live such a simple life; that children of current generations want more for themselves than sitting in the Arc and Waiting.
Sarah and I were given brochures and drove back down the road, with the whole gang in the window waving to us–the man with one eye still, for some reason, licking his chops. The Children of the Light were Wise and not so far from our own group of 12 on the bus right now. Briefly, Sarah and I considered Dropping Everything and joining the group. After deciding Against It, we fled at top speeds.
Beyond Carmen and the Children of the Light was five hours of our engine overheating in 122 degree heat crossing the border from Arizona to California, where we were met with large hills, sand dunes and house-sized boulders. I have never seen my body sweat the way it did yesterday. I mean, let’s be reasonable here. Sweating from the wrists and knee caps in the profuse manner in which I did is just not practical.
When we finally arrived in San Diego we ran into the ocean to have our heads filled with seawater as we were constantly pummeled by large waves. We slept well, woke early and before we knew it this morning we had a class of preschoolers in every nook and cranny of the bus, rubbing their boogers on the walls and talking to me about their abilities to “tinkle”, as well as to recycle beer and wine bottles. Extremely impressive.
From the preschoolers the Bus took a turn for the depraved in arriving at Stone Brewing Co. for a free lunch and tour of the brewing facilities and bistro at the headquarters of the company, which strives to incorporate environmentally friendly practices into it’s brewing of beer and function as a company as well. The beer was delicious, I was fooled into eating Tofu for a brief period of time before discovering that I had been lied to, and the company was supreme.
Tomorrow morning we are off to Claremont and Santa Barbara. Uncle Duke may be making an appearance. Any cults discovered along the way will clearly be discussed.
kari
Yee Gad, when is the last time I have Spoken to you people? Days? Weeks? Where were we the last time I mixed letters into rambling words on these devious machines? I seem to remember lying to all of you in telling you that we would be driving from Austin to El Paso, Texas. HA! The thought of actually having a successful eight hour drive across the desert brings laughter right out of my gullet. HA indeed. Within three hours of driving in the Direction Of El Paso, the fuel pump demolished itself, per usual. Being in the middle of the desert (how many times will I repeat these words, this story?)…
Oh wait, I’ve just remembered that I have already told you this story.
Right then. So, onto Gigantic Magnets, and the cult. Unfortunately for YOU, the cult will have to wait.
So, the magnet. The Big Green Bus drove through Paradise Valley and into Phoenix on Monday morning to visit one of Waste Management’s older Single Stream Recycling plants. Now, if you’re not familiar with SSR (Single Stream Recycling), lend an ear. In considering the absolute laziness of humankind, it seems appropriate that humans have major beef with the idea of CHOOSING which container to lob their muck into. Decision making is a taxing experience on these humans. Waste Management Understands the absolutely pathetic nature of these creatures, and has found a solution to greatly increase participation in recycling by offering…wait for it…ONE RECEPTACLE for recyclable waste products like plastic, aluminum, and paper. Waste Management then goes through the intricate and highly technilogical process of sorting each type of recyclable material, packing the materian into large Wall-E-esque blocks, and finally selling them to be mashed down and remade into New Old products. This process is complex, combining human sorting, movers, shakers, blowers, pushers and gigantic magnets to get each piece of stuff to it’s home in a Block. As Hunter S. Thompson once said in reference to the Oakland Raiders’ weightlifting room, “I was tempted to get physically involved with every machine in the building–just to know how it felt to get jerked around by all that fantastic machinery”. It truly was an impressive sight. Even more impressive was the fact that this facility’s technology was well on it’s way Out, and that WM is in the process of building a LEED certified structure with far superior technology and efficiency to replace it. Wow-ee.
Enough of that, onto the cult. Sarah and I set off on Tuesday morning in the Jetta (also run off of WVO) ahead of the Bus because the Bus had stopped to grease at I-HOP. Once we safely got from Paradise Valley onto Interstate 8 West, we pulled off at the nearest exit where a gas station existed (it’s not exactly metropolis, you know), and sat down in the gas station with a woman named Carmen. Little did we know that we would be driving to a Bizarre religious commune within fifteen minutes. I digress. The Meat of the Matter is that Carmen lives in a town of 8, and has been living in this town of 8–has been serving as one eigth of the population–for thirty five years. Sarah and I knew that we were far ahead of the Bus, and that we needed some activity to keep our brains from turning Sour on us. We asked Carmen for a mountain to run up, or a freak show to see, and she directed us 30 miles up a rambling, roobling road to the Children of the Light.
