Messages from the Other Side: Camilla’s Return

I am sharing this session with you with the permission of Heidi, who called me for an Intuitive Reading yesterday morning.  It’s such a pleasure for me to work with people who have very specific questions in mind but are open to receiving additional information, as Heidi was. 

Heidi and I had never met or spoken to one another prior to this reading.  Her questions were mostly related to contacting family members who have “graduated,” particularly her parents. She was also interested in getting some help with finding a missing Bakelite choker that had disappeared some time ago.

Heidi’s parents appeared right away.  Many times, spirits will identify themselves by showing me objects that their loved ones would associate with them, as Heidi’s parents did.  Often images can be symbolic, and usually they mean something to the client.

When Heidi’s mother appeared, I saw the image of a woman sewing, and then an image of the same woman leaving a building or shop that had clothing in it.  I also saw the image of Heidi’s father sitting in a lounge chair, watching TV. 

Heidi’s response:

“My mom DID sew quite a bit, and she worked for Tioga textile mills, so that was spot on.  My dad just loved his lounge chair.  After he returned from the hospital, he actually even slept in it, and that is where he passed away.

Oddly enough, after he died, the women from the consignment store downstairs from my parents’ house called my sister to ask if anyone was upstairs at the house, because they heard the sound of my Dad’s chair (it was sort of like a leather glider rocker with an ottoman), and they knew what it sounded like.  Nobody was up there.”

I also saw a striped cat with Heidi’s parents.  The cat was weaving in and out of their legs, purring.  When I described this to Heidi, she said:

“Oh my God! That’s my cat, Camilla! That you could see her with them was amazing.  She passed away three years ago this summer, and two nights ago I had such a vivid dream of her.  It was the first time I had one like that. It was very comforting to know that she was there with my parents.”

I also shared with Heidi that someone with a strong New Jersey accent kept popping in and out of the reading.  I kept seeing images of the boardwalk on the Jersey Shore. Was it her parents?  No…that wasn’t right. Then who was it?  Heidi couldn’t make the connection, and neither could I, so we let it go.

She then shared with me that she’d always felt as if she’d known her mother before, and I told her about my vision of a past life in Europe, where she lived a life with her mother and current sister:

“I knew-knew-KNEW that my mom was my mother before. I knew we had been separated, or lost from each other. In this life I was always so afraid of losing her, of her knowing where I was. We were so close, my paternal grandmother would joke that I probably would take her to college with me.  And my sister Meredith, I knew that she was my sister before also. I know this. I felt the Europe connection.  I have dreamed of that family—that life.”

We moved on to the missing choker. I saw the image of a bedroom with a bureau on the right side and a bathroom on the left.  This description exactly matched the bedroom in Heidi’s house where her antique jewelry and clothing was stored.  I saw the image of her daughter playing with the choker and told Heidi that it would be in a place where she was least likely to expect it (tucked under a rug or behind the bureau).  She confirmed that her daughter often plays with her jewelry, and that she would look for it in that room.

Heidi suddenly remembered that there was a side of the family that lived in New Jersey.  There was an Uncle Richard who had a strong New Jersey accent who was very close to her mother.  As she told me this, the name “Pierson” kept coming up for me.  

I was absolutely amazed when you mentioned the last name “Pierson,” which I immediately figured out was “Pedersen,” my maternal grandmother’s maiden name, and also the last name of Uncle Richard, the fellow with the strong New Jersey accent. You said that he was there to meet my mom when she crossed over.

It was fun that we were able to figure that one out.  Often, this happens during readings.  Something that seems way off will suddenly ring a bell for someone.

Then it came time to say goodbye.  Heidi’s parents had many loving messages for her, using words and terms of endearment that they used in life:

When my parents said goodbye, the message that you relayed to me: “God Bless You,” and “You are our dear, sweet beautiful child,” were very familiar words that my parents spoke to me many times. This definitely resonated powerfully for me.

Thank you so much for the reading. It was just really a wonderful and comforting, and I felt very good and completely relaxed afterward.  I can see doing another one in the future.

If you’re interested in scheduling a reading with me, I’d be happy to set one up.  Here’s what you need to do:

1. Contact me on Facebook or at leighopkins@gmail.com and suggest some times that would work for a reading.  Also send me your phone number, and I’ll call you at our prearranged time.
2. Go to our website and select a 30-minute or 60-minute reading. You will be prompted to enter your credit card information or PayPal account.
3. Prior to our session, send me a list of 5 questions that you’d like answered.  Our website will give you a sense of the areas I typically focus on.

