The Hazel Project

13. So the last picture to write about is what we now refer to as U5. US 5 on the grounds at the Roughly Manor that is. Jan took our picture as we were getting ready to leave, this was right after breakfast.

This place had a great vibe and was previously owned by a Hollywood songwriter named Allie Wrubel. He just happened to write “Zip A Dee Doo Dah” and a song called “Gone with the Wind”. We’re still trying to figure out if the latter song was written for the movie and was cut, or if it was written after the movie was released. Anyway, THAT is how he could afford the Roughly Manor and the associated Stables at the time. He also had his Beverly Hills home where his wife insisted on staying. Apparently, she had a certain taste that was more ‘Los Angeles’ in scope than the HOT desert.

We could definitely feel a creative vibe in the house and in the dining room which had a white grand piano in it. Soon, Jan supplied us with copies of Allie Wrubel sheet music. We had a little jam session with Tim and Keith playing piano, and I helped out with the singing. Pretty good stuff I must say.

Roughly Manor was just magnificent. Everything was wonderful there, and a big thanks to owners Gary and Jan for treating us like extended family!
The Roughly came complete with 2 dogs, Sarah and Sammy; and 3 young owls that were born in one of the trees on the grounds. They were learning their owl their gig. They stayed pretty close to home but were exploring different trees.

So that’s it. All the pictures explained. As always, for me, it takes a few days for the vibe of a trip (or any experience for that matter) to settle in. As it does, I become aware of emotions and feelings that open up from it. I understand how this may be an unwelcomed by-product for some people but I enjoy it. As I learned from Thomas Moore, it brings multiple layers of depth to my experiences and deserves to be explored. Personally, this trip has proven pivotal in my exploration of forgiveness towards others from my past; and myself, as I practice being. I was going to say present but ultimately those two things become the same. I’m just now KNOWING what authentic forgiveness is. And I look forward to writing more about that soon.

Thanks for Checking in.

Stephen A. Thomas

This entry was posted on Thursday, June 21st, 2007 at 11:07 pm and is filed under on the path, posts & stories . You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.