Newsletter | Jan/Feb 2007


Travelogue from the Editor

Utah

Happy New Year one and all! I have started 2007 at a running pace and thankful for it. However to counterbalance the hurriedness I have committed to practicing yoga. And for that I have OWA to thank. I initially got interested in yoga at the OWA Annual retreat last September. Then after a second class (see below) I decided to commit to one year of yoga. I'm delighted to have found a studio only four blocks from my house with convenient morning classes! The teachers are terrific and very encouraging for a newbie like me.

I experienced a lovely December enjoying impromptu get-togethers with family and friends with little or no holiday stress, yea! It's a liberating experience to decide NOT to be chained to the holiday hoopla and let events unfold as they may.

A long time artist friend of mine was invited to have an art exhibit at the Sundance Resort in Utah. So, being one of her 12 closest friends I got to go for her opening event. Wow-Sundance is unlike a typical resort setting. It is non-centralized, it has no large lobby for people watching, no snotty staff, and a taxi system of hybrid vehicles to shuttle you around as needed. The people at Sundance, in Utah, and even at the airport were remarkably nice, polite, and helpful. When we arrived mid-December it had just snowed for 48 hours-a skiers paradise. It snowed for the entire hour long drive from the airport to the resort. The drive through the wall of mountains is stunning to look at as well as the several cars that just seemed to drive right off the road. The exit to Sundance lead to a winding road that ended at a snow drenched parking lot. A very pretty parking lot. Luckily the resort assigned staff to direct new arrivals as any signage could not be seen under the snow!

The first morning I woke up and looked outside I thought I had arrived in Narnia. Every tree, shrub, and eave was dusted with snow. I could hardly wait to get outside but was happy to be snuggled beneath a warm stack of blankets. While the accommodations are very comfortable and thoughtful they are not luxurious or ostentatious. The draw is nature. Icicles, snow laden trees, semi-frozen waterways, and meandering paths leading you eventually where you want to be. The ski lift was situated between the townhouse-like suites and the communal places, restaurants, store, reception, and deli. It was fun just to stop and watch the skiers flying down the hill.

Sundance Resort was the second setting I took a yoga class: 'Yoga in a Yurt'. And at 35ºF it was the polar opposite of Bikram yoga. Good thing my room had a steam shower to thaw out in.

My friend's opening was a huge success. The paintings and video installation looked awesome. This trip was so good, so much fun that we are planning a yearly reunion.


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