Who knows? Maybe you’ll get a visit from a long lost pooch or your favorite coconut cake from Grandma (as another client did yesterday)!

Raw Demo: 60 Second Green Smoothie

This week’s raw demo is what I consider to be the most essential part of any healthy lifestyle—not just raw foodists!  I’ve convinced many friends and family to replace their usual breakfasts with one of these, and they’re hooked.

What’s a Green Smoothie?  Basically, it’s just a fruit smoothie with leafy greens blended in.  If you look on the web, there are more than 300,000 sites with recipes , demos or testimonials about why green smoothies are great for you.  I think their popularity has come about for 2 main reasons:  they make you feel great, and they’re an easy way to get the daily recommended amount of fruits and veggies down the hatch in 5 minutes or less. 

Some of the benefits that people have seen from Green Smoothies:

• increased energy and vitality
• improved concentration
• weight loss
• clearer skin
• improved digestion
• fewer cravings and mood swings

My own experience was pretty amazing—no, life changing.  Within a few weeks after drinking green smoothies every morning before work, I dropped 5 pounds.  In a very short time, my cravings for caffeine and sugar disappeared almost altogether.  Feeling so good made me want to feel even better, so on January 1, 2008 I transitioned to a raw-vegan diet.

This week’s demo is a recipe that almost anyone will love (even your kids!).  I created this post for all of my friends and family who have said something along the lines of “You lost me at kale smoothie!”    

Green Smoothie Demo

►

Easy Green Smoothie Recipe

• 1 large bunch of spinach
• 2 bananas
• 1 apple, cored (or other fresh, seasonal fruit)
• water

Directions:  Place all ingredients in a Vitamix or high-speed blender.  Add enough water to nearly cover the fruit and greens. Blend thoroughly until all ingredients are completely pulverized. Add more/less water depending on preferred consistency (something you’ll learn over time).  Serve immediately and enjoy!

It will be important for you to vary your smoothie ingredients to keep things interesting.  As you acquire a taste for more greens, you can experiment with including herbs like fresh mint, cilantro, parsley, and greens like lettuce, kale, dandelion greens, watercress, and other dark leafy greens (although I’m personally not a fan of using arugula—too bitter for my taste).  I include some suggestions for additional ingredients here: 

Green Smoothie Challenge!

►

Here’s the GREEN SMOOTHIE CHALLENGE:  Drink one green smoothie every morning before breakfast for one week, and I guarantee you’ll see a difference.  Then write and tell me how it went.  I dare you.

I’m ready to hear any testimonials and recipes from those of you who are already part of the Green Smoothie Revolution.  Gimme what you got!

Scenes from Sunday

Yesterday was one of those long, delicious Sundays that just went on and on and on…full of visiting with friends, browsing, and late night cavorting.  Nothing insightful or informational in today’s post, I’m just inviting you along to the party.

After breakfast, Helena and I headed to the Feira Hippie (Hippie Fair) in General Osorio Square. I love this fair because it’s full of artisan crafts and artwork, along with the requisite macrame halter tops and purses made of recycled soda cans. 

I could have wandered the feira for hours, but we kept our browsing to a minimum because our new friends Dani and Caryn called to see if we wanted to meet them for Chopps (really, really cold beers) in front of the beach at Arpoador.  I swear, watching this is almost as good as being there:

Chilling at Arpoador

►

After hanging out for a few hours, we decided it was time to move on to our next item on the agenda.  It went something like this:

“So whaddya want to do now?”

“I dunno, um…”

“Maybe we should have lunch?” (at this point, it was 3:30)

“Oooooh…where?”

“Anyone got any ideas?”

“Um…not sure.”

You get the idea.  We finally agreed on heading to a spot on the Lagoa (lagoon), where we hung out for a few more hours (which is why the moon is out in this clip):

Lagoa Moon

►

From there, we agreed that it was important to stop for sorvete (sorbet) at Felice in Copacabana.  Knowing that we had 9:00 dinner reservations at that very restaurant just 2 hours later, Helena and I said goodbye to Dani and Caryn and headed back to the apartment for a nap. 

