When I was a high school teenager, one of my local friends was Jerry Garcia. We rode to high school together to Cantwell Catholic High School in the back of a truck each morning for three years (1960-1962). Jerry had a nice collection of jazz records, and we listened to them a lot at his house. Jerry Garcia later became an Irish Christian Brother as his career.
We listened to a lot of Afro-Cuban jazz. Cal Tjader's groups were one of Jerry's favorites, and he had many Tjader albums. In 1965, I purchased the "Soul Sauce" album by Cal Tjader.
This was my home from 1998 until 2017.
20015 Kilkenny Lane, Red Bluff, North Sacramento Valley,
California.
Our home was 7 miles south of downtown Red Bluff.
The Spirit of Gardening (2000-2006)
Tao Te Ching Chapter 35 Dao De Jing
"One who holds fast to the Great Symbol
Gains the whole world
Bestows purest peace
Serenity and bliss.
Yet the hasty wayfarer
Attracted only by outer characteristics
Tastes Tao and is not aware of it
Sees Tao and does not perceive it
Listens to Tao and does not hear it.
But whoever
Grasps and holds it
Amid impermanence
Is grasped by the permanent
And attains duration."
- Translated by K. O. Schmidt, 1975, Chapter 35
"Reside in the center
where understanding does not require words or images,
and folk will come to you to be taught
how to be serene.
Where there is good music and food
people stop to rest and regain their energy.
But though the Tao seems unmelodious or even bland
it is an inexhaustible source of refreshment."
- Translated by Crispin Starwell, Chapter 35
"To him who holds to the Great Form all the world go.
It will go and see no danger, but tranquility, equality and community.
Music and dainties will make the passing stranger stop.
But Tao when uttered in words is so pure and void of flavor
When one looks at it, one cannot see it;
When one listens to it, one cannot hear it.
However, when one uses it, it is inexhaustible."
- Translated by Ch'u Ta-Kao, 1904, Chapter 35
"The owner of the biggest image attracts the whole world.
When all who come have been safely settled,
The world will then be peaceful.
Melodious music and delicious food
Can only attract passers-by.
But the Way is, when put into one's mouth, tasteless,
When looked at, colorless,
When listened to, uninteresting,
And, when used, limitlessly bountiful."
- Translated by Liu Qixuan, Chapter 35
執大象, 天下往.
往而不害, 安平大.
樂與餌, 過客止.
道之出口, 淡乎其無味.
視之不足見.
聽之不足聞.
用之不足既.
- Chinese characters, Tao Te Ching, Chapter 35
zhi da xiang, tian xia wang.
wang er bu hai, an ping tai.
le yu er, guo ke zhi.
dao zhi chu kou, dan hu qi wu wei.
shi zhi bu zu jian.
ting zhi bu zu wen.
yong zhi bu zu ji.
- Pinyin Romanization, Daodejing, Chapter 35
"Apprehend the inimitable conception, you attract the world;
coming it receives no harm, but it tranquil, peaceful, satisfied.
Like transient guests, music and dainties pass away.
The Tao entering the mouth is insipid and without flavour;
when looked at it evades sight;
when listened for it escapes the ear.
Yet, its operations are interminable."
- Translated by C. Spurgeon Medhurst, 1905, Chapter 35
"The owner of the biggest image attracts the whole world.
When all who come have been safely settled,
The world will then be peaceful.
Melodious music and delicious food
Can only attract passers-by.
But the Way is, when put into one's mouth, tasteless,
When looked at, colorless,
When listened to, uninteresting,
And, when used, limitlessly bountiful."
- Translated by Liu Qixuan, Chapter 35
"If you offer music and food
Strangers may stop with you;
But if you accord with the Way
All the people of the world will keep you
In safety, health, community and peace.
The Way lacks art and flavor;
It can neither be seen or heard,
But its benefits cannot be exhausted."
- Translated by Peter Merel, 1992, Chapter 35
"Hold fast the idea of "The Great," Then all men will be drawn to you. They will come to you and receive no hurt, But rest, peace and great calm. When you provide music and exquisite food The traveller will stay with you gladly. When the Tao flows out from you to him By his palate he does not detect its savour, By his eye he cannot perceive it, By his ears he cannot hear it, But in using it he finds it to be inexhaustible." - Translated by Isabella Mears, 1916, Chapter 35
"Here the white-ray'd anemone is born,
"With the development of information technology, the learners should further enhance their knowledge and perfect their skills through reading books and using the multimedia resources, such as video tapes and VCDs. Sometimes, to some extent, you can master the competition routines even without a coach in person. Quite a number of people are known to have learned and practice Tai Ji Quan by using the multimedia teaching materials and some even won places in competitions besides keeping fit. But of course, if given a chance, it is always more beneficial to learn personally from masters."
- The Competition Routine of Sun Style Tai Ji Quan, Edited by Zhong Shan, p. 138.
Ward Off Left by Yang Cheng Fu (1883-1936)
Peng Ching is outward expanding and moving Energy (Jing, Ching). It is a quality of responding to incoming energy by adhering to that energy, maintaining one's own posture, and bouncing the incoming energy back like a large inflated rubber ball. You don't really respond to force with your own muscular force to repel, block, or ward off the attack. Ward Off is a response of the whole body, the whole posture, unified in one's center, grounded, and capable of gathering and then giving back the opponent's energy.
Peng is often referred to as a kind of "bouncing" energy. It is also considered the fundamental way of delivering energy and embodied in some way in each of the other Eight Gates.
"When moving, receiving, collecting, and striking, Peng Ching is always used. It is not easy to complete consecutive movements and string them together without flexibility. Pen Ching is T'ai Chi boxing's essential energy. The body becomes like a spring; when pressed it recoils immediately."
