Half Magic

From Los Feliz to Nepenthe to Dr.Bruce Lipton

  

The Interview Pismo- feeling the    The Santa Barbara 

recession Law Library

  

Charred remains       Cafe in Cambria Pacific Coast Hwy 1

on Griffith Park very nice town

First of all, I love the area my sister lives in in LA called Los Feliz. I could walk everywhere and find a french bistro, Figaro's , a baker, a bookstore-Skylight (awesome), vintage clothing shops, healthfood store, coffee shops and on and on without ever getting into a car. The architecture is just as interesting with art deco apartment buildings, California bungalows and odd sections of modern and hidden hamlets of tiny cottages. 

But then again there is Santa Barbara, another beautiful town, where we had to get out and explore the courthouse and then there was Cambria and Moonstone Beach at our favourite Cambria Shores Inn- dogs are welcome, thread count high, breakfast delivered in a basket at door, wonderful owners and a view of the ocean with a boardwalk for a jog.

 

Cambria Shores, breakfast delivered-Yum!

Nepenthe Cafe- looking for whales! Big Sur

 I felt guilty passing by Hearst Castle but at this point I knew we had screwed up and that Santa Cruz was still far ahead- but little did I realize what I would be driving on to get to Big Sur- as you can see- no photos, my knuckles were bone white. We did of course stop at the famous Nepenthe cafe but were disappointed to discover the Henry Miller gallery was closed. Next, we whipped by Carmel, Monteray until we finally hit Santa Cruz- anticipation high-even though we kept glancing at highway to Salinas, and then our dreams of a beachfront motel vamooshed with the sight of that horrendous amusement park on the main beach- tear it down, the place had such a seedy feel to it, that we quickly veered east as far as we could to a most delightful B&B called Babbling Brook.

But of course it was also the stress of driving for a purpose- an interview with a visionary, a scientist in an area called Boony Doon where cell phones don't work. Arriving half an hour earlier, and one pee break in the woods( a forest of redwoods) - I mean you didn't want me pulling to his house and making a run for the loo? Still, what would he be like, what was his house going to be like, would he be happy to see us? And where the hell was my camera guy???

Bruce is incredibly warm, funny, generous and he loves a good conversation- and I mean he is willing to listen. His house blew me away - it was a small footprint, not an ounce of arrogance but simply this is what we need and we have solar heating, our own water, we have gardens, we are self sufficient in these mountains but there are a lot of neighbours. Case in point; the neighbour's dog who kept walking and wheezing through our interview- not a bad thing if you can actually see the dog in the footage!

Yes, the cameraman got lost, yes cell phones don't work, yes we got the interview and yes, it was worth it!

Green Parenting Documentary and Mother's Day

I finished filming an interview with Kim John Payne that went really well. I was thrilled that the sound operator was equally enthralled with the subject and asked his own questions after the interview. Now I am heading off to Santa Cruz via LA to film another interview on his ranch. 8 months ago I was granted 2 hours to film him and now what seemed like an eternity is arriving with lightening speed. The sad part is I am driving up Highway 1 with my sister from LA to Santa Cruz through the most spectacular coastal drive in the world over two days- seems criminal I have been told to stay in Carpinteria and eat at Nepenthe and check out this classic beach hotel in Santa Cruz Sea and Sand
I unwittingly or wisely depending on your point of view booked my flight to depart on Mother's Day. Very exciting- nervous about technical glitches- new camera operator- straightforward - but lately have been facing tech hurdles that are causing endless delays.

Documentary in Pakistan

My very first entry in this blog was about a teacher and the opening of a small Waldorf based school in a converted horse barn north of Toronto. I filmed a day there in the fall and now Deborah is in Lahore, Pakistan. Due to logistics, insurance and funding I have had to postpone my leg of the trip. She is having an incredible experience in Lahore with Nazli who is not only opening her own Waldorf kindergarten in her home but now has been given the new position of overseeing the 3200 students that attend the schools her family has helped open up in the rural areas near Lahore under an NGO called AKRA. Deborah and Nazli also visited a remote Waldorf community for adults with special needs that survives month to month wondering where and when the money will come to keep its doors open. Please visit Deborah's blog, you will have to create a google account to respond but that is free. It is mythreecupsoftea  She also has provided a link to the Green Earth Roshni School

Sustainable Parenting Doc

What a full weekend! My father-in-law received a lifetime achievement award for directing,we had many family visitors in and out, children's birthday parties, and preparing and shooting an interview with Chris Turner, author of Geography of Hope . This is not the documentary on the two schools mentioned in an earlier entry but on raising children based on a sustainable lifestyle. This book was a huge inspiration to David and I and is responsible for cementing our drive and passion for this project. I am sure Chris had doubts about saying he would help out with our doc, especially when I discovered he was coming to town and nailed him down for an interview on his only morning off.But he came and we shot the most fantastic interview. I was getting shivers just listening to him speak. We used only natural light in a beautiful  house that is lived in by a family pursuing sustainable values in a vibrant community. Ted, once again, was shooting and I commented on how much we owe him. He said the money is not an issue, he finds what we are doing so interesting he can't wait to see where we take him next. As we ran out of time with Chris we were still able to film the kids on bikes, kicking a ball and playing tag on camera. Then it was off to prepare one more dinner for visiting family and David had to pack and prep for a show in New Brunswick the very next day.

That is not Chris, but that is the room we shot in.    My kids telling Martha and George stories.

A documentary in the making...

 

 
Deborah on an earlier visit with my kids.                  The guard dog/goose!

Just in the nick of time I filmed a day at the Willow Country School before all the leaves dropped. It is a documentary about two schools, the other being in Lahore, Pakistan and the seasons will carry the story.

A friend who operates a camera suddenly had a free day, the equipment was available, and the rain stopped at 5:30 am ( I was awake at 4:30 listening to it). We didn't get our sunrise due to lingering clouds but we were able to accomplish so much more than I ever dreamed. The children, although curious about the camera, were far more interested in their lessons. Deborah, the teacher, was astounding. We could barely keep up- one minute the class was reciting their morning verse,reading math from the board and then down on the floor becoming Roman Numerals and forming a mathematical equation. Then they were out the door reciting counting rhymes through the old apple orchard then back drawing letters in chalk on the floor under their desk and somewhere in between was a crab walk.

Ted , the camera operator, and I would download our footage in the comfort of the owner's sunny kitchen chatting over a coffee while kids crawled over us to see what was on the computer. My father-in-law even dropped by to check up on my progress as he is also in film and even he left with two eggs warm from the hen house. 

Of course there were the usual technical glitches that made me late picking up my kids, compounded by traffic, and a poor dog at home desperate to be let out for a pee. Always a balancing act...

No sunrise this time.                                                Ted was the perfect cameraman-

The Arts

A scene from the movie, Only.
Now that I am actually close to having a project of my own materialize it was so inspiring to watch Only a movie made by a Waldorf mom,Ingrid Veniger,and starring two Waldorf gr.8 kids from our school, one being her son. She made it for $5000.00 and shot it in 2 weeks and it's good! It has surprised the critics and moviegoers at two film festivals and is now heading off to the Rome Film Festival. It is about a 12 hour romance between two tweens that meet at a rural motel set against a winter backdrop. So um, small town Canadian, that I started to squirm reliving a sense of aimless wandering but I was hooked by the honesty and beauty of the acting by two kids who actually managed to convey the blush of that first kiss. The soundtrack is awesome as well, and can be found on the movie's website.
On another note that I am determined to see as positive, the editor of Adbusters , Kalle Lasn, informed me that my article got bumped but they are looking for place in their next issue. Oh, be positive!!!

If Less Is More, How Do You Keep Count?

Singing and singing with cousins.                                   Warning: Collecting 'conkers' can hurt!

If less is more, how do you keep count?
That is a line from a song by Eddie Vedder  who made the soundtrack for Sean Penn's film, Into the Wild. I actually can't bear to see the film because the book by Jon Krakauer  was one of the saddest books I have ever read but it may have something to do with being in my twenties when I read it.
But this line struck me as symbolic of the dichotomy we face as parents. On the one hand we know not to over-schedule our kids, to reduce the toys and to have dinner together yet on the other hand we are driven to buy them the best, sign them up for the best, and go to the best schools to hopefully give them that competitive edge.
I am not going to offer any answers but I will recommend a movie I saw at the Toronto Film festival called,
Before Tomorrow
It is the story of an Inuit woman and her grandson's fight for survival. The grandmother is played by Madeline Ivalu and she also co-directed the film. It was shot entirely with natural light, it is visually stunning and the acting is superb. But when the curtain closed I doubt many people were thinking about that. This film is about human dignity, family and story telling because in the end that is what matters and makes us human. A powerful film!
To most that must seem obvious but it was the storytelling that was a bit of an epiphany for me and I mean oral storytelling. I have read a lot about the importance of developing auditory skills in children that are vital for a child's development but it was so interesting to see it as a basic necessity for human beings in this movie.
It's a good thing our kids weren't critics at age three because we had to practice the art of storytelling and to this day  they will bring up those tales, correcting us when we forget or encouraging the next stage and sometimes taking over. My stories usually have an educational twist like calling the heroine Princess Mauritania from Timbuktu- I know, don't roll your eyes, I can't help it, and David usually tells tales from his youth with the usual plug for his British background to which I roll my eyes.

The Pauper and the Princess                                                    The King is Dead!!