Typical of Brazilians, our dinner reservations at Felice were changed at the last minute and the party moved to the apartment.  Wesley (the Manager of Universo Organico) and Tiana finally showed up around 10:30 pm, and at 11:30 we set the table for dinner and started serving.

This is a great example of how the lines in Brazilian business relationships are not only blurred, they’re non-existent.  This is the fourth time Wesley has come to the apartment for a business meeting after 11 pm. This time, it was a combination Business Meeting/Birthday Party. Don’t miss my fancy new video editing tool, complete with subtitles:

Brazilian Business Meeting

►

The only way to explain this clip is:

RAW FOODISTS + ORGANIC WINE + MICHAEL JACKSON = 1 HOT MESS

Birthday Dance Party

►

The dance party ended around 2 am, and from there we sang along as Wesley replayed all of his favorite scenes from Mama Mia. 

You had to be there.

Six Impossible Things

On Friday night Alice arrived in Wonderland, complete with subtitles and 3-D glasses. 

Inspired by thoughts of Alice, during this morning’s meditation I reflected on this conversation between Alice and the White Queen from Through the Looking Glass:

“There’s no use trying,” Alice said. “One can’t believe impossible things.”

“I daresay you haven’t had much practice,” said the Queen. “When I was your age, I always did it for half-an-hour a day.  Why, sometimes, I’ve believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast.” *

I’ve always loved this quote, probably because it’s this very attitude that’s led me catapulting through life. It’s gotten me into trouble on plenty of occasions, but mostly it’s led to marvellous surprises and a life full of expectation.

During my years working in public education reform, I kept my brain happy by ever striving to manifest the impossible.  I’d dream up some new project, doing my best to translate it for my colleagues before exclaiming, “Well, I don’t exactly know how we’re going to do it…but I’m sure we’ll figure it out once we get there!”

I still make it a habit—no, a practice–to stretch my mind to believe in the impossible.  I keep multiple journals by my bedside and carry a tiny notebook in my bag in the event that some improbably wonderful idea pops up during the day.  Many of my ponderings go absolutely nowhere, but there have been a few that made me glad for the pen and paper.

I’d like to challenge all of you to a week of dreaming—no, believing—in six impossible things.  Give yourself an extra 15-30 minutes before breakfast or after dinner. If you’re feeling courageous, send me your most improbable, your most impossible, and I promise to play along.

I’ll warn you that it’s this kind of mental yoga that led me to our latest adventure. I don’t exactly know how we’re going to do it, but I’m sure we’ll figure it out.

* With thanks to Lewis Carroll and Barbara Kingsolver.

Saudades

In Portuguese, there is a word—saudades—which I’ve been told is difficult to translate into English.  When you tell someone “Saudades de você,” it’s like telling them “I miss you,” but with more intensity.  It indicates a sense of longing, but it’s more than longing.  It’s missing, longing, craving, aching, yearning, needing, loving—all of these emotions are held captive by just one little word.

This morning, for the first time since arriving in Brazil, I felt saudades for home.  A friend posted a Facebook photo of the woods where I often walked with our dogs, and without any warning, I burst into tears. 

It took me completely by surprise.  In two months time, I’ve experienced nothing but excitement, curiosity, and enthusiasm for my new home. 

I’m proudly independent, happy to venture to the market when we’re missing an ingredient for dinner.  “How do you say that?” I ask, and after repeating the new word several times to make sure that I don’t sound like a Gringo, off I go.

There have been many times when I’ve sat at a table with a group of people and felt more than a little lost.  I strain my ears to pick up familiar words, hopeful that an appropriately placed smile or laugh indicates that I’m simpatica, someone worth befriending despite my inability to communicate.

But even this doesn’t get to me too much.  I understand that this is all part of living in another country, something that will pass with time (assisted of course, by my willingness to stop goofing around and start learning the language!).

But today, I miss my peeps.  I miss my favorite coffee shop, I miss talking too long and laughing too hard, I miss knowing that if I go to the park at a certain time of day, I’m bound to run into someone who will share a laugh or indulge a secret or tell me that they missed me, too.

I miss having a home.  I miss digging in my yard, “cooking” in my own kitchen, waking up in my own bed. I miss having my parents close enough to help me plant a spring garden and put it to bed in the fall.

On Sunday night we Skyped with four friends from Philadelphia. They all crowded around the monitor so that we could see them, all of us laughing and joking and peering at each other through the tiny screen.  Our friend Sherri is pregnant and due this summer, and we’ve missed out on two months’ progress.  As she lifted her shirt to expose her new belly in all its delicious, round glory, I reached my hand to the screen to rub it, reveling in the newness of the life growing there.