Upon arriving at our Destination, we were greeted by a woman who may possibly have been over three hundred years old. HAHAHA! She was ancient, and that is for sure. Her name was Elect Star, she had tan, thin limbs that hung from her small frame, and she wore white linen pants and shirt, along with a tiny red linen vest with “Elect Star” embroidered in yellow stitching, in script. Imagine a circus costume mixed with your mental image of a kindergarden teacher minus the finger painting. Elect Star. Elect Star motioned for Sarah and I to enter a 120 ft long building that the Children of the Light call The Arc, and we sat with Elect Star and four other individuals. One was named Elect Philip, and he wore the same outfit as our dear old gal, Elect Star. Then there was the man with one eye, the man with no teeth but a very pleasing beard, and finally the man who liked the engine. There were also dozens of random dogs. That doesn’t really matter though. We sat down with these five individuals and baking trays of measuring cups filled with water were placed in front of us. We’re being drugged! I thought. But alas, the water was actually, water.
Sarah and I drank our plastic measuring cups until they were empty and were quizzed on the Big Green Bus, our Message, and our Mission. The man who liked the engine only wanted to talk about the engine, the man with no teeth but a very pleasing beard got bored and went outside to rake the grass, Elect Philip was busily writing on a piece of paper, Elect Star politely nodded and held her hands in her lap, and the man with one eye licked his chops. We were then given large bags full of dates, The reason for this was never fully understood. Then it was time for me to quiz the Children of the Light. How did they get here? They were traveling around the country for twelve years telling the people of the world that humans had destroyed the Earth’s resources to the extent that God would soon purge the world of the human life on it in order for beauty to be restored. When they were in Florida, he told them to settle down. By the time they reached California, the words ”Agua Caliente” appeared to one member of the group, and after traveling around the southwest for a while, they discovered the dirt road that we took to their eighty acres of land, called “Agua Caliente”. The original twelve members of the group have been there ever since (over fourty years) and is waiting for God to purge the world. There are only two members of the original twelve left, Elect Star and Elect Philip, and because the Children of the Light do not procreate, the group is dying out. How many of them are left? Well Elect Star believes that Children of the Light goes beyond all racial, geographic, gender, and social barriers–that chosen ones are all over the world, and just may not know that they are Chosen. Some people come to the compound to stay for weeks, months, or even years, but Elect Star know that it is hard for a young person to live such a simple life; that children of current generations want more for themselves than sitting in the Arc and Waiting.
Sarah and I were given brochures and drove back down the road, with the whole gang in the window waving to us–the man with one eye still, for some reason, licking his chops. The Children of the Light were Wise and not so far from our own group of 12 on the bus right now. Briefly, Sarah and I considered Dropping Everything and joining the group. After deciding Against It, we fled at top speeds.
Beyond Carmen and the Children of the Light was five hours of our engine overheating in 122 degree heat crossing the border from Arizona to California, where we were met with large hills, sand dunes and house-sized boulders. I have never seen my body sweat the way it did yesterday. I mean, let’s be reasonable here. Sweating from the wrists and knee caps in the profuse manner in which I did is just not practical.
When we finally arrived in San Diego we ran into the ocean to have our heads filled with seawater as we were constantly pummeled by large waves. We slept well, woke early and before we knew it this morning we had a class of preschoolers in every nook and cranny of the bus, rubbing their boogers on the walls and talking to me about their abilities to “tinkle”, as well as to recycle beer and wine bottles. Extremely impressive.
From the preschoolers the Bus took a turn for the depraved in arriving at Stone Brewing Co. for a free lunch and tour of the brewing facilities and bistro at the headquarters of the company, which strives to incorporate environmentally friendly practices into it’s brewing of beer and function as a company as well. The beer was delicious, I was fooled into eating Tofu for a brief period of time before discovering that I had been lied to, and the company was supreme.
Tomorrow morning we are off to Claremont and Santa Barbara. Uncle Duke may be making an appearance. Any cults discovered along the way will clearly be discussed.
kari
Sunday, April 9, 2017
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
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