- Kuo, Lien-Ying, "The T'ai Chi Boxing Chronicle," p. 44
"Peng is a form of Jing that responds to incoming energy
by adhering or sticking to it, and then bouncing the incoming energy back like a
large inflated rubber ball. It is the primary Yang or “projecting” energy force
in Tai Chi, and can be equally defensive and offensive. Peng is expressed by the
entire body as a whole, unified in your center and grounded. When one standing
in the correct Peng posture, it is almost impossible to move them. The
first energy is Ward Off, expressed as you Step Forward into the left Bow
Stance, round the left arm forward and float the right hand to the hip.
Peng puts a curved barrier between you and your opponent; creating a buffer zone
that prevents the first shock of an incoming attack from penetrating your
defenses. This buffer zone also gives you the critical microsecond to avoid
being overwhelmed by an attack, giving you neurological space to to deflect,
absorb or counter an attack. Peng energy can be compared to the type of
force that causes wood to float on water or a balloon to inflate, or a garden
hose to fill with a torrent of water. It has a “bounce off” sensation, like the
feeling of rebounding off of a beach ball or Yoga ball. It is Peng that enables
the Tai Chi fighter to hit opponents and cause them, as the Chinese like to say,
“to fly away.” magine a young mother standing on a crowded beach pier,
searching frantically for her child. After a moment, she spots her toddler
climbing up the pier railing, some 60 feet above the ocean. As she rushing to
grab her child, anyone in her way would literally be “bounced away” by her
singularly-focused forward energy. This is Peng."
- Tai Chi
Transformation
"One exercise style I enjoy practicing at home, and often
in my Taijiquan classes (2000-2017), is straight line repetition drills.
For example, do Ward Off Left, then Ward Off Right, then Ward Off Left ...
alternating and repeating in a straight line direction till the end of the room,
then turn, and go back to the other side of the workout space doing alternating
Ward Off Left and Right. Those who have practiced
Hsing Yi drills
are familiar with this style of movement. I did this exercise style with
Brush Knee Right and Left, Kick Right and Left, Fair Lady Right and Left, etc.
This can get vigorous with more speed and/or explosive moves. Also, you
can do Ward of Right and Left to the four cardinal directions, as with Fair Lady
Works Her Shuttles to four sides."
- Michael P. Garofalo
Daodejing, Laozi
Chapter 34
, 1999, p. 159; Meditation for March 29th. 
Karen and I have driven through, eaten in, or shopped in The Dalles, Oregon, many times. It is 87 miles from our home in Vancouver, WA, via Interstate 84. From the Biggs Junction, just east of The Dalles, you can drive north to Yakima or south to Bend on U.S. Route 97, and all are good paved roads on the east side of the Cascade Mountains.
The Dalles was the terminus of the Oregon Trail in 1850. Boats used the Columbia River at The Dalles, west of Celilo Falls, with clear but dangerous river travel west to the Pacific.
Native Americans have lived here, and had a major trading center here for over 10,000 years. They called it "Win-quatt," signifying a place encircled by rock cliffs.
We drove this morning from Vancouver to Biggs Junction on Interstate 84. This 107 mile drive through the Columbia Gorge is always beautiful, and mostly a safe driving adventure. We stopped at Deschutes River Recreation Area, Maryhill State Park on the Columbia, the concrete Stonehenge memorial near Maryhill, Horsethief Lake Columbia Hills State Park, History, the Dalles Dam Museum, and into the City of The Dalles.
Lunch.
Afternoon driving trip up and back Road 197 to Dufur and hills of the Eastern Cascades.
Check into motel. Dinner: Cousins.
Wednesday: Cherry hills drive, Breakfast, Drive I84 to Portland, Hood River Hotel stop, Rooster Rock stop, Home.
We drove in our 2018 Ford Escape: nice quiet ride, smooth, safe, plenty of power.
We purchased and are now (2/27/2021), driving a 2018 Ford Escape, Titanium Model, SUV, AWD, 4 cylinder, 2.0 L engine, 22-27 mpg. This SUV has 35,100 miles on its bones and engine. The 2.0 L Turbocharged engine can put out 245 horsepower. Reviews?
The Ford Escape SUV has many passenger safety features and road handling AWD capabilities, and meets all the Washington State emission control and road safety standards of 2018. This model uses a Sony electronic, audio, and communication system. There is plenty of room in our "new" Ford Escape for loading groceries from the Kroeger Fred Meyer's in our Orchards area. Or, room for moving gardening supplies and plants, boxes, travel gear, clothing, lunches and coffee, and recreational gear. This SUV model has new tires, good handling and AWD stability and adaptability, good lights, and versatile rain and cold controls for comfort and safety. Our SUV is silver in color.
99.9% of the time there are either one or two persons in the car. We will not be towing anything, or carrying any gear on the hard top of this Ford Escape vehicle. We rarely camp anymore; and stay in motels, cabins, or hotels. Besides suitcases, we have a variety of recreational gear (boots, camera, backpack, maps, emergency supplies, raingear, tools, folding chairs, blankets, backup food and water, backup clothing, toiletries, auto stuff, etc.) to carry on some day trips or overnight trips. Plenty of room for two travelers and their gear and stuff!!
This kind of newer used card should provide good service for our uses for many years in Southwestern Washington, Clark County, Washington. We have traveled many U. S Interstate highways and roads, Washington and Oregon State roads, U.S. Forest Service Roads, local Clark County roads and backroads into and through and over the Cascades to the east of Vancouver, WA. This Ford Escape should have plenty of power and safety features for two auto travelers in our typical 150 mile and less radius of travel ... Portland Metro and Beyond from Desert to Mountains to River Valleys to the Pacific.