We’ve had a reassuringly decent amount of rain in the last week. It was particularly heavy on my morning commute on Thursday, so I had a chance to try out my new top of the line rain pants, which did really well. Everything was saturated by the time I arrived, but I felt pretty dry on the inside.
The forecast for the weekend was also for pretty much non-stop rain. My days of going out for a four-hour ride in the rain on a Sunday morning when I lived at Zen Center, because that was the only chance I had to ride, are over now. I was happy with the idea of taking a weekend off my bike. It freed up many hours to do other things, if nothing else.
The World Cup was entering the knock-out phase, so I had no problem curling up in front of those games and texting friends and family as they unfolded – the wins for England and France on Sunday were especially enjoyable, not to mention Brazil on Monday. I got a lot more scanning of old negatives done, and found some striking images that I had neglected at the time, as well as getting to revisit ones that I cherished and still remember. I will eventually try to post some collections online, but in the meantime, I will probably share a few on Patreon. I also spent a fair amount of time cooking: another large batch of granola, a couple of favourite soups that I used to enjoy at Zen Center, and a first time trying home-made baked beans from scratch!
Saturday was a very dreary day, and I did not set foot outside. On Sunday, it turned out that it didn’t rain. I had a nice, and unusual for me, experience of walking up to the nearby farmers market at the DMV around 9 o’clock, before many people have really got going. I remember similar days in London and I went around Soho before 10 o’clock in the morning, when it was very quiet. I even got to buy bagels at a new, well-regarded bagel place which unexpectedly did not have a line outside. They were good!
On Monday I felt privileged to have received an invitation to Royce’s shuso ceremony at Green Gulch, and grateful to have a ride over with Catherine from Zen Center. It was a sunnier day than expected, and I had time to do a little walk around with my camera before we sat down. I had not been there since the first week of March 2020, when I rode over – not feeling 100% fit or well – to meet with Fu.
The ceremony was as sweet as they usually are. There was a warmth and gentle-heartedness that came out in his responses, especially as he eased into being on the seat, and I found myself nodding along with many of his formulations. And of course it was lovely to see old friends from former times – including Royce of course, and his teacher Gaelyn – and the assembled venerables of Green Gulch. I look forward to a similarly joyful afternoon on Saturday in the city.
Shundo David Haye 