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| Sunrise 2, Baja Landscapes, artist & copyright Jill Mollenhauer |
‘What is it about Baja that makes you want to go back?’ The
question was posed to me last night at a lovely dinner party hosted by dear
friends. Immediately I knew the answer, for just that day I had become aware of
what is missing here.
Don’t get me wrong, I am eternally
grateful for this stopping point, a place to heal from all that has been ongoing
in our lives as of late. My partner’s cancer treatment has required us to be
here and this rental house has been a God-send for its proximity to not only
the doctors but also our storage garage. And because it is on the same block as
the house we own and currently rent to someone else, our core support group and
neighbors are with us. What a blessing! Nothing could make it easier than to
just walk the 3 blocks to Trader Joes or Ralphs, Starbucks or even the hardware
store. Such ease! This neighborhood hosts more restaurants than one could ever
choose from in a lifetime along with other numerous outlets for enjoyment. I guess my friend simply could not fathom why I want
to return to our beach house in Baja where we make our own electricity, truck
in our water and at this point a hot shower involves heating the water on the stove
first.
When the sun rises in Baja, it creeps up over the peninsula and
crests the distant San Francisco Mountains to shine across the bay and into our
front window. The crashing waves sing of its ascent into the color-filled sky.
Birds begin their daily flight paths along the shoreline in search of
breakfast. Nature simply calls to me to come and experience Her in Her morning glory.
Even before tea I often put on my shoes and take a brisk walk to the point with
Rowdy, our neighbor’s dog, because it is just too stunning to miss.
There are times that the moon and the sun are simultaneously
coming and going – east sports vivid orange and yellows, while west is soft purple
and gold. I tilt my head back and scan the entire sky wishing I could paint it
all on one canvas or at least take a picture, but it’s so vast! I have no extra
extra wide angle lens and I am left speechless in awe.
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| Baja Landscapes #4, artist & copyright Jill Mollenhauer |
Other times if it’s a low tide, we’ll cycle along the 3
miles of uninterrupted beach, stopping only to pick up shells or watch the dolphins
as they play in the surf beside us. On those days we ride with Rowdy and the
dolphins. Yes, they swim parallel with us as we ride. It’s heaven to return
home tired and exhilarated for breakfast and coffee.
As the day warms and after chores are completed, I walk over
to my studio where I always have at least one project going. Rowdy usually
accompanies me to lie on the cool floor while I paint and Ms. Yeager, the cat,
often sprawls across my work table to snooze or occasionally swat at my brush. I
can survey the neighborhood from my perch upstairs above Ed’s house. It is open
to the water and sometimes I find myself just gazing out watching. I work until
hunger or some other diversion calls me to come back to the house and clean up.
The gift of being able to walk away from my canvases and not look at them until
I return is so refreshing. It is easy to get desensitized to them otherwise.
It’s almost impossible to not tide pool in the afternoons.
There are so many treasures and surprises that are waiting to be explored! I
can practically hear the ocean calling me to come and play.
And in the evenings when the sun sets behind the house over
the hill we either drag the chairs out to watch from our yard or walk up to Mo
and Gerry’s house. From there we can watch it slide once again into the Pacific
while setting the sky afire in beauty. After dinner it is ritual to sit on the porch,
wrapped in blankets if necessary, and enjoy the stars. The only place I have
ever seen their brilliance and number matched in in Kauai. When sleep overtakes
us we still hear the ocean calling, the waves crashing, promising another
sunrise soon to come.
This is what draws me to our beach house in Baja – Nature in
all her raw beauty. I am fed by it; it fuels me. I feel closer to God, my Own
Self, there than in any man-made structure. The quiet contemplation, the inner delving
that accompanies it excites me. And as with anything, I know that I want breaks
from that too. Change is a necessity.
But while there, I love to dance with
Nature.
For more information about the artwork: Jill Mollenhauer
