Posted on May 4, 2016May 4, 2016 in meadow

Nothing Gold Can Stay

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“Then leaf subsides to leaf,
So Eden sank to grief,
So dawn goes down to day
Nothing gold can stay. ” -Robert Frost,

Summerland, CA

This morning I woke up at 6 am anxious. I got myself together and booked it to my favorite coffee shop, The French Press. While I was ordering my ice coffee the lady taking my order asked me what I had planned for the rest of the day. I answered with a simple reply of I am taking an AP Computer Science test. Her facial expression changed quickly from a tired gaze to a short laugh, then a “glad I’m not you” look. She handed me my coffee as if she gave me gold. After that I was off and on my way hyped on a bagel and caffeine.

About four hours later I finished my test and as Shakespeare puts it, “Twas’ a rough night.” (Macbeth, Act 3, Scene 4), but it wasn’t night. It was bright and early in the morning. I just thought that quote was relatable. Computer science is hard, but most of the time I have fun with it. Even though I feel like I failed the test, I am proud that I did it. I felt like a queen after taking the test, I hugged all my friends as if I just won a battle.

To celebrate, my friend Kelsey and I left school . We went to the beach. As I felt golden, the sky was gray. We left the gloomy beach after drinking our oreo milkshakes, and headed to the mustard greens meadow in Summerland, just south of Santa Barbara. I did a blog post about this yellow magical meadow earlier. But this was earlier, and now most of the leaves were brown. There was a small patch of yellow left in the meadow. I savored the last of the golden field and ran around through the tall weeds without luckily getting stung by a bee for hours. It was a nice celebration to be there after taking that test in the morning. Nature is always a party

It makes me sad to see the meadow turn brown, but it reminds me of the Buddhist term, impermanence , which basically means nothing is forever and to enjoy the beautiful things in life for the moment.

Much Love and Peace,

Charlotte

Posted on April 20, 2016April 28, 2016 in meadow

Queen of The Woods

Hale Park, Montecito

“Ah so you have finally taken me to Chartopia,” she said gazing up at the eucalyptus tree.

“Indeed I have,” I replied with a smirk.

I woke up my friend, Lily, early on Saturday morning. I offered her some coffee as a nice gesture for terribly waking her up before noon . She declined my coffee offer, and I told her I had somewhere to take her. I drove, got out of the car, and jumped over the stone wall that opens up into Hale Park, also known (to me) as Chartopia.

As you can see, I call this park Chartopia like the name of my blog. It is what actually gave me the inspiration to start blogging about the places around me as I feel this park represents how beautiful the world can be. This place is untouched, and you don’t get much of that anymore as the industrialization of the world is becoming more prominent. It is like they feel the need to fill every square inch of Earth with cement or man-made structures! What surprises me is that I barely spot any people whenever I am there, and I go there a lot. Where am I after school? The park. On weekends? The park.

This is because I can go and sit and just stare at lovely, purple flowers, or lay in the middle of a wild grass field with a book. I feel like a kid, and I think that is what makes me so happy. People need places to go to be alone, or a place they feel comfortable at where they can reconnect with themselves. For me, I feel most comfortable in nature, and I think many people would agree. I feel like metaphorically “The Queen of the Woods” whenever I go to Hale Park because I have the place to myself, and it is my happy spot. It is Chartopia! As a teenager who is loaded up with school, homework, AP tests, and stress, it is so important to take a break and enjoy the beautiful parks, mountains, and/or beaches that surround us. Lily loved the park and I brought some more of my friends there this morning… we had a really great time!

Nature is a place worth spending time in. Happy almost Earth Day!

Much Love and Peace,

Charlotte

Posted on March 11, 2016March 18, 2016 in travel

Secret Gardens

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“Is the spring coming?’ he said. ‘What is it like?’… ‘It is the sun shining on the rain and the rain falling on the sunshine, and things pushing up and working under the earth.'”

-Frances Hodgson Burnett, The Secret Garden

Summerland, California

I have saved this quote for awhile and I felt it was the time to use it because it is now March and it feels like spring. A slight storm came in and brought gloom to the sky, but the flowers and grass were vibrant and growing above the ground with little birds searching for pollen. It was a true spring day. On this day, I drove south to the small town of Summerland, California. It is a small, happy, and sleepy with cute local shops with all sorts off knick knacks like any other small California beach town.

What makes this places more special than other towns is this place towards the end of the main street (Lillie Ave.) called, Sacred Space. Sacred Space is technically a store, but it is more like a meditation garden with the influence of Buddhism. It is like how a Buddhist temple can have a gift shop, but the more important thing is that it is a temple. I want to put out there that I do not feel that my pictures below show the beauty of the place.

My camera did not like the fog.

Jameson at front entrance of Sacred Space

Jameson and I walked around the grounds of Sacred Space, which is small, but lots to see. Sprawled upon the bamboo, palm trees, and succulents, are Buddhas. Buddhas everywhere. There are also some other spiritual figures like the Hindu god, Shiva and Vishnu. Once we walked around and admired the place, we settled down on the couch under a cabana type of thing (pictured on the right-back below).

In front of the couch is a table with a journal. If you flip it open you will see quotes, journal entries, drawings from people have come to Sacred Space. The journal is my favorite part because people write in the journal about how thankful they are. Definitely check out the journal at Sacred Space.

It’s dope and inspiring.

After are time at Sacred Space we went up the road for a new adventure…

The mustard field (pictured above)! I can’t explain how I exactly got there because it’s sort of confusing, but this place is so BEAUTIFUL, nothing like it. It’s a massive piece of land filled with flowers! In this time of age of sky scrapers and concrete, sometimes it puts you in shock to see a place like this. It was my first time going to this field in Summerland and not my last! If you really want to know where it is ask me in person or comment below and I will give you the best directions I can:)

HAPPY ALMOST FRIDAY!!!

Have an adventurous weekend.

Go take a hike, I dare you.

Much love and peace,

Charlotte

P.S. Be a super cool, awesome person and follow my Instagram! @chartopia_ @chartopia_ @chartopia_