I know that in our hearts we’re always together.  Your emails reinforce that sentiment, and for that, I thank you.

But today, in every way, saudades de vocês.

Thanks for the Mammaries

I was thinking today that maybe it’s time for an update on our work in Brazil, but also because I thought you might get a kick out of something that happened during one of our sessions last week.  I’m using a pseudonym to protect the identity of the person involved.

I shared with you a few weeks back that Helena and I have started our practice in Rio.  To be honest, we hadn’t anticipated that we’d have so many clients in such a short amount of time!  I guess it’s because word spreads quickly here, and we’ve been told that the sessions we provide are unlike any others that people are offering in the city.  It’s funny, just two and a half months ago, I was wading through policy memos and federal grant proposals, and now I’m a paid psychic. 

We’ve been providing Integrative Healing Sessions, which are a combination of my Intuitive Readings and Helena’s Reiki/Shiatsu and Life Coaching.  My portion of the session primarily focuses on people’s questions related to their life and soul purposes, but many people often come to me because they’re hoping to hear from family members who have “graduated.”  I enjoy helping to make this connection, not only because it helps people to know that their family members are at peace, it also allows them to validate that the information I’m giving isn’t just something I pulled out of my bunda.  This story is an example of that.

Since my Portuguese is still at the level of a 3-year-old, Helena has been serving as a translator during my Intuitive Readings.  The dialogue below is a translation of part of my session with ”Carolina,” who was hoping to hear from her grandparents who had died before she was twenty.  This session was the first time I’d ever met her. 

“Is there any way you could see if my grandparents are still near me?”  Carolina asked. “They were very kind to me.”

“Give me a minute, and I’ll see if we can visit with them.” I responded.  

Carolina watched hopefully as I concentrated on making a connection.  After about 15 seconds, the image of an elderly man and woman with bright smiles came into focus.  The woman placed her hands on Carolina’s shoulders and gave her a squeeze, as if to say, “I’m here.”

“It looks like we’re going to hear from them today,” I smiled.  “Let’s see what they have to say.”

As I continued to concentrate on the couple, their images came into clearer focus.  I saw that the woman had chin-length brown hair, warm brown eyes, and a laughing smile. She was wearing a flowered dress and an apron. I shared this with Carolina.

“Yes,” she responded. “That’s how she usually dressed!”

Because accuracy matters to me, I asked for more specific information.  As I concentrated on her grandmother’s form, her shape appeared in greater detail.  And what I couldn’t miss—just impossible to deny—was that this woman had some seriously huge breasts.  I’m talking quadruple E’s. 

How to bring this up?

Fortunately, I happen to know the word for breasts (peitos), so I asked Carolina very delicately in Portuguese:

“I don’t know how to ask this,” I ventured,  ”but did your grandmother have very large breasts?”  I used my hands to illustrate my point.

Carolina’s eyes opened wide, and she burst into a huge grin. “Enormous!” she laughed, tears coming to her eyes. “They were unbelievably gigantic!” And then, cupping her hands near her waist, she added for emphasis:  “They were down to here!”

Helena and I did our best to retain our professional demeanors, but Carolina was giggling so hard that we finally gave in and joined her.

I gotta tell ya, I love this job.

Green Trafficking

While we were filming today’s post, Tiana’s housekeeper Claudia* stood watching, puzzled as to why we’d bother to film our market finds.  I explained that I wanted to show people the incredible fruits, verduras (greens), and other produce that are available in Brazil.

“Ah,” she nodded wisely. “Green trafficking.”

Compre Fresco, Compre Local

►

Given your enthusiastic response  to last Tuesday’s demo (thanks!), I thought I’d give you another taste. Today’s post was inspired by a comment one of you made to me last week about our decision to eat raw. Something along the lines of:  “I’m in awe of what you’re doing…I don’t know HOW you do it!”

First, no need for awe.  For us, this is all about feeling good. When we eat junk, we feel like junk. When we eat clean…well, the world’s just a happier place. It’s that simple.

I think one of the reasons that people think that eating this way is so difficult is because we just live on salads and sprouts.  Hopefully last week’s recipe convinced you otherwise.

