Beneath A Big Ominous Rock

Just got back from Idyllwild California. Beautiful setting. The above image is of Tahquitz Rock which overlooks the mountain town, and is a big rock climbing haunt. Speaking of haunts, it is the place of legends as well. Here's what it says in a Sierra Club post:

It had previously been known as "Taukwitch Rock" (by area pioneers) and allowing for many variants in spelling, "Tauquitz" is still its preferred name by rock climbers. According to Indian legends known throughout Southern California, it was believed to be home of the Nukat (an elemental creature of primal evil) "Tahquitz". Included in his activities, Tahquitz loved to do great harm to people and much enjoyed stealing them and/or their souls which he would then take home to eat. His home was said to appear to be a large rock from the outside but was transparent from the inside "and the people he has stolen can see out of it as plainly as we see through glass".

Kinda creepy....I knew there was a reason I liked this place.

Okay so here’s the deal...Idyllwild is a great place to chill. Not a lot of night life...but when you're on the go as much as I am...it's nice to relax. The people are great…and best yet they keep hooking me up with some great places to stay. Last year I had a really nice house in the woods complete with a Jacuzzi…unfortunately this time that house was sold but still the gave me a cool cabin…way too big for a lone dude like me, but it’s a nice change from the Embassy Suites I’m used to.

This time they gave me another nice place with a sense of humor. The downstairs is very stylish, yet with bits of cabin kitsch…you know the antler lamps and bear welcome mats. Now the bedrooms are a treat. There are four bedrooms. The room I chose to sleep in is the Wild West room. Pictures of Wild Bill and other Cow Pokes and Indian Chiefs adorn the wall. Longhorn bull horns hang over the bed.

Upstairs is the Safari room. Complete with a rhino head, tiger striped bedspread and mosquito netting.

The next is the Patriotic Teddy Bear Room….its sort of, well, patriotic…well I guess what I called it pretty much describes it.

And last but not least the fishing room. Complete with fish pillows and singing catfish wall mount.

A little quirky but if you had kids and were renting a cabin in the hills this would be pretty ideal. I would be all over the safari room….hey, it has pith helmet!

So here are some photos from class...as you can see the setting was pretty swell. This is probably my second favorite view from a classroom. The first being in Cortona Italy (which overlooked the Tuscan Valley...plus, my girlfriend, Judy was in that class). This was pretty nifty though.

I should mention that we had a dilemma before class began. All my boxes of junk...which were delivered a week prior...vanished. So a day before class, me and few other Idyllwild employees when searching for new junk. We went to the junkyard, second hand stores and places we weren't supposed to be...those places will remain nameless...because we were never there. You wouldn't believe the stuff we found...way better than what I sent. So the porch was filled with lots of goodies for the student to pick from. Not to mention we went on a little field trip to a 2nd hand store called the Help Center... great bargains.

As for the missing boxes...I think it was all Tahquitz's doing.

All in all a great week. Got to hang with my buddy Bautista (Traci, that is), did a book signing, gave a slide talk, and finished the week with a martini party at the theme house for my students.

Good times.