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Urgent! Santa Cruz needs a serious bath. Soak It!
ROBERT FORTE: What is a
shaman in your language.
18 days in Santa Day1 I arrived in Santa Cruz at the farmers market, around 1:30pm, June 13, 2007. I thought vehicle and there was a bicycle at the drum circle with a sign For Sale $20. It had shocks and treated me fine so I bought it. I started drumming around 3:00, it felt so good I just couldn't stop. I missed the entire market. The kids took off with my things long ago and it was getting cold. I went across the street but the store was surprisingly closed. So I ran down the street looking for an open store. The Gap was barely open, past 8:00, due to the fact there were paying customers. I purchased a long sleeve shirt and a hooded sweater. Shockingly I was still freezing, Acclimated, I was not. Fresh out of Phoenix, I was. That night I rode to ocean street to look for a hotel, after no luck getting thru on the phones. Each hotel stunk like hell, with toxic chemicals. I went all the way down the street to a small hidden place that I was previously not aware of. It was a total of $66. for the night but, due to graduation the following nights were booked at $250, per night. Then the woodies came to ton following graduation so hotel rooms remained booked at $250 and up a night. It had no obvious toxic fumes so I took it for the night. There was a beautiful rose bush in the window and huge trees overhead and Santa Cruz Diner 24-7, featuring vegan and vegetarian food, a few doors down. I ate tofu scramble with artichoke hearts, mozzarella and avocado. I went to bed but couldn't sleep until I put on community TV then I slept like a baby and woke up before my wake up call. It was the first time I had slept and awakened refreshed in since the last I was in Santa Cruz, Christmas, 06. Day 2 June 14 I road my bike to the Bad Ass Coffee Co., where I was treated with complete respect and they had wonderful service, espresso, news and computers to use, so all my business needs were met there. For me it was the place to be. I collected some things and began the search for housing. Yikes! There was a safe organic B&B current web (http://www.compassionflowerinn.com/ ) and phone, no answer or indication the business moved to Hawaii and the house is for sale. Night came and I found no safe affordable place to sleep. I was not handling myself well in my situation that I was oblivious to on Pacific. I began to panic when I asked for the 3rd time, where/who is my family in Santa Cruz? For the third time the same person approached me and told me I need to get off this street, there is a safe place in a eucalyptus grove, I will take you there, respectfully. The moment I laid down I felt massive relief in my lungs, I felt more alive than I could remember. I awakened too early and slept again deeply, awaking in perfect timing for the ultimate Bagelry bagel. Day 3 Friday, June 15, 2007 Currently it's 4:29 Friday the 13th. I'm recalling my experience in Santa Cruz, my home town, where it was difficult to feel like a stranger with so many people so grateful to see me again, but where the filth on Pacific, I mean on the sidewalk, which was reminiscent of that in the City before they cleaned up their act to attract a more prosperous clientele. I realized it was the scum on the sidewalks of 3 1/2 blocks of Pacific, that I could smell at least 3 blocks prior to arriving for any direction. I remembered the very bagel combo that nurtured me back to life after I was DOA in 95. They even had the soup to go with it, I was in perfect bliss surrounded with blooming jasmine in the glorious garden setting. I went across the street to Chaikhana Tea Culture, my dear friends place, where I got some nurturing tea. Then I went over to the Poet and Patriot poetpatriot.com, my good friend, Chris Mathews place where he was having a short visit. He bought me a room temp and I was chillin' with my massaging friends when after a few minutes of a massage on my shoulder I notice my leather jacket is missing. I was shocked. Chris told me to go look for it. I jumped on my bike and went around the block and then a couple, then found some friends crying. I told them my jacket got jacked and they cried harder and one yelled, "I'm telling you it's worse than you can imagine. These people are sick they steal anything they can they don't care, they're strung out on meth. This poor girl just lost her friend to it and they are just passing thru." I said to this girl, "If your friend wants to do something so stupid then, tell her she is no longer your friend, because your friends don't do drugs. That if it happened once then just never do it again, but if she persists in perusing it then you can not afford to have her for a friend. I saw her a few hours later, she thanked me said it really helped and that she is on her way to the Rainbow Gathering. Meanwhile I went to all the resale shops in the 3 blocks and reported the jacket and left my number. Then back at the Poet, Chris was gone, it was getting cold and I needed a jacket so I went to the thrift store across the way and found one long beige wool coat, that I thought looked ok, oops. It was now time to go to the beach for the boardwalks 100th birthday party, where I watched the most spectacular fireworks of all time, with hearts and smiley faces. Back to Pacific for the Friday evening events. Wow, what a wild and crazy town. It was so alien to me. So much had deteriorated, it was hardly recognizable. ... I was told to and tried to visit Peter Stafford, but no one could remember where he lived. Today I heard a few days later he fell off a ladder and died. Robert Forte', Spalding Grey WHAT: Meeting on New Leaf Community Markets' building plans, with developer Joe Appenrodt and a representative from building firm Thacher and Thompson. WHEN: 5:30-7 p.m. June 7. WHERE: Vacant lot at Fair Avenue and Ingalls Street, Santa Cruz. santacruzsentinel.com/archive/2007/May/26/
California Certified Organic Farmers (CCOF)
- 1115 Mission Street, Santa Cruz, CA 95060. 831-423-2263. CCOF helped plant
the seeds that grew the organic movement into an industry. Founded in 1973,
CCOF was one of the first organizations to certify organic farms in North
America. In 1990, CCOF founded the Organic
Farming Research Foundation (OFRF) to fund research related to organic
farming practices. CCOF is a member of the
Organic Trade Association (OTA),
OTA's Certifiers Council (OCC), and the
International Federation of Organic Agricultural Movements (IFOAM). CCOF
is a nonprofit, that consists of regional chapters. Online catalog
featuring: videos, books, t-shirts, & hats. http://www.vegetarianusa.com/city/SantaCruz.html
Organic Cafe & Supply Coming Soon!
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