The truth is, we do eat a lot of salads.  The key to this is getting beyond the usual American diner salad: a piece of Iceberg lettuce, 2 anemic looking tomato slices, and a few slices of cucumber. Ugh!

I’m sure that many of you out there visit your local Farmer’s Market, so you can find your own local versions of our lunch, below.  After turning the last page of Barbara Kingsolver’s Animal, Vegetable, Miracle last night, I’m more convinced than ever that all of us can do our part by eating what’s grown as close to home as possible.  For me, this means eating a lot of bananas.  ***One night’s free room and board in Brazil for the first person to identify the significance of this last comment!***

The secret to making interesting salads is all about presentation and flavorful side dishes.  I’m a big advocate of trying new and unusual produce whenever possible—like the lotus flower buds we used in today’s lunch. Here’s what we served up using our market finds:

Salada Bonita

►

With Claudia’s permission, I’m gifting you with her cauliflower recipe:

Claudia’s Couveflor *

1 head of cauliflower, raw or lightly steamed

2 ripe tomatoes, diced

1 onion, diced (hint:  soak in lemon juice for 30 minutes to reduce strong “oniony” flavor)

1/2 grated carrot

minced cilantro to taste

1-2 tablespoons olive oil

salt to taste

Directions:  lightly toss ingredients and chill for one hour.  Serve with pleasure.

Who You Gonna Call?

I’ve entertained you with stories of my somewhat unusual abilities in the past, but this will be my first time writing about what Helena and I call “Energy Work.”  It came up on Friday night when we were at Universo Organico, stuffing ourselves.

When we arrived, the restaurant was empty. It was strange—on a Friday night, the place was usually packed!  It struck us as a bit odd, so we did our part and ordered a ton of food.

As we were enjoying our meal, Chef Tiana came out of the kitchen to say hello. She flopped down next to us with a heavy sigh, looking both exhausted and flustered. When we asked what was wrong, she gave us the list of problems she’d been having that day:  two chefs calling in sick, staff not getting along, grouchy landlords, problems with payroll, and so on and so on. None of these were insurmountable or unusual challenges in the restaurant world, it was just that they all seemed to be happening on the same day.

Tiana was at the breaking point because she was planning to take her first weekend off in six months or more, and with all the issues that had cropped up, there was no way that she was going to be able to get away.  She headed back to the kitchen, practically in tears, saying, “I’m up to HERE—I can’t take this!”

Helena and I sat there feeing totally helpless because we had no idea how to help our friend.  We sat in silence, each of us mulling over what we could do.

Could we volunteer to work in the kitchen?  Not really—we don’t know the menu, and neither of us is a  trained chef.

Provide conflict-resolution training for the staff?  Please.

Then it occurred to me:  maybe the restaurant was in need of a “Clearing!”  

I’ll explain. 

Have you ever walked into a place that just gave you the creeps?   Maybe you’ve even been to a building where a terrible event happened, and you could just sense that the place carried that energy.  It’s what many of us refer to as “bad vibes.”

Sometimes places can also pick up darker energies that begin to cause problems, and they can even carry restless or lost spirits. This can cause problems like irritability and tension between people living and working there, and more serious problems like equipment malfunctions and accidents.

Whenever Helena and I do our work together, before beginning each session we always clear the space we’re working in to make sure that there are no unwanted energies hanging around.  We also do this when we move into a new home.  On several occasions friends and clients have asked us to do house clearings and blessings.  I’ve also been called by people who were convinced that they had a ghost. They were right! After I did my work, people later reported that all was quiet on the home front and everyone lived happily ever after.

Without mentioning it to Tiana, Helena and I decided to “clear” the restaurant.  Before beginning, we both agreed that despite the fact that it was almost empty, the restaurant was actually feeling pretty good.  Just the same, we rolled up our mental sleeves and got to work.

[One of these days, I promise to give you a detailed description of how to do what we do…I’m even thinking of developing an online course. For now, I’ll just tell you about the results.]

As we began, I did a scan of the space from front to back, not really expecting to find much of anything.  But within seconds, I saw and felt a presence in the back left corner of the dining room.  At the very moment that I picked this up, Helena’s eyes opened wide and she pointed to the very spot.

“What’s in the back left corner?” she whispered, looking alarmed.

“Ick!” I agreed.  I grabbed a pen and paper and drew the critter for her, and again, her eyes opened wide.

“That’s it!” Helena confirmed.  It looked something like this:

Without going into details about how we did it, we immediately demanded the Critter to leave. Then we “swept” the rest of the restaurant from top to bottom and back again, just to be safe.  After we were certain that the icky energy was gone, we asked for the restaurant to be filled with Light. We called on the help of some delightful presences that renowned psychic Sonia Choquette calls Joy Guides—helpful little spirits that bring a happy, joyful feeling with them wherever they go.

Then we sat down to wait.

The first thing we noticed is that people began walking into the restaurant.  Within 15 minutes, every table was filled.

Next, we noticed that Tiana’s staff perked up and began smiling for the first time that evening. A few minutes later, the people two tables over burst into hysterical laughter that lasted for several minutes.

As Helena and I were licking our spoons clean from the Raw Cacao Mousse we’d just devoured, Tiana burst out of the kitchen with an enormous smile on her face.  Not only that, she burst into laughter the moment she saw us, saying “EVERYTHING is better!” 

The difference was incredible! 30 minutes before, Tiana was on the verge of calling it quits, and now, she was practically giddy with happiness.  She looked around the restaurant and said, “What is it with you two? Every time you come in here, the place is packed! Can you come every night?”

She grabbed her notebook, heading for the door.  “Give me 5 minutes and I’ll give you a ride home. We’re outta here!”

“But what about the trip?” I asked. “I thought with two chefs sick, there was no way you were going to be able to take the weekend off?”

Tiana gave me a look that indicated that the idea was completely absurd. “Everything will be fine,” she assured us with a chuckle. “No problem.”

I looked at Helena, laughing.  “Mission accomplished,” we agreed, and shook on it.

90 Seconds in Heaven

I thought of this idea earlier this week when I was sitting on my favorite meditation rock at the Retreat Center.  I see so much beauty around me every day and I keep wishing that you could experience it with me.

Do you remember that party game that kids used to play (myself excluded!) called  10 Minutes in Heaven?  I’ve decided to start a regular post called “90 Seconds in Heaven.”  It’ll be a little slice of my piece of heaven—my Bliss, as it were—served up just for you.

Tonight’s 90 seconds comes from Viva’s new Retreat Center, located in the Serra dos Órgãos Mountains. We’re sitting on a black volcanic rock, warm from the morning sun. Notice the reflection of the clouds in the koi pond and look for the waterfalls on the large mountain in front.  Listen to the rush of the stream on your left. 

Breathe in, breathe out, relax, and enjoy: 

Meditation Rock

►

I’m a Little Bit Country

When I started this blog about our adventures in Brazil, I promised to take you along for the ride.  This time, I’m coming through on that promise.

Yesterday I posted on Facebook that we were headed to the mountains again to take a look at a truck. Yep, a truck! What, you might ask, would two sandalinhas like us (Brazilian slang for “fems”) do with a truck?

It’s really a two-part answer.  The first part I will explain, and the second part should be coming soon…in yet another BIG REVEAL. (Can you stand the suspense??? Personally, I can’t).

First, I’ll show you a cute shot of Helena on the porch of one of the cabins at the place where Viva Institute will be holding its retreats. We’ve been going almost every week to get acquainted with the Center and to do some writing and planning for our upcoming seminars.

This week, Helena’s been taking a Cornell course on Plant-Based Nutrition, and that’s what she’s studying here. Notice her glum disposition:

Porch Party

►

Back to the subject at hand. Why would we need/want a truck?  I’m hopeful that the following footage will serve as a more-or-less “live” demonstration.  In these shots, I’m hanging my hand out the window of the cute little truck that its current owner allowed to test drive for a few hours (I know, right??).  We took it up to the Retreat Center to see how it handled the roads.

This first shot gives you a great sense of the surrounding community along with the terrain.  Notice the banana trees on the left, and watch out for the dog on the right!  Go easy on the brakes as we ride up behind the tractor, and give him a friendly “toot” to let him know that you see him:

Tractor Pull

►

This shot is my favorite. Hang your head out the window and notice the sheer drop on the left side as we pass the barbed-wire fence.  Duck under the hanging vines and look up the mountain on the right with bromeliads clinging to its face. Round the next turn for another incredible mountain view on our left. The cobblestones almost remind me of Germantown Avenue in Philadelphia, only different:

►

We’re holding out for the truck. 

It’s a little bit sexy, and a little bit rock ‘n roll.