SONOMA

SONOMA
I had a very enjoyable day yesterday. Joan and Manny invited me to ride over to Sonoma with them. The weather was pleasant - not too hot. They wanted to check out the Katmandu Festival in Depot Park. The theme was based on the Nepalese culture. Nepal is in South Asia. It is the world’s youngest republic. China borders Nepal to the north, and India to the east, south and west. The population of Nepal is 30 million people. The capital is Kathmandu. Mt. Everest is located in Nepal. There were many booths exhibiting and selling their arts and crafts. It was very interesting to me, because I had not been exposed to their culture before. Manny had visited one of their festivals in Berkeley, and liked it. He wanted to introduce Joan and I to his experience.
I was interested in the spiritual part of the Festival. A benediction opened the gathering. I am not sure whether it was a priest from the Hindu faith, or Buddhism who officiated. (Hinduism is practiced by a majority of the people, although some are Buddhists.) I jotted down a few of his words:-
“When we have a problem or obstacle in our lives. we should stop, step back, take a deep breath, and move on. It will bring calmness and peace.” Also. He said, “We must have the energy and ability to forgive.”
The three of us walked around the park and observed all the different booths. There were a large variety of different crafts and foods displayed. Afterwards, we walked through the park and ended up at the Lasalette Restaurant. It specializes in Portuguese foods. I got to taste a few of them during our very nice lunch, and they were very tasty. We ate under an umbrella outside, and this appealing atmosphere made everything taste even better.
After lunch, we spent some time “people watching” while Joan and Manny enjoyed their latte’s. Then, Manny drove around Sonoma to see some of the interesting houses. We had an un-eventful ride back to Fairfield. The traffic was noticeably heavier this time of day, than it was when we came over this morning.
I always enjoy visiting Sonoma. It is not only a beautiful setting, but the city has a very inviting environment. Most of all it is triggers the recall of many happy memories that I have of our family “get-togethers” on holidays, and special times, at the Park in Sonoma.

RCL - 9